#*without walking Link off a cliff anyway

[skyward-floored]

Me, grumbling to my mom about how our wiiu gamepad is basically unusable because the joysticks are incredibly wonky: it’s terrible! I can’t play any zelda games because Link just walks off the cliffs!

My mom: well we did get the thing in 2015 and someone plays on it almost every day for at least an hour if not longer

Me: ...okay never mind I’m surprised it still works at all

[undead-merman]

I can't find the one where mc finds a harpy egg and takes it back to the brothers to raise (also harpies) can you link it for me? Thx

So the original post the asker no longer has their age in their bio so I want to delete the ask and post it here.

Poly harpy brothers with an abandoned egg GN-Reader SFW

Finding the egg

You have been on a walk through the tall mountain that you've called home for a long time now, and you decided to take a longer walk than normal. You head off the beaten path to a new patch of trees and cliffsides. You nearly trip after a big step down and tumble off the cliff when you grab a hanging root and pull yourself up. 

You find a nest and it's barely even held together. The twigs and moss are ripped and broken, and a few eggs that sit inside are broken. Most likely, eaten by something. You are glad that whatever it is did leave one tiny egg. 

It looked way too sad. You couldn't just leave it there, even if the brothers were the only ones allowed on this mountain top. You scooped it up and held it close and you made sure to go back carefully. 

When you get back, everyone is still out, so you make your way to the family nest and sit next to it and try to warm it up. 

When they came back and saw the egg, they all bickered and squawked over whose egg it was. When you reminded them that you're a human and told them how you found it and wanted to take care of it. 

Satan told you it was likely the egg wouldn't hatch if it had been alone for too long and Lucifer agreed, but taking a look at it, sure enough it was a healthy egg. 

Asmodeus was a bit uncomfortable with the idea, but if you wanted to take care of it he couldn't stop you. He couldn't think of an alternative anyway. He couldn't leave an egg all by himself. 

Mammon hated the idea. He tried to see if he could pawn it on someone else, but when you gave him those big eyes he grumbled and kicked his talons around before curling his wing around you both. 

Leviathan was scared, not exactly sure if he was responsible enough to help, let alone be around it without something going wrong. But you looked so happy. He couldn't take that happiness away. 

Satan was interested in it. He wanted to see if it would act like a human when you raised it. He was also intrigued by the egg shape and color. He'd never seen an egg like that and was interested in the type of harpy that might hatch from it. 

Lucifer didn't care either way. Just as long as you take care of it. If you couldn't, he'd find someone who could. It's a big decision. You better be ready for it. 

Beelzebub was quite excited about the idea of making their family a bit bigger. His feathers puffed up as soon as he saw you with it, and now that everyone has agreed he's already thinking of names for it. 

Belphegor didn't think too much of it but was happy he now had an excuse to sleep more. Warm an egg? No problem. And if it was with you that's even better. 

Taking care of it

Some of them have helped rear eggs before. Beelzebub being the main one, with Lucifer right behind him. It's been a very long time so the process takes a while to get back into. 

They take shifts watching over the egg with you. And with you being human they have to do most of the work. 

Lucifer just has it sit in your lap as he wraps his wings around you to keep you both warm. He reminds you every once in a while to rotate the egg gently. 

Mammon begrudgingly sits with it, grumbling about how he doesn't want to do this and how embarrassing it is. You can shut him up with a kiss or even call it Little Mammon for a bit and he gets attached. Maybe even to a point where he tries to take it from the others. 

Leviathan tries his hardest to help, but with how small it is, he's convinced he's going to somehow fall over and turn it Sunny Side up. He has you hold it and wraps you both up as he fixes the nest more than warms the egg. Yes, he's excited to see it, but how will he cope? You look too adorable right now. 

Satan didn't mind his duties. He took them rather seriously. He'd have it in his lap as he read and even had you sit next to him as he did it. He used the old candling technique to make sure it was developing correctly and even praised you for how well you're doing. 

Asmodeus is fawning over you, his wings flapping as he gets a good look at you. Oh you're just so adorable with an egg sitting all pretty in the nest. It's a shame you could make more with him, but one is fine for now. He cuddles up with you and keeps the egg nice and tucked between you. It's hard to imagine he's ever had a problem with it before. Now he's polishing the shell and kissing it. 

Beelzebub is brimming with excitement as he takes his turn. He ends up bringing back more food than he needs to, claiming it's for the chick. He sits with you. The egg in your lap and you are in his lap as you both hold each other. He makes sure to keep it clean and even gets a bit broody. He'll slap away his brothers if they are being too troublesome around it and finds comfort when he's around it. 

Belphegor doesn't change much. He seeks it out only so he can nap with the both of you. Tucked next to him as his wing covers it and holds you close to his chest. 

When they are all together, they leave a space for you and the egg, and for the first time since you've known them, they don't toss and turn. They lay perfectly still. 

Hatching 

When you're holding it, you can feel it wiggle and even a small cheap from inside, and when the others hear they all flock to you. 

The tiny egg hatches, and it's unlike any other harpy they've seen. They’ve never seen one with such an interesting pattern. It must be from a different land. It falls right on you and when it opens its eyes, it just cuddles up to you. Some of them are jealous but the others smack them for being ridiculous. 

The chick is perky and ready to run after a few days, and it follows you everywhere. It never leaves your side and the way it runs is almost comical with how it tries to flap its tiny underdeveloped wings to keep up. 

Your family grew a little. And while it's hard to adjust it seems like everything is moving along well and everyone seems to be happy.

[itzsana-kiddingmenow]

𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝:

𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨:

𝙖/𝙣: jisung babygirling as normal 💅🏻

𝙩𝙬: fainting, jealousy, use of video recording

𝒍𝒆𝒆: han

𝙡𝙚𝙧: reader

𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕: @someone-who-loves-kpop-saranghae @jeongins-diary @leeknowstan33 @v--143 @wereallgonnadieonedaybutnottoday @inkedloveandlostpromises @lajanaa @a-wild-seungberry @r00ni1

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞? 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐛s🖤

“EAHAHA!” Jeongin screeched as your cold fingers slipped under his shirt again, pressing into his ribs and making him jolt. 

You were in the process of trying to play a Zelda game with Jeongin and Jisung, but every time Innie had to concentrate on completing a task, your devious fingers always came in contact with his skin somehow. 

“a-AHA! S-Stahap IHIT!” Innie tried to keep quiet, considering the other members were asleep already and he didn’t want them to wake up to his undignified cackling. 

Neither of you noticed the very pouty Han in the background, his own character wandering off to the side as he watched your fingers walk all over the maknae’s torso. 

He didn’t even notice as Link walked right off the edge of a cliff face, his finger pressed against the joycon controller in a distracted manner. 

You continued to happily tickle Jeongin to pieces, right in front of Jisung. 

He tried to stay normal. It was just tickling. Nothing much. No need to freak out. 

But he wished it would happen to him anyway. 

A big game over flashed on the screen, snapping you out of you happy trance as both of you glanced at Jisung, who finally realized that he had made Link walk off the cliff so many times that he died. 

“Awe, man!” Jisung exclaimed as he was transported back a little, continuing to play normally, just with a little extra blush on his face. 

After a while, he became poutier and clingier to the other members in general, purposefully avoiding and ignoring you as if you had done something wrong. 

To say you were stressed out was an understatement. Considering Hannie doesn’t get angry often, you wondered if it was something you said or did to make him feel this way. 

You were on the verge of giving up on trying to make it up to the ace, until you decided to talk to Minho, who revealed something very important. 

“We all know Hannie loves being tickled, but he gets pretty jealous when us lers wreck the other members in front of him.” Minho started, tapping his chin. “He tells me not to do it in front of him ‘cause he can’t help it.”

Your eyes widened as you remembered the moment with Jeongin and how distracted Jisung seemed to be. He had also started to ignore you after that one night. 

“Oh, and he loves it when I record him giggling. It’s the cutest thing ever, isn’t it?” Lino gushed, not seeming to notice your distracted voice as you excused yourself, heading to Hanji’s room and grabbing your camera on the way. 

You entered his room, watching him sitting on his gaming chair and playing more Zelda without you, something that made your heart pang. 

Grabbing his chair and spinning it around, you snatched the headphones gently form his head and placed it on the table next to him, leaning over and pausing the game. 

“What the—” Hannie turned to you, and immediately crossed his arms and pouted. 

“I’m sorry for tickling Jeongin in front of you.”  You apologized, setting the camera up on his desk, facing him. 

He didn’t even seem to notice, staring at you with his arms still crossed. 

“How about I make it up to you?” You offer, climbing onto his lap and playing with his cheeks, your legs subconsciously slipping into the arm rest gaps to trap him there. 

You suddenly grab both his wrists and yank them up, pinning them to the top of the chair. 

“H-Hey…what are you doing?” Hannie seemed to get nervous, trying to twist away and finding your grip to be a lot stronger than it looked. 

“Oh—now you’re gonna talk to me?~” You shot your other hand to his side and pinched a sensitive spot in his upper torso, grinning deviously as he bit his lip to contain his loud squeak. 

“Nonono! Please! Don’t…” Jisung begged, trying to find an escape. 

You leaned over to start the camera recording. “Oh? But you want this~”

He squirmed and watched in horror as your hand tapped at his ribs thoughtfully before digging in deep, earning you a loud squeal before chaotic laughter. 

“n—AHAHAHA! PLEHEASE PLEASE OHOHO MYHYHY GOAHAHAHAD!” He screamed as your fingers never stilled, only speeding up as you tickled wherever you could reach, his armpits to his sides to his ribs…anywhere, really. 

Hanji kicked out wildly as he sputtered and tried to back away from your hands, and you only tickled him harder as he arched his body and slammed it back into the chair. 

“PLEHEHEASE PLEASE NOHOHOHO IHIHIT’S BAHAHAHAD!” He squeaked as you dug your fingers deep into his armpits again. 

When you gave him a quick break before diving for his neck, Jisung held his breath, squirming around as he tried to desperately hold in his giggles. 

His body writhed and shook and his face turned a bright red, Jisung’s eyes widening as you stroked along his collarbone.  

He tried to hold out, he really did. You frowned at the lack of hysterical laughter.

You scratched a little harder at the spot before reaching down and slipping your fingers right up his shirt, scribbling over that sensitive spot from earlier and watching him break immediately.

“YAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHOT THEHEHERE PLEHEHAHAHAHA!” He begged, but no matter how hard he tried, it took him a little while to realize that we has trapped in place, left to endure whatever torture you had planned for him. 

Hanji bucked up and down with strained squeals as your fingers tickled over his armpits until he screamed, tears practically streaming down his flushed face. 

“STOHOHOHOP STOHOP, PLEHEHEHEASE!” He pleaded, but you shook your head and sighed. 

“How long will it take you to understand?~” You started. “I’m not stopping, not until you faint.” You only continued to move you fingers quicker. 

“YOHOHOHOURE SOHOHO MEHEHEHEAN—!!” He whined, though his face took on a bright red tinge and his thrashing started to die down due to exhaustion. 

“You don’t want that?” You immediately slowed your fingers, but Hannie shouted. “NONONOHOHO, DOHON’T STAHAHAP!”

“Okay, okay…” You grinned at his words, leaning in to blow a raspberry onto his neck while you continued to destroy his torso, his pinned arms tugging like crazy. 

Soon enough, the boy underneath you became more and more tired, body twitching and his lungs gasping for air. 

“nohohohoho…stohohohop…” Hannie panted, the ticklish feeling fading away and his eyes started to droop. 

And just like that, he was gone, an irreversible smile on his face as he slumped completely. 

You stilled your fingers completely, rubbing a little at his red wrists because of the grip you had to use to keep them up.

You expected him to wake up after a minute of two. Minho did say that was how long it took for him to wake up when he practically killed him. 

You reached over to switch off the camera, climbing off of his lap slowly and laying him down on the bed. You replayed the video and involuntarily smiled throughout the whole video. 

Grabbing your phone, you transferred the video to it and immediately sent the file to Minho. 

Minutes later, he was barging in and engulfing you in a hug. “He looks so cute.” He mumbled, and you giggled at the usually stoic member’s happiness. 

He ran to grab Jisung a glass of water and a slice of cheesecake per your request, and you laid down next to the unconscious boy, waiting for him to wake up. 

Half an hour later, both of you were getting worried. Hanji didn’t seem to be waking up anytime soon and you were seriously panicking inside. 

“What do I killed him?! He was telling me to stop and I didn’t what if I actually killed him?!” You gasped out, fumbling with your hands as Minho tried to calm you down, but deep inside he was freaking out too. 

Then the boy underneath you stirred a little. The room fell dead silent as both of you stared at him with wide eyes. 

“hyung...?” His voice sounded exhausted and rough from how hard he was squealing earlier. 

Both you and Minho dive towards him and engulf him in a warm hug promptly. His cheek squished against the side of your neck and he smiled against your skin. 

Gosh, he was just too adorable. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Jisungie, did I go too hard?” You whispered, guilt flooding up your senses. 

“No…no it was amazing, actually.” Hannie whispered back. “Thank you.” You smiled down at him and handed him the glass of water. 

Both you and Minho fed him the cheesecake. You could never get over how happy Jisung was to have the same energy everytime he ate this one cake. 

He pouted and made grabby hands at your phone, and you handed him the video. “Don’t even think about deleting it. It’s stored in my iCloud.”

Hannie laughed at that. “I’m not gonna delete it.” He played the video and grinned as he listened to himself cackling crazily. 

“I never thought I would look nice laughing.” Jisung commented afterwards, and Minho gasped at that. 

“In my opinion, I think you’re at your prettiest when you’re laughing.” Lino hmph-ed, and you nodded with him. “I agree.”

Jisung blushed a deep red before sending the video to himself. “Thank you” he said again, throwing himself into your arms and promptly falling asleep. 

The two of you cuddled till the very next morning, where Hannie awoke to the sound of his own laughter and loud “Awe!”s echoing throughout the dorm.

[smilesrobotlover]

Whumptober day 30- bridal carry

You should read day 25 and day 28 to get a better understanding of what’s happening :>

Anyways, I don’t like this one, so just take it so I don’t have to look at it anymore. I hope you like it more than I do 👍

Uh, no warnings, this one is very chill, just mostly mentions of what happened in day 28 and day 25, also some mentions of racism.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Time opened his eyes and squinted at the sun peeking through the trees. He groaned as he sat up and noticed the others were with him. Well… not everyone. Warriors, Sky, Spirit, Legend, Wild, Age, and Minish were missing from the group, but the rest were all huddled up near him, still unconscious. Time licked his chapped lips and noted the familiar sensation of feeling hot and dry. They must’ve been in a desert of some kind, and as Time observed his surroundings more, he noted that the desert was awfully familiar. He stood up, accidentally causing Windy’s head to slip off his legs. His head hit the sand and he woke up, rubbing his head.

“Sorry Windy,” Time mumbled, helping him stand up.

“Where are we?” He asked, looking around at the others who were beginning to stir.

“I have a feeling we’re in Gerudo desert. Be on guard.”

Windy looked at Hyrule in concern, who was still unconscious.

“How is he?” Time asked.

Windy shook him a little, but Hyrule remained still. “He’s not waking up. I’m worried about him.”

Time frowned at the unconscious boy. The scratch on his chest seemed to have healed up thanks to the red potion Windy gave him, but he wasn’t sure if the magic draining poison was still in his system. They needed help. He lifted him up gently into his arms and started walking further into the valley.

“We need help. Maybe the Gerudo are nearby.”

Time marched into the valley without waiting for the others to fully wake up. They followed him reluctantly, but soon they were all awake and close by his side, protecting him and Hyrule in his arms. He was cautious as he observed the valley, it looking more and more familiar as he trekked through it. Though he rarely returned to it after his adventure, he couldn’t help but feel like this was his Gerudo desert. But that couldn’t be it, there’s no way. As much as Time hoped it was the case, there was no way getting back home was that easy.

Was it?

Time heard rocks tumbling down a cliff side and he froze, looking around him. The others stopped as well and began to pull out their weapons, but Time’s warning gaze caused them to pause.

“Is anyone there?” Time called out, holding Hyrule tighter. “We need help. Our friend is hurt, he won’t wake up.”

It was silent, then a Gerudo with a bow aiming towards them stepped out from a cluster of rocks. The others pulled out their shields but Time gave them another warning look.

“You’ll need to find somewhere else to go, voe,” the Gerudo yelled out, stepping cautiously towards them. “We have something far too precious here for you to be welcome here. I am sorry.”

Twilight stepped out next to Time. “Please. He’s just a kid! We’ll be in and out of your hair as soon as he’s better!”

“No! That is my final answer! I’m sorry, but I cannot allow you to come into Gerudo valley at this time.”

Time clutched Hyrule tighter, desperation getting a hold of him. He went to open his mouth, but someone spoke before he did.

“Risa, that poor boy needs help,” a familiar voice said from the group of Gerudo. “We can let them in, it’s ok.”

Time gasped as a pregnant woman stepped out, with fiery red hair tied in a yellow bandana, sharp blue eyes that stared at him lovingly, and dimples on her cheeks that appeared when she smiled at him.

“Malon,” he said, almost shocked, and her beautiful laugh made his heart soar. He gave Hyrule to Twilight and ran to his wife, who was crying tears of joy.

“Oh Link!” She cried, wrapping him in a hug. Time didn’t say anything, he just buried his face in her hair. Goddesses he forgot how good she smelled. “I never thought I’d see you again.”

“I’ve been so worried about you,” Time muttered, hugging her as tightly as he could without hurting her.

“You are the baby’s father?” Risa asked, and the two moved away from each other.

“Risa, this is my husband, Link,” Malon said, wrapping her arm around his waist. Risa stared at Time for a moment, then nodded.

“I see. The missing husband has returned.” Risa glanced at the other heroes who looked confused. “Normally, voe wouldn’t be allowed in Gerudo desert, but this is an exception. As for the boys—“

“I can’t leave them alone,” Time said quickly, gesturing to Hyrule. “He needs help, please.”

Malon gave Risa a look and she groaned.

“Fine. But as soon as that voe feels better, they’ll need to leave, understand?”

Time looked at Malon, then at the other heroes. They gave him a nod, and he sighed.

“Alright.”

Risa nodded and walked away, leaving the others to follow her.

“Link,” Malon started, glancing at the other heroes behind them, “we have a lot we need to talk about.”

Time grinned and nodded. “We do.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Your friend is completely drained of all his magic,” the Gerudo healer stated, observing the unconscious Hyrule. “We need to hope that he can wake up on his own, just so we can give him a magic potion.”

Green nodded silently, watching Hyrule’s pale face as all the rest of the heroes shifted in the cramped room. All except Time of course, who was with his wife.

“How long will it take for him to wake up?” Twilight asked, holding Hyrule’s limp hand. The healer only shrugged.

“Not sure, he seems to be dangerously low on magic, it could take days for him to wake up.”

Twilight frowned, and Windy ran his hand through his hair.

“That sucks,” The young sailor muttered, and Blue shrugged.

“That stupid puppet did a number on him.”

“Will he at least be alright?” Red asked, worry in his voice. The healer shrugged again.

“This level of magic loss is dangerous, if we’re unlucky, he may succumb to his exhaustion.”

The group made different sounds of worry and concern over their traveling friend, who remained unmoving.

“I know you voe are worried, but it’s rather crowded in here, I need space to work. I will do whatever I can for him, I promise,” the healer said firmly yet gently. Twilight nodded and stood up, gesturing for the others to follow him. Everyone reluctantly followed him, looking around at the desert where other Gerudo women watched them.

“Well, now what?” Windy asked. “Time is with his wife, Hyrule is dying, we can’t really do anything here since we’re always being watched… I don’t know what to do.”

Twilight titled his head. “Well, someone should keep an eye on Hyrule, just to make sure he’s ok.”

“But the healer lady told us to leave.”

“That’s because we were all in there. I’m sure with just one person she won’t have an issue with it.”

Windy pouted but gave a determined nod, and headed back to where Hyrule was. Vio stepped up to Green and Twilight.

“Do you think we’re in any danger? The puppeteer is the reason why we’re here. He could attack us any second.”

“Then it sounds like we need someone to keep an eye out,” Twilight said with a grin. Green gave him a nod.

“The four of us will keep an eye out for the puppeteer! We’ll get you if we notice anything.”

“Good. Get going you four.”

Green nodded at his brothers and he marched towards the borders of Gerudo, but he stopped. “What will you do, Twi?”

The rancher shrugged. “I guess I’ll keep an eye on things as well, the puppeteer could attack from both sides. Now git.”

Twilight waved him away and Green smiled slightly. He gestured for the other colors to follow him, and they all went their separate ways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So… this puppeteer guy kidnapped you and a bunch of heroes for… what reason?”

Time shrugged as Malon stared at him concerned. “None of us really know, but he’s been hunting us down. “

Malon glared and rested her head against his shoulder, getting more and more upset.

“Why… if I ever see him I swear I’ll make him pay!” She shot back up, fury in her voice. “It’s not right to tear people from their homes! I’ve been so worried about you! If he ever hurt you I’ll… oh I’ll do unspeakable things!”

Time chuckled and brought her back down to his shoulder. “It’s ok, dear, we’re gonna find him and take care of him. Now relax, think about the baby.”

Malon huffed and rubbed her stomach, looking upset. “Link, you don’t understand, it was really hard for me without you. I—I thought you were in danger and I couldn’t do anything… I was just… so alone.”

Time gave her a comforting squeeze. “I’m sorry, Malon. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

“It’s not your fault. I just… it’s been hard.”

“I know, dear. I know.” Time buried her in a hug which she leaned into, clutching his shirt tightly. “At least you had Talon there.”

Malon stiffened and sat up. “N-no, I didn’t have dad.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dad he… he disappeared as well, and then Ingo took the ranch and kicked me out… that’s why I’m here, in Gerudo because I had nowhere else to go!”

Time sat up, staring at Malon in shock.

“Talon is missing?”

“Yes! He went missing and Ingo kept saying how he was gone and he took the ranch!”

Time blinked at her. “He… he actually did that? Without Ganondorf?”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Malon looked down, playing with Time’s hair. “Do you think… Do you think the puppeteer guy stole dad?”

“I don’t know, I never saw Talon… goddesses, Malon I—“ Time pulled her into a hug that she leaned into, tears pouring out of her eyes. “I’m so sorry Malon.”

He held her as she cried silently, rubbing her back. “Why didn’t the Gerudo do something about Ingo?” He asked after a moment. “Surely stealing the ranch would’ve been bad enough for them to do something.”

Malon sniffed and rubbed her eyes. “No Link, think about it, if a bunch of Gerudo stole the ranch back from Ingo, who do you think the Hylian guard would side with?”

Time looked down sadly. It was a sad reality of things. Nobody trusted the Gerudo, they lumped them in with Ganondorf, assuming that they all shared his beliefs and ambitions. Being anywhere with Hylians was dangerous for them, leaving all of them to stay in the hot and dry desert. It wasn’t fair to them. He sighed again and rested his head against Malon’s.

“I promise, Malon, I’ll get Lon Lon back. Ingo won’t get away with this.”

Malon was silent for a moment as they held each other. “I missed you Link,” she whispered, and Time laid down with her still in his arms.

“I missed you too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leon looked around as the world around him got less green and more brown. The dry air and hot weather was an indication that they were getting closer to Gerudo desert, and he was getting uneasy. He wasn’t sure how the Gerudo were in Talon’s era. In his own era, they were trying to make up for what their leader did years ago, and though they were respectful to the Hylians, they didn’t trust them fully when they waltzed into their territory. With three Hylians walking into the desert, he didn’t know how these Gerudo would react.

“Uh, boys,” Talon started, wringing his hands, “just a fair warnin’, the Gerudo may not like our presence here…”

“What do you mean?” Rusl asked.

“Well, they’ve been wary about Hylians after Ganondorf got exposed for bein’ crazy. I just don’t wanna get arrested by them, is all.”

Rusl stopped walking and gave Talon a look. “Ok… ok… before we do possibly get arrested, are we sure that Malon is here?”

“I don’t know where else she would be! We’ve looked everywhere in Kakariko and castle town. I doubt she’d be able to get to Zora’s domain, and Kokiri forest ain’t a place for Hylians.” Talon sighed. “She has to be here.”

Rusl hummed and continued walking. “I get that she’s part Gerudo, but would they still mistaken her for a Hylian?”

“Probably, but I’m hoping that her being pregnant will help her case. Motherhood is sacred to the Gerudo people, they would never leave a pregnant woman to fend for herself, Gerudo or not.”

Rusl still looked uneasy, but he didn’t say anything further. It was silent as they walked, but Leon heard a noise and he stopped, looking behind him as he got the feeling that they weren’t alone.

“Hey,” he started, going to stop his friends, “wait I think we’re—“

“Hold it right there!”

Leon flinched as several Gerudo surrounded the men, pointing their spears at them. Rusl and Talon took a step back, raising their hands defensively.

“Wait, I just need to see if my daughter is here!” Talon called out.

One of the Gerudo stepped up, keeping her spear pointed at the men. “Voe are not allowed in Gerudo. Normally we’d throw you all in the dungeon, but today is an exception, you should consider yourselves lucky. Now leave.”

“P-please, I just need to know if my daughter Malon is here,” Talon begged, “she’s pregnant and I don’t know where she is.”

The Gerudo stayed still for a moment, glaring at the farmer, but she eased up. “You’re the missing father?”

“I—yes—yes I am!”

The Gerudo looked at Leon and Rusl and frowned. “Who are these two?”

“They’re my friends.”

The Gerudo frowned again, studying the two, her yellow eyes piercing into the men.

“Wait a second!” A smaller voice called out, and Leon gasped when a small boy with long blonde hair popped out.

“Link!” His voice cracked as he said it, relief and disbelief overwhelming him as he saw his son, the boy he’s been searching for relentlessly for weeks. Link’s eyes began to tear up when he saw Leon, but before he ran to him, three more Links came out, watching him cautiously. Leon was taken aback, but he quickly got over it. The four sword disappeared with Link, it made sense that he was split now. The first one he saw was Red, and Green looked relieved as well, but Vio and Blue looked to be distrusting towards him.

“Oh… father!” Red cried, running to Leon, ignoring Blue calling out his name. Leon couldn’t hold back the laugh as he was hugged by Red. Green and Vio walked over, and soon the first knight was bombarded with hugs. The only one who didn’t move was Blue, who was glaring at them.

“Guys! How do we know this is our father! It could be the puppeteer playing tricks on us!” He shouted, pulling out his sword. Leon looked at Blue in surprise, but remembered that everyone was brought here thanks to the puppeteer. It was no wonder why he was hesitant.

“Link—I mean— Blue, I’m not a puppet,” Leon said gently, but firmly.

“That’s something a puppet would say!”

“Well what would a non-puppet say?”

Blue paused for a second, watching him with his icy blue eyes. He huffed.

“What’s something only Father would know?”

Leon stared at him, then stared at the others. He took in a shaky breath and let it out.

“When Vaati put me in that trance, you boys wanted to blast your force at me. But no one was brave enough to do it, they didn’t want to hurt me. All except you, Blue. You blasted all your force at me, and it hurt, but it woke me up. I was able to keep myself from hurting you boys because of the pain, and I’m so grateful for your bravery to do that.” Leon stared at him firmly, then smiled warmly. “I know it’s you asking me if I was upset about you doing that to me. But I just want you to know that I never was, and I never will be. I look at that scar with pride, for you, for all of you. I love you, Blue.”

Blue’s glare softened and he put his sword down. He slowly walked over to Leon and leaned his head against his stomach. Leon let out a laugh and gathered all four boys into his arms, giving them all a squeeze. The boys all started crying as they hugged him, and Leon nearly choked up as well.

“Goddesses, I’m so glad you’re all alright,” he mumbled into Blue’s hair, and Red gave out a sob.

“We’ve missed you father,” he cried, his bottom lip trembling. Leon smiled and ran his hand through his hair.

“I’ve missed you too. I’ve been looking everywhere for you boys, I’m so glad that I finally found you.”

Vio pulled away, giving Leon a look. “How are you here, Father? Was it the puppeteer?”

Leon sighed and gave a nod. “He’s been nothing but a nuisance to us all.”

Vio made a face and went back to hugging him, resulting in a chuckle from Leon. He looked up and found Rusl and Talon smiling at him, and he cleared his throat, standing up where his sons were in front of him.

“Rusl, Talon, these are my boys.”

“I thought you only had one son?” Talon tilted his head in confusion. Green stepped up and showed off his four sword.

“This is the four sword, it helped Link split into four people. I’m Green, obviously,” he gestured to his green tunic, “That is Blue, Vio, and Red. It’s really easy to remember our names.”

Rusl laughed. “Well, hopefully none of us are color blind!”

Green smiled and Leon wrapped his arms around his sons. “Boys, this is Rusl and Talon. They’re my…. They’re my friends.”

Rusl smiled gently at Leon, and the first knight looked away as his face grew hot.

“I didn’t know you could make friends, father,” Blue said softly.

“Blue!”

Everyone started laughing as Leon grumbled, causing Blue to give small apologies to him. Rusl gave a few chuckles before turning to the Gerudo.

“Does that mean,” he started out softly, “that my boy is here too?”

One of the Gerudo stepped up. “I’m not sure, but you can’t come in, I’m sorry. Only the father may enter since his daughter is here, but that is it.”

Rusl frowned and took a step back. Talon rested his hand on his shoulder.

“It’s alright, Rusl. I’ll get all the Links that are here back to you,” he assured, and Rusl silently nodded. Talon smiled and was escorted further into the desert, leaving Leon, his sons, and Rusl alone. He glanced over at Rusl who looked upset and he couldn’t he’ll but feel sorry for him.

“Rusl,” he started, and the swordsman looked over at him, “it’ll be alright.”

He gave a small smile and sat on a rock, continuing to watch inside the valley silently. Leon’s boys all huddled around him, curiosity on their faces.

“Father, I am very curious about how exactly you got here, and what you have been doing,” Vio muttered, sitting down on the ground.

“I am too!” Red plopped down as well. “Did you really meet the puppeteer?”

“I hope you punched him in the face,” Blue joined his brothers, punching his palm with his own fist.

Green smiled and looked up at his father. “I guess we wanna know everything.”

Leon chuckled and kneeled down. “I’ll tell you everything that happened to me, but I wanna know everything that happened to you.”

His sons all nodded enthusiastically, and they began to share their tales of adventuring with the other heroes.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Time woke up to the sound of shouting. He rubbed his eye and looked down at Malon, who was snuggled up against his side. He didn’t remember ever falling asleep, but his relief to finally be with his wife must’ve taken over. He always felt at peace around her. He sat up gently, trying not to wake Malon up, and he looked around. The shouting came from the Gerudo, probably giving orders to the others. He let out a sigh and rested his head again, but someone came into the room they were in.

“Excuse me, Link was it?” The Gerudo healer asked softly, “I have some news about your son.”

Time frowned. “My son?”

“The one with the magic drained out of him?”

Time shot up, waking up Malon. “Oh! Yes, he’s not my son but is he alright?”

“Yes, the red potion you gave him saved his life. It was able to stop the poison from draining his life. I’m assuming he’ll wake up today or tomorrow, when he does, give him a magic potion,” she handed him a green potion in a bottle, and Time observed it. “Now, come outside, someone is here to see Malon.”

Malon rubbed her eyes and looked at the healer confused. “Who?”

“Your father has arrived.”

Malon blinked at her, then gasped when she registered what the healer had said. She shot up, with Time quickly following her.

“My father is here? Are you sure?” She said breathlessly.

“Your father is a shorter man with a big nose, yes? He said that he was looking for you.”

Malon covered her mouth in excitement, and she almost ran out of the door, but Time stopped her.

“Link? What is it?”

Time frowned, looking at the ground. This all seemed too good to be true, and terribly convenient.

“Let me see him first, Malon,” he said quietly.

“What? Why? He’s my father, Link! I thought that something happened to him!”

Time rested his hands on her shoulders. “The puppeteer can make illusions to trick people, let me make sure that it’s not him, alright? I would never forgive myself if he got to you too.”

Malon glared at him, but she didn’t fight back. Time went outside and grabbed his Biggoron sword, looking around cautiously. He spotted Talon who had different guards surrounding him, and his eyes lit up when he saw Time.

“Link! Is that really you?” He exclaimed, running up to Time. Time didn’t move, and he clutched his sword a little tighter. “I can't believe you’re here! I finally found you! I’m glad to see you’re doin’ alright!” When he got closer, Time took a step back, and Talon stopped, giving him a weird look. “What’s wrong? Do you—“ Talon’s eyes widened. “Oh no! You think I’m a puppet don’t ya?”

Time raised an eyebrow. “You know the puppeteer?”

“Unfortunately yes, he’s been a real pain. But I’m not a puppet! It’s really me!” Talon rubbed his chin and looked down, thinking. “I gotta think about something that only I would know….”

Time squinted his eyes. If this was a puppet, he was doing a good job.

“Oh! Well… I guess I should apologize to you Link,” Talon started, “I’m… sorry I never believed you about Ingo. I dunno if you know this but he took the ranch, locked me in the basement when I got there and drugged my friends, kicked Malon out leaving her alone for weeks, and just made a mess of things! None of that would’ve happened if I actually listened to you, and I’m sorry.”

“You know about Ingo?”

“Yeah, I do now. But don’t worry about the ranch! I got it back! The Hylian guard took him away, so we can head back home!” Talon smiled, but when Time didn’t move, he sighed. “Um, I think I believe your stories now, Link. Especially the time travel ones. I’m still confused about the moon fallin’ and demons, but after the stuff I’ve seen, I think I believe it a little more.”

A smile tugged at Time’s lips, and he put his Biggoron sword down. Talon grinned and the two hugged each other.

“I'm so glad you’re alright, Link. Is Malon doing ok?”

Time smiled and patted his back. “Why don’t ya see for yourself? She’s in there,” Time gestured to where he and Malon were, and Talon excitedly shuffled over, barging into the room. Time heard excited cheers, but he didn’t join them. Knowing Malon, she’d want to go back to the ranch, and he was going to get the others ready so they could leave as soon as possible. He just hoped that Hyrule was awake now, or at least beginning to wake up.

Windy was confused when Time told him the plan, but he was given the magic potion and he started getting everything together, Hyrule was still unconscious, but he looked more alive, which was good. Twilight was watching the back area of Gerudo, and though he was hesitant to leave, Time’s glare kept him from arguing about it. Time didn’t know where Four was, and as he was looking for him, he saw his wife and father-in-law talking with two Gerudo. Malon’s face lit up when she saw her husband and she wandered over to him.

“Link! There you are! I was just talking to Risa here and uh… I want to head back to Lon Lon ranch.”

“I know, I already have the boys getting ready right now.”

Malon giggled and gave him a peck on the lips. “You know me too well.”

Time smiled at the kiss. “Yeah, I’m just trying to find Four, dunno where he is.”

“Which one was Four?”

“Well, he’s split right now but he’s the one with the distinct colors.”

Talon stepped up, gesturing to the Gerudo entrance. “I know where that kiddo is! They’re all with my friends who are waiting for us! I did say that I would bring their Links back to them.”

Time gave a nod and looked over at Twilight, who was helping Windy with a still unconscious Hyrule.

“Oh my,” Talon murmured, “what happened there?”

“The puppeteer poisoned him and drained all his magic. The healer said he should be fine.”

“Oh well, that’s good. That darn puppeteer. I swear if I ever see him I’ll shove my pitchfork up his—“ he stopped himself and looked at Windy who was getting closer, “uh, you know what I’m sayin’.”

Time snorted and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “I know exactly what you’re saying.” He gestured his head towards the entrance of Gerudo when Twi and Windy arrived. “Let’s go. We’re heading to my home.”

“Is this all’ya?” Talon asked, staring at the Links. Time shrugged.

“No, we were the only ones teleported here. There are more, but I pray that they are safe.”

Talon frowned. “Well, we should go then, I have a friend who is very excited to see his son.” His eyes lingered on Twilight for a moment and he squinted, but turned around with his arm wrapped around Malon.

“Excuse me,” Risa spoke up, stopping the group from continuing. “Please allow us to accompany you, that way we can help when the baby is born.”

“Oh! I’d love that very much!” Malon exclaimed. “Y’all have been so helpful to me, we really owe you a lot.”

Risa smiled and she and one other Gerudo joined them as they walked towards the entrance. Time looked at Windy who was still carrying Hyrule in his arms, all the shuffling would have woken him up, and he couldn’t help but be impatient. But he knew that the healer was right about him, and he knew that if he were to wake up soon, that Windy would take good care of him. For now, everything seemed alright for Time.

[thedo0zyslider]

I Love You (I'm Not Supposed Too) - 9k Words

It all starts when Jimmy is fourteen years old, when he meets another boy called Fwhip for the first time. In the following years, he will wish that meeting never came to be.

Or: Fwhip and Jimmy Arranged Marriage AU

A03 Link

It all started when Jimmy was fourteen, and walking beside his sister into a new empire for the first time. There was a celebration being held in one of the more land locked empires, the Grimlands. Or we'll, more like the Crystal Cliffs. The newer kingdom was now properly established, and the two sister empires were having a celebration of sorts. It all started at a celebration he very much did not want to attend. The streets were busy, bustling, loud, and he was getting some weird stares already.

It started when he met what would be his fellow rulers, one in particular that is. When he met Fwhip of the Grimlands, son of the kingdom's current Count. The two would meet at a festival, one being held in the Crystal Cliffs. The first official gathering that was to be held in the newest of the ten empires. Him and his family had been invited as a formality, like all the other royals were, since it was their current lineage that ruled over the Ocean Empire. His mother, the Ocean Queen, had accepted out of formality. His sister, Lizzie, was more than excited to come along. Jimmy, never having left his aquatic homeland before, really just wanted to go back to the water already.

The Cliffs was opening its own school of magic, dubbed The Crystal Cliffs Academy. Lizzie had asked to be enrolled in some of the first ever classes, and their mother had agreed. She said knowing a little magic couldn't hurt, and could benefit the kingdom if a magical being ever threatened it during his sister's future rule. Jimmy knew Lizzie was not thinking like that at all, and she just wanted a chance to learn spells. And maybe meet with a few of the other young royals in the process. She had already met one or two, but was unfamiliar with the rest; while her brother had met none. They didn't get a chance to leave the ocean much, not on their mothers orders anyways. And her orders were usually the only orders, unfortunately.

Their family friends, the King and Queen of Mezalea, had accompanied them as well. The Prince, Lizzie and Jimmy;s good friend Joel, had also come as well much to the two young merfolks excitement But sadly the family had been whisked away already, for they had already arrived, something about discussing a trade deal. Which meant they wouldn’t get much time with Joel until the next day. But that would be fine, Jimmy supposed, because any time spent with his best friend was always better than no time at all. In his mind anyways, Lizzie was considerably more bummed out about it.

The three Ocean Royals themselves had just arrived at the newly made school, only trailed by a few royal guards. To Jimmy’s surprise, their mother let them be free almost immediately. Apparently, she had a meeting planned with the Grimlands Count and the Cliffs Head Wizard as soon as possible. She ordered her children to mingle with some people her age, maybe get friendly with some of the young wizards, and then the Queen was off, disappearing for the next half of the day without much word to her children as to why. Most of the guards followed her, but only one stayed with the two siblings, though they didn’t seem like they would linger too close, thankfully.

Lizzie took his hand, the excitement already starting to spill out of her. She led her brother to a rather open area, one that seemed to be in the courtyard of the academy. Jimmy wasn’t quite sure where they were in the Cliffs, for he’d gotten a bit mixed up a while ago. He also thought he was never going to figure out where he was, but that was what he had Lizzie for. His sister mumbled something to him, something about seeing other royals their age now, right as they entered the area. The guard was still behind them, yet they were keeping their distance.

Jimmy saw several people, who seemed to be around their age mingling around, and braced himself for what was to come. And well, the other royal children….well they're interesting to say the least. Some of the introductions to them were good, while others were just downright terrible.

One of the worst ones came from one of the eleven princes, Jimmy thinks it was the crowned one. They were rather tall, with long purple hair and dressed in rather regal looking attire. Jewelry and other accessories littered across them, the elves' pose was seemingly stiff yet full of importance at the same time. The elf stood out quite a fair bit, but they also looked like a bit of an asshole, if Jimmy was being honest.

Standing right next to them was another elf, one who was only a little shorter than his sibling, and much prettier in Jimmy’s humble opinion. He had short blue hair, and was dressed similarly to his brother; with regal looking clothes and accessories galore. Though the way the young elf held himself carried less self importance than the other, and made him feel a little more approachable. He also had antlers resting on top of his head, and what looked to be small wings, ones with beautiful white and gold feathers pressed to his back. Which made Jimmy notice the taller elf also had antlers and wings, though those seemed less pretty than their siblings were.

He had only assumed the two elves were siblings from what he knew about the eleven empire, that the King and Queen had borne two children. Next to them were two children he wasn't sure he'd ever heard of, but one of them looked to be from House Blossom. She looked around his age, and had long brown hair spilling around her shoulders. The girl was also a faerie, shown by her pointed ears, slitted eyes, and teeth slightly sharper than normal. It was the flowers in her hair that really gave her homeland away, since Jimmy knew that the northern kingdom was rather fond of the plants. She wore a simple pink and white dress, one more a lot more simple that what her eleven friend's were wearing.

The last of the four young royals was certainly dressed in a certain way, that was for sure. He showed quite a far but of skin, much more than Jimmy thought he would ever be comfortable with doing. His red shirt barely covered his chest, and the matching pants looked as if they'd been cut shorter. The boy's hair was a bright blonde, as well as being short and clearly more than a little dyed. He wore jewelry as well, not as much as the young elves did, but certainly ones with more bling than they did. The young faerie next to him only had earrings and a necklace on, Jimmy noted.

Lizzie poked him in the side, jolting the young cod out of his thoughts. "Stop staring." She mumbled, giving him a quick and stern look. Jimmy just ducked his head in shame, knowing how a good first impression was highly important to his mother, and his sister somewhat as well.

"Sorry." He muttered, feeling his tail droop a bit, even if he knew his sister wasn't seriously mad at him. She never was over anything, and it's hard to believe that she ever would be.

The first of the group to notice them is the floral girl, the young princess catching them in her peripheral vision. She turns her head to face them, and gives both of the Ocean siblings a small wave. Lizzie returns the smile and wave, while the young cod copies his sister more than a little tentatively.

Before Jimmy knows what's happening, the young faerie is walking over to them, having to lift her skirt up a bit as she walks. He hadn't noticed how long it was before, and can see how it might catch on the ground below. Those skirts are always a pain to wear, even if they are really flowy and nice.

"Hello!" The girl says once she reaches the two, her smile showing off those slightly pointed teeth Jimmy had glimpsed before. "Your Lizzie, right? From the Ocean Empire?"

His sister nods politely, her hand resting on the cod’s shoulder as she introduces him, like he can’t speak for himself or something. "Yes, and this is my little brother, Jimmy."

"I can introduce myself." He snorts indignantly, shooting a light look at his sister.

The Ocean's heir rolls her eyes at him. "You look like a deer in headlights, you're that nervous." She says, her suddenly flat tone getting a giggle out of the other girl.

The faerie smiles at them, and reaches out to shake both of their hands. Both of the siblings reach out and do so, more than a little surprised by this person’s friendliness. Mother had always told them merfolk weren’t very well liked outside the waters. "Well I'm Katherine, from House Blossom! Nice to meet both of you!"

"Nice to meet you too!" Lizzie smiles, and Jimmy nods quickly in agreement. Not even a second later, there’s the sound of several footsteps behind Katherine, and the young cod flicks his gaze in that direction. It seems the three people she had been conversing with had finally taken notice of her absence, or of the two new people, and had decided to investigate. Unconsciously, Jimmy shrunk in on himself, more than a little intimidated by the aura coming from these three folks.

"Katherine? Who are these two?" One of the young eleves asks, the one with blue hair. His tone is polite, yet also familiar when it speaks to Katherine. It seems the two of them are quite good friends, for the faerie girl still keeps her same friendly and easygoing smile around the eleven boy.

"We're from the Ocean Empire." Lizzie answers for Katherine, one of those fake smiles on her face again, for what has to be the fifth time today, Jimmy rather comfortably chooses to say nothing.

"That would make sense, brother." The older elf snorts, making pointed glances at their fins and tails. A gaze that makes the young cod feel small, and makes him squirm with uncomfortableness. He hates when people do that.

"Shut up." His younger brother hisses, and the elf with long purple hair just rolls their eyes at their seemingly younger sibling.

"I thought I smelled something fishy." The blonde boy next to them huffs, giving both of the merfolks rather nasty glares. Jimmy has to stop himself from glaring back, mainly because this is not a good time to do that, no matter how much he really wants to.

"Joey, be polite darling." The purple haired elf says, flicking their friend. The other boy just huffs in response. "The little one was staring though." They continue, speaking too Lizzie now and entirely ignoring their friends rather rude indigence.

"Ah, sorry about that." Jimmy speaks up, making himself look at sound the most apologetic he can manage. Though it's a little unnecessary, because Lizzie is more than enough apologetic for the both of them.

"He hasn't really seen anyone who's not a merfolk before, my apologies." The Ocean Princess says, sounding more sorry for her brother's rudeness than the cod himself ever could. The older elf just gives a nod, seemingly one of understanding, before finally going to introduce themselves.

"Well, I'm Xornorth. Nice to finally meet you two. We hear much about your little kingdom, don't we Scott?" They say, glancing at their brother on the last words. The younger elf, Scott, nods in agreement, apparently deciding to stay wholly silent for the time being.

"Do you know?" Lizzie aske, her tone having gained a slight curiosity to it.

Xornorth hums out a response, their way of speaking even sounding stuck up and full of themselves. "Yes, your mother's been trying to establish some trade routes recently."

"Yes, she did mention that." Lizzie nods, sounding like she recognizes it now. Jimmy doesn't, but that isn't unusual for him. His mother never really tells him what she's doing politically, for that I'd jot his business, because he will never have to worry about doing that for an empire. In her own words.

"I'm Scott, by the way." The blue hair elf introduces himself, taking advantage of the slight burst of silence between their two groups.

Lizzie shifts her attention over to him, seemingly much more enthused to be speaking with him rather than his brother. "We spoke at the last House Blossom Festival, didn't we?" She asks, the frills on her face twitching as she recognizes him.

"Yes, I believe so." Scott says, letting a friendly smile start to stretch across his features.

"It's been great to meet with you again." Lizzie smiles, then turns to the third boy beside them. "And you, I didn't quite catch your name?"

"Joey, from the Lost Empire." The blonde introduces himself, his tone and generally aura strikingly similar to Xornorth’s. It's no wonder why they seem to get along so well then, if they both suck as much as they appear too.

Jimmy smiles at the other boy regardless of that, and makes the mistake of complimenting him. "I like your earrings." He mumbles, and can see how the blonde lights up. Scott cringes and makes a face, which is the first indicator that he'd made a mistake.

"Oh, why thank you!" The tone Joey was using was the second indicator, a tone that showed how full of himself he was. "They are wonderful, aren't they?"

The Lost Prince sounds like he's going to say something more, but Xornorth cuts him off. "Yes, they are. But the lady hasn't introduced herself yet."

"Oh, I'm Lizzie," His sister starts, and is very rudely cut off before she can even finish their introduction. "And this is-"

"Well, it's been nice to make your acquaintance. But we have to be going now, don't we Joey dear?" Xornorth says, turning away from the Ocean Princess. Lizzie does not hold back her offended glare, mouth agape in shock. Scott cringes again, and Jimmy holds back a rather nasty scowl.

Joey huffs in agreement, shooting the two merfolk a rather triumphant look. The young cod kinda wants to punch him right in his stupid, smug little face. "Yes, we have much more important things to do than mingle with the fishfolk."

"Well yes, but you didn't need to put it like that. " Xornorth chides again, even though they clearly know it will do nothing. Joey didn’t listen before, and he probably never had. The young blonde seemed to do whatever he damn well pleased, much to the annoyance of literally everyone else around him, minus a few expectations. The oldest elf turns to Lizzie again, and gives a few more final and dismissive words. "Goodbye. Perhaps we'll run into you later." They said, their attention still fixed on Joey despite not even speaking to him, The arse.

"Perhaps. Good day." Lizzie returns the goodbye just as curtly, and Xornorth gives one final nod. After that the older elf walks away, Joey once again attached to his side. But in a more physical sense this time, and an arm was not so discreetly being wrapped around his shoulders.

Once the other two are gone, the youngest elf seems to relax. His pose becomes less poised and formal, and his shoulders noticeably slump downwards. He gives the two of them a more friendly look, one Lizzie readily returns. Jimmy just shifts in place, unsure of what to think of this one just yet.

"Ignore Xornorth, they're just an asshole sometimes." Scott whispered to both of them, shooting a look at where his sibling had retreated too.

"Thank you, Scott." Lizzie smiled, one of her more formal ones. Which told Jimmy that the two weren't very close. Which might be a good thing, if it made him see less of Xornorth. And Joey as well, since he seemed to be attached to the older elves hip, like some kind of lap dog maybe.

"I never caught your brother's name." The elf says, his eyes flicking expectantly between the two siblings as he spoke. Thankfully, unlike his sibling, Scott seemed to be an actually decent human being, and much more pleasant to hold a conversation with. Even if the interaction was still a little stiff and formal.

"Oh right." Lizzie mumbled, then once again turned to the young cod beside her. "Well, go on and introduce yourself." And well, Jimmy did try to do that. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His tongue felt locked in place and he felt his tail flick with anxiety, entirely against his will too. He didn’t quite catch whatever look Scott or Katherine gave him, but he did see the gentle smile that his sister adorned, a soft hand being placed on his shoulder, a way to steady her baby brother just a bit. She knows why this is nerve wracking for him, even if no one else does, she understands

"No need to be nervous, little egg." Lizzie says, her tail flicking against his leg comfortably. Jimmy just nods, and composes himself some more. The cod doesn’t want to make a fool of himself, not on his first introduction, and certainly not to any eleven royalty, not to someone with that high of a status. Even if the particular elf speaking to them didn't seem to care.

He takes a deep breath, and finally says his name to someone for the first time ever. "Jimmy, um, nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too!" Scott smiles back at him almost instantly, and the cod thinks it's quite a dazzling smile indeed.

"You gotta be less nervous, we're not gonna bite!" Katherine says from beside them, giving him a few surprising pats on the shoulder. Jimmy jumps a little, having forgotten she was here, the young faerie had been so silent for that whole conversation. "Well, except for those ones." She says, casting a glance at where Xornorth and Joey had walked off to. Jimmy just nodded, even though her kind words hadn't done much to quell his nerves. Not much would in this situation, admittedly.

"Sorry, I just haven't…..nevermind." He started to mumble, before thinking better of it. He feels a few quizzical looks be passed at him, before the moment is brushed off and seemingly entirely forgotten about. Thankfully, he would rather have people not remember any weird behavior he has today for any reason.

Scott leaves a moment after, saying he should probably stay with Xornorth. Even if they and Joey are quite the insufferable duo. The two's mother prefers they stay together, and is going to need them later that day regardless. So they wave the blue haired elf goodbye, and the young cod preps himself to meet more people. Because his first introduction to this lot of children was horrible and nerve wracking, and he would like the next few to go a lot better. And well, thankfully they do, because not all of these people are horrible.

The next person he meets is a kind looking girl, one wearing a short and cute sunflower dress. Her brown hair has what looks to be natural streaks of blonde in it, and she walks over to him and Lizzie with confidence. Upon seeing her, his sister's expression lights up, which signals to Jimmy that the two girls have met before. She must be one of the few friends Lizzie had talked about once before, on one of her many rambles he often zoned out during. Whoops.

"Liz!" The girl greets with a wave. They must be pretty close then, for her to call the Ocean's heir a nickname. Even if Lizzie was also technically a nickname of her full name. But whatever, that wasn't the point.

"Hi Pearl! How have you been?" Lizzie greets back, her frills flicking happily.

"I've been good! How about you?" The other girl, Pearl, responds with a smile, now standing beside them and Katherine, who has gone quiet once again.

"I've been good as well." Lizzie says, and suddenly both of the girls' gazes have switched to him, doing so at what seems to be lightning speed. Jimmy holds back a click from the back of his throat, and tries not to shrink under their two gazes. He is never going to be used to sudden attention like this, never in a million years.

"Who's the little scamp behind you?" Pearl asks, her tone sounding oddly playfully. Jimmy feels like she's the type of person to ruffle her siblings' hair and start rough housing with them out of nowhere.

"This," His sister says, holding back quite a few giggles as she speaks. "Is my brother, the one I've told you so much about!"

"Hi." The blonde says, waving a webbed hand up at Pearl, still rather timid. The younv farmers eyes light up at that, and he can only imagine the kinds of stories his sister has been telling about him when he's not there. Probably a lot of embarrassing ones Jimmy would rather forget, knowing her.

"Jim! I can call you Jim, right?" Pearl says, raising a curious eyebrow. The nickname comes to her so quickly, and he wonders briefly if she'd already thought of it before even meeting him.

The young cod nearly beams at that, nodding his head excitedly. “Yeah! Yeah that’s fine!” He responds rather enthusiastically, absolutely too much so. Pearl notices, definitely, she has too. But instead of commenting on it the young farmer just returns his smile, and gives an excited clap on her hands.

"Well then, it's nice to meet you Jim!" Pearl says, a smile still plastered on her face, even when she turns ro Lizzie. "You didn't tell me he was so small and adorable, Liz!"

His big sister lights up at that, and her tail flicks behind, its owner being no doubt excited to embarrass her baby brother. "Oh don't worry, he's gonna get much bigger!"

"I am?" Jimmy asks, his brows furrowed in confusion. Honestly, he thought he was just going to be small and tiny forever, since his egg had been damaged and all. No one had even mentioned he was going to be bigger one day!

"Obviously. You know mom's like seven feet tall." Lizzie rolls her eyes affectionately, and reaches down to ruffle his hair. The cod scrunches his nose up and dodges away. "Your growth's just been a little stunted is all."

"Oh yeah, she is." He mumbles, sounding rather dumb to his own ears. The two older girls just laugh at him.

"I always forget how tall other species can get. Humans aren't usually taller than six feet." Pearl remarks, tipping her to the side a little thoughtful. "Wonder how big you're gonna be, Jim."

"Guess we'll have to wait and see." Jimmy shrugs, once again beaming at his new nickname. Lizzie smiles, her pointy teeth on full display, and manages to successfully ruffle his hair when she tries next. He just scowls at her, and hurriedly tries to make it look right again.

The next person he meets is quite small, even smaller than he and Joel are. She has to be around three feet tall, and the parent Jimmy catches a glimpse of isn't that much taller. They must be gnomes then, for that is the only empire with a species that short. The gnome girl has short brown hair, and a comically large mushroom hat sitting atop of it. She wears cute spotted overalls, along with matching shoes and a green shirt. Katherine seems ro know her well, because she lets out quite the exacted gasp upon her friends entrance.

"Shrub!" The faerie calls out, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the gnome. "Shrub over here!"

"Katherine!" The gnome yells back, running over as fast as her little legs will allow her to. Jimmy smiles at that, and can also hear the amused sounds coming from his sister as well.

"How have you been!?" Katheine asks once the gnome reaches them. To the cod's surprise, she picks her friend up and pulls her into a hug. The two of them spin around a little, Shrub's loud laughter and the faeries giggles filling the air. The gnome is put down with an oof sound, somehow smiling even brighter than before.

"Oh I've been good! And who's this guy!?" Shrub exclaims, then turns excitedly to the cod boy standing beside their friend. It seemed Lizzie had escaped her notice at first, but a Shrub' quick glance upwards afterwards confirmed that wasn’t the case for long.

"Hi, I'm Jimmy." The cod waves, flashing Shrub the friendliest smile he can manage, fangs and all. Though if they're friends with Katherine, the gnome is probably used to getting toothy smiles thrown at her.

"He's from the Ocean!" The faerie says, giving Jimmy another pat on the shoulder. She was very physically affectionate, he noted, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Just something the cod was unused to people being, outside of Lizzie and sometimes Joel of course.

"Oh! You're the Ocean Prince!" Shrub says, a light bulb going on off in her head seemingly. She's delightful, this girl is, that's what he's decided. He likes this little gnome quite a lot.

"Yeah, yeah I am." Jimmy smiles. He likes Katherine a lot too, he decides. Maybe these other noble children aren't all that bad, and Xornorth and Joey are just weird like that.

"And I'm his sister, Lizzie." The Ocean Princess butts in rather politely, giving the smaller girl a friendly smile and wave as she does so. Shrub has to crane her neck to fully look up at Lizzie, but she does it, and successfully returns the grin she had been given.

"Nice to meet both of you." The gnome says, and keeps hanging around after that, permanently joining the makeshift little group they seem to be forming.

The next person to enter is someone not their age, someone who looks old enough for Jimmy to assume he is a King from somewhere. It is a man in the traditional clothes worn in the desert empires, his long, dusty colored coat falling just above the ground. He wears sandals, and is the only one of them to have earned a crown, for this is one placed atop his head. He has short and curly brown hair, along with kind blue eyes and a warm smile. Jimmy hasn't even spoken to him yet, but he likes the man already. He seems to be one of those people you just instinctively trust, for his demeanor is so calm and kind.

The man walks over to them, the warm smile still saying on his face. "Hello!" He calls out, waving a second later. Jimmy flashes a smile back at him, and can see that it pleases the other very much, to have his greets and kindness returned.

"Hi!" Katherine calls out, her and Shrub seemingly already familiar with the man. It is not the first time that day Jimmy wonders how much he, and by extension Lizzie, had missed out on all these years when they were stuck at home in the Prisma Palace. It seems to be a lot, sadly. But maybe they can visit more, and be included in some memories after this day.

"You two are from the Ocean Empire, right?" The man asks, now stopping in front of their little group. He gives a small wave to the faerie and gnome beside them, before turning his full attention back to the merfolk. Jimmy likes this guy a lot already, really likes him. He’s like someone’s cool dad.

"Yep!" Lizzie says. Jimmy can tell she likes the man as well, by the way her frills are twitching in a friendly manner. It’s one of the few times she’s done that the whole trip, actually, and it’s a rather rare thing for his sister to do around new people. Especially around multiple of them. That, or she’s decently familiar with the guy already, which is also an equally likely possibility.

"Then you must be-"

"Jimmy. This is Jimmy." Lizzie cuts the man off, going to rest a hand on her brother's arm. The brunette's eyes glimmer with something, something akin to understanding then he nods.

"Jimmy, yes, and if I'm remembering correctly, you're Lizzie?" He asks, dark blue eyes flicking over the both of them a little curiously. Though it was a good kind of curiosity, not like anything some of the other people they’d meet had possessed that day.

"Yes sir, that is right." His sister nods, and it's confirmation for Jimmy that this guy is as old as he looks, and is probably a King of some sort. He wasn’t expecting to be talking to the King of the Desert Empire today, especially since he is currently struggling to remember the name of the place. But if this is indeed him, and he’s truly this friendly or a person, the young cod supposed that’s not a big deal.

"No need for formalities." The man shakes his head, that kind smile never seeming to leave his face, even if he does seem to cringe a little at the young Princess using her manners. Which you don’t see very often, honestly. "I'm barely older than your lot."

"You are?" Jimmy asks, tipping his head to the side in curiosity. Ok then, the current king of Pixandria, that was the desert empire’s name, is decently old. So maybe this isn’t him, and he just has a crown for whatever reason.

The man lets out an amused huff. "Yep. I'm freshly twenty one."

"You are old!" The young cod exclaims, meaning no offense by it. Beside him, Katherine, Pearl and Shrub both burst into giggles.

"Jimmy! Don't be rude!" Lizzie scolds him, giving the back of his legs a light flick with her tail. The young cod cringes, and goes to apologize, instantly regretting his outburst. But before he can even get a word out, the man starts laughing in his own right, the sound mixing nicely with the three girls retreating giggles that still come from beside him.

"It's okay, it's okay. He's quite the funny one." The man says, reaching over to give the young cod a friendly pat on the head. Jimmy scrunches up his nose, but accepts it anyway. All of these people were physically affectionate to some degree it seemed, not just Katherine. "And I’m Pix of Pixandria, it's great to meet the both of you."

Right as they finish their greeting with Pix, one of the last people they will meet that day walks up. It is a boy with brunette hair, dressed in attire Jimmy fairly recognizes. It has to be Mythland attire then, because that is the empire his people see the most of really. Which isn’t good for the new boy, due to the cod’s own dislike of the Kingdom’s people. It has to be the Prince too, because he has a scar over one of his blue eyes, said to be a defining feature of the future king. The boy’s eyes light up as he walks over, and Lizzie has already started glaring at him. Which has just confirmed all of her brother's suspicions, great.

"Oh! Fish people! I've never met a fish person before." The brunette says, ogling at both of them. Jimmy makes a face, and scotts closer to both Katherine and Pix, so the two more friendlier people are blocking him from the other’s uncomfortable gaze.

"We literally border your empire." Lizzie says, standing her around. She crosses her arms over her chest, and keeps glaring. The boy seems quite unfazed, and keeps being…..well he keeps being himself. Which is probably not the ideal thing for him to be doing.

"This young man," Pix says, as if trying to break the tense air that has suddenly formed. "Is Sausage from Mythland." Eve, his name is weird, because of course Mythlander’s have weird names like Sausage . Seriously, who names their child that? An insane person!?

"Nice to see you again, Sausage." Lizzie sounds exasperated, and like she's holding back a sigh. The young cod has to wonder what this guy like, to have just annoyed his sister by existing near them. But then again, he’s from Mythland, so he just has to imagine someone who’s incredibly annoying, and he has his answer just like that.

"Is this little Jim you've told me about?" Sausage said, unfortunately turning to him. Pix and Katherine moved out of the way, and Pearl unhelpfully pushed him forward, so now he was in full view of this weird guy. Nevertheless, Jimmy gave the friendliest wave he could manage, and stopped himself from cringing in his own right when the other boy’s eyes lit up at it.

"Yep, that's him." Lizzie confirmed, shifting closer to her younger brother once again rather protectively. Jimmy usually hated it when she did that, but this time he was more than grateful. He didn’t like Mythlanders, and especially not this guy.

"Um, hi." The blonde muttered, sounding a lot less confident than he had a few minutes ago. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too!” Mythland’s prince says, reaching out to give him a friendly pat on the shoulder, And the young cod only lets him to be polite, and not rude in front of a bunch of people he’d just met. Lizzie is near glaring daggers at him now. The physical touch from Katherine and the like is still okay, just not from this one. Not in the slightest.

"Pix!" Suddenly, another boy's voice comes from behind them, and Sausage lights up upon hearing it. When Jimmy turns his head to look, he figures the boy saying it is the son of the Crystal Cliff's Head Wizard, and the girl that is standing next to him must be his sister and the Head Wizard’ daughter. He assumed so mainly because of how similar the two looked, and that they were the last people they were going to meet that day. If Lizzie’s count was indeed right, and there were thirteen royal children currently.

The boy is a ginger, with bright blue eyes and horns sticking out of his head, signaling him as half dragon. He also has a dragon tail, and red and black wings on his back, which Jimmy finds when he glances downwards. He wears a short black coat with a white undershirt, old and stained brown pants, and boots that look far too big for him. His hands seem to be adorned with various rings, and also stained with redstone. There are also a small pair of goggles atop his head, and the whole outfit gives the young cod the impression of a working man. Which is strange, because royal children rarely if ever have to work, and most just did it because they enjoyed being helpful before their duties started to consume all their time.

His sister was a half dragon as well, having the same hybrid features as her brother. Though her wings were purple instead of red, and her eyes were a pretty green color. Oh, and both of the twins looked to be absolutely covered in freckles. The sister wore robes that looked native to the Cliffs, and looked thick enough to handle the mountain’s harsh cold. For jewelry she wore gold bracelets instead of rings, and a rather large hat sat atop her head. A hat so comically big in fact, it almost looked stupid on her.

"Fwhip! Gem!" Pix called, wrapping the two into a quick side hug once they were within arms’ reach. "How are you two?"

"We've been doing the best we can!" The girl, Gem, laughed, leaning into the embrace. "And Sausage!" She exclaimed, reaching for the other as soon as the Pixandrian noble had let them go.

"Sausage!" Her brother, who had the strange name of Fwhip , parroted, and he reached for the Mythlander as well. So the three of them were friends, great. Absolutely wonderful . That’s three whole people to try and avoid in the future.

"Hi you two!" Sausage exclaimed, returning the two twin’s enthusiasm about seeing them. He did what Katherine had done to Shrub earlier, though he somehow had the strength to pick up both of his friends and spin them around at the same time. Either that, or the two siblings were light as a feather. Which Jimmy preferred, because Sausage being that strong was frankly terrifying to him, when it was probably very impressive to everyone else.

“You have a few new friends I see? More guests mom invited?” Gem says, one she’s back on solid ground again. Her brother’s attention, along with everyone else's, has once again shifted to the two merfolk siblings, and Jimmy really hopes that this will be the last time this happens today. Again, he’s not used to being the center of anything, let alone multiple people’s attention, so this was all starting to get quite draining for the young cod.

“Yep! These two are Jimmy and Lizzie!” Pix says, his smile still warm and friendly. He puts a hand on both their shoulders, like a father would, and it is a warm touch that Jimmy actually welcomes. Instead of a certain Mythlander’s unwanted one from just a few moments before.

“Nice to meet you!” Gem says politely, and from what he’s seen so far, Jimmy has to decide the young wizard isn’t that bad. Even if a decently big part of him really, really, really wants to dislike her. Her brother on the other hand is a whole different beast.

“Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you or whatever.” Fwhip mutters, sounding rather dismissive. He nudges his sister, and the two half dragons walk off to the side a bit, Gem giving her brother a puzzled look, The rest of their little group doesn’t seem to assume anything, and tries to go back to some friendly banter, even while the two twin are having quite the conversation, doing so not even five feet away from the people their talking about.

Fwhip gives the two siblings a look, a rather disgusted one, then turns to his sister. "Gem!" "You didn't tell me the fish people would be here!" He hisses. It sounds like the statement is supposed to be a whisper, but the words are loud enough that everyone can hear. Lizzie simply flinches, and pretends not to notice. Jimmy just starts glaring holes into the half dragon’s back.

"Fwhip! Be nice!" Gem scolds him, flicking her brother with her tail. "This a gathering of all empires. You should've expected them!'

The future Count snorts, and pouts much like a small child would. “It doesn’t mean I have to l ike it. ”

“Then can you and Sausage at least be civil? So you won’t be in trouble or whatever.” Gem sighs in frustration. Jimmy is just glad that at least one of the twins has sense.

“Fine, I guess.” Fwhip huffs, and takes a glance around, presumably for Sausage. While scanning the area, he ends up locking eyes with Jimmy; who’s certain there's a deep frown stretching across his face. It became clear to the other that the young cod, and maybe his older sister as well, had just overheard that conversation. Though Fwhip doesn’t seem to care much. He just wrinkles his nose as they stare at each other, before breaking his gaze and turning away. Jimmy has to stop himself from bearing his teeth in response.

He glances at Lizzie, and sees that she has started to chat with Pearl once again. Gem had already turned her head away before they even locked eyes, some of the older wizards asking for her attention. No one had really seen the exchange between them, seemingly, or noticed Fwhip’s unfair hatred of his species. Though the hatred was so obvious and ugly, no one really needed to see it. It reared its head in other ways, and seemed to be radiating off the young Count as if in waves.

Well then, that's another fellow royal he’s on bad terms with. And Jimmy didn’t even do anything, other than be born with a tail, gills, and some fins to go along with it.

"Okay. They bite too. Forget what I said earlier." Katherine mumbled from beside him suddenly, a frown slowly forming on her face. The cod had to try not to jump, startled by the sudden voice next to him.

"Nothing I'm not used to." Jimmy sighed. He could feel the slightly worried look Katherine gave him, but brushed it off easily. Really, he was used to it. He had worse things said about him back home, worse than Fwhip could probably ever say. Unless he stooped to the same level that us, which wasn't out of the question really.

"My mother wanted me to give you guys a tour of the place," Gem says about ten minutes later, once most of them, minus Joey and the elves, had gathered around her. "So shall we get going? Since you're all here?"

"Yes, that would be a good idea." Pix nods. Despite his age and familiarity with the twins, the Pixandrian noble even seems unaware with the layout of this place; the brunette having looked around and marveled at the architecture quite a few times already. People probably hadn’t been allowed to visit the place during the school and the surrounding area’s construction, most likely due to all its magical elements.

"Ooh a tour!" Sausage says, giving a small clap of his hands in excitement. Gem snorts affectionately at the gesture, and Pearl just rolls her eyes with a similar emotion. Jimmy didn’t know that the nice famer was friendly with this lot, but he supposes it’s a good thing to keep track of. Considering some of their…ah, rather recent treatment of him and his sister is all.

"You've already seen this place." Fwhip points out, bumping his friend in the side.

"Tours are still fun!" Sausage reason, nudging the other back. The half dragon giggles in response, and his gaze flicks towards his sister as she starts to speak again.

“Well then let's start one!” Gem begins her explanation with a smile, the group of them eagerly trailing behind the young wizard. "Our mother is the one who thought of the Cliffs and the Academy. She's a very smart woman."

"I'm sure she is!" Katherine smiles politely. It is the best any of them can offer, as they have yet to see the twins' mother on this trip, and are likely not going too. The young wizard returns the smile, her expression seeming to light up instead a bit.

"What about your dad, Fwhip?" Sausage asked suddenly, bumping his friend with his shoulder. He did so like he was setting up something. The two boys slowed, all the way until they came to a halt, temporarily pausing the tour until this little exchange was to be over with.

"Father still works in the forge. You couldn't make him quit if you tried." Fwhip responded, raising a curious eyebrow at his friend. The Mythlander glanced to the side, fighting back the beginnings of a smile.

"Oh you're no better!" Gem exclaimed, a teasing grin starting to form on her face. She turned back to the rest of them, and Sausage giggled in what sounded like triumph. "He spends almost all his free time in there with dad, really. I can barely get him out sometimes-"

"Shut up!" Fwhip hisses, already turning bright red in what has to be embarrassment. Jimmy and a few of the others are already hiding their giggles behind their hands.

Sausage grins, a grin that confirms this was his intention all along. "He gets all embarrassed when we mention it!"

"I do not!" The half dragon protests, his tail starting to lash from side to side.

“You’re red as a tomato right now!” The Mythlander giggles, eliciting a few laughs from the other children around the. Impossibly, his friend turns even redder at the sound, and positively looks like he wants to die right then and there.

"You do!" His sister butts in, the grin on her face mirroring the one Sausage is wearing. "You hate everyone knowing how much of an inventor you are!"

"Gem!" Fwhip whines, the embarrassed flush having reached the tips of his ears already.

"He's good at it too! We'll have to show you guys one day!" Sausage keeps bragging despite all of his friends' protests, placing a hand on the half dragon's shoulder.

Fwhip just scowls, and removes himself from the Mythlander’s grasp. "No you will not!" He says, tail lashing a little faster than before.

"Fineee." Gem relents with a sigh. "But you're still good at making things"

The half dragon just rolls his eyes at his sister. "Can we move on now? This was supposed to be a tour. Not a humiliate Fwhip party." He grumbles, his tail having calmed down its lashing by now.

"Yes, I suppose we can." Gem says, and starts to walk again. The rest fall in line behind her, just as they had been a few moments before. Jimmy falls into step beside Katherine and Shrub, his sister right in front of him, and prepares to listen to what the young wizard will have to say next.

The rest of the tour goes well, with many similar interruptions and moments of banter happening the whole time. Everyone is smiling, laughing, including Jimmy. The atmosphere is so nice, he is finally able to ignore all those nasty encounters from earlier, and shake off all the bad feelings he;d obtained along his short stay in the Cliffs. These people were interesting, definitely, but for the most part they are nice and lovely to be around. The young cod is starting to suspect he’s gonna like this group a whole lot.

After the tour is done, Lizzie gets distracted by a conversation with pix and Pearl. Which is a perfect opportunity for Jimmy to sneak off. Really, she knows how he is, she knows letting him out of her sights is a horrible idea. But here they are. Her younger brother is still sneaking away and causing trouble after all these years.

He doesn't know what it is about Katherine, but the two of them click instantly. The moment Lizzie has separated from them, the young faerie’s eyes light up, and she pulls him off to the side, away from the main group. Shrub follows, seemingly on the same page as their taller friend. Jimmy isn’t really sure where the two are going with this yet, but he's mostly just happy to be here.

"How old are you?" Katherine asks, once the three of them are half hidden behind a spruce wood pillar. A wood Jimmy can’t help but stare at for a minute, because he doesn’t see much of it back at home.

"Fourteen." The blonde answers uncertainty, his frills twitching.

Katherine’s eyes light up, and she lets out a happy sound. "Then let's ditch the older kids!" She exclaims, glancing between him and Shrub, who stands next to their new fish friend.

"Some of them are only fifteen, that's not much older!" The gnome protests, though not seemingly because she doesn’t want to ditch the rest of the royal children. She seems to just be stating the very obvious facts, her eyes twinkling lightly with mischief.

"It's old enough!" Katherine responds, already starting to walk away from their makeshift hiding spots. The two follow after her, Jimmy being glad that he and Lizzie’s guard had seemingly ditched the two of them hours ago.

"Do you even know your way around here?" He says, now walking side by side with the faerie once more.

Katherine just giggles, and leads them down a random hallway, three pairs of footsteps echoing rather loudly in the quietness. "A little bit. And that's enough!"

The three of them explore the place for what has to be a good hour or two, laughing and hiding from each other in the magic academy’s vast hallways, some of those said hallways having magic properties to them. Which does nothing but encourage the three’s silly little exploration effort. Though eventually, the group does have to head back, as it is getting late, and their parents will surely be looking for them soon. In Jimmy’s case, Lizzie is probably already fretting and worrying her fins off, so he heads back earlier than the two girls, and sadly waves goodbye to them. Katherine and Shrub return his wave, saying they’ll need to hang out again soon. The cod laments that that isn’t very likely to happen, unfortunately.

Jimmy maneuvers his way back to that same courtyard from earlier, surprised he’s able to find his way back so easily and that he hasn’t gotten lost. He is also surprised he hasn’t run into anybody, because this part of the place had seemed to be crawling with wizards and other people native to the Cliffs before. Unfortunately, he jinxes himself with that one, and runs into a certain red-haired, annoying half dragon not even two minutes later.

The other royal catches sight of him, and scowls. Unfortunately, the hallway was on the smaller side, and they were going opposite ways, putting both of them right in each other’s spaces. "Move, codboy." Fwhip hisses, shoving past him rather rudely.

Jimmy stumbles back with a surprised yelp, and starts glaring daggers at the other boy. "What's your problem?" He asks, when he's steady on his feet once again.

"You're a fish. That's my problem." The half dragon shrugs. He's farther down the hallway at this point, and has stopped and turned his head so they are facing each other once more. The looks he's giving Jimmy is intimidating, but nothing new. Nothing he hasn't seen before. He gets much worse at home.

"That makes no sense!" He exclaims, his tail starting to lash behind him. WHich is probably just going to irritate the other boy more, but whatever.

Fwhip explains it simply, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "It does. You're annoying, and you're also a merfolk. So therefore I don't like you."

"I haven't done anything to you! And I'm not annoying! I've barely talked the whole time I've been here!" Jimmy has to hold back a growl as he speaks, and takes another step forward.

"And? That doesn't change anything." Fwhip shrugs, and seems entirely unfazed by whatever the blonde is trying to do.

"You…you asshole! You're just an asshole!" The cod spits out, which was the very thing he’d been thinking as soon as the other spoke, no, as soon as he’d gotten a good look at him. He was just an asshole for no good reason.

"Take that back!" The future Count hisses, apparently not liking that one bit. He's one of those guys that seemingly can't take a hit to his ego, because of course he is.

"I won't because I'm ight." Jimmy keeps standing his ground, though now taking a few steps back rather than forward. He wasn’t that stupid, he knew getting into a fight with the Head Wizard’s son would be a mistake, even if he did start being rude first, On the other hand, the half dragon didn’t really seem to care about the trouble they would get in.

"Take it back, you stupid little cod." Fwhip growls, taking a step closer. Jimmy just glares back, and holds his ground. Next thing he knows, claws are digging into his skin, but not enough to draw blood. The other isn't that stupid.

Fwhip's pushed him against a wall, and the young cod yelps in surprise when his back hits it. "Take it back." The ginger hisses, his breath right against his ear. Jimmy says nothing, just thrashes and growls in response, even when he feels his feet being lifted off the ground. The other digs his claws in a little deeper, a little harder, right as the cod’s own claws manage to catch on his coat. The ginger hisses again, and pressed him so hard against the wall that it hurts.

Suddenly, Lizzie’s voice comes from nearby, what seems to be right down the hallway. Fwhip freezes, then has the sense to let him go. Jimmy knows he’s not that scary, but that Lizzie is; especially when she has a trident. Which she doesn’t have right now, luckily for the future Count. Fwhip just gives one last growl at him, and stalks off into the nearest room. The cod isn’t even sure if he knows where he's going anymore, and can’t make himself care either. He just rights himself again, and rubs the spot where dragon claws had dug into him. It’s going to leave a bruise, one that’s going to be rather tricky to hide once he puts on his regular attire of shorts and rather open shirts.

Lizzie turns down the hall right as he does so, Jimmy being able to see the way his sister’s eyes light up, even from all the way down there. She picks up the pace, and is at his side in seconds. The worry radiates off her in waves, and she’s grabbing his arm and is holding it before either of them can even get a word in.

"There you are! I was starting to get worried!" She says, already starting back down the hallway. Jimmy follows behind her, because he really has no choice but to do so.

"I'm fine, I was just hanging out with Katherine and Shrub." He huffs, stumbling every step as his sister drags him along rather hurriedly. This was going to be embarrassing if someone saw this.

The Ocean Princess huffed in response, her tone switching from worried to a little more stern. Which meant something had happened. "I'm glad to see you making friends, but mum called for us a few minutes ago."

"Oh, okay." He mumbled. Yeah, yeah that would explain why the older merfolk was so frantic. Making their mother wait was never a good idea, never had been, and usually ended in a scolding of some kind.

Lizzie sighs, taking her brother's hand in hers. Like he is still a toddler she needs to direct around. "Come on, best not to keep her waiting any longer. You know how she gets."

"I know, I know.." Jimmy mumbles, holding back his own sigh as he follows his sister back down the hallway, and to the open area they had been in before.

He doesn't really want to go back to his mother, for this is a rather short trip, only supposed to be a day or two long. And the moment the Queen starts calling for them, it means the fun is ending. It means the two of them will probably have to sit through boring formal stuff for the rest of the day, and maybe the whole next day, which means less time spent with the people who were actually fun to be around.

But all Jimmy can do about that is hold back a sigh, and try to keep his sanity intact for the rest of this boring, burning trip, and even when they return home as well. All he can do is be quiet and listen, like a good child should.

Fortunately, and sometimes unfortunately, he and his sisters' visits outside of the Ocean Empire get more frequent than ever before, till it feels like they've traveled the whole world. They end up visiting the Grimlands and the Crystal Cliffs a lot, and Jimmy will not find out why until a whole year later and then some.

[madaboutmunson]

Intro Part to a little something I started writing this evening

The Drive-In - Part 1

Part 2 | Links to all Parts | AO3 Link

Steve sighs, hands running over the steering wheel in front of him. He glances at the empty seat next to him and checks his watch.

27 minutes.

That's how long Felicity had been gone, leaving Steve in an awkward situation. Every bone in his body wanted to get out of the car, find her and make sure she was ok, but he also felt she had bailed on him. His scouring the drive-in and calling out for her might double how much of a loser he felt already.

He taps the steering wheel a few times and groans. He wouldn't be able to rest, not knowing if she was ok, so he swallows his pride and gets out, and takes a look around.

After one hand on the hip 360 turn, Steve drowns in envy. Every fucking car around him is a God damn soft porn extravaganza, and that's precisely what Steve should be doing. Right now, in fact.

This was her idea! Go to the drive-in, play up to her little exhibitionist ways. Which, you know, weren't particularly Steve's bag, but he had made it to date four, and if this is what it would take to find love, he was going to do it.

Falling in love shouldn't be this fucking hard. It should just happen, as it did with Nance, but this time it wouldn't be bullshit, and he wouldn't get his heart ground up into chum.

Steve sighs as the memories flood his head, and he starts heading toward the food stalls. He wanted to, but he couldn't blame Nancy. He fell so hard for her, but as it turns out, he'd fallen in love with an idea of her, what she could be in Steve's future, but that didn't match up with Nancy's, and deep down, he knew that. He just struggled to accept it. They could have been perfect together, but a family wasn't her priority, and objectively, as her friend, neither should it be; she was so bright, and the world was her oyster. Steves's idea of a loving family home felt like freedom to him, but for Nance, it was a prison.

And no one has got under his skin like Nancy.

It's not like he wasn't trying. Every girl he doted on, learned their likes and dislikes, gave them gifts, laughed at all their jokes, was a gentleman, and never showed up to meet them without looking like a picture of perfection.

It was just never enough.

Steve rounds the corner and spots the voluminous wavy hair in a huddle giggling with some other girls. At least he knew she was safe now. He turns to walk away, but her friend spots him, widening her eyes at Felicity, indicating the awkwardness bomb about to go off. Felicity turns and gives an awkward smile of apology because she was rumbled.

Steve opens his mouth to ask if she's ok but is cut off before he begins.

"You know, Steve, I think I'm gonna head home with my friends. One of them just got dumped."

Yeah, me, he thinks to himself.

She's a terrible actress but not as bad as her friend, who, on command, begins fake sobbing in her own hands.

Be a gentleman. He reminds himself.

"Do you ladies need a ride home?" he says, utilizing his big bright white smile.

Felicity shakes her head in a no and looks sheepishly at the ground. He gives her a tight closed-mouth smile and nods before heading to the nearest stall to buy some popcorn and a soda.

On the walk back to the car, through hickey-ville, he wonders. What had he done wrong this time? They were in public, and he'd made sure to get the cliff notes on this movie from Robin. It had a long runtime of over two hours and frankly sounded so bizarre. He was sure it would be make-out city, which is what she had wanted.

Oh God...had he kissed her wrong? Surely not; she would have said something, right? Did his breath smell? No. Not possible. He gets into the driver's seat, puts the snacks in his lap, and checks anyway. Still minty fresh.

At a complete loss, Steve settles back in his seat to watch this Space Odyssey or whatever it is called.

Before he is even an eighth of the way down into his extra-large popcorn, the passenger door opens.

She's come back!! She gets in awkwardly, her back to him. Steve promptly stops eating and hurriedly throws chewing gum in his mouth.

"Hey," he says gently, "Everything ok?" he reaches over in the dark and puts a hand on her shoulder.

He feels her stiffen under his touch, so he takes his hand away, "Are you gonna not look at me for the rest of the night, Flick?" He gets no response, but her shoulders move in a silent laugh.

Yes! She's laughing. He's golden, back in the game Harrington. Careful to keep his hands to himself, he leans over and asks lowly in her ear, "You like that nickname? Mind if I call you that?"

"As long as I get to stay in the safety of this car, you can call me whatever you like, big boy," a flirtatious voice that does not fucking belong to Felicity speaks into the darkness.

The head turns quickly, dark waves of hair and the aroma of tobacco spin around with it, and Steve is greeted with an enormous toothy grin, "Harrington."

Steve rapidly recoils in his seat until his back is pressed up against his door, "Munson?!"

[herbgerblin]

link to the blupjeans fic about fucking in the catacombs?

Lmao when I say I minor I mean a conversation in a fic that is not about them. but frankly it would be funny if that was in itself a fic. Anyway it’s this one and also here’s the scene:

—

“I’m running out of date ideas!” Taako grumbles. He sits at the table with Lup, two practically empty dinner plates between them.

“You could visit the Goldcliff Catacombs?” Barry offers, washing pots in the kitchen.

“Goldcliff has catacombs?” Taako asks.

“Gotta put all those bodies that accidently fell off the cliffs somewhere,” Lup explains.

“Noted,” Taako says, scrunching his nose. He messes around with a single brussel sprout on his plate. “I don’t know. Visiting some dusty, underground caverns sounds like a less than ideal date.”

“I beg to differ,” Lup replies. “Barry and I went there during our honeymoon. Very romantic.”

“Taako is not going into a dark, creepy, cavernous gravesite,” He mutters. “At least not without available backup.” He looks up as Barry walks into the dining room and pulls up a seat beside Lup. “What if we made it a double date? You two have been there before, you could give us a tour!”

“Can’t,” Lup and Barry both say.

“What do you mean can’t? ” Taako asks.

“We’ve…” Barry starts, and his face slowly turns a peculiar shade of red. “Been banned.”

Taako squints. “Banned? How do you get banned from the catacombs? Geez, I know you’re intense mortuary nerds, but what were you trying to do? Reanimate them?”

“ Something was animated , ” Lup mumbles, eyes locked on her plate.

“No,” Taako says. He stands up. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You did not.”

“It was our honeymoon.”

“NO. I hate you guys, oh my gods.” He rushes out of the room. “I’m never talking goth dates with you again!” He stomps out of the room, hands over ears, and hurries up the stairs.

“I’d steer clear of the Old Castle in Rockport as well,” Lup calls after him.

“I can’t hear you!” Taako yells back, followed by incoherent shouting.

[asknarashikari]

My last ask for today I swear. Also if the link doesn't work I'm going to walk off a cliff

...I'm so sorry, the link didn't work.

Maybe try reblogging this post and paste the url there as plain text? Like copy the url, right-click or long press and select "paste without formatting" or whatever similar option you have. I work on the desktop browser anyway so I'll just copy-paste it onto another tab easily

[yourlocalrandombisexual]

so i’ve had this fic idea swirl around in my head for the past few days and i don’t think i’m actually gonna write it but here’s the cliff notes version…oh and it’s a garashir fic btw…

it’s kinda going off this head cannon that i have where garak and bashir dated off and on for 3ish years and broke up for good a few months before they had to abandon the station to dominion control

i think we can kinda see that in early season 6, there’s still slight flirty banter but the vibe is off/different and then as they all come back to retake the station there’s a definite coldness coming from julian as he talks to garak

(i also think it’s funny that it takes julian a full year to even be interested in someone again)

but anyway…season 7 happens, sisko goes to live in the wormhole, miles and kieko go back to earth, kira is taking over command of the station, odo leaves to join the great link and suddenly its just julian and ezri and in a weird way julian feels left behind

but the thing that feels like more of a gut punch then any of his other friends leaving (i mean they are starfleet, julian knows crews can serve together for years and then be reassigned or people leave, that’s normal) is garak leaving the station to help rebuild cardassia

everything in him wants to follow garak onto that transport instead of waving lamely as he gets left behind

julian then becomes distant, going through the motions of his life without purpose

and finally he decides to burn his whole goddamn life to the ground because he just can’t take it anymore

he breaks up with ezri, leaves starfleet, and finds passage to cardassia. everyone thinks he’s gone crazy but this is the most rational julian has felt since accepting his original ds9 posting

then late one night garak hears a knock at his door

and who’s standing there in civilian clothing with two bags, one over each shoulder? yep! it’s julian!

garak is surprised but hides it well (obviously) and julian doesn’t even wait to be invited in, he just walks in and puts his bags down

garak can barely get out, it’s nice to see you doctor, before julian launches into a prepared speech about he’s waited long enough and he wants to be with garak and nothing else in the universe matters to him and he’s here to help in anyway he can to rebuild cardassia

garak’s only reaction is to quirk a little smug smile and ask where julian plans on staying

julian looks around garak’s home and says i think there’s enough room here for the both of us

garak smiles wider and says i think there probably is

and they live happily ever after…get married…have kids…miles even comes to cardassia to visit

fin

or something like that

[writingwife-83]

Promt: getting into an argument and accidentally admit feelings for eachother.

Loooved your recent stories btw❤️❤️

Hi!! It’s been forever since you sent this so thanks for being patient. ☺️ I wrote a one shot for the 2022 sherlolly week about 9 months ago and it was one that really stuck in my brain. I’ve been thinking about doing more with it since then and it suddenly hit me that your prompt would work really well. Hope you don’t mind that I used it for this! Here’s ch 2 of the fic below and I’ll also link to AO3. And surprise… a third and final chapter will also be coming tomorrow! 🥳 be sure to let me know your AO3 name, so I can gift it to you. Happy reading! 😁

Please Don’t ch 2

Returning from town after settling some business, Sherlock opted to take the long winding road back to Musgrave Hall, which took him through the woods. He was never in much of a rush to return to his family’s estate anyway, and much preferred the intrigue of the natural world. There was where he discovered the unexpected and learned things he never would have if stuck behind a desk all day. Besides, best to stay active, having seen the physical results from his brother’s very different choice of profession and lifestyle.

Sherlock broke through the trees at one point in the path, the view opening up to the fields and cliffs that overlooked the seaside. This was always his favorite part of the walk. And after enjoying the impressive vista, Sherlock’s gaze shifted, as it always did, to settle on the fields and the little farmhouse which happened to be his personal favorite.

The Hooper farmhouse.

He didn’t always visit, but at the very least he liked to stop and take it all in, just for a little while. It had been a home away from home for him since he was a child. Sometimes even more of a home than his real one. Even the stillness of the home itself was pleasant to gaze at, perhaps with no other sigh of life than the puff of smoke coming from its chimney. But sometimes, if he waited a while… he might see her as well.

Once in a while when passing, he’d catch a glimpse of Molly Hooper, out in the fields or in the grounds around the house. She might be carrying firewood into the house or tending to the chickens and livestock or maintaining the home itself. No matter what it was, the occasional sight always made him smile, despite himself and his cold hearted nature.

But he always supposed that Molly was a part of those comforting childhood memories, so of course the sight of her was a pleasant one.

As Sherlock stood there in the breeze that came off the water that evening, he did indeed happen to see the door open. What he saw next though, was wholly unexpected.

A man stepped outside, too far off for Sherlock to recognize, placing his hat on his head as he beamed at Molly, who stood on the threshold bidding him farewell. Sherlock watched as the man visibly lingered and then finally tipped his hat and made his way to the road to take his leave. Then the door to the little home shut as Molly made her way back inside.

Sherlock couldn’t help but stand there in stunned silence for a few moments. This was… most perplexing. He felt… hurt? No of course not, merely concerned for her. Who was this man? Perhaps it was none of his affair but… this was his family’s land after all! Hadn’t he the right- nay, responsibility! The responsibility to ensure that Molly be wise in how she conducted herself!

Deciding he hadn’t a moment to lose, Sherlock impetuously marched down the hill towards the little house, having suddenly become a man on a mission. He knocked at her door upon arrival, then squared his shoulders.

Molly swung the door open without so much as a word of question.

“Did you forget someth- Oh, Mr Holmes, good evening.”

“Might I come in, Miss Hooper?”

She looked round in confusion for a moment before stepping aside to allow him entry.

“Is… is anything wrong, Sir?” Molly asked as they walked into the sitting room of the small home.

Sherlock merely sighed, stopping at the fireplace and leaning his hands against the mantle. “I’ve come by to advise you to take care, Miss Hooper,” he finally replied, turning round to face her, hands clasped behind his back.

“To take care?” She remained perplexed. “In what way, Sir?”

No point in beating around the bush.

“Who was that man who just left your home this evening?”

Realization flashed in her eyes. “You mean Thomas Harding? Yes, he was just here.”

Sherlock narrowed his eyes, thinking. “Thomas Harding… he is the blacksmith, is he not?”

“Yes, that’s him.”

“Mmm.”

Molly’s brow furrowed a bit. “But, Sir, why must I take care? What is the meaning of this?”

Sherlock gave a little huff. “Do you think it proper that this Mr Harding be calling on you here? Alone?”

Molly’s entire demeanor changed, though he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. She crossed her little arms tightly over her slightly flour coated dress and glared at him.

“Mr Harding is a respectable man, I’ll have you know! I offered him refreshment but he refused to even take a seat! Merely stood inside my doorstep and made polite conversation after giving me the bunch of flowers you see before you on the mantel.” Molly gave Sherlock a pointed little look up and down. “You’ve certainly never been so shy about making yourself at home here!”

“That is completely different,” Sherlock proclaimed, stalking about the room. “I am the landlord!”

“And I s’pose that means rules of propriety don’t apply to you, then?”

“It means I have the right to take an interest in the lives of my tenants! And a blacksmith? Pff! Really, Miss Hooper, surely you can do better than that.”

Molly’s jaw dropped, her eyes went wide and she dropped her arms in her shock.

“Mr Holmes, first you insult my reputation, and now you insult my choice of suitor! As I said, Mr Harding is a good man, and he is also an honest worker. What more can a simple woman hope for?!”

“He is dim witted and would make a dull husband,” Sherlock replied flatly.

Molly’s voice rose further. “He is kind hearted and would surely cherish me! And what business is it of yours who I wed?”

Sherlock could feel himself running short on ammunition, and his fingers tapped against his own hand in wild agitation as he walked.

“This land is an investment, after all. I paid its debts a year ago and that has turned out to be a profitable choice. I have no desire to see that come to nothing once again when you wed a man who hasn’t the backbone or smarts to succeed at working a plot of land!”

Her face fell in a way that nearly made his hardened exterior crumble completely.

“I… I know this land is your family’s investment. Of course it is,” she said more softly. “But I thought that attachment to… to my father was your motivation in paying our debts. Was that a lie?”

Perhaps that was a bad choice of argument.

“I- I never said that.”

“Well then what is this?” Molly demanded, her combative tone returning. “How and why do you expect me to tend to this land and this home forever on my own? And why should I give up on the dream of a good husband and family simply because I cannot have-“ She stopped, placing her hands heavily on her hips and turning away.

“Cannot have what?!” he pushed against his better judgment, drawing nearer.

“I cannot have more than this and it is cruel for you to pretend that I can!” Molly bit back, whirling to face him again, her eyes now glistening. “An honest blacksmith who’ll treat me kindly and that I might just grow to care for one day is all I can have!”

She paused for breath and Sherlock nearly rushed to her in that instant. For what, he couldn’t say, but he held his feet back, not fully expecting what came next.

“Because I cannot have the man I truly want!”

Sherlock clenched his jaw and fists at his side, feeling like every inch of his skin humming with a maddening energy. “You see?! This is precisely why I needed to advise you! You are a fool, Molly Hooper, if you think you cannot have any man you set your mind to!”

She was the one to move then, marching over toe to toe with him, though somehow feeling the need to be louder still. “And you are the greater fool for being blind to what has been right before your eyes for years! Because it is you that I want and can never have!”

“Ha! Yes you can!”

Oh.

Oh.

The room went completely still and silent, save for the soft crackling of the fireplace and the sound of both his and Molly’s unsteady breathing. Sherlock’s mind went over and over what they’d both just said, trying to make sense of it all. Had he always known how she felt? Had he always known how he felt? Perhaps deep down he had.

The difference was that now there was simply no escaping it.

[monstersoc]

Be my valentine? - Monster+Worm oneshot

Summary: In honor of valentines day, I present a cute oneshot!!♡ (this is my touch starved side speaking😋)

The day before valentines day was surprisingly lively. It seemed everyone was shooting their shot with their crush and preparing flashy lights or tying down heart shaped balloons that said "I love you!". Some even getting a whole choir (a bit over the top if you ask me but oh well).

One girl walked alone amongst the chaos. She was hoping someone- anyone would come up to her and ask if she would be their valentine. It didn't even have to be flashy unlike all the others.

Not to far away was her close friend who she had actually grown quite fond of. She did wish he would ask her to be his valentines but she doubted he felt that way about her so she tried not to think about it. He was sitting down by the edge of a cliff waiting for the arrival of the girl.

He was nervous- extremely nervous. After her mysterious disappearance that happened not so long ago giving both of them some extra trauma- he realized he actually liked the girl more then just a friend. He definitely did not want to lose her without confessing or he'd be left with regret.

He had actually barely decorated other then a few lights that would illuminate the place once darkness fell upon them. That didn't mean he cared any less though- actually, he had explored the area of fontaine to find the perfect spot to watch the sunset with her before asking her. Honestly, he felt like it was more of a proposal.

The soft sound of footsteps came closer and he turned around to see her. She looked very tired, probably from having to walk up here, but she still smiled anyway. He smiled back and patted the grass next to him- signaling her to sit there.

She sat down with a sigh and looked at the horizon. "Wow, how'd ya find this?" She asks and he tries to play it off like he hadn't been searching for hours prior before it found it. "Oh I just stumbled upon it" he responds and the girl nods her head.

"Archons, valentines day makes me feel so lonely! Everyone's always bragging about others asking them and here I am alone" she complains and he looks at her. "Uh- ahem- your friend is right here" he says with mock offense.

"Hm? Friend? Where?" She says jokingly trying to hold back a laugh at his offended face. "Your insufferable" he says while lightly smacking her shoulder and she finally laughs. "Pff- you should have seen the look on your face!" She says and he glares at her with a pout.

"Anyway- do you have a valentine?" She asks with a tilt of her head. "Actually, I do plan to ask someone" he says with confidence and the girl feels her heart break slightly. However, she pretends like she isn't hurt by this and asks who it is he plans to ask.

"I'm not telling you yet" he says and the girl leans in to his face. "But you have to tell me! You can't keep me in the dark!" She says with a whine and the boy blushes at the close proximity. He looks away and notices the sun setting.

The timing was perfect, it was now or never. He turned back to face her and spoke. "Do you really want to know?" He questions and the girl rapidly nods her head with a facade of excitement.

"It's you. I want you to be my valentine"

The girls breath hitches and her face explodes with red. "I- huh?!" She says and he repeats what he said. "I want you to be my valentine, Monster" he says taking her hand. She looks at him skeptically and he brings her hand to his lips to place a kiss upon it- as if trying to prove he wasn't lying.

"It's your choice of course- I'm not forcing you" he quickly speaks while taking his hand away but the girl takes it right back. "No!- I mean- i- I do want to be your valentine" she says, flustered.

The boy let's out a breath he didn't know he was holding and puts his forehead against hers. As the sun slowly sets, they sit in peace with their hands linked together and foreheads gently pressed against eachother.

Silent "I love you"'s we're shared as they sat together, illuminated by the lights hung up in the tree.

(may have, or may have not fell asleep outside together)

[silverskye13]

3... 2... 1...

"Oh... Gosh."

It felt like the world had opened up beneath his feet. Like he'd stepped off the side of a cliff without feather falling boots. His body dropped faster than his soul and then pulled taught on gravity, and he'd been left breathless, dangling, tethered by the depths of his soulmate. It was like he could've died right there if some lifeline wasn't holding him, and his feet kicked over an endless void, centimeters from demise. This was incredibly unsettling, especially given Joel was standing still on solid ground the whole time he felt it.

It was strange, is what it was. Joel had worried it was Jimmy, because Jimmy is cursed as all heck, what with his canary thing, and while Joel had never been cursed before (nor had he ever particularly believed in curses) this certainly felt like what a curse should feel like, or what he thought a curse would feel like if they were real. Then it'd faded, and Joel did what he did best: he shrugged off the unsettling-ness of sharing a server with a bunch of unsettling people and got to work.

Then he'd met Etho, and really it'd confused him more. Etho was just so... Etho. Like, he was cautious, and quiet, and the only person the man seemed comfortable ribbing was BDubs. And like, Joel got it right? He wasn't too keen on talking to strangers either, and everyone on this dang server was pretty strange. But if Lizzie ever dropped him off at a party, at least Joel could hold a bloomin conversation. Mostly Etho loomed, and shot a handful of clipped remarks at people, and then loomed some more. Etho was funny, and he had his own kind of charisma, but he was better at stabbing conversation than carrying it.

Oh, and people were scared of him. That was a thing too. Which Joel figured was a symptom of the quiet, right? Anyone whose emotions are muffled behind a mask, whose only clue into their thoughts was in the easily obscured upturns in their voice, and who was prone to reserving those glimpses for the rarest occasions - well, they would have to be unsettling. But Joel wouldn't call it scary. Joel was scary. He was proficient and chaotic, and unpredictable. That's what's scary on a death server! Really Etho's proclivity to sinking into himself should be a sign of fear or weakness. And when he'd gone down into the Deep Dark? He'd been shaking like a leaf when he returned, and while Joel hadn't been there, Impulse had described for him the inglorious scene of Etho scrambling in the dark to escape the Warden. And like, Joel couldn't really judge that. Their lives were precious and few. But still. Etho wasn't scary, alright? He was just tall and vaguely mysterious, and people let that carry on way farther than they should.

Anyway, point being, that falling out of his own soul into the void of another's feeling Joel had felt when they'd linked? That deeply cursed, I've been joined to the belly of the universe feeling? Yeah, it didn't make sense for 'ol Etho. Etho was more of a... Eh... Something less interesting than that. He was more of a frayed friendship bracelet kind of person. Their soul bond should feel like tugging on the vein in Joel's right wrist - uncomfortable and constant, and deadly if severed. It should not feel like Joel had almost been eaten by the void or something. That's the point here.

Then he and Etho had gone down into the Deep Dark together.

There's just something about the Deep Dark, isn't there? There are places in the world that are old. There are places that are dangerous. You can walk through a portal and be in hell. Or a fortress. Or a bastion. And woodland mansions? Those labyrinths of houses? They have no right to be as scary as they can be. Some things are just old and dangerous. Old and dangerous enough you get used to old and dangerous a bit. It becomes... Not really mundane, because mundane happens every day. It becomes every second Tuesday familiar, unremarkably abnormal.

The Deep Dark is breathtaking. But not in like, the filled with auspicious wonder kind of way. It's like if a place could wring your bloomin neck. It puts cold hands on you, hands on hands on hands, even. The skulk reaches and it clings, and it feels like water in the way it leaves you damp. Like, skulk isn't clammy or anything. It just... Leaves behind. But in a deep way. It's not like dirt or sand that leaves behind and you brush it off your shoulders. It sinks into you like teeth and it clings. It crawls like... Oh... You know... Like crawly-things on your skin. You see movement on your shoulder, you feel tiny feet on your arm, and you look down and it's just skulk, still and unremarkable but somehow there when it wasn't moments ago. It's so terribly alive in a way that moss and grass are not. Alive, and deeply, deeply inhuman. Which makes sense right? It's not human. But neither are moss, or mushrooms, or trees, and they don't feel as inhuman as skulk does. It's like some things are made in a world Joel recognizes, and then some things are made because it made itself in an image only it can fathom. Like if gods existed, skulk would... Maybe not be a god. But it would be the breath of one, if the dark could breathe, and listen.

Etho leads him through it like a shepherd. A shaky, breath-held, paranoid shepherd, that would leave him behind the minute things went wrong. Okay, maybe not like a shepherd. Etho leads him through it like someone who's only scared for Joel's safety because they're linked by bonds neither of them can break, which means they have to keep each other safe despite their own personal fears. Etho leads him down to the enchanting table like it's an obligation, and really, Joel doesn't mind that. Of course, there's no enchanting table there, and that's gutting, because they risked their necks coming down here for nothing.

"Looks like somebody snagged it." Etho says, and there's a rueful smile on the edge of his voice. "It might've been Scar."

Etho looks up when he says the name Scar. He looks up, and it feels like every deep place in the world looks up with him. It's a very hard thing to describe. Etho looks up at the deepslate ceiling high above them, in a random direction that Joel can only assume is where Scar is standing, and every rock and stone and shadow cranes it's neck to look with him. It's that same breathless feeling Joel has gotten when the Warden listens, like anything that could make noise stops to crouch and and hold its breath and pretend it never existed. Except the world isn't listening. It's watching. Searching for Scar with Etho. Even the hair on Joel's arms sticks up, like it's being pulled along with the massive intent of the stare upwards. His heart lurches in his chest like it's trapped and trying to obey some call to leap out of his throat. The depths of the world get a little shallower, pulled up towards their feet. It is by far the strangest thing Joel has ever felt.

"Right... Bloody Scar with his enchantment tables," Joel stammers in a whisper, and Etho stops looking at the ceiling and instead turns to look at Joel. Joel expects it to be the red eye. Like really, as far as weird things go, that makes the most sense, doesn't it? That it'd be the eye that's an unnatural color. It's not. They make eye contact, and Joel feels like he's being pulled into the dark of Etho's right pupil, the eye so brown it's almost black. Or that's what Joel thought it was until just now. Now he thinks it's a glimpse, a bit of the cliché window-to-the-soul-y glimpse. He's glimpsing Etho. He's glimpsing a black so deep and dark it makes eternity shallow. He's glimpsing the other end of his soul, tethered to something so distant and massive all Joel can do is hang by the tether of their being soulmates over the gap. He is glimpsing something deeply, deeply inhuman, something that is offering forth the barest piece of itself, curious of the reaction. It's a bit like a crow that sits on a park bench and surprises you when it says hello, and you look around all over the place for the voice, because it should be human, but it isn't.

Then the glimpse is gone, not because Etho blinks, or closes off that bit of himself that's leaking into the world around him. Joel acclimates to it with starling rapidity, like jumping headfirst into frigid water, and finding the breeze uncomfortable once you've broken the surface. For just a second, Joel gets it. He gets why people tiptoe around Etho the way that they do. For a second, Etho is scary, not because of the glimpse, but because of how normal he is afterwards. Normal enough that Joel could almost, almost convince himself it'd all been in his head, and it was just the heebie-jeebies from the Deep Dark. Except Etho moves, making his way towards the overworld again, and he moves with the imperceptible slowness of someone trying not to be scary. Like Etho recognizes Joel as a startled rabbit, and he's trying to convince it not to run.

So Joel finishes his sentence with a nervous laugh. "The man's obsessed. This is starting to become a problem."

Don't worry, I'm not scared. See? Our conversation hasn't even stopped.

The edges of Etho's eyes crinkle in an incredibly human smile. Joel watches his red eye and his red eye only.

[mrpenguinpants]

Okay so after pulling Childe (and getting him to almost lvl 90 the same day lmao but I ran out of exp books) I started thinking about Chaeya x reader and I have to share my brainrot with someone so here you go:

Childe suddenly shows up to Mondstadt one day, supposedly to check out the Windblume Festival, but it had already been over for a few days before he arrived

You walk in on him and Kaeya glaring daggers at each other in the middle of the street, Kaeya sending terse smiles and veiled threats while Childe is nearly vibrating with the effort to keep himself from stabbing Kaeya in broad daylight. Who cares if he's a captain of the Knights? This guy's pissing him off

When you make your presence known it's like a switch flipped inside the two of them and they both turn to you like "ah yes here is the love of my life :)"

"Childe? What are you doing here?"

"Aw, can't I come say hi to a friend?" He replies, flashing you a grin.

"In that case, you've said your hellos," Kaeya interjects. He drapes an arm across your shoulders and pulls you closer to him. "They'll be coming with me now."

"I'm not just here to say hello." Childe steps toward you, sending a cold smile in Kaeya's direction. "I'm here to spend the day with them. Now, if you'll excuse us…"

You sigh as you realize that you have to be the peacekeeper here otherwise who knows what these two will do to each other?

To stop them from fighting and to lighten the tension in the air, you jokingly say, "Alright you two, settle down. I have two hands."

Even though you clearly meant it as a joke the boys each immediately grab one of your hands and you end up sandwiched between them for the rest of the day while they engage in Friendly Banter™ but don't you worry it's totally lighthearted and doesn't really mean anything (:

You are exhausted from babysitting these two grown ass men at the end of the day

Fast forward a few weeks and Kaeya invites Childe to have a Civil Discussion about their mutual feelings towards you

Bc while Kaeya would be perfectly content (he tells himself) with burying his feelings and letting someone else sweep you off your feet if it means you get to be happy and safe

He absolutely cannot let you fall into the hands of the Fatui, especially not a Harbinger

He's already lost his family because of the Fatui, he's not going to lose you too

These two somehow manage to make it through their chat without stabbing each other, which is a miracle

They decide to confess to you together and let you decide who to keep

The day comes when they both planned to confess to you. They somehow both kept their promise of not confessing before the other person which is also quite the miracle (maybe they signed a contract with Zhongli as the mediator lmao)

Anyway, they take you out to the cliff next to Stone Gate bc no one ever goes up there lmao so they won't be interrupted

(Kaeya lets Childe go first bc he thinks he would be able to deliver a more romantic confession than this two brain cell Fatui Harbinger)

Idk how to break it to you Kaeya but your poetry sucks (jk jk pls still come home I need your constellations 🥺)

After hearing two heartfelt confessions from your two favorite people, you had to take a moment to process what just happened

They both like you??? Wtf???? And here you were losing sleep over how you'd handle your crush on both the Cavalry Captain and the Harbinger

So if course you suggest a poly relationship. After all, you had two hands ;)

The boys didn't quite know how to handle your response, but after explaining it to them they both agree to give it a shot

So that's how you managed to capture the heart of these two idiots

And with your help they eventually realized that, huh, maybe the other person isn't so bad. They're actually kinda hot, ngl 👀

From then on, all the evil in Teyvat knew to not mess with you if they valued their existence. Your boyfriends aren't known to show mercy against those who hurt their loved ones

Ahaha this was long but I hope you enjoyed it!! If I have more brainrot to share I shall return with a part 2

Being completely honest. I really like Childe + Kaeya. Zhongli + Childe is really nice and wholesome but no one really writes smug Zhongli (THE. LOST. FUCKING. POTENTIAL???) but I care about fake smug Childe being paired with actually smug bastard Kaeya. But then you throw a reader in and holy shit, have I mentioned how much I love poly relationships?? I'm so honoured you came to me of all people to brainrot;; I also love the idea of reader acting as a wingman for two separate characters.

Dude, I can literally astral project and see this in my mind. I fully commit to the idea that Childe is an overgrown child and Kaeya acts like one when he gets pissed lol. Yo, if they signed a contract with Zhongli I can feel evil dad Zhongli hovering behind them anytime they try to make a move. But I was also not a fan of Kaeya's poetry. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I hate big acts of affection. Or just any act of affection that oversteps above platonic cause I would not be writing poetry for my friends unless it was a joke. It makes my spine turn to liquid. I'm gonna be real, even tho I just said that, I'm super down to hold anyone's hand or link arms. I'm gonna use "I have two hands" one day.

I can totally see their relationship starting with I love this person and I want to fuck this other person. There is no in-between. Then it slowly develops and what are these feelings I'm having??

[iamvegorott]

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay” could you maybe do this when Anti and Dark were fighting

 “I just wanted to make sure you were okay” ----------

Dark groaned as he woke, his body still sore. He slowly opened his eyes and he saw Anti sitting in a chair next to the bed he was in. 

“Anti?” Dark croaked out. 

“Good, you’re awake.” Anti got up and started walking away. 

“What? Where are you going?” Dark grunted as he struggled to sit up. 

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay, that’s all.” Anti had his arm crossed, but he did stop walking. 

“You pushed me,” Dark stated, the memories of what led him to the infirmary coming back. 

“You weren’t supposed to fall off the damn thing! I was trying to get you to listen! What were you doing on a cliff anyway!?” Anti snapped.  

“None of your concern.” 

“None of my-” Anti tensed up and let out a shout of frustration. “This is why we can never get along! How fucking hard is it to answer one of my questions!?” Anti began to pace. “None of this would have happened if you weren’t so goddamn stubborn! If you could actually talk to someone and not just say ‘none of your concern’!” Anti stopped at the foot of the bed, grabbing the frame. “It’s our fucking concern if you plan things about us without us!” There was a pause as Anti caught his breath and Dark only stared at him. “I thought you died.” Anti’s voice softened. 

“It’ll take a lot more than a fall to do that.” Dark stayed monotoned. 

“Your head was turned all the way around.” Anti made a face, he wasn’t one to cringe from gore, but something about seeing Dark’s broken body…hurt. 

“I’m clearly fine.” Dark only shrugged. 

“Jesus fucking christ, Dark!” Anti was shouting again. “Would you show some emotion, something that isn’t your edgy bullshit of a façade!?” 

“It’s not a-”

“Don’t lie to me! I am tired of you lying to me!” Anti punched at the frame, thankfully holding back to not break it. “Just-” Anti stopped when his voice cracked. “Why were you at the cliff? Could you just, for once, tell me something that isn’t snark or a lie.” Another pause hung in the air, the tension tight before Dark finally spoke. 

“I go there to think.” 

“To think?”

“It is nothing but noise here. Too many of us are in one place to find true peace. I go there for some quiet, to get away for a bit to…relax.” 

“I-” Anti had to work to find words. “I didn’t mean to ruin your place of peace.” Anti’s shoulders were slumped and he crossed his arms again, shielding himself.

“It’s not ruined.” Dark couldn’t look at Anti anymore. 

“Okay.” Anti chewed on his lip. “I’ll let you rest.” He turned and started leaving. 

“I’m sorry.” Dark’s comment made Anti freeze for a second and he could only nod before properly leaving the room. 

“Baby steps I guess.” 

“Shut up.” Dark groaned, knowing Wilford had appeared right next to him and not even bothering to look. 

“Took you falling off a cliff to make them, but it’s something.” Wilford casually sipped from his drink. “Maybe you’ll be able to have a conversation without yelling now.” 

“I need to rest.” Dark closed his eyes. 

“Sure you do.” Wilford huffed.  

“Wil.” 

“I’m just saying the whole ‘I don’t have feelings’ act isn’t going to end well.” Wilford looked at Dark and saw that he was pretending to be asleep. “You’re not that good of a performer, Dark,” Wilford stated, getting no reaction. “Fine, fine, I’ll let you be. But I’ll leave with this. He wouldn’t have stayed next to you the whole time if he didn’t care.” Wilford left in a puff of pink and Dark opened his eyes, staring off at the ceiling and now forced to think about Wilford’s words. 

----------

Soft and sweet sentence starters: link (closed)

[vera9]

Fic: Sirens

So I heavily, HEAVILY took inspiration from Dreamworks’ Sinbad for this one. If you haven’t seen it, at least watch the siren scene because it’s some of the sickest shit I’ve ever seen in animation.

Anyway: time for Izzy to save the others from certain doom!

AO3 link

At first, there were only a couple of rocks. Manoeuvring around them was an easy task for a seasoned sailor like Nathaniel Buttons. But then the fog set in, and the number of rocks increased. He could no longer veer recklessly to the side, for fear of sending the vessel into a dead end. He was forced to follow the path the rocks had laid out, and when the fog lifted, the crew of the Revenge found themselves in a gorge.

No one said a word. The air was cold as ice. Shipwrecks lined the cliffs as far as the eye could see. The shrieking of seagulls was gone. Even the ship itself seemed to be cutting through the eerily still water without a sound. They’d been separated from the world as they knew it. This place was dead.

“Edward,” Izzy cautioned.

“I know.” 

He and Blackbeard (and Bonnet, but Izzy preferred to ignore his existence) stood on the quarterdeck, eyes fixated on the cliff tops above them. They were in the perfect position for an ambush. Something must’ve littered the water with all these corpses.

But no arrows or other projectiles came. Suddenly, something broke through the silence, and it seemed to originate from below rather than above. Voices, Izzy realised–no, singing.

He clasped his hands against his ears in an instant. He’d never run into sirens before, but there was a first time for everything. His years as a pirate had taught him that much. He checked his surroundings, but saw nothing.

–wait. The water was rippling again. It moved unnaturally, as if it had a will of its own. The ripples rose above the surface and morphed into a human shape. Then another one–and another one. Their faces were blank, but there was no doubt in Izzy’s mind: they were responsible for the singing. Most of them danced around the ship, while others took position on a rock or wreck to play their watery harps.

Izzy’s hands were still on his ears, but it was no use. The angelic melody penetrated his brain. It was only a matter of time before it would consume him and send him–as well as the others–to their graves.

Except… it didn’t? 

The voices were loud and clear, but other than sounding pretty nice, they had no effect on Izzy’s mind. He carefully lowered his hands to find that nothing changed. There was obviously a supernatural force at play here. Was it something other than sirens…?

One look around the ship was enough to provide an answer. While Izzy appeared immune, no one else was that lucky. They were all enchanted by the singing, gazing longingly at the liquid creatures with stupid, lovestruck smiles on their face.

“Edward–” Izzy repeated, but he found–much to his horror–his captain was no different. He was now leaning on the balustrade, jaw in his hand, and staring at the water as if it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Likewise, Bonnet had moved to the side to get a better look. 

“Fuck,” Izzy muttered, and another curse followed when the saw the sirens ascend at the bow. They drifted across the deck, reaching out for their victims, and the crew responded in kind. They walked towards their doom like a bunch of mindless zombies.

The thought crossed Izzy’s mind that it would be so easy to let the sirens take them; see them killed like he originally intended. But even if he and Blackbeard somehow managed to make it out of this deathtrap, it would take a while to reunite with their men. Until that time, they were sitting ducks for any foe that realised no more than two occupied the ship. 

Like it or not, Izzy had to keep these morons alive.

He muttered a string of “fuck”s as he jumped off the stairs and drew his sword. He slashed right through the shapes, sending water all over the floor, but it didn’t stay there for long. The puddles easily rematerialised into something resembling people. Even up close, Izzy couldn’t find any distinguishing features, but he could’ve sworn some of the sirens glared at him for a split second.

Even if he wanted to glare back (and he definitely wanted to), Izzy didn’t get the chance. The ship tilted into a cliff on the port side and the shock was almost enough to throw him overboard. Izzy just barely managed to cling to the railing and pull himself back in. The sea was now wild, unpredictable, and unforgiving.

“Mr Buttons–” he yelled, but the helmsman had abandoned his post. The wheel was spinning uncontrollably to the left. As Izzy rushed back up to take control, he found Buttons at the edge of the deck, somehow naked and ready to realise his wish to make sweet love to the sea. His pet seagull was pecking frantically–but uselessly–at his head.

Not knowing what else to do, Izzy yanked him by the arm and out of the siren’s embrace. He inadvertently sent him into the mizzenmast, knocking him out. Oh well, at least he was safe.

Izzy grabbed the helm and steered right, before the current had another chance to lead them into an obstacle. Unfortunately, the sirens were making a second attempt to lure the crew off the ship. Izzy was starting to panic. Leaving the helm could easily result in a death sentence, and weapons were pointless against these monsters. Shouting wasn’t going to snap the others out of their trance. What was he supposed to–?

His eye fell on the seagull, which was screeching like crazy. It was just a bird, but he seemed to understand the situation perfectly. An idea popped up in Izzy’s head. He must be a fucking lunatic.

“Karl!” he called, and the seagull actually looked at him. Izzy threw him a rope, and he caught it in his beak.

“Fly around them,” Izzy pointed. Karl soared across the main deck and did exactly as instructed. He dropped his end of the rope in Izzy’s hand, and Izzy gave it a hard yank, drawing the members of the crew together. He risked abandoning the helm for just a moment so he could tie them up. Karl hadn’t managed to get all of them, but this was a good start.

Whether he was at the helm or not, few things could’ve prepared Izzy for the incoming cascade. The bow took a dip and he was again sent flying. This time he crashed into Lucius, shattering the siren he was making out with and replacing its lips with his own. They rolled across the floor until they hit the foremast. Much to Izzy’s dismay, Lucius ended on top. He tried to push him off, but the boy was fully immersed in the illusion, tightening his grip the more Izzy resisted.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

Red-headed, Izzy curled his fingers and clocked Lucius in the jaw. That was enough to get him off and–thankfully–knock him unconscious.

Izzy got up and wiped his lips, shooting him a look. “Nasty little twat.”

But Lucius wasn’t the one he should be concerning himself with. Izzy had kept his eye off Blackbeard for too long. Like Buttons, he was already at the railing, ready to throw himself overboard. He smiled lovingly at the siren that had his cheeks cupped as it sang him to his death.

Izzy managed to pull him back just in time, but Ed needed more than that. Unhindered, he simply approached the siren again, even when Izzy stepped in front of him.

“Edward. Edward! It’s me!”

Of course that didn’t help. Ed didn’t even look at him. Something gnawed in Izzy’s chest and he promptly ignored it. He could try to push Ed back, but he knew he’d be overpowered. Once again, Izzy had to resort to violence. This was the first time he felt bad about it.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and he delivered his second punch today. Edward stumbled back for a bit, but that was all the assault amounted to. Izzy punched him again, and again, until he finally hit the boards. Predictably, Ed tried to get back up. As long as he was conscious, he’d respond to that damn singing.

“Stay down,” Izzy snapped, and he gave him a good kick to the head. He felt like shit, but at least that did the trick.

That seemed to be everyone. Izzy hastily returned to the upper deck to take the helm. Much to his relief, the exit to the gorge appeared in sight. Beyond the borders of this cursed place, he could see seagulls flying above a gentle sea.

Speaking of seagulls, Karl was screaming again.

“What is it?” Izzy snarled, and Karl flew to the very end of the stern. Izzy turned just in time to see Stede Bonnet throw himself overboard.

Time stood still in that moment. Izzy stared unmoving at the spot Bonnet had disappeared from. He was moments away from death. This was his chance. He needed the rest of the group to survive, but Bonnet? The sirens were actually doing him a favour by taking him out of the picture. All his problems would be solved in an instant.

… no. He knew he was the only one who saw things that way. Izzy could just claim he’d been too late to save him, but there wasn’t a soul aboard who’d believe that. There was a chance not even Edward would take his side. He’d made his animosity towards Bonnet very clear, and now it was coming back to bite him. If he let him die, he and Edward would really be over.

“... fuck… Fuck, fuck, FUCK!”

Izzy ran towards the stern, grabbing another rope on the way. It was attached to a pulley and had a hook on the other end, which Izzy held ready. He jumped overboard and swung himself in Stede’s direction. The screaming colours of his stupid jacket were impossible to miss. Bonnet was surrounded by sirens and clearly drowning, but he still had a smile on his obnoxious face. Too bad Izzy couldn’t let him die–at least he’d have gone happily.

He jabbed the hook into Bonnet’s jacket and he was ripped out of the water, flying along with him back to safety. Izzy landed on his feet, gave the rope a sharp tug, and tied it to the rail. Bonnet was literally left hanging and incapable of responding to the sirens’ call.

That was everyone. Izzy was ready to guide them back to the real world, but the sirens weren’t done yet. They surrounded him and tried one last time to win him over with their song. Even the ones that had been providing musical accompaniment by the cliffs joined in.

It was no use. Izzy wasn’t going to fall under their spell. It didn’t matter how beautiful their voices were, or how his heart started to flutter, or how his feet were moving on their own. He reached out a hand to the siren in front of him, who had finally taken a clearer shape. Izzy recognised that face. It was–

“--GAH!”

With a roar, Izzy snapped out of the enchantment. He stepped back and covered his face, utterly horrified with himself. Those fucking bitches almost had him. His eyes burned into them from between his fingers as his sword was drawn once more. 

Izzy cut every single siren apart, and when they re-emerged, he simply cut them down again. He struck madly in every which direction until only the smallest of droplets remained. He knew it didn’t help in the long run, but beating the sirens wasn’t his main goal. Destroying his feelings was.

He took control of the helm one last time and evaded a final rock. Then the sun welcomed him back into normal waters, and the sirens that had been reforming splashed across the deck. It was fucking flooded at this point, but at least those freaks were as dead as they were going to get.

To Izzy’s surprise, Karl flew to him and perched on his head, like he always did with Buttons. While he cleaned his feathers, Izzy realised just how wonderful the sudden quiet was. All they heard was the lapping of the waves and the occasional squawk, and nothing sounded lovelier in this moment.

It wasn’t long, of course, before he also detected murmurs on the main deck. The crew released themselves from the rope in utter confusion. Buttons and Lucius were knocked out. Blackbeard was just getting up. Bonnet was dangling from a pulley and begging to be let down.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“Last thing I remember is…”

“D’you think we heard sirens?”

“Sirens! That’s right!”

“We should probably get Captain down.”

While Roach lowered Bonnet to the floor, Izzy heard a groan behind him. Buttons was awake. He joined him next to the helm, observing the mess below. That was when Karl hopped over to him and uttered some noises only he could understand.

Buttons let out a laugh. “Is that so? Well, now I’ve heard everythin’!” He patted Izzy on the back and raised his voice: “Avast ye! ‘Tis true, we were set upon by wicked sirens! And the one who freed us from their curse is none other than Mr Hands!”

All eyes were suddenly on him. Izzy wanted to sink through the floor. He couldn’t exactly blame them for the scepticism on their faces. The idea of him saving them? Yeah, he couldn’t believe it either.

“Is that true, Iz?” Edward asked. His hand was on his head. Oops.

“... yes,” Izzy muttered, and he gave the wheel back to Buttons, who apparently didn’t deem it necessary to put his clothes back on.

All that followed was more silence. Izzy was no longer looking at the others, but he doubted his own admittance would change a thing. As he thought: it was him against them. Oh well, fuck it. He didn’t care if they bel–

They erupted into cheers, causing him to flinch. Before Izzy knew it, they stormed up the stairs and started tossing him in the air, bellowing a chant of their own.

“I-ZZY! I-ZZY! I-ZZY!”

Izzy was absolutely dumbstruck. Leave it to these dumbasses to react in the weirdest fucking way possible. He looked in Blackbeard’s direction, but he just smiled and shrugged. Bonnet joined him and Ed threw an arm around his shoulders. Like him, he wore a smile. That must be the nicest he’d ever been to Izzy.

The crew eventually let him down (because he told them to), but they didn’t leave him alone just yet. They thanked him and smacked his shoulder and shook his hand and asked about the details. Izzy’s face was once again bright red, and all he could do was aim it downward. He had no idea what to do with this absurd amount of positive attention.

“All right, all right, you lot,” Edward clapped. “Give ‘im some space. Let’s get this place cleaned up and see if he wants to share the story afterwards, all right?”

Some of them groaned, but complied. Thank god he had his personal space back. 

After everybody left, Edward approached him and gave a shoulder tap of his own. “Well done, Iz. You have to tell us what happened, yeah?”

In his particular case, Izzy’d rather not. Stroke of luck that the beard would cover most of the future bruises.

“... sure,” was all he managed, and Blackbeard returned to Bonnet for a chat. Unsurprisingly, the Gentleman Pirate was wondering how the hell he’d ended up halfway above the ship.

Izzy’s eyes shifted to the rest of the crew. They were cleaning up as per Blackbeard’s command, but still very much in a festive mood. He even thought he heard someone mention throwing a party–in his honour, of all people.

Izzy felt another little bounce in his chest, but there was no supernatural influence this time. This was the first time he actually felt welcomed into a group. No longer did Stede Bonnet’s bunch look at him and scoff or grin or whisper what was undoubtedly something insulting to a fellow mate. Whenever their eyes fell on him, they were nothing but smiles. Izzy couldn’t remember the last time that happened, if it happened at all.

It was… weird. Izzy had always considered these people beneath him: inept and weak and stupid. He thought he didn’t need their praise. He thought it wouldn’t make a difference if they died. But they were alive, and they were celebrating him, and Izzy felt… pleased. 

Maybe this abnormal environment where people treated each other with kindness wasn’t so worthless after all.

Maybe, eventually… he could get used to it.

[cloudybarnes]

Birthday Presents | S.S

Pairing: Stefan Salvatore x reader

Summary: Stefan hasn't seen his two best friends y/n and Lexi for years. Upon his return to Mystic Falls (set in season 1), Lexi and Y/n decide to surprise him for his birthday.

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: none

Masterlist

A/N: this will not follow exactly how Lexi met up with Stefan for his birthday!

✰  ✰  ✰

You couldn't stop the grin that was eating up your face as you packed your small bag. Lexi stood leaning on the doorway, watching you with a smirk. "I don't see why you're even packing. We could just get new clothes when we get to Mystic Falls."

You shook your head, still smiling, and turned to her. You zipped your bag shut, and sauntered over to her. When you were close enough, you poked her nose. "You silly goose, I'm not packing clothes. These are for Stefan's birthday." You placed your bag down and unzipped it, crouching to open the flap and show her what you packed. "A framed picture of the three of us from 1948, the first letter I wrote to him in the war, a framed photo of him, Damon and I, and this," you pulled out a dangling sword pendant.

Lexi gasped, crouching down next to you. "You didn't." She grabbed the necklace from you and very gently examined it. "There's no way you could have found this. I watched Stefan throw it into the ocean during one of his ripper phases. Is it a dupe?"

You smirked and lifted the matching one you wore out from under your shirt. Grasping the necklace back from Lexi, you held them side by side, and looked at her expectantly. "Come on, put yours here, too."

She grabbed hold on the tiny sword that was dangling around her neck, and brought it closer to the other two. When placed together, the tips of the swords linked from a magnetic pull, and changed colors. Lexi laughed, "Oh my god, this is amazing. How did you ever find it?"

You shrugged, zipping your bag and standing up to leave. "After Stefan threw it into the ocean, I just swam down for it. Honestly, I forgot I had put it in my box for when he was back to normal, so now his lost friendship necklace is a birthday present."

Lexi shook her head a grinned, slinging her arm over my shoulder. "You're amazing, you know that?"

You chuckled, "Yes, but keep reminding me; it inflates my ego."

She cackled, and shoved your shoulder away from her. In a flash, the two of you started on your run to Mystic Falls.

Once you arrived in Mystic Falls, your first place to look was the old Salvatore Boarding House. At the front door, you turned to Lexi. "We aren't actually going to knock, are we?"

She chuckled, "Hell no. I say we give Stefan a scare. Nothing like lurking vampires to get your blood pumping, right?"

You smirked. Lexi and you together were a devilishly good combination. You get into trouble, pull pranks, and just have a load of fun. "Let's do it."

You silently opened the door of the boarding house, and used your vampire hearing to locate those inside. You could hear Stefan talking, and after waiting a few seconds, you heard the sounds of his brother Damon arguing with him.

You snickered, and Lexi rolled her eyes at the sounds of them bickering. You set your bag down in the living room, and motioned up the stairs for Lexi and you to get up with the Salvatores.

You used my super speed to get up the steps and into Stefan's room where the brothers stood. Lexi trailed behind you. Without them seeing, you sped in between them so they could just make out the flash of someone running by. Then, you hid behind a dresser waiting for your time to come out again.

"Looks like we have company, brother." Damon stated, looking around the room wide-eyed. "Guess your rant will have to wait."

Lexi sped behind Damon, causing him to spin around, trying to see her.

Stefan growled, "Show yourself! Quit playing games and come out."

His eyes scanned the room, as Damon not-so-stealthily grabbed a wooden stake and threw it to Stefan.

You rolled your eyes and super sped up to Stefan, pushing him back against the wall, pinning the hand of his that held the stake against the wall. You grinned as he took in the sight of me, "Hello, Stefan."

His eyes were wide, but his smile was even wider. "Y/n," he breathed out.

Next to him on the wall, Lexi pinned Damon, hitting his head in the process. "Ugh," Damon groaned in pain, "and Lexi."

You giggled, releasing Stefan from the wall so you could give him a hug. "Happy Birthday, Stefan! Lexi and I missed you and wanted to celebrate together."

Lexi released Damon, and you stepped out of Stefan's hug so he could greet her as well.

Damon came up to you and lightly punched your shoulder. "Finally decided to come pay us a visit, Y/n?"

You grinned, and jokingly slapped him upside the head before pulling him into a hug as well. "Yeah, yeah. A girl's got a life, Damon. I've been really busy these last few years."

Damon chuckled as you pulled back and walked over to Stefan to give him a light punch in the shoulder. "I missed you, dude. It's been too long since I've actually been able to come with Lexi and celebrate with you."

Stefan grinned, "Yeah, finally you decide to pay your best friend a visit."

Damon shook his head, "Are we sure Y/n is really here to see you, Stefan? I mean, we all know she likes me more than she likes you."

You rolled your eyes, "Sure, Damon. That's why in 1942 I pushed you off that cliff; cause you're my favorite Salvatore." You teased with a light smile.

Damon chuckled, "knew it."

"Anyway," Lexi grinned, "Stefan, because it is your birthday, we're spending the entire day together!"

You perked up, "Oh! I also got some things for you for your birthday."

Stefan groaned, smiling. "You didn't have to get anything for me, Y/n/n. Just you two being here is good enough."

Lexi scoffed, "Yeah, right. Y/n, go get the presents."

You giggled and super sped out to the living room and back, returning with your bag in hand. "Okay, I didn't have time to wrap anything, so just close your eyes and I'll place things in your hand one at a time."

Stefan rolled his eyes, but complied. Once his eyes were shut, and his hands were outstretched, you placed the first gift in his hands.

Opening his eyes, he saw the framed photo of him, Lexi, and you. Stefan stood in the middle of you two with his tailored suit. You and Lexi stood wearing old dresses, and matching hats. Your hair was perfectly curled to the style of the 40s.

"Wow," Stefan gasped. "I can't believe you have this picture, thank you so much, Y/n."

Lexi peered over his shoulder to look at it. "Wow, we looked so posh in the 40s, Y/n."

You smiled, "Yeah we did. And you're welcome, Stefan. Now close your eyes again; I have a few more gifts for you."

He closed his eyes once more, and you put the framed photo of you, him, and Damon in his hands. This peeked Damon's interest, because he was now the one to look over Stefan's shoulder.

"Well would you look at that." Damon sighed.

Stefan looked at the picture and smiled sadly. Things must not be going so well with Damon, especially after that arguing you walked in on. "This is great, Y/n. It's nice to look back and see us all when things were simpler."

You nodded, "I'm glad you like them, but I have two more gifts for you, which I think you'll like more than the photos."

You giddily handed him the first letter you wrote to him before he even had the chance to close his eyes.

"The first letter you wrote to me when I went off to war." Stefan stated, amazed. "How do you even have this? I thought it got burned up in battle."

You grinned, "Have more faith in me, Stefan. You know I never lose important things."

"Brother, read it to us. I want to know what Y/n said while you were away." Damon said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.

Stefan looked at me, seemingly remembering what you had written on that sheet of paper. "Are you all right with me sharing this?"

You nodded, "Of course. It's your letter, you can do what you like with it." You smiled. Lexi came over and wrapped her arm around your shoulder, placing her head on yours. Seems like she remembers what you wrote on this as well.

"Okay then," Stefan cleared his throat and began reading.

"My Dearest Stefan,

We have not been a part from one another since before our initial meet, so you may be able to see how this is effecting me. I truly miss your presence more than anything the world has to offer. Your smile, your laugh, your wit, and your charm are all missing from my life, and I do not wish for it to be that way. I do not want to ever see another time we are not with each other. Alas, I sided with Lexi on the decision to send you off in search of finding your self, or I would be right beside you.

Lexi and I are taking care of Damon for you. (More so me; you know how Lexi feels of him). I will do my best to make sure he is someone you can depend on for when you return. If I am unsuccessful, and Damon is still Damon, you will at least have Lexi and I for the rest of eternity. (While I do think the time I am spending with Damon is helping, he is still ruthless. I will do my best to show him humanity and kindness before your return).

Though I do thoroughly enjoy my time spent with Damon, I tremendously miss my favorite Salvatore man. Lexi is great company as well, but she does not make me feel the way you do, Stefan. My heart aches to be with you again, and maybe when that day comes I will be able to confess how I feel. I am counting down the days til we meet again. For now, I leave you with this letter, and a piece of my love.

Yours,

Y/n Y/l/n"

A faded lipstick mark is left on the bottom of the stained paper.

Damon hummed, "Intense. I like the talk of me, though I thought you were spending time with me because you liked me."

You giggled, "I do like you Damon. You're a good friend when you want to be, and the time I spent with you while Stefan was away made my days more fun. I was never forced to spend time with you, Damon. You were my friend, not my experiment."

He smirked, "I know, I was messing with you. Now how about we talk about that little love confession at the end of your letter? I take it Stefan didn't feel the same? I don't recall you two ever getting together."

You rolled your eyes, "We just never brought it up when he came back."

Stefan lightly smiled at you, "we can talk about the letter later. Let's see my last present, yeah?"

You grinned and looked to Lexi who smiled back at you. "Okay, but you actually have to close your eyes this time. This is the one I've been waiting to give to you."

Stefan playfully rolled his eyes, but still shut them and held his hands out.

You giggled as you placed the sword necklace into his hands. When he opened his eyes and saw what it was, Stefan gasped.

He started slowly shaking his head, looking from the necklace, to you, to Lexi, then back to the necklace. "There's no way. There is literally no way this is my necklace from 1874. I, I threw it into the ocean. How did you get this?"

You smirked, and grabbed it from him. You walked over and stood behind him to fastened it around his neck. "I told you Stefan, I never lose things that are important."

Taking out your necklace that dangled under your shirt, you motioned Lexi to come over. She grinned and pranced over to us so we stood in a close triangle. You stretched yours out and touched tips with both of theirs. The metal sword tips stuck together, and the necklaces started to glow different colors.

Pulling yours back, you looked at Stefan who couldn't stop the grin from eating up his face.

You giggled, "I take it you like your birthday gifts?"

Stefan didn't respond. He instead pulled you into a tight hug and whispered in your ear. "These are amazing, Y/n. You're amazing; I can't believe you're here and you brought all of this back for me."

He pulled away and stared into your eyes. With your  super hearing, you noticed Lexi and Damon leaving the room.

"I never did get to address your letter. I was scared to talk about it when I got back home in fear of your mind being changed." Stefan lightly smiled.

You stared up at him, your heart beating. Stefan definitely heard your heart rate pick up because he chuckled. "I still have feelings for you, Stefan. I know not seeing each other for a little while may have put a strain on our relationship, but I feel as if we never parted."

He grinned, "I feel the same way. I've loved you since you first said hello to me, Y/n, and I'd be a fool to turn you away now that I finally have my chance to be with you."

You giggled, "Technically you had a chance back when you came home from war, but I'll let it slide."

Stefan playfully rolled his eyes and cradled your cheeks in his warm hands, "Good. That means I can do this."

Stefan confidently closed the distance between your lips. You eyes fluttered shut as you felt the soft touch of Stefan's lips. You trailed your fingers up to his hair and got lost in the moment. Kissing Stefan was like riding on top of clouds. He was soft and light with his kiss. It was confident but not overbearing.

Out of breath, you pulled back from him, but kept your faces close by resting your forehead on his. Your eyes slowly opened and saw his already staring back at you.

He grinned, "I think that was my favorite present of them all."