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badasgirlfriend · 1 year

Note

hii, can you please write a Jesse Swanson x reader? maybe something fluff or smut if you write, this man doesn't have enough content on this site 😭

I watched Pitch Perfect again and I'm in love with Jesse so I saw your post and I just had to ask, also it's my first time requesting and english is not my first language so sorry if something is wrong!

ur wish is my command🫡 heres a small fluff

i hope u like it<3

Love Me Like a Love Song Baby

pairings: jesse swanson x fem!oc

genre: fluff

a/n: i tried okay😭 for some reasons this was rlly hard for me to write maybe bc he was blindfolded and she couldnt hear shit😭😭 hope u like it<3

Iris was accustomed to Jesse's out-of-the-box ideas, despite often finding them to be outrageous. Still, she couldn't help but find it endearing whenever Jesse proposed his unique and fun ideas. Even if baking while blindfolded and deaf was a tad too much, she couldn't say no to spending time with him. Plus, she admitted that spending time with Jesse was one of her favorite activities.

As she laid the eggs, butter, and other ingredients on the countertop, Iris contemplated how much of a challenge this baking blindfolded endeavor would be. Despite knowing the task would be difficult, Jesse couldn't contain his smiles and excitement.

“Im not enjoying this”

Jesse chuckled as Iris yelled at him, finding her outburst utterly endearing. He tried to tell her that she was being too loud, but she didn't hear him due to the loud music on her headphones. Despite their heated harmless argument, Jesse found Iris's reactions to be adorable. As the scene became more chaotic with Jesse's flour and Iris's yelling, the two couldn't help but crack a smile. Even in their chaotic and embarrassing moments, Jesse and Iris's chemistry was unstoppable.

At Jesse's loving smile, Iris felt her heart fluttering, her eyes glued to his sweet smile. His charming smile made her heart skip a beat, as she felt breathless and unable to turn away from him. It felt like time had stopped, and Jesse and Iris were in a world of their own.

“Jesse!”

“Iris”

Jesse smirked as he dumped a generous handful of oil into the cookie batter, causing Iris's eyes to widen in surprise. As she yelled at Jesse, he laughed covering her mouth with his hand “Shhh you’re being too loud”

Jesse giggled as Iris tried to yell at him, but she couldn't. Iris's words were muffled, and she was unable to get them out. Jesse was enjoying the moment, finding Iris's attempt to yell at him absolutely adorable. As Iris continued to struggle, Jesse's soft chuckles filled the air, making the moment all the more fun and lighthearted. "Let me go!" Iris mumbled, trying to fight Jesse's hand while fighting back a smirk.

“Beg”

After a bit of struggling, Iris got tired and decided to take a different approach. So, she licked Jesse's hand, surprising Jesse and causing him to yell "disgusting" in jest while laughing.

As Jesse and Iris's moment of intimacy continued, Iris suddenly stopped and said "wait." Iris leaned in and wiped the flour off Jesse's cheek, Jesse felt his heart racing from her act of intimacy, but he was hesitant to act on his feelings of wanting to kiss her. What would happen if he did? Jesse wondered, unsure if he should make a move or not.

Jesse playfully teased Iris, saying "Careful, I'm starting to think you like me and can't seem to get enough of me." Iris, who fortunately heard Jesse despite her headphones, rolled her eyes and quipped back, "I think it's the other way around." She tried to hide her blush before playfully smacking Jesse's arm. "You like me, don't you?" Jesse asked playfully, with a smile on his face as if he already knew the answer. Iris paused before finally nodding her head

Thank god he’s blindfolded…

“I said this before” Jesse yelled and leaned closer so she could hear him “Acapella boy acapella girl” he pointed at himself and her “Aca children” Jesse teased

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Iris teased back, but she couldn't help but laugh at Jesse’s face. He had a way of getting her to crack up like no one else.

“Here” The younger girl gave him the chocolate chips, her favorite song started playing, and as she hummed along, her eyes were fixed on Jesse, even as he was still blindfolded. The lyrics "love you like a love song" brought a smile to Iris's face, as she thought about how Jesse made her feel. As she sang in a playful tone, her words "you are beautiful like a dream come alive, incredible" were meant for Jesse, he exhaled and grinned, knowing that Iris wanted to pull him to dance and that he would gladly accept “a centerfold miracle, lyrical you saved my life again”

Iris grabbed Jesse’s hand “and i want you to know baby shake that ass Jessie boy”

“I-I love you like a love song baby”

“Right back at you miss” As the two sang and twirled around, their voices harmonized perfectly, as if they were made for one another. Jesse was extra careful not to bump into anything as he spun Iris around, making sure that their movements were smooth and effortless, complementing one another perfectly. Both Iris and Jesse felt as if they were one with the song, as the joy and euphoria of their dance together filled the room

Jesse and Iris were unaware that they were each singing to each other, only knowing that the lyrics of the song expressed their shared love and adoration for one another.

They were both singing at the top of their lungs, jamming out to the song. As the lyrics "repeat-peat-peat" came on, Jesse began to tickle Iris lightly. Iris giggled in delight, hitting Jesse's shoulders lightly trying to make him stop. Jesse laughed, finding her playful reactions adorable. Their singing quickly turned into a tickling fight, as Jesse continued to try to tickle Iris, who was trying to make him stop. The playful and intimate atmosphere between the two was undeniable, as they smiled at each other as they sang and giggled.

Jesse grabbed Iris wrist making her look at him, he didn't understand what was possessed him to do this. Jesse worked up the courage to say what he had been feeling. In a soft voice, he said "I like you." Although he hoped that Iris hadn't heard him, she stopped dancing and turned to face him. She started laughing as she pointed to her headphones, indicating that she couldn't hear him.

She can’t hear you, he knew that this could be his chance to make a beautiful confession. Jesse took a deep breath, and his words came pouring out like a stream. "Iris, I like you so much. I've wanted to tell you for so long but-”

“Jesse” she giggled “I can’t hear shit” Jesse gave her a sad smile, at least he confessed. The next 30 minutes were awkward. Neither of them said a single thing, too focused on what the brunette boy said

Iris lets a sigh “and we’re done” she starts to clap in excitement, taking off her headphones Jesse took off his blindfold, his eyes took a few seconds to adjust the lightning “now all we need to is put the cookies in the oven and…”

“And wha-“ Iris leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Jesse's lips. Jesse was caught off guard by Iris's bold action and remained still in surprise. As she pulled away, his heart was still racing and he had trouble processing the emotions that he was feeling. Iris looked at boy she liked with a mix of embarrassment and upset, as she had hoped that he would enjoy the kiss as much as she had. Iris got her message, Jesse didn't kiss her back which means he didn’t like her. This thought made Iris feel hurt, she thought he was being serious about his feelings for her. Yes, she heard everything

His confession earlier made her knees go weak but she was too shocked to even confess her own feelings, that’s why she decided to play it safe and act like she didn’t hear him

Talk about playing safe now

“I-Im sorry I didn-i thought” she embarrassed herself even more by stuttering, she ruined everything, he will probably make fun of her now “Jesse im so-“ she was cut off by Jesse lips crashing into hers

Iris's heart was beating fast as emotions of love and desire flooded her body. Jesse's lips were soft but gentle, and Iris's heart fluttered as she tasted his lips. The moment felt like an eternity, and as their lips parted, Iris's eyes were already filled with tears of joy.

Jesse pulled away from Iris, taking in the sweet moment, as he was also moved by their kiss. Their eyes locked in a moment of understanding and joy, as they both felt that their hearts had finally found each other.

Iris was completely swept away in the moment, her lips clinging back to Jesse's, as she had needed this kiss for so long. Jesse's hold on Iris was tight as his lips kept returning back to hers. As they parted, Jesse kept his gaze on Iris's lips, wanting even more of her sweet scent and flavor. They stood facing each other after their kiss, neither one wanting to be the one to break the spell between them. Their foreheads were touched and their eyes were locked, it was sweet and intimate, and Jesse felt his love for Iris growing with each second passed.

"Never apologize for kissing me, never," Jesse whispered softly to Iris, his voice breaking the spell. Iris was touched by Jesse's words, and they embraced in a loving hug. Kissing Jesse felt like coming home, and Iris's heart was filled with joy.

a/n: im thinking to write a small jesse fanfic (MAYBE) exes to lovers so lemme know if u want ir

#jesse swanson x reader #jesse swanson #pitch perfect #jesse swanson imagine #jesse swanson x yn #jesse swanson fic #jesse swanson pitch perfect #pitch perfect imagine #skylar astin #skylar astin imagine

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pikmininaplane · 1 year

Note

Fit lore!! I’d love to hear about your thoughts for Phil figuring out fits secret if you’d like to share, the same thought has been floating around in my head as well lol

OHOHOHOHO friend I love you /p I'm putting this under a read more because I. Ended up writing a lot more than intended–

So the thought came to me the day before Fit's lore, when Fit asked Phil if he'd be there the next day. Obviously it didn't mean anything else than "will you attend the event/will I see you tomorrow my friend ?", but my brain immediately went "what if Phil was involved in Fit's lore"

This, combined with the fact that I've been hoping someone would find out about qFit's secret or at least get sus of his behaviour, led me to believe that qPhil would be the best person that could find out about it, actually

'cause like– first of all, qPhil is probably the person qFit's closest to, without counting Ramón or any of the eggs. I mean, he's friendly towards most people, and gets along pretty well with qBad, qPac and qMike, but qPhil has literally given qFit access to his eggs' bunker, which, to my knowledge, he'd only given to qMissa and qWill, the fathers of said eggs, before. qPhil, who would probably have earned the #1 paranoid dad crown if qBBH hadn't been around, fully trusts qFit with his children.

And like I said, I really want someone to find out about qFit's secret, but like. Wouldn't it be more interesting if it were someone qFit is close to ? Someone qFit trusts, but also someone who trusts qFit ?

Also, as much as I want someone to know at least part of the truth, I don't want everything to be revealed to everyone yet, and I feel like most people, if they found out about qFit's secret, would reveal it to the others – some others, at least. Would qCellbit or qMaximus hide it from the Ordo Theoritas ? Would qBaghera, qForever or qBad hide it from each other ? Would the people actively investigating the island keep the existence of a third, unknown party to themselves ? Well... maybe. That is up to discussion. But they'd want to tell, at least, and that's not what I wish for.

Now qPhil ? qPhil is a lot less involved in the lore, or even in the RP itself (no shade, I love ccPhil, his character and the way he plays him) – he isn't even part of the Ordo Theoritas. He's not really interested in solving the island's mysteries – his priorities lie with the eggs and their safety.

I truly think qPhil would be a friend qFit could confide in. Because let's be real, qFit could probably use one – mans has been lying to everyone on the island for months, and the only one that knows part of his secret is Ramón, his 3 months old child, who he hasn't even told everything. Between that and the growing pressure (for real, what's with the cats appearing around him,,) qFit is under, he can't keep it all to himself forever.

I don't think qFit would tell him himself, though – and neither do I think qPhil would ask. I mean, even if he thinks qFit's chat messages are suspicious, he isn't the type to inquire about it.

... But accidents happen, y'know ?

[As he jumps down the elevator shaft, Phil can't quite shake off the feeling that something's wrong. That whatever Fit's doing down there, it isn't any of his business, and he should probably just go back up and tell Fit to meet him at his gym, or anywhere, really.

But, well. He's already there. Might as well go further.

The trail of torches leads him deeper and deeper, until it finally stops, in a tunnel like any other. But Phil isn't a fool. He can hear the faint tapping of keys.

It only takes him a few seconds to find the hidden entrance.

Fit stands up as he comes in.

The room is small, barely big enough to breathe, and dark. Its only light comes from the computer screen sitting on the wooden desk, in the middle of the room, between the two men.

Neither of them speak.

Phil can see the thoughts flashing behind Fit's eyes. He's certain of it now, he's found something he shouldn't have found, and Fit has yet to decide how to react. Unconsciously, his hand has moved closer to his trident; consciously, Phil prepares himself to grab his sword.

But Fit doesn't attack. He simply places his hand in front of himself and gives Phil an awkward yet friendly smile.

"Hey, Phil ! Didn't expect to see you there... !"

Phil wishes he could just return his smile and pretend like nothing’s wrong. Ignore what he’s seeing and go back to Chayanne and Tallulah.

... but it's a little too late for that, isn't it ?

"Oi, mate," he calls out as he crosses his arms. "What are you up to."]

... something about leitmotivs and Phil finding out people's secrets by walking into their secret underground rooms...

So yeah, TL;DR: I want someone to find out about qFit’s secret because it’s a shame such a huge share of the lore is kept, well, secret, and I think qPhil would be a perfect first confident because they’re really good friends and he wouldn’t just tell anyone :] Plus I love their relationship and I’d love to see it being explored more please I’m begging

(Also I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's been thinking about it and I'd love to hear your own thoughts if you're willing to share them 👀)

#sorry I went full fanfic mode there I just had such a vivid image in mind I had to get it out #also for some reason when I'm imagining qPhil finding out about qFit qPhil tends to be Bugza. idk what to tell you #but yeah #I don't think Phil and Fit even have a duo name ? which is a shame #... thinking about it I don't think Fit has a duo name with anyone. pensive #qsmp #qsmp fit #fitmc #qsmp philza #philza #lb originals

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devildom-moss · 1 year

Note

You know that hit game FNAF?

I hope you do.

Anyways, could you write headcanons about how well the side characters would be at playing it?

Thanks <3

Okay, so I have never played this game - or really had any interest in playing it, so I watched some guy play one of the games, and I did a bit of research. Sorry this took so long! I did my best, though... I'm finally almost done with requests. I've got two more left (good news for the Solomon lovers).

The others playing FNAF headcanons (dateables + new sides)

Diavolo

Diavolo downloaded it after tuning in to one of Levi’s streams.

He found it amusing. Scary animatronics are so entertaining – although he thinks they’re more cute than scary.

Laughs in the face of jump scares and death. “Haha, look, Barbatos. The big fox one killed me. I’m dead now.” / “That’s very nice, My Lord. Did you finish your paperwork already?” / “. . .uhm.” / “You have ten seconds before we reenact your game. I’ll be the fox.”

Does not care about the lore. He’ll listen and might retain some details when Levi explains it, but he will not dig deep or look for easter eggs.

He kinda sucks, but he has a good time, and isn’t that what matters? He’s not super careful or watchful because it’s just a game. There’s nothing at stake, so he can relax and just mess around.

His favorite character is Foxy, and it’s genuinely as simple as “he’s red, and he’s a pirate.”

Barbatos

He has no interest in playing at first.

Slight aside: I think he’d like horror games, but he strikes me as more of a cinematic, artsy horror game guy – like Bramble or Little Nightmares. He also strikes me as someone who might enjoy farming sims, like he would love Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons. Pumpkin Panic would probably be a happy medium.

He’ll play if Diavolo, MC, or Luke ask him to; for anyone else, he’ll politely decline. Surprisingly, he’s not too bad. He’ll probably die once or twice, but he figures out what he has to do pretty quickly.

Barbatos doesn’t react to jump scares, and he avoids them as much as possible. He can play without moving his face – at least until one of the three people who could get him to play compliments him. In that case, he’ll smile a bit wider.

Nothing in that game could be more horrifying to Barbatos than Chuck E. Cheese – a real human world place where people take their children for some unfathomable reason. It’s run by a rat! That’s one of the reasons he won’t play if Solomon asks him too. One time Solomon loaded a Chuck E. Cheese mod version of the game that he asked Levi to make, and Barbatos nearly broke the control from fright.

Luke

The game is a little too scary for his liking, but he still plays it occasionally – just not alone. He gets more paranoid and jumpier for a few days after he plays, but he’ll insist that he’s fine to keep playing if anyone asks.

He’s not great, but he’s still the best out of everyone at Purgatory Hall. He tenses up and just either goes wide-eyed or starts yelling at the characters in the game, but other than that, at least he knows what he’s doing.

Luke likes all the toy versions of the animatronics because they look cute, but the nightmare ones freak him out.

A wave of relief washes over him once he beats a game. He’s so happy that he can finally turn the game off.

Simeon

This poor man does not understand how to play – at all. He forgets which keys do what constantly, so he can’t react fast enough.

It’s a very stressful experience for him when he tries to play – all 10 minutes or so before he loses. Simeon doesn’t get scared so much as he just repeatedly asks what he’s supposed to do with increasing urgency.

Simeon would prefer to watch someone else play, but overall, he isn’t that interested in the game.

However, Simeon does find the lore and story interesting, so if he watches Levi or Luke playing, he’ll ask them questions about the plot.

Somehow, watching Luke play makes him more anxious than when he plays – probably because he doesn’t want Luke to lose and be disappointed.

Solomon

Solomon enjoys it because it’s supposed to be dark and scary, but it doesn’t actually scare him at all – barring a few cheap jump scares. Still, he kind of likes it.

Unfortunately, Solomon kind of sucks. Like Diavolo, he finds the game so amusing that he just chuckles when things get stressful. He’s the type to hear or see something spooky in the game and do nothing just to see what happens. Okay, so maybe Solomon doesn’t suck, he just likes to see how the animatronics are going to get him – a real “oh boy, I sure hope I die” approach.

Solomon loves watching Luke play. It’s hilarious when Luke freaks out – and it’s even funnier to watch Simeon get nervous on his behalf.

Unironically thinks the nightmare versions are cute.

Thirteen

She hates jump scares so much.

She played once, and at the first jump scare, she let out a stifled shriek, pressed esc, put her cat ear headphones down, and left the room (to go find MC, probably).

No thank you. She doesn’t need that stress in her life. She will not try that again. She might watch someone else play but only if MC is there to comfort her or if it’s to laugh at Mammon for being scared.

She’s not afraid of the game, per se, she just doesn’t like being startled. She thinks the characters are cute, in a way - like creepy cute.

Raphael

He thinks it’s stupid, and he doesn’t understand why it’s so popular. Raphael doesn’t care for gaming in general – but especially horror. He doesn’t want to simulate a stressful situation for no reason. If he wanted stress, he’d call Michael.

Raphael will try the game if Luke asks him to, and he does alright, but gets bored right up until he messes something up and dies. You wouldn’t even be able to tell he was in trouble. An immoveable frown sits on his face the entire time.

When Luke asks if Raphael would like to try again, Raphael tells him that if he wants a spear-free computer, he won’t make Raphael play anymore. The message was received.

Raphael will only watch if Luke, Simeon, or Lucifer play, and even then, he would probably pass most of the time.

Mephisto

He doesn’t strike me as much of a gamer, either. If he does play games, he’d probably choose games that are visually stunning and at least semi-relaxing, like Journey or Flower (probably Zelda games too).

He would play it if Luke asked him to or if he wanted to do research on it for journalism purposes.

Mephisto does relatively well, but he likes to investigate a lot, so he gets a bit distracted and takes it slow sometimes. Unfortunately – or fortunately – he has a habit of stopping after losing once. He’ll pick up the game again some other day, but once he loses, he stops that game for the day. On one hand, Mephisto does not allow himself to get pulled into games that he loses, but it makes his progress slow.

When Mephisto plays, he bounces his leg the whole time to contain his anxiety. He appears relaxed, but he flinches at jump scares and his eyes widen when he’s actively trying not to die.

He’s super into the lore – call it journalistic curiosity or just call him a nerd.

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pinkrose787 · 2 months

Text

Amnesia Branch AU! Chapter 3

After a long wait, I have finally finished writing chapter 3! I hope you enjoy! :D

AO3 Link

Chapter 3:

Silence used to be normal in the bunker. It’s only inhabitant, Branch, never made much noise, aside from him occasionally talking to himself. Even then he never talked too loudly, for fear that an enemy might manage to hear him deep underground.

That was before things changed. When Branch’s color returned, he brought sound to the bunker. Singing to himself, playing music, even having friends over. The silence started to become more unusual until it disappeared entirely when his brothers moved in.

But now, the silence is back. Clay and Floyd sit at the dinner table in the kitchen not saying anything to each other. They aren’t really sure what they should say. John Dory is too focused on cooking dinner to start a conversation. He’s thankful that he has a task that takes his mind off the day’s events, even if it is only for a brief moment in time.

John Dory puts the finishing touch on dinner. He dreads being done. Cooking has been meditative for him. But he can’t come up with a good reason to continue. After all, he’s already cooked enough food to feed ten trolls a full three-course meal and still have leftovers for a week.

He plates all the food for his brothers. From past experience, he knows that if Clay and Floyd were to do it themselves, they wouldn’t give themselves enough to eat.

As he piles the food onto the plates, an unwanted memory pops up of what they were like right after their parents got eaten, a time just before Branch’s egg hatched. His brothers were despondent, much like they are now. John Dory was depressed too, but he didn’t give in to his depression because he told himself that he had to be the one to care for his brothers.

The hardest task was getting them to eat anything. John Dory tried to make his food taste amazing, hoping that it would encourage them to eat something. Though often times, it didn’t matter how delicious his food tasted. His brothers would still refuse to eat it. Now, he’s faced with the same herculean task as all those years ago.

“Soup’s up!” John Dory says. His voice projects a positivity that he isn’t really feeling. He places the plates of food in front of Floyd and Clay.

The two of them barely look at the food. Floyd pushes his plate away. “I’m not really hungry,” he says.

“Yeah, me too,” Clay adds.

This reaction from the two of them doesn’t surprise him one bit. “I know neither of you have eaten since breakfast.” John Dory pushes the plate back towards Floyd. “So, eat.” His voice is a lot sterner than it was before.

“I went without food for two months. I’ll be fine missing dinner,” Floyd says.

“We went without food all time at the golf course. I’ll be fine too.” Clay pushes away his plate like Floyd did.

John Dory finds both those statements concerning. He worked hard to keep them fed back when they lived at the Troll Tree. Hearing that they were used to hunger is distressing. But that’s something that he’ll address later. Right now, he needs to get them to eat dinner. “You two are acting like children. Just eat your dinner,” he says.

“Well maybe, I’m acting like a child, cause you’re treating me like one,” Clay says. He crosses his arms in the same way he did when he was mad at John Dory as a kid.

“I’m not treating you like a child,” John Dory responds. He knows that’s a lie. The way he’s acting is the same way he did as a teenager before BroZone disbanded. But he feels like he has to be the leader again, or else these two are going to fall apart. “I worked really hard on making dinner for you, and I can’t believe that you’re not eating it.”

Clay jumps out of his chair. He starts to get in John Dory’s face. It takes all of John Dory’s self-control not to push Clay away. “Well, I didn’t ask for you to—”

“Guys, can we not do this?” Floyd says, cutting Clay off. “Look, I know we’re all worried about Branch, but us fighting won’t help him. Let’s all just sit down and eat.”

“Whatever.” Clay sulks back into his chair with a huff. He pulls the plate of food towards him and starts eating.

John Dory sits down at the table, and eats with his brothers. Though the meal he made tastes amazing, he barely wants to eat any of it. He wants to push the plate away like his brothers did. But if he did, they’d immediately call him out on his hypocrisy. So, it takes all of his mental strength to fight against his melancholy and take a few bites of his food.

The three of them eat in silence. Their silverware clinking against the plates as they eat. None of them are really looking at each other. Floyd is pushing his food around the plate with his fork. “I can’t stop thinking about what Poppy said,” he says.

“What that Branch hates us and doesn’t want to see us ever again?” Clay says, not looking up from his food.

“She didn’t say that he hates us,” John Dory says.

“No, that was just implied,” Clay says.

Floyd shakes his head. “I’m not talking about that!” He rises from his chair. Slamming his hands on the table. The sound causes John Dory and Clay to jump. “I mean what she said about us not being there for Branch when he needed us the most.”

Clay lowers his head. He starts to fidget with his hands. “I tried to, but I couldn’t leave the Putt Putt trolls behind…” he mumbles under his breath.

“That’s not fair.” John Dory stands up. “I tried to come back. When I did everyone was gone.” He’s said this almost a thousand times. Yet no one seems to listen or care about the fact that he really did try.

Floyd looks at John Dory. His expression is sympathetic. It’s not what John Dory expected. He expected rage or sadness, but Floyd seems to understand. “I know that you did. And I did too, but when I came back everyone was already gone.”

“So, you get it.” He didn’t know that Floyd came back. In the year that they’ve all been reconnected, he never mentioned it. Then again John Dory never asked him if he tried to come back. “We didn’t know they escaped. We thought the bergens had eaten them.” John Dory says.

“I know that, but before that,” Floyd says. John Dory thinks he know where Floyd is going with this, and he really doesn’t want him to say it. But he doesn’t stop Floyd from asking the dreaded question. “Do you know how long we had to go back to visit Branch after BroZone broke up?”

John Dory knows. He tries not to think about that period of time. Every time he does his brain is flooded with what ifs. What if he came back before Grandma died? What if he had found Branch afterwards? What if he had never left? When the night is quiet and he’s all alone, these questions haunt him.

But John Dory knows the reality. He missed his opportunity to come back, and Branch grew up alone. There’s nothing he can do about that. The past has occurred and now he must deal with the present. “Over two years.” His voice is low.

“That isn’t very long,” Clay protests. “I was on a mission of self-discovery. Trying to find my place with other trolls. There wasn’t any time to go back.”

Floyd sighs. “I know it wasn’t long. But we still should have at least checked up on him.” John Dory knows that’s true. Leaving a baby with an elderly woman wasn’t the best idea. But they were all just kids themselves. They couldn’t be expected to raise Branch.

“Well, we didn’t.” John Dory’s voice is a growl. “And you know what? I thought that out of all of us,” He points at Floyd. “You would have been the one to go back for him.”

Floyd looks down at his plate, avoiding John Dory’s accusatory gaze.

“None of us went back for him,” Clay adds. “Not you, not me, not Floyd, and not Bruce.”

There’s silence for a second. The mention of Bruce made John Dory remember that they forgot to do something important. Looking at his brothers he can tell that they suddenly remembered too. “Oh my God. We never told Bruce that Branch is in the hospital,” he says.

“Should we tell him?” Clay asks, voicing the question that John Dory is thinking about. “He’s got a lot on his plate with the restaurant and his kids. Telling him would only freak him out.”

Floyd looks at Clay shocked that he could even suggest that. “I think he should know. If I were him, I’d want to know.”

“Floyd’s right. We should tell him.” John Dory says. Even though he himself is not very keen on the idea of telling him. Leaving one of their brothers behind is what lead them to this horrible situation in the first place.

He heads over to the holophone, a piece of tech from the Funk Trolls that allows for phone calls with holographic imagery. It doesn’t take long for John Dory to find Bruce’s name on the list of contacts. There really isn’t anyone that they need to talk to that is too far to do it in-person.

Every time John Dory looks at the contact list, he’s always shocked with how many names of royalty there are. From Queen Barb of the Hard Rock Tribe, Prince D of the Funk Trolls, and even King Gristle and Queen Bridget of Bergen Town. Branch really did make an impact while they were separated.

He clicks on Bruce’s name. The holophone starts to ring. Its ring echoes throughout the bunker.

Soon, a holographic version of Bruce appears. He looks a little disheveled. Behind him are sounds of clattering plates, clinking silverware, and kids running around. “Hey John Dory. Why are calling so late? We just started closing up for the night.”

John Dory shifts uncomfortably. He really doesn’t want to give Bruce the bad news, especially since it seems like Bruce is so busy. “Sorry, but there’s something we need to tell you.” His voice is somber.

Bruce seems to pick up on John Dory’s tone. His eyes are wide. “Is everything alright? Did someone get hurt?”

“Well,” John Dory clasps his hands together. He takes a deep breath. Telling bad news has never been his strong suit. “Branch is in the hospital, right now.”

“What?” Bruce jumps upon hearing that news. “How did he get hurt? How bad is it? Is he going to be okay?”

The barrage of questions knocks John Dory off his rhythm. “Branch is going to be fine… physically.”

Bruce sighs like he was holding in his breath. “Oh, thank God.”

“But…” John Dory finds that he’s struggling to tell him about Branch’s amnesia. Saying it out loud makes it feel too real. He still can’t believe that only yesterday, Branch was here with them in the bunker perfectly fine, and now he’s in the hospital.

“But what?” Bruce asks.

Thankfully, he doesn’t need to say it. “Branch has amnesia. He doesn’t remember anything from the last four years,” Floyd says.

Bruce silently stands there for a second. John Dory doesn’t say anything to him. He knows that he has to give Bruce some time to process. This is as much of shock for him, as it was for the rest of them. The only difference is that he’s hearing it over 12 hours later. “Are you sure?” Bruce asks.

“Yeah. Four years of memory are just gone. Poppy said that he apparently doesn’t even remember that they’re dating.” John Dory says.

“Poppy told you? Did you see him?” Bruce asks.

“Nope. He wouldn’t let us. He hates us now,” Clay says, leaning back in his chair.

Floyd glares at Clay, who is unfazed by Floyd’s cold look. “He doesn’t hate us. It just might take some time for him to adjust to us being back.”

“Because he hates us,” Clay adds.

“He hates us?” Bruce looks hurt.

John Dory hates seeing his brothers all hurt like this, and he hates that there’s nothing that he can do about it. There’s nothing that he can say that will make anything right. No words will make Branch regain his memories and heal his injuries. And as much as he wants to refute Clay’s claim that Branch hates them, he’s not sure he can. “It’s more complicated than that…” he adds.

But is it really? He remembers how angry Branch was when they first reunited. How Branch barely looked at him. How he said that none of them were his brothers anymore.

At the time, John Dory was shocked to see his little brother acting that way. He truly believed that Branch would have been happy to see him. And that was supposedly Branch at his happiest. He can’t possibly imagine what Branch felt towards them at his lowest.

Bruce sighs. “You know what. It doesn’t matter. If I leave now, I could be there tomorrow morning.”

John Dory looks at Bruce. He can see the determination in Bruce’s eyes. “You don’t have to. There’s a chance that you won’t even be able to see him.”

“That doesn’t matter. If Branch is in the hospital, then I need to be there,” Bruce says.

John Dory sighs. He knows that there’s nothing that he can say to dissuade Bruce from coming. “Alright. But don’t blame me if you don’t see Branch.”

Bruce ends the call. Leaving them alone in silence.

--------

It’s not unusual for Poppy’s pod to be filled with trolls. Being the queen and one of the most popular trolls in the village, she always has a revolving door of friends coming to visit her. Sometimes they come with problems that they want her help with. But more often than not, they come just to hang out with her.

Tonight isn’t too different. Poppy is surrounded by her friends, more so than usual. Normally being surrounded by all her friends would normally excite her. Not tonight. She can’t find it in her to be even ten percent as peppy as she normally is.

Poppy sits on her bed clutching one of her pillows. Cooper, Smidge, Biggie, Holly, and Val sit on bean bag chairs strewn about the pod. Viva, who’s sitting next to Poppy on the bed, gathered all of them to help support her. She’s braiding and unbraiding Poppy’s hair.

“This is unbelievable. He doesn’t even remember that he’s dating you?” Smidge asks.

Poppy nods her head. “He’s just like how he used to be. So grumpy. So angry.”

“How bad can he be? We’ve got lots of grumpy trolls in the Hard Rock Tribe. He can’t be any worse than any of them,” Val says.

“I’ve never met a grumpy troll that I couldn’t cheer up lickety-split!” Holly proclaims.

Smidge, Cooper, and Biggie share looks of shock. Poppy doesn’t share that feeling. She knows that most trolls that never met the gray version of Branch cannot comprehend exactly how miserable he was. “You don’t understand. Branch wasn’t like any grouchy troll you’ve ever met,” Biggie says.

“Yeah, he was the ultimate party-pooper!” Cooper says.

“It took Poppy years of nonstop trying to get through to him.” Smidge says. “Even then, he didn’t become happy until we were almost eaten.”

Val and Holly’s jaws are on the floor. “Until all y’all were almost eaten?” Holly repeats. She looks around for some answers. “Did I hear you say that correctly?”

“Yeah.” Smidge nods her head.

“I couldn’t understand it at the time, but then there was so much about Branch I didn’t understand.” Poppy smiles a bit at the memory. Seeing Branch happy for the first time after trying to help him for so long was amazing. “That night was the first time I ever heard Branch sing. His voice is what pulled me from my despair.”

Poppy sighs. “I’m really going to miss hearing him sing.”

“Me too.” Smidge nods sympathetically. “He has such a nice voice. Who knows when we’re going to hear him sing again.”

“C’mon y’all, this is Branch we’re talking about. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that boy not sing. He can’t keep up this silence for long,” Holly says.

“All we gotta do is get Branch somewhere where he has to sing! Like make him the headliner of a major music festival. Having all the pressure on him will get him to sing for sure!” Val says.

Poppy shakes her head. “No. That won’t work. I’ve already tried it.”

“Oh my guh. The Stoutberry Festival was a disaster that year,” Smidge says, looking into the distance with a thousand-yard stare.

Biggie puts his hand on Smidge’s shoulder. “We do not talk about what happened at that year’s Stoutberry Festival,” he says with a solemn voice.

“Maybe if we get his brothers together, we could do another BroZone reunion concert He’d probably go for that,” Viva says, while still fidgeting with Poppy’s hair. “Clay told me all about how when Branch was a baby, all he wanted to do was perform with his brothers.”

“I don’t think that would work. Branch is still so mad at his brothers.” She clutches the pillow closer to her. The memory of how angry Branch sounded when he said that he didn’t want to see them replays in her mind. Never in all her time of knowing him did he sound so angry.

“Can you blame him?” Val leans forward in her beanbag chair. “They left him as a baby for over twenty years. If I had siblings that did that to me, I’d be pissed too.”

Viva stops braiding Poppy’s hair for a second. “That’s not fair. Clay wanted to go back, but he was too busy helping me lead the Putt Putt Trolls.”

“But what was he doing before that? Because from what I heard, there were at least two years between BroZone breaking up and the Putt Putt trolls getting separated from the rest of the Pop Trolls.” Val’s voice is filled with venom. It’s a tone Poppy has only heard a few times, usually it’s when Val is defending her friends. “He couldn’t have at least bothered to visit his baby brother for one day?”

Val’s anger isn’t surprising to Poppy. She was there when Branch explained the whole BroZone thing to her. When he brought up how they never came back, she was furious at his brothers and livid that Branch forgave them so easily. It took the combined efforts of Branch, Poppy, and a few other trolls to keep Val from confronting Branch’s brothers herself.

Viva is a different story. Despite both her and Val being close with Poppy, the two of them have never particularly gotten along, not for lack of trying. Though up until tonight, they’ve always been at least friendly with each other. “Clay was on a journey of self-discovery. He didn’t have time to go back.”

“Well, it seems like he discovered that he’s a bad brother,” Val says.

Viva jumps off the bed. She marches over to Val. “Clay is not and never has been a bad brother. Clay was great to his brothers.”

Val sits back in her beanbag chair, unbothered by Viva’s attempt at intimidation. She laughs a little. “Yeah, he was such a great brother that none of his brothers talked to him for twenty years.” Val crosses her arms.

“I cannot believe this!” Viva points at Val. “You don’t understand, because you’re an only child!”

Val rolls her eyes. She rises out of her beanbag chair. Points right back at Viva. “I don’t need to have siblings to understand that you don’t just leave them behind without a word.”

Viva gets in Val’s face. Everyone in the room is watching them. Waiting for the impending fight. No one dares to get between them for fear of getting caught in the crossfire. “He didn’t just-”

“Stop!” Poppy shouts.

Everyone looks at Poppy, who had been quiet for most of the night. Poppy sighs. “Can we not fight please?” She sounds like she’s on the verge of tears, because she is. Seeing two people so close to her fight is painful.

Immediately, Viva and Val stand down. “Sorry, Poppy,” Val says. She doesn’t apologize to Viva though. In fact, she doesn’t even glance at Viva. She sits back down in her beanbag chair in a huff.

Viva climbs back on the bed, next to Poppy. “I’m sorry too.” She gives Poppy a hug. “I just can’t stand to hear people talk badly about Clay knowing everything that he’s been through.”

“I know,” Poppy says. But she knows that there’s more to Viva’s anger than simply defending Clay. Even though she never says it, Poppy knows that she still feels guilty about never venturing out from the golf course to find her. Hearing Val talk about Clay being a bad brother must have brought all those feelings back.

The atmosphere in the room is oppressive. Trolls don’t usually fight like this, especially this group of trolls. No one’s too sure about what to do or what to say. All of them are exchanging glances, waiting for someone to say something.

Holly Darling is the one to break the silence. “You know what would cheer Branch right up? Making him some get well soon cards!” She pulls out some construction paper from her hair.

Though that’s slightly unnecessary, given that Poppy’s pod is filled with construction paper. It’s on the floor, on every surface, and in every single drawer. Branch once spent days at Poppy’s pod trying to organize all of her scrapbooking supplies, only for it all to be undone in less than a week. Still, Poppy appreciated the effort, but most of all she loved that she got to spend so much time with Branch.

Thinking of Branch, Poppy smiles. Even though helping Branch through his recovery is going to be incredibly difficult, she has to be strong. She has to be there for him. Because if the roles were reversed and she had been the one to lose her memory, he would be there every step of the way for her. She doesn’t have a single doubt in her mind about that.

“Yeah, that sounds fun,” Poppy says.

The atmosphere in the room lightens. Everyone grabs different scrapbooking materials and gets to work. The sound of scissors cutting paper fills the room. Soon, Smidge starts talking about the latest gossip that she heard.

And for a brief second, Poppy feels like everything is normal. Like Branch could walk in with his vibrant blue colors that Poppy loves so much, and sit down next to her. Maybe he would join in on the crafts. Usually not. Usually, he was contented to sit next to Poppy and join in on the conversation.

As they work on the cards, Poppy can’t help but feel a bit sad. Normally, when Poppy gets too stressed or upset, Branch is able to bring her back with ease. He had an understanding of grief and pain that most trolls don’t. Not only that, he understood Poppy better than anyone else. But he’s not here.

It’s taken six of her closest friends to cheer her up half as well as Branch could. She feels a bit guilty for feeling so dissatisfied with how they’ve helped her. Of course, she appreciates their efforts. She loves them all so much for trying. But no amount of their efforts are going to ever be able to fully replace Branch.

------

Spending the night in the hospital was not as restful as Branch thought it would be. Nurses kept coming in and out checking on his vitals, giving him medicine, or whatever random reason they had to barge in. He felt more like a medical experiment than a patient.

Even if the nurses left him alone, he doubts that he would have gotten any rest. The events of yesterday run through his mind on repeat. It still all feels like some strange dream that he expects to wake up from. Poppy really can’t be his girlfriend. Can she? And his brothers are back?

He read some of the scrapbooks that Poppy left for him. She wasn’t kidding when she said so much has changed. Bergens and trolls being friends is something he still can’t fully understand. They used to eat trolls every year. Did everyone collectively forget that? Did he forget that? Because it feels like he forgot that with how many of the scrapbooks show him being all buddy-buddy with the bergens.

While reading the first scrapbook, he felt a small amount of vindication to learn that everything he’d ever suspected about Creek was correct. That Creek is selfish jerk who doesn’t really care about anyone but himself. Though he never thought that Creek would go so far as sell everyone in Pop Village out to be eaten. That’s too far even for him. No wonder Poppy doesn’t like him anymore.

Thinking of Poppy, Branch wonders when she’s going to visit. Normally, Branch would push away the idea of her visiting as ridiculous, but yesterday she promised to come visit him. When Poppy makes a promise to someone she doesn’t break it.

There’s a first for everything though. Maybe she won’t come. Branch hopes she doesn’t. At the same time, Branch feels like trash for hoping that. Every part of him yearns to see her again. He just isn’t sure with everything he’s learned that he could handle being around with her without breaking into a thousand pieces.

How is he supposed to act normal around her when he knows that they were in love? When he knows that he isn’t the same troll that she’s in love with? He’s bitter. He’s angry. He’s nothing like this happy troll that he’s read about in the scrapbooks. The one who is probably a million times more pleasant to be around than him.

And shouldn’t she have better things to do than come visit him? She is the queen after all. There must be hundreds of tasks that demand her attention at any given time. Visiting him really shouldn’t be a high priority.

He looks at the brown scrapbook that lays on his bedside table in all its poorly constructed glory. It’s the one scrapbook he’s read through the most, and it’s the one that he loathes the most. The whole scrapbook is one big reminder of what he’s lost. He wants to throw it into the garbage, light it on fire, tear it apart, anything to get rid of it.

The only thing stopping him is how much that scrapbook means to Poppy. As much as it is a reminds him of the life he doesn’t remember, it’s the only thing that Poppy has left of the one she lost. That scrapbook is the only thing left standing of the thoughts and memories of the troll that Branch was before. A troll that Branch knows he will never truly be again.

Thinking of what he’s heard about his life before, how much he changed, how much he healed. It feels like he walked a thousand miles only to wake up right back where he started. Simply thinking about the amount of effort it’s going to take to even be half of what Branch was before the accident is exhausting. How he did it once before is beyond him.

The door to Branch’s room opens. At first, he thinks it’s a nurse there to do some medical thing to him, so he doesn’t really look at who entered. “Hey, Branch!” Poppy says in an incredibly cheerful tone given the circumstances.

Hearing Poppy’s voice, Branch’s heart skips a beat. He looks at her, and he’s shocked at what he sees. She looks so tired. There are bags under her eyes that she’s clearly tried to hide with make-up. Her hair is in a ponytail like it usually is, but it’s so frazzled. He wonders if she got any sleep at all last night.

“Hey,” Branch says back. He notices that Poppy is holding two more tote bags. Both of them are filled to the brim, though they don’t seem to be as heavy as the scrapbook tote bag. “What’s in the bags?”

“They’re ‘Get Well Soon’ cards!” Poppy holds up one of the bags. Branch can see that they are filled with Get Well Soon cards of all different shapes and colors. There’s so many that it seems like there’s one from every single troll in TrollsTopia. “When people heard that you were in the hospital, they kept giving me cards so that I could give them to you!”

Branch has barely been in the hospital for over 24 hours. The fact that so many trolls thought to give him “Get Well Soon” cards is almost unfathomable. Sure, every time a troll ends up in the hospital they get quite a few. Mostly from their friends and family. But never are there usually this many, especially not so soon. “There’s seems to be a lot.”

“There are!” Poppy sits in the chair next to the bed. She pulls out a few cards from the bag and starts handing them to him. “This one’s from Viva, this one’s from Cooper, this one’s from Val. Oh! And this one is from Tiny Diamond!”

She hands Branch a card that is covered in silver glitter. Branch learned about Tiny from the scrapbooks. He’s Guy Diamond’s son. It’s strange to think about Guy Diamond as a father. Even stranger that Tiny doesn’t have another parent. Though he isn’t surprised to find out that Guy Diamond is Tiny’s only parent. If trolls have a big enough ego, they can make a kid all by themselves. And Guy Diamond definitely has more than a big enough ego.

Branch looks at the other cards in the tote bags. There’s so many names that he doesn’t recognize. But he feels like even if he did have his memories, he still wouldn’t know most of these names. There’s no way he could have known so many trolls. Most of them are probably Poppy’s friends who know him via her.

Poppy digs through her bag. She pulls out a pink card covered in glitter. “I made this one for you!” Though that’s completely obvious to Branch. He’d be able to recognize her cards anywhere. After all, he’s kept every single card and invitation that she’s ever given him.

“Thanks.” Branch gently takes the card from her.

He looks at it. There’s a little cut out of Branch in a hospital bed. A little cut out of Poppy is dressed in a doctor’s outfit. The words “Get Well Soon” are on the top of the card. At the bottom of the card in Poppy’s cute handwriting is written, “I’ll be right by your side, no matter what! I love you!” with a little heart next to it.

Looking at the card, Branch wants to cry. Poppy’s cards have always drawn emotion from him. Mostly because she was the only one who bothered to invite him to anything. But this one feels so special. “I love you.” Those three words haven’t been said to him since his grandma died. And here is Poppy, the most special and wonderful troll of all time, telling him that she loves him.

“I mean what I wrote. I love you,” Poppy says. She takes Branch’s hand. “And it doesn’t matter what happens, no matter how hard you try to push me away, I will be right by your side through everything.”

Branch’s heart rate rises through the roof. The golden morning light streaming through the hospital room’s large window illuminates Poppy making her look like she’s sent straight from the heavens. With her being the only kind troll to him, she might as well be.

As much as he loves Poppy, he doesn’t know if he can say “I love you” back. There’s too many emotions tied up in those words. Too many emotions that he doesn’t like dealing with. Saying that one three word phrase feels too vulnerable. It feels like there’s an army of bergens searching for him and he’s trapped in an open field. How is he supposed to express love when all he’s ever known when it comes to love is abandonment? And with what’s happened, it probably isn’t going to be too long before Poppy abandons him too.

Sure, she tells him that she’ll always be by his side, but how long can that last really? Because soon she’s going to realize that the Branch she knew and loved is gone and never going to come back. And when she does, she’s going to leave Branch behind and find some other better troll who is far more deserving of her. Someone who isn’t him.

“I know,” Branch says in response. That’s all he can say. Anything more and he’d say the wrong, hurting her. It seems like every word and every action that Branch takes now could end up hurting her. Maybe that’s all he’s capable of doing. Were they even a good couple before or did he constantly say the wrong thing and hurt her?

Even then it seems like his tepid response hurt her. Poppy’s smile drops a little. Not much but enough. Most trolls wouldn’t even notice the change, but Branch does. He’s seen the change in her smile when he’s turned down her invitations a hundred times before, usually being ruder than he should be.

“Well, I also have great news!” Poppy says. Branch can tell that she’s trying really hard to continue being positive. The way her smile doesn’t fully reach her eyes. The strain in her voice. The way she’s using her free hand to fidget with her dress. It’s so unlike her. In fact, it’s so like him.

Oh, God. Has spending time with Branch brought Poppy down? Has he destroyed the one good thing in the world by simply being around her? He hopes not. He hopes that maybe Poppy is just having a couple of bad days. But she’s Poppy. She should never have bad days. In fact, the only reason that she’s been having bad days is because of him. He really is bringing her down.

“What is it?” he asks, trying to sound calm and not at all freaked out by the revelation he just had.

“Bruce just arrived in TrollsTopia about an hour ago,” Poppy says.

Oh right, Spruce had changed his name to Bruce. Branch wasn’t really sure why he changed it, just that he did. But what Branch really doesn’t get is why would he come all the way here. From what he read in the scrapbooks, Bruce lives so far away and has so much going on in his life. Why would he bother to come visit Branch while he’s in the hospital when he didn’t bother to come back after their grandma died?

“Is he here? In the hospital?” Branch asks.

Poppy nods. “He’s here with the rest of your brothers.” She squeezes his hand. “You don’t have to see them if you don’t want to.”

There’s two sides to Branch right now. The side that is still a little kid sitting alone in his grandma’s pod staring at the door. Desperately wishing that his brothers would walk through it and end his loneliness. And the other side that’s an adult sitting alone in the bunker he designed for him and his brothers, filled with anger knowing that they never came back. Deciding that if they never wanted to see him again, then he never wants to see them again either.

But as conflicted as he is, he knows that he can’t avoid his brothers forever. Three of them live in the same village as him now, and it seems like two of them live in the bunker with him. They aren’t going to be easy to avoid. It’s probably the best that he sees them again in here where he can kick them out if they piss him off. “No, I want to see them,” Branch lies.

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saras-devotionals · 6 months

Text

Quiet Time 3/26

What am I feeling today?

I’m in a bit of pain that’s been lasting for about four to five days now and I had hoped I’d have gone away by now but hasn’t. I’m also saddened by the bridge collapsing in Baltimore earlier today, could you imagine how terrifying that must’ve been? To be driving across a bridge, it’s breaking and collapsing, and then you and your car are plunged in the river below in the middle of the night, surrounded by darkness? It breaks my heart, that must be truly traumatizing and I pray that they recover everyone and that they’re all okay. On the bright side, I get to travel back to my home city again and I’m bringing one of my friends and niece and can’t wait to show them Pittsburgh! It’s always nice going back home🥹

Luke 11 NIV

(v. 2-4) “He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ’ ””

Here’s Jesus giving us the example of how we’re supposed to pray. I don’t believe we are meant to say this word for word every time, more so to use it as a template. Praising God first and thanking Him for what He’s gone for us. Petitioning and making our requests before Him. And finally, forgiveness for our sins because even as disciples, we sin daily, none of us can say that we’re without sin.

(v. 9-13) “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

I know that I ask God for a lot. Every day I present requests to Him but I know that I don’t actually deserve anything. Not to put my worry down or anything but God already gave us His son when she didn’t need to. That’s already a gift that we’re unworthy of but He gave Jesus because He loves us. And He’ll give us other things we pray for (as long as it honors Him) because He loves us. Also, in the verse beforehand, at the end of the parable Jesus is giving, he says that it’s given because of the man’s “shameless audacity” and honestly it made me laugh because it’s so true! Who are we that we feel we are in any position to ask God for whatever we want when we’re not even really worthy of life (but are now bc of Jesus).

(v. 24-26) ““When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.””

I think this is kinda terrifying, but also annoying. Terrifying in that even when the impure spirits leave us as we come into our lives with Christ, then be back and even stronger, with more wicked spirits. I say it’s annoying because they’re coming back, like come on! really? y’all can’t just leave us alone in peace but gotta keep attacking us? but, with the word of God and with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can resist these attacks and stand firm in our faith.

(v. 28) “He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.””

This! It is not enough to just listen to the word of God. We can listen to the Bible for every second of our life, but if we don’t do what it says, then it’s all been in vain. I think this myself sometimes, every day I sin and I’m aware that I don’t obey everything as I should. I can catch myself, and note where I need to improve, and make a daily effort, but I also know I’ll always fall short.

(v. 34-36) “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.””

I had a bit of a hard time understanding this so I went to some commentary for clarity:

Here Jesus addressed himself to correcting his hearers’ inability (through their sins) to appreciate truth, and to read God’s sign, when they should finally see it. It was not at all the nature of the sign that needed correction but the quality of perception in his sinful audience, the evil generation which confronted him.

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itsbebebrainrotting · 11 months

Note

Rant incoming, sorry!!

Do they even know WHY they are fighting and killing??

Im still trying to figure out why tubbo and bad thought to attack red first and then yell revenge when red retaliated. Like, why?? (I'm crow and red main so I probably won't watch the others for the lolz) Chaotic angst energy.

And people keep saying because of Dapper and what Dapper said. And I'm like "what?" Because with that same logic/energy qPhilza can say the same if decided to do the same. "Chayanna said to protect Tallulah no matter what- so Ima kill everyone in sight for whatever reason." That sounds crazy. Right? (Is it just me??)

Like we(their little community/family) been talking and communicating all this time why now does it go out the window? because some random guy who doesnt like us said so? (Quackity did warn them in Brazil tho)

We know the fed dont like us and can't be trusted so why are we not having that same energy towards this guy?

Like I get it, I do. Things are on the line or so it seem but why aren't we actually thinking things through?? Talking?? Coming up with a plan to get everyone and the eggs home. Do we not care for all life anymore?

Its about to be Day 3 and I am so drained from Day 1. Like Charlie's voice, I'm struggling now. My soul is heavy as a red pov.

And yes we won Day 2 but everything has consequences... like please..

I- I just want them to talk for more than a couple seconds.. minutes before thoughts of killing off rip..

*peepoHands*

(I hope it was okay to come to you)

Dont worry about the rant! I like hearing other peoples opinions on things and dont get many asks often so anythings appreciated.

As someone whose main povs are team blue i still understand you entirely but also can explain a couple things (in a similar ranty form lol):

First of all as to why they were killing: I think on day one the competitive nature of the event was at the forefront of blues mind. Bad had been told by his son (who, remember, he literally kidnapped a worker to save) to do anything to win even if it hurt others. Which honestly does imply hostility a bit more than chayannes message. Tubbo also wants chayanne and tallulah (and richarlyson) back like theyre his own children (and has definitely been over excited and trying to prove himself as leader of blue so is being more competitive for his own pride). They were thrust into this situation with all that in mind and just wanted to win by any means, or at least thats the vibe i got.

None of them fully understood the rules of the event either. They tragically fell to the tragic mcyt curse of not reading instructions. They didnt even think about the cursed team until i think it was slime who said he thought red was cursed at which point niki insisted (and still insists) she doesnt think there is a cursed team. Tubbo thought the cursed team changed daily, if you want further proof that rules were not at the forefront of their mind. They just wanted to win since that was what the eggs had said to do. Of course now ccs are more aware of the rules they are keeping them in mind but no one seems to be proposing full teamwork yet.

Funny enough, i think ive mentioned it in a post before but red being their target on day 1 was entirely on accident. Bad killed slime first under the impression he was on green and then continued to go for his team because they happened to be not too far. From what ive gathered, green was bloodthirsty but struggling to find the other teams so thats why blue and red originally started fighting. As for getting angry at retaliation? I think thats just competitive spirit getting in the way.

The whole thing was slightly frustrating personally from a viewer pov because im exactly with you in the fact that they should be talking. They should be figuring out the cursed team. They should be boosting the cursed teams stats. But they didnt understand that and instead went hostile immediately due to the newness of the whole thing.

Even yesterday bad was considering killing red and i was a little frustrated. I get that he was annoyed (if u dont know yesterday blue grinded global tasks but were barely gaining percentage compared to etoiles - at one point they handed smth in and got like 1% - and bad thought kills may have helped them a bit) but blue didnt need to win day 2! If anything that wouldve been detrimental to them considering the cursed team is still unknown (but bbh thinks blues cursed so...). Eventually he settled on bargaining with them by offering something in return for a kill but never got a chance to because he ran out of time. Still, the suggestion was a bit frustrating at the time as someone who was seeing red having a terrible time from liveblogs.

I definitely consider most of day one out of character, as there is no way in hell the characters shouldve been acting the way they did considering all they were supposed to know. Even if qbbh would do anything for dapper he definitely wouldnt outright hurt his friends or risk the other eggs chances of survival. (Also this entirely broke cellbits current arc of being very agressive considering how badly hes been beat down this event.)

Even just hearing about red on both days was draining for me. The one reason im not vodwatching them is that i could feel the draining vibes from liveblogs alone so i cant image what it must be like to main them and while im happy they won, their strategy today was a lot more aggressive compared to everyone else who was trying to tone it down a bunch so i fear for the next few days on everyones povs as the aftermath of that plays out.

Thankfully ive heard bagi wants to unite the teams and bad and baghera discussed getting a group together to theorise about the cursed team so maybe between the three of them things can start moving in the right direction and return to being in character and communicating. Todays the event which may not allow for anyone to unite everyone immediately but i hope they do sooner rather than later.

#discourse #qsmp discourse #not maintagging cuz this post sounds a bit too much like neg at times #its not hate im just whiny and fear it may come off as neg

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gato1523 · 5 months

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Nine People You'd Like To Get To Know Better

Thanks for tagging me @pizza-hats-of-the-world-1882 !!

3 ships: I'm not really into shipping but I think Kirk/Spock, Sophie/Howl, Pat/Cap

First ship: I really can't remember the first one, but one of the firsts was Holmes/Watson. I started reading the novels before I watched the series/movies, and all I remember thinking was "they are so nice together, I want them to stay that way"

Last song: Patient is the Night by the Blasting Company. I'm listening to the soundtrack of Over the Garden Wall again.

Currently reading: The Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones. I'm really enjoying the Chrestomanci series. This is the last novel before I start the short stories which makes me a bit sad but I can't stop reading it.

Last movie: Robot Dreams. I liked it and I heard it was well received in my country. It makes me happy to see so many adults finding an animated movie they can relate to! Animation is still seen as children entertainment here, so it makes me hopeful when I see people realising you can tell different types of stories using the medium.

Currently craving: Fries

I tag @hallowinspirit @ginkovskij @lenskij @dawniebb (I don't have nine people to tag sorry)

#pizza I saw the firs bbl movie with subs and don't worry you're not missing much #tag game

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chimkin-samich · 2 years

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The spice of you don't mind. I will be the brave soul who asks 🫡

Lmaooo fair enough but it’s gonna be vague and under read more btw

Hope you enjoy it :)

-Sly

Essentially Endermen are hermaphrodites, they have both the ability to be penetrated and to penetrate, their tentacle is located where the clit is, but it can retract and come out so the tip can essentially function as a clit lol

They are no sex differences due to the fact that they are hermaphrodites, the only physical difference is set by their eye color, green and red eyes are much taller and slightly bulkier in the shoulders, with a small crest

Purple eyes are the the most common and average appearance tall and lanky with a slightly longer crest than red/green eyes

With blue eyes being the smallest and lankiest, making up with it for sharper claws and a bigger crest

One thing that they can change, although it’s a long process, is the ability to either lay and egg or impregnate, which is why they have both function,

When it comes to heats and mating, they don’t enter heat until a potential mate has accepted them, they can have minor ones but it’s more of itch compared to a full blown heat,

Once accepted tho, they will both enter a full heat to essentially mark each other scent wise and with a mating bite as a claim, another thing, when it comes to penetration, the one penetrating can not finish until their partner has reached their own peak, of course with enough play before it can happen but it can be a struggle to achieve

After gaining a mate, they will continue to experience heats at the same level every 3 months or so for about a week, only problem is, if one is left alone to long in heat, their bodies will take charge of getting pleasure, so their “appendage” with essentially penetrate them, and unfortunately this is a torturous process since they are unable to finish like this until their mate returns to give them a hand

When ur comes to having children, they have eggs! Their are ancient descendents of the same creatures that later formed the Ender Dragon so endermen and the dragon are distant cousins

The eggs can either be raised communally in large nest or between mates

Although blue eyes are uncommon, they tend to be the main care-takers of the eggs and hatchlings, teaching and watching over them with the protection of green and red eyes

At some point when the young ones reach juvenile stage they are sent out of the group to try a hand at solo survival and possibly find a mate, of course they can stick with their nest mates as well but they must all leave at some point

They can come back after they reach adulthood but until then they can’t return

#mods speaketh #mod sly #spicey #enderman lore #Minecraft lore #enderman oc #Minecraft #enderman #Minecraft Oc

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neallo · 1 year

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So...................... i Mello holds Near hostage in one of your fics, WHICH ONES IS IT?!

LMFAO i love the energy of this ask. thank you. extremely chaotic but also endearing.

to answer your question: the fic you're thinking of is i want to hold you (hostage), and it hasn't been posted yet!! i'm still finishing it up, though it's about 3/4 (I HOPE!!! it's already 16k words 🫣) of the way written. i want to, at the very minimum, start posting it by the end of meronia week; i expect it's going to be about 3-4 chapters. i'm not going to try to describe it in depth here, as i'd rather keep some elements a surprise, but it's a canon-divergent story centering around Mello during his mafia era, and it takes place about a week or so before we see him show back up in canon.

just for fun, i'm going to toss the first few paragraphs below ❣️ there's also a playlist you can find here, if you just want to get a sense of the vibes ✨🎶

————

Mello wakes to the sound of his 9:00 AM alarm going off, the mid-morning sun throwing stripes of light across his bedsheets from how it peeks through the gaps in his blinds. His hand gropes towards the clock on his bedside table, clumsily seeking out the off button as he blinks sleep from his eyes. The beeping ceases, and Mello sighs, sagging backwards against his pillows again. He can’t recall what he dreamt about, though from the lingering wistfulness clouding his mind and weighing down his limbs, he could take an educated guess.

His apartment is quiet; he’s alone. Every single morning since he moved to LA, he’s woken up alone. The only exception was a little over a month ago now, but that wasn’t in this city or this apartment or this bed, which he supposes he should be grateful for. It would have been worse if Mello had seen his face in this light, his cheek resting against this pillow, the curve of his shoulder peeking out from these sheets. In the quiet, Mello’s own minuscule movements sound loud, as does his breath. Normally it doesn’t bother him, but some days it’s more noticeable than others, and today is evidently one of them.

After a few more minutes of soaking in dilute, nebulous angst, Mello forces himself to get out of bed and go to the kitchen, puts on a pot of coffee and sets about making himself breakfast. The window over his sink faces a busier street than the one in his bedroom, so the silence is a bit thinner here, miscellaneous sounds leaking through the old glass. It helps ground him a little. He’d picked this apartment specifically for its soundproofing, because the last several places he lived all had paper-thin walls, while the brick construction here means he can’t hear his neighbors fucking or people on the sidewalk below shouting at each other. Obviously he prefers it that way, but the silence is foreign after so many years of living in an orphanage teeming with other noisy children and a good year and a half after that spent either sleeping on the streets or in run-down shitholes. For a short period of time after moving here, Mello entertained the idea of getting a cat, mostly so he would have something living and moving around in the same space as him, but it seemed selfish to bring a fragile creature into the kind of life he leads.

Of course, that didn’t stop him from trying, once. Not with a cat, but with—

His coffee starts to brew, mercifully interrupting his train of thought before it could go off the rails. As he cracks an egg into a hot, buttered pan, Mello calculates what time he needs to leave to make his flight. Just thinking about it soothes him a bit; in three hours, he’ll be boarding a plane to New York, and in six more, he’ll have landed at JFK. The sun will have set on the east coast by then, and by the time he gets to his hotel, he should be ready to sleep. Dreamlessly, if he’s lucky.

(Mello has been short on that specific type of luck, lately.)

#meronia #mello x near #tag: i want to hold you (hostage)#my writing #asks

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alumort · 1 year

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Ao3

Hii i decided to combine my hyperfixations because i can <3 hope you enjoy!!

(Background kakagai as usual, and implied sex at one point)

And then he woke up in his own bed, in his own clothes, but things were… different.

He was taller, and the red hues of fall decorated the plants he could see through his window when just the day before everything had been filled with many shades of deep green. The boy got up and observed the small home, and there were no signs that showed anybody had been living there for a long, long time.

"Ne… Neji? Is that you?" a soft voice asked, and the brunet looked up just to find his younger cousin staring at him from the kitchen– she was older now, an adult with long hair and even her kind eyes had changed, for there was nothing but rage in her gaze. "Where have you been all this time? You– you… the farm is all yours now. Don't even try to find me."

"Hinata, what happened? I can't remember–" Neji started to say, but Hinata didn't let him continue.

"You left me here! With your father, the weird Vale folk, and… and… you abandoned me," the girl said, holding back tears as she talked. "Hizashi died, you know? I've– um, I've been alone ever since, exploring the world… I don't know why I even came back here. Goodbye, big brother."

He couldn't do anything to make his cousin wait, to ask for explanations– she left as soon as she could, not even looking back to see if Neji tried to reach out for her. It was as if she had never been there in the first place.

A little voice in the back of his mind reminded him of the mystical item that fae had given him in his dreams; was it actually real? His pocket seemed to be heavier than usual, and when he grabbed whatever was inside of it, a huge seed was what he found.

Green with golden details, warm to the touch– the Kynseed, which would give him the ability to pass down his soul to his children, if he ever had any. Fairweather said there was a special place for it on Willowdown Farm, and he would probably get help when it was time to plant it.

Before Neji could even react, an annoying sound invaded his ears, and his gaze fell to the doorstep where a small… a miniature gnome thing was waiting, waving its arms at the boy.

"Hey, you! Human! Fill my bowl, I'm staaarving!" it said out loud, touching its stomach to dramatize the situation. "Why are you looking at me like that? Feed me!"

"Who do you think you are? I don't have to feed anyone," the brunet argued, crossing his arms against his chest as he talked. He felt himself shiver once his unwanted visitor looked at him in the eyes, his presence suddenly turning terrorific without effort.

"I'm Pott, the Brounie of this house, and if you don't give me food… bad things will happen on your farm, buddy. You don't wanna see them."

Anyone in the world knew better than to challenge a fae creature, and so Neji left a single egg on the wooden bowl Pott had mentioned, eyes widening at seeing its interior turn blue for some reason.

Magic was complicated, and he didn't feel like investigating it too much. And so the boy planted the magic seed with the help of the small gnome, observing everything with awe as a small sprout appeared mere seconds after the Kynseed was buried on the ground– he decided to leave it alone and explore the Vale, looking for fish to sell and herbs to gather in order to get some easy brass, riding the pig that used to belong to his father.

Everything was his now. The farm, the animals… and it probably would remain that way until the end of the time.

He would live forever– rather, his soul would be passed down to his offspring for a thousand years, making the Kynseed grow and grow for a long time. Neji didn't have time or energy to waste with other people, talking to them or trying to become their friend.

They would all die anyways, and he would be on his own once again, so what was the point? Any and all attempts of conversation from the Vale inhabitants were ignored, and they gave up trying after a couple of weeks, knowing that the brunet said nothing unless there were requests to be fulfilled.

… Most of them ignored him, except for a boy his age with pitch black hair, cut in an intricate form that reminded Neji of a bowl cut. He had spoken with him a couple of times in the past, before his fate had changed and he made a deal with that Fae rabbit. Or was Fairweather a hare? It didn't matter.

"Hello, Neji! Do you have everything you need for Winter?" his neighbor asked with a soft smile decorating his face, and Neji did nothing but nod in complete silence. Hearing no response, Lee went on. "Papa baked many things to save, and dad fished a lot. We are trying to start selling food for others… Tenten, however, is practicing with the smith. She is getting very good at forging!"

Uninteresting. Yet the shorter boy didn't have the heart to stop his companion from speaking, even though it was mostly a monologue apart from a casual hum– surely that would bore him, and soon Lee would stop pestering him anytime that their paths crossed.

Or that's what he believed. Instead, his annoying follower walked by his side, keeping him company even if he was met by nothing but silence and the occasional scoff; Lee just chuckled at his reaction and went on with his chattering, and Neji could do nothing but roll his eyes as he picked up requests from the bulletin board.

At one point, their conversations stopped being monologues, and the brunet began giving one-worded answers, silently not wanting his companion to leave by his side even if he would never admit it out loud. Having someone by his side soothed his heart, even if he wasn't the most chatty person in the world. Whatever plan Lee had in mind, it was working– Neji stopped getting annoyed by him as time passed, and he even allowed the other boy to be his right hand man in the dark forests.

There was one thing nobody could deny; Lee was a strong fighter and had ability with swords, even if he couldn't realize it on his own. Their movements synchronized with ease, as if they had fought back to back in a previous life, acting as one even without much training. No monster could escape from their blades.

They watched over the other when a more or less safe place was found, lighting a campfire and talking as if they weren't in the middle of a dangerous place, knowing that everything would be okay for as long as they remained together. The icy coldness of Winter forced them to be close to the blazing flames, focusing on not dying due to the low temperatures– Lee was talking about one of the books he was reading back at his house, flapping his hands excitedly as he spoke, doing those small gestures he always did when he got carried away.

Cute was the first word to appear in his mind, and Neji tried to focus on something else once he noticed that thought. It didn't last long, though–

Without him even realizing it, his fingers ended up entwined with Lee's, whose cheeks turned dark in a blush while the familiar chattering faded away in the air. The black haired boy let out a nervous chuckle, never separating himself from his companion, with a warm hue illuminating his face. Neji couldn't say anything, not even knowing how to react– who had grabbed the other's hand first? The details were fuzzy, but he also didn't want to let go.

He could feel his heart beating on his chest, on his throat, as Lee smiled at him and slowly leaned in closer to the other boy; their lips were mere millimeters apart, and it would be so easy to just…

From a moment to another, his companion pushed him to the side, and Neji would have groaned if he hadn't seen the ax passing right in front of his face. An angry hob had appeared and it didn't take long for Lee to finish it off, killing it with a single slash of his sword and grinning at seeing his small victory.

"Wasn't this a safe zone?" the brunet complained, crossing his arms against his chest as he talked, traces of a blush finally disappearing from his cheeks.

"I thought so, I am so sorry!" his companion (Friend? Something?) said, scratching the back of his neck before picking up his things, ready to go on as if nothing had happened between the two. "We are almost there! Dad will be so happy to have Pakkun back, let us continue."

As if they hadn't almost kissed mere heartbeats ago. Neji huffed, deciding to keep quiet and soothe his anger with his blade and whatever unfortunate monster that he found on the way. They managed to see how Pakkun wagged his tail excitedly right at the edges of Simplewood, for once being energetic and running to Lee's arms as if he knew things were going to be alright from that point onwards– the brunet rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore them and go back to the North Gate of his kingdom just to return the small dog to his owner.

There wasn't much distance to cover to go to the Maito-Hatake house, yet it felt like countless kilometers for his tired and confused soul. Any and all attempts of conversation made by the other boy were ignored, and soon an uncomfortable silence fell between the two until they got to their destination.

What was he supposed to do? Neji had never been close to anybody to almost feel their lips against his own, and now he was questioning everything– was that why Lee liked to hang out with him? It was a mystery that he couldn't decipher, for it wasn't like they had been

For a couple of days, the brunet decided to avoid his adventuring companion, not even knowing what was going on in his heart. Farming and fishing on his farm were the only things he focused on, using a Fae key to easily transport himself to different villages if it was necessary to get some easy Brass. It was better than accidentally meeting Lee, at least until he figured out anything about his feelings.

He wanted to avoid the North Gate at all costs, just in case he would meet the boy by accident even though his trips usually took place during the darkest hour of the night– it had been the only time that someone had tried to make a move on him, and Neji didn't even know if that would have been something to enjoy.

Instead, he opted for ignoring every gift and letter left on his mailbox, the carefully picked sunflowers left on his doorstep. He didn't know what else to do; Lee would die as time went by, so there was no reason to get attached to him more than he was. Neji didn't need anybody else in his life, for they would soon disappear before he even realized it.

Seasons passed with every single blink, after all. Discovering Fae mysteries was fun and time-consuming, although his lifespan got reduced whenever a huge mistake was made– Neji had gotten so comfortable with having Lee behind him that Simplewoods soon became a deadly challenge.

It was yet another way of keeping himself busy, to ignore someone who liked to be by his side in complete silence. His soul ached at his absence, but being on his own was for the best; his heart would be hurt even more once it was time to say goodbye, if something even happened between the two. They were better on their own, definitely.

… although Lee didn't seem to think the same way, for he was sitting in front of the dark woods with a shining sword and shield in hand. He grinned once he could see Neji, and went to receive him with a warm embrace.

"I can finally see you again! I have been waiting for you," his companion exclaimed, and once again the brunet decided to remain in complete silence, keeping to himself without pronouncing a single letter. Lee gulped. "Um… you have not replied to my letters. I am so sorry about everything– I will stop if it would make you more comfortable. How does that sound?"

"No."

Judging by his gaze, it was crystal clear that the taller boy wasn't expecting that response – who knows how long he had been yearning for him, and now… Neji never realized when both had grown so much, not caring about senseless things like years or months anymore, and he had to look up to see his companion's eyes or even try to steal a kiss from his lips. Lee's eyes brightened up and he leaned in, closing the distance between the two without wasting any time at all.

Although, neither of them had kissed anybody before, and they were technically adults now; the contact didn't last for long, and both of them were blushing deeply as silence fell between the two, enough so they could distinguish the distant groans of monsters from inside Simplewood. But that was the last thought on their minds; instead, Neji grabbed Lee's shirt and supported himself on it to give him another kiss, enjoying the taste of his lips against his own and how his companion carefully wrapped his waist with his arms. The brunet could feel his heart beating so quickly that he was afraid that it would explode at any moment…

Until Lee pulled away, with a goofy smile decorating his face at all times.

"Neji, do you want to go on?" he asked, more as a plea than as a question, with a soft tone so nobody but his companion would be able to hear his words.

It didn't take much to give an answer to that. Neji guided Lee back to his farm to finish what they had started, where he paid no mind as his clothes were removed with haste– they kept exchanging more and more kisses through the night, and something more, until both of them ended up laying side by side on the brunet's bed without exchanging many words.

It was getting a bit cold, so he got comfortable closer to his lover, his ear placed carefully on Lee's chest so as to not make him uncomfortable. Only then did the brunet talk again, in a barely audible voice.

"Why do you like talking with me so much? Even when I ignore you, you… keep coming back, Lee," Neji whispered, relaxing with the soothing rhythm of Lee's heartbeats. "I don't get it. Why do you love me so much?"

Silence. His companion caressed his back in small soothing circles, stealing a kiss or two from him before saying anything, chuckling at the brunet's confused expression as if it was a joke of sorts.

"You really do not remember, do you? Before you disappeared, you, um– Neji, you defended me from someone," Lee whispered, his gaze falling on his companion's eyes for a couple of moments before he went on. "From the Poppyhill boy, remember? Gaara, was it?"

Neji had vague memories of it all, yet he never thought it would be a big deal– the stranger had visited the Vale with his siblings, and he picked on Lee to get strawberries off his hands. Nobody was doing anything but stare, so the brunet jumped in and–

Hizashi didn't let him get out of the farm for a whole week, but it was worth it to give justice to the little black haired boy who just wanted to make a friend or two. Neji hadn't even noticed that it was Lee himself due to the many changes his hair had suffered in the couple of years that he had been missing.

Goddesses, had he really not only remembered that, but tried to befriend him once Neji had returned to the farm? His insistence made sense now, although his companion fell asleep before they could talk further.

And just like that, Neji realized that his heart had been won after so much time of Lee trying to become his friend, yet there was something he couldn't deny; Lee would die before his soul faded, and the pain… seeing how cute his companion was while being asleep was like a weight taken off his chest, somehow.

Thirty years– that was all the time that they would have together, until Neji turned fifty and his soul immediately left his body. Every time that he got defeated in Simplewood or when he messed up with Fae creatures his lifespan got reduced, and soon an idea formed in his mind:

To not waste his life anymore. The few years he had together with Lee must be worth it, for his heart had never loved anyone else except his cousin and his father, and both were gone from his life now; it would be better to stay there with the other boy, forgetting about the rest of the world and his tasks and just… enjoy himself for once.

For now, Neji would rest on his arms, allowing exhaustion to take place and make him forget about the troubles he would soon ignore.

That wasn't their last meeting– quite the opposite. For countless days both boys met, and in a couple of years they decided to finally settle down together; they spent more time with the other than alone, anyways, so it wouldn't be a drastic change.

And so the wedding ritual began; a white flower that Lee gave Neji on the first day of the week, and then the gathering of three charmweed, an egg and then some flour– the brunet helped his fiancée prepare the Pie of You and I, needed to exchange for the wedding rings that the priest would give them so they could get wed with the Goddesses' approval.

And with the blooming colors of Spring, Neji and Lee were made husbands, with only four people assisting to the ceremony– Kakashi, Gai, Tenten and Hinata, who had decided to give her cousin another chance. A couple of gifts and congratulations were given, and then the newly made husbands were left alone for the rest of the day.

Lee was more than familiar with the farm's structure, and it didn't take him long to make himself home in a spare wardrobe that Neji had laying around; he actually managed to repair it, and even put some extra shelves for the things he used to workout and get stronger. The brunet was interested in his training equipment, and Lee was more than happy to teach him how to use every single item correctly.

Days went by without much happening– they cooked together, took care of crops and the few animals Hizashi had left behind, and the black haired man sometimes even helped his spouse fish in the most remote places one could imagine.

They talked to the other, even if there was nothing that they didn't know of their partner at that point; Lee told him of how he had been adopted by his dads from a young age alongside Tenten, and Neji admitted that his uncle had stolen him from his parents' watch just to drop him at the shoe with his cousin, Hiashi's own daughter.

By disappearing, he had left Hinata all alone, and that was why she was so angry at him. The brunet had never said it out loud, but he tried to make up an excuse for his absence– kidnapping by some fae, he told Lee, which wasn't technically the truth but also not a complete lie.

His husband had believed him without any kind of doubt, and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead to try and show his support. Neji hugged him in response and they stayed like that, keeping each other company until they saw a chicken enter the house when she should be outside. They laughed and chased her around, making sure the bird left and didn't invade again.

Life was calm, and somehow Neji always managed to find stuff to do in the farm or on the bulletin boards, still ignoring the dark woods and other dangerous places like Woemarsh. He managed to save a good amount of brass, so there would always be warm food on their table– and maybe, just maybe, he could buy and run a shop… he would need to discuss it with his partner.

Either way, they would still need to figure out who to hire as staff. A better plan was needed if they did decide to do something with their brass– for now, they would keep saving for their future, perhaps to later have a child or two if the rabbit corndoll gave them any luck.

Before he even realized, the last day of Winter had arrived once again, and Fairweather decided to pay him a visit after a long period of silence.

He had entered his dreams, just like it was usual of the hare to do, and offered him countless goods– a necklace to get more brass by selling items, a clock… but there was a catch; every item bought implied spending years of life on it, and he already had few of those.

"I don't want your things. I want to let time pass by naturally," Neji exclaimed, crossing his arms against his chest, not looking at the magic items even once.

Fairweather stared at him, moving his ears to the sides before making up a response, his voice sending shivers to the brunet's back.

"You really love that man, don't you, human? But he'll die, just like everyone else in Quill– you won't die anytime soon, however," the hare exclaimed, eyes fixed on Neji's for a moment before he saved everything under his cape. "Remember your immortality, Neji. Don't get too attached to mortals!"

And just like that, he woke up in the middle of the night, hiding in his husband's arms without saying anything just to try and fall asleep once again.

Neji kept ignoring any attempt made by the hare of forcing him to waste his life, and instead he decided to spend his days with Lee, farming or foraging stuff to cook and later sell at goods market or stores. His husband and him ended up deciding to later buy one of the stores in their village, but they couldn't leave their house for now– they were waiting for something.

The stork would pay them a visit soon, for the rabbit corndoll had worked after many months of trying. In Quill, couples of any gender could get children with the help of the Goddesses, but they didn't carry them on their bellies like it used to happen in the distant past; that's why a literal bird would visit them with a small bundle, where a kid slept peacefully until they arrived to their destination.

There was no need for both of them to be present when their child arrived, but both men were excited– it was like a miracle, for they were going to stop trying until they got lucky with their last attempt. And now, someone had to be present by the time the stork arrived, because… they didn't really trust the farm's Brounie with such responsibility. It was better to take care of things on their own.

"Neji, look! It is there!" Lee announced, running outside as he saw the stork flying down, landing with elegance in front of their doorstep with the small bundle on its beak.

Neji carefully took the baby, and his eyes brightened up– it was a little boy, almost identical to Lee but with his eye shape. An almost perfect copy of one of his parents, who was already crying and couldn't hold his son in fear of accidentally falling. The brunet didn't even realize when he had started to talk to the baby, but he noticed that his son chuckled at his words, not even understanding but liking his voice anyways.

"How shall we name him, Lee?" Neji asked, his gaze never leaving the boy, who he had now placed near his chest to let him rest on him without problem.

"Well… we will get the blacksmith, right? What if we call him Metal? I know it is silly, but it could work!" Lee replied with a grin and excitement in his voice, hugging his husband before talking again. "But I am just suggesting! You can choose, too."

"Metal. I like how it sounds… our son will have a special name," the brunet replied, leaning into the embrace while making sure Metal wasn't hurt at any moment.

And so they began trying to buy a store, in order to give their son a good life and anything he would ever need.

A deal was made with Zabuza and Haku after a while, and they decided to sell their blacksmith for a good amount of brass to Neji, who was later reminded of someone who had been learning the art of smiting for many years– Tenten, who gladly accepted the position at the forge with a huge grin on her face.

She was a good worker and liked talking with the brunet, who was in charge of selling whatever she crafted and organizing the finances of their shop. It didn't take long for 'The Misty Sword Smith' (name given by the previous owners) rose in popularity among all Quill residents, and even some fae visited from different realms, always leaving a good tip to the workers.

Lee was in charge of finding good ores whenever Neji and Tenten were too busy with work, and he liked to bring little Metal to see his family when it was time to give the different minerals to the blacksmith. He was a curious baby, always looking at everything with wide eyes and chuckling whenever Neji made funny faces or carried him in his arms while dealing with annoying people.

"Do you like it here? Do you?" he asked his son with a soft voice even though Metal was too young to say anything, instead receiving giggles in response. It was almost closing time, so there was nobody around at that hour. "You're so happy."

"He loves being with his dad! And I feel the same way," Lee commented, wrapping his husband with his arm and giving him a kiss, grinning at the feeling that Neji returned the gesture.

Then, the brunet felt something tugging on his shirt, and turned to see that his child was trying to get his attention. He carried him again and hugged him, smiling at seeing Metal slowly fall asleep between his arms– his chest felt warm by how happy he was, and Neji didn't want anything else in the world that the peace that his family brought him just by being there for him.

And just like every year, the trees became bare and the wind became colder with snow, and yet another Winter took place in Quill. Neji didn't think much of it, going on with his life as usual, waking up his husband and son with the smell of fresh food and a warm hug to both Metal and Lee, who both chuckled and grinned in the same way no matter how much time passed.

The Kynseed had grown older with the years, and so did the family of three– Metal wasn't a little toddler anymore, in fact, he was a young man now. But he would always be their little boy, no matter how much he complained.

Soon their day had to begin, and the younger man went to take care of the crops as he usually did, as Neji got ready for work and Lee kept him company for a while before he had to leave. It was then that his husband leaned to the brunet to tell him something in a soft tone, as a whisper.

"I have something nice planned for tomorrow, love. Metal will go visit Houki and Mitsuki after our lunch, and then we will have the rest of the day for ourselves," Lee whispered in his ear, and the brunet couldn't help but chuckle, not needing more words to understand what would happen on the following day.

"But why tomorrow? You could surprise me today," Neji argued, although there was a playful smile on his face, increased only by his husband's confused expression. "What?"

"Neji, tomorrow is your birthday! You turn fifty– that is why we must celebrate!"

For a moment, the brunet grinned, kissing his partner without saying anything else– it would be just another birthday, and things would go on as normal, so why bother worrying about anything else?

… at least, that's what Neji believed at first. Until a memory appeared on his mind, of a fae hare covered in leaves smiling at him in an odd way, of ignoring anything dangerous just to spend more time with his loved ones without thinking of strange things such as immortality.

He couldn't ignore it for longer– it was too late for him.

"... I'll die tomorrow, my dear," Neji whispered to Lee, his gaze falling on the ground as he talked. His husband tilted his head to the side and chuckled, thinking it was some kind of joke, but the brunet wasn't even smiling in the slightest. "I'm serious, Lee. It's… complicated fae stuff, and– my soul will leave my body. I'll be here, but I won't be me."

The other man seemed more confused than anything else, and he decided to hug the brunet before talking once again.

"But how? And why?" Lee asked, his gaze showing both sadness and confusion, hugging his husband with his eyes fixed on the shorter man.

"That's why I disappeared for a while after we met– a fae said it was my destiny, and he gave me a contract to sign," Neji replied, letting out a soft sigh afterwards. He went on. "I never expected to fall in love with anyone. I… I regret it now, but it can't be changed. I'm so sorry."

There was silence between the two, and neither man wanted to speak first– and so it soon was time for Neji to go to the blacksmith, work until late in the day and probably not see his partner until he got back.

He could do nothing to change his fate, albeit he wished there was something, anything– but life wasn't fair to anyone, let alone him. Fairweather was probably laughing on his realm, knowing how hurt the husbands were without any way of staying together.

Technical, they could. But Neji would be on his child's body; neither Lee or him would be comfortable continuing their relationship that way. But how could he know what the other man would do afterwards? They probably would come up with a plan the following day.

It was time to go home, with night falling behind him– Neji knew how his fate would change once the clock hit midnight, and he almost dreaded coming back to the farm.

His family received him with open arms, with herring soba and other delicious food on the table, ready to be eaten easily. Metal had wondered why they were going to celebrate early, but didn't mind too much. Lee hugged the brunet as if he would leave the place forever– in a way, that was true, yet neither man wanted to say it out loud.

A way to avoid destiny, perhaps. They acted as if nothing would happen, having fun and talking late into the night, stomachs full with different dishes by the time they went to bed.

Neji leaned towards his partner, who hugged him without saying much, gently caressing his long hair and stealing kisses from him every now and then.

Neji finally closed his eyes after countless minutes, becoming small on his husband's arms in complete silence– everything would be okay for as long as he could be with Lee, no matter how long or short their time together would be. He wouldn't leave once his soul possessed Metal, and they would take care of the farm and the blacksmith just like they had done for many years.

It would be okay, or so he wanted to believe as the pain of his joints disappeared once he woke up in a bed that wasn't his own, in a body that wasn't his. Neji looked around the house in hopes of seeing his husband, but all he saw was his own corpse where he had fallen asleep in the previous night– something in his heart ached at seeing himself like that, skin cold to the touch even if the Summer warmth wouldn't have allowed it in a normal occasion.

He really had died, and his soul was now on his son's body no matter how strange that seemed in his eyes. It would be confusing for a while, and surely in no time Neji would get used to his new appearance and to his only child's absence; where was the true Metal? Pinehaven? He would need to ask Fairweather about him, but the hare would probably make him pay with part of his lifespan for information.

Anyways. He had to look for his husband now, wherever he had decided to hide… but first, a full mailbox caught his attention, and usually the townspeople gave him free stuff so Neji decided to check what was going on first.

A letter from Tenten, one from Naruto and, on the farthest part of the box… was an envelope that only said 'Lee' on the front.

Fuck, was all that the brunet could think of, ignoring everything else to check what had been written by his husband– it could be anything, and for him to feel the need to give it like that… something bad was going to happen soon. He had to know what Lee had written in the paper, who knew what he was willing to do?

It said:

'Dear Neji,

I love you with all of my heart, and I hope you keep in mind as you read this. You told me that you were going to change bodies, or something, but… Neji, it will be better if I am not here to watch it happen.

I will die, anyways. I do not want you to go through that pain– it will happen. And if I am not with you, I am afraid being alive makes no sense. Please forgive me, love.'

And then nothing but emptiness, for Lee didn't need to be explicit with what he was going to do– there was only one place that the man would go, for suicide would guarantee a chaotic afterlife, and nobody in Quill wanted that to happen. Being killed by a monster would be the best option.

No matter how fast his legs moved, he would never catch up to Lee– he was faster, stronger and knew the intricate paths of Simplewood better than Neji himself did. He dodged every single creature that got in his way, avoiding fights just to get to his husband without problem; nothing else mattered to him in those moments apart from seeing him safe and sound, wherever he was.

At one point, he managed to distinguish a familiar black hair from between the bushes and he couldn't help it but smile– it faded away in mere seconds, seeing how bloody his husband was, for he hadn't even bothered to bring a shield or a sword to fight and was instead sitting down without moving at all.

"Lee! Stop it!" Neji exclaimed, and he could hear his son's voice coming out from his lips in the first words he said out loud in that new body. He bit his lower lip at seeing Lee turn around and just… smile at him in an apologetic way, eyes closed and ready to allow beasts to destroy his body with no effort.

It didn't take long for the brunet (no, he had black hair just like Lee now) to slash every living creature that tried to attack his partner, but soon he realized it was too late to save him.

No matter what he tried to do, Lee's bleeding didn't stop, not even with the help of healing cream and countless bandages– Neji could feel tears falling from his eyes, desperation taking over his soul as he saw that his husband was going to die in his arms.

And nothing could be done to change his fate.

"Neji, leave me," Lee ordered in mere whispers, barely audible in the middle of the forest and even then Neji refused to obey. "I… I will die anyway. I do not want you to suffer later on."

"No, Lee! Please, stay with me…" Neji mumbled, but his words went unheard– the shine of his husband's eyes had faded right after he had said that, and there was no pulse on his neck anymore, almost as if he had waited to say that before finally dying without waiting to get help.

It was as if the world had turned gray, and not only because of an approaching storm– Neji felt some kind of blockage on his chest as he managed to carry Lee out of Simplewood and into a fae gateway, not knowing what else to do.

Rain fell on his shoulders as he carried his lover back to his farm, falling instead of all the tears repressed on his eyes, knowing that he would never wake up again. Tenten saw him and ran towards him, calling him by a name that wasn't his and a worried expression on her face– Neji couldn't comprehend what she said, what Kakashi and Gai said with only sadness showing through their eyes.

"Metal, I'm so sorry… you– you need to go inside, you might get sick," the black haired man exclaimed, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to bring him some kind of comfort.

He said nothing as his family guided him to his home and helped him carry Lee, and it was then that they discovered a second dead body on the same day. Everyone tried to soothe his pain, but Neji had a never-ending hole in his chest that nothing would ever fill back up again, numb towards the world in the middle of his grief as the entire Vale walked to the graveyard to start the funeral.

There wasn't much else to say or do. Death had taken his husband, and now it was time to say goodbye, go on with his immortal life as if nothing had ever happened. As if nothing had ever happened, and his home had been vacant apart from himself–

"I love you, Lee. I hope the Goddesses treat you right," Neji muttered to himself, his heart feeling heavy with his new voice. His eyes cried for both Metal and Lee as his husband's (and his own) body submerged under the funeral pool of the graveyard, only to never be seen ever again.

His heart became as gelid as ice itself, and Neji never allowed anyone to warm it up, barely even talking to Lee's family even though they didn't know it was him and not his son. Only to Tenten due to their shared job at the blacksmith, yet in the end she ended up passing away as time went by.

He couldn't recognize anyone from the Vale anymore– everyone who had originally inhabited it had died, including his old body. It was hard to find someone to cover her spot, and he had to close his shop no matter how hard he tried to save it.

The shop he had bought in his previous life, where he had spent countless hours with his family– the memories of the past haunted his soul and Neji found himself avoiding the entire place, focusing on battling and fishing as if nothing else was important in life. Ignoring the dusty collection of books that his soulmate had gathered with the passing of the years, only sparing a quick glance to clean the yellowing pages before they crumbled to dust.

Neji didn't have the heart to bother about anything at all, and he barely spoke with anyone that wasn't the old lady of The Shoe and his adopted offspring– nothing was worth his attention in his eyes, and it remained that way for hundreds of years until his contract with Fairweather came to an end.

#nejilee #leeneji #neji hyuga #rock lee #naruto #kynseed

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thebloomingpetals · 1 month

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FFXIV Fanfic : Luz to Gris Chapter 1

“ When am I going to see the warrior of Light, Jericho?” asked Azucena.

We were walking in the depths of the forest for about a week and that was the only question she eagerly awaited the answer for.

“ Soon,” I said

I wasn’t to sure since Florence always moved around non-stop. Just when she’s at one location, word goes around that she’s on the other bloody side of the map. Ironic that she hasn’t found a permanent place to stay. I wonder if she has a damn expensive bounty on her head. She is clearly wanted dead by her enemies, I cannot afford knowing if I ever worked with one of them. However, I better be bloody sure that she’s here in Mor Dhona.

Thankfully the Twelve blessed us on our expedition. Barely any dangerous trails or toads were upon our paths. Ya know if we had encountered a giant toad, Azucena would more than likely tried to pet the damn thing.

I found Azucena-what- nearly 4 years ago? I believe by the Eastern Border of Ishgard where a tundra thrived. She was underneath a tree bare with the exception of her curly raven locks covering her. She doesn’t have any memory or life prior to finding her. I get headaches for trying to puzzle all her quirks and traits of her racial origin or ethnicity. Elf, or human? Anyway , I have been showing her the ropes of self defense and basic manners. God I hope I good enough before handing her over to the Scions, let alone Florence.

I didn’t mind taking her underneath my wing, no-pun intended. However there is nothing more I can give her. Florence has everything as her disposal. Everything but a home. Despite that she is more stable than I will ever be. A better fighter, great reputation and a role-model that Azucena can look up too. Everything at the palm of her hands. Everything that Azucena wants and needs. Everything.

She deserves it. It’s been a long journey to get her a home or anywhere in general. Amnesia never did her any favors but create hardship to get herself established anywhere. She’s not a citizen nor child, it’s impossible for anyone in higher power to legally give her an identity. Orphanages, and churches offered her breadcrumbs of support. Azucena did scare a couple children a few times, but that cannot be the main reason we’ve been turned away from refuge. Although a thought comes into mind but I refuse to consider my appearance be a contributing factor.

“Are those buildings?” said Azucena.

I struggle to pull out my compass and map. It bloody is Mor Dhona!

“Last one’s a rotten chocobo egg,” I told her as I was beginning to sprint.

~~~

“If you intend to meet Mistress No Choir, she is at Ishgard handling many private inquiries. If you want, I can send her a letter per your requests.”

What’s worse than a regular Lalafel? One that’s an accountant.

No one mentioned that the Scions were completely fine with these critters. Thankfully that's something I don’t have to worry about, they’ll accept Azucena with ease.

“ She is aware that I was arriving soon to meet up with her. I sent a letter recently.” I frustratly explained.

“ That letter is in our records Miss-from 7 months 3 weeks and 2 days ago. No formal arrangements were ever made.”

Fuuuuuck meeee.

“ Ok, um.... what can we do to see her then?”

Tataru started listing all of the formal and informal ways I can meet up with my old comrade.I almost died on several occasions and faced impossible challenges, this one conversation almost made it to my top of my list.

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i-cant-sing · 2 years

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Yandere Royal Gay AU pt 4

Part 1 can be found here.

Part 2 can be found here.

Part 3 can be found here.

Check out my MASTERLIST for more!

"And then your father threw the biggest tantrum because he wanted to be the "princess in distress" for once rather than the hero." Rei said, as she combed your hair. Everyone besides grandpa Enji were in your room at the Palace. Uncle Natsuo was lying on your bed while Fuyumi went through your closet, tutting at all the "old" clothes (old because you'd only worn them once).

You laughed, looking up at Rei. "No way! Dad became a princess?!"

Natsuo scoffed. "He tried! But Fuyumi started choking him. If dad wasn't there to pry her off, she probably would've killed Dabi- OW! FUYUMI!" Fuyumi smiled after pinching Natsuo's arm. They both began bickering right in front of you.

You giggled watching your uncle and aunty being absolute children. "Can I ask you something?"

Rei hummed, kissing your forehead. "Of course, honey. What do you wanna know?"

"What was it like when dad got his quirk?"

The room fell silent. No one talked about quirks, let alone mention the word in front of you. Mainly because you hadn't developed one.

It's quite an anomaly because Dabi has a very powerful fire quirk, and your mother had a strong water quirk. And yet, neither quirk was passed down to you.

It's not uncommon for people to not have quirks. No. But its quite important for the future Queen of the kingdom, and the only heir of King Dabi to have a quirk. Any quirk at all.

Even though most people get their quirks by the age of 7, the kingdom's subjects say that you're just a "late bloomer". They're very hopeful people.

When none of them spoke, you looked at them with a pout. "Oh come on! It's not like I've asked for a kidney! Please tell me-" you looked at Rei and jutted your bottom lip. "-grandma~"you whined.

She sighed. "Alright. I'll tell you." You huddled up next to her on the bed and she began telling the very fond memory of the day Dabi got his quirk. She'll never forget how proud Enji was when he looked at Dabi's blue flames.

Obviously, you felt the pressure of developing a quirk, but it was your grandpa who you wanted to please the most. Even though Enji has never said anything about quirks, and told you that you're perfect and just as capable of ruling as anyone with quirks, you still felt sad that you'd somehow disappointed him.

Not to mention how guilty you feel for your father. I mean, the whole reason Dabi married your late mother was because Enji forced him to, saying that he'll benefit from having a heir with a powerful quirk. Only for him to end up with you- a quirkless child.

It's another thing that none of them will ever allow you to feel guilty, much less say anything depreciating about yourself. Anyone else who says anything but praises, is simply a traitor to the king and must be executed.

The next day, you wake up early to prepare yourself for your small tradition with Enji- hunting. It's just a small interest that you share with your grandpa; whoever finds the prey first, decides what happens to it. If you find it, it's obviously gonna be going in your royal pet sanctuary. If Enji finds it first, it's gonna be dinner.

"So what's today's target?" You asked Enji, your horse walking next to his and his guards staying behind.

"Its a chicken."

"A chicken? Really?"

Enji grinned. "Its a special kind. It's pink and it lays pink eggs. They're quite exquisite."

"Woah- wait, you've ate one before?"

"Hmm. They were a gift from Empress Momo- how is she doing these days?"

You sighed. "I don't know, I haven't gotten letters from her since she doesn't know I'm here. Which is good, because she sends A LOT of letters."

Enji raised a brow. "Really? What does she say?"

Your face scrunched up in frustration. "Its exhausting. She keeps on inviting me to her Palace but she knows dad won't let me stay for a sleepover! She keeps on trying to bribe me with fancy gowns and jewels, but if I'm being honest, I don't even wanna go there myself, even if dad did let me go."

"Oh. Why is that?"

"I don't know... but I'm not comfortable around her. She stares at me- a lot, and she's very short tempered. She always has been. One time when we were kids, I was playing at her place with Katsuki, but I guess I didn't give her enough attention because the next second she was dragging me out of the room and she pinched me a couple of times before locking me in her closet." You laughed. "Izuku and Tomura had to come and save me. Her mom, Empress Miruko was so embarrassed and she was furious at Momo. I'm sure she got a lecture that day."

"Oh I remember that day. Your grandmother was so mad that someone had dared to hurt her grandchild, she wrote a mean letter to the Empress, threatening war if Momo ever did something like this again." Enji smiled, happy that his wife did the right thing. He was glad that Rei is just as protective of you as he is.

You nodded and smiled along, not wanting to tell Enji that Momo did still get angry and vengeful when things didn't go her way. Only instead of pinching your arm, she now pinches your butt... painfully. Like the last time when she made you dress up into something she said was "traditional clothing of the empress's clan" but felt more like something so revealing that Momo's concubines would wear in bed. Anyways, she had you lie on her bed and pose because she wanted to paint you- and Momo was a very skillful painter. She never let's you see the end results though, simply saying that it's bad and she's going to burn it later.

Anyways, when she was painting you, she slowly started getting irritated because apparently you weren't "still" enough for her. So she stalked over to you and pinched your butt hard enough for you to mewl an apology and promise that you'll do better. She let go with a satisfied look on her face, and you've been avoiding going over to her place since.

You decided not to talk that story to anyone because 1. This is not something you tell your grandparents. Harmless little jokes. You know how protective your family is. 2. As weird as she is, Momo is a good friend. And more than that, she's also a good ruler. You look upto her, like a younger sibling would.

"There!" Enji yelled as he saw the chicken run into the woods. He readied his bow and aimed at it, only for his heart to drop when you walked right in the path of his released arrow.

Fortunately, you catched the arrow with you shield- a new trick you'd learned, something that Dabi and Enji both hated because of the scare it gave them, but neither said anything because its good your reflexes are fast enough to catch an enemy's arrow.

Not that they'd ever let you participate in a war.

While you were busy hunting the pink chicken, Tomura had been called by Rei.

"My Queen, Princess Y/n's servant, Tomura is here-" the guard was cut off by Rei motioning for him to let him in.

"Your Highness." Tomura bowed.

"Tomura. Come, I wanted to talk to you." Rei said as she continued stitching an embroidery for your dress. Tomura walked closer.

"Now, I've heard that there's been... some tension between my son and Y/n. What's that about? And don't leave anything out, I'll know."

So... Tomura told her what had happened. From the prank you pulled by burning all of Keigo's clothes, to Dabi punishing you by giving your dead mother's clothes to Keigo, to being scolded for leaving the castle to visit your mother's grave without informing him.

He told her everything, but Tomura was careful not to tell her about "the proposal". That would not be useful to bring up now.

"I see." Rei sighed, tracing the embroidery that Tomura had done on your dress. She never really was fond of concubines. It's not that Keigo has wronged her somehow, it's just the whole concept of having extramarital affairs and sleeping around with these whores that she hates. Its not a jealousy thing, its just that Rei knows how concubines have the power to easiky drive a wedge in a family, willingly or not.

Its one of the reasons why Rei doesn't visit her Dabi very often. Her son has a harem that he will not disintegrate because she said so, and she simply can't bare to see your sad face when he sleeps around with them. That's why Rei tends to invite you to her palace as often as she can. It's too bad that your father is just as possessive of you and not willing to always send you over to hers.

To be honest, Rei can't believe that Dabi would actually put his bed warmer before you.

"I'll have to talk to him, and don't worry, I won't mention your name." Tomura nodded gratefully, before getting up to leave.

"Tomura."

He stopped.

"Thank you. For taking care of Y/n. I hope you will continue to do so."

Tomura gave a reassuring smile. "Till my last breath."

Keigo was straddling Dabi's lap in the throne room when a servant announced Barbarian Bakugo had come. Keigo gave one last kiss to Dabi before shuffling off his lap and standing by the side.

"Let him in."

Katsuki and his fellow barbarians walked inside the throne room and bowed as soon as they wear in front of the King.

"Rise." Dabi rested his head on his hand, looking bored. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Bakugou?" Keigo quietly snickered at the word "pleasure". He knew Dabi didn't like the brash blonde. He was too rough and too loud for them- and for you. He was a barbarian, he simply did not mix well them.

"My King, I brought you some gifts. Just some gems and jewels I got from my... expedition." One of the fellow barbarians brought the chest of jewels to Dabi, who only hummed in partial satisfaction.

"Hmm. And what's that for?" Dabi pointed at the animal behind him.

"Oh these are huskies. I found them in the Arctic. I was gonna kill them and sell their fur, but I thought the Princess would like them instead. And speaking of- where is the Princess?" Katsuki asked, eyes looking around for signs of you, since you'd appear out of thin air if you found an animal in a 1 mile radius.

Keigo finally burst out laughing, and Dabi chuckled a bit as well. Bakugo furrowed his brows as his face reddened. "What?" He didn't understand why they were laughing.

Dabi wiped a fake tear from his eye. "Oh nothing, Bakugo. It's just- I think it's funny you went through all this trouble just to ask where Y/n is. I mean, you only came here because your letters weren't being replied to and you wanted to see whether she's ran away or I've trapped her in the high tower." Dabi smirked as Bakugo's eyes went wide at being caught red handed. "You rarely ever come to see me. So that begs the question-

Are you using me to get to Y/n?"

"No." Bakugou said immediately, a little surprised that he replied without stuttering. "I would never use you, my King. I simply know you hold your daughter the dearest. Pleasing her would please you."

"It would." Dabi replied, eyes still sharp.

"I need your favour to support my clan. You give us support in finance, we give you support in wars. Besides, the princess and I are good enough friends to know our likes and dislikes. If I see something she'll like, I'll bring it. Otherwise she'll wage war on me over a litter of kittens I didn't give her, when she become Queen."

Dabi smiled lazily. "Sounds like my girl." He stood up from his throne. "Y/n is visiting her grandparents. That's why she hasn't been able to answer your letters. She'll return soon, so don't worry."

Bakugo could only watch as Dabi left the throne room, and Keigo began to follow but not before whispering in the blonde's ear.

"I'm only telling you this because you're a good friend of Y/n, and a loyal ally to us- don't think about having any romantic relationship with the Princess. The King will... not support it." Keigo smiled as Bakugo's face showed comprehension of the threat.

"Ah, Keigo. You're back." Dabi said as he signed off on some official documents.

"I am. And with a letter." Keigo waved the envelope with royal seal. "From your mother."

Dabi took the letter from him and broke the seal open hurriedly. It's been a few days since he last heard from you, he's excited to see what you've been up to.

He sat back on his chair while Keigo began pouring him some wine. But when he turned around, instead of seeing joy on Dabi's face, he saw confusion before his face contorted to anger.

"What's wrong?" Keigo inquired, walking over to his lover's side but Dabi stood up and threw the letter down.

"How dare she?" Dabi whispered, disbelief and hurt swirling in his eyes, but fury overpowered any and all feelings. Keigo picked up the letter as Dabi paced back and forth. "How dare she use my mother against me? How dare she tell her lies and portray me as the bad guy?"

Keigo furrowed his brows in confusion. "I don't understand-"

"Y/n told mom about the clothing incident, Keigo! She did it on purpose because she knows mom doesn't approve of you, and she's using her to turn me against you!"

The winged man shook his head. "No, no. Y/n wouldn't do that, you know she isn't one to air our dirty laundry. You know she would never make our problems known to the world-"

"How naive could you possibly be, Keigo?" Dabi said with an apathetic laugh. "She hates you and she hates me. She's stopped calling me "dad", suddenly acting like she's only a royal subject, and the moment she goes to her grandparents, she cries to them about all the "terrible stuff" we've done to her."

Keigo remained silent, its no use talking to Dabi once he's made his mind.

"So what are you gonna do about it? Your mother has asked you to go there and make up with your daughter. I'll start packing your-"

"No."

"No?"

"No. I'll write her a letter. And I'll write one Y/n too."

"So, how does it feel losing to a young girl?" You grinned as you ate dinner.

Enji smiled. "Amazing. Just goes to show what an amazing ruler you'll be one day." He said before putting more food on your plate.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie!" Rei praised from across the table, before smacking her spoon on Enji's hand. "And I can't believe you'd made her chase a bird, Enji! What if she'd tripped and fell!?"

Enji just nodded along and even gave a small apology just to soothe his wife, giving her palm a kiss, making Rei blush and stop being mad at Enji.

You wished your parents were like this.

Speaking of, a servant came with letters in his hand. He gave most of them to Enji, 3 to Rei, and 1 was addressed to you.

"Oh who's it from?" Rei inquired.

You recognised his seal. "Its from Dad."

Rei and Enji smiled warmly at you. Tomura had told you that Rei was going to try and mend your relationship with your father, even though you initially thought it was a bad idea because you didn't want Dad to think you went and snitched to grandma. But seeing his letter, you suppose perhaps things were going to get better.

"Well go on, darling. Open it! In fact, I got one from him too, so lets open it together." You broke the seal and began reading, as Rei read hers.

But soon, you were both frowning at the words. "What? What's wrong?" Enji asked Rei. "He declined my invitation, said he'll handle things himself." She whispered, Dabi rarely ever declined when Rei invited him. When they both looked at you, you had tears in your eyes.

"Y/n? Doll? Say something, you're worrying us-" but you quickly got up and threw the letter in the fireplace before rushing out of the room as tears fell free from your eyes.

Enji and Rei could only share a worried look as they realise that things between you and Dabi mai have gotten worse.

You'd fled to your room crying your heart out. How could your own father doubt you? How could he think so low of you? Did he really think you'd go to grandma and try to turn her against him? Does he not know you at all?

It's probably his whore who's been spewing shit against me.

But then again, shouldn't your own father be able to defend you? You can only blame Keigo to an extent, because deep down, you know your father isn't one to be easily manipulated.

You quickly wiped your tears when you heard someone knock on your door.

"Come in."

Tomura walked in and bowed. "Princess, should I prepare for your day out tomorrow with Prince Natsuo-"

"No. Pack our stuff. We're going back home tomorrow." You said curtly. Tomura only nodded as he walked over to your closet and began pulling put your clothes, pretending not to notice your dried up tears.

There was a comfortable silence between you two, and even though he was facing away from you, you could feel like Tomura was watching you, yet he didn't ask what was wrong. He always knew not to make you uncomfortable.

"Tomura?"

"Yes, princess?"

"Grandma and grandpa will be... upset because of our sudden departure. I need you to make up an excuse."

Tomura nodded. "I could say that you have an important guest coming and you need to attend to them."

You hummed. "Yes, that'll be good. Make sure our entourage is ready to leave tomorrow, but don't let word get out that we're leaving. I'll tell grandma and grandpa at breakfast."

"Of course. You need not worry."

You looked at your hands as Tomura swiftly packed your clothes.

"Tomura I-" you quieted down as you didn't know how to explain to him what was happening.

"You don't owe me an explanation, princess." He smiled reassuringly and you let out the breath of relief.

Unbeknownst to you, Tomura knows what has upset you. He's already read your letter before you, and he resealed it when you read it. He's been doing it for years, so it's not that hard.

He doesn't feel guilty about it either. He views it as taking care of you. Its his job to protect you after all.

Even if it means protecting you from your father.

"I'm sorry for cutting our time so short." You said as you hugged your grandparents.

"We underst-" Enji was cut off by Rei.

"Its because of Dabi, isn't it? He's telling you to go back. That- that- that concubine of his must've-"

"We understand." Enji repeated, squeezing Rei's hand. He knows you're covering for Dabi with that "some important guest that needs my attendance" excuse, but he'll play along because he feels like Rei might've made things worse between you two.

They both kissed your cheeks and waved along with half the kingdom (who started to cry at your sudden departure but Enji shut them all up with one dark look) and you boarded the ship. Although you did come to the kingdom by the woods, you decided to return by water since the sea route would be the fastest way home, and speed was something you needed at the moment since Dabi had threatened to drag you back home. That's not what scared you. What scared you was the fact that he'd bring his whore along and then the whole kingdom would see your father places his slut above his daughter. And you simply wouldn't bare the humiliation.

"Where is she?" Dabi asked, pacing around his room as he wondered what new stunt you're trying to pull now. Did you not get his letter? Did you not understand his warning?

Keigo got up from the bed and hugged him from behind. "Dabi~" he kissed his ear. "Calm down. She should be here soon. There's no need to get angry at her-"

"Its been 5 days since I sent her that letter. She should've been here this morning."

"Maybe they're taking breaks along the way-"

"Then they should've been here now! At dinner!"

Keigo sighed. "Maybe she left late from your parents. You know they like to keep her later than usual."

Dabi narrowed his eyes. "Then she should've come up with an excuse. How will she ever rule this kingdom, if she can't even say no to people?"

"Dabi... dont let your anger get the better of you. She's a child, and she left completely pissed with us. I don't think it'll do us any good if we start scolding her for being late the moment she returns." Keigo said, rubbing his hands across Dabi's chest, smiling as he finally calmed down.

"Thank you." Dabi said, kissing the blonde. "How are you so calm though? Usually, it's you who's panicking all around?"

Keigo grinned. "You panicked enough for both of us. Also- I'm very drunk right now. I was way more worried about Y/n, so I drank. And drank, and drank."

Dabi chuckled, letting Keigo pull him back to bed and in for another round.

The entire palace was in shambles the next morning, servants running up and down, guards disappearing into thin air whenever they saw a glimpse of Dabi or Keigo.

Why?

Because you still weren't home.

Dabi and Keigo had woken up the next morning, expecting you to be waiting at breakfast for them and giving them loads of hugs and kisses for your time apart, maybe even apologise for being so distant.

Instead, Dabi broke the ceramic plate on the servant's head who informed them you hadn't returned. Fortunately, the poor servant escaped before Dabi threw his knife at him.

Now Dabi and Keigo left for Todoroki Kingdom with an army. Keigo prayed that they'd see you on the way, because if not, they'll have to ride all the way to his parents, and he has a feeling things will not go well there.

They arrived in Todoroki Kingdom by the next day, taking absolutely no breaks or stops, and no one had even seen your or your caravan on the way back.

The people werent expecting their former prince, but they all erupted in cheers at the sight of Dabi. Keigo could practically feel the death stares of the public as he rode behind Dabi. Guess they still hate him here.

But Dabi didn't bother waving to the people this time. No, he rode his horse towards the castle with a dark look on his face, silent fury on his face that screamed not to get in his way.

Enji and Rei were barely able to come to the stairs to greet him, as royal protocol states, but Dabi only walked past them and into the castle, calling your name loudly.

"Dabi- Dabi! What is the meaning of this?!" Rei asked, not impressed that he'd dropped royal protocol and didn't bother greeting them. It's a good thing he towers over her now, or else Rei would've pulled his ear.

"Where is she?" Dabi interrogated. "Where is she hiding? Where is my daughter?!"

Rei and Enji shared a confused look with each other. "I- what do you mean? Y/n left days ago."

Dabi narrowed his eyes. "Really? Then how come no one saw her in the woods going back?"

Rei chuckled. "Why of course they didn't see her! She left by the sea!" Dabi's eyes widened at that.

"What did you say?" Rei didn't understand Dabi's confusion, or the worried look on Enji's face.

"Hey- what's- what's wrong? She boarded the ship, we saw her leave-"

"Rei, the sea is the fastest route back. Y/n should've been back days ago." Rei's face dropped at Enji's explanation.

Dabi all but ran out of the castle, with his parents calling him.

"Wait, let us help-"

"You've done enough!" Dabi yelled as he climbed his horse and raced out of there, Keigo and the army following him.

They soon reached the docks and Dabi began yelling at the merchants to give him their ship. He was gonna find you himself.

Keigo had to physically halt Dabi and ask him what was going on.

And for the first time, he saw fear in Dabi's eyes. "She left by the sea, Keigo." The blonde's own breath hitched. You're 4 days too late. "I'm going after her, maybe- maybe they got lost- or in the middle of a battle with pirates-"

"Dabi, no. No, don't say that. She's fine- Our Y/n is fine. I-" He took a deep breath, clearing his mind. "You're going to check the waters, trace her route back home. I'll go through the woods again, I'll fly! Maybe she decided to take another route. We'll find her, Dabi. Repeat after me."

Dabi nodded. "Yes. We'll find her."

Keigo flew high and low, for hours in the heat and in the rain for any sign of you.

But it was all for naught.

When he returned home, he knew Dabi was back. But when the servants pointed him to the direction of the chapel, he knew bad news was coming from the gloomy looks on everyone's faces.

Keigo could feel his own heart beat as he walked towards the Chapel, the Holy place that he'd never seen Dabi ever come to. It was mostly for you to go, you liked to pray, often for your mother.

God, please don't let her be-

"Dabi?" Keigo's small voice echoed in the empty hall, but it was... haunting to see Dabi on his knees at the altar, his hands joined and head down in prayer.

He walked over to him, and Dabi finally looked up when Keigo placed his hand on his shoulder. "Dabi?" Keigo's heart sank at the sight of him. The King had tears running down his cheeks, his eyes red and hair dishevelled.

"Where... Where is Y/n?"

As beautiful as Dabi's lashes looked heavy with tears, they closed as his eyes scrunched up in pain.

"The ship... it sank." Dabi whispered the last part. "It sank, Keigo. A terrible storm had met them the day they left. The tides rode high, the ship hit something, and in a matter of seconds, the entire thing toppled over."

Keigo could feel his entire world crashing. The worst thing that could've happened- happened, a parents worst nightmare had came to life.

Their child dies.

But perhaps it was an angel, a blessing that made Keigo ask a question.

"Who told you this?"

Dabi looked at him in confusion. "What? I saw the ship wreck with my own eyes, Keigo."

There was a moment of silence.

"Did you see any bodies?"

"What?"

"Did you see any bodies?"

"No, I didn't find Y/n's-"

"Dabi, did you find any body?" Keigo asked, and Dabi looked only more confused. "Dont you see? How come there were no bodies? No survivors? If there was a storm to come, the Todoroki Kingdom has raised fine sailors, and Enji must've sent Y/n off with the most skilled captain and ship, and he would've definitely been able to not only detect the storm from miles away, but he would've safely maneuvered the ship through the storm too."

Hope began returning in Dabi's eyes. "I bet if we go back to the ship wreck, we won't be able to find any trace of anyone ever getting hurt or any distress. I bet that the only thing missing from the ship would be the small craft boats." Keigo said, watching as Dabi's senses began working again.

"You're right." Dabi said. "You're goddamn right! There were no bodies and no life boats! So they were most likely attacked and taken hostage!"

"Yeah, and you do have a lot of enemies. So you best start working on who has our baby."

Dabi smiled and nodded, kissing the blonde before they both left the chapel with renewed hope and determination.

Even though deep down, they knew this was all just speculation. But for their own sanity, and safety of others, they needed this false sense of hope.

You woke up to the sun hitting your face. All you remember was boarding the ship, then Tomura brought lunch and some special tea, and then your memory is hazy after that. And now you were in a boat.

You looked around and found you were lying in Tomura's lap, his arms securely around you, and your feet were in a maids lap, who was gently massaging them.

You pulled your feet away hastily, which caught everyone's attention. And that's when you saw your boat and two more boats, all filled with your entourage, who were currently bowing at you.

"I- Tomura, what's the meaning of this?" You asked getting off his lap and sitting opposite to him.

"Princess, this is part of the plan. Don't you remember?"

Oh the plan! The plan you'd been formulating for a long time, with letters to Emperor Kai for help and all. The plan to get away from Dabi and his murdering concubine for a while, or longer, until Davi realises your importance and that you've been telling the truth. And if he doesn't and continues to choose Keigo over you, then you're gone indefinitely.

"Of course, I remember. I meant, where are we right now?"

Tomura pointed ahead, where you could see the shore. "We're near. The land is here. Let's get off this boat, and then a brisk walk into the woods, we'll find him."

You nodded and then walked close to him, holding his hand as your knights and servants surrounded you and guarded you.

It was the first time you'd seen cherry blossoms, near the sea, but there were so many around you and it was kind of surreal. It was breathtaking actually, and you tried to take in your surroundings as much as you could. After all, cherry blossoms were your mother's favourite trees. She often talked about them, even asked Dabi if she could plant some, but he refused.

After about 20 minutes, you saw him. You squeezed Tomura's hand.

"Tomura... that's not Emperor Kai."

But Tomura only gave you a reassuring smile, as did the man in front of you. He had an army of knights behind him, all eagerly waiting for the next order.

The man got off his horse and began walking towards you. He stopped when you backed up a bit. That's when Tomura spoke.

"Princess, I introduce you to his royal Highness, King AFO. Your grandfather."

You blacked out for a second.

"W-what?" You looked back and forth between the two men. The more you looked at the king and his army, the more you recognised some familiar elements. Like the colours your mother always wore, or the little flag she kept hidden in her room, only you were able to see it.

"I-" you let out a small gasp before bowing down quickly. How could've you forgotten protocol!?

The King chuckled as he pulled you up by your shoulders, his eyes scanning your face as they memorised your features, his hand gently cupping your cheek.

"You're just like her." His eyes were full of tears, as were yours when you realised he was referring to your mother.

"I- I don't- I don't understand." You furrowed your brows. "If you're my grandfather, then why didn't you ever come to visit? Or even sent a letter?"

He smiled sadly. "I tried to my dear, many times. But your father wouldn't let me. Each time I tried to establish some form of contact with you, he'd put my efforts down. But then he threatened- he threatened to wage war." AFO looked down. "I didn't care about the blood loss that it would cause but I was afraid- I was afraid he'd do something terrible to you, just like he did to my daughter."

Your eyes widened. Did dad actually do that? It's no surprise that he hated your mother and anything associated with her, so he mightve kept you from your maternal grandfather. Hell, the only reason Dabi kept you around was likely because you were his only heir.

"You're all that's left of her." AFO continued. "That's why I sent all of them to look after you. They've all watched you grow, and I was content knowing they kept you safe. Especially with Tomura." He said, referring to your entourage. You looked at all of them. Come to think of it, they all really have been around for as long as you could remember.

"Once Tomura informed me that you wanted a break from your father, I knew I had to reach out to you again. I know you wanted to go to Emperor Kai's, but please give me a chance. Its been more than a decade since I last saw you." AFO pleaded, holding your hands.

"I-" you looked around, and you saw they were all looking at you with hope. You then looked at Tomura, and he nodded, but it was his eyes that spoke.

It's okay, I'll keep you safe.

So you took a deep breath and a small prayer, and looked at the king.

"Okay."

So, how was this?

Did you guys like the classic angsty move of running away that reader pulled? What are your thoughts on Empress Momo being a sadistic yandere? How will everyone react to reader's absence? Especially Katsuki? Will the parents go insane?

What do you think is gonna happen next?

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hattiewritesalot · 3 years

Note

Hi there! I've been loving your Camilo x reader fics so much, and I've just seen all the other characters you write for too. I'd love to request a Druig x fem reader angst & fluff fic, set when the Eternals go to find Druig in the Amazon to get him to join their fight, they're shocked to find that he has a wife (reader) and a baby. Angsty because Druig is scared to leave her and their child, but fluffy with reader, like he promises to come home to her and their child? Thank you 💕

YES DRUIG BABAY <3 (also I made the child a daughter I hope this is okay)

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~Promise?~

Druig x fem!reader

Summary: The Eternals want, no, they need Druig's help to fight the ever-more-powerful Deviants, but it appears that he is perfectly content with his life alongside his wife and daughter.

Warnings: mentions of fighting and killing, some good ol' angst to tug on the heartstrings.

A/N: So I called his daughter Persephone because I just thought it would be nice (also I'm a Greek mythology nerd lmao) but if you don't like the name you can imagine something else. Enjoy!

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"Are you lost?"

The Eternals jumped at the sound of a young child's voice, all of them turning around to see a girl, no older than 10 it seemed. Sersi, taking a good look at the child, noticed how similar she and Druig looked.

But, alas, she shrugged it off. Must've been a coincidence.

"No, child, we are looking for-"

"I have a name."

Ikaris, being cut off by the unimpressed girl, was speechless. Until she gave him a toothy smile and introduced herself as 'Persephone'.

"Alright, Persephone, we are looking for a man named Druig."

Persephone stared at them blankly, before frowning and turning to walk away.

"Don't know a Drew Egg."

Sprite snickered. "Drew Egg," she mumbled under her breath, "totally using that one."

"No, Druig."

"Don't know a Druig either."

The group stood in silence for a moment, before the girl's blue eyes brightened and she began fiddling with her fingernails.

"Maybe my daddy will know! Do you want to meet him?"

Sersi smiled, leaning down to Persephone's height. It was easy to see which of them had more experience with children.

"Yes, little one," she whispered, "bring us to him."

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The walk through the Amazon was certainly a long one, but that didn't make it any less breathtaking. The trees were tall and covered the sky, the only sunlight being the faint rays peaking through the leaves.

Persephone seemed overjoyed at the fact her life revolved around a large forest, skipping merrily instead of walking, before stopping abruptly upon seeing a (H/C) haired woman.

"Mama!" She called out, rushing to the woman who scooped the child up and began pressing kisses all over her face. She walked over to the group of superhumans and immediately introduced herself.

"I'm (Y/N), Persephone's mother, is there anything I can help you with?" Ikaris nodded, still gazing at the trees around him, before responding.

"Yes, do you happen to know where we can find a man named Druig?"

(Y/N)'s face fell, her heart sinking to her stomach. In seconds she knew exactly who those people were, and she turned on her heel and fled in the other direction, the rest of the group close behind her.

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"Druig?" Sersi called out, finally seeing the Eternal standing outside of a large house.

"Daddy!" Persephone called out, leaping from her mother's arms into her father's and wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. (Y/N) said nothing, her eyes watching the pair, standing firmly next to the flabbergasted Eternals. Druig? A father? When did this happen?

Upon seeing his wife's stern expression next to his former group, he ran up to her and placed the giddy child in her arms, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"I'll speak to you in a minute, darling."

She simply hummed in response, wrapping her arms tightly around Persephone and walking away. Druig turned to the rest of the Eternals and scowled.

"Make this quick."

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"So what, you're just gonna leave like that!? We have a child to take care of, Dru, you are a father!"

"And me leaving for a month or two does not make me any less of a father to our daughter." The moment Druig walked out of the meeting, chaos erupted in his cabin when he told his wife everything.

(Y/N) stared at her husband, tears flooding her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

"Don't do this to me Druig, to us, what about Seph? Huh? What am I gonna tell her? 'Oh don't worry sweetie, daddy is just gonna leave and possibly never come back because of some old friends who ditched him in the past. No big deal!'?"

Druig sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "(Y/N) darling, I think you're overreacti-" "So what if I am!? I have a valid point, and you know I do." "I'm trying to save you." "But what if I don't need saving? What if I'm perfectly happy with my life with my husband and my daughter?" The Eternal was growing more and more frustrated by the minute.

"God, (Y/N), just shut up and accept the fact that I'm trying to create a better life for us!" He snapped at her, turning to face himself in the mirror.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, the couple not daring to even look at each other. Before (Y/N) walked up to her husband and placed her gentle arms around him.

"I know, baby, I'm sorry."

Pulling her into a tight embrace, Druig buried his face into the crown of her head. Relishing in their wholesome moment, he barely heard (Y/N)'s mumble from the crook of his neck.

"Jus' come back alive, right honey?" He smiled, pulling away to kiss her frowning lips.

"Of course, my lady." -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Druig watched with melancholy eyes as his wife and daughter waved him on as he left.

But, his heart seemed to have filled with something new.

Determination. Pure, pure determination.

He was going to make it home to his family, and he would not stop until he could.

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holy crap it is 02:10AM in England rn and I am dehydrated as hell. that's why this is so bad, I'm sorry

#marvel eternals #mcu #eternals #druig x reader #druig headcanon #druig eternals #druig fanfiction #the eternals #marvels eternals

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metalandmagi · 4 years

Text

Winter 2021 Anime Worth Watching!

Since 2020 basically sacrificed itself to give us the most stacked anime season of all time, I’m currently buried under the weight of almost 20 shows airing per week. So for anyone who’s looking for some anime to watch this winter, here’s some first impressions! I’m speed running my list this time by only talking about the new shows...because otherwise this would be my great American novel.

If anyone’s interested, I have master lists for both 2020 anime and 2019 anime, because there’s no shortage of fun things to find.

New Shows!

And before anyone asks, So I’m A Spider, So What? isn’t on here, because CG spiders freak me out.

Cells At Work Code Black: This...less comedic spin off of Cells At Work (made by a different studio) takes the wholesome concept of Osmosis Jones meets cute anime girls and turns it on its head. In this much more depressing version, we follow a rookie red blood cell who works in the body of an overly stressed, alcoholic smoker who puts every strain on the body imaginable. I love Red Blood Cell AA2153 and his co-workers, but man am I glad we get the regular Cells At Work airing this season too, because I need something fun and uplifting after seeing my sweet son go through hell every episode.

*Heaven’s Design Team: Have you ever wondered how God came up with some of the weird ass animals that live on this planet? Like, what’s the deal with giraffes? And why can’t we have dragons and flying horses? Well this is a comedy about the engineers and designers in heaven creating the new animals that are going to inhabit the Earth. That’s it, that’s the show. It’s kind of in the same vein as Cells At Work, having comedy blend with a surprising amount of educational information. If you want something light and funny, this is the show for you (though I don’t think it needs to have full length episodes). I’m just hoping there’s an episode about how the hell the platypus was created. Also it’s the only new one available on Crunchyroll.

Horimiya: A romantic comedy about a girl named Hori who fits the image of a perfect queen bee and a quiet bespectacled boy named Miyamura who never makes an impression at school. When the two meet by chance outside of the classroom, we see that Hori is practically raising a younger brother by herself, and Miyamura is actually a sweet guy who happens to be covered in tattoos and piercings. This show is an exercise in breaking down the images people have of others in their minds, and it’s a concept that really hits home in a fun and meaningful way. Honestly, this has become one of my immediate favorites. The characters have great chemistry, and I can’t wait to see more of them!

Monster Incidents (Kemono Jihen): When big shot Tokyo detective Inugami is called to a rural town to investigate a series of strange animal deaths, he finds a mysterious boy with the nickname Dorotabo who has been shunned by the other children in town. As the detective gets closer to Dorotabo, he discovers that there may be more...inhuman secrets to the boy than he realizes...and Dorotabo discovers that Inugami has some secrets of his own. This is a hard show to sell without spoiling the first episode, but it had twists and turns that kept me engaged from start to finish. I’m really interested to see where the plot goes, because I thought this was going to be something totally different just from the PV and series summary. If it plays its cards right, this could be a great paranormal detective show!

Wonder Egg Priority: A psychological drama about a girl named Ai who starts having dreams about a mysterious egg that promises to give her what she wants most in the world...a true friend. Before long, she begins to see how the dream world and reality are tied together, and trippy antics ensue. It’s hard to say more without spoiling anything, but I had to go back and add this one in because I made the mistake of thinking it was an OVA when it’s actually a full series. And what a series it’s starting out to be. This anime has all the psychological discomfort of a Satoshi Kon product with the beauty and style of something from Kyoani (even though it’s made by Clover Works). It’s really one of those anime you just have to see to understand.

Sk8-∞ (Skate the infinity): An original skateboarding anime from Bones, featuring a typical sports anime protagonist who takes a new transfer student who has never skateboarded in his life under his wing. Together they compete in dangerous races and take the skating community by storm. The character designs rival Appare Ranman’s in outlandish creativity, and I can smell the main characters’ ship dynamic a mile away (considering they’re exactly the same as the protagonists from Robihachi). If you’re looking for some wild and crazy fun with top notch skateboarding animation, don’t skip this!

2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu (Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club): Yes, it’s another volleyball anime. And no, it’s not just a clone of Haikyu. This story follows Yuni Kuroba, a physically built but emotionally weak teenager who finds out his childhood friend Hajime is moving back to their hometown for high school. Yuni discovers Hajime has become an exceptional volleyball player and they join their school’s volleyball club hoping to turn the unknown team into a rising star. If anything, this anime is much more like Stars Align or Free, where the sport is a backdrop for letting the characters explore their personal problems. Or at least it seems that way after the first episode. I went into this show ready to throw it in the trash because how could anything compete against my beloved Haikyu, but I found myself really enjoying the dynamics of the main duo and I’m curious to see what the rest of the team is like.

And speaking of sports anime rip-offs…..I can’t believe I’m including this but…

Skate Leading Stars: The show where the animators clearly wanted to design another throw away idol anime but saw how popular Yuri On Ice was so they decided to make whatever the hell this show is instead. It revolves around a fictional team sport called skate leading, and we follow the world’s most insufferable main character, a former figure skater named Kensei who wants to return to the ice and join his school’s skate leading team after he finds out his childhood rival is going to compete in the sport. Look, this show is just trashy enough to get a certain type of audience hooked, and it mainly has to do with the best boy of the winter season, Hayato Sasugai, the aspiring team “coach” who pulled most of us into watching this show with his punk appearance, snide comments and smug personality. He’s basically the lovechild of Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima in a high school sports anime setting. The show treats itself with the perfect amount of sincerity to get away with being absolutely ridiculous most of the time without making you feel like you’re watching it from a dumpster...like Try Knights. You will know after one episode whether this show is for you. All I can say is, Hayato is worth the watch, and I haven’t seen any 3D animation used for the skating scenes (yet) so that’s a win for me.

Honorable mention:

Jobless Reincarnation ( Mushoku Tensei): Yet another isekai where the main character is hit by a car (big surprise) and gets reincarnated into a fantasy world...but he happens to remember his previous life and narrates himself growing up as a jaded adult. I’m only including this because it looked amazing animation wise, and I love the opening where getting hit by a car and dying is actually traumatic. And I love the protagonist’s parents (who are retired adventurers who just want to bang all the time). But honestly...the main character is the fucking worst, and I don’t know if I want to keep watching it because of how creepy and weird he is. Like...he’s the hit on your fantasy mom as a baby kind of creepy and weird. But for anyone who wants a cool looking isekai that had an amazing PV, it’s worth checking out.

Continuing Series!

Because the real gold of the season is in all the established anime getting their next seasons, I’m just going to list some of the things that are also amazing and definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already (because I’ve already talked about most of them at some point and don’t know what else to say).

Attack On Titan season 4

The Promised Neverland season 2

Beastars season 2

Log Horizon season 3

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 2

Re: Zero season 2 (second cour)

Dr. Stone season 2

Cells at Work season 2

Osomatsu-san season 3 (second cour)

Higurashi New (second cour)

Jujutsu Kaisen (second cour)

Not to mention all the shows I don’t watch that everyone else loves...like World Trigger (which I have seen quite a bit of, but long shounen shows are too much for me now) Quintessential Quintuplets, and Non Non Biyori.

So there’s just some of all the anime airing this season. Hopefully, someone can find something they like. Here’s to a great year...well, of anime at least...

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