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munsons-melody · 5 months

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the russian starlette (part 2): the experiment

summary: after taking a job at starcourt, you accidentally get entangled with russians underneath the mall who decided to experiment on you, causing you to gain telekinetic powers

pairing: female!henderson!reader x steve harrington?

cw: injections, needles, open wound

word count: 4.5k

a/n: this part 2 of the russian starlette!! this part of the fic also takes place in s3/the summer of 1985 and follows the storyline of s3 closely, also feed back is always greatly greatly appreciated

✰ part one: the prelude

✰ part two: the experiment

✰ part three: the return (coming soon)

masterlist

i do not consent to having any of my works republished, translated, or posted to any other site except here. if you see my works anywhere but tumblr, it has been republished without my knowledge, consent, or permission

。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

you woke up in a small room, laying on what looked like a hospital bed, the fluorescent lights flickering eerily above you

"what the fuck?" you whispered, attempting to get up before you realized you had been strapped down across your torso and arms down to your legs

panic set in as you tried to free yourself but there was no luck, the hard leather belt-looking straps were locked tightly to the bed, preventing you from escaping

"shit shit shit!" you whisper screamed to yourself

you knew there was no use in yelling for help being god knows how many feet underground

the door to your left opened to reveal a doctor with a clipboard, walking in

"oh you're awake, i was hoping to do this without a struggle but... here we are" the man said with a thick russian accent, staring at you with snake-like eyes

you started to hyperventilate as he picked up a syringe that was larger than your finger, this was one of your worst nightmares come to life, you were almost expecting his face to turn into freddy krueger, but this was real and you couldn't wake up

just then a different door swung open, a man dressed in a uniform came in with two other officers who stood by the door, almost as if to guard it if you tried to escape

"she's awake sir" he said and the general nodded, mumbling something to him and the doctor nodded, and the general walked towards you, his hard heels clicking on the ground

"please let me go, i promise i won't tell anyone" you pleaded you said through heavy breaths

"oh no we can't do that, we'd waste a valuable opportunity" he purred, and tears pricked your eyes, about to spill over

"what do you mean" you questioned in a panic and he smiled causing him to have the most unsettling look

"well you see, we ran some tests while you were out and you might be a habitable host for our newest experiment... we've been following closely to those children at that laboratory, one of which we believe to have opened the gate, we figured if we could create a person with similar powers... well they could do the same for us" he explained, picking up the syringe that the doctor had put down

"i would rather die than be your stupid little experiment!" you yelled out of fear

"oh well... i'm glad you're willing to die" he smiled at you, then he nodded at the doctor handed him the syringe, and the doctor walked to you

"wait! wait!" you said as he started near your arm

he stopped and you looked at the general who was watching intently

"if i do this, you have to let my friends go, please" you asked, hoping some how the plea deal would be convincing, and maybe, just maybe, steve or robin could come find your lifeless body and bring it to the surface

"aww, it's sweet you think you have a choice... you are our property now, you are going to be our weapon" he snarled before nodding to the doctor and starting to walk away

not even a second later, you felt a sharp prick in your arm and you shrieked, which you were sure could be heard for miles

"shit! fuck! no please no!" you cried out as you slowly felt a slosh of the liquid pump into your arm and he pulled the needle out

it was suddenly like there was icy hot flowing through your veins

the pain you were enduring felt like you were burning up but at the same time you were shivering as if you were in a blizzard

your heart was pounding so hard you thought it would burst out of your chest

your head felt dizzy and you couldn't even move due to the restraints keeping you stuck to the bed

'holy shit i'm going to die in an underground russian lab and i'm never going to see my family or eddie ever again, no one will find my body, oh my god oh my god oh my god' you thought to yourself in a panic

oh how you prayed somehow you would make it out alive but as the black dots started crowding your vision as your breathing got heavier and heavier, you eventually felt the back of your head hit the bed and you were out

。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

you woke up with a gasp, the same alarms from earlier blaring in your ears

you felt hands around the straps that were holding you down and you looked to see erica speedily undoing the straps in a hazy blur

"erica?" you questioned as she finished untying the last one

"get ready to run!" she yelled as she helped you up and you nodded but as soon as your feet hit the floor, everything was out of sorts

it felt like you were blackout drunk, nothing made sense, and your body seemed to be moving faster than your brain could process

once out the door, you saw steve, robin, and dustin stumbling out of a room and running down the hall

"cmon!" erica yelled, grabbing your hand as the two of you ran to catch up with them

you struggled to run, it felt like your legs weren't yours but somehow you kept moving until you hit the red truck looking car and you stumbled in

"stevie" you muttered out, seeing him next to you

"oh! it's y/n! i love this girl!" he exclaimed, pulling you close

his lazy hug comforted you as the car started speeding off, knocking everyone around

"slow down it's like the indie 500!" you heard someone yell before closing your eyes again, the familiarity of steve's arms around you was soothing and reminded you of the times you would drunkenly fall into his frame after a stupid high school party that seemed lifetimes away from this very moment

all anyone was saying was just gibberish to you as you cuddled as close as you cuddled into your best friend, and it you felt like you didn't know where you were as you were dragged out of the car and back into the elevator

your body laid against the cool metal wall, which felt soothing to your flushed cheeks

"y/n! hey! what did they give you?" dustin asked, holding your head up with his hands, your eyes not being able to focus on his face in front of yours

"needle, poison..." you mumbled out before steve fell off the cart he was trying to surf on causing dustin to get up from you to aid steve

once again you were being dragged out of the elevator with erica guiding you as you ran away from the guards outside

the next moments were a blur before suddenly you were plopped down in the movie theatre in between steve and robin

feeling your eyelids gtt heavy, you dipped your head onto steve's shoulder

there was a few peaceful moments of bliss before your head shook, and you opened your eyes to see steve running and robin grabbing your hand and dragging you out of your chair and following them

as you moved faster than you could register, robin suddenly let go of your hand and ran to the water fountain

you attempted to follow them but suddenly you were moving sideways when you tried to move forward and god you were frustrated you couldn't do the simple task of walking forward in a straight line

you saw the water fountain and were determined to get there from where you stood, but as you trudged your legs over and took one more step, you felt the floor come up as the carpet hit your face and it was lights out

。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

"y/n... hey y/n... wake up" you heard a voice as a hand moved onto your face, slapping it lightly

"huh?" you mumbled before opening your eyes to see you were in the mall bathroom with steve and robin

"whatever the russians gave you, you need to throw it up, get it out of your system" robin said, brushing your hair back and tying it with a ponytail to keep it out of your face

"no" you complained, feeling like if you were to move you would die

this was the worst you've ever felt in your entire life; it felt like you were blackout drunk mixed with low blood sugar, heart pounding, nauseous, sweating like you had a fever while still shivering like you were in a snowstorm, head aching, along with feeling like you were hit by a train

all you wanted to do was just lay on the ground on the cold floor, letting your heavy body rest

"cmon, get up, what did they even give you? truth serum?" steve asked, pulling your arms up in order to bring you over to the toilet

"i said no" you said with annoyance and moved your arms to push him off, but when you did, steve went flying back, hitting the sink and falling to the ground

"holy fucking shit" he exclaimed, clamoring up the side of the same countertop he just hit, rubbing his back where it hit the countertop

"wait did you just do that to him?" robin asked frantically, turning her head to you

you moved your body to see him, but as you got up too fast, all of the contents in your stomach seemed to be moving with you

"oh god" you said, feeling the bile rise in the back of your throat

you stumbled to the stall, puking your guts out, and it seemed with every passing second, you felt better and better

after a few minutes, it started to slow, and you sat leaning against the wall, robin sitting on your right side

"what the hell did they give you" robin asked as she slowly wiped your mouth with some toilet paper and brushed the hair out of your face, and helped to scoot you out of the stall

"uh, i- i don't know" you stammered out, looking at steve who was crouching down near you

"after dustin left, and your head hit the wall, the guards took you to a separate room, they motioned to our outfits, i think that's why they kept steve and i together" robin explained as you nodded your head and it came back to you

"well, i woke up in a hospital looking room with a scary doctor-"

"oh my god! we had the scary doctor too!" steve laughed and that brought a small smile to your face

"yeah the really creepy one? he and this guy in a general's uniform came in and said they ran tests on me while i was out and said i was a 'habitable host' to their newest experiment, saying they wanted to create someone with powers like el to open the gate and then injected me with something" you explained and steve nodded

"okay, so what you have superpowers now or something?" steve asked and robin looked at you confused

"wait I'm sorry who's el, what superpowers?" robin asked confused

"mike's girlfriend?... max's friend? the girl with the short brown hair?" steve said and robin shrugged

"i don't know any of those people you just mentioned," robin said back and steve rolled his eyes

"whatever, look, do you have superpowers or not?" steve asked and you looked at him as if he had five heads

"how would i know that?" you snarked at him

"i don't know, do some wiggly woos with your fingers or something?" steve suggested

"what do you mean wiggly woos? what do you think i'm like the scarlet witch or something?" you tried but robin interjected

"scarlet witch or not, try and move... this roll of toiler paper" she said, picking it up and placing it on the ground

"fine whatever, lets see if the russians turned me into a superhero" you said sarcastically and you looked at the simple roll of white toilet paper on the ground

you took in a breath, then stretched out your hand like you've seen the scarlet witch do in all her comics, and moved your hand up

to your amazement, the roll came up in the air with your hand, and it stayed there, parallel to your arm

"holy shit!" robin laughed

"oh my god" steve muttered out

you moved your hand away and the three of you watched the roll fall back onto the ground with a thud

you stared in silence at both of them, not knowing what to say before all three of you started laughing

"oh my god! i have superpowers?" you gleefully exclaimed in disbelief

"you are the scarlet witch!" steve laughed with an open mouth

"okay, what the hell?" dustin said, slamming open the door to the bathroom, erica following close behind looking at the three of you laughing like stoners in a tickle fight

"where the hell did you guys go?" erica asked

"yeah we told you to stay in the movie theatre" dustin said with annoyance, crossing his arms

"well we got thirsty so we had to get water and then we looked up at the lights in the ceiling and we ended up-"

"puking our guts out" robin interjected steve

"so you're all totally okay now? you got it out of your system?" dustin asked and you looked at each other and nodded

"yeah we're fine but-" you wanted to tell dustin about your powers, how you were suddenly able to move things with your mind but of course, being the little brother he is, interrupted you like usual

"no buts, we have to get going before they find us, now cmon," he said in a stern tone before opening the door to peak out

"coast is clear, lets blend in with the crowd leaving the theatre," he told us before swiftly exiting the bathroom

everyone followed, walking with the crowd exiting the movie theatre, hearing chatters of "that was so good" or "i love the part about..." and it all blended into background noise when steve pointed out the large scary men, who resembled most of whom you'd seen in the hub of the underground russian base, checking the bags on the way out

"abort... abort!" dustin said when one of the guards looked up to meet eyes with you, and you recognized he was one of the guards in the room with you in the Russian underground when you got injected

he instantly recognized you as everyone turned around to run but instantly got stopped by the velvet ropes blocking off the escalators down to the second floor of the mall

"quick this way," you said, immediately running to your right to where the back stairs were that only employees had access to

once behind the door, you looked through the small window only to see no one had followed you except for the one guard who had recognized you from before who was running to catch up

you ran down the stairs to the bottom level and into the back hallways where you used to sneak into the movies with robin and steve after your shift had ended

recognizing the back door into scoops ahoy, you quickly looked around you to see if the guard had caught up or not, and to your luck, he did not

you quickly went in and shut the door as quickly as possible, not caring that the main entrance was locked from the outside, you knew you were safe as no one could see you

you were trying to steady your breathing but the fear of imminent death was looming over you as you heard the crowd dissipate from the upstairs level, the mall getting eerily quieter and quieter

the neon signs of other stores were the only light source within the dark walls of the store, your back pressing against the wall before sliding down, sitting against the cold tiles

you closed your eyes and listened very carefully to the sound of the hum of the fridge in front of you to calm your oncoming panic attack when suddenly your eyes opened again and you were standing in a vast, black abyss that seemed to be endless all areas around

you looked down to see your bare feet, submerged in about an inch of water, and you heard voices coming from the left of you

as you turned your body you saw eleven, sitting on the ground in what looked like one of the mini-marts in town, with a blindfold around her eyes

you walked closer, and it was as if she noticed your presence, she took off the blindfold and looked up at you, a confused expression written across her face

"y/n?" she asked and you nodded

"how are you here?" she asked slowly, the confusion still present

"um, it's a long story that involves russians but we're all at starcourt, we need help, the russians have us stuck and i think they're about to kill us" you said and she nodded at you before disappearing into dust

"eleven? el?" you screamed into the void around you before you opened your eyes and you were back in the mall

。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

after what seemed to be around ten minutes, you decided to venture out to find the others, as sitting in the cold scoops ahoy back room had done nothing

you walked to the front of the store and saw the big metal chain door that kept unwanted visitors out and saw the lock on the bottom

looking at your hand, you decided to test your powers, see if they even still worked after the one attempt from earlier

you stretched out your hand and looked at the lock when suddenly you noticed guards walking around, no doubt looking for the others

you quickly backed into the shadows so they wouldn't notice you and you heard one of them speak into his shoulder radio as he was nearing great cookie, causing the others to follow his lead and walk over there as well

suddenly, the alarm in the car that sat in the middle of the mall (the one that you, steve, and robin would often wonder and talk about how they even got it inside the mall cause of course, the simple idea of driving it in seemed mad to the three of you) went off, causing you to jump and your heart to start racing even faster

you watched as they walked closer to the car, confused out of their minds why it suddenly went off but they didn't think about it much longer as the car lifted up out of the air and slammed into all of them, smashing into the side of the counter

you saw a figure come into view on the second floor above near the jazzercise place, and you felt tears of relief prick your eyes as you saw el standing there with nancy, jonathan, mike, lucas, will, and max behind her

looking down at the lock, you thought to yourself that opening this seemed to be easier than throwing a car, so you sucked in a deep breath and stretched out your hand, focusing your energy on the lock

you heard steps and saw everyone had come down to the second level, hearing dustin mention something about a 'hot wheel' and looked up to see him hugging mike and el when you emembered you needed to be focused on the task in front of you

you raised your hand, feeling the familiar tingle and vibration emitting from your hand that you felt earlier when moving the roll of toiler paper, and watched as the padlock slowly came unlocked and you moved it over, lifting up the doorway now that it was unlocked

the noise made everyone look in your direction as you ran to them

"y/n!" steve and dustin said together as you ran to steve's arms

"where did you go? we were so worried" steve asked, kissing the top of your head

"i told you guys to follow me and when i looked back you were gone so i hid in the back of scoops" you explained, his arm held tight around your waist

"i don't understand.. what happened to that car?" robin questioned

"el has superpowers," dustin told her and she looked at you

"oh like y/n?" she asked, causing everyone to look at you

"what?" dustin asked you

"yeah the russians injected her with something and now she has superpowers, its a whole thing but... she's basically like el now" steve interjected before you had a chance to speak

"wait who's el?" robin asked in confusion

"i'm sorry... who are you?" nancy asked and robin smiled

"i'm robin, i work with steve" she explained

"she and y/n helped crack the secret code-" dustin was soon interrupted by steve

"yeah which was how we found out about the russians" steve explained

once everyone knew about the underground russians, the talking intensified as questions were thrown everywhere when you looked over to see el fall over

"guys!" you yelled running to her, as everyone came over to see what happened

"my leg" she whimpered out

nancy and jonathan unwrapped the bandage to show something moving around in her leg, causing everyone to groan in disgust

chaos started again when it was decided they had to try and get it out of her leg, with jonathan running over to get a knife and a wooden spoon

her screams intensified as you gripped onto steve's arm, watching them cut her leg open, with jonathan's fingers swimming around in the open wound in order to fish it out but it was no use

between robin's rambling about some girl on her soccer team, dustin looked over at you

"y/n use your powers! get it out!" dustin said in a frantic tone

"i- don't know how" you said when nancy looked at you

"i don't want to hurt her" you continued

"y/n, you won't hurt her, she'll be okay i promise" nancy said with kind eyes and you nodded

jonathan backed off, leaving you room to help

you held your hand up, and focused on the wound on el's leg,

feeling the slight electric vibrations in your hand, you knew it was working as you saw the squirming piece of flesh fly out of her body and you threw your arm in the opposite direction of everyone, causing it to fly before falling on the ground

everyone looked over to see where it went, and in doing so, noticed joyce, hopper, and murray standing there and you felt a sense of relief knowing real adults were here to help

。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

the plan had been set in action, and as quickly as you left the mall in the 'toddfather' you were right on your way back with steve speeding at an alarming rate

you had swerved back into the parking lot, noticing what looked like billy's car headed straight for nancy who was standing in front of her mom's car with a handgun, shooting at the oncoming car

"he's not gonna stop! he's gonna hit her!" you yelled to steve

"no he's not" he said to you, accelerating even faster towards billy's car, and you grabbed the side of the door, bracing for the impact

"holy shit!" you heard robin scream as the toddfather rammed into billy's car, spinning you around before steve got control of the wheel and straightened out, slamming on the brakes

his breathing was heaving, and your heart didn't have a second to rest as you heard loud growls coming from the mall and all three of you looked up to see the most horrifying and large flesh creature standing over top of the mall

"get in!" nancy yelled in your direction, and you all clambered out of the toddfather and into the back of the station wagon as jonathan sped off

you sat in the car next to steve, his hand instinctively lacing with yours as you watched from the back of the car as the creature chased after the car

"steve if we're going to die, i just wanted to let you know that you are one of the most amazing humans ever" you choked out, wiping tears from your cheek

"y/n i'm not going to let us die, i promise" steve told you when he was interrupted by dustin's voice on the radio, along with suzie's, talking about plank's constant

when suddenly, they started singing the song from the neverending story and all you could think was 'god i regret taking him to see that movie last summer because why in the fuck is he singing that with his girlfriend at a time like this'

the creature then turned around and stopped chasing the car, and you knew it was headed back to the mall, so jonathan swung the car around and you started speeding back towards the mall again to see why it was called back there

once there, there was not a second to breathe as everyone ran into the mall with baskets and handfuls of fireworks and we all saw billy lay el down right in front of the creature

"flay this you ugly piece of shit!" lucas yelled as everyone started hurling all the fireworks at the mind flayer, the explosions of color lighting up the mall as the loud booms started continuously repeating like drums on the front line of war

"y/n listen to me, you need to go down there and help el, if you have powers like her then you can stop this!" nancy said, grabbing your shoulders, your worried eyes staring at her in disbelief

"i can't" you yelled out of fear, shaking your head

"go y/n go! we can man up here!" jonathan yelled at you and the pressure made you immediately throw your next firework and run down the employee steps again

by the time you ran down, you saw el lying there with billy standing in front of her, almost as if to shield her from the monster

adrenaline coursed through your veins, and everything seemed like it was in slow motion but you walked forward, moving your hands out and lifting up el's body with your powers, you quickly moved her back near one of the stores

looking up, you held your hands out to the monster, feeling the same electric vibrations course through your hands and fingers as you were focused on just making the monster go away

billy looked back at you, a mix of sadness and anger in his eyes, but he didn't move

the adrenaline came in tenfold as you felt every piece of energy you had leaving your body with every second, and you weren't sure how long you had until you felt like you were going to pass out

when suddenly sparks of white energy started floating out of your hands and towards the monster, lifting it up into the air, and you watched as it slowly dissipated piece by piece in front of your eyes

you kept trying to hold on but the lack of energy in your body was getting too overwhelming, the screams from the others and the groans from the mind flayer were deafening, and it was all too much when suddenly it was nothing

。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

you awoke in a hospital bed, this time in Hawkins Memorial Hospital, without the straps on the bed like before and you looked to your right to see steve asleep on the hard plastic chair with dustin to your left on the comfy plush chair by the window

"steve" you croaked out and he stirred, so you said his name again, this time a bit louder than before, causing him to wake up

"oh hey, hey, no no don't move i'll come to you" he said in a soft voice, scootching the chair towards your bed side

"what happened?" you asked, running the pad of your thumb over the bandages where the cuts laid on his face

"after you destroyed the mind flayer, you passed out and were out for the past 20 hours" he explained when you looked down to see he was still in his scoops ahoy uniform

"wait you didn't go home to change?" you asked, moving your hand down to the collar of his shirt, feeling the fabric, and looking up from your hand to meet his eyes

"i didn't know when you'd wake up and i didn't want you to be alone, but don't worry dustin updated your mom on everything, oh and speaking on the mall stuff... dr. owens from the lab took control of the situation, we have to say it was a fire that destroyed the mall instead of.. ya know" he chuckled dryly and you nodded

"here get some rest, i'll let your mom know you're here" steve said softly, helping adjust your blankets,

he gave you a kiss on the forehead, and with that, your eyes closed, and you drifted off to sleep

to be continued...

#stranger things #eddie munson #munsons-melody #steve harrington #dustin henderson #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie x y/n #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x henderson!reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson angst #steve harrington x y/n fluff #steve harrington x y/n

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manicpixiefelix · 5 months

Note

Felix loves when Vampire!Reader feeds on him not just because he loves and cares for them so so much but because vampire bites feel indescribably good. It's euphoric and erotic for both participants.

And if Oliver were to witness it? Perhaps peeking through the dorm window or slightly open door? He feels such a mix of emotions including longing.

Absolutely including this, I'm loving this AU, as well as the far AU, I'm sorry I haven't been posting them I've got so many damn thoughts for all of them!!!

Also along these lines, 1. At Oxford and in most of their life, the reader hides their nature as a vampire but will absolutely joke about rumours that crop up about them.

2. Duncan is a vampire too. There's a stigma around vampires, but his job is secure so he's comfortable being identified as a vampire and there's a novelty about it for guests to Saltburn, you know? The Cattons say he's a "vegan" and they get deliveries of animal blood from local butchers every week (which they do, but it's more like a snack), but the reality is that both Elspeth and Sir James allow him to feed on them for the same reason Felix let's the reader. Elspeth is Very Into It. Its the worst kept secret in the house, especially since they try and keep up the "vegan" cover story with their children. They know the reader is a vampire and are in wilful denial of their feeding on their son. They like to believe the reader is a "vegan vampire" too.

Also please picture Reader and Duncan, both overwhelmed by the idea of an upcoming dinner/social event at Saltburn, both sitting on the counter of the kitchen, both drinking a blood bag of pigs blood like a Capris Sun, side by side in preemptively tired silence.

Duncan and Reader are friends in every universe I will not take criticism on this.

#head heart hand fic #felix catton x reader x oliver quick #felix catton x reader #felix catton imagine #saltburn imagine #saltburn x reader #vampire au #it shouts back

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oneatlatime · 9 months

Text

Zuko Alone

I'm hoping for some Appa this episode. It's been too long since he's gotten any good sight gags.

Zuko is cosplaying Clint Eastwood. He's also back to being stupid pale this episode.

You know it's a good thing that Zuko's not in the Fire Nation anymore because he really would have sucked at being Fire Nation. Robbing pregnant women is probably kindergarden level stuff for them.

How is Zuko in such bad shape? Last time we saw him he had a cave full of spoils robbed from rich people. Did he not bother to pack at least some of that stuff? Actually, not thinking far enough ahead to pack would be pretty in character.

Oof that would rub me the wrong way. Not enough money for a meal, but sure, let's use totally edible eggs as ammo.

Where'd the egg go?

Who is the scarred up hat wearing vampire and what happened to the real Zuko? Imposter Zuko just elected to not be provoked into a fight. Real Zuko would already be setting things on fire.

Just a bunch of thugs. Yep. It's consistently awesome how many of the facets of war this show can cover.

Imposter Zuko and Song's horse bird just got kidnapped. Did not see that coming.

Zuko kind of has arm bandages like Sokka has this episode. Also love the character detail that the boy has scraped knees.

Is the kid's dad the same guy as the man at the store? Or maybe this is a one haircut town?

So the guy who was near to fainting off his horse bird this morning is now turning down freely offered food? Could Zuko please shelve his pride for five minutes? Kudos to the mom for accurately reading his distaste for charity and turning it into a request for aid though. Although covering for the boy's egg trick is worth at least a meal.

Tangent!

I don't get Zuko. How can he still have so much pride when he's wearing rags and starving himself to feed Song's horse bird? I'm quite shameless when it comes to accepting help and I've never, ever been able to understand the whole 'too proud to accept charity' mindset. I'm always up for some charity. I have enough manners to offer to do the dishes after, but if you're offering free food I'm eating it. And I've never been in a situation as desperate as Zuko's. So I don't get this.

ok tangent over.

Peak rich kid behaviour. I hope those nails aren't expensive otherwise Zuko doing work for food might end up with this family out of pocket.

Is the wood grain on this ladder an actual photograph of wood grain?

Zuko has more patience this episode than he had for all of season 1 combined. He's also never gone this long without yelling. Either proximity to young children activates Zuko's otherwise mostly slumbering decency, or to fit him into a Fistful of Dollars homage the writers had to make him out of character.

If I had been in this situation when I was a kid, if I had been a) this visibly bored, and b) this nosy around guests, I would have been given a hammer and a bag of nails in three seconds flat. Also, nice to see a Sokka face from Zuko.

I get that 'a man without a past' is a staple of the cowboy genre, but the boy's father bringing up the privacy of the past twice in like two minutes makes me think he's done stuff he doesn't want to talk about. Seems both the parents have read Zuko right though.

Finally! Some pretty! I have been suffering! This may be the first really good pretty all season!

Bad news for the Appa decor on my blog. He may have been supplanted in my affections.

Two things: first, Zuko is a carbon copy of his mom. Second, That is way too much forehead.

Having Zuko's mom introduce herself by talking about the lengths mothers will go to for their children is not giving me foreshadowing anxiety at all.

Azula's been a bitch since birth. Noted.

Sir, your eyebrows. Also, yeah, I wouldn't want to play with her either.

Yikes this is making my teeth itch and my skin crawl. Calling it now, she's rotten to the core.

Zuko and Azula's dad has some weak ass genes. BOTH of his children are carbon copies of their mom.

Also, I was not expecting Zuko's very stupid ponytail to be a pre-scar thing. It is much better with a full head of hair.

If I had spent my childhood hanging out with an untouchable princess who set things on my head on fire for fun whenever I involuntarily displayed emotion, I'd be gloomy and apathetic in self defense too.

Sokka in this episode in spirit, if not in person.

Seriously that's the same face three times over!

Um, no? If Iroh doesn't make it back from the front, doesn't his son become next in line to be Firelord?

Can you hear all the unspoken "father thinks that" and "father says that" in front of every one of Azula's opinions in this whole scene? I stand by my assertion that she's awful anyways, but she's also obviously drunk much too much of her dad's koolaid, if you know what I mean.

This kid is going to get into so much trouble one of these days. Provoking the soldiers, nagging the mysterious stranger with the mysterious past, and now taking his weapons? Kid's sweet but he really needs to learn when to stop pushing his luck.

Stabbing dead, dried wood sounds like a great way to utterly annihilate the edge on those. Hope Zuko packed a whetstone.

Where is this patience coming from? I don't understand and it's BUGGING me.

Hold on. Technical problems.

My very basic DVD player sometimes has difficulty with these disks. Whatever happened between the above two screenshots, I've missed it. So picking back up from the one on the right...

Either these soldiers are impressively cowardly (which, yeah) or Zuko's really been working on his death glare, because they've got him outnumbered and out-armoured and they still back off.

OH it's parallels! Zuko's cousin and the boy's older brother. Got it. Kind of a false parallel though. Grandson of the Firelord does not equal earth kingdom conscript.

Give the demonstrably impulsive and nosy child a knife. That'll work out just fine I'm sure. Pretty sad the kid glommed on to Zuko so quickly, but it's also yet another realistic representation of the consequences of war. This show's good.

*shudders* theatre kids.

She's tiny! Do you know how darkly humourous it is to watch a two foot tall baby spout her father's murderous nonsense? Once again, in this whole scene, not a word out of Azula's mouth is actually Azula's.

"What is wrong with that child?" Apart from budding homicidal and psychopathic tendencies? Her dad. Her dad is what's wrong with that child.

Their dad has no subtlety at all. And also no brain? You think a day after the firelord finds out one of his family died is the right time to very boorishly make a play for the crown with you daughter as a prop? Could you possibly come up with a better demonstration of why this guy shouldn't be in charge?

How did this asshole land such a nice wife?

Yep. Siding with the old firelord on this one.

Does flashback Zuko sleep in his day clothes? Because that's not ok.

I like that their mom sees straight through Azula's lying here. She knows her daughter.

In a move that should surprise no one, everything Zuko touches turns to shit, as usual.

It's the Mexico filter!

Absolute truth from Zuko in that monologue. He's got them pegged. Too bad it fell on deaf ears. It's Zuko's curse, that whenever he approaches being remotely reasonable, he happens to be surrounded by people who will react in such a way that Zuko learns to equate being reasonable with failure.

An earthbender. The bare feet should have clued me in.

Last season Zuko and Iroh laid waste to like ten of these guys. And Iroh didn't even have pants. So what gives? Is he that starved?

Ursa pulling a Mufasa.

Don't answer don't answer don't answer

And he does.

Zuko is so very good at completely misinterpreting the point.

So we can add thief to the list of things that make Azula awful. Also that delivery of "who's going to make me? Mom?" is chilling. Zuko's lost his only defender inside this atrocious family and she knows it, he knows it, hell the turtleducks probably know it.

His dying wish? You guys buying that?

Ozai. That's his name. I'd forgotten that.

So... something something dead firelord something something missing mom something something maybe Azula wasn't actually lying this time?

Final Thoughts

The title wasn't kidding. Let's rename the show 'Avatar: the Guy who's Really Bad at Capturing Him' while we're at it.

There is now no way whatsoever that Zuko is not going to be redeemed. No writing team would invest that much energy and a whole episode into a character we're not ultimately supposed to root for. So somehow he's going to end up joining the Gaang. Don't know how he'll pull that one off. He's done some pretty not great stuff. And it's not like the Gaang watched this episode and unlocked his tragic backstory.

Speaking of, what prompted these reflections? I could understand if Zuko started to contemplate his cousin and the events surrounding his loss in the war after he learned about the family's older brother, but he was having flashbacks before he even got to town. Usually when there are backstory bits, there's a good reason to show them at that time, like how the Storm prompts Aang to think about the last storm he was in, or seeing a boat from his father's fleet prompts Sokka to remember what his dad told him. So what caused Zuko's memories to give him situationally appropriate flashbacks?

Pretty funny that he found the Nice Earth Kingdom Family that Azula predicted for him. And they are really nice! Either Zuko is an open book or the parents' social intelligence is off the charts because they're giving him exactly what he needs to feel at ease after barely a single conversation.

Speaking of Azula, I'm not surprised to find that she's always had deeply awful tendencies, even as a child of (I'm guessing) less than ten. But it cannot be ignored that, from the moment her father took a liking to her (as a tool to boost his own greatness, if not as a person), she didn't stand a chance. You can tell by the number of times that the stuff coming out of her mouth is a thinly veiled repetition of her father's unfiltered opinions, that she's been spending lots of time listening to him, probably while he puts down her mom and brother and talks about how she's the special one. You know what I'm getting at. Azula never stood a chance once her father got involved, and her mom lost the ability to influence her once her father started giving Azula praise for objectively wrong behaviour. That being said, Azula is awful even when she doesn't need to be awful for her father's approval, like when she's with her friends, so it's not all her father's doing. She's not a good person but she also had plenty of help to become that.

I guess Zuko and his mom are Fire Nation anomalies? And maybe Iroh has become that since his son died and he lost the war?

How on earth did Zuko survive as long as he did in the palace without his mom to protect him? What a no-win situation to be in. The only person in a whole nation with empathy.

This episode does makes Season 1 Zuko make more sense. He's been larping his dad as a defense mechanism for surviving the Fire Nation/probably a very futile effort to earn his approval. Although Zuko doesn't seem to care much for his dad if the tone he takes with him by the turtleduck pond is any indication.

Being banished was the best thing that ever happened to Zuko. The more distance between him and his remaining non-uncle family, the better. Between prioritizing his crew over capturing the avatar in the Storm, releasing the Avatar in the Blue Spirit, and now defending a random earth kingdom child this episode, it's hilarious how much Zuko HASN'T learned the lesson that Ozai banished him for not knowing. Don't get me wrong; that's a good thing. This episode plainly shows that behaviour that pleases Ozai is behaviour that should be unlearned as quickly as possible.

Zuko completely missing the point of his mom's last instruction is delightfully on the nose. But it also makes sense, which I may talk more about later.

How did Zuko hold on to his temper (and his volume) for a whole episode?

How did a show named after the main character get away with an episode that doesn't feature him at all? As a concept, this is such a strange episode. The writers were like "how can we kick start the woobification of Zuko? I know! A Spaghetti Western!" and it worked. Who comes up with that?

I now want at least as much, if not more, of Sokka and Katara's childhood via flashbacks. And more Gyatso please. If they can devote a whole episode to the childhood of a guy who isn't even a team member yet, they can show me some Sokka childhood shenanigans as a palette cleanser.

I really don't know what conclusion to draw about this episode. The writers have given me a massive backstory/trauma dump and I'm honestly like:

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #zuko alone #I really don't know what to make of this one

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dokoni-mo · 1 year

Text

Crave: Part Six || William Afton x GN! Reader

summary: the eye of the storm

mild NSFW

word count: 4404

warnings: age-gap relationship (reader is 20 william is pushing 40), allusions to mental illness, willy is obsessive, possessive too, and a little creepy, and a hypocrite, and narcissistic lol, and a little bit of a yandere, mentions of divorce, dysfunctional parent-child relationships, secret relationships, swearing, gaslighting, manipulation tactics, dom/sub undertones if you squint, willy is VERY egotistical, allusions to corruption kink, sir kink, smoking, sensual touching, dirty fantasies, praise, lying, erections, indirect mentions of stalking, dirty fantasies, kissing

minors dni // please read warnings!!

part one // two // three // four // five

a/n: helloooo everyone!! I am back again with another part!! I've gotten a lot of messages asking where this was and here it is!! It's my spring break now, so i have time to feed all of you guys again!! thank you to everyone who was patient with me in the meantime, it means a lot <3 hopefully the length of this chapter will make up for the wait!! enjoy!!

~~~

Even though it was very much out of the way, Mr. Afton's office was still far too noisy for his liking.

When first establishing the diner, he was well aware that the target audience was children first, and then their parents second. And, having had children of his own, William knew that children were noisy. Very noisy. But surely their parents could control them in public spaces, yes? Other kids want to enjoy the animatronics and the music too. And that's hard to do when brat one and brat two are screaming their heads off. So surely the parents would teach them some manners, right?

No. Of course not. He was being too optimistic.

And, over the years, William found that smoking was the only cure to his headaches. They were frequent while at work, and he took frequent long breaks to cure them. The nicotine was the only remedy.

Aside from his bunny, of course. Though you were far more addicting than the nicotine.

William hadn't heard a word from you ever since the incident with Michael on Monday. It was Wednesday now, and he still missed you just as much as he had prior. You remembered your rules, didn't you? Phone him once a week? Don't tell him you forgot already. Each minute that ticked by he could feel the pull of anticipation coming from whatever phone was nearby. Hell, he had barely slept the last few nights because he wanted to be sure he'd get your call. But the lack of sleep was getting to him. He could feel it in the sting of his eyes every time he blinked.

Damn it, bunny. You need to be more attentive with these things.

Running his hand through his brown-grey hair, he breathed out a heavy sigh as he tamped out his third cigarette of the day. His elbows were situated heavy on his expensive, messy desk, leaned forward in his chair. He needed to get a hold of himself. It had only been a few days. You were a good bunny, and of course you were gonna follow the rules. William shouldn't chastise you too much. You had things to do, most likely. Or just wanted to wait to play it safe. He just missed you a lot more than he expected. Especially after all that with Michael.

The brit felt his jaw clench, reaching in his desk drawer for a fresh pack of cigarettes.

Who the fuck did that boy even think he was? He had no right to disturb William's peace like that, sticking his nose where it didn't belong. Your relationship with the older man was none of his damned business. And who was he to even question it to begin with? Question him? Question you? Poor bunny. You were probably so frightened, weren't you? William hoped you weren't scared off too much, enough to where you didn't want to call. Did you think it was best not to anymore? God damn it. Mr. Afton wished he could communicate with you better.

The brit bent his neck down as he pulled open one of his drawers, searching for his lighter.

Fucking Michael. Always ruining shit. William was getting fucking sick and tired of his bullshit, having to be the ring-leader in the fuckery circus. Michael was a damn brat.

He'd fucking pay for this.

After successfully lighting the cigarette, William heard a knock as he put the lighter away. A brief twinge of hope rushed through him as he looked up at his office door. Could it be you, little bunny? Did you not call because you were planning to visit him this whole time? Sweet little one. Always so considerate.

But, then again...

William's excitement vanished as soon as it came up. He gave you the key to his office, and instructed you to let yourself in. This couldn't be you, no.

Damn. Fucking, damn.

Fuck whoever this was. He could go fuck himself.

Clearing his throat, William put on his rehearsed friendly voice as he called out to the mystery person.

"Come in!"

The door clicking open and shut, William was greeted with a pleasant surprise, but not the one he was hoping for.

Henry.

William felt a little bad for thinking Henry should go fuck himself.

Henry was William's best friend. Hell, in a lot of ways, William's only friend. At least the only person that he considered to be a real friend. Aside from his bunny, Henry was the only person William allowed to be at least somewhat of himself around. Of course, the brit was never fully himself, no. He knew if Henry saw the real him, his American friend would want nothing to do with the brit. No, his true self was only reserved for you, little one. Because he just loved you that much. And you loved him just the same. But still, Henry was a close friend to William. They had known each other since William had first stepped foot in the states, all those years ago. William knew everything about Henry, and Henry knew all he needed to know. It was a nice friendship.

Stepping through the door, William noticed right away that Henry was slightly out of breath, sweaty too. Being a heavier-set man, Henry was prone to sweating every now and again, but the slickness in his fiery reddish-blond hair told William that he'd probably just stepped out of the Fredbear costume. Henry's glasses were fogged, but he seemed more preoccupied with catching his breath to care right now.

"Hey, Bill! Sorry to barge in." Henry chuckled to his friend, leaning against the cool surface of the wooden door, "I just had to get away from those kids out there."

William gave the man the most sympathetic smile he could, taking a puff of his cigarette, "Tough crowd, hm?"

Henry chuckled again, shaking his head, "Nah, just really excited to see Fredbear. They missed ol' Bonnie though, you know."

The brit breathed out a hum, "Well Bonnie had to file his restaurant's taxes this afternoon. And someone has to keep this place afloat, no?"

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for taking care of that, by the way. I know how much you hate crunching the numbers."

"It's no big deal." William sat back in his chair, putting his feet up on the desk, "I'd argue you got the tougher job today out of anyone."

Henry laughed again, one of his signature belly-laughs, "Yeah, yeah, that's fair. How's it going, Bill? How're you?"

William knew that Henry was going to be keen on talking, so that meant not much time for smoking. The brit took one last puff of nicotine before tamping it out.

"Quite well, actually. You?"

"Oh, you know me! Same old, same old. How're the kids doing? I hear Mikey's getting along well in college these days! That's good for him, though. I remember how much he used to struggle. I told him though, he just needed to find his people, find what he's passionate about, yknow?"

William felt his jaw clench. The only thing his son was passionate about was making a mess of things.

"He's doing fine, yeah." William said, "Though he's hardly ever home long enough for me to ask these days. But, I haven't gotten a letter of expulsion. So I assume all is well, yeah?"

Henry laughed, "Definitely! And how 'bout lil' Evan and Liz? Jee, it's been forever since I've seen them two. They grow like weeds at this age, at least Charlie did. Bet they're huge now!"

William let his smile fall a little, "Actually, I haven't seen them much either."

"Oh? Really?"

"Really." William took his feet off his desk and sat forward in his seat, "Clara seems not quite as willing to let them come over these days, it seems. Something about Evan's nightmares popping up again. The robots seemed to frighten him more than I had realized."

Henry crossed his arms, "Ah, jee, Bill. I'm so sorry. I know you gotta miss 'em."

"I do. I know Clara has her reasons, but... Let's just say the house is a lot more quiet with just me and Mike in there, yeah?"

Henry seemed to finally catch his breath and stop sweating now, taking off his fogged glasses. Glancing between the brit and the lenses, the red-head used the end of his t-shirt to wipe the glass.

"Yknow, Bill," Henry began, "It's been about 8 years since you and Clara split. Maybe it's time to, yknow... get back out there. It's not too late, even for old guys like us. I'm sure the kids would understand, too. At least eventually they would."

William felt another smile threaten to creep up on his face. Oh, Henry. You poor soul. The brit appreciated the sentiment, but there wasn't any need to worry about him. At least, not now. Not anymore. William had his precious, adorable little bunny now. And they were everything the older man needed and more. All he'd ever need ever again.

Fuck.

He missed you. He missed you so fucking much.

Henry seemed genuinely worried for William, too. Not that Henry wasn't ever genuine. Aside from his bunny, Henry was the most genuine person William had ever met. Never had a bad word to say to anyone about anything. It allowed William to put some of his trust in Henry, and make him a friend.

The extent of that trust?

Enough to tell Henry about you. Or, at least, tell him a little bit about you. Henry didn't need to know the whole truth.

Just enough for William to stop missing you so much.

"Actually," William began, his smile finally spilling over onto his handsome features, "I have... met someone, you could say."

Henry looked to the brit with shock and amusement, his smile widening as he put his glasses back on, "No way, really?! Bill, that's great! I mean... wow! I didn't even realize you were looking!"

"Thank you. We only started... seeing each other this past weekend. But, I already like them quite a bit. They are... unlike anyone I've ever met before. We click, yeah?"

The American let out an amused chuckle, "Wow, I mean, that's amazing, man! What's their name? Where're the from?"

William knew that he couldn't give Henry your real name. This town was too small. If Henry didn't already know you, he'd find out who you were one way or another. And he wasn't ready for that yet.

"Their name is... Bunny. From... Vegas."

"Vegas, huh? Interesting! What're they like?"

William let out a hum from the back of his throat, picturing your little face in his head, "Everything I could ever want. Or need."

Henry laughed again, "Wow, sounds like you really like 'em!"

"I do. Though they're a busy person. It's... difficult for us to be together all the time. I miss them terribly."

"I can understand that. It was like that with me and the Mrs. for a while there. Especially when setting up this joint." Henry responded as he patted the doorframe for emphasis, "But! Yknow what really helped us back then?"

"Hm?"

"When the dust settled enough, we took a week away! Just her and I, and left Charlie with the grandparents. It really helped us, like, reassure each other that we were our biggest priorities. It's like we fell in love all over again! We still talk about it to this day!"

William felt his lips part as he listened to his friend. A week away, hm? Now that did sound intriguing. The idea of getting away from this shithole town and whisking you away somewhere private did sound nice. Somewhere nice and secluded, so it could just be you and him. No worries looming over your shoulders of being caught, or leaving some sort of trail behind. Somewhere where you didn't have to look over your shoulder, and fully be in the moment. Together.

The brit shifted his grey eyes over to the calendar at the front of his desk. Your fall break was coming up soon. Next week, to be precise. Would that be enough time to plan all of it out? Money wasn't an issue to William, not at all. But he just wondered if him and you could be away for a whole weekend without raising any eyebrows.

But, then again. College students rarely stayed around town that week. Hell, Michael would probably be even spending it a this mother's. That makes things more convenient. William could just say he needs to travel for business. And he could just get you to say that you were spending it away at distant relative's houses.

Yes, that could work.

But where would he take you? There's that national park upstate not too far away. Tucked away in the few woods that Utah had. William remembered taking his family up there once a long time ago, when Michael was still in high school. The only people there were a few other families, as well as the managers of the hotel site. And they wouldn't give a damn about anything that the two of you could possibly get up to, so long as things stay quiet and the checks cleared.

Though, if William gets you all to himself like that... it might be a bit hard to keep you quiet.

He wanted to hear just how loud his little bunny could get.

But, that could sort itself out later.

Henry was a smart man.

When William got back after next week, he'd have to thank him for the wonderful idea.

~~~

"A trip? Together? Will, don't you think that's a bit... risky?"

It wasn't until the sun had started to creep down the horizon the next day that you called. Although his talk with Henry had helped, William still missed you deeply during the time in between. His fantasies of you and the jacket that he stole could only keep him company for so long. He was just grateful that he had been home when you called, and that Michael wasn't there to ruin any more shit.

William didn't expect you to be so apprehensive about his little idea. He assumed that if he was the one that brought up something like that, you'd know that it was safe to do so. William is smart, little one. He's already thought every little detail through. Don't you trust him not to put you in any kind of danger?

He told you that you two would leave on Sunday, it being Thursday now. This would give you time to wrap up anything for school that you had outstanding, if any, and give him enough time to sort things out. The hotel reservation. Lying to everyone that he'd be on a business trip. Making sure that idiot Michael was tucked away at his mother's for the week. Plus, enough time for him to think of what the two of you would do up there, tucked away in the little corner of the woods.

Alone.

Without any prying eyes.

Oh bunny. If only you knew what he was capable of. When things were perfect like that. When things were how they should be.

"It's not risky at all, love." He responded to you, holding the phone up with his shoulder as he circled the number of the Hotel on the newspaper, "We'd be far enough away from town to where no one would recognize us. It's just a tourist destination anyway, bit run down, yeah? There'd be no one we'd know, just perhaps a few other passer-bys."

William could hear how you turned over in your bed from the other end of the phone, perhaps to prop yourself up on your elbows, "But what if someone is there? Like, how're we supposed to explain that?"

"Love, there's not going to be anyone there we know."

"Yeah, but... what if there is?"

William chuckled as he set the newspaper down, re-grabbing the phone from off his shoulder, "You worry far too much, bunny."

"Well I don't think you're worried enough, Will. This could be really dangerous for us..."

"But it won't be, (Y/N). I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought it'd be too dangerous. You know that."

You sighed, "I do, it's just..."

The brit shifted the phone to his other ear as he leaned his back against the wall, "What, love? You can tell me."

"It's just I don't wanna be, like... found out this early on. Like, what if someone really is there? And we can't see each other again because of it? And we'd have to go back home and pretend to be strangers again and it all gets, like, ruined and..."

You trailed off towards the end, but William understood what you were trying to say. Oh, sweet bunny. It's so cute you were so worried. But it wasn't anything to worry about in the first place, and perhaps you knew that deep down. You like to worry yourself silly, don't you, little one? Turns out you were far more paranoid than even William himself. Didn't that wear you out?

You need to calm down, bunny. William would never let anything stand between you and him. He loved you, and he'd fight for you until the bitter end.

"Bunny, listen to me, yeah?" The brit hummed, "Nothing is going to happen out there. I'll make sure nothing could possibly go wrong. And even if something did, it won't be anything for you to fret over, love. I'll take care of everything. I promise."

You fell silent for a few moments, but eventually let out a tiny sigh, the ruffling of your bed covers coming from the background again.

"Finneeeee." You breathed out, "But only if you're sure it'll be okay."

William felt his grin stretch across his handsome face, "I'm certain, little one. Just leave it all the me, yeah?"

"Where even is this place again? I've never heard of it before."

"It's only a few hours north of here. Kind of out in the middle of nowhere, but that just means no one will bother us with our... quality time."

The older man heard how you giggled over the phone, imagining the blush that came up on your cheeks, "Where'd you even hear of this place to begin with? You don't seem like the outdoors-y type. No offense."

"Ah, no, love, I'm not, but I used to take my kids up there every now and again. Back when we all still lived together."

"I see... Will, yknow, if you'd rather spend this week with them, I won't be offen-"

William chuckled again, "No, love, it's quite alright. Michael's too old for that sort of thing now, and the ex-wife is already taking the other two up to her mum's. Besides, I'd much rather be with you, anyway. I miss you, bunny."

"I miss you too, Will."

He let out a pleased hum, "Are you excited, love?"

"I am! I'm gonna start packing in the morning after my midterm."

"If you need any help, bunny, just give me a ring, alright?"

"I will, I will. Oh, and after we get back, just tell me how much everything was and I'll give you back half-"

William laughed again, amused by how cute you were, "Darling, please. There'll be none of that. I've got it all covered, sweet thing."

He heard you sit up in your bed, "Oh my god, no! Will, please, I can't ask you to do all that for m-"

"It's not an issue, bunny. Trust me."

"Still! That's a lot of money, and I can't just-"

The brit chuckled, "You can, love. I've got it all taken care of. Having you with me is payback enough, I promise. This isn't putting me out or anything. Just in this phone call I've made enough money to cover it two times over. Just be a good bunny for me, yeah? Let me spoil my sweet rabbit a bit. Think of this as just a little... honeymoon, of sorts. Alright?"

He could practically hear your blush from the other end, "O-Okay... Thank you, Will. Thank you very much, I... no one's ever been this kind to me before. So thank you."

"It's not a problem, little one. There's no need to thank me. This is just what you get when you're good for me, yeah? Do you understand?"

"I do."

"Good bunny. Though, if you really do want to say thank you, how about a nice kiss when I see you on Sunday, hm? Could you do that for me?"

You breathed out a smile, "Yeah, I can. Yes sir."

William let out another pleased hum, his smirk stretching even further, "Good bunny. It's getting late, little one. You should get some rest. We've got a long week ahead of us."

You ruffled around to where you were lying down again, "Yeah, you're right. Just... thank you again, Will. For everything."

"Of course, love. Anytime. Good luck on your exam tomorrow, yeah? I know you'll do fine. I'll see you Sunday, alright?"

"See ya Sunday, Will. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, bunny."

~~~

"Okay, Mike. Next one. The principle of conservation of momentum is a direct consequence of Newton's third law of motion. True or False?"

"Umm... false?"

"Mike! Come on, we learned this in high school!"

Michael groaned at his own cluelessness as you laughed at him for the umpteenth time today. It was Friday morning, much too early and much too cold to be cramming for a physics midterm. Yet, here Michael was.

With you.

The moment he locked eyes with you on campus, Michael had drug you away to your usual shared study-spot. Behind the old welcome center, which gradually had turned into a dumping site for any supplies or equipment the college didn't need anymore, but didn't bother to throw out. The cinder-block building made it much colder than it already was, but it was secluded. It always let the two of you be outside but without anyone threatening the join. You and Michael were a bit awkward. Not much of talkers to outsiders.

You were in your usual spot up on the ledge of the building. It was structured in a way in which part of the corner was cut out from the main walls. Originally intended for some sort of statue or monument, the corner was left empty once people lost interest in any sort of project being placed there. But, it made a nice little human-sized cubby to sit in. Your back was against the cold brick wall, with Michael sitting opposite you with his back on the stone as well. A flurry of old assignments and your books were strewn about in the narrow space between you and him, your legs tangled together in a bit of a mess.

Though you weren't in his physics class, you knew how much Michael struggled with it. Admittedly, he was never much of a math guy. Or any kind of school guy, really. But, you were. Michael knew you were a nerd. Even though you'd never admit it, you were. He'd joke about it to you every now and again, but deep down, admired that about you. You never needed to study much for anything. Or at least, not nearly to the magnitude he needed to.

That's why he didn't feel bad making you help him last-minute cram that morning. He knew you would be fine without studying for your test. Well, it was two birds with one stone, in a way. He both desperately needed the help, and desperately needed to know what was up with you.

He hadn't spoken to you since Monday of that same week, after his father had forced him to call you. Michael felt bad about potentially worrying you then, or even just calling you at such an ungodly hour, but he had decided it was ultimately for the best. He knew his father did some shit to you.

And he had to know what that shit was.

He knew that old man would rather finally croak than spill the beans, so he had to rely on you to give him answers. Seeing as you had most likely lied to him over the phone (not that he blamed you too much, he knew how manipulative the old geezer could be), he'd have to rely on his intuition as best he could. From the cues you gave.

But, that was the problem.

Although you hadn't lied to him before, nor really hid anything from him, turns you were damn good at it.

On Monday, he hadn't been able to pick up anything from you at all. You had greeted him and hung out with him like nothing was wrong. And hell, even now, you still were. You were your same old self. Just perhaps slightly... happier? More energetic?

That should be a good thing. Michael wanted to be happy for you.

But he knew something was up. It wasn't just a coincidence. And he needed to get to the bottom of it.

For you.

"This is all bullshit, anyway!" Michael exclaimed, running his hands though his long, feathered hair, "I didn't care back then about this shit, and I still don't now!"

You dropped the stack of flash-cards down to look at your friend square in his freckled face, "Mike, if you wanna be an engineer, you're gonna have to know Newton's Laws. It's, like, the main thing."

Michael scoffed, but not annoyedly, "Look, all I'm saying is, if they were really that important, I'd already know them."

The young man heard you laugh again, "Maybe if you already knew them you'd not be failing."

"I am not failing! I actually have a C this semester, thank you very much."

"Thaaaaat's nearly failing, Mike."

"Well thank god I've got the best tutor ever then, right?"

Michael felt himself smile to match your own, watching you roll your eyes playfully as you shuffled the flash cards in your hands, "It's just one more test then we're outta here. Then you can diss Newton all you want. But for now, we need to study."

Michael's grey eyes fell to the cards, silence falling over him. Right, fall break. He had forgotten all about it. He was gonna head up to his mom's house, with Liz and Evan.

But, his father...

"Hey," he said, "I never asked you. What're you doing for break?"

You glanced up at your friend at his question, only for your eyes to fall down to your hands again, "Actually, I'm gonna go outta town."

Michael shifted in his seat, "Out of town?"

"Yeah," you responded, "My grandma invited me to her place up state. I'm gonna spend the week with her."

"Where does she live?"

"I don't remember off the top of my head. But somewhere up in the woods."

The woods...

"What're you gonna do?" You asked him, catching the young man a bit off guard.

"Oh," he said, "I'm gonna go spend time with my mum and brother and sister. Probably the whole week."

Michael watched as you smiled at him, searching for any sort of hint behind your eyes, "That sounds fun. Hope you have a good time."

"Yeah... too bad my dad won't be coming."

Michael saw you glance up again at him.

"He won't?"

"Nah. Something about a business trip."

"That's understandable, though. Gotta do what you gotta do. I'm just surprised you'd miss him. It's not like you were ever his biggest fan."

Michael scoffed again, "Yeah. Maybe it's for the best."

"Yeah... maybe."

Silence fell over the two of you again, only broken by the shuffling of paper in your hands and the cool Utah air flooding through the trees in the distance.

Shit. Had Michael fucked it up? Was he being too direct? He never really talked to you too much about his relationship with his dad. At least, not in-depth, and nothing besides the occasional venting session. He'd have to explain every little nuance to you for you to get the whole picture. Of why he felt how he felt abut his old man. And he never wanted to unpack all that onto you. It wasn't fair. It wasn't your job to take care of him.

But, still.

He needed to get to the bottom of this.

"You think so too?" He asked, tearing your gaze away from the flashcards to focus on him.

"I mean," you said, "Things turn out how they do for a reason. Maybe it's just not time for a family reunion yet."

"Yeah, you're right... It's just, I kinda miss how things were before, yknow? When my mum and dad were still together."

"I can understand that. But, ultimately, it happened for a reason. And they probably did it because it just would've been best for you and your siblings. Better than just letting it... sit and brew, right?"

"I guess... So, does your grandma, like, live in a cabin or something? Is she a witch?"

You laughed, "No, no. Not a witch. At least from what I remember. And yeah I think it's a cabin. Or at least kinda like one. She rents it out occasionally, too."

A rentable cabin...

In the woods...

"For, like, tourists?"

"Or just any passers-by."

Michael felt his lips part at your words, a small pit forming in the bottom of his stomach.

The woods. The cabin. Your trip. His dad's trip.

Oh god.

Oh fucking god.

"Umm, Mike?" the young man heard you ask, briefly snapping out of his train of thought, "Are you good?"

Michael looked to you again and threw on his best smile, running a hand through his hair, "Shit, I'm so sorry, (Y/N)! I just remembered I agreed to study with Steven this morning. Sorry, but I gotta run!"

The young man stood up and threw all his things into his backpack quicker than he ever had before. He didn't even care how all his papers were being crumpled, and the bookmarks were flying out of the pages.

You watched him with a somewhat confused expression, "Uhhh, okay? I can come with if you-"

"No, no, it's alright!" Michael exclaimed, almost too quickly, "You've already helped me more than enough, thanks. I just really gotta run."

Once all his stuff was in, Michael threw his bag over his shoulder, not even bothering to zip it up, "I'll see you after break, alright? Have a good week, (Y/N). Enjoy your grandma's."

Michael heard you call out something back to him, but he was already trudged off in the opposite direction. He didn't look back, not even once, his grey eyes fixated to the ground.

They stayed there for a good long while.

Until his legs carried him to the pay phone, his arms searched through his pockets, his fingers put in the quarter, and dialed his mother's number.

~~~

When Sunday rolled around, William had spent a fuck ton of time getting ready that morning. A lot longer than he normally did.

The brit had hardly slept the night before. He was just way too excited about what was to come after the sun had risen. An entire week away. With his precious bunny at his side. Away from this fuckhole town. Away from all the idiots that lived here. Away from his business. Away from his lonely home. Away from Michael. Away from any prying eyes that might threaten to take you away from him.

No. Come that morning, he'd be able to get away from it all. And have you close to him. Where you should always be.

He had laid out his best outfit before settling into bed the previous night. The purple sweater-vest he loved so much, with his black tie, slacks, and dress shoes. all tied together with his light-purple dress shirt underneath, accented with his silver watch and class ring from his university. Staring at himself in the mirror for what felt like hours, he had finally gotten his brown-and-grey hair to fall as perfectly as he wanted. As he would expect for himself when seeing you. You were already perfect for him. The least he could do was be the same for you.

Before William marched out the door to his car, he made sure to give himself an extra spritz of his cologne. Just to be sure that you'd be able to memorize his scent over this week. He planned by the end to either give you a piece of the clothes he had packed for you to keep, or spray his own cologne on your clothes. To give you some sort of unconscious reminder of him. For when the week was over. He was leaning towards the latter, however. Easier to slip in, and more long-lasting.

He'd think about it. He had plenty of time to decide.

The older man had already packed everything he needed long before the weekend ever came. He wanted to make sure that he didn't forget anything. This week needed to go by as perfectly as possible. He knew he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he fucked it up somehow. Sure, yes, you were his good bunny. You'd reassure him with your adorable smile that everything was okay. But it wouldn't be, bunny.

There was no room for fuck-ups this week.

None.

Even though, William was pretty sure he was about to fuck-up at any second right then.

You and him had agreed that he would be he one to drive the two of you to the hotel. More like William decided, but you didn't seem to protest too much. At least not that he could pick up on. But, with that, William knew that he'd have to help you carry your luggage. Over the phone, you didn't say as much. Not in any way that might embarrass yourself.

"It might be a little tough for me to haul my shit down the stairs." You told him over the phone, "So just be patient with me, alright?"

William smiled to himself as he recalled your little voice. Oh, bunny. His silly little bunny. There's no shame in asking William to help you, sweet thing. Wouldn't you like to see a display of his strength? See just how much he can lift without any trouble at all? Why'd you want to see that, bunny? To see how well he could throw you around during you and his playtime?

Naughty bunny. Naughty naughty bunny. Who knew your mind was so filthy?

The brit was waiting outside of your door for you to answer, the sound of the wind breaking between the trees and the gentle rumble of his car's engine filling his rosy ears. He had knocked a few minutes ago, and was trying to be as patient as possible for you to answer. William knew you were awake. If he was careful about it, he could hear you scurrying around your house in a mad dash. It was cute. And he was a patient man.

Normally speaking.

William found it hard to resist the urge to just kick down the door and scoop you up into his arms. He had missed you so fucking much in the days leading up to today. His heart ached for you. His body ached for you. Just like before, he could already feel himself starting to harden inside his trousers. Just in the excitement and anticipation of seeing you again. The heat on his cheeks was creeping down his neck, making him shudder in the cold morning air.

Fucking hell. He was glad he picked out black to wear again today. Any other color, and you would've noticed his hard-on. As much as he loved playing with his bunny, he wanted to just be sweet and loving with you today. Hold you close. Kiss those adorable cheeks. Fuck. He just wanted you near him; needed you near him. Your warmth against his was so addicting. He had gone far too long without it. The jacket he stole from you was fine, but it wasn't the same. It couldn't replicate the feeling of your chest against his. The feeling of your plush thighs overtop his own. The way your little fingers ran through his hair, and down his scars... Fuck, bunny. Fucking hell. How we wanted you to touch him again. How we wanted to touch you again. Your skin was so smooth and soft. The way his long, calloused fingers could just slide across your belly and thighs like it was nothing. The dip of your waist own to your hips, and how his hands fit so perfectly there. God fucking damn. And your cute little butt; god above how he loved it. How he could just-

Before William could fantasize any more, the door keeping him from you finally clicked open, ripping his gaze away from the trees in the distance. The older man felt his lips gently part, finally being able to drink in the sight of you again. After so long.

Even though you were awake, it looked like you hadn't been for too long. For one, you were still in your pajamas. And you hadn't even seemed to comb your hair yet. Or, if you had, whatever you were doing made it unkept again. you were smiling at him, but your adorable little eyes were still tired. He could see the faint dark circles that lingered under them, coupled with the sheen of redness from within.

He was really happy he wore black trousers that day.

"Morning, Will!" you said, your sleepiness still in your voice, "Sorry to keep you waiting, just gimme-"

Before you could finish your sentiment, William pushed himself through the door and slammed it shut behind him. You had taken a few steps back from his sudden barging-in, but he was quick to close the distance between the two of you, the surprise of it all lighting up your sleepy eyes. Snaking one of his arms around your middle, his other hand landing on your cheek, William closed the rest of the distance between you and him, capturing your sweet, soft lips into a kiss. You had let out a tiny hum of protest from his sudden movements, but quickly stopped as you eased in, reciprocating the older man's affections. As the kiss deepened, William gently was able to turn the two of you around, backing you up against the door with your shoulder blades flush against the wood.

Your hands eventually found their home on his shoulders, allowing himself to press further against you. He wasn't too sure if you could feel the hardness in his pants against your thigh or not, but he didn't fucking care. All that mattered was that you were here. You were in his arms again, after so fucking long. You hadn't gotten much better at kissing since the last time he saw you, but he didn't fucking care about that either. All that mattered was that they were your kisses. And it was him that got to kiss you.

Did you understand that, bunny?

Only he was allowed to kiss you.

Him.

And only him.

Because you were his sweet, adorable, sexy baby bunny.

You eventually had to pull away for air, but that didn't stop William's barrage of affection onto you. With no more access to your lips, the brit turned his attention to your neck, tilting his head down towards the soft flesh. He could feel how you gripped onto him tighter as he gave you quick, demanding little bites against the side of your windpipe, sucking on the skin every now and again. It wasn't until his hands started to wander under your shirt that you said anything.

"Will!" You exclaimed, a slight giggle in your voice, "Please! I missed you too, but calm down!"

The brit let out a hum against your neck, moving his hand back to your waist as he gave your collarbones a few more kisses, "I'm sorry, bunny. I just missed you... I missed you a lot."

You giggled again at him, "It's okay, I missed you too. I'm just really tired. I didn't sleep too well last night."

Tilting his head back up, William gave you a kiss to your blushy cheek before locking eyes with you again, brushing the hair away from your face.

"No?" He asked, admiring his precious bunny's adorable features. You were even cuter than the last time he saw you.

"Yeah, I was too excited. And I kept feeling like... I dunno. Like I was gonna forget something."

"I understand, love. I was in the same boat myself." He leaned down to you, pressing a quick peck against your lips, "You can sleep on the car ride if you want to, bunny. I won't mind."

"It's alright. I'm used to staying up anyway, but... thanks again, Will. For all of this. I just... No one's ever done something like this for me before. It's a little hard to believe this is, like, real."

The older man chuckled, giving you another quick kiss, "There's really no need to thank me, darling. I've already gotten all the thanks I need."

Breathing out another smile, you stood on your tip-toes to press one last kiss against his lips.

"I hate to ask you this, but..." you said, "I can't lift my suitcase enough to get it downstairs. Can you help me? Please?"

William smiled. You were just too cute.

"Of course, bunny."

"Thank you. Come on, it's upstairs in my room."

Even though he was reluctant to do so, William let you go out of his grasp, immediately feeling a lot colder without you close to him. Following behind you, he could already see how the fresh hickies he had given you were starting to form. Three bright red spots now lined the right side of your neck, marking you as his.

William couldn't help but smirk to himself.

Your house was smaller than William's was, and much more empty too. You had told him before that it was largely only you that lived there now. Your parents lived there too, but only when they were around. Which was next to never, their line of work having them over-seas a majority of the time. Even still, the house was a bit of a mess for only having one person living in it. Granted, it's not like you had to clean up if you didn't want to. You weren't trying to keep a tidy home for everyone else. While William was definitely more of a tidy person, he understood the mess. And, admittedly, found it a little comforting.

It was your mess, after all.

This feeling of comfort only magnified itself the closer you lead him to your room. The mess gradually got messier as he neared the door, and the items strewn about became progressively more personal to you. Papers turned to books. Books turned to albums. Albums turned to clothes. Clothes turned into your more... personal clothes.

Fucking Christ.

William wanted to steal some of those too.

But eventually, all of the different items eventually amalgamated into your room. Both you and him had to step over a few piles of things to get past the door, but he was the first to stop. He was positioned just a foot or so past your bedroom door, while you scurried off more towards the back of it all.

"Sorry about all the mess," you said over your shoulder, "I meant to clean up before you came, but... I slept through my alarm."

William looked down to his feet at your words, kicking over a pile of your clothes gently to investigate its contents, "It's alright, love. I've seen much worse."

"Just wait there for a sec. I need to pack a few more things first."

William took this as a cue to further his investigation into your room. Honestly, it wasn't quite what he expected. Although, he had never really given any thought into how it might've looked. But regardless, he found himself quite fond of it.

Because it was just so... you.

It had all your favorite things in it. The posters on the wall of your favorite bands. The pictures of you and your family. A few art pieces that seemed just a bit aged. All the little trinkets and knick-knacks that lined shelves full of books you liked. The clothes you liked strewn about the ground. Album covers. Old movie ticket stubs. Your schoolwork. Your sheets. Your stuffed animals. Your scent.

It was like William had stepped inside of your mind.

And he fucking loved it.

Why didn't he think of this sooner? Coming into your room? He would've been able to learn so much more about you so much quicker than he had. Instead of pestering his dumbass son, he could've just come here all along. Oh god. Oh fucking god. This was all too much. He was surrounded by you. Everywhere he looked was something to remind him of you, because everything was you. Fucking hell. It smelled just like you too. And your bed. Your fucking bed. Just inches away from him, the place where you slept at night whilst away from him. The very thing that housed all your dreams, your phone calls, your tears, your study sessions, your pleasure. Did you think of him in there, bunny? How many times has his name echoed off of those walls? How many times have you imagined him there with you? Did you picture him slipping on top of you in that bed? Did you fantasize about his hands roaming up and down your body there? Did you? Was it his lips you imagined on your flesh? His voice you wanted to whisper in your ear?

Oh it was bunny. He knew it was. Just like he had done for you, in his own bed.

William was grateful to hear your voice again from the other side of the room. He was worried he might have another accident if he hadn't been stopped.

"Like what you see?" You asked him, shoving a few last-minute things into your suitcase.

The brit cleared his throat before responding to you, "I do actually, yes."

He hard you scoff playfully, "You don't have to humor me, Will. I know you're a neat-freak."

"No, no, I do like it, bunny." He reassured you, "It's very... you."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"A good thing, of course."

You chuckled, "Well I guess it makes sense. I've had the same room since the day I was born."

William felt one of his brows raise, "You've never moved?"

"Nah. This house has been in the family since, like, the 20s or something. I've never been outside of Hurricane, actually."

The older man felt his bewilderment grow, "Never?"

"Never ever. Other than a Disney trip when I was a baby, but I don't remember anything from it so it doesn't count. This trip will be my first time out of the city."

"Is that so... Well, I'm honored to be your first, bunny."

You chuckled again, "You're a lot of my firsts, Will."

William smiled to himself. Indeed he was, little bunny. Just like how it should be. You'd never need another man in your life, anyway. Not anymore, not after being his now. Isn't that all you'd ever want?

This trip was going to be good for you. He knew it would.

"Well I'm honored to be all of them."

~~~

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh, hey, sugar. What's up?"

"I have an update. On what's going on."

"Already? That's good, I just didn't expect somethin' so soon. Especially with him."

"Yeah, me neither, but... I think it might be worse than we thought."

"Worse how, baby?"

"Do you remember that old hotel place up state? We used to vacation to, like, before?"

"Oh God, don't tell me..."

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure they're heading there this weekend."

"I understand. I can get there before them if I leave tonight. Will you be here by then? To watch the kiddos?"

"Yeah, I will. What do you want me to tell them?"

"Just say I'm visiting their Auntie for a day or two and you're gonna watch them. I'll leave some money out on the counter for pizza, and there'll be some leftovers in the fridge. Just keep an extra eye on your brother, pumpkin. Poor thing's been having bad dreams again."

"Does he know?"

"No, I haven't told either of them. Probably won't, if I'm bein' honest."

"That's probably for the best. Just wait until they're older. I can't imagine trying to explain it to them now."

"They still love him, baby. It's better not to break their little hearts all over again."

"I know, I know, just... I wish they could know the truth. I feel like I'm lying to them."

"You're not, sugar. You're just protectin' them. They're just kids, pumpkin pie. Let 'em believe their daddy is a good man just a little bit longer."

"But he isn't. That's the thing. He's already fucked us up, now he's fucking my best friend up."

"I know, sweetie, I know. But we'll get it all fixed up, I promise you. Save 'em before it's too late 'n all."

"Yeah... yeah, you're right, I just... I'm sorry. I'm just worried."

"I know you are, I am too. But worryin' isn't gonna solve anythin'. Not right now. I'll be up there before sunrise tomorrow. I'll take care of it, sugar. Just try and enjoy your break in the meantime."

"Are you going to need any help? I can bring Liz and Ev up to Grandma's for a little."

"I don't think so. The restrainin' order should scare him off enough, but I'm gonna wait until I can get your little friend alone just to be sure."

"Okay... only if you're sure."

"Positive, baby. Don't you be worryin' about me, now. This ain't my first rodeo with him."

"Heh, yeah... You're right. As usual."

"Should I mention you when the time comes?"

"If you want. (Y/N)'s gonna figure it out quickly, anyway, so..."

"Okay."

"Thank you again. For all of this, I... I don't know what I'd do without you. I can't win against him."

"It's no trouble at all, sugar. Anything to keep it from happenin' again."

"Yeah..."

"Good luck on your test, baby. I gotta go start packin' now, okay? I love you, Mikey. Everything's gonna be fine."

"I love you too, mum. Thanks."

~~~

tags: @guinea-pig16 @the-official-memester @randomwriteralan @mrsrogerwaters @lalyaaftonshit @cherry-slushee @insert-memical-username @mrssafton @horrorking2000 @artist-anon08 @tuttifuckinfruttifriday @jamiethenerdymonster @kimyona-san @purplewolfcoffee @violetlmfaoo @reapersimps @wawuwe @lovinglenore @zoey5252

apologies to any blogs tumblr wont let me tag!! also if i forgot to add you please let me know!!

#william afton x you #william afton smut #william afton x reader #william afton #dave miller x reader #fnaf x y/n #fnaf x you #fnaf x reader #fnaf smut

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myveryownfanfiction · 6 months

Text

18+ MINORS AND THOSE WITHOUT AGE IN BIO DNI

tags: @illiana-mystery, @cassieuncaged

warnings: swearing

I frowned as the empty arcade was over run by men in black suits. My boss and I shared a look as they seemed to be investigating every nook and cranny in the place.

“what is going on?” I whispered as the men moved to take up certain points in the room. My boss shrugged and shook his head at me.

“Who the fuck knows?” He muttered as he went back into his office. “Just be on your best behavior and don’t get us shut down.” I rolled my eyes at him as he slammed his door shut. The sound of children made my head snap back to the front door. Two kids came running in, holding onto the hands of a younger man in a suit.

“slow down you two.” The man laughed as he was dragged into the building. “Daisy! Bernie! Slow down!” The kids let go of his hands and took off into the arcade. I watched as he fixed his hair and looked around before coming over to the desk I was standing behind. “Hello. Sorry about them.” I waved my hand and smiled brightly at the man.

“I’m used to it. We get a lot of kids coming in. Families.” I shrugged. “Your kids aren’t the most rambunctious I’ve ever seen.” The man smiled at me and rubbed the back of his neck.

“they’re my niece and nephew. Parents are…” he frowned for a second while looking over at the kids playing a racing game. “Well let’s just say this is the least I can do to help out right now.” I nodded, knowing the story far too well. “I wanted to thank you as well. For being so accommodating.” I nodded, keeping my smile in place even though I was beyond confused. “And you have no idea what I’m talking about.” The man laughed again.

“I assume you mean the men in suits. But beyond that…” I trailed off. The man smiled at me sympathetically. “Oh my god. I’m such a fuck up. You’re the prime minister.” I breathed out as I took a proper look at him.

“yes. Hello.” He waved and blushed as I covered my mouth.

“oh fuck.” I whispered. “I’m so sorry sir.” He waved his hand and smiled at me.

“Im just David today.” He shrugged. “No nation to run. Just watch over the kids and hopefully have a little fun myself.” I nodded as he extended his hand.

“I’m (Y/N).” I forced out. “Whatever you three need. Just let me know.” David nodded before he was being called by who I could only assume was daisy. He let go of my hand with a smile and ran off to join his niece and nephew. Turning around, I gently banged my head on the wall.

“quit that (Y/N).” My boss said, poking his head out with a smirk on his face.

“you bastard.” I laughed out. “You knew exactly what was happening.” He nodded with a smile.

“been cleared for weeks now.” He confirmed. “Good luck.” He winked before ducking back into the office. Every so often one of the kids would run over to get some more change. David would watch them and smile as they came back, shoving the change into his hands. He’d laugh and I’d feel my heart skip a beat.

“daisy! Don’t…wait!” David yelled as daisy ran back over to me with a bunch of tickets clutched in her hands.

“it’s hard to hold onto these.” I nodded as she pushed them onto the counter.

“I bet they are. You have quite a lot.” I said as I leaned over it slightly to see her better.

“Can you count them please?” She asked. I nodded again.

“sure. You want to grab the rest of them and I’ll start on these?” Daisy nodded before taking off again. “Keep them separate from your brother’s!” I called after her and she looked back at me before shoving a handful back at her brother. I rolled my eyes and had to stifle my laugh while feeding the tickets into the machine as David came over with the rest of them.

“I’m sorry about her.” He muttered as he handed them over. “She’s…a bit much sometimes.” I smiled at him.

“Normally kids just throw them at me and get impatient while I count them.” I shrugged. “At least she asked.” David frowned as he watched me feed the tickets into the machine.

“how did you know she’d take the tickets from bernie?” He asked.

“happens all the time.” I admitted. “Usually it’s the older one taking from the younger one. Or it’s the parents giving them away.”

“sounds like hell.” David muttered.

“it can be. Especially since I can’t say anything to either one. Once I say something everyone starts looking at each other and all the kids start thinking they lost tickets. Usually ends in tears and free prizes.” I pressed a couple buttons on the machine to get a print out. “No one else is here so I figured it would be safe.”

“perfectly safe.” David chuckled. “Just making the two more competitive than they already are.” I laughed and handed over the print out. “Thanks for this. And for…yeah.” David waved around the arcade behind him and smiled.

“Of course.” I smiled back at him. Daisy ran back over to tug on David’s hand. David followed her back over to her brother and I leaned on the counter to watch them. Daisy and Bernie had started another game and David glanced back over at me. He said something to them before rushing back over to me.

“sorry. I just…” he sighed and smiled at me brightly. “Would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?” I stared at him in shock. “You don’t have to obviously. I’m not going to have the guys in suits come over or anything if you say no. I just think…”

“yes.” I cut him off. David smiled at me gratefully. “We’re closing when you leave so whenever you want. Won’t take me long to change.”

“great. Brilliant.” He stuttered out. “I’ll have the kids dropped off by 4. I can pick you up by 5, if that’s alright?” I nodded.

“sounds perfect.” I agreed. David smiled and nodded before heading back over to the kids.

#Hugh grant #Hugh grant x reader #hugh grant fanfic #Hugh grant fanfiction #Hugh grant imagine #David #david x reader #david fanfic #David fanfiction #david imagine #love actually #David love actually #The prime minister #The prime minister x reader #The prime minister fanfic #The prime minister fanfiction #The prime minister imagine #The prime minister love actually

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lixiesbrowniess · 1 year

Text

Ⅳ. Look after the Ilus - Omaticaya storyline

Words count: 2.9k

Warnings: aged up characters 18+, nsfw, p in v, dom/sub dynamic, angsty, enemies to lovers, make up sex?, you cry a little, praising,

Aged up to 20

This request inspired it: “Enemies to lovers with Lo'ak where u guys used to be friends and he gave u like a cute lil plushie (IK THERE AREN'T ANY PLUSHIES BUT WE IMAGINE) and then Lo'ak kinda finds reader cuddling with that plushie or talking to it idkk” - anon, if you read this pls know that I'm thankful for your request!

Na'vi vocabulary: Mawey: calm down/stay calm, Skxawng: moron, Yawne: beloved

Follow the don't like don't read rule please - minors DNI

Summary:

“You can choose” you heard Tonowari say. Well you loved animals, you always felt like you had a stronger bond with them.

“I would be happy to look after the Ilus sir” you cussed to yourself as the habit to call Jake sir affected you to call the Olo'eyktan so.

“as you whish, you should get going then” he said smiling.

You exited the Olo'eyktan family marui and headed to the Ilu training pool. Your Ilu was there and Tsireya's too. You walked to greet your Ilu as it clicked it's tongue emitting a clack-like sound.

You called all the Ilus with a similar sound as they all swam near you as you dove in the water. “Mawey Ilu-yä. Mawey” you said smiling as some of them were a bit too excited or even afraid.

“don't worry it's ok” you whispered patting some of their heads. As you began to submerge signing them to follow you. After a couple of spins into the water you emerged and as you were exiting the water to feed the Ilus a figure leaned down to you.

“what are you doing here?” you scoffed rolling your eyes.

Few minutes before - His POV

He exited the Olo'eyktan marui as he had a conversation with him about the Ilus and their training.

He was near the Ilu pool and he heard a voice. Your voice. “Mawey Ilu-yä. Mawey”.

He silently walked over to you and squatted looking at you as you were swimming underwater with at least seven Ilus swimming around you.

He was almost hypnotized by your gently moves while you took care of those animals.

Back to the present - your POV again

“Lo'ak just tell me what do you want?” you sighed finally lifting yourself up as water run down your body as you sat on the rocky edge of the pool.

“oh well i just wanted to train my Ilu” he said as he stood up to his full height towering over you as you still didn't exited the water.

“I have the task to do it you can leave it to me.” you said flipping your wet hair “Hm well I'd prefer to do it on my own thank you.” he scoffed in return.

You couldn't help but feel a bit hurt by his words. You still couldn't forget when you guys were friends even if it was long ago in your children ages. He then jumped in the cold water and sank above it approaching his Ilu.

What you didn't know though was that he was still secretly observing you and your every move.

Your day was kinda orribile after your short but irritating encounter with Lo'ak. You thought about his skxawng ass all day during the Ilus training and even when you went with them to a swim around the reef to admire the corals.

Lo'ak pov again

“Hey bro!” a voice made Lo'ak quickly turn to it's source. “What are you doing?” Neteyam approached him with his Ilu. “None of your business.” Lo'ak answered trying to act cool.

Neteyam noticed you some miles away with the Ilus. “Really? Bro you have to tell her you can't just spy on her and then treat her like you don't care.” Neteyam was exasperated as he laid a hand on is little brother's shoulder.

“Stop it bro! She hates me, I can't just go there and tell her 'oh hey sorry for all these years but I love you' c'mon be for real” Lo'ak stated sighing about to swim away.

“Lo'ak. You can't treat y/n like that. Just go talk to her” And with that Neteyam swam away. Behold, now Lo'ak was even more confused about how he was feeling. He decided that he would speak to you... sooner or later.

Your pov

“Skxawng.” you exclaimed out of nowhere. Right now you were with Rotxo helping him to fillet the fishes he caught, and he looked at you kinda confused on why you called him a skxawng.

“Oh sorry Rotxo that wasn't for you.” you sighed as your eyes fell on the fish again. “For who it was then?” he said chuckling.

“That idiot Lo'ak. He's always so mean to me. Sometimes I wish I never knew him!” you scoffed slamming the fish on the ground. “Careful y/n you might hurt the fish” Rotxo jokingly said.

“I talked too much right?C you murmured staring at the poor fish. “Oh no. No you didn't y/n” he said contaging you with his smile.

You continued with your work in silence for a while until he spoke again. “I think you like him” he muttered still focused on taking the organs out of his fish.

Your eyes shot up electrocuting him “What?? Not in a thousands years!” You yelled throwing the fish at the boy. “I don't!” you said staring at him. “Then why you reacting like that?”

You stopped for a second and sat back down. Rotxo approached you and sat to your side. “you know, I see the way you guys are fighting” he started “but i also see the way you look at each other when the other is not looking” he said making you turn to him with a kinda lost look.

He patted your head smiling again. To think this was same guy who bullied you the first day you were here. You sighed “maybe just a little bit...” you admitted looking away from your friend.

"Well then you better speak to him cause I'm hundred percent sure he likes you too.” he said going back to work.

“I still don't think it's a good idea” you said finally putting down the last fish. “mh well I can't do anything more about it” Rotxo said lifting you up from your armpits causing your tail to whip the air.

“Now go to rest. It was a hard day” he pushed you on the sand. “thank you Rotxo” you turned to him before greeting him and running to your marui.

Time skip - in your marui

“Why is acting like that? He changed so much” you said holding the little Ikran shaped plushie. “we used to get along well.” you laid down holding the plushie up and looking at it.

“I liked to spend my time with him. What changed?” you huffed hugging the plushie to you chest.

“I though you threw it away”

You jumped sitting back cross legged and hiding the plushie behind your back. “for- how long have you been there?” you murmured trying to act cool even tho you were probably an embarrassed mess.

“Enough to understand a lot of things” he said sitting down in front of you. “I though you hated it.” he looked at the plushie then into your eyes “I thought you hated me” a sly smile spread on his face. “Shut up!” you scoffed turning your back to him.

“i wanted to talk to you” he said sitting down in front of you staring at the ceiling like fabric. “what now?” you scoffed about to stand up.

He grabbed your wrist and pulled you down again. “if I'm gonna talk sincerely you're gonna listen here in front of me.” He almost hissed at you but you comply, you sat there and looked at him straight in the eyes.

He sighed and closed his eyes “all right uuh...” he tried to find the right words. “I talked to Neteyam a while ago...” he started fidgeting with his fingers “...about you and ...me” his voice trembled imperceptibly but you caught it anyway.

You recognized the old Lo'ak in alla that fidgeting and voice trembling. A little smile threatened to creep on your lips for a second. You got closer to him.

“He thinks I shouldn't be treating you in that way...” he started again leaning backwards a little “I think that too of course and...” he swallowed his word harshly “I kinda wanted to apologize!” he said in one breath.

You were scared. You wanted to believe him but... All the things he has done kept you from believing him. You were too afraid this was another joke and he would've teased you for the rest of you days.

“You understand I can't believe you right?” you muttered, your voice sounding hurt. He looked at you desperately hoping to see someone willing to believe him. He felt his heart sank when he saw your eyes.

That pair of eyes he loved so much were looking at him in despondency. You looked so hurt he couldn't bear it. “No look I'm- I'm serious” he murmured taking your hands into his.

“You have to give me a reason to believe you” your voice almost cracked as you looked away. His hand fell down as he wanted to say something but it was stuck in his throat.

“I know i don't have the right to expect you to even listen to me..” he looked down at his fingers “but i think I'm in love with you. I think i always did. But I was stupid, I thought it would've ruined our friendship so i tried to keep us apart.” He squinted his eyes “And i ended up ruining it with my own hands” you heard his voice crack a little.

He got up and turned around. “I'll go now. I promise I won't bother you anymore.” He exited your marui as soon as those words left his throat. You stood there, in the middle of the now empty marui.

“You stupid, selfish, skxawng.” you muttered “You're such a skxawng!” your voice cracked as you yelled, eyes falling to the flooring.

You didn't noticed were the hot tears that were falling from your eyes soaking your cheeks. You hiccuped and stifled sobs left your lips again and again. You couldn't stop them as you stopped holding yourself back and cried you eyes out.

You curled up in a ball and you tried to calm the tears down. Your eyes were burning from how much you cried.

Two days has passed and you didn't move from your hut. You didn't eat, neither open the flap or letting anyone inside your marui.

Everyone was worried about you. So were Rotxo, Tsireya, Ao'nung and Neteyam. They came in front of your door at anytime asking if you were okay but you never answered.

Lo'ak refused to talk to anyone, they asked what happened to you. What he did. But he didn't dare to let out a word.

The next morning was going to be the fourth day. Lo'ak had enough and he exited his marui and walked in the dark of the night. He went straight to your hut and called out your name.

You didn't answer which made his heart sank a little more. He was probably the last person you wanted to see. But now wasn't the right time to be selfless.

He ripped the flap off and run to your little figure “Y/n!” he called you again as he toll you into his arms. “L-lo'ak” your voice was weak and it sounded lifeless.

“That's it. I'm taking you to my marui.” he picked you up into his arms and run to his hut. He placed you down onto his hammock and took all the metkayina fruits he had and cut the to slices.

“Here eat.” he stated holding the slices to your lips. You tried to refuse but he shoved them into your mouth.

“You better eat 'cause I won't let you starve” he said placing you onto his lap and feeding you the fruits slices. You looked up at him, he looked so concerned about your health.

A single tear fell from your eyes as you began to apologize ad you hugged him so hard he almost stopped breathing. “Don't you dare apologize. I'm the one who should.” he hissed kissing your forehead.

Your sobs came to an end as he hugged you as tightly as you did “I don't think starving to death would be a solution” you stared at his golden orbs as you ran your fingers onto his cheeks.

He looked down at you as his voice sank into his throat as he saw the look on your face. He was about to say something until you did. “You look hotter when you shut up.” you muttered before pulling him down and kissing him deeply.

His hand wrapped around your shoulders and he tilted his head deepening the kiss. You opened your mouth a little leaving him slid his tongue into your wet cavern exploring it.

He pulled away for a moment panting heavily “what- are you doing?” he murmured gripping your arms.

“What you should have done” you answered pulling him back against your body. You knew you loved, and now you wanted nothing but to be loved by him.

His hands roamed onto your back. You tugged onto his loincloth signaling him to pull it off.

⇊Incoming smut [if not comfy skip till the next warning]⇊

He blushed slightly doing as you suggested. You did the same throwing your clothing away. He leaned in again attacking your neck and collarbone.

You palmed his dick lightly squeezing it as he bit your skin. He took your wrists and pinned them at the sides of your head. “You touch too much you know?” he smirked holding your wrists still as he kissed down to your breasts.

You groaned softly jerking your hips against his trying to find some kind of relief for your heated core. You felt his dick poking you inner thighs as you moved closer.

He stopped you and lined himself up to your cunt. “Are you sure about this?” he said searching for your eyes. “never been so sure.” you muttered pushing your hips down to his.

He pushed his shaft inside you until it was completely engulfed. He cursed as you clenched around him. “Move- please--” you groaned softly.

He started to thrust inside you, going in and out of your pussy the faster and harder he could. His hips snapping into yours rhythmically, making mewl at the intense pleasure. He kept your wrist pinned to the soft mat as he slammed himself inside you.

He was hitting your spots so good you could hold your moans back and you started crying for the pleasure.

“I always thought you hated me” you whispered through sobs. His thrusts slowled to the point you barely felt him move, he released your wrists immediately “no no no baby don't cry. I never hated you” he showered your face with kisses.

“I'm sorry-” he grunted as he kept rolling his hips into you slowly while you wrapped your arms around his neck. He started making love to you thrusting slowly, hitting your cervix every time.

Somehow this was even better that before. His cock was hitting precisely every spot that made you scream. “Sorry-” his voice shuttered little as tears fell from his eyes, you connected your forehead to his and kissed his tears away. You chuckled as he did the same.

His thrusts were strong, yet loving, you felt your orgasm approaching as he held your thighs up to his chest making your back arch. “Lo'ak- I'm-” you didn't finish your sentence, you came as your orgasm hit you at full force.

You squirmed lightly as he kept slamming himself innto your abused hole. “I can't-” you gasped and tried to close your legs at the overstimulation. He kissed your face as he thrusted faster, “it'll be over soon mama”

Your eyes went wide as soon as you heard the nickname. He pulled one of your legs up on his shoulder making you split and shoving himself till his v line collapsed against your inner thighs. You felt his balls slap against your ass cheeks making you squirm under his touch.

He threw his head back feeling you tight walls clench around him causing his thrusts to become sloppy. “Shit−” he cursed feeling himself near the edge.

You wrapped your hands around his arms to keep yourself still as he rutted into you. “So close−” he wildly lift your legs onto his shoulders and leaning down to peck your lips.

He was buried deep inside your cunt when he came undone releasing his seed, painting your walls, his chest rose heavily as your cunt milked him dry.

He pulled out and watched as his seed leaked out of your hole and down to your thighs. “Oh we made a cute little mess right?” his flirty attitude slowly crawled back to him while he stared at your stuffed body.

⇈smut ends here⇈

“You skxawng” you muttered as a silent sob left your throat, you smiled tears soaking your face. His hand stoked your cheeks “Don't worry yawne everything is fine.”

He licked the tears from your cheeks savoring the salty taste “you look so cute right now” he muttered cockily “I bet so” you bit back chuckling.

“Shall we call it truce?” he tilted his head

“Hey y/n could you−” you two freezed at the voice behind your naked and tangled bodies. Tuk gasped harshly covering her mouth “TUK WHAT THE−?!” Lo'ak shouted trying to cover his and yours body. “Y/N AND LO'AK MADE UP!!!!” she yelled running out of the marui.

She bumped into her father figure as she reached the family marui. “Hey tuk what's wrong baby? Why are you jumping” he chuckled looking at his youngest daughter.

“Y/N AND LO'AK HAVE MADE UP” She jumped higher tugging Jake's loincloth trying to drag him to your marui “Really? How??” he cocked his eyebrows quite surprised.

“I DON'T KNOW BUT THEY WERE NAKED!!” She yelled giggling and smiling, she gave up on moving her father and just telling him to follow her. “They were what?” Jake's eyes went wide at Tuk's words.

"looks after ilus" Taglist! @kawaistrawberry21 @jacsssssssss @yelenassafeplace @epicy0n

Taglist!

#avatar the way of water #avatar twow #avatar #aonung #neteyam sully #tsireya #avatar rotxo #avatar x reader #lo'ak sully #loak x reader #loak smut #loak x y/n #loak x reader smut #lixiesbrowniess

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agentem · 1 year

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It's that time of year when you are going to see some "Irish" t-shirts in stores and can get your Shamrock Shake at Mickey D's. There will be St. Patrick's Day parades this weekend and next.

And I just want to be a nerdy know-it-all for a second. St Patrick's Day was originally a religious holiday (as most holidays were, holy + day = holiday); it still is in some places, like some actual Irish people from Ireland who believe in God--though the American parade/festival mentality seems to be gaining steam in some parts of Ireland, I am told.

St Patrick's Day as we know it is deeply rooted in the United States. Though it's been celebrated here since 1600 in the territory that became Florida, the tenor of the holiday greatly changed after the Great Famine of Ireland.

You may have been told in school that the famine occurred because a blight wiped out potato crops in Ireland. This is true but doesn't address the crux of the matter.

The blight started in North America and travelled to Ireland and into much of Europe. But we only think of it as an Irish problem because the Irish were too poor to eat other foods.

Some scholars have said it was a "man made crisis" and I agree that is true. Other crops in Ireland were not affected by the blight, in fact, this time was considered one of "plenty", but all that food was used to feed the English. Not the Irish.

Nor were the English quick on providing aid, "There is such a tendency to exaggeration and inaccuracy in Irish reports that delay in acting on them is always desirable," said Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel after initial reports of the catastrophe.

Workhouses designed to assist the poor and starving were closed prematurely. "The only way to prevent the people from becoming habitually dependent on Government is to bring the food depots to a close," said Charles Trevelyan, the man who was literally in charge of famine relief. He also said some gems like, Sure the famine is bad but "the moral evil of the selfish, perverse and turbulent character of the people" was the real problem. Great guy; he became a Baronet.

The soup kitchens, which replaced the workhouses were also closed prematurely, were widely believed to serve portions too small even for children and lacking any nutritional value due to them being watered down to feed more people than anticipated by the brilliant British government.

A million people died in Ireland from famine and disease and nearly 2 million left Ireland for other parts of the world. Including my father's family. (If they survived the "Coffin Ships" leaving their home.)

So when I said above that the tenor of the holiday changed, it was because of increasing Irish Nationalism and anger at Britain. Now, Ireland is a Republic (though it's not unified, yet) and we are proud of those who stayed and fought to make that happen.

We are also proud just to still be alive anywhere. The population of Ireland is 6.9 million now--slowly nearing the 8.5 million it was home to before the famine--but people with Irish ancestry across the world has been measured to be about 80 million people. Take that, Sir Robert Peel.

The English actively tried to kill us. Nevertheless, we persisted. A lot.

I hope you have a Happy St. Paddy's Day (it's Paddy not Patty). Drink some Guinness. Dance some jigs. Definitely eat some potatoes (Boil 'em! Mash 'em! Stick 'em in a stew!) But please remember that when people are starving, you should feed them. Don't be like the English government.

In fact, as I write this there is a crisis in Turkey and Syria. It just so happens that the Sultan of Turkey wanted to donate money to Ireland (10,000 pounds) but since Queen Victoria donated just 2,000, he was told it would be against protocol.

#st patricks day #saint patrick #ireland #irish american #the great famine #irish potato famine #st paddys day #turkey #turkey earthquake #syria earthquake #immigration #sir robert peel #england #queen victoria #Charles Trevelyan #republic of ireland #nothern ireland

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rebelsandtherest · 1 year

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Frater Familias

Words: 5,719

Summary: Churchill lies, Singapore falls, an empire abandons his children in a sea of wolves. When their brother finds out, there will be hell to pay.In early 1942, Alfred Jones travels across the globe to save his baby brother and sister from the betrayal of their father. When Arthur Kirkland returns at long last, his eldest is waiting for him, ready to spill blood.

Warnings: Language, mentions of death and bodily injury.

Author’s Note: I kept things very vague to make it easier for myself, but this takes place not too long after the Battle of Coral Sea in May 1942.

You can also read on Ao3 if you prefer

--------------

Alfred Jones hadn't wanted to kill his father this badly since 1781. Come to think of it, Alfred wasn't sure he'd ever wanted to kill his father as much as he did now.

Sure, he hadn't been pleased that President Roosevelt acquiesced to Britain's insistence on a Germany-first strategy. The scar of Pearl Harbor was still fresh and livid, and he was spoiling for a chance to hunt Kiko down personally. Even so, he'd kept his mouth diplomatically shut and had taken heart when Churchill assured him that British forces in the pacific would hold, that the ANZACs would have plenty of reinforcements to hold allied territories there.

That, as it turned out, had been a massive lie. Gargantuan. Colossal. Titanic, in fact. His father might as well have designed the ship himself, stuck his two youngest on board without lifeboats bound straight for an ice field, and stayed cozy in Belfast while Alfred broke his back feeding coal to the Carpathia in a blind, unplanned panic. Churchill fiddled while Singapore fell, and Father fiddled along with him.

"Where is he?" Alfred demanded, ignoring the guard at the entrance who was trying to slow him down."

"I'm sorry?" Asked the startled British soldier stationed at the war room door.

"Arthur Kirkland. Where is he?"

The soldier took a few tries to say, "General Kirkland hasn't yet arrived, sir."

"Fine. Which room will be his?"

"Sir, I'm so sorry, can I get your name, I'll need to ask–"

"Where?" Alfred demanded, and there was something in his too-perfect voice, his too-blue eyes, that made the soldier startle and point immediately down the hall.

"End of the hall, on the left."

Alfred stormed in that direction without a word. The soldier blinked a few times. A deer released from headlights, it took him a moment to get his bearings.

"Wait," he called after Alfred, quickly jogging after him. "Wait sir, you're not allowed to-" but Alfred was already inside, going around to sit in the officer's chair behind the empty letter desk. "Sir, the General won't be here for another five, six hours."

"Fine," Alfred said, and had this young Australian known him better, he would have known to be frightened by his stoic, collected anger. Facial expression unchanging, the American wheeled back in the chair and propped his feet on the desk. "I'll wait."

--------------------

There was quite a bit of hubbub around the base when the British entourage finally arrived. None of the humans here knew what Arthur was, but they did know he was a high-ranking General, so the arrival had caused quite a bit of fuss and bustle. Alfred remained in the office, unaffected. When he heard English accents appear down the hall, he closed his eyes and mentally braced himself. When he opened them again, the click-clack of English bootheels was just around the corner, and in seconds he was staring up at his father, England himself.

Arthur stopped short just inside the threshold of his office, flanked by two aides, one young and fresh-faced, the other brunet with a trim mustache.

"Alfred," he said plainly, as if he hadn't expected to see his eldest here, after everything, the 's glare was fixed solidly on Arthur, but he spared a dismissive glance at the humans. He returned his ire towards his father before he told the aides,

"You two, get out."

Arthur didn't even blink. The younger aide looked to his mustachioed companion for help.

"Sir," the elder man said, glancing diplomatically between Arthur and Alfred, whose crossed arms and lack of cover disguised whatever rank he might've been. "This office has been assigned to General Kirkland, I must insist that—"

"Yes, it has," Alfred said in a patronizing tone. "Now get out."

Bewildered, the aide looked to Arthur, but though the General's eyebrows had fallen in a dark look of annoyance, his eyes hadn't moved from the seething American before him.

"It's been a long journey, Hesten," Arthur said stiffly, "go find your lodgings." The younger aide immediately began to splutter some confusion, but his elder quickly shushed him and shepherded him out the door. "Close the door on your way out," Arthur instructed. The brunet man did, glancing fleetingly at Arthur and then at Alfred before the door clicked shut.

The walls were battle-thick concrete, and as the door shut, the sound of the outside hall faded into a dull ambiance.

"Of all the asinine American theatrics I've witnessed, Alfred, this must be among the worst."

"How dare you," Alfred spat.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said," Alfred yanked his feet off of his father's desk, not caring that he left scuff marks. He stood to his full height and god it had never felt so right to be taller than this cowardly, self-righteous excuse for a father, "how fucking dare you. Show up now? Of all times? Where were you?"

"Alfred," Arthur didn't have to physically roll his eyes for Alfred to hear the intent in his voice, "I did not ask for you to—"

"Where were you?" Alfred demanded, raising his voice louder than he'd intended. "Because I can tell you right now where you weren't."

"I'm not going to to stand here and allow you to lecture me in my own office—"

"By the time I got here, Jack had already died twice!" Alfred shouted. Arthur had been ready with a retort, but he stopped short as the 'twice' rang off the walls. "Zee was only alive by pure luck, stuck as a nurse on a doomed destroyer, blown up by so much shrapnel that by the time I got her to shore I thoughtshe was dead. And where were you?"

For a moment, silence was his only answer, father and son locked in a staring contest while Alfred took in loud, furious lungfuls of air.

"I realize you've only recently opened your eyes to the fact," Arthur said flatly, "but we are at war, Alfred. We all must make sacrifices."

"Sacrifices," Alfred scoffed, surprised they'd reached this point so quickly. "And who is it that decides what's worth sacrificing?"

"We are Nations," Arthur insisted. "Difficult decisions such as these are an unfortunate necessity of what we are, how we must conduct ourselves in times of—"

"They are your children, Arthur!" Alfred hadn't meant to call his father by his first name, and he hadn't meant his voice to crack like it had. "Damn the nations, damn Churchill, damn you, damn it all, they are your children!"

"They are my children," Arthur matched Alfred's volume, but kept a stern expression, "and they, along with the rest of my family, are at war."

"Fuck you!" Alfred shouted back, "Fuck you and this entire fucking family, Jack is barely over a century old, Zee even less so, they're babies, dad, infants! And you just fucking left them out here!"

"We've all seen war within our childhoods," Arthur snapped back, with a surprising amount of bite behind his words.

"With muskets, bows, and daggers, not this!" Alfred swept his hand as if to indicate the entire world. "Go to the artillery, go to the infirmary, go to the foxholes and tell me this war is like anything you or Ifaced as children. Jack's only recently got over the shellshock from the last time you left him to the wolves, and now this!" Alfred took sick satisfaction in seeing his father's face flinch.

"I've tried to shield them from it," Arthur bit back, "Just like I tried to shield you and Matthew when you were young, but it's never worked, not once. It's not worth lying to them."

"Lying to them about what? Your reinforcements? Their chance at survival once Churchill wrote them off?" Alfred demanded. He watched his father flinch again and hoped to god he was listening. He was aware that he was shouting loudly enough to be heard outside the office, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Let the humans know exactly what their general was—a callus empire, and an absent father. "Curtin was preparing a speech to brace his people for invasion, and how to break it to their children—their children!" the American spat. "Your son was deluded enough to believe he could fight them off alone, because what other choice did he have?" Arthur was emotionless. "Tell me! What other choice did either of them have? If I hadn't heard the rumors coming out of the pacific, what do you think would have happened?!"

"But you did hear them," Arthur said, voice straining to keep its composure. "And so your very complaint here is rendered moot-"

"Don't you go making this out to be my fucking responsibility," Alfred spat, coming around the desk to face his father directly, where no tip of Arthur's chin could hide how much his eldest towered over him, "don't you sit there and act all sanctimonious because I managed to get here at the eleventh hour. It wasn't your doing, it wasn't your plan. I'm here in spite of you, not because of you."

"And yet," Arthur wasn't actually looking at Alfred when he said it, straightening his shoulders to some invisible mirror, saving face as he always has when he said, "You are here, as am I, now."

"I was here before you had the decency to do your own duty as father," Alfred yelled, "I was here before the order reached the SecNav's desk. You were off in fuck knows where doing fuck knows what drinking tea farmed thousands of miles from your stupid cozy island, while I commandeered a ship to offer your children hope." Alfred glared, a thousand things he wanted to say simmering under the bonfire of anger. "I have a court martial waiting for me in Los Angeles," he confessed angrily. "They'll drop the case before I get home, once I've told the President about the hell you've left us here, but don't you dare act like my being here was part of any grand plan. They are your children, and you chose to abandon them. If I didn't know that it would fuck them over even more than you already have, I would've stuck a bowie in your liver the second you stepped through that door."

A long stretch of silence passed in between them, but it offered no resolution.

"Are you not my child, as well?" Arthur asked, venturing a glance at his eldest.

"I am," Alfred replied, glaring, "but none of us asked to be." When the words landed, Arthur's furious expression cracked and morphed through shockwaves of hurt. Alfred knew he'd hit his target, so he took a step closer. Quiter, but not quietly, he said,

"For the last century, I've looked on in envy at the father they had. A doting father, a loving father, a father who was there," Alfred pressed into his father's personal space, and Arthur was glaring up at him with a mix of hurt, anger, and trepidation writhing underneath his drawn brows. "Nothing at all like the man who paid humans to raise me. I thought you had changed. I've seen you change, become someone you never were for me, and I praised God and all his fucking angels that my brother and sister would be so lucky. It took him four kids, but Arthur Kirkland finally figured it out. Now it's all gone right out the window because his empire's gotten too big for his goddamn war," Alfred's fists were trembling with anger. He'd never said such things to his father in all his life, and he hadn't planned on saying them today. It was the memory of Jack's dead eyes, the tears of relief on Zee's bloodied cheeks, how thin and worn they'd both felt under the weight of his hugs, that dug up a protective sort of anger for them that he'd never felt for himself.

Arthur looked like he wanted to slap Alfred across the face. If he wasn't so completely dumbstruck, he probably would have.

"You are not going to do to them what you did to me," Alfred growled, getting right up in his father's face, "because if you do, I'll fucking kill you." With that, he stormed out of the office and slammed the door louder than a gunshot.

Arthur stood motionless for several long minutes afterwards, before slowly moving around his desk and gingerly lowering himself into his chair. At great length, he bent over his lap, ran a world-weary hand through his hair, and let out a shaking sigh.

--------------------

It felt as though the entire building was staring when Alfred left his father's office. He tried to ignore it, wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers and trying to level his rapid breathing. God, he needed fresh air. He'd taken not even ten steps toward the exit before he came to a halt, faced with the last person he expected to see.

"Jack," he blurted, heart leaping into his throat. "How long have you—" Alfred stopped short, because it was clear enough from the boy's expression he'd been there more than long enough.

"I-I was just here to give him-" Jack looked down at his hands, and it was then that Alfred realized the teen was holding a dossier. "I heard dad got in this afternoon—since he's not been briefed on the–" his voice was steady, but he wasn't, swaying on his feet, hands making the folder wobble just slightly. Underfed, underslept, and overwrought, he looked like a stiff breeze might knock him offshore. "I mean, I thought I should be the one to tell him about everything, and you know how he likes having things written down- I didn't write all of it, but I wrote one of the reports, edited some of them, you know, included the things I thought he would find important, everything we were able to…" Jack trailed off, staring down at the folder in his hands, wondering if there'd been any point in putting it together. It wasn't as though the British Empire had any need for retrospectives on what was essentially a United States Navy rescue operation.

"I guess I just wanted to let him know I was alright," Jack muttered, almost to himself. He heard a sigh and looked up. Unfamiliar wrinkles cast shadows across Alfred's forehead, a mix of grief and pity and fading anger. The American reached under his glasses to rub at his eyes.

"C'mon, kid," he said behind his hand, voice hoarse from yelling and fatigue. "Let's get you outta here, aren't you supposed to be resting?"

"I haven't been able to sleep much," Jack replied. They both had dark circles under their eyes.

"Fair enough. Any good place to hide around here? I nicked some of the old man's gin." Alfred shook what sounded like a partially empty bottle, and Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"He's going to notice that," he said, eyes flickering to his father's office. "Soon," he added.

"No he won't," Alfred used the bottle to wave Jack into step with him as he left their father to sulk alone. "He drinks rum when he knows he's fucked up. And the fact that he hasn't already come out here to search my pockets means he knows he fucked up."

Jack led Alfred out past the perimeter of the small base and up onto a small hill a few hundred meters from the beach. Though grassy and dusted in the shade of several short, scraggly trees, the area was still dusted with sand. It made a comfortable place for the pair to sit and stare out at the ocean, passing their father's gin back and forth until they were both tipsy enough to deal with what the day had wrought. The sun was hot on their backs as it tilted past afternoon an into a long autumn dusk.

"Did he really mean it?" Jack blurted, breaking the silence. Alfred looked over at him.

"Mean what?"

"I mean, when you said that Churchill planned to give up the… surely dad have to have known, right? Did he… I guess I just… did he really plan to do that? To take Churchill's side of things, if things got really bad?"

Alfred opened his mouth to speak, but quickly thought better of it. Things got 'really bad' a long time ago, kid, he'd almost said. Alfred wasn't willing to guess whether or not Arthur had really planned to abandon his youngest son and darling daughter to the fury of the Japanese military, if it had come to that. Deep down, past all his anger and resentment, even Alfred did not want to think of his father as a cruel man. Callous, yes, stupid, absolutely, but not the sort of man who would watch his children sink beneath the waves of invasion and remain unaffected.

Yet if Alfred's ships had not sailed swiftly enough, what would Arthur be doing at that moment? Alfred realized Jack was staring at him, eyes lost. He sighed.

"Dad is… a complicated man," Alfred told him lamely. "As far as fathers go—and never tell him I said this—he's not… the worst out there. But wars turn him into a moron, make him forget his human side. I think we all saw that well enough in '15." Jack looked away quickly, jaw clenching. Alfred was grateful that at least that he hadn't had to say Gallipoli to get his point across. "He's always been like this. It's nothing you did. It's just him being the dumbass he hides under all that 'keep calm and carry on' bullshit." He watched Jack's back for a moment. The teen fiddled with the sandy grass and found a pebble, flicked it down the hill and watched it trace a line in the sand.

"Always been like this?" Jack asked, and glanced back to Alfred, unable to hide his curiosity. Alfred actually laughed.

"God, kid, he used to be even worse. I mean, hell, he was still a fucken' pirate when I was a baby, he ever tell you that?"

"He what?" Jack's face grew into a wicked grin.

"Sure as shit! I still remember—I mean, not well, but I know he had this ludicrous red coat and earrings and a cutlass and everything. God knows what a pirate was doing with a baby."

"So what, did he take you out on the ship with him?" Jack was transported, trying to imagine Alfred as a baby, much less their stick-up-the-arse father as a pirate.

"That, I don't know. It was a long time ago, and I was really small. I do remember his ship, though, at least the one he had when I was a bit older." Alfred's smile faltered. "He'd be gone for years at a time, even decades. He'd come back unannounced, stay for a week, and then leave without saying goodbye. He did that because of a war. We'd always have a year or so of peace in between, and he'd stick around and be a decent dad, and then, boom, another war, and off he goes. Actually," Alfred chuckled, "I'm not sure he was ever not at war, when I was growing up, I think the letters just took a while to cross the Atlantic." he shrugged and looked over at Jack, who was frowning at him. It made him uncomfortable. He cleared his throat.

"Listen, all I'm trying to say, is that he's always been like this. And he's gotten better—god, so much better, but this war…" Alfred began to say something, but came up short. He let out a breath with a shake of his head.

"It's different," Jack said quietly. All the nations knew it—even Jack, who was scarcely 150, could feel it.

"What he did to you and Zee is indefensible, in any century, in any war." Alfred said, eyes landing on the edge of a bandage peeking out from under Jack's sleeve. "I just want to make sure you understand, it's nothing you did, nothing Zee or anyone else did. It's just… dad." It was an unsatisfactory, unjust answer to the horrors that had unfolded in the last six months. Alfred knew it wouldn't wipe away the uncertainty in Jack's guileless face, but maybe, over time, it would temper his resilience to exist as the son of a deeply flawed man.

"Right," Jack said softly, sounding more thoughtful than was his wont. He picked at his fingernails, lost to his own musings for a while. In the quiet that followed, Alfred realized how exhausted he was, and let his eyes drift shut, enjoying the feel of the sun warming his face in flickering patterns as it twinkled through the leaves.

"So wait," Jack broke the silence once again, "if dad was a pirate, does that mean that the King sent out men to hunt him down? His own nation?"

"Oh, man," Alfred sat up, reaching for the gin, which was closer to Jack. "Gimme that. I can't tell this story as good as uncle Rhys, but I'll try."

--------------------

Though she was probably a fiercer fighter than virtually anyone in their family, barring perhaps Alfred or Arthur himself, in wartime, Zee's sex relegated her to hospitals and infirmaries rather than battle stations. It'd been this way in the last war, and she found she preferred it. War was death, and if she had to watch her people die, it was far better, she thought, to see them die after doing her damnedest to save them.

She and Jack had their separate forces, but the two had clung close together as the situation in the Pacific soured. She'd been aboard the destroyer for a little over a week by the time the Americans arrived, but she hadn't had a chance to see the Yankee himself before a Japanese bomb blew her floating hospital to bits. It had in fact been Alfred who spotted her bobbing in the surf and dragged her to shore, later admonishing her with a wobbling voice that it was the worst kind of way to say hello to one's estranged brother. Left with open wounds and a dislocated shoulder, she'd been brought down the coast to the base where Jack was holed up, becoming the first female resident of its sparsely-appointed infirmary.

In the short, hellish time that Alfred had fought alongside her, he'd seen his sister absorb all kinds of pain with the iron-willed composure of their father, but after a thousand small cuts, the shoulder is what did her in. She'd vomited and promptly passed out when the medics had set it. They'd given her morphine when she woke up, but it had left her deliriously nauseous. Unfortunately, when they'd taken her off it, the pain kept her awake so long she'd cried, which had startled Jack so badly he begged her to take the morphine until the swelling went down. She'd capitulated, but the nausea had kept her abed.

Alfred rapped his knuckles on the open doorframe before ducking in. Tired brown eyes squinted open to see him, and she grunted to acknowledge him.

"Hey Kiwi," Alfred said softly, unconsciously slouching to make himself smaller, quieter. He unfolded a canvas chair that had been stashed in a corner and sat near the head of her rickety hospital bed. "How're you holding up in here?"

"This place fuckin smells," she complained, voice gravelly and hoarse. "Or maybe that's just you." Alfred snorted.

"Feeling better, I see," he smirked. Zee sighed, using her right hand to manually adjust her left arm, which was strapped to her torso in a sling.

"If one more person talks about how I'm feeling, I'll vomit again."

"Alright," Alfred lifted his hands, "I won't ask. Jack said you'd convinced them to let you go tomorrow?" Hearing this, Zee's eyes opened a little wider, and she turned her head towards Alfred, one eye obscured by her curly hair that was pressed against the pillow.

"You've talked to Jackie today?" she seemed surprised.

"Yeah," Alfred frowned at her, "have you not?"

"This morning I did, but dad said no one could find him," she said. It was Alfred's turn to be surprised.

"You've talked to dad?"

"Yeah, 'bout an hour ago, give or take." She watched Alfred's face with catlike attention. "Dad mentioned he'd spoken with you. What did you say?" Alfred couldn't help it when he let out a snort.

"Spoke with me, huh."

"What did you say?" Zee asked again. "I haven't been coddled like that in thirty years. And what with how he's been…lately," Zee's eyes were distant for a few seconds before she shook herself and looked up expectantly at her brother. Alfred drew in a deep breath and leaned back in his chair before letting out a long sigh.

"He's been acting like a shit father, you and I both know that," he began, picking at a stray thread in his sleeve so he wouldn't have to make eye contact, "I just told him so."

"What, just… Just told him that?" Zee was incredulous, "and he listened?"

"Apparently," Alfred demurred.

"Christ," Zee let her head fall back into her pillow, staring up at the ceiling. "That must be nice." Alfred would've had to have been deaf not to hear the bitterness in her tone. It made him angry at their father all over again. Zee had always been the apple of Arthur's eye; that he had ignored even sweet Eleanor so profoundly was a testament to how low he'd stooped.

"He doesn't listen to me because he sees me as his equal, if that's what you're thinking," Alfred cut in. "He listens to me because I was his biggest fuck up, and he doesn't want to fuck up more than he already has with you two." Zee had no immediate response to that, and continued to stare up at the ceiling, swollen arm rising and falling with every breath. The wall lamp shone through her half-full IV bottle, casting abstract patterns of light that morphed gently against her hair.

"Well," Zee said at length, still staring at the ceiling, "I guess the coddling is nice." Quieter, hoarser, she muttered, "Could've used a few more fucking troops."

"He'll pull his head out of his ass and remember how to be a good father, eventually," Alfred told her, not really knowing if he had that kind of faith in their dad, "in the meantime, I got you. Both of you. You need something, anything, even if it's just yelling at Admiral Lord Father again, you tell me." Zee smiled at the sardonic title.

"Thanks, Yankee," she said, voice thicker than before. He'd never heard her use the moniker so affectionately. "I… might take you up on that."

"'Course. Us victims of the Arthur Kirkland School of Parenting gotta stick together." Zee let out a laugh that quickly turned into a hiss when it jostled her arm.

"I don't suppose you could get rid of this goddamn morphine and convince my arm to heal, could you?" She asked him, blinking away tears of pain.

"I will happily yell at the Empire till the cows come home, but even I can't work miracles, Kiwi-girl."

"Damn," Zee grit out. Alfred glanced at her shoulder, and then out the window; it was getting late.

"We'll have you outta here in no time. But I think it's about time you got some sleep."

"I've been trying," Zee huffed, clearly frustrated with the entire situation. She glanced at the empty glass on the stool by her bed. "Would more water be too much of a miracle?" Alfred smiled.

"Course not." He plucked up the glass and left the room, returning with not one but two full glasses of water, which he deposited on her bedside stool. While Zee gratefully took a few large gulps, he dug around in his pockets and produced a few squares of Red Cross-issue chocolate. He waved them at Zee. "Motivation for you to rest up and get off that morphine," he said, setting them beside the water glasses. She looked at them hungrily but warily, obviously still nauseous.

"Do you know how to motivate with anything besides food?" She teased.

"Food is an excellent motivator. Now get some sleep," he bent to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. "And don't tell Jack I gave you chocolate, I'm not made of the stuff."

--------------------

Alfred didn't see much of his father in the following days. When he did, it was always from a distance, and generally one of them would make themselves scarce before they crossed paths. He heard by way of mouth that the General was making something of an apology tour with his two youngest, or at least as close to apologies as the British Empire was capable of crafting. Zee left the hospital but kept the sling, and was, apparently, coddled quite fiercely by her prodigal guardian and given free run of the base, much to the discomfort of the men. She milked Arthur's guilt for all it was worth, and Alfred could tell it would be some time before she'd give him the forgiveness he hoped for.

Jack received similar coddling once Arthur tracked him down. Unlike his sister, Jack seemed eager to receive the affection and make amends, putting the harms of days past as far away from his mind as possible. Jack had always been trusting and kind, though Alfred didn't think Arthur deserved it. Jack was young, baby fat not yet making way for the angled jaw that promised to fill in as he grew more and more to look like his father. Even so, Alfred could still see the shadows that clung to the boy's features when Arthur wasn't looking. They made him look far older than he was.

Throughout it all, Arthur avoided speaking with his eldest son with obvious intentionality. Alfred didn't plan on stopping him. His anger towards his father was still not completely slaked, and it wouldn't do anyone any good to butt heads now that the Empire and his children were negotiating apologies.

Still, Jack had begun sneaking looks over his shoulder at Alfred whenever Arthur suggested a new plan of attack or promised reinforcements. It took a few times for Alfred to realize that Jack was looking to him not just for reassurance, but for a second opinion—for approval.

He had a feeling he and his father would argue about that, some day.

"But they're both okay? I mean, as okay as can be?" Matt's voice was tinny, worried words garbled somewhat by the thousands and thousands of miles of cables that brought his voice to Alfred's ear from the other side of the globe.

"Yeah, they'll be alright. I think it's going to take them a little longer to heal than normal, but they'll be alright."

"Good. And what about you?" Alfred wanted to tease his brother for how mother-hennish he sounded, but separated by so much distance, Matt's concern was a welcome comfort.

"Oh, I'm fine," Alfred shrugged, resisting the urge to rub at the spot by his collarbone where the lingering ache of Pearl Harbor had taken root. "I'm just glad I got here in time."

"Me too," Matt said darkly. A moment of silence passed before the Canadian added, "I'm not… happy you were dragged into this war, Al, but I'm not unhappy either." Alfred clenched his teeth and sighed out through his nose, fighting off a flare of anger towards their father.

"Well," He joked, because what else could he say? "Someone's gotta keep this family kicking, right?"

Arthur had been on base for a little over a week when Alfred went to the Officer's mess to meet his siblings for breakfast, as had become their habit, only to find both missing. Alfred had already finished his eggs and half of his pancakes when Jack and Zee arrived, Jack looking crestfallen, Zee furious. They slid into the bench opposite Alfred.

"Dad's gone," Zee said bluntly.

"Wait, what?" Alfred frowned, stopping mid-bite.

"He left—early this morning, apparently," Jack griped. "Didn't even tell anyone. Didn't even say goodbye to Zee, much less me!"

"He left this for you," Zee said, reaching across the table to give him a small envelope.

"Oh, god," Alfred groaned, taking it. The Anzacs watched with interest while he opened it and scanned its contents. It was a small notecard, but with the sun shining on it over Alfred's shoulder, Zee could see that it was packed with text, their father's neat handwriting compressed into a wall of ink.

"What's it say?" Jack asked eagerly. Alfred's expression remained unmoving as he read. At length, he took a stiff inhale and slid the note into his breast pocket.

"Says I owe him a bottle of gin," he said. Zee looked at him quizzically, but when Alfred volunteered no further information, she shook her head and stood.

"Jackie, d'you want tea?"

"Nah, I'm good," Jack waved her off, still sulking. He began to pick at the wooden edge of the table, prying off a small splinter of wood and flicking it away. Alfred watched the sad, annoyed tilt of Jack's eyebrows and wondered if this was how he had looked, a lonely child left on the shores of Virginia.

"Hey, don't be so glum," he told Jack, "like I said, war makes him act stupid. He won't be like this forever." And hopefully, it would not be years or decades. "In the meantime," Alfred flipped his plate around and handed Jack the fork. "I'll be here as long as you need me, for whatever you need"

"Really?" Jack took the fork gratefully, and surveyed the two pancakes left on his brother's plate.

"Really really." After a little hesitation, Jack managed a smile. He used the fork to give a playful, grateful salute and dug in, immediately transported from his sadness by the contraband maple syrup. Zee soon returned with her tea and lounged against Jack while Alfred sipped at his coffee. While the troops ran drills and the officers ferried new intelligence to and fro, the three siblings, long separated by the world's largest ocean, shared the first of many morning reprieves together, the faults of their father temporarily forgotten.

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