#The show gave me so much hope for my own life and then dashed it in seconds

[minimomoe]

How to Train your Demon

Pairing: trueform! Sukuna x Fem Reader

Summary: Life has all kinds of wins and losses. You don't know which category to put your new demon husband in though.

Tags: MDNI!, red string of fate trope, true form sukuna, librarian reader, soul mates, reincarnation, accidental summoning, love at first sight (but it's one-sided (until it's not)), Sukuna is demon, but he's v much in love, smut and stuff eventually i guess....

Part: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X.

Revisit rule no. 1: "Don't Show Fear"?

Your whole day soured at the notion of you not being able to get the book as soon as you had hoped. Your mind raced at the possibilities that would happen if it was gone for good, but you had to think of happy thoughts as patrons began to ask you if you were feeling alright on the job. You hadn’t expected your emotions to show so openly on your face. 

Uraume did not interfere with your work at all. If you had made a wincing sound loud enough for them to hear, their head would dart to your attention, silently asking if you needed their assistance. You would shake your head to assure them you were doing just fine, and then Uraume would stick their nose back in their book. They seemed to be earnestly reading, absorbing the information from one non fiction novel to the next in astonishing speed. You think they must have finished at least two books by the third hour of your shift. 

The only time you lost sight of Uraume was when Kento made a surprise comeback to the front desk. 

“Mr. Nanami? Don’t tell me you finished all those books already?” 

He gave you a weary smile. Yuuji was no longer on his hip, but instead holding his hand with an apologetic frown. 

“I left my favorite jacket here. We had to come back to get it,” Yuuji mumbled. 

“Oh that’s not a problem. I’m sure it’s in the kid section right where you left it. There hasn’t been that many people today,” you assured them. To make the boy feel better, you led him to the last place you saw him, holding out your own hand for him to take. That’s when Nanami saw your foot and tried to make you stay back. 

“Trust me, I want to move around. I’ve been stuck up there pretty much all day,” you waved Nanami off. 

Just as you expected, Yuuji’s beloved jacket was crumbled up on one of the colorful beanbags in the reading zone. He dropped your hand to dash towards it. Once Yuuji collected his belongings he ran back to you with a running hug that almost knocked you off of your feet. 

“Thank you!” He gushed. 

“Yuuji, be careful!” He peeled the young boy with the strength of two men off of your body. “I’m sorry about that. Are you sure you’re alright?” 

“Kento, I’m fine. Now go have fun at the beach for me,” you smiled. 

You waved them off for the second time. On your trip back to your desk is when you noticed that Uraume was nowhere to be found. They weren’t sitting at the desk that they have been reading at, or skimming through the shelves when you did a quick look around. 

As you plopped back to the front desk, Jess popped up from the office space behind you. 

“You wanna work back here for now? I’ll take the front. You’re moving around too much for my liking.”

She practically wheeled you to the back before you could agree, but you knew it would be better for you. 

“Have you seen that one person with white hair?”

“Not in a while. Why, you think they're sketchy?”

“No no, I was just curious.” The last thing you needed was attention on Uraume, because more attention on them would lead to Sukuna. Since they found their way to the library, you had no doubt that they would get home safely. 

Now in the back, or the Book Nursery as your library liked to call it, you scanned the stack of new novels that you have not seen before. 

“When did this delivery come in?” 

“I just picked it up from the donation box,” Jess explained. Your shoulders dropped at her words and she gave you a concerned look. “Do you want to go home? You don’t live too far. I can drop you off and have somebody cover me for twenty minutes while I come back.”

“I can’t make you do that,” you shook your head. You got comfortable in your chair and picked the first book in the stack. It was a children’s book that had the plastic covering torn to shreds and a few loose pages. All it needed was a little TLC and it would be as good as new. “I’m fine. Just a little tired. I’ll be okay back here.” 

“If you say so,” she said, unconvinced. “Holla if you need me.” 

Being away from the needs of the public was exactly what you needed. With quiet music playing in your headphones, you were in the groove of putting books back together until your shift was over. You had gotten through half of the stack and most of them were salvageable. When Jess rapped on the door to tell you that it was time to leave, your mood was noticeably lifted. 

Right before Jess dropped you off at your house, she gently held your hand. 

“If your new man does anything— and I mean anything— that breaks your heart…”

“You’ll be the first to know,” you promised. 

“Good. Call me if you need anything!” 

Once inside, you were greeted to the sounds sourcing from the kitchen and the living room. Your TV was on with a show that you didn’t recognize at first until you saw the familiar opening sequence of none other than Hannibal. You smirked at the screen, passing it to see what Sukuna could possibly up to in the kitchen, especially when you had listed that place as off limits. 

“My lord, you can no longer use that knife. She doesn’t like meat or residue from meat in her meals. We will have to wash them or retrieve new utensils,” Uruame softly reminded.

“Some meat would do her good,” Sukuna grumbled. Still, he grabbed a new knife like Uraume said and began to chop the vegetables in front of him. He squinted at the cookbook propped up at the corner of the countertop before giving up and telling Uraume to read it outloud. 

You could barely hold in your laugh. Both heads popped up to see you standing in the corner. 

“What are you doing?” You giggled. 

“Preparing dinner, ma’am,” Uraume bowed. “Welcome home.” 

“I’m glad that you made it back safely,” you said. Sukuna washed off his hands before greeting you with a bear hug with all four of his arms. 

“You’ve reduced me to be the one at home waiting at home for you to return.” 

“I think being a housewife suits you,” you squeezed out. His hold was tight, genuinely missing your presence and now he didn’t want to let you go. 

“I’ll leave that to Uraume for the time being. There is something we need to do.” 

There is nothing more that Sukuna loves doing than picking you up so that he can move faster, and that’s exactly what he did to walk you to the living room and placed you on the couch. You looked at him bewilderedly as he unstrapped. When you swung your foot off the couch to stand up limply, he gave you an unimpressed glare. 

“Don’t look at me like that, you didn’t explain anything! What are you gonna do?”

“I am going to heal you if you can stop moving around,” Sukuna growled. He grabbed your wrist, attempting to have you fall into his lap but you stumbled back. 

“Heal me? How? Why?” The rapid fire questions thinned Sukuna’s patience. He held out one of his hands for you to take but you were stubborn in your stillness. 

“You and your questions. How? Why?” He repeated mockingly. He slowly rose from the bed, taking slow, predatory steps towards you until there was no more space for you. You bumped into a wall and couldn’t hide from his gaze. “Do you think I am incapable?”

“N-no.”

“Do you think I have ill intentions?”

“I don’t think so?” You squeaked.

“Then settle down. Concern yourself with matters you can control.” 

You were practically plastered on the wall when Sukuna sank down to one knee, taking it upon himself to remove your boot to look at your toe himself. He muttered something that you couldn’t make out, a language that you have yet to learn, and the dull pain in your toe you felt since you broke it disappeared. You gasped squatting down to look at your foot and saw that the bruising around it had faded away. You poked at your toe, expecting to wince at the touch but was greeted with… nothing. 

Sukuna watched you carefully as you inspected your body. You flexed your muscles, wiggled it, stomped on it with hawk eye attention. 

“It’s really healed,” you muttered to yourself. “How did you do that?” You demanded. 

“It’s a simple spell for a minor injury locked away in the book that I’m bound to. It was easy enough to learn,” Sukuna said. 

“You learned it just now? From the book? You never had to use it on yourself?” “The need was not there before. I never got hurt in battle.” 

You concluded that Uraume was at the library on multiple orders, one being to watch for you, but once they were sure you were alright, Uraume must have grabbed the journal when you were no longer watching. Sukuna scooped you up in his arms despite your new ability to walk on your own to take you to your room. Before he could sit you down on your bed, you tighten your arms around his neck, signaling that you didn’t want to be placed down just yet. He looked at you expectantly, waiting for you to say something. 

You placed a soft kiss on his cheek, taking him by surprise. 

“Thank you,” you muttered. “I’m sure I would’ve gotten better all on my own, but this was very kind of you.” 

While his face remained unchanged, Sukuna’s ears turned scarlet. You shifted uncomfortably in his arms, unsure if you had done the right thing. Usually Sukuna was pretty expressive even if he wasn’t saying anything. This time, all you got was a deep stare into your soul that left nothing to hide. 

“I told you that I wouldn’t have to beg for your kiss,” he smirked. 

Heat rushed to your face. “I’ll never give you another one!”

“Never? Why lie to yourself?” He crooned in your ear, making your embarrassment rise. You pushed away his face only to get your finger caught in his mouth. It sent a shock right down to the apex of your thighs, leading you to hiss loudly. Sukuna knew exactly the effect he had on you, and his teeth grazed across your finger length. 

“Eating me because of a kiss is a bit much, no?” You nervously laughed. 

You had no idea how Sukuna could devour you if you allowed him. You slowly took your hand out of his mouth, opting to tenderly cup the side of his face. You could hear your heart pounding, the blood rushing in your veins as your face drifted closer to his. Sukuna’s parted lips waited for yours, allowing you to take the lead. When you finally tasted his mouth you sighed in relief. The attraction between you and Sukuna has always been palatable, even if you willingly chose to ignore it, but now there was no denying it. He stirred something deep within your stomach that you could no longer ignore. You wanted to be dragged down deeper, to have his hands all over your body. 

Sukuna gently lowered you into your bedding, his mouth still locked on yours. His tongue pushed yours with assertion. Everything he did was meaningful, and all you felt was possession. There was barely enough space for him to fit between your legs but still you tried. You were clawing at his back to place his whole weight on your body when you heard soft rapping at the door. You barely had enough self control to actually check who it was. With one eye open you saw your poor cat trying to leave the room before you got freaky with a demon. 

“Sukuna– wait–” 

You had to deal with him biting and sucking your neck, almost dragging you back down in bed with him but you will was stronger. 

“I’m not going anywhere, give me a second!” 

Sukuna held himself over your body. Two hands planted at your head, the other two creeping up your shirt. 

“Cleo cannot be in here if we’re about to do anything. Let me take our child out.” You held his face in your hands and shook him gently. Your words finally reached his brain and he rolled over, petulantly crossing his arms over his chest while staring at the ceiling. 

You petted Cleo’s ears while apologizing to her. 

“Sorry honey. I almost let you see something R-rated,” you chuckled. At the front of your open door stood Uraume waiting patiently who made you jump back. They bowed as an apology, still speaking with their head down. 

“Your dinner is ready to be served.”

“Leave us, Uraume," Sukuna ordered from behind. 

“Yes, my L–”

“No, we’ll eat now,” you stepped in. Cleo ran down the hall for her own meal with loud meows after purring around Uraume’s feet. You could feel Sukuna’s growing scowls from behind boring into your head. 

“As you wish,” Uraume bowed again. 

You turned to a very annoyed demon who rolled his eyes when you pecked another kiss on his cheek.

“Don’t look so down. I gave you another kiss despite my words earlier. That’s gotta count for something.”

Sukuna narrowed his eyes on you. “Eat well. Once you are fed, I will not let you go.” 

Thanks for reading loves!! lemme know what ya think xx

Part: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X.

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[instarsandcrime]

Over the Radiowaves (2/2)

@ripelytoo So imagine me kicking down the door, completely out of breath with my hair partially on fire because hoo boy that took so long and thank you so much for your patience! Writing Vox and Alastor + life stuff got in the way of everything but I finished within the deadline baby! I hope the wait was worth it! We got silly, hurt/comfort, a smidge of emotions and feels, fluff, etc. Plus questionable, slightly less one-sided Radiostatic?

This is a sequel to @rosieknows's own request Under the Weather, so go check out part 1 if you're interested in starting from the beginning!

Quick cw: there is a small bit of mess at the end, though it's not very detailed. But I wanted to give a heads up at the end!

I'm gonna go lie down...in the meantime, thank you for the request and enjoy the fic! 🩷

---

Vox would not call himself a reckless man.

He prided himself on his maturity, his restraint, and a dash of opulence for good measure. All in all, he was the definition of the highest perfection in technology, a one-man revolutionary that never seemed satisfied.

But fuck did he need a vacation.

And that was just the case, glaring at the very screen that not too long ago sang a song that continued to haunt his processors. And the worst part was that he didn’t know why. He couldn’t quite place it, but it bothered him beyond belief.

“Ht’chhzzzt!” Speaking of which. It's not that his vents were irritated by Alastor's flu. It was just some bug– a minor glitch in the system. He was, without a doubt, above such an outdated virus! Clearly the rattling of his exoskeleton was from the malfunctioning air conditioning because holy Here it was fucking freezing. Clearly the excess electricity that rose his core temperature was from a long night’s work. And clearly the tingle that came with it, the static shock that ran from his processors through his wiring…down to his sk-skull…building with electric sparks until– 

“Het’chhzzzzt! ET’CHHZZZZT! HET’KSHHHZZZT!” The sound of shattering rained down like knives, luxurious chandelier lamps burst and broken by uncontrolled power. “Eh…heh! HEKT’SCHHZZZT! Guhhh…”

Vox pursed his lips, flicking a shard of glass from his shoulder. Well, maybe he should pay the walking germ fest a visit anyway. Just to rub his good health in that smug prick face. He nodded curtly, ignoring the overwhelming dizziness and cooling fans that sputtered like an old, rusty engine. It was clearly a warning for his overheating mind. But he couldn't not be all there, could he? Because he was fine! Taking a deep breath-- or one that didn't result in a debilitating coughing fit-- he focused on where he wanted to go. Flipping through channels and pathways, he had planned on not looking too desperate.

Which he wasn't, of course.

Maybe in front of the hotel. A few blocks away, even. He could see it now: he'd stroll up to those stupid, gaudy double doors and invite himself in. Make a grand show of the lack of security. Brag about how weak and defenseless The Radio Demon was, and how Vox was clearly superior because machines don't...hheh...cahhh-catch the–

“Hekt’SHHHZZZ’hoo!”

It was around midnight when Alastor returned from his little excursion. Not to say his meeting with Zestiel was difficult, but it was...interrogative. The seven year absence can only boast mystery and intrigue when it remains an intriguing mystery. But now he felt quite silly for stringing one of his oldest friends along-- a little sympathetic, even. After all, the demon faced down on the hotel floor gave him a confusion and frustration that he didn't know was in him.

“Vox?” Alastor craned over the poor soul. Only for him to spring to life, finding balance with a hand to the wall.

“So we meet again, Alastor!” Vox laughed.

“What is happening.” His rival replied flatly.

“Isn't it obvious?”

“Is what obvious.”

“That I won! I beat you! You got sick and I didn't!”

A pause. Alastor looked at the state of the intruder. Then to the radio on his bookshelf, still flickering a striking electric blue. Then crossed the carpet with a sudden smirk on his face.

“I see! Then please, by all means, recount your glorious victory over the poor, defenseless Radio Demon!” He cried, holding a hand to his chest. “I deserve to hear it. All of it.”

“Well look who finally decided to give up and throw in the towel! And after I saved you from freezing face down in the snow!” His rival smirked drunkenly, tugging on his lapels– as well as himself, nearly stumbling into the corner of an armchair.

“A tantalizing sight, my life right in your claws for the taking.” Alastor recalled, catching Vox under the arms by the heel of his cane to push him upright.

“And– and I was the guy who carried you to the tower’s main office without being seen.” He slurred, pointing slightly left of himself. “You better be fuckin’ grateful, by the way. You almost blew my cover! Twice! Seriously, it's like your stupid flu was as disgustingly dramatic as y-yuhh-youhhh...are…! Hup’TSHHHZZT! HUTSCHHZZZZT!” 

A battered desk lamp flared in a firework of light before settling back again. The overhead bulbs momentarily shook with a sudden burst of energy. And in the middle of the flickering, flashing mess stood the Tech Overlord, sniffling miserably into a sleeve.

“Truly you are a paragon of grace and wit.” Alastor assured as he strolled towards the bathroom. Leaving Vox to follow him in his delirious, rambling rage.

“And then! And– Hep’shhhzzt! Sdnff!” His body jerked forward, screen glitching wildly just for a moment before resuming the one-man battle that he was definitely winning. "And then I treated you pretty good I think!"

"Well."

"Whatever! I– ihh- It’schhhzzzt! Ughh. Th’ point is that I took care of you! Monitored your temperature, gave you blankets, made you tea. And then you just LEFT! How's that for morality--" Alastor hummed nonchalantly, passing him a downy comforter. "--oh, thanks. I mean come on! I already had like ten different projects I'm working on so the least you could do is..."

The Radio Demon stood, waiting expectantly while his potential patient trailed off. Vox stared down at the gathered blanket in his arms, hoarse voice lowering. "...you're taking care of me."

"Ah, I see your wires have finally uncrossed! Truly a headline for the ages, don't you think?"

"You're taking care of me?"

"Would you rather I show you the door? Because--"

"No!" Vox blurted. Then remembering himself, cleared his throat with a thick sniffle. "No, no, uh. It's. It’s juhhst- huh! HUT’SCHHZZZT! Ughh..." Already overworked vents shuddered with the effort, and his entire frame followed suit as it struggled to adjust. "I just-- I haven't seen you in a while. The, uh, other you."

The silence was heavy, and it smelt of dust and mold stuffed deep in the back of a closet full of unwanted things. Alastor paused. He inhaled. Then exhaled. "Let's make a deal."

At that Vox opened his mouth, stopped by a hand. "Verbally. And one I'm sure we would both prefer."

"...Okay." He exhaled wearily, wobbling to sit by the fireplace. "Lay it on me."

Alastor replied with another contented hum, sitting opposite, Cheshire grin still plastered on his face. "You’ve had the chance to kill me before, but decided instead to spare my fate. As you mentioned quite loudly." Vox’s flushed face spread to the corners of his screen, sinking into the blanket. “And judging by a severe exhaustion not dissimilar to mine, I’m sure that returning to your tower would be a near-Herculean task. So, for your repayment, I will assist you for tonight and tonight only. No strings attached, no loose ends untied. Do you understand?"

The Vee swallowed harshly, stuffing down his pride as far as it could go. “Fine. It’s a deal. You win.”

"Excellent! Now, then." In a snap a flurry of inky creatures circled the two, hammer and nail at the ready. “I believe it’s time to claim my prize. Shall we begin, old pal?"

Alastor expected whinging and moaning. Maybe a little bit of desperation. But instead Vox was eerily silent. Sensors glazed over lying propped up on the headboard of his newly built bed, watching. Waiting. Mind completely and utterly glassed over with fog. Not even a half-witted jab at the old-fashioned mercury thermometer that slipped from between his fangs. Sighing heavily, Alastor poured a spoonful of medicine from a bottle, humming softly to himself as he tipped the rim into his patient’s mouth. And ever so slightly some color seeped into sepia tone. Alastor was sure the second of cognisance was the foul-tasting syrup until a few weak notes echoed back– breaking into occasional coughing fits that rattled the poor man's chest. 

“You can't seem to stay quiet, can you?” The Radio Demon snapped, though it had no bite. Closing his eyes, the soft broadcast of a song began to whisper. 

“Does this satisfy?” Vox nodded slowly. Alastor swallowed a nauseating pang of relief. 

It wasn’t long after that his caretaker was jolted awake, eyes pried open by screeching static and shouting voices. Pushing himself to his hooved feet, each delicate step across the room grew heavier and heavier as the deer demon approached. Through mucky speakers it sounded as if this fever dream was submerged in muck and grime. But between the two of them, the tangled mess of a memory from seven years ago might as well be clear as a spring. The reflection in the water stared back at him, and Alastor couldn’t help but watch. It was like a bad telanovela, and yet he could read every page of the script by heart.

“Listen asshole! You don't get to tell me what to do with my company and how I run it! I make the rules, not you.” The bitter voice crackled painfully behind the monitor.

“I assure you that my ‘rules’ are sound. These flashy entertainment devices and security systems you flaunt are completely and utterly worthless in the face of the exterminations, and yet you claim they bear the freedom and safety to back it up. It’s foolish and irresponsible to half-ass a game if you hold all the pieces.” Alastor muttered, mimicking his younger self that responded in kind. He squeezed a fistful of comforter until it ripped. 

“Fuck no! VoxTech was made so sinners can feel safe. Seriously, what is your damage? You hide the fine print just like us, so why the Hell are you throwing a bitch fit about a few white lies?”

“Sinners need an honorable deal, not a gaggle of snake oil salesmen. The Vees are built on false hope, I have the power to actually fulfill my promises.  And that, my dear, is the difference.”

“They want an out, I’m giving them an out!”

 Alastor shot upright to face the bastard, every twisted feature hemmed by an eerie artificial glow. “If you cannot understand why I despise your nonsense business practices made of flowery language and empty promises, then I r̵̨̞͑͠e̸͉͚͛f̸͈̅ù̵̹s̶͈̅ë̵͇͉́̎ to join your useless little team you absolute–!”

“--Listen asshole! You don’t get to–”

And all too suddenly, Alastor snapped back to the present. The angry burn on his cheeks faded as the same memory played again. And again. Skipping on repeat over and over and over like a useless, broken record. 

He stumbled, collapsing back on the edge of the bed. Calm yourself, it's just a nightmare. He'll break out of it eventually. But time passed again. And again. The horrid sting could not reduce itself to a dull itch, finally breaking its pattern when a pathetic whimper passed Vox's lips and– alright, that's enough. 

Waking a person from a nightmare was dangerous, doubly so if said subject was a demon– triply so for an Overlord. And although The Radio Demon held far more power and control over his rival, the Vee still had countless amounts of voltage coursing through his veins. Hauling himself to his feet, shaking his previous nerves loose before plucking a snuff box from a high shelf.

Well, he decided, better a sneeze than the electric chair.

Sitting again by Vox’s bedside, Alastor held the powder under the vents that dotted the sides of his patient’s face, watching them shallowly suck in air– taking a small portion with it.

“Hhh..!” The reaction was immediate. The sound of sniffling and hitching replaced the cacophony of his dream, and he twisted with discomfort. Stuck in a torturous loop, unable to sneeze out the irritant. Alastor huffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes.

“Always with the dramatics.” He chided.

“Snffff snff! Ugh! And whose f-fuh-fault is…is thahhhHHH–! Hhhhghh…th-that!” Vox warbled out, airy voice pitching higher and higher. Finally deciding to end his misery, Alastor traced the tip of his claw around his vents with a feather-light touch. Quickly distancing himself, as a final shuddering gasp was his one and only warning before–

“Het’tshhzzzt! H’tshzzzt! ‘Zzzt! Zzt! hhhhHHHH–! …Hekt’SHZZZZHOO!” 

A pop, and a firework of electricity branched from his core, erupting from his suit and branching out– which Alastor casually stepped to the side to avoid. “Gesundheit.” 

Unfortunately, the blessing was premature. “HUT’TSHZZZOOO! HUP’TSHZZZZZT’hoo…huh-hehhHHHTSHZZZOO!” The ground rumbled with scorch marks from the lightning storm. Somewhere in the hallway, the shattering of a bulb made Alastor’s ears press to his head.

“Do you want to wake the entire hotel?!” He hissed through clenched teeth.

“I cad't hhhheh! helb ihhdt! IT’SCHZZZZTHOO! Heh! Hhh! …hghh…” The chaos began to settle, leaving the cyborg gasping for air as Alastor slapped his hands against his vents. Cringing as a thick fluid brushed his ungloved palms.

“S’rry.” Vox mumbled sheepishly.

“You're ill.” Alastor spat regardless, pulling back in disgust, “If you're going to annoy me, don't take credit for things you didn't do.”

“...Okay?” The sickly demon blinked blearily. He tried to sit up, stopped by the head of a cane to his chest.

“Ah-ah, don’t get up. I'll be back in just a moment.” The other sneered, plucking a tissue from the nearby nightstand and, wordlessly, exited. Ignoring the harsh, obnoxious blow that followed.

It took minutes for Alastor to wash the unidentified liquid from his hands and handle. It took an eternity for Vox to fall back asleep. Maybe he did regret that argument from seven years ago. Maybe not. Either way, he scowled and turned his back to The Radio Demon.

Because just for tonight, Alastor had won. Again. He had been cared for, doted over, and treated with the utmost respect. For the first time in a long time, he had a taste of happiness from an old friend.

And honestly? It was awful.

[resowrites]

Hitch - oneshot.

Summary: Henry and his girlfriend hit a bump in the road…

Pairings: AU!Henry Cavill x Girlfriend!OC

Warnings: angst, fluff, relationship difficulties/argument, language, pet names, nondescript OC body type/appearance, brief allusion to smut, hastily written/lightly proofread.

WC: 1630

A/N: Hi folks, still not back in the writing groove but gave it a go and this was the result lol Sorry for deleting the last request, still having a crisis of confidence but I appreciate all interactions (especially as it helps me figure out blog direction). Not sure how often I’ll continue posting atm but feel free to send requests etc. - R x

My work must not be copied, reposted, or translated elsewhere. Likes, follows, reblogs and comments are thoroughly welcome and appreciated! Gifs/pics not my own. I hope you all enjoy and thanks for visiting!

Hitch - oneshot.

"I just want you to tell me why."

"Henry, do you not think if there was another reason, I’d just say so? Especially if it meant not having this conversation again?"

"So you honestly expect me to believe that you won’t get married simply because don't want to?"

"Yes! I said as much not long after we got together, why did you think I’d change my mind?"

"I dunno, I thought maybe you were trying to protect yourself. I know being with someone like me will never be straightforward, but why is marriage an impossibility given how long we've now been together? I've never done anything to make you doubt me or my love for you." She sighed and placed her hands on her hips, struggling to comprehend how watching some dreadful reality show about matchmaking had led to their current discussion. 

"Henry, I really can’t have this conversation again. I've told you my reason why and won't keep repeating myself. Goodnight." Henry dashed between her and the living room door.

"Darling please, we need to talk about this. Surely you can appreciate why I’m confused? You won't attend premieres with me, you don’t often travel with me. I respect that you're your own person and want to be out of the spotlight at much as possible, but now I'm worried you don't feel the same way about me anymore."

"Henry, you already know that isn't true. For fuck's sake I take care of everything each and every day don't I? Your house, your personal affairs, even your dog! I live in the middle of nowhere for you, I get abused every day worldwide for you, and I can't even walk down the fucking street without the risk of being photographed - all for you! Why would I do any of that if I didn't love you? I've never wanted your money, connections, or anything else, and yet here you are questioning me!" But her anger only served to rile him up further. 

"Well, I wonder why! You sound pretty resentful even though this is our house, our dog, our fucking life! For God’s sake I thought we were past this, what else can I do to prove that you're my priority?"

"I'm not resentful, that's my point! And we didn't choose this house or other aspects of our life together but I'm still here, still dedicated to you. What else do I have to do, to prove that?"

"So that would help? If we moved, chose a house together?" She clasped her forehead, exasperated.

"Ugh, no! I love this house because you chose it, just like I love you. Now let me go to bed." Henry blocked her path once again.

"No, please… I'm just trying to understand. You forget that I know you were engaged before, so is it that? You love me but you were in love with him?"

"Or the experience just confirmed marriage isn't for me. If I'd lost the person I loved most, why would I settle? I'm hardly the type, am I?" He searched her eyes.

"But if it's inconsequential to you why can't we do it? I just want you to be my wife, you know fine well I'll never hurt or leave you!"

"Except I don't! No one can. I don't want marriage because I don’t believe it's a vow anyone can honestly make. You might wake up tomorrow and decide you don't love me anymore, or next week you could meet someone who makes you realise you never did. I'm sorry but having to get divorced just adds insult to injury and I won't do it to myself. I refuse to."

"Oh, darling." Henry tried to move in for a hug but she swiftly raised her hand.

"Stop it. Whether you accept it or not, I continue to be here because I love you, and I'm sorry you think I haven't done enough to make that clear."

"And I'm sorry you think I don't love you as much as you love me." A look flashed briefly across her face.

"When did I say that?!"

"Throughout this entire conversation! So I was right all along, you think I'm just a selfish prick who wants to have his cake and eat it. First it was your father, then your ex, and now me. I'm just the latest in a long line of disappointments, aren't I? What do you want me to do? Give up acting? Will that be a big enough improvement for you?" There was no mistaking the look on her face anymore.

"How dare you. I've always respected what you do--"

“She said sarcastically.”

"Oh whatever, all this really comes down to is you not being able to control me any further than you already do." He stepped back a moment, turning around only halfway when he was ready to speak again.

"You don't really believe that?"

"Either way, I'm never getting married or having children. If that's too much for you then, I suppose... our relationship is already over." Her eyes were distraught and Henry rushed forwards, gripping the sides of her arms.

"No, no. Please, don't say that. I'm not losing you over something like this. Having children is different and besides, I don’t want to share you with anyone else," she felt her heart pinch. "I'm sorry, Okay? I'm just hurt, but I'll get over it. Yes, I'm old-fashioned, I find it hard that you don't let me spoil you, or that we have to take turns paying for holidays. You even have to pay for the upkeep of this place!”

"Yes, because you bought it despite us both living here, why can't I at least contribute?" He finally let her go, sighing as his head dropped down.

"I just want to care of you."

"And you do! Which I'm grateful for and is the reason I do whatever I can to take care of you as well. Marriage gives me the ick, alright? I'm just not lovey-dovey, sue me."

"Bollocks. You spend ages cuddling Kal, cooking for me… do you know you even cuddle up to me at night after you've fallen asleep? I try and stay awake just so--" his voice caught in his throat, "I don't miss it. We don't have to have a wedding, though you seemed to enjoy Mark's and Claire's...”

"I'd enjoy myself at funerals if they had open bars." 

"Well, what if something happens to me? I need to make sure everything's taken care of."

"We can go to a solicitor for that." Henry rubbed his jaw.

"What if we make it just us? We don't have to invite anyone other than the witnesses." She pondered the suggestion for a moment. 

"How about we have a civil union?" He scowled.

"What, where you don't have to change your title, surname, or even be called my wife?"

"Henry that's my last offer, take it or leave it. For fuck's sake why can't I just be your partner? That's all I've ever wanted to be..." She swallowed back her tears but practically fled the room. Henry just stood with his head in his hands. Neither of them slept well that night.

***

The next couple of days passed uneasily, not that she didn't try her best to make things better. She still didn't want to give in to Henry though, no matter how bad it felt not to. She thought she’d sacrificed enough for them to be together. If she said yes to this, then what would be next? It was as she was curled up on the sofa, letting such thoughts churn over and over in her mind, that he came and sat down beside her. After a couple of minutes, he gently took her hand. "Listen, I've thought about what you said and I think I finally understand. With that in mind, I'd like you to accept these as a promise that we'll belong to each other for as long as possible and as best we can.” He looked at her knowingly while pulling two velvet boxes from his pocket. “I got you the same promise ring as mine as I know you don't like anything sparkly, mine's just wider cos I've got big hands and need it to last. You don't have to be a Mrs or take my surname either, though I know you don’t like yours so I thought maybe you could anyway?" His hopeful eyes were met with the mischief in hers.

"But your surname’s awful as well!" He snorted.

"Fair enough, I know it's a nightmare changing everything by deed poll anyway. We can wear the rings on our right hands if you want, so... what do you think?"

"I'll accept it on one condition," she teased, though the tears in her eyes were plain to see.

"Which is?"

"You get down on one knee." Henry stared at her for a moment in disbelief but soon hurled himself to the floor, grinning as she presented her right hand. He took his time, making sure to slide the band on carefully. Once that was done she grabbed his and as gently as her patience would allow, twisted it over his finger. They beamed at each other before he leaped to his feet, pulling her with him so they could kiss and embrace. His heart felt like it was about to burst. "You know, if I'm not your wife then what will you call me?"

"How about 'wagon?'" She giggled and swatted him on the arm. "What about me?"

"Hmm, let's see... what else begins with 'w?'" He roared with laughter, planted another kiss on her mouth, and swept her up into his arms. She knew they were headed for the stairs before he even turned round.

To be updated on when I post please follow @resowrites and turn on post notifications.

@marytudorbrandon @luclittlepond

[rikas-things]

Diabolik Alcoholik part 4

To read more or get caught up, please check out the table of contents:

Reiji smiled again as he placed his hands on his hips, though it was far closer to a sneer than an honest smile.

"But of course! What, were you not expecting to meet Ayato so soon? Perhaps your guilty conscience has plagued you?"

Her brows furrowed.

"He attacked me first!" She defended, "It was self-defense!"

"That's not at all how it appeared to me," he dropped his smile as he spoke, his voice dry and laced with suspicion.

"I have no reason to-" he held a hand up before she could continue.

"Whether it was or wasn't is of little consequence. The fact of the matter is that you've made an enemy. If you wish to remain in good cheer I suggest you take heed of this: 'to follow your heart is to lose your mind.'"

"What does that mean?"

"Think of it as a warning to keep your wits about you. You seem like the outspoken type, and I'm advising against that. That hotheadedness will not do you good in the long run."

She thought his words over for a moment, not quite sure what the advice he gave had to do with the saying he used but she was willing to try if it meant facing "Ayato's" ire as little as possible.

She grew a determined look in her eyes; she had no idea what kind of family this was or why they invited her into their mansion but maybe she could make this work-who knows?

She could probably make a new friend and become a big sister to some of the little ones!

Whatever they were like, she hoped they'd be nicer to her than Ayato.

"I'm ready. Where can I meet them?"

Reiji put his fingers to his chin as he fell deep in thought.

"Hmm...it seems a few of them have already gathered in the living room."

She eyed him over, wondering to herself how he could tell where they were since she couldn't see a Bluetooth device on his person.

"My brothers are an eccentric bunch, but aside from Ayato, they're mild-mannered."

This time she was completely silent, mulling over one singular word.

"Brothers."

To the mind of someone as boy-crazed as Yui, you might as well be telling her you're giving her a million dollars.

While Ayato was awful she couldn't deny he was quite attractive, and, as she gave Reiji a good look, he was also quite handsome in his own right too.

Messy yet fantastic hair, gorgeously soulful eyes, a strong, chiseled jawline...

If his brothers were anything close to what she witnessed here, she knew she'd have the time of her life.

She ran full speed ahead toward the end of the hallway, hearts in her eyes and arms open wide to accept any beautiful men that were waiting for her-when an ice-cold glass of reality splashed her face.

It came in the form of Ayato Sakamaki, who was wide awake and sporting two large knots on his head and a very unsavory frown.

"This sucks...my head friggin' hurts!" He muttered to himself as he sulked in his chair, his hair and school clothes as disheveled as ever.

As soon as he turned his head, Yui dashed behind the wall and stuck herself against the wall in an attempt to blend in, mortified.

This is bad, this is so bad! She thought to herself. I can't be alone with this guy!

"Hey," a low voice came from her shoulder, which set her alarm off.

Yui turned and nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned to the source of the voice.

"I could smell you from my seat, you idiot!" Ayato roared.

He then sneered at her.

"I got two head injuries 'cause of you! So prepare yourself! I'll show the meaning of the word Hell!" On the last note he showed her a dark grin.

She smiled as she sweated profusely, barely hiding her fear.

How do I get out of this??

"Ahem," another voice rang through the hall.

Reiji appeared with a bitter grin on his face.

"As much as I'd love for you two to finish your chit-chat, it's time for you to make your way to the living room."

As Ayato ranted about Reiji taking too long, Yui let out a long, loud sigh of relief.

A little too loud, as Ayato caught wind of it and turned his attention to her, leading no end of threats and jabs at her expense.

Having heard enough, Reiji intervened as he adjusted his glasses.

"Enough of this, hurry up for the meeting, you two!"

[luckyluan]

Act I.

“My pops used to tell me this old story about love. He told me two people who genuinely love each other can see the world in color—like the old days. He told me my mom’s skin was the color as chocolate, which is like a brown, like—like a really dark...something.” Koh said. “...and her eyes! He said here were violet or purple—like a Morning Glory. The flower with these pretty, erm, light-ish, but deep kind of petals. I’m not sure if he was kidding or not but the story always made me hopeful!” 

“About the flower?” Jett teased. 

Koh walked ahead of Jett and cleared a path in the debris. Jett followed close behind with a finger hooked through Koh’s belt loop. Koh threw a playful look over his shoulder. 

“No! About love! I want to be in love so badly so I can see the world and all its colors—like what color is that over there?” 

“You’re crazy, you know that?” Jett smiled. 

“About you? Always.” 

Jett ducked under a low hanging spider web. He ran his free hand through his thick hair as he passed under the vast, silk spun net. 

“Where are we?” he asked. 

“You’ll see!” Koh trudged ahead and cleaved a path of brightness through the sea of encroaching shadows. “This place used to be a center for the arts, but nobody saw much of a need for art after The Fade. People saw shows, but it wasn’t the same. So, the place shut down.” 

Koh and Jett crept down the corridor toward a jagged crevice in its dilapidated walls. A glimmer of light leaked into the dark hall and Jett made out the abstract patterns of bulbous letters painted on either side of the man-made entrance. 

Koh tugged Jett’s hand free from his belt loop and clasped it tightly in his own as they moved toward the center of a vast stage. Save for one token of radiance, the space was completely dark. The ghost light at center stage pierced the looming shadows and, beneath a swaying chandelier, Koh squeezed Jett’s hand. He pulled Jett into his arms and brushed a few coils out of his face before he spoke again. 

“Close your eyes.” Koh commanded. 

Jett arranged his features into a playful pout. He raised a thick eyebrow at Koh who smiled down at him with an endearing gleam in his shadowed gaze. Jett gave a dramatic roll of his own eyes before he squeezed his lids shut. 

“Don’t peak!” 

Koh’s voice echoed around the stage as he receded into the looming shade. Jett shifted from foot to foot as the distant sounds of his boyfriend’s gleeful work reached his ears. The singular light of the nearby bulb warmed his eyelids, and a shiver ran down his spine as the house curtain whizzed past him. The hot and stale breeze wrinkled his nose as Koh’s steps grew louder and Jett relaxed as Koh’s robust arms curled around his waist. 

Koh planted a kiss on Jett’s forehead and Jett filled his hands with the slippery fabric on Koh’s back. 

“My pops also told me about the first time he and moms kissed. He said it was like the world around him exploded. Everything around him just sprang to life—colored itself in...like flipping a light switch!” 

Koh pulled back and, with a shaking finger, tilted Jett’s chin until his bright eyes filled with his own reflection. 

“Everything in my life—like most—is gray. My apartment. My, my bed clothes. Everything I’ve ever seen is gray and then I met you and I thought—I knew things would be different. This is not the most eventful place to live, but I met you here and my entire life is worth living because you love me.” 

Jett’s radiant eyes welled with sparkling tears and Koh dashed his thumb through their running streaks. He lifted his thumb to his mouth and tasted Jett’s warm tears. He smiled. 

[guess-monst3r]

|i'm sorry

ft. xiao, aether

genre: angst

word count: 2.7k

major character death, blood and injury, xiao shows emotions, long build up

Hǫðr is a character I made up. :)

The last battle in his quest to reunite with his twin, after this they could continue onto their next adventure traveling the stars. There would be no more meaningless quests to help people he's never met, no more playing this elaborate game of tag with his sister, no more sleepless nights, no more begging for his sister to return to him.

Though knowing the people he does now, could he really leave and forget them all? Paimon who's been with him since he awoke, Amber the first one to try to help him find his sister, Venti the first Archon he met, Childe who gave him one of his hardest fights yet, Zhongli who taught him much of his regions culture, Ei who he helped see the light once more, Xiao who promised to always come when called.

He had met so many people in his time traversing the seven regions of Teyvat and so many of them would forever be lodged in his memories. Was he really ready to leave them all behind, leave him behind?

Xiao was the only person to give to him without expecting anything in return. What others saw in Aether as strength, Xiao saw a friend.

It was laughable, he was going into what could possibly be the biggest battle of his life yet, he was thinking of a boy he hadn't seen in months.

“Paimon thinks you should reconsider! Paimon would hate it if traveler got hurt!" Aether brushed her off, continuing his walk down the starry corridor. This was the last obstacle to reunite with his sister, he had to continue, or his entire journey would have been for nothing.

As he walked through the doorway at the end of the hall, he observed his surroundings, dull blade at the ready. There were what seemed like asteroids floating around, the windows opening up to the starry night sky, with a small layer of water pooled around his ankles.

"Hǫðr! Show yourself you coward!"

He heard a maniacal giggle echo around the room, and he scanned his surroundings once more for the source. His eyes set on his opponent’s figure, Hǫðr was slightly bent forward his curved twin blades angled behind him ready to rush at the blonde male.

Aether brought his blade in front of him preparing to deflect the opposing male. Hǫðr was wearing the typical clothing of what was once Khaenri’ah now more commonly known as the Abyss Order. His hair was pure white as the stars in the sky, matching the starry pupils of his black eyes.

“We meet again, Aether.” Black eyes snapped up to meet with gold. Aether couldn’t stop his body from flinching under the pure malice of the snowy haired male. Paimon shrieked cowering behind the blond peaking over his shoulder.

“Hǫðr, tell me where my sister is!”

Hǫðr laughed. “You think she wants to see you! Your sister has long given up on you and this twisted world! You are beneath her! Her majesty reigns supreme! I’ll tell her location… but only if you defeat me!” He was borderline insane and there was a clear power difference between the two males.

When had power differences ever hindered the blond? He always came out on top. Aether narrowed his eyes, “Paimon, go hide.”

Aether wouldn’t regret if he was killed in this battle, but he would forever hate himself if he was the cause for his closest companion's death.

“Well then Hǫðr, take your best shot,” The blonde smirked.

The only way to fight madness was with madness.

Hǫðr released a loud laugh before dashing forward. Aether met his blades with his own. The resounding clash of metal ringing through the room, the males moving at such a fast speed that Paimon could not follow.

She could only cower behind the stone pillar and watch the blurs clash hoping that her golden companion would come out on top.

Aether was fast but Hǫðr was faster.

Aether was strong but Hǫðr was stronger.

One thing Hǫðr could not beat Aether in was his resolve.

Aether would not give up until he could hold his sister in his arms again, until they could travel under the stars once more, until they could finally be family again.

Hǫðr as the Abyss Princess’ right hand was simply following orders, “do not make it easy for him, if my brother cannot beat you, he is not worthy to reunite.” Those were the princess’ words.

Hǫðr jumped back from Aether’s blade and as his feet met the pillar, he used the momentum to spin and push himself towards the blonde. He brought one of his blades down on Aether’s taking the other and slashing at his side.

Aether growled bringing a leg between them to kick the male back. Hǫðr hit a stone pillar the rock cracking under the force as the white-haired male slid to the ground.

Aether clutched his side hissing as the blood seeped out and down his toned stomach. He clenched his teeth as he brought his hand away from the deep gash shaking the blood off his fingers.

Hǫðr was back on his feet and rushing the blonde again, Aether wasted no time immediately pushing off his feet and sprinting at him.

They clashed Hǫðr bent backwards twin blades flipped up as Aether pushed his blade down against his.

Hǫðr kicked the male back in a quick motion flipping backwards to escape the blond. Aether winced as Hǫðr’s foot met his open wound drawing back in a defensive manner.

Hǫðr sprinted at the blonde again trying to break through his defenses. One of his blades met with the blond’s leg ripping through the fabric and drawing blood.

Aether flinched swinging his sword at the other male forcing his opponent back.

Aether was struggling to keep up and as the two continued to exchange contacts, he grew slower and slower.

The blood loss from the wounds adorning his body was slowly getting to him.

He was damp with sweat, his eyes hooded, and despite the adrenaline pumping through him he felt cold.

His vision and hearing were blurry so as he fell to the floor Hǫðr slowly walking over him he couldn’t make up the words Paimon was screaming.

He could hear her desperation, but he could not hear her.

Paimon was in panic, she could not find a solution to the current moment. She was powerless against the beast that has brought even the mightiest traveler to their knees.

She did the only thing that could come to mind, remembering the promise that was made to the traveler all those years ago.

“Xiao!”

. . .

“Xiao please!”

. . .

“Xiao the traveler needs you!”

Aether was trying to focus on Paimon’s words. He needed to know what she was saying. The ringing slowly died down and he was able to make out what his floating companion was saying although the words were fuzzy and quiet.

“Xiao, please! Aether’s dying!”

His ears finally cleared, and he could hear the sobs coursing through her, and he coughed spitting out the blood collecting in his mouth as Hǫðr stared down at him.

“Aether hold on! I’ll find help I promise!” He softly smiled as he watched his companion leave. At least she would be safe.

“Oh no… it seems I’ve broken you.” Hǫðr looked down in mock sadness. “I wasn’t supposed to kill you… awe man the princess is going to kill me.” He pouted body sinking into itself. He hissed as he felt the weight out his injures not hitting him. Although his weren’t as worse as the blond’s.

Aether tried speaking mouth moving but no words coming out. “Oh! Come on, let’s hear the mighty traveler’s last words!” Aether spat the blood he just coughed up onto the male's feet.

Hǫðr grimaced at the red soaking his white boots. He was ready to ridicule the male however paused as the blond opened his mouth once more.

“Xi…ao…” It was weak and said through deep breaths of pain but the adeptus although regions away heard it.

“Xiao? Awe man, I thought you’d have some cool last words. What the hell is Xiao.” The Abyss solider pouted rolling his eyes in disappointment.

“Me.”

The white-haired male perked up at the voice, turning around to hopefully lock eyes him the voices owner only to be met with what seemed to be a demon mask.

At the smallest call of his name from his blond he rushed right to him. He was expecting a happy reunion but the sight he had laid eyes on was not a happy one.

The blond male that he had grown to trust, and love was laying before his eyes in a pool of this own blood.

The gold eyes that always shone with such life and happiness in the adeptus’ presence were now dulled and cloudy as the life slowly seeped out of his best friend… out of his lover…

After the deaths of his fellow yaksha, the green-haired male closed himself off. He devoted himself into his responsibilities protecting the people of Liyue.

Even as his karmic debt weighed heavily and threatened to break him, he did not falter. He pushed through life, and he hid himself from the world refusing to go through more grief and strife due to getting attached to someone that would only leave him once more.

However, when the blond traveler entered Liyue he couldn’t stop himself from getting attached. Aether had broken down all of his walls and the adeptus let him.

No matter how much Xiao complained about him forcing his way into his life, both him and Aether knew that Xiao was thankful someone cared about him enough to try.

So now seeing the man that he had learned to love with all his heart slowly dying beneath who he could only see as a maniac he felt betrayed.

Aether promised to never leave him, he promised…

The mask on his faced served another purpose in that room. While usually he used it to harness his fully power, tonight it would be used to hide the tears continuously flowing down his face.

He would not need his full power to end the male that stood above his Aether, his raw emotions would be enough.

The smile playing on Hǫðr’s face dropped in an instance. Stifled by the pure and utter enmity flowing of his newfound opponent in waves.

Hǫðr wanted to run, he had never wished to flee from a battle before and the fact that now in the presence of the short male he wanted to run terrified him.

“I’ll kill you.” There were no emotions shone in the yaksha’s voice. After centuries, he knew how to hide his emotions well.

Hǫðr fully believed the masked man would.

Before he could even speak, before he could even hope to run a glowing green spear was lodged in his chest.

Xiao pushed on the end of his weapon relishing in the audible cracks of the man’s sternum, a smile grew under his mask as he felt the tip of his spear reach the man's heart.

The abyssal solider had a pleading look on his face, never did Hǫðr think that he a man on par with gods in his eyes would die in this way.

Xiao felt his blade puncture the man's heart and he placed him foot beside where his blade lay in the male's chest applying pressure to force the man to his knees and give him leverage to pull his spear from his chest.

Xiao felt a rush of joy wash over him as the man’s blood splattered against his mask.

Hǫðr coughed choking on his own blood as he fell to his side. He knew he would not last long before the blood loss crept up on him and slowly killed him.

He could not help but think of the demon man as a monster for leaving him to die a slow and painful death but in Xiao’s eyes he deserved worse.

Aether released a breath of relief watching as Xiao defeated the male.

Xiao’s attention was immediately on the traveler as his ears picked up the sound. He fell to his knees beside him bringing his head onto his lap hugging him close to his chest.

“Xiao. . .”

“Nuh-uh don’t speak. I’ll get you out of here, save your energy.”

“Xiao. . . Please. . .” Xiao knew what the male was implying but he refused to accept it. He refused to accept that the blonde would die here.

“Please don’t die on me my prince. You’re all I have left.”

Aether could only give him a soft smile leaning into his embrace and basking in the use of the pet name Xiao only used on special occasions.

“Y. . . You promise me.” Aether’s heart broke at the sound of his voice.

“My love… I…I’m sorry.” Aether weakly reached to place his hand over Xiao’s mask. The mask immediately dissolved, and Xiao’s hand came up to hold Aether’s wrist as he leaned into his hand.

“Don’t. . . Don’t cry. You’re so…so beautiful my love. . .” Aether ignored the pounding of his wounds focusing solely on his lover’s face. Xiao’s eyes which usually held a cold stoic gaze were sadden and rimmed with tears.

“How can you ask me not to cry while you die in my arms,” Xiao scoffed but the sound didn’t hold the same weight it usually did, the sound came out broken and soft.

That was how Xiao felt in the moment, broken and soft.

“I. . . lov-“

“Don’t. . . you dare say you love me right now.��� He sobbed.

Aether’s gaze softened showing his love through his teary cloudy eyes. Xiao wasn’t sure he would be able to live on if the blond told him that he loved him at that moment.

Aether brought his thumb to the male's lips. Xiao clenched his jaw placing a kiss against the other male’s thumb.

“I love you.”

“No, you idiot. . . Stop. . . stop acting like you’re going to die. . .”

Aether smiled softly struggling to keep his eyes open. He could feel his conscious slipping, he could feel himself falling into the abyss.

“You. . . You can’t leave me.” Xiao’s last word was strained as he held back a sob.

“I love you, you idiot.”

The smile on Aether face grew just a bit bigger and he allowed himself to fall into the abyss as he laid in his lover's arms.

Xiao felt him go limp in his arms and he could feel his breaths slowly growing slower and slower until the blond’s chest rose and fell for the last time.

It may have been months since they last saw each other, their bond was still as strong as ever and even though the traveler would not wake again their bond would not weaken. Xiao would never forget the blond traveler he saw as the love of his life.

The blonde traveler that taught Xiao to accept affection and love again.

The blonde traveler that held him in his arms and allowed him to release all his pain through tears as his past experiences caught up to him.

The blonde traveler who now laid dead in his arms.

“Sleep well my prince. . .”

Paimon finally returned with help; however, she was too late and that would weigh on her forever.

Xiao looked up at her and Paimon was stopped dead in her tracks by the look on the adeptus’ face.

“I’m sorry.”

I would say sorry but I'm not sorry >:)

[vanillabat99]

Longpost Life Update!!

Queue is empty, haven't had much on the dash that I felt like putting in there lately!! It's probably time for a dash cleanup, unfollowing inactive blogs and such. That's something I will do on desktop soon!!

I've been spending my days sleeping and watching shows with my Beautiful Wife, sometimes playing games. Whenever I try to put my sleep schedule back to normal there's something I have to be up early for and it throws it all off again. Very frustrating. Things have been fairly uneventful otherwise! I'm still experiencing the heart thing, but as I have exhausted my healthcare possibilities and the conclusion was that it is psychological, I am simply dealing with it ._.

I have a meeting coming up to go over AISH paperwork before I submit anything, which is very exciting!! I will likely have to apply again since my social worker, doctor, and therapist have told me they almost always deny the first one. Medications and therapy are very expensive, and I'm still trying to find funding assistance for a proper wheelchair.

Monday I have an intake for community support groups/activities (I have to be up at 8AM which is hellish for me) and I hope to get into their art program!! I really want to spend more time making art, and I would love to meet some people and get out of the house more often.

I have lots of art projects in the works, and many of them require skills and materials I do not currently have, so I have plenty of work to do!! My current priority is finishing up a card for my Beautiful Wife and finally sending it to them!! My other projects are quite large and will require consulting with various people in my life on how to best approach and execute my visions :3

Choir starts up again in the fall and I am so excited to go back!! Weekly rehearsals gave me so much structure, and it's at night which works great for my sleep schedule!! We got a preview of our setlists at our director's dinner party last month. Most of them are good but there's a couple that are so bad they're funny and I really hope we can convince her to maybe put those ones back on the shelf >_<

I'm preparing to go on a trip in either December or May (depends on finances) to see my Beautiful Wife!! It will be my first time traveling on my own, so I have lots to sort out. My first hurdle is making a plan for the airport!! I have lots of people helping me, and I am so so so determined to make this happen!!!

Haven't been blogging much due to all of the above, but I am still here :3 A family friend is going through some mental health stuff right now, so my attention is primarily focused on that. Thanks for reading this wall of text, and for sticking around so long!! Hope you're all doing well 💕💕💕

[after-witch]

THEEOOO are you alright???

Please tell me you're alright

Give us some update T_T

hey 'non so uhhh, u mm. I didn't want to post because I feel like lately all I do is just post "my life is going to shit" but ;;; YOU ASKED... SO IT'S OKAY.... and uh, truthfully:

I'm not okay. At all. Things aren't okay in a serious way.

gonna 'keep reading' cut this so it's not clogging up anyone's dash ;;

Furnace tech came out, there's a crack in the furnance (He showed me & I got it confirmed) and he tagged my furnace as unsafe for living conditions and turned off power/gas to it.

So I have no working heat throughout the house. In the winter. In an area where it can get down to the 10s/20s or colder, particularly as we get into January-February.

I don't have the money to buy a furnace, but I literally need one to live in this house and make sure my pipes don't freeze/burst, and to sell this house for anything remotely resembling a reasonable price.

They send someone out for an estimate, and it’s $4000 for a new furnance install. I don’t have it. And they gave me info to apply for a loan, but like. I can’t... take out a a $4000 loan to pay for a new furnace when I’m supposed to be moving in 2 months. 

My family found a used furnace, but we need someone licensed to install it. So far the quotes for installing it are just as much as buying the new furnace and having it installed, so it’s like. Hrm. People are asking around to see if we can find someone who will do it for a different rate. But I mean, it’s a complex installation, so I’m not hopeful.

And on top of all this, it's just like. Me trying to sell the house on my own? Somehow? Trying to declutter and clean and pack a 2000 square foot house and then figure out how to list it and for what price and do all the paperwork?

All this was already overwhelming without the "I HAVE NO FURNACE NOW" element hanging over me. And now? I just feel so lost.

So I got approved for the apartment which has a move-in date in early March, but now I'm just like, how am I going to afford the apartment $500 hold deposit in 2 weeks and later on afford the move-in costs and get a furnace installed and get renter's insurance and sell a house with presumably no working furnace in the winter and get everything decluttered and packed in very cold temps and still pay my regular bills and start saving for the next round of car insurance and make enough for gas and and and...

I've actually never felt this level of stress and despair before. I just keep bawling. Like, "when someone you love dies" level of bawling.

I'm just really not okay.

My cat and I are currently in my office with a space heater while I try to do some remote freelance work so I can pay my current bills, hopefully she joins me in the bedroom after I warm it up & stuff a blanket in the doorway cracks to keep it in. I also bought room thermometers so I can see if it's getting to dangerous cold levels and if it is, go to a relative's house.

Thankfully, I do have places I can stay at during the night (siblings houses) but the financial situation & making sure my cat is safe & making sure I'm not in dangerous cold conditions & making sure my pipe's don't freeze is just... overwhelming. idek what to do at this point.

Every time I'm like "Okay, it can't get worse," it just does. Every little positive thing (finally getting my driver's license, finding a way to pay for car insurance, getting help from commissions & amazing donations so I can get my furnace fixed last month) is immediately met with a massive backhand.

Def going to like. Post more about emergency commissions & stuff like that soon. Just right now I need to... figure out... what to make a priority.

Sorry for the long rant. I wish things were going good so I could just say that. I wish I just. had a secret stash of money that I could use to pay for this stuff and not have to worry. 

[heybaetae]

kelli! it's so nice to see you back on the dash 🤍 i hope you've been doing better, and had a good day today overall!

since you asked for some chitty chats, this is moreso a thought i've been having since the excitement of seokjin coming back and the new ot7 pics coming out... i've grown out of the huge fandom aspect of things (i didn't even know festa included a live show or a new song released by jungkook 😭) — but knowing they are all okay, looking healthy and smiling... it really makes me feel like they were once my best friend where we knew everything about each other and did everything together — but then life got in the way? we lost contact for a while, priorities shifted, and now we are living different lives ... but there is still so much love, so much respect, so much awe.

it oddly hurts, moving on like this. i felt something similar years ago when i gave away a signed poster towards an auction at my university — it was for a great cause, the army i gave it to was endlessly grateful, and it made me so happy that i could pass along something that would mean the world to them infinitely more than me. it felt like i also gave away a huge part of myself but not in an empty-thinking way... but in a there-is-now-room-for-more-in-life...

i don't know what this message really entails haha! just thoughts about growing up, moving on, but still feeling like i have one foot in the past and looking back in a fear of... potential regret? and it's not like my world will shatter or anything, but these boys made me so, so happy at one point in my life. if anything, now that i type these thoughts out, i almost want to thank them for guiding me to that said feeling of happiness — and to believe that i can continue to find it in other aspects of life... oh 🥺

ah what a sweet sentiment, anon! thanks for sharing. i think if people were more open minded instead of judgemental and dictative of other fans' personal journeys with bts, we'd all be in a much healthier place as a fandom. it feels icky (read: cult-like) seeing people try to tell each other how their loyalty to bts matters more than anything and that nobody is allowed to gradually grow out of a fandom space for their own reasons or it makes you a bad person. i think that's why a lot of "ex-army" have such a bitter taste in their mouths and it's sometimes hard to call it unfounded depending on their situation or experience. i hope you're doing well and am glad you still feel warmth towards them despite your distance from them and the fandom. your feelings match mine towards my previous fandom, so i totally get the bittersweet emotions that come with being out of the loop and feeling lighter, but still kinda regretful it happened. i'm pretty sure they just want you to be happy no matter how long you were with them in the first place. :)

[nobigsecrets]

Glad to see you've been as devastated as I was by Bill and Frank love story. Obviously the show itself it's the last thing I'd watch (anything Z-adjacent is forbidden in my mind space), but just watching the gifs and reading the emotional accountings of those who watched it, witnessing two middle aged men who've been in hell but managed to build their own corner of paradise, witnessing the adoration, the devotion, the happiness, the softness, the tenderness, the unmeasurable love between them...the complete lack of social stigma clichés. It gave me hope. Because if there still are people out there who can portray such a love, and it doesn't matter if it's queer or not, but much more, MUCH MORE because IT IS queer, then not all humanity is rotten.

Yes!!

Seriously, I have no idea for how long I just stared at the first gifset of them that crossed my dash, but I've been mesmerized!!

You have already summed it up so well, there's so much that stands out and is special about Bill and Frank's love story. Not just the fact that they're gay men, but they are regular middle-aged men, who have both seen a lot, been through a lot and who don't expect much of life anymore. But. They find it. They find love and happiness and each other, despite all odds. And what's even better than that: they get to enjoy it! Unspoiled and unconditionally!

It's the kind of Happily Ever After that usually is withheld from queer people/queer couples and that's what makes this so remarkable. And especially the fact that they apparently changed Bill and Frank's storyline from the original one where they weren't even friends. They made them queer just because they could!! Can you imagine?

(Personally, I really need to be in the right mood to consume dystopian content like TLOU and enjoy it. It happens occasionally. I think I would definitely watch this specific episode if I got my hands on it but I don't think I want to watch the whole show atm.)

[munsonsduchess]

Teenage Wasteland

summary: eddie and the band are about to hit their big break and you want to be there for it all w/c: 2,302 warnings: swearing, underage drinking (kind of, if you squint), that's about it honestly a/n: so i've been gone for ages i know, i just kind of hit a slump tbh and tumblr just wasn't doing it for me so i took a break and i'm hoping to be back more regularly from now on, i just need to curate my dash a little if you enjoy this why not consider reblogging so more people can enjoy it too! this is technically the second part of my mallrats series which much like the god and goddess of hellfire has no real plot it all just sort of links up in different one shots.

(moodboard by me)

Working in the mall had gotten much less terrible in the year since you and Eddie had started dating. You'd met all of Eddie's friends, most of whom also worked in the mall because well that's where all the work was.

Jeff and Gareth who were also in the band were probably exactly what you'd imagined Eddie's friends would look like. Kind of grungy, kind of metal, lots of flannel and ripped jeans. The other friends you were introduced to were a little less than typical.

There was Robin who worked in Scoops Ahoy who didn't seem to have any filter and just said whatever came to mind. She was funny and smart and always gave you the skinny when a new shipment of ice cream was coming in so you guys could get free samples before anyone else. It was hilarious to watch her argue music with the guys who refused to expand their knowledge outside of their own inner circle of 'alternative' and refused to listen to anything popular or top forty related. 

The most surprising were perhaps Chrissy and Steve who looked like they'd stepped out of the latest abercrombie catalogue. Chrissy who was sweet and bubbly and blonde, an ex cheerleader who was the epitome of a bubblegum pop princess. She loved the Spice Girls and NSync and The Backstreet Boys but also Led Zeppelin and Nirvana. She painted her nails pink and wore pink lip gloss but no one ever batted an eyelid and they welcomed her wholeheartedly into the group.

Then there was Steve, who was an honest to god former Shirtless Ambercrombie Dude who'd packed the whole thing in and was now a babysitter to a group of pre teens who seemed to think he was the best thing ever as well as the most lame person to ever exist. He wore Ralph Lauren polos and khakis he bought in the gap. His jeans were ironed for god's sake, not to mention the hair he was so proud of. 

The thing was though these were the most honest, open, loving and accepting group of people you'd ever met in your life and you were so happy you'd met them. 

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ��

You were closing up one Friday night when Eddie came rushing across from the music store,

"Babe, babe babe babe babe babe babe, you aren't gonna believe this" 

"First of all take a breath, second what's going on?" 

"You remember that gig, the one we were told we'd just be the opening act?" you did remember, some other local alternative band was playing a show on Halloween at the Hideout and even though Corroded Coffin had a standing Tuesday night gig they'd been told that if they wanted to play on Halloween they'd be the warm up act for the other band,

"Yeah, what about it?" 

"They broke up. Turns out one of the guys had been sleeping with another guys boyfriend and it's a huge thing but they aren't playing on halloween anymore which means …"

"OH MY GOD YOU GUYS ARE THE HEADLINE ACT!"

"WE'RE THE HEADLINE ACT!"

You couldn't have been happier for Eddie at that moment. You all but flung yourself at him knocking the wind out of both of you, this was huge. The guys practised so hard and they put all their effort and energy into their work so it was amazing to see them getting their big break,

"You have to tell everyone, like immediately. I know Robin is closing up in Scoops but Chrissy had the early shift but there's the payphone outside" 

"You seem way more excited about this than me" Eddie joked, 

"Uh yeah, you're about to become a big time rockstar. Next thing you know you'll be touring with Metallica and James Hetfield will personally sign your guitar" you spoke emphatically, waving your arms around grandly,

"I seriously doubt that's gonna happen after one gig in the Hideout" 

"You don't know that!" 

Eddie laughed again and pulled you away from the now locked shutter and towards the food court where Robin would no doubt be waiting since you and Eddie were her ride home. 

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

Everyone else was just as excited to hear about Corroded Coffin's lucky break and so began weeks of planning costumes and how you were all going to get to and from the bar. Steve offered to drive everyone claiming his car would have the most room for you, robin and chrissy and whoever else wanted to come. Throwing a not so subtle hint to Robin about his friend Nancy who would be coming home from College in Boston for fall break. 

Robin pointedly said nothing but did slap Steve on the arm for being a jerk. Chrissy laughed brightly at their antics looking on fondly like she'd never been happier to witness two friends engage in a bitch fest. 

You didn't see much of Eddie outside of work and a quick hi when you saw him in the evenings before he crashed. The band was practising almost all the time now to prepare for the show, Eddie had even written some new songs to play for the first time that night. Word had it that a talent scout was coming down from the city to see the gig, apparently the original headliner pulling out didn't dissuade them from coming. So the stakes were at an all time high. 

The night of the gig you were waiting at the edge of the trailer park for your ride, Steve had called to say his friend Nancy was driving her parents station wagon so rather than have her attempt to navigate the trailer park on Halloween in a 'middle class' car you'd let Steve know where you'd wait instead. 

You'd chosen to dress as Stevie Knicks, who happened to be your Mom's favourite artist and you'd be lying if you didn't admit the beaded shawl was doing things for you. When you spotted the station wagon cresting the hill towards the park you'd waved to signal your location and moments later the door was being opened so you could climb inside.

Once seated you took a moment to appraise the other costumes, Robin had chosen Ripley from Alien, Chrissy had chosen what appeared to be Barbie but as a rockstar from the 80s, Steve was the Terminator and Nancy was Sarah Connor,

"Wow, couples costume. Steve you didn't tell me Nancy was your girlfriend!" you reached into the front seat so you could whack him on the arm,

"What? Ow! No! Nance and I aren't dating" he replied rubbing the sore spot on his arm,

"We used to but it didn't work out" Nancy explained with a genuine smile while Steve pouted in the passenger seat, "you should have seen what he was wearing when Robin and I picked him up"

"This was all we could put together at the last minute. Lucky for us we were able to put this all together" 

"So you guys aren't worried about being seen as a couple all night?" you asked, mostly because you'd rather die than be seen with your ex all night,

"Well it was either this or dress him as Ken to go with Chrissy's Barbie"

"Yeah and I don't need that at all tonight" Chrissy said, "I have major plans" 

The rest of the drive to the hideout entailed Chrissy a) explaining her outfit, it had come from a Barbie movie released in 87 that she just adored and then b) detailing her big plans for the night, hoping at least one beautiful girl into metal would take notice of her 

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

The energy inside the bar was electric, you actually thought Chrissy's hair might go on fire with the amount of teasing and hairspray. You'd arrived in the middle of one of the warm up sets and Steve had gone to get everyone a drink while you and the other girls found a table you could steal until Corroded Coffin came on. 

The drinks were watered down and tasted terrible honestly but no one seemed to care. You were catching Nancy up on everything that had happened with the other band and how Eddie and the guys got the headline spot,

"Can you believe? This is gonna be so huge for them" 

"That's amazing. I'm so happy for them, you'll have to introduce me when they're finished" 

"Totally. Also if I get like swept up in emotion Robin knows the guys super well too so she can totally introduce you" 

Robin shot you a look over the top of her drink and Steve tried not to laugh. You'd heard all about Robin's crush and how she'd apparently almost fainted when Nancy came out before leaving for college. Honestly it was kinda cute. 

Chrissy, though she stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the mullets and various shades of black seemed to also be having a great time. She'd already made more friends than you thought was possible in a dive bar outside a small town in Rural Indiana but you didn't doubt she'd be going home with at least a few phone numbers.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

WHen it was finally time for Corroded Coffin to take the stage you all left your drinks with Steve to take your places at the stage. Pushing and elbowing people out of the way to get a good spot, you wanted Eddie to be able to see you when he came on stage.

"You girls here for the show?" a voice asked by your ear making you recoil as Billy Hargorve stood far too close to you for comfort,

"Yeah we're here for corroded coffin" Nancy replied shooting him a scathing look, "and we don't need company" 

"Those posers are who they got to replace us?" he laughed, "wow, i guess anyone will do when you're desperate" 

Before you could share your thoughts on Billy's opinion Chrissy stepped in and levelled Billy with a punch,

"Those are our friends you jerk!" 

For a second it looked like Billy might say or do something but then a tall blonde guy came over and ushered him away. Not before throwing a look back over his shoulder that told you all exactly how he felt,

"God I hate that guy" Robin sneered, "he's such an asshole" 

"Don't let him bother you, look, they're coming on stage!" Nancy turned everyone's attention back  to the stage where Eddie and the guys had begun to take their places,

"What is up Indiana!" Eddie yelled, "We're corroded coffin and we're here to rock!"

A cheer went up from the surrounding crowd and you managed to catch Eddie's eye before he got started throwing him a good luck kiss, for which you received a wink back.

The crowd went nuts when the band started to play. Eddie, Gareth and Jeff were giving it their all, they played a mixture of covers and their own original songs, some of which you'd neve heard before. 

You could not have been any more proud of your boyfriend at that moment. 

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

After the show, and three encores demanded by the crowd, your group pushed their way backstage to congratulate the guys in person,

"Baby you were amazing!" you cried as you launched yourself at Eddie, he caught you easily spinning you around in a circle, 

"Did you see us? We totally killed it!" Jeff exclaimed, "that was seriously metal" 

"The most metal" Robin agreed enthusiastically.

There was a knock on the door followed by an older man in a suit  jacket, white tee  and jeans walking into what passed as the bar's 'dressing room' leaving you all stunned,

"That was quite a show gentlemen. I don't think I've seen a band play to a crowd like that in a long time. At least not in a little local bar like this" 

"Uh yeah man we're glad you liked the show" Gareth said looking around for some help,

"My name is Craig Townsend and I represent Capital Media Entertainment Group. I liked what I saw up there. Tell me, do you write your own music?" 

"Yeah, yeah we do" Eddie replied, "all our stuff is original" 

"That's what I like to hear" Craig pulled a card from his jacket pocket, "come by the office sometime, bring a tape. I'd like to hear more" 

He handed the card to Steve who seemed to be the only one not stunned by what was happening and nodded a goodbye. Once he was gone everyone let out a yell all at once,

"Oh my god he wants us to leave a tape in!" Jeff was shaking Gareth's shoulders, "dude wants to hear our tape!"

"This is so cool!" Chrissy squealed, "you guys are gonna be on the cover of rolling stone before you know it!"

You shot a grin at Eddie who was staring in wonder and awe at the business card he'd taken from Steve,

"We'll be able to say we were there the night Corroded Coffin got their big break" you said nudging your boyfriend, "when you guys go off to LA and become famous rock stars the rest of us can give interviews to shitty indie mags about how we knew you before" 

"If you think you're getting rid of me that easily" Eddie laughed wrapping his arms around you, "you've got another thing coming" 

"We're a team!" Gareth agreed, "all of us" 

"Next stop LA" Nancy laughed, "you'll have to give me an exclusive" 

"Wheeler, I promise you if we make it to LA you're gonna be the only journalist I trust" Eddie replied, his grin infectious.

This was it. This was the big time. Eddie and the guys had made it and he was gonna bring you along for the ride. Like Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.

Next stop. LA Baby.

Taglist: @pillow-titties @shenanigans-and-imagines @jobean12-blog @prettyboyeddiemunson @eddiemvnsonss @ches-86 @eddiesmutson @hellfireeddie6 @boomhauer @xbreezymeadowsx @that-lame-ghoul9000 @flashyourgreeneyesatme @anxiousstark @ruinedbythehobbit @winnifredburkleismyhero @inluvweddiemunson @wheaty-melon @lucciaa9 if you’re stricken out it means tumblr won’t let me tag you properly.

If you’d like to be added/removed from the tag list please let me know!

[puppy-phum]

Hello Vish! Congratulations on your milestone. Thank you for creating and sharing all your beautiful edits with us, I really love and enjoy seeing them on my dash. I hope I'm not too late for sending you prompts. I have several of them because I'm not really good at choosing a show/pairing + text combination, so I'm not sure if these will work but I'm just going to try. Please feel free to choose whichever combination that meets your interest, or just ignore them if you think they're not something you prefer to do.

1) The Eclipse (AkkAyan) + Quotes from George Orwell, 1984: (a) “Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.” or (b) “If you loved someone, you loved him, and when you had nothing else to give, you still gave him love.” or (c) “We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.”

2) Enchanté (AkkTheo) + Quotes from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince: (a) “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” or (b) “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”

I hope one of these combinations works for you, if not, that's okay too :) Thank you, and I hope you have a lovely day! 💜

hello april ♥ thank you for all your lovely words and the prompts ^^ i've enjoyed them and i'm so very happy to have you here! i knew ever since i received this ask that i'd go for one of the akktheo prompts you gifted me. i adored enchante and never got to make any edits for it before, so i wanted to try. both quotes were lovely, but for some reason, i got stuck on the rose.

here's what i came up with

i hope you enjoy the edit ♥ have a wonderful rest of your week!

(some extra rambles under the cut!)

so i didn't have a very definite plan for this edit, other than that i wanted this to work as some type of "bookmark" visually. as the little prince is, well, a book and they tie akktheo's journey with the said book very tightly, i wanted this bookmark to work as their timeline? does this make sense? i hope it does haha.

the rose travels with them through their relationship ever since it first appears before akktheo's first kiss. this made me think about the "time wasted for your rose" as they both kind of... idk. they both waste time on each other and figuring out this thing between them. but they willingly do it. every time, it's time willingly given away. that wasted time, it matters to them.

so i wanted the rose to just appear a lot in this edit. to be present and show these changes in their relationship. how it all starts with a little spark, in an unlikely place, and grows despite the hard circumstances (within theo as he guards it by himself for a long while). then it finally gets a home as akk starts discovering his own feelings and accepts them.

then akk moves the rose to theo's care, thinking it will be better off there. i took this as a way of akk giving his heart away. the rose symbolises that. he took care of it with all his might and now it's with theo where it belongs. he tries to take care of theo but feels that theo is better at taking care of both of them.

and then... well, the petals scene was supposed to symbolise their romance and the romantic moments between them. the celebration kind of. the cheer and joy and falling even deeper in love. the soft moments, spent surrounded by their now blooming love.

and then there's the rose that withers as theo gets hurt and akktheo separate. the rose that hurts theo (literally as he pricks his finger on it) and starts dropping its petals. the rose theo no longer knows how to take care of and the rose that eventually witnesses theo leave back to france, alone.

but bc this was supposed to be happy, i ofc had to include the akktheo reunion in france (in that very horrible cgi france XD) so the hug is there. with the lonely rose... well. let's just think that the rose now has a new life somewhere. all that time wasted on it wasn't for nothing.

i hope any of this makes sense! i loved making this edit and i personally enjoy the colors in this a lot ^^ also it was fun going through enchanté again, i miss that show and i miss the soft, sweet forcebook ♥

[thatninjacat27]

The Problem With Meeting Your Heroes (Again)

-Spoilers and slight cursing

-Scene rewrite of Nine showing Sonic ‘The Grim’

(Ao3 link above if you want to read it there but it’s the same below)

Sonic and Nine stepped out of the inter-dimensional traveling plane. Nine had landed on a world within the Shatteredverse that he wanted to show Sonic. 

“Tada!”, the fox exclaimed with jazz hands as Sonic looked out towards the world in front of him. 

“What is this place?”, Sonic asks his companion. The world that they were on was completely empty, deprived of any life. There was no nature, no structures, no people, or much natural resources. “Where is everyone?”

“I call it ‘The Grim’. And that the best part of all of this. There’s no one on this planet. It’s just the two of us right now. Isn’t that awesome?”, Nine said excitedly. It had taken him weeks to find this place and that was one of his top requirements for his ideal world. 

“Well that’s one way to putting it.”, Sonic nodded inwardly concerned but tried not to let it show too much. It was strange thing to say but it wasn’t really the time to go an unpack it. “So why did you want to show me this now, little buddy? We were kinda in the middle of a fight between the rebels and the Eggheads a minute ago.

“Well isn’t it obvious? This place is our new home.”, Nine said still looking happy. 

“Home? Nine, you’re kinda losing me here. What do you mean by that?”, the spiky hedgehog asked. 

"The Grim, this world, this place could be home.”, Nine extends his arms out. “The one you lost. The one I never had. I can make that hope a reality, for both of us.", the fox put his hand on Sonic shoulder.

“Okay but what about the others? They are still currently fighting for their lives and freedom from The Chaos Council. We have to go and help.” Sonic said with concern and worry dripping from his voice. 

Nine removed his hand. “Just forget about them. It’s not our problem now. We don’t even need those people anymore. That city has give me nothing but pain, suffering, and misery. Let it all burn down.” The fox kicks a nearby pebble. “Fuck the People. I don’t give two shits about them anyways.”

“Language.” Sonic pointed out at him. Nine just huffed. “Also we can’t just abandon them. A lot of those people are innocent and in danger with those robots running rampant under the Council’s control. Not to mention that the main people fight, Rebel, Knucks, and give or take Rusty, are our friends, Tails.”

”My name is Nine!”, the fox yelled out in anger. He was upset at being called that nickname again. Nine thought they’ve gone over that already. He wasn’t the ‘Tails’ that Sonic had known for all those years and didn’t want to be referred to as such. Sonic then realized his mistake. He took a moment of silence and then apologized. “I’m sorry.”

The fox looked at the blue hedgehog. Sonic looked and sounded so sincere and it made Nine feel worse about yelling. It wasn’t Sonic’s fault that he reminded him of lost(most likely dead) little brother. God he couldn’t stand the look of his sad face or those ears drooping down. Nine’s tails involuntarily slightly dipped down.

Taking a deep breath, Nine said,“You know what. Fine. I’ll go back and help just this once. But then I’m out.”, Nine began to walk fast back to the plane and Sonic dashed to keep pace with him. “Whether I come back here alone is completely up to you.”

Sonic tried to reach out a hand but stop. The look Nine gave him when he turn back to face him, the cold tone, and from what he knew already, it wasn’t the right moment for it. The spiky blue hedgehog sighed. “Okay.”

Getting situated inside the plane, the duo flew out through the portal back to New Yoke City, a place where the fight was only just beginning.

[silkflovvers]

hiiii hope u get to relax this weekend bud! so about that hot modern au diluc..... tell me why you hc him as aroace and did he have any past relationships before he figured it out? love knowing ppls sexuality hcs! please draw more modern diluc in classy sweaters and cute cardigans too btw... i want to show him off at pedigree show

I started a draft of this response on Friday and wrote a whole dang essay, so I am going to go back and make it less chaotic and a little more clear and concise jhskjdfh But thank you for sending in this ask ;u; I was happily playing with kitties and stuffing my face with good food all weekend, so it was a very nice break!

As for Modern AU Diluc, I've always liked the HC that he's asexual or demisexual. I don't see him as someone with much sexual attraction because I see a lot of aspects of his personality that me and many of the other asexual people I have known throughout my life all have shared. The aromantic headcanon is actually just for this specific AU! I have a 2nd modern AU where he is still asexual, but homoromantic! That AU is deep in my google docs and hasn't seen the light of day on social media yet, though. So it's very top secret shush shush lol

As for my thoughts for this specific AU, I thought he suited the aroace headcanon the most. I thought it made him a more compelling character within the story and modern setting and even made some of his relationships more complex to write and plan out. And I like a complex challenge when it means I get to pick apart a character's brain, even if I'm the one who technically gave them the brain since it's an AU....dissecting my own creation, if you will.

Since you asked more about his backstory, I'll leave some more info under the cut so I'm not clogging up people's dash ＊*♡( ⁎ᵕᴗᵕ⁎ ）

*Quick list of warnings for this AU before you proceed:

Crepus is dead in this AU, so there is technically past character death that is referenced often in regards to Diluc

Crepus died in a car accident and this is mentioned at least once or twice

There is past Diluven! They are not dating during the part of the story I've got the characters set in as of right now, but it is mentioned and integral information to a lot of the character's connections and backstories.

There are little hints that Diluc picked up bad habits after his fathers death and that he did not treat himself kindly. This behavior is comparable to self harm, so if that bothers you in the slightest, please proceed with caution. It is only vaguely referenced and never stated or explained outright. Man was lacking that self preservation mindset in-game when he ran off to avenge his father, so he also lacks it here, just in a different form

Kaeya and Diluc are portrayed as adopted brothers in this AU

Before I get into his back story, I'll give you his basic profile so you've got a little background info for him:

Character Profile:

Age: 29 Gender: Male Pronouns: He/Him Sexuality: Aromantic, Asexual Education: Bachelors of Science Business Management Occupation: Bar Owner, Bartender, Community Garden Volunteer (President) Relationship Status: Single Extra Info: Diagnosed with PTSD and Major Depression, Kaeya's adopted brother (estranged), has a full back piece tattoo done by Xiao.

You get some of that info from This art I posted before, but I actually made some small changes to the AU since I drew that! Sorry for any discrepancies. You should see the chaos that is my spreadsheet of character info for this AU alone. It nearly crashed my phone once just by opening it.

I'll start with the summary/TL;DR and expand a bit further on some parts just because I can!

TL;DR of how he found out he was AroAce:

Diluc dated Venti for convenience in high school, but never felt an attraction to him or anyone else.He only dated Venti to alleviate the pressure Jean felt from the rumors that she and DIluc were dating when they only saw each other as very close friends.  He figured he'd eventually develop feelings for either Venti or someone else, but never did. He went through Trauma™ and officially left the main city in Mondstadt to find himself after the death of his father. He later found a trustworthy therapist who introduced him to the possibility of being AroAce.

Expanded Explanation:

In high school, Diluc watched many of his friends develop crushes and date and chase after love interests. He never really understood it. When people would ask him if he had feelings for anyone, he never had an answer. He didn't feel the need to date or flirt. The idea of being romantic with anyone quite frankly felt strange and foreign to him. He cared for his friends deeply and developed strong bonds, but he never considered any of them to be romantic in nature. Many people mistook his friendship with Jean as romantic due to how close they were.

The rumors put pressure on them both to become an item even if they didn’t have romantic feelings for each other. To relieve some of that pressure, Diluc did his best to try to find someone he felt comfortable returning affection, albeit insincere, to. So many people approached him with such sincerity, it felt wrong. So, when a short, bubbly upperclassman approached him with an offhanded flirt, he flirted back. It was a shaky attempt, but he could tell the star of the theater music department wouldn’t take things too seriously and there was nothing to lose. So, he got closer to Venti and asked him out. He wasn’t expecting they’d become the sweethearts of the school, nor that they’d be voted prom kings and cutest couple in the school year book. What was meant to be an unserious relationship to relieve pressure on himself and his dear friend, became a tiresome obligation.

Venti was two years older, and graduated the year after they started dating. Unfortunately, Diluc was still stuck pretending. His last year put more strain on him than he’d like to admit and it became so evident, even Jean began to worry. Before she could ask if he was alright and offer help, tragedy struck.

While driving he and his father to a promotional event for the family business, an SUV lost control on the highway and sent DIluc and his father’s car flying off the road and into the forest at the bottom of the incline beside it. Crepus suffered a severe injury and died before the ambulance or Kaeya arrived. Diluc blamed himself and the SUV that had driven off after the impact.

Tha took a toll on his mental state. The strain of pretending to be like everyone else proved too much on top of the new issues that instantly popped up after the death of his father. As the eldest son, just freshly 18, he was given the reins to the family business. He had to pick up the work in his father’s absence until things could be settled. He also had his finals and college applications to worry about. Venti’s pestering and unwanted advances tested Diluc’s limits and eventually sent him over the edge.

He broke up with Venti at a school dance he had to attend as president of the student council the day before his father’s funeral. Kaeya told him something (I won’t cover in this post) that shattered his hope for the future. In a blind rage he won’t be able to fully remember years later, he kicked Kaeya out and was left alone in a big empty house, save for the handful of staff that still cared for the house.  After that, he simply stopped going to class. He did everything in his power to track down the man that killed his father, that the police still had yet to catch. 

Within the time he spent obsessively searching for the man, Adelinde and Elzer were doing their best to talk him down and gently guide him towards getting his GED and attending a nearby college in the hopes of helping him back into a stable routine to get his mind off the grief he clearly was not processing in a healthy manner.

At some point, Diluc relented and did as they had asked. His rage simmered out and was replaced with numbness. He would not remember the years of rage or the time spent getting his degree due to his own specific response to the trauma he endured. He took on the family business for a year before he realized it was best to leave it to the people that knew more than he did and the people he knew his father had trusted to keep things running. He stepped down from the company and gave the position to Elzer. Though sad to see him go, the Dawn Winery staff were happy to see him leave to find himself and hopefully work through the grief he’d felt for all these years. He left Mondstadt proper to live in a smaller college town. It was where Jean had gone to pursue her degree and now her Masters. Once there, he opened up a small bar that quickly grew in popularity. He had direct contact with the most well known winery in Mond, so of course he had the highest quality alcohol. 

As popularity grew, he was able to hire more staff, leaving him with more and more free time. In the mental state he was in, that free time wasn’t a good thing. Bad habits formed back in college and he still was not coping in healthy ways. As his free time increased, his mental state got worse. He thought getting out and finding something to do would help, so he joined as a volunteer at the community gardens. It was something he could do to distract himself and speak with others in a relatively stress free environment. There he met Zhongli, the person who tended to the beehives in the garden. Zhongli was kind, patient and understanding and very quickly became someone Diluc could call a friend. It helped a lot, the gardens and the new faces, until winter came and there wasn’t much to do when it was too cold for most plants to grow.

It reached a point where Jean was checking in on him frequently. She could tell things were bad. Feeling guilty for worrying his dearest friend so much, he finally reached out for help. With Zhongli and Jean’s assistance, he found a trustworthy therapist who helped guide him towards a healthier path and helped him through his emotions and thoughts. She introduced him to the concept of both Aromantic and Asexual identities. Having that support and direction helped improve his mental state and kept him from dropping back into the worst of his lows. Knowing he wasn’t broken in some way for not searching for romance or intimacy helped quite a bit. It wasn’t so much the label as it was knowing there were other people like him.

He also met Rosaria, who became a regular at his bar. The two later found out they were both Aromantic and bonded quite a bit over the fact. He came to rely on her as a more quiet and subtle source of support and understanding. Zhongli also became much closer to him and revealed they were genderfluid. The concept was somewhat foreign to Diluc, but it opened up his eyes to how diverse humans were in both their identities and presence. Zhongli then introduced him to Xiao, a young man they had taken in after he was in a terrible accident at a young age. Xiao dealt with chronic pain and the heavy guilt of being the only survivor of that accident that killed his closest friends. He and Diluc got along well. Further down the road, Diluc asked Xiao to do his back tattoo, trusting him with a design that symbolized his journey towards healing. Xiao, though he wouldn't admit it outright, was honored to have the bar owner's respect and freedom to design and complete the tattoo.

Now, Diluc is surrounded by and even more diverse community that helps him through the healing and self discovery process.

Thank you for asking me about him and this AU in general :> I have a bunch of google docs with more of his and the other character's stories, but I'll save them for another time, since that wasn't exactly what you asked for ahahaha whoops. Can't wait to draw more of him soon!

Hope you're having a lovely day!

[hukkelberg]

sorry that this is long. also i am the person that sent many long asks about pen in asoiaf - you don't have two anons incapable of saying things concisely, just the one. if that was a concern. anyway how do you picture pen's relationship w her dad? i thought it was kind of funny that after simon (daddy issues) and anthony (daddy issues 2 electric boogaloo) there was v little discussion about either of polin's dads outside of more info about violet/edmund and portia/archibald. between violet-francesca and pen-portia this was truly a season for mommy issues. i get not wanting to focus on edmund's death again but i've always found it odd that we basically don't know anything about pen's relationship w her dad despite his gambling and death still directly affecting her life. not to mention he died during the course of the show and they showed her crying about it. i don't even think colin has ever said anything about pen's dad dying lol. also what do you think about pen and portia's relationship post s3? i thought they did a decent job w it but there's this space where the fatphobia aspect is studiously not mentioned. like if they threw me a bone about portia and archibald's relationship really breaking down after she gave birth to a third daughter or something i would accept portia overlooking pen for nebulous reasons but they just kinda skated around that and did not explain why portia treats pen differently than her sisters. i mentioned this in my ask complaining about s3 but the decision to just handwave away fatphobia once pen is the lead is really something. i don't have a strong opinion on it but the fact that the setup for fatphobia impacting pen is still there except now it's just bc london society Hates Penelope Specifically is certainly something. they really just,,, threw some plus size extras in and called it a day. idk it's just distracting bc there are readily available ways to explain it (dad was a broke gambler, dad was possibly murdered, prudence engaged to cousin jack bc she was supposedly compromised, everything to do w cousin jack) but they just don't😭

don't worry about it! i like lengthy asks, though i'm not sure i manage to respond to every point you raise. if there was anything you asked and i missed you can bring it back up, it's okay. i also write a lot as you can tell by the read more i had to tack on here so i didn't clog anyone's dash lol (i did figure it was the same person hehe)

about daddy issues in general -- edmund to me is a bit of a gimmick tbh. i think the dead dad unless you really bring it into the fold of the character's psyche like in anthony's case (and simon too, just differently) can come off really stiffly? i guess if we saw a little more how his absence affects the family (or not! also interesting) in more personal ways to each character it'd be a little more impactful. i was really interested in seeing how colin reacted to that also, but that was... simply not expanded upon. none of colin's relationships were (sigh). it would help to ground the event and make it less of a gimmick if each member of the family felt like. their own specific feelings about edmund. they did that a little with gregory last season, and i'm hoping they do something with ben as well, but maybe that's because i'm very fond of avocadomoon's take on ben's place in the family after his death. i think daphne as well would've had a really good viewpoint for that event, considering violet's condition afterwards.

about pen's dad -- i think archibald was your run of the mill neglectful father. he doesn't strike me as the sort of man to have any interest in his children, much less daughters. if he'd had a son, i think he might've tried to bring him into the fold of his own interests, but if the son had any kind of brain and pushed back, he'd just been quickly put off and retracted back to his absent ways lol (btw if pen had a loving big brother Everything would be different. but i guess that's the point the show makes as well). i personally don't really buy into a tragic backstory where he was overtly abusive -- there's no real marks of it, and she did cry when he died, which she wouldn't have if there was any real hatred (pen's petty like that). colin only refers to him by his societal position (how his death left them defenseless) which makes me assume he never really amounted as anything more than that nebulous figure of patriarchal authority in the featherington house. not a real person to him. not a real loss.

for what it is, to me there were probably moments of sweetness in their relationship once penelope learned how to angle for some of his affection -- like in THIWFY, which i suppose is how you found me, where i mention her father is how she knows how to bet on a horse in chapter two. what i picture is penelope figuring out that archibald will talk to her if she asks about something he likes, so she asks him how to bet on a horse and he speaks to her on the matter for hours, far longer than they've ever conversed before, because she's listening so intently (because her father never speaks to her! but he is now!) and he never has anyone actually listen to him at home (because all he likes to speak about is gambling and his wife clearly disrespects him). then portia finds out and obviously cuts it short because one sure way to have your worse daughter become even more unmarriageable is to make her a spendthrift and penelope's hopes for understanding are dashed (she would've found out eventually, when she tried for another topic and he didn't respond) and archibald walks away feeling thinking "huh well that one is not so bad" and that the extent of their relationship.

have a little snippet from a future chapter of THIWFY that sort of addresses this (VERY rough. i am aware it is not entirely legible lol):

 "Lord Bridgerton," she whispered. Anthony's father. Colin's.    Penelope had never entertained fantasies of gaining a father when she married. Lord Bridgerton had died when she was barely young enough to recall a blurry face and a kind demeanour, and she had been in love with Colin long enough that she had incorporated his loss into the composition of her most perfect future. She'd liked her father well enough, only in that way you could love a man whom you were certain had never had your best interests at the forefront of his mind a day in his life. Not, she believed, out of any sense of disdain for her, but by the mark of deep and troubling incompetence only cured by the rush of luck coming his way. A detached, but present sort of fondness, resting entirely on the basis of proximity and the occasional good natured allowance, and swallowed almost entirely by pity. He was a simple man, her father. Colin, too, was simple in his own way, but only in that she was simply so attuned to his every thought and feeling it was only her own overbearing heart which blinded her to the meaning behind his actions so that when he stepped in front of her, transparent as ever, and forcefully faced her with the truth, she had only herself to blame for shrouding her eyes to it before. Anthony, in contrast, was nearly unknowable to her. The little intel she had gathered in the months leading to their disastrous marriage had been rendered useless the moment they'd dragged their feet to the altar. The fragile trust they'd nursed—that promise set at the dinner table—had not survived.

pen and portia: i think that's a done deal. i really can't figure out how they're going to use the featheringtons after this? they disabled penelope's position as whistledown, they gave portia everything she's ever wanted (daughters wed well) and they solved the featherington baronetcy matter. i don't expect any meaningful exploration of their relationship now that they've entered a place where they both understand and see a bit of themselves in one another. this really was the season to explore portia and archibald's relationship to me, though, particularly when penelope was about to make an okay marriage herself. i think that would've given the argument for true love (in colin) a lot more weight, if they'd shown how both portia and archibald had settled for each other and how badly it'd gone for them, a la mr. and mrs. bennet. i suppose that would've meant making debling a real option and that was not in the cards.

penelope + fatphobia + the ton -- oooh you just stumbled upon the thing that sets me off every single time. it's SO stupid. it's SO SO stupid. not only stupid: cowardly. vapid. insincere! god. shallow fucking feminism i HATE it. look, there's a difference between saying this woman's body is not something we ought to comment on because she's as good as any of our other leads so we're just. not gonna have it be a problem. because it isn't. (which is fine) and the absolute nonsensical cover up of building two seasons upon this character being invisible and constantly demeaned about her appearance (textually!) and then just acting as though, all this time it wasn't the dresses, it was the attitude! the new attitude she has which we totally didn't switch out last minute! it's so invalidating to the struggles of real fat women to be like guess what girly it was your shitty personality all this time! all those things they said? not real haha when you know people object to you purely on the basis of your weight. it's so stupid. i get that nicola is a goddess upon earth nobody wants to get to worship that more than me BELIEVE ME but making it an issue of confidence is so. disrespectful. and out of character. and you're right because even if we just... brushed off the fatphobia there are thousands of ways to make her a pariah that are significantly more socially weighty than like. is suddenly a fool when people speak to her.

but you know what puzzles me? the show's unwillingness to like, critique the ton. like, at all. the simpering pen had to do at the end of season three like SHE was in the wrong?????? i've always held a very cutthroat perspective on whistledown, but that just pushed me over the edge. what an utterly undignified thing to force the character to do. it just made me feel ashamed for her. why should she lower herself to the demands of these vapid people and their sore egos? to me it's part of making sure these sort of characters (like pen, like ben, like eloise) who would probably find more happiness in other environments stay trapped in this horrible patriarchal, classist, racist sliver of society. even the working class people are either relegated (genevieve) or pushed into becoming aristocrats and leaving everything behind, in an utterly black-and-white way (the mondrichs). i fear for sophie beckett, i do.

[casspurrjoybell-19]

Does it Matter? - Chapter 46 - Part 2

*Warning: Adult Content*  

"Maybe sometimes it's better to be blind."

"No. Easier, maybe. Never better."

"You don't think so?"

Brayan shook his head as he held the coat up to the firelight so that he could better see his needlework.

"One of my cousins fell off a horse as a boy. Hit his head on a fence post. After that he was a simple minded lad who grew into a simple minded man. Always a smile on his face, though and as easily entertained as a toddler."

"There's more to life than merely not suffering and a thinking mind tends to create pain for itself."

"Hmm. Maybe but..."

Bug was silent for a moment as he thought.

"What I told you this morning, about my persistent vision, about it being fulfilled... would you have preferred if I kept that to myself?"

"No. I won't pretend that I dealt with the situation gracefully or that I knew what to do with the information but knowing is always better."

"I suppose..." Bug said as he watched Brayan's face, the pinch of concentration as he worked accentuated by the firelight.

"Would you like to know why I changed my mind about leaving with Hudson?"

Brayan looked up from his sewing.

That had caught his attention.

"I would."

"It showed me a vision. Just a single moment, the two of us together, up in the mountains."

"Oh," Brayan said.

"I took it as a promise that I could have the kind of relationship I'd always dreamt of with you and return home but I realise now that it showed me no such thing."

"All you did was smile at me and who knows which side of the border we were on. I think it was nothing more than another lure designed as a foundation for me to build my own hopes and dreams on."

"I'm glad you're learning not to put quite so much trust in it," Brayan said as he returned to his sewing.

"In the vision, though... do you remember what I was wearing?"

"Oh, I... hmm. A white shirt, I think? I didn't get a look at the rest of your clothing. Why?"

Brayan shook his head.

"No reason."

********

Over the next few days of travel, Dara spent as much time with Maric as he possibly could.

He knew it would likely only make parting ways even more painful but he didn't want to look back at this time and realise he'd wasted it.

He told Maric about the happy moments, about the people and the things he missed back home.

About the mountains and the horses and their way of life.

He told him about birthing foals, about horse thieves who'd gotten more than they'd bargained for when they came face to face with an angry yenkarth, about healing a horse's broken leg and about travelling with trade caravans.

He wished he could show Maric his home but that wasn't possible, so he painted as clear a picture as he could with his words.

When Maric was lonely and missing him, that was how he wanted Maric to picture him.

Happy and safe, with his family and their horses.

Whether that was really where he'd end up, he would have to find out on his own.

No, not on his own.

Bug would be with him.

********

On the third day, they rode down a long dirt path through thick trees until they came upon a manor house buried deep in the woods.

There was a young boy outside cutting wood on a stump and when he looked up and saw them his eyes went wide and he dashed back into the house.

A minute later a man ran out, the axe the boy had been using held up like he intended to use it against them but as soon as he saw a sea of the prince's blue, he dropped the axe to his side and went pale.

He turned around and gave the boy a firm smack to the back of his head.

"Sorry, Your Highness," the man called out.

"The boy told me there were men on horseback and we weren't expecting you. Didn't mean any offense."

"We are men on horseback," Maric said as he dismounted.

"No harm done."

The man murmured something to the boy and then gave him a slap on the back as he sent him on his way.

"Apologies, Your Highness. We've not got food for a feast ready or lodgings set up or..."

"No mind," Maric said.

"We showed up unannounced. We can't expect you to be prepared when you were given no notice, can we?"

The man didn't seem to know what to say to that.

Brayan couldn't blame him.

Maric was breaking the script by taking the blame for the situation.

Other house staff had begun to quietly gather outside by now but Maric continued to directly address the original man.

"We're more used to making do than having everything just so. If you arrange something for us to eat tonight and somewhere for us to sleep, we'll have no complaints. My Captain here will also be getting together some supplies, so I'll expect him to be assisted in that in whatever way he requires."

"Of course, your highness."

"I'll need a horse," Brayan told him.

"One in good condition, suitable for long rides."

"All of the horses in the stables are the prince's property, including some sent here directly from the royal stables," the man said.

"Take whatever you need. Is there anything else?"

"Hmm," Brayan said.

"I'll make a list."

"Should I send someone to help you pick a good horse?"

"No, thank you, I'll manage," Brayan said as he handed off his horse's reins to Raedon.

He dropped his voice as he turned to Maric.

"I'll take Bug and Dara to look at the horses. Dara knows a bit about horses and he'll be able to make sure we choose one that's in good health."

Maric gave him a nod of approval.

"I'll deal with all the diplomatic nonsense and attempts at appeasement."

Dara offered him a smile and a shake of his head.

"Be kind. You told me you'd never once visited this place. These poor people finally get a visit from the prince who they've worked so hard to maintain this place for, and you've denied them even the opportunity to properly prepare so that they might impress you."

Maric let out a deep sigh but the smile on his face was fond.

"How will I manage without you?"