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bugabash · 3 years

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Hold Me While We Fall Chapter 4

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Child abuse, domestic abuse, depressed little Plagg and abusive Gabriel!! This chapter is about Plagg's childhood up to when he joins the cadets, there are heavy themes of abuse and graphic descriptions, please be aware of this when reading this chapter! The next chapter will not have this as it will be from when he is away from his father! Also sorry for disappearing lol, I got distracted by drawing :D Please enjoy ^.^

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Plagg's Backstory Part 1: Tragic Childhood

Edward Phillip Agreste was born in the year 827 during one of the coldest winters the people within the walls had ever experienced. A blizzard raged on as the small, frail boy came into the world earlier than he should have, his hair as black as the night and his eyes a dark green. His mother cradled the sickly child as he cried out into the night, declaring he was a treasure she had waited her whole life for and that she loved him more than life, all while his father watched from a distance. Edward was born in the first year of the marriage between the cruel and feared Commander of the Military Police, Gabriel Agreste and Emilie Agreste.

Being their first born son and the heir, a lot of responsibility fell onto his tiny shoulders as soon as he took his first breath, and with that came his father’s high expectations. Gabriel watched from across the room, watching the frail boy with narrowed eyes.

Emilie looked up and smiled at her husband, “Gabriel, come and hold him.” She said, shifting the crying boy in her arms for her husband to take him. Gabriel approached the bed, a look of disgust on his face. “Isn’t he perfect.” She stated, looking up at Gabriel with love in her green eyes.

“Don’t make me laugh.” He replied in disgust, Emilie’s smile faltering and she pulled the baby closer to her. “Look at that child, he is too sick to survive. I find it hard to believe it’s even mine. I could never make something so… weak.”

“What?” Emilie exclaimed, “how could you say that? He’s our son! Please, Gabriel!” Gabriel glared at the screaming infant before he turned and left, ignoring his wife’s pleas.

From that day, Edward’s father rejected him and openly spoke about his distaste for the boy when in the walls of their home but he had to accept that he was the new heir and so he set extremely high expectations for the boy. As Edward grew up he felt the hatred from his father and endured constant mental and, by the age of four, physical abuse for misbehaving or simply getting too much attention from his mother.

As he grew into a young boy he grew stronger but still struggled at times with his health, spending many nights up coughing in his bed while his mother stroked his hair, singing to him. But even with his poor health he grew rather tall for his age, with lanky arms and legs with a skinny physique, which he discovered was an advantage when he found he loved climbing trees and buildings to escape from his father and the military police. He was known in the town as mischievous and always getting into trouble, which in turn brought on more trouble from his father when he would be at home.

Plagg was sitting at the large dining table a few days before his fifth birthday, eating his dinner in silence sitting across from his mother, poking at the way too big portion in front of him. He hated the family meals, he saw poverty in the city all the time, saw the children at his school who barely ate, so seeing the big meal in front of him made him lose his appetite.

He had a newly black eye and a split lip from a beating from his father for getting caught exploring the military police headquarters earlier in the day, the throbbing a familiar feeling to him now. He looked up at his mother who was quietly eating, her eyes downcast onto her food, purposefully avoiding looking at him. He wondered if she ever questioned his father’s actions towards him or if she spoke up for him when he wasn’t there like she used to, but he had learnt long ago that speaking out to his father resulted in punishment. He remembered the bruises he saw on her when he was smaller, he hated them on her face, remembering the pain he saw he had caused, so he never spoke up to her.

“Edward.” He heard his father’s blunt tone boom across the table, making him flinch and look toward his father who sat at the head of the table, his light brown hair in his usual slicked back style, his piercing blue eyes boring into him causing a cold sweat down his back.

“Yes, father?” He responded, sitting up straight and placing his hands in his lap as he avoided his father’s gaze.

“Your mother is pregnant it seems.” He said bluntly, picking up his cutlery and started cutting up his dinner, his eyes leaving Edward and looking down at his food. Edward’s eyes widened and he looked over at his mother who finally looked at the small boy and smiled, her hands over her stomach, “so you need to stop being such a nuisance and causing so many problems for me.” Edward gripped his hands in his fist tightly, looking down at them, “you will hopefully have a brother, a good and proper boy unlike you,” Edward gulped, and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Gabriel, don’t speak to him like that.” Emilie spoke up, Edward’s eyes shooting open and he looked up at his mother in shock, “please.”

“I will talk to him however I want, Emilie.” Gabriel boomed out, “Edward, if it is a boy and he is… a more appealing son he will inherit what you are meant to and will take your place.” Edward gulped, his black spiky hair shading his face, as his eyes moved to his father, he didn’t understand a lot of what was said but he knew he felt hurt and betrayed, “I hope this one isn’t a disappointing mangey stray cat like you.” Edward looked down, he hated being called that. His father told him he was an unlucky black cat all the time, saying he wasn’t even worthy of being called the black sheep of the family. And because other’s had heard his father calling him that, the kids in the city called him that too, which ended up with him getting into a fight over it.

“So,” He spoke up in his soft voice, “I’m going to have a baby brother or sister?” He asked looking up at his mother who smiled at him.

“Yes, dear, you’re going to be a big brother.” She said before standing up and walking over to Plagg, pulling him into her arms as she knelt by his chair. He wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her tight.

“Do not coddle the boy, my love. He is not worth it.” Gabriel said before he started eating his dinner. Plagg gritted his teeth together before pulling away from his mother and ran from her and the table. He felt his eyes hot with tears as he pulled the door open and started running to his room, hearing his mother calling for him. He hated his life, he only knew comfort from his mother and when he was high in a tree or a building. But maybe, being a big brother would change things. Maybe…

Eight months later, Edward stood at the doorway to his mother’s room as the doctor smiled at him, the room was filled with the soft cries of a baby. His mother lay in the bed, her hair drenched and a smile on her face as she cradled the small child. Edward had been woken up that morning to his mother’s screaming and was told she was in labour. Seeing her now, she looked tired but happy. She glanced up and saw him, reaching a hand out to him.

“Edward, come and meet your new baby brother, Adrien.” She said softly, Edward nodded and ran over to her, climbing onto the bed and moving close to her. He looked down at the small baby in her arms, he was bundled up in a green blanket, his small bits of hair a prominent platinum blonde and his little hands in fists. Edward blinked before he reached out and stroked the boy’s head, smiling at him. Adrien opened his eyes and seemed to look directly at Edward, his eyes were green, just like both his and his mother’s. Edward gasped as they locked eyes, Adrien grabbing onto his thumb with one of his small hands, his cries stopping and instead silence filled the air. “He likes you.” His mother whispered with a laugh.

“Hello Adrien.” Edward said softly, his heart skipping a beat and his mind racing. “I promise to be the best big brother ever. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Cross my heart and hope to die.” He said confidently. He looked at his mother who was smiling lovingly at them, “it’s a man’s promise.”

Age: 7

Plagg sat on his windowsill looking out over city of Stohess from the giant, eye sore of a fortress he called home. He hated the look of everything here, it was too clean, too fake. He huffed and stood up, curling his toes over the edge of the stone windowsill. His bedroom window was high up, high enough that one misstep and his father would get his wish of him not existing anymore. But he liked it up here, it was free. He smiled and closed his eyes as the wind blew, raising his arms up and imagining he was flying through the air, no cares in the world, forest surrounding him and the sound of nature, not rich snobs complaining about the poor. He felt weightless, free, and-

“Edward!” He heard his mother scream before he was pulled back, her arms wrapped around his small body tightly as she fell back onto the floor. His mother still called him by his actual name and not the name he had stuck with after his little brother Adrien started calling him Plagg when he started speaking. He didn’t mind but he had now grown to hate his real name, it felt too formal.

Plagg blinked and held onto his mother’s arms, looking up at her and meeting her green eyes. They were wide and full of panic as she stared at him. He blinked a few more times before he wriggled out of her arms and sat in front of her, his dark green eyes watching her as he sulked.

“Edward, you can’t do that! What if you had fallen?” She exclaimed as she moved to her knees, reaching out and taking his hands. “You need to stop this! I cannot lose you, do you understand?”

Plagg just looked at her before huffing and pulling his hands away and hugging his knees to his chest. “Who even cares. I know father doesn’t.” He grumbled out, resting his bruised cheek on his knee as he looked away.

His mother sighed before shifting closer, “but I do.” She said reaching out and gently cupping his face and making him look at her. He looked up at her reluctantly before leaning into her warm, accepting touch. “I care more than anyone ever will, because you’re my little lucky black kitten.” Plagg felt his heart jump at the nickname, his mother had started calling him her lucky black cat or kitten since his father had started calling him an unlucky black cat the years before when Plagg had got in trouble again with the military police for climbing buildings and throwing eggs at them. He closed his eyes and felt his lip tremble before he crawled forward into his mother’s loving arms. He curled up in her lap as she held him, stroking his unruly black hair.

“Why does father hate me?” He asked softly, “what did I do?” He felt tears filling his eyes and he never wanted to leave his mother’s arms.

“He doesn’t hate you.” She whispered softly, kissing his forehead and twisting one of the locks that stood up on his head. “He just doesn’t see how special you are.” She cupped his face and smiled lovingly down at him, “he doesn’t see the bright light inside of you that I see.”

“But… I just break everything I touch.” He grumbled, wiping his nose on his sleeve, “Father said that I am more of burden than anything.” He looked away. “He wishes I wasn’t born.”

She took a deep breath and leant down and kissed his forehead again, “don’t listen to him, he is just bitter. Bitter people have the worst opinions on others because they don’t even like themselves.” He looked up at her, blinking away his tears. “You were my first ever treasure in life, my black haired beauty.” She said with a beaming smile, swooping him up in her arms and standing up, walking over to his bed and lying them down, snuggling him close, “you came into this world screaming your lungs out, so vocal and opinionated and you wanted everyone to know.” She chuckled, Plagg snickering softly, “and when I first held you I felt so happy, I felt like I was almost complete, your love filling a giant hole in my life.”

“Almost?” Plagg asked hesitantly, the fear of being rejected by his mother too overtaking him.

“Well of course,” She said softly, stroking a strand of hair out of his face, “and then five years later I was made fully complete when I held both you and your brother in my arms.” Plagg’s fear disappeared just as it arrived, smiling up at her. “You two complete me, you make me whole and my love for you will be with you forever.”

“Do you promise?” Plagg asked softly, his eyes begging her.

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” She replied, crossing over her heart and smiling at him. He smiling his Cheshire cat smile that he was known for, usually it was for mischief, but now it was filled with love. He buried himself in his mother’s arms, nuzzling against her chest, breathing in her scent and feeling her love. He could stay there forever.

If only he could have. But reality took over and soon he was back in his father’s office for something he had done, he wasn’t even entirely sure what exactly. He wore a bandage stuck to his cheek over a cut on his cheek bone under his black eye, a fresh cut on his nose and a split lip from the hits he had just received. He stood there trembling, his hands in fists by his side as he stared up at his father. He was confused and his heart hurt, why was he treated like this? Why? What did he do?

“Father…” He trembled out, Gabriel turning and looking at him as he frowned, wiping his cane with a handkerchief. “Why do you hate me?” He asked genuinely, “I don’t understand!”

“Why?” Gabriel questioned with a raised brow as he approached the boy, kneeling in front of him, Plagg’s eyes widening in fear. “Because from the moment you were born, even before that, you have brought me nothing but problems and when I look at you, I see a failed experiment.” Plagg gulped, “I hate you, because you should never have survived, and now your disgraceful actions and you just breathing brings shame to me and the Agreste name.” Plagg backed off, Gabriel smiling wickedly, “does that answer your question, you mangey cat?” Plagg gulped before turning and running from the office, breathing heavily and regretting even asking him. The words echoing his mind.

“You should never have survived.” Well, that just made Plagg more determined than ever to survive. He ran as fast as he could as he sobbed, he would escape this life. Nothing was going to stop him, not even his father.

Age: 9

“You mangy street cat!” Gabriel boomed before he struck his eldest son across the face with his cane, sending him to the floor with a yelp, cradling his wounded cheek. He gritted his teeth and glared up at his father, his eyes wide, his dark green eyes small and cat like as they glared at him, his teeth bared and his hands clenching into fists.

“Stop it!” Plagg yelled, grabbing one of the fire prongs from the fireplace and rolling to his feet, using the lessons his father demanded he did now being used against him. “Don’t touch me!”

“You dare bare a weapon against me after the shit you caused today?” Gabriel spat back, disgust all over his face. His greying brown hair was unruly, unlike the usual comb back he had, he was in his pyjamas and his expression was evil. They were in his office after Military Police had shown up with a handcuffed Plagg who was caught trying to escape out the main gate in the middle of the night. After that he was dragged to his father’s office and well, now here he was, nose bleeding, a pain in his side and a swollen cheek.

“I haven’t done anything! Nothing! I don’t deserve this!” He screamed, tightening his grip, “I haven’t done anything to you! All I did was be born! I didn’t ask to be born!” He screamed, tears streaming down his face.

“Watch your fucking mouth!” Gabriel spat back, raising his cane again as a threat.

“NO!” Plagg screamed desperately, “I don’t get it! Why? Why do you keep hitting me?” He felt tears stinging his cheek, “I’m a KID! I’m just a kid!”

“You are nothing more than a poison on this family!” His father responded.

“Says who? You?” His voice cracked as he screeched, “I’ve done nothing, father! I… I just wanted you to love me!”

“Love you?” Gabriel questioned before he scoffed, “I wish you were dead.”

He hated this man so much, he saw how evil he was, he was never loved by him, always looked at like he put a disgusting taste in his father’s mouth, so now, images of stabbing him with the fire prong came to mind and he felt the rage to put the action behind the thoughts. He felt the destruction in his body, he wanted to destroy everything. But then he saw images of his mother and he stopped, freezing in his place and it was just long enough for his father to step forward and smack him across the face with his stick, black taking over.

A while later he had come too, lying on the cold stone corridor outside his father’s study, he must have just been thrown out of the room by his father, his clothes cold and wet from his blood. He winced and slowly got to his feet, gripping his side and making his way to his room slowly to clean himself off. He limped up the stairs, passing his younger brother’s room and closing the door to his own. He leant against the door and stared at the floor in the dark. He wanted to cry, he thought it would be a natural response in a situation like this but, for him, this was normal.

So instead, he limped over to the sink in the corner of his room and started running the water, stripping his wet shirt off and throwing it into a bucket near him. He sighed and looked at himself in the mirror, the moon shining in on him and lighting up his bruised and bloody face, his freckles standing out against the redness, his eyes dancing down to his skinny physique. He had a giant bruise over his left side, an old wound having opened up and crusted over while he was unconscious. He gently cleaned it, wrapping his torso in a bandage with practiced ease. His lower face was covered in crusted and fresh blood, a weeping cut on his swollen cheek and a small cut over his eyebrow. He hissed as he dabbed it with a wet towel, this was always the worst part. He was a master at cleaning wounds and bandaging himself up now after years of abuse from his father, hell he had mastered it by the time Adrien was born.

“Plagg?” He jumped and spun around, eyes wide with fear of another beating, spotting the big, green eyes in the shadows on his bed. He let out his breath in relief and relaxed as he saw his four year old brother crawl over his bed and look at him as he knelt in the middle, rubbing his eyes. “You have a booboo, should I get mommy?” He asked in that innocent voice that always made Plagg smile. He was dressed in a matching green long sleeve pyjama set, his blonde hair unruly and sticking up in odd ways, unlike his usually perfectly combed hair.

“Nah, I’m okay. Your big brother just was out exploring and got into some trouble.” He said softly, walking over and kneeling in front of the bed as Adrien sat on the edge. He shielded his brother from his father’s cruelty, making sure he was protected and didn’t have the childhood he had, filled with abuse and hate. He smiled at the small boy, he must have snuck into Plagg’s room looking for him and just fallen asleep again. “It’s late, you should be asleep kiddo.”

“I came looking for you.” Adrien replied as he rubbed his eyes, “I heard yelling and got scared. But you weren’t here.” Adrien blinked up at Plagg before reaching out and patting his cheek gently.

“I’m sorry, kid, but you know even if I’m not here that you’re safe in my room.” Plagg said with a smile, even though it hurt and it pulled on the cut on his lip, he ignored it. “Let me just get cleaned up and we can go to sleep, okay? I’m assuming you’re camping with me tonight?”

Adrien grinned and nodded, clambering to his feet and bouncing on the bed, “Yes, yes, yes!” He said each word on each bounce, spinning and bouncing as Plagg laughed and went back to the sink to clean himself off properly.

He watched Adrien in the mirror, smiling and unscathed, a boy who could act his age and hadn’t matured so young from darkness. That was another reason why he would take his father’s beatings, because then Adrien would be safe. He would kill that man if he ever laid a finger on Adrien. He didn’t even feel the pain anymore, determination filling his body as he finished up, placing his bandages over his small wounds, glad he had the sticky one to keep them on his skin. He pulled on a dark grey shirt he found on the floor and limped over to his bed that he always thought was way too big for just one person.

He climbed in and Adrien hurriedly crawled over, climbing under the covers and snuggling close to his brother, Plagg smiling and hugging his baby brother protectively. He lay there, his arm tucked under his head as he looked into the darkness, the light glow from the moon comforting to him, as well as his baby brother gripping onto his shirt and humming softly.

“Plagg?” He heard Adrien say softly, snuggling into Plagg’s chest.

“Yeah?” Plagg replied softly.

“Can you tell me the story again?” Adrien asked softly, lifting his small black cat toy and bouncing the legs on Plagg’s chest like it was walking.

“Sure.” Plagg responded, rolling over and looking up at the roof, chuckling at his little brother using him as part of his imagination. “There once was a little black kitten who nobody wanted. They said he brought bad luck with him because of how he looked. The people would throw things, chase him away and would blame any misfortune on him.” Plagg said softly, Adrien resting the cat on Plagg’s chest now, listening intently. “The black cat never understood why people didn’t like him or why they mistreated him, he couldn’t help how he was or looked, all he wanted was to make friends and to be part of a family.”

“Because he didn’t have one.” Adrien added.

“That’s right, he didn’t have a family anymore, he ran away from his family.” Plagg responded, “and so, for years the sad and lonely black cat wandered the earth, hated and misunderstood, until one day he met a group of other black cats all living together, and as he approached them cautiously, expecting to be hit or swatted away, they all watched him.” Adrien yawned and snuggled up closer, “then, they all burst into joyful laughter, welcoming their fellow black cat. Now, the little black cat was shocked, no one had treated him this welcomingly in his entire life. “But… I’m different, people don’t like me.” The cat told them, and they all said together, “No one likes us but we like you!” And so, he started to live his days with his new friends, and the insults and the hatred towards him was shouldered by everyone who was with him now.”

“He lived his days laughing and doing what he enjoyed with his friends, he was happy, but he felt like something was missing, and so one day he went out. He was walking along, hiding in the shadows to avoid those who hated him, when he came across a little ladybug.” Adrien squeaked softly, Plagg smiled more knowing this was his favourite part. “This small, little ladybug was sat on a rose, watching the cat. The cat slowly approached it and sniffed at it,” Plagg made the sniffing noises, Adrien laughing sleepily, “and the ladybug jumped into the air in fright. The black cat sighed, his tail falling as he realised even ladybugs didn’t like him. But then, the ladybug landed softly on the tip of his nose. He was in shock, watching as the ladybug stared back at him with big black eyes. The two creatures stared at each other, one was viewed as good luck while the other bad. They just stared before the cat laughed into the night, asking the ladybug why it hadn’t flown away. The ladybug simply pressed a kiss on the feline’s nose before flying away.” Plagg glanced down and saw Adrien’s heavy eyes drooping slowly. “And the black cat found what he was missing. He realised he wasn’t bad luck, and he didn’t care if others didn’t accept him. Because he had been granted something special from the ladybug.” He smiled and pulled the blanket over them, settling in as he heard his brother snoring softly. He reached his hand out towards the roof, his smile falling and his brows furrowing. “A lucky charm.” He whispered, clenching his fist shut.

---

The next morning Plagg stayed in his room after their mother came for Adrien, he would have to lay low for a while to make sure that no one saw the extent of his injuries for a little while. He knew the consequences if people started asking questions, not that they would when his father was the commander of the military police.

Plagg huffed and rolled onto his side, curled up in a ball and squeezing his eyes shut. He wanted to escape, needed to, wanted to disappear. He felt like a rat in a cage in this house, he had to run away, escape somehow.

That’s when he heard the whoosh outside his window. He gasped and sat up, scrambling to his feet and running to the window, looking out and spotted the people responsible. His eyes widened and he stared at them with awe. He saw the green cloaks billowing behind them, but what stood out was the wings of freedom standing proud on the cloak. The scouts. Plagg watched in wonder as they flew through the air, releasing their chords and getting higher and higher. He jumped onto his windowsill and with memorised movements he climbed up onto the roof, clambering up until he was at the highest he could get, clinging onto the one beam as he watched them in the distance grapple to the wall, running up the fifty metre wall like it was nothing. He watched with amazement and wonder if that’s where he should be, on the wall, he should be in the air, flying. He needed his wings of freedom.

“Hey.” He spun around and spotted a tall man landing behind him, a scout with light brown hair and kind hazel-green eyes, a scar over his right eye and tanned skin. “You okay, kid?” He asked, genuine concern on his face. He seemed kind, Plagg could tell, his voice calming and almost fatherly. He knelt down and was examining Plagg’s face, frowning at the bruises and cuts on his swollen face he realised a second too late. He had messed up, someone had seen his injuries, and not just anyone, a scout.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just wanted to see the scouts and my window doesn’t have the best view.” Plagg responded, standing up a little taller, internally screaming over the fact he was meeting a real soldier and not some asshole from the military police.

“Wait, you climbed all the way up here?” The man asked in surprise.

“Yup, I can climb anything! It’s all about body movement.” He said proudly, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

The man chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, I bet you can, but I bet you can’t climb that.” He said before pointing at the wall.

Plagg looked at the wall and sighed, “Yeah, but one day I will!” He exclaimed, clenching his hands into fists. “One day, I’m joining the scouts and I will be free! I will make it to the top of the wall and get far away from this shithole.” He looked back at the man with a determined grin.

“Oh, a future scout, huh?” He asked, resting on his knees. “You realise how dangerous it is being a scout?” He asked with a tilt of his head.

“No more dangerous than here.” Plagg replied with a huff, sitting down and crossing his legs, gripping his ankles and frowning as he felt his cheek throb.

“Is that so? Did your dad do that to your face?” The man asked, Plagg’s eyes widening and fear turning his blood cold.

“N-no!” He exclaimed, looking up at the man with wide eyes, “I-I’m sorry, I have to go!” He said as he scrambled to his feet and started towards the ledge to get back to his room.

The man blinked and jumped up, “hey! Wait!” He called out, reaching out and grabbing Plagg’s arm. “You’re Edward Agreste, aren’t you?”

Plagg looked back at him, his black bangs falling over his eyes, “That’s not my name! My name is Plagg.” He said stubbornly.

“Okay, Plagg, did your father do that to you?” He asked softly, Plagg looking away.

“I’m fine. I brought it on myself.” He replied, feeling the man tightening his grip on his arm slightly. “I’ll be fine, I’m not a little kid.” He said through gritted teeth.

“I can see that, but you still shouldn’t have to deal with this. You certainly aren’t little, but you are a kid, and no kid deserves… that.” The man replied softly. “My name is captain Henry Wayzz, but everyone calls me Wayzz.” He said with a gentle smile, Plagg eyed the man, not sure how to react. Not many people treated him this kindly. The military police treated him like vermin and the people avoided him, not letting their children play with him in fear they will become like him. “Plagg is an interesting name.” He said, releasing Plagg’s arm as the boy turned towards him.

“I don’t like Edward, my baby brother called me Plagg when he first started talking and I prefer it. Edward is too…” He tried to think of the word as he sat down, Wayzz doing the sat and resting back against the chimney wall.

“Too Agreste?” Wayzz asked with a raised brow. Plagg nodded, rubbing his arm and looking away. “I bet your dad doesn’t like the name, bet that’s another way to rebel.” Plagg smiled mischievously, Wayzz chuckling low. “Very clever. I have met your father before, he doesn’t like me.” Wayzz said nonchalantly, fixing his cape and smirking at Plagg who just blinked, his fascination with this man growing with every word. “He didn’t like that I questioned him, do you question him too?”

Plagg gulped before nodding, “he says I’m bad luck and a poison on the family, he calls me a black cat or a mangy stray cat.” Plagg answered, hugging his arms close, “my mother says to ignore him, but he hates me.” He said, Wayzz’s lip curled in disgust, “he always has.”

“Do you know why?” Wayzz asked gently, Plagg shaking his head. “Well, I think you will like being in the scouts then.” He said with a smile, “you seem to be a resilient little man, I hope to still be here when you join.”

Plagg looked at the man and felt a pang in his chest at the idea of the man dying all of a sudden, “you can’t die!” Plagg exclaimed as he clambered to his knees, “because when I join you can be my captain!” Wayzz chuckled at that, standing up to his feet and smiling down at the boy, offering his hand to the boy.

“Well, I would be very honoured to be your captain, young Plagg.” He said with a proud smile, Plagg looking up at him in awe, he felt hope in his heart as he looked up at this man smiling down at him, his cloak blowing in the wind. He saw a future when looking at this man that wasn’t stuck in the fortress and being free from his father.

He took the hand and stood to his feet, grinning as he stood tall like the man and grinned, “Come on, I will help you down.” He said before scooping Plagg up, reaching into his jacket and pulling out his handles, Plagg watching as he slipped two fingers into the grip and clicked some buttons, a grapple shooting off and suddenly they were in the air. Plagg gasped and gripped onto the man tightly, his eyes wide and the wind blowing his spikey hair into an even more messy state. He looked around as the world around him flew past him, his stomach lifting and turning, the feeling incredible. He felt free, his grip loosening and his one arm lifting into the air, the wind putting pressure and pulling a laugh from him. It was incredible, he felt almost complete, just how her mother described it. In the air, all his problems seemed small, stuck to the ground as he flew.

But soon he was on the ground, Wayzz placing him down and smiling down at him, holstering his grips and opening Plagg’s front door, looking down and blinking as he met Plagg’s smile fell and a new frightened expression taking over and wide eyes.

“F-father.” He said, looking in and staring at his father who was in his full military uniform, his military police badge standing out, his hair combed back and his small staff he would use on Plagg held behind his back as he walked. He stepped out and glared down at Plagg before looking at Wayzz who eyed him, stepping in front of Plagg slightly.

“Commander Agreste.” Wayzz greeted with a nod, “I have just met your son, he is an incredible young man.” Wayzz said with a smile, “you should be proud, he will be a fine soldier one day, a scout it seems. His climbing skills have really impressed me!”

Gabriel glared at Plagg who hid behind Wayzz even more, gripping his cloak. “I see, but Edward will not be joining the scouts.” Gabriel said, frowning at Wayzz, “Captain, was it?”

“Yes sir, Captain Henry Wayzz.” Wayzz responded.

“Well, Captain, Edward will not be joining the scouts, that would be unfitting for our family, he will follow in the Agreste line and enter the military police. I have already decided on his post.” Plagg blinked, his eyes wide.

“What?” Plagg exclaimed, stepping out and clenching his fists. “No way! I’m not joining the military police!” He growled, glaring up at his father. “They suck! They’re all bullies who pick on others!”

“Silence, Edward!” Gabriel hissed, bringing the cane from behind his back, Plagg wincing and hiding behind Wayzz more who was glaring at the Commander. “No one wants to hear from the likes of you.”

“Sir, are you responsible for the injuries on your son?” Wayzz asked confidently, Plagg panicking slightly and gripping his cloak even tighter.

“Why would you ask such a thing?” Gabriel asked in disgust, “no, I am not, my son is a mischievous boy, he is always getting into trouble and coming home with new cuts and bruises.” Gabriel lied expertly, if Plagg hadn’t told Wayzz he was sure that he would have believed his father, a fear in the back of his mind that Wayzz would believe him. “I would never lay my hand on my son.”

Wayzz nodded before looking down at the terrified child hiding behind him, Plagg was staring at the ground, his nails digging into the palms of his hand through the fabric of the scout’s cloak, his eyes wide and sweat building on his skin. “I see, well, I think I will pop by and check up on young Plagg here, help him decide on his future, as it is just that.” He said staring back at Gabriel with a smile, “his future.”

“Plagg? Oh for… Edward, stop telling people that stupid name.” Gabriel growled, Plagg hiding more and wincing at the harsh tone.

“S-sorry father.” Plagg muttered, Gabriel glaring at him even more. “I’m sorry.”

“Get inside, no one needs to see you when you look like this.” Gabriel growled before reaching over to grab Plagg, Wayzz grabbing him by the wrist before he could, his eyes narrowed and his face stone as Gabriel looked at Wayzz in shock.

“Sir, I would advise you not grab your son in that manner, especially with his injuries, or ever in fact.” Wayzz said, Plagg looked up at him and blinked, he was tall, the same height as his father and for the first time Plagg saw someone who was stronger and more intimidating than his father. Gabriel stared back in shock before pulling his arm from Wayzz’s grip, glaring at Plagg before he straightened his jacket. “I kill titans for a job, sir, have you ever even seen a titan?” Wayzz questioned, “so, you do not scare me, and you cannot bully me like you do your son.”

“Enough of this. How dare you speak to me like this! I will be speaking to your commander.” Gabriel said in disgust, “Edward, get inside.” He said before he entered his carriage, other military police soldiers watching with wide eyes.

Plagg watched in shock, his mouth hanging open as he stood frozen like a statue, gripping the captains cloak tightly still. “Woah…” He breathed out, “No one’s ever stood up to him before.” He managed out dumbfoundedly, staring back up at the man who was grinning down at him. “You really are like a super soldier!”

Wayzz laughed and knelt down, placing a hand on Plagg’s shoulder, looking him in the eye. “I’m no super soldier,” he laughed, “I just said what someone should have said a long time ago.” Plagg smiled at him, he had waited for someone to say that since he was three years old. Wayzz chuckled and gently scuffed under Plagg’s chin with his knuckle, “I think you are the super soldier, kid.” Plagg blinked at him, “you have been through a lot, so keep your chin up, okay?”

Plagg nodded, letting go of his cloak and standing up straight, “yes, sir!” He said proudly, Wayzz chuckling softly. “I will come and visit you again soon, and I look forward to seeing you in the scouts, kid.” He said before he stood up, “now, go on in, and if he ever lays a hand on you again, you send me a letter.”

“But how will I know where to send it?” Plagg asked curiously, stepping into his house and looking up at the man.

“Look on your windowsill when you get back into your room, okay? I will leave a secret address to send it to.” He said before they both turned when they heard a high pitched giggle, blonde hair bobbing on the stairs.

“Plagg!” Adrien screeched excitedly, running over with his hands in the air and jumped, Plagg catching him and hitching him on his hip, smiling at his baby brother. Adrien patted his cheek before looking at Wayzz. “Who are you?” He asked curiously, big eyes looking up at him.

Wayzz chuckled and leant down, shaking Adrien’s small hand, “hello, my name is Wayzz, what’s your name.”

“My name is Adrien and I’m four!” Adrien said with a big grin, his green eyes sparkling, holding out four fingers. “You’re tall! Why do you have a scar on your face?” Adrien asked with no embarrassment, pointing at Wayzz face.

“Adrien, you can’t ask people that.” Plagg lectured, “sorry, this is my baby brother, he’s overly friendly.” Plagg said to Wayzz who just laughed.

“Ah, the one who famously named you! Wayzz said with a grin, “It’s been a while since I have been around children, so thank you. You have reminded me just how important it is to make sure you are safe.” Wayzz said as he straightened up. “I must go, take your brother in and stay safe.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out his grips, “It was an honour to meet you, young Plagg, and you young Adrien.” Plagg smiled up at him, holding his younger brother close. “You look after your brother, at the end of the day it is you two against the world, understand?” Plagg nodded, smiling down at Adrien who was chewing on Plagg’s collar, watching with big eyes. “Oh, and Plagg, I don’t think you’re bad luck, or ‘mangy’.” Plagg blinked up at him, “you have a little brother who loves you and I can tell that you are his idol. I think you’re very lucky, and very unique. Never forget that.” Plagg smiled at that and nodded. Wayzz ruffled his hair, looking into Plagg’s eyes. “You didn’t deserve what has happened to you, and one day, I promise, you will be free.” Plagg clung to the words, desperate to hear them forever, he had been waiting for Wayzz to appear he realised. He gave him confidence.

“Thank you, sir!” Plagg puffed out his chest, “I will see you soon!” He said and grinned widely, “I will make you proud!”

Wayzz smiled before he ruffled Plagg’s unruly, spikey black locks, “you already have, kid.” He said before he winked and released his grapple, flying off.

“Plagg?” Adrien asked, Plagg looking down at his younger sibling, “can we go play?” He asked hopefully.

Plagg smiled and hugged his brother tight, his whole world seeming brighter and he didn’t feel as trapped. “Of course, kid.” Plagg said before he let Adrien down, “better go hide, I’ll count to 20!” He said, watching his brother run off as he laughed, closing the door behind him with a smile.

Age: 14

Plagg lay on his bed as a thunderstorm raged on outside his window, the rain pounding against the glass and the flashes of lightning lighting up the dark, cold room. He was lying on his stomach with his arms under his chin, watching the water drip into his basin across the room, his eyes dark and his cheek throbbing from the bruises that were starting to form on the right side of his face. He had received it from his father the day before, a painful gash over his right eyebrow and a giant bruise over the right side of his ribs and one down his spine. He had got into trouble because he had evaded his father’s solders, climbing up a building and hiding from them after beating three of the military police recruits to a bloody pulp for picking on some of the poorer people in the less sightly districts of Stohess. He didn’t care that he got hit for it, it was worth it. The soldier’s deserved it.

Plagg was now fourteen and had grown strong as well as tall, his jaw slowly growing more defined and his lip starting to show sign of facial hair. He had grown into a handsome young man who was extremely skilled in martial arts and swordsmanship, his tired appearance and most of the time laid back personality making other’s think he wasn’t much of a threat, which he loved. It meant that when he would beat up those who deserved it, it was even more satisfying. Wayzz didn’t agree with his fighting but he understood that it was to help people, but he would tell him off none the less.

He huffed and rolled onto his back, the skin on his bare chest gaining goosebumps from the cold. Plagg’ body was littered with scars, some faded and some more recent, marks from years of abuse from his father and from falling from high places when he was out. He hated seeing himself in the mirror all the same, his body covered with bad memories that brought a foul taste to his mouth. Scars didn’t bother him, hell he was so used to them more than wounds at this point, it was the fact he was just fourteen and had more than anyone he had seen.

He was replaying the plan in his head, over and over, he had already sent the letter to Wayzz, and he should have them just before it was time for him to leave. It was almost time, Plagg had endured enough and had perfected this plan after countless failed attempts over the years. But now this was his final chance, he had put it off for a year now but he couldn’t anymore. He had to escape and get to Shiganshina to meet Wayzz, to join the cadets with his help and get away from the hell that was his life.

He knew he had to get out of Stohess the week before during his fourteenth birthday when his father requested Plagg to join him in his office with Adrien, something that had never happened with Adrien there. He remembered the panic as he entered to find Adrien standing in front of their father’s desk already, hands behind his back and the usual sad expression he wore around their father that was so unlike his usual happy appearance. While Plagg was subjected to emotional and physical abuse from since before he could remember from Gabriel, Adrien was put under so much more pressure and treated coldly by Gabriel but never had a hand laid on him. Plagg made sure of that. After their mother died two years ago the abuse to both of them increased, Gabriel turning most of his attention on making Adrien the “perfect son”, all while making sure Plagg didn’t even have a place at the table to eat most of the time.

Plagg gulped and walked into the far too clean office that he spent many nights being subjected to horrific beats and turmoil, glaring at his father before he stood in front of the desk, slightly in front of Adrien protectively. Adrien was a small boy, he always had been since he was born, Plagg protected him in any way possible and was always giving him the love he wished he had as a child. Adrien gulped and moved towards his brother, easily hiding behind Plagg’s arm as they stood there, his hair combed perfectly and his clothes ironed and well fitted, unlike Plagg’s second hand, tatty clothes that nine times out of ten had a few holes in them.

“You called, father?” Plagg spoke up, his voice deeper now from puberty but still cracked in fear of what would happen to not him, but to Adrien.

“It is your fourteenth birthday.” Gabriel stated bluntly as if Plagg didn’t already know, not looking up from the papers he was scribbling on, “despite my efforts it seems your brother cannot actually take your place as the heir. So,” He looked up, looking at the two confused brothers, “you will be joining the cadets in the inner wall and will place in the top ten,” Plagg blinked, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, “then you will be joining the military police to follow in my footsteps like all first born Agreste men do. And if you do not follow my instructions I will ship you off to the worst districts where they are known for butchering the military police.” Plagg wasn’t usually shocked by his father anymore, but the fact he would dispose of him to gain what he wanted was… next level.

Adrien whimpered and hid behind Plagg, wrapping his arms around his waist and clinging to him, his face buried in his back. “No! Please, father! Don’t send him away!” Adrien begged.

“Silence, Adrien, this is a similar future for you, you will also be joining the cadets when you reach fourteen and will join the military police too, but I do not doubt that you will live up to my expectations, because you are my son.”

“So am I.” Plagg stated in a blunt voice, glaring at the man he called father.

“You, Edward, are not my son. You are just someone who unfortunately I cannot get rid of, do not mock me by saying you are my son.” Gabriel said before he stood up, “either way, no matter how I feel I have to follow tradition and so,” he sighed, grabbing a black wooden box and approached the boys, Plagg shielding Adrien more. Gabriel handed Plagg the box who looked at it curiously, he glancing up at his father before he opened it and found a silver, thick band signet ring. “I didn’t want to give this to you, you aren’t worthy of it that’ for sure, but your mother made me promise. It is a tradition for the first born Agreste boy to get this on his fourteenth birthday, and so now you have it.”

Plagg blinked at the ring before looking up at his father who was glaring at him, he met Gabriel’s eyes for a few seconds too long and knew it was a mistake, seeing the slap before it made contact. Adrien cried out and clung to Plagg more as he stumbled, cupping his cheek and gripping the box in the other.

“Don’t look at me like that, you mangey street cat.” Gabriel spat, teeth bared in disgust. “Now, both of you leave.” Gabriel said before walking back to his desk, Plagg grabbing Adrien by the underarm and pulled him out, hate growing in his chest. He knew then that he had to escape, his only regret was not being able to take Adrien with him.

Plagg sighed and sat up on his bed, looking down at the ring on his finger as he remembered everything, he hated that Adrien had seen that. Adrien was the one thing that brought doubt to his whole plan, he hated that he was leaving his brother behind but he knew that his father never laid his hands on Adrien and with Plagg gone he could inherit everything and have a better future. He hoped. He had already placed the letter in Adrien’s room, and had spent as much time with him that he could knowing that it could be the last time he saw him. Adrien could survive this world, Plagg couldn’t. And he knew that.

He got up and walked over to his dresser, his black long sleeved shirt folded on top of his too big dark green hoodie Wayzz had given him to wear under his cloak. He felt the fabric and smiled, he had never received clothes this new before, he pulled them both on and looked in the mirror, the candlelight flickering against his skin. He stared at his reflection and smiled, he saw the same kid he had seen for fourteen years but he also saw someone who was about to be free. He ruffled his spikey hair, grinning mischievously. He was excited, he felt lightning through his veins and he just wanted to leave now but he knew he had to wait just a little longer. He walked over to his desk where his bag lay open, all his supplies neatly packed with the paper’s Wayzz sent, hidden in his clothes. He gulped as he looked at everything he would own from tonight from this house, all his memories and everything from this life fitting into one bag, he had a few family sketches of Adrien and of his mother and he had stolen a bunch of cheese from the kitchen for the road and a scarf his mother wore hidden under everything. He would hug it when he was having one of his low stages, it smelt of her and he could close his eyes and picture her arms around him, stroking his hair and fighting his nightmares away. He would never leave that. He zipped up the bag and felt the hairs on his neck stand up and his jaw clenched, his body freezing and panic sunk deep into his soul.

He slowly turned and met his father’s piercing blue eyes from the doorway, he hadn’t even heard his father come in. He was in his uniform and his grey hair was slick back like usual, that damned cane in his hand. “F-father…” Plagg said before gulping, his father never came up to his room, he was always called to wherever his father was, usually the office. He couldn’t even remember the last time his father had been in his room. Plagg gulped again and looked around, thanking every god there was that he had spent the afternoon cleaning it for his departure, the last thing he needed was a beating for a messy room.

Gabriel took a deep breath before he looked around at the room, Plagg’s room was quite large, a double bed in the corner with a rug on the floor, a desk by his window with a candle lit on it and a large dresser in the corner by his sink and mirror. It wasn’t anything fancy but he knew that a lot of kids grow up sharing beds with their parents so he was grateful. It was usually a mess with clothes around and Adrien said it stunk of cheese which Plagg would argue was the best smell possible.

Gabriel walked over to the bed and looked at the dark turquoise colour, eyes falling on the black cat doll that his mother had made Plagg who in turn gave it to Adrien when he was younger. Adrien had grown out of toys and now it lived in Plagg’s room as a comfort to remember his mother. He glanced at the small stuffed toy nervously, fearful as to what Gabriel would do to it.

“I never understood why Emilie made you that stupid thing.” He said, tapping the cane on the floor before he looked over at Plagg, who was standing tall, his fists clenched and his jaw tight. “Oh unclench, I am here to talk.” He said with a roll of his eyes, sitting on the bed with a sigh and resting his hands on the cane. “I know you hate me, and I couldn’t give a shit that you do. But, unfortunately for both of us, you have to represent this family. And, so you will need to be on your best behaviour when you are in the military, especially the cadets.” Gabriel said, Plagg watching him carefully. “I will be getting daily reports and if I find out you have been slacking off or messing things up like usual I will give them permission to punish you as I would.” Plagg gulped, he didn’t even want to imagine what the military police would do to him if they got hold of him after years of tormenting them. “Do you understand?”

Plagg nodded, he may as well play the part, because as of tonight he would be a missing person and wouldn’t have to deal with his father again. If he played this right he could come out unscathed, but he needed to keep his cool.

Gabriel just sighed and stood up, glancing at the bag, “are you packing accordingly?” He questioned, to which Plagg nodded again, angering his father for not speaking. “Speak, you mangey street cat!” Gabriel yelled, raising his cane, “why can’t you be more like me or your brother! You are such a disappointment!”

Plagg stared at him, in disbelief that this was the man who he called father and who was the one who made him, how could such evil even create life, he had been tormented by this man for all his life, all because he was born. He never did anything to his father, all he did was exist and that was enough of a reason to this man to beat his own son. Plagg hated him, he wanted to destroy him, wanted to make him pay and to watch him crumble into ash. He ground his teeth, his eyes going dark and he caught the cane before it hit him, glaring up at his father through his loose strands of hair, every beating and every telling off giving him power as he faced his abuser.

“I would rather die than be like you!” He growled, Gabriel staring at him in disbelief, eyes darting from the hand on the cane and then back to Plagg who gripped it tight, his gaze cold enough to freeze a sauna. “I will never be as low as you, and you will always be just a sad, abusive old man high on power who only ever loved himself.” Plagg felt power in his words, he felt weight being lifted off his shoulders and as he stood there, feeling taller with every word, he saw the shock on his father’s face. “I feel sorry for you, I feel sorry for Adrien and I to have to have you for a father, and I feel sorry for the military police to have a fucker like you running it! If the titans ever did get in we are all screwed!” He was screaming now, hot, angry tears in his eyes. And with every word he saw the anger grow in his father’s eyes. “I hate you! I fucking hate y-” before he could finish his sentence a hand back hit him across the face and sent him to the floor with a grunt, blood splattering on the stone floor from his nose.

He coughed and cupped his nose, blood covering his hands pretty quickly, his new hoodie now decorated in his blood. He looked up in fear as his father stood over him, a new evil in his eyes and in that moment Plagg knew if he wasn’t leaving tonight that this man would kill him eventually.

It was thirty minutes later, he was curled up on the floor, his eye swollen shut, his body was on fire from the pain and he lay in a puddle of his own blood. His lip was swollen and his nose was still bleeding slightly, a gash over his right cheek under his blackening swollen eye and small minor cuts decorating his freckled skin. He sobbed softly, hugging his arms close to his body, hearing the door close across the room, Gabriel finally satisfied with the punishment.

Plagg whimpered and slowly pushed up to sitting, blood dripping from his hair onto the floor, a long strand of bloody drool falling from his lower lip. He sniffed and gently wiped his nose and mouth on the back of his hand. He grunted as he slowly crawled to his sink, gripping the edge and pulling himself to standing. He looked in the mirror, his vision through his one good eye blurry and he felt like he could pass out at any second. He had to get a hold of himself. He looked down at himself and saw he was covered in his own blood, his heart sinking as he stared at his clothes. He cursed and slowly peeled his hoodie off, biting his lip to stop from crying out in pain. He held the hoodie in his hands and watched as his tears fell and hit the material. It was probably ruined, but he was sure Wayzz would have a solution.

He sniffed and wiped his eyes again, looking at himself again and saw his baggy long sleeved back shirt had survived mainly unscathed. He met his eyes and glared, determination filling his heart and he was ready. It was time. He pushed off the sink and headed to his bag, his adrenaline kicking in as he stuffs the blood covered clothing into the bag and grabbed his dark brown cloak from his chair. He pulled his windows open and stared out at the pouring rain, he would need to climb down without injuring himself more. It would be a challenge but he had practiced for just this. He looked back, spotting the black cat on the floor where his father had thrown it during the altercation, his heart hurting. He walked over and slowly picked it up, gripping it tightly as he looked at it.

He looked up and felt doubt for a second, before he took a deep breath, the pain in his ribs pushing him on. He had to leave, Adrien would be better off as the future head, he would be okay. He stuffed the stuffed cat into his bag and climbed onto the windowsill, lightning lighting up the room, the thunder echoing through the house. He gripped the wood, the wind blowing his cloak as he pulled his hood up, and with one more look back he started his descent.

He got almost to the bottom when he lost his footing, something he knew was inevitable with how weak he was. He landed in a puddle with a thud, the air escaping from his lungs as he gasped, his eye blown wide. He lay there for a few seconds as the rain pounded on him before he climbed to his feet, gripping his side and started running, gripping his bag strap for dear life. He ran, the life he knew behind him, all his chains were broken and he was finally free. He would never see his father again and won’t ever have to see that cane ever again. He was… He was…

“Free…” He breathed, a smile spreading on his face as he looked up, squinting into the rain, he wasn’t fully free just yet, but… It was so close he could almost reach out and grab it. He could almost taste the sweet freedom, and he knew it would be a taste he will be addicted to.

He ran for what seemed like forever before he spotted the carriage exactly where Wayzz had said it would be. The single lantern letting him know it was for him. He approached the man hiding from the rain and dug in his bag, handing him the wet papers, panting and looking at the man desperately. The man looked them over before he looked at the young boy, eyeing his wounds and bruises before nodding. Plagg let out a sigh of release and limped to the back, climbing in and collapsing through the material covering the back. He lay on the floor, shivering and aching from pain, he closed his eyes and curled up, the carriage starting to move. He chuckled, and felt the adrenaline leave him, darkness taking over.

He awoke quite a while later, his clothes were still a little damp and clung to his skin. He was shivering and he was in a lot of pain. He grunted and pushed up, the sun shining through a few cracks in the material. It was daytime already? He blinked and climbed onto the bench, peaking out and gasped, they were approaching a gate in one of the walls. He spotted the face and without a doubt he knew where he was, he had slept a whole day, maybe two? Who knew, but he stared at the gate of Shiganshina. He had made it! He smiled small before his heart ached, staring down at his hands in sadness.

Images of his baby brother filled his mind, his big green eyes, his mop of blonde hair, and his angelic smile. He was Plagg’s best friend, and he wasn’t sure if he just gave him the life he could thrive in or sentenced him to suffering. He gripped the edge of the bench, his jaw tightening as his eye held all his sadness.

“I’m sorry Adrien.” He breathed, the pain almost crippling. But he had to stay strong, he would become a scout, get power and one day he would save Adrien if need be.

“Hey! You alive in there?” He heard the man yell, snapping him back to reality.

“Yeah!” Plagg called out.

“Get ready to jump, kid! There are some Garrison ahead checking carts, and I aint getting fined for some kid.” Plagg blinked.

“Wait, did you say jump?!” Plagg asked in disbelief. “You want me to jump from the moving carriage!?” He exclaimed in panic, standing up and peaking outside, and saw the ground was just dry dirt, even without his injuries this would be a hard and painful fall. He gulped and felt his stomach drop. He was in so much pain and was still exhausted, he looked back to where the voice came from.

“Yup! Unless you wanna deal with the Garrison soldiers!” The man said, laughing like an insane person. Plagg wouldn’t be surprised if he was. He gulped again and tried to calm down.

“Fuck…” He cursed.

“Now! Hurry!” The man yelled back, Plagg chewed his lip before he took a deep breath.

Plagg got ready to jump from the back of the carriage, pulling the material aside and took another deep breath. He called thanks to the driver before he gripped his bag and dove out, rolling as he hit the ground before skidding in the dusty dirt on his side, curled up. He squeezed his eyes shut, teeth clenched until he came to a stop. That hurt more than he wanted to admit, a whimper leaving his throat as he lay there.

He coughed the dust out of his lungs before slowly opening his good eye and looking around. He saw the gate to Shiganshina in front of him in the distance, and the houses he spotted were small and quaint, the town much poorer than Stohess, and he smiled at seeing all the people smiling and getting on with their day.

He chuckled before he spotted a red dress blowing in his peripheral vision. He blinked before he looked at where it was coming from, looking up at a girl maybe a few years younger than him looking down at him with wide eyes and raised brows, clenching her brown shoulder bag to her chest. She had her black hair in two high pigtails, her shining hair blowing in the wind around her, her cluster of freckles visible from where he was on the ground. Her eyes were a dark blue, watching him out of what he thought was curiosity and a bit of shock. He must had landed in front of her and scared the shit out of her. He blinked and felt his heart skip a beat, something about her made the world freeze and all he could do was stare at her. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever before she spoke up.

“U-uh…” She spoke, her voice soft and sweet like a song, her long eyes lashes fluttering as she blinked and shook her head, “are you okay?” She asked finally with a raised brow, Plagg realised he must look like a right creep, his face was beaten and bruised and he was dressed very ominously, not to mention he was on the ground covered in dirt.

“Y-yeah, sorry if I scared you, the driver said he wouldn’t stop so I had to jump.” Plagg explained before he scrambled to his feet, strapping his bag to across his chest, ignoring the aches and pains.

“You didn’t scare me.” She said bluntly, examining him, looking at his face to which he just blinked and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, then she looked him up and down. “You’re not from here, are you?”

“Uh, yeah, how did you know?” Plagg asked curiously, his breath catching his throat when she grinned and held up a finger knowingly, throwing her pigtails back. He blinked at her confidence and tell all attitude, watching the small girl grin with a raised brow.

“Simple! For one you are dressed way too nicely, and while your face isn’t something I don’t see everyday on kids who have been beaten up, I haven’t seen it around here before.” She said as she looked up at him, he just realised how small she was compared to him as she craned her neck slightly, how old was she? “So where are you from?”

Plagg contemplated on whether he should say or not, but something about her seemed trustworthy. “I actually just ran away from Stohess.” He admitted, “I’m here to join the cadets.”

“Stohess? The cadets?” She asked in shock, “why the hell would you come here when you could stay in the inner walls?” She asked, shifting her bag and placing a fist on her hip, a look of disbelief on her face.

“Uh… reasons.” He said with a nervous laughter, “don’t worry about that.”

“And why join the cadets?” She questioned, she was really chatty for someone who just met him, he wondered if her parents had told her about stranger danger.

“Uh, well, I have always wanted to be a scout.” He explained, shifting his bag and wincing slightly, “A captain there just helped me get away, and uh,” he tried to think of a good reason that wouldn’t make him seem like even more of a weirdo than he already seemed, “well, to be honest… I want to be free.” He admitted.

She raised her brow and frowned, “so you’re willing to be killed by titans to be… free?” She asked in disbelief.

“Well… let’s just say that where I came from was a hell of a lot worse than beyond the walls.” He said with a nervous chuckle.

“Hmm…” She hummed, eyeing him before she dug in her bag, Plagg raising his brows in confusion, watching her dig around, her tongue sticking out. “Ah ha!” She exclaimed, pulling out a small fabric bag and handing it over to Plagg.

“Uh…” He said as he stared at the bag with a raised brow, “thanks? What is it?”

“Sugar cubes.” She stated as if it was common knowledge. Plagg blinked and opened the bag, and low and behold there were sugar cubes in it. “It’s all I can spare, you look like you could use some sweetness in your life.” She said with a giggle, clasping her hands behind her back and smiling sweetly at Plagg. He blushed and blinked, no one had been this nice to him before, not a stranger anyway.

“Th-thanks…” He whispered, staring at the bag before looking back at the girl. “I’m Plagg, by the way.” He said, holding his hand out and grinning his Cheshire smile.

The girl smiled sweetly and shook his hand, gripping it firmly, “I’m Tikki.” She said, “I hope I’ll meet you again, Plagg. Maybe not, you know, exactly like this.” She said as she let go of his hand, motioning to the dirt covered boy who looked down at himself and laughed. “Good luck.” She said with a smile.

“I hope so too, Tikki.” He said with a smile, “I’ll, uh, see you around.” He said politely.

“I guess.” She said matter of factly, shifting her bag and flicking her hair back, Plagg blinked again, examining her. She was beautiful, and he could tell she would have ever guy after her when she was older, but he could already tell she would be able to handle them, her confidence sky rocketing. “See ya, Plagg.” She said before walking off.

He watched her walk off towards the gate, a tiny black haired girl with her long black hair flowing in the wind ran up to her and jumped into her arms, Tikki smiling at her before hitching her onto her hip, walking off and their laughter filling the world.

Plagg chuckled and smiled, he hoped he would see her again, but more importantly he hoped he would meet more people like her. He hoped his new life would be filled with people who would accept him. He hoped-

Before he could finish his thought he spotted a flutter of red and blinked, his body freezing and his eye stared in shock. A ladybug had landed on his nose, its small legs tickling his freckled skin. His breath caught in his chest and he gently moved the ladybug to his finger, staring at it. He looked at the ladybug and then back at the girl walking away and smiled.

"Well, maybe this black cat has a lucky charm afterall." He whispered, grinning and watching the ladybug fly away.

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autisticshadowthehedgehog · 3 years

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The Rose Emerald

I got bored and I hyperfixate so this is based on the Chaos Emerald Filmverse Theory and Potential Roster

What was left of the Chaos Emeralds were split across the universe after the loss of the red gem. None of the selected planets for safekeeping were allowed to know where any emerald was sans theirs, and most of the emeralds were kept under heavy guard, heavy security, and intense secrecy.

When the fifth emerald was given to the Voxai, it was a shining green- some said brighter than the Master Emerald itself. The Voxai, of course, took their duty to guard the emerald as seriously as they could; the Overmind gave suggestions on how to build its safe place, how to keep it from those who would use it for destruction. For decades, it sat untouched in a glass chamber, inside a temple hidden amongst the Beta colony.

The second guard of the emerald, after the death of the first, was Thebes, and he’d been very nervous about his job. He’d been especially nervous when he reached the emerald and it was no longer green- the psychic energy that emanated from not just the Voxai, but from their planet itself, had leaked into the gem, regardless of their best efforts, and now it was a pale, shining pink. Almost the same color as the markings across Thebes’s translucent shell.

Not too soon after Thebes had begun his guard duties- checking on the emerald and the temple, keeping it clean and stable, making sure nobody else had broken in- the emerald started doing strange things. Glowing, rocking gently in its enclosure, seeming to breathe. The Overmind hadn’t heard of such behavior from the previous guard, and Thebes was getting quite concerned. First it changed color, then it started doing... this.

One day, he came into the temple, floating along the light, icy air of their home planet, but when he looked upon the glass case, he saw no emerald. Instead, there was a small creature- strange, not like the Voxai at all. There was no shell, only some kind of spikes along its skin, and four thick limbs waving in the air. It had a hole in its face, which it was using to make loud, angry noises. The only thing recognizable was the shade of pink. The emerald’s shining pink now coated the creature- no, the child. It was an infant. A baby.

Thebes had to be careful bringing it to the Overmind, not wanting to leave it alone but also not wanting to drop it as he flew. But without an extensive tail (only a puny one), and without familiar limbs, it was hard to even figure out how best to pick it up. Eventually he managed to use his left wings to hold it to his chest, but then it kept screaming and spitting some kind of liquid onto him, which was very unpleasant.

He finally got it to the Overmind, and after several hours of confused discussion, a deep dive into the nearest library, and frantic scrambling to get some kind of nutrients for the infant to get it to stop crying, they finally had information for Thebes. And instructions.

“It’s a Mobian- the kind of alien that held the emeralds first.” Overmind Leucosia explained, as a carrier was tied to Thebes’s shell. “It seems that the Chaos Emerald has shifted into an infant mobian- we must do further research to determine what this means. In the meantime- you are the emerald’s guardian still. So guard the child.”

Thebes had very much not wanted to hear that. He had enough anxiety as it was, he couldn’t add a child on top of that. He didn’t even know how to take care of Voxian children, and they were easy- just a few mental outbursts here and there. And now he had to care for an alien child with needs he couldn’t understand and with the strangest appearance he’d ever seen, and...

Overmind Riadne seemed to sense his fear, and reached out to him, sending a gentle wave through his mind. It calmed him, the comfort she was offering him leaking into his body, his wings flickering slower and his tail swooshing from side-to-side.

He finally moved his gaze downwards, to the carrier strapped to him. Inside of it, the little baby Emerald was curled up, its tiny hands clutching onto the material, rubbing its face against it. It had stopped crying, and instead just looked peaceful. Happy.

“Okay.”

---

The Emerald had given itself life. And it was now a little mobian, crawling across the floor, putting its mouth on anything it came across and falling over with the slightest breeze.

Mobians were very different than Thebes had ever thought. Only a few of them could fly, and they saw with what Thebes had thought were simple markings on the face. They often had differing skin, differing heights and weights, and very strangely, differing minds. Voxai could be individual, yes, but they had a hivemind to connect them, to make them part of each other. The Mobians had no such connection, leaving them all alone to think on their own. How lonely that must be, Thebes thought. To not be able to calm another’s fears, or cheer another on in such a simple, yet intimate way.

The Overmind’s research had yielded nothing. No tales of the emeralds taking form, no tales of any changes in the stones... Thebes wondered if it was his fault, but he couldn’t think of anything at all out of the ordinary he’d done leading up to the transformation, nor could anyone else. But nevertheless, the Emerald didn’t seem to be turning back, so they just had to work with what they had.

Thebes floated to the child, brushing it with a wing. It felt him, and looked up, letting out a loud noise that Thebes had discerned to be laughter. It reached up its arms, trying to grab his wings and lift itself high into the air.

It will need a name, Thebes thought. If it will stay mortal.

The child lifted its arms again, its fists opening and closing, trying to grab onto its guardian. “Up-mi!” it called- it had recently begun attempting to communicate, though its words made little sense. “Uh-mi!”

What is that, little one?

“Uh! Mi!”

Amy. That was a name that meant beloved.

That was fitting.

---

Amy had moved into childhood, and she still would not stop getting into trouble. She climbed on everything she could, trying to get high enough to jump on a Voxai for a surprise ride. She would grab small objects, swinging them around as some kind of game. She poured through tablets, her eyes faster than light as she absorbed whatever information she could get her hands on.

“Thebes, what does ‘sy-kick’ mean?” she asked.

(They had found that while she could connect to the hivemind, it was a very weak link, and so it was easier for her to speak aloud, and for the Voxai to respond in their normal way.)

“Psychic, Amy.” Thebes replied, floating beside her. “It is a word often used to mean one who connects to another’s mind- or sees forward into the future.”

“Like you!”

“Like the Voxai, yes.”

“Am I psychic?”

“A little. We’re not entirely sure what the expanse of your abilities is.”

“I dunno what that means.”

Yes, it took her a bit longer to learn larger words than it would the average Voxai child. “We don’t know what you can do.”

“I can do this!” Amy jumped, grabbing onto his wing and swinging back-and-forth. “Whee, whee, whee!”

Amy was certainly a strange child. She shouted, she cried, and she had to always be moving. She didn’t seem to have an appreciation for stillness whatsoever, and instead needed to run, or jump, or climb, or swing. She could not fly, was barely connected to the hivemind, and was always being loud.

She was a strange child, and she was the Voxai’s child.

It had taken them quite a while to get used to her, but by the time she seemed to gain sentience, the whole colony had gotten into the swing of letting her run and play in her own way. And it wasn’t as if she wasn’t like them whatsoever- it barely mattered that they couldn’t connect to her thoughts, as she always spoke them aloud. She would try to help as much as she could, using her strange limbs to carry materials to and from construction sites, or help garden the small, sparse patches of land that could produce nutrients. She would watch the Voxai children play their own games, and join in when there was a game that didn’t require wings or an intense connection to the Overmind. If she couldn’t join in, she would cheer everyone on, or find a way to play referee, so it was never like she was lonely or left out.

She had a strange way of showing physical affection, too, but they accommodated her as best they could. While Voxai would usually show affection via their hivemind- or, if they had to be physical, by brushing wings or tails- Amy was always grabbing onto some part of them. Forget simple brushing, Amy would climb up their tails, swing on their wings, and cling to their backs, leaning against them and just feeling them breathe under her. At first, it was strange, but it seemed to help her- the more physical affection she got, the more comfortable she seemed, so soon the Beta Colony was used to treating her a bit differently, in pretty much every way.

Yes, she was a strange child, and she was the Voxai’s child. But most importantly, at least to Thebes... she was his child.

He had been there when she learned how to walk- he’d studied for months on how mobians moved so he could best help her amble along. He was there when she picked out what nutrients she liked to eat and would throw the others on the ground, and he would teach her that was rude and she really should have just expressed that she didn’t want them. He was there when she started to speak, learning along with her how best to communicate. He was there when she fell asleep against him that first night, curling his wing around her like a blanket, and he was there, teaching her how to spell and count. He took her to the library to study whatever languages they had, fascinated with how quickly she picked them up, feeling intensely proud of her for running to the nearest librarian to practice her sentence structure. He was there when she scraped her knee and began to cry, and they figured out how to make it feel better. He was there when she’d cry again, reading a sad book, and he was there when she’d run to him, reciting quickly something funny she’d read in a different story in hopes that he would laugh, too, at least in his own way.

Whenever he expressed how proud he was of her, he could see her eyes light up, and then she’d shut them tight and wiggle her nose a little, her smile brightening even the darkest of nights. If he had to express disappointment- if, for example, she said something unnecessarily cruel to another child, or she hid the scroll she broke instead of admitting to it, she would get very upset, leaking water from her eyes, and she would promise to never repeat the behavior, knowing now that it wasn’t right. Thebes hated seeing her upset, but then later, when she did the right thing instead of repeating wrong behavior, he got to be proud of her again, and see her bright smile.

She wasn’t perfect, by any means. Mainly, she had some issues expressing her anger in a healthy way. More than once he had to show disappointment in her breaking something in a fit of fury- though, honestly, he wasn’t quite sure if her way of breaking things was normal for a mobian or not. She would kick a rock and watch it shatter into pieces, or punch a wall and create a gaping hole. He didn’t think mobians were supposed to do that- and it got even stranger when she would stomp on the ground during a tantrum and create a crater, or lift up an entire house to grab a lost toy. Most worryingly, when she was angered, her normally green eyes would spark with energy, glowing the same pink as her quills. He knew that most Voxai couldn’t do these things, certainly, and though she was clearly not a normal Voxai, he wasn’t sure if she was a normal mobian, either.

He also wasn’t sure if that was good or not.

---

Once every cycle, Thebes would take Amy to visit the Overmind, so they could check on her progress. Afterwards, she would play with a toy they’d found for her, while the adults would discuss their research. Since she’d started talking, Amy was always very well-behaved when with the Overmind, addressing them by name and asking them how their cycle had been, answering all of their questions with a smile while bouncing on her paws and letting her tail wag back-and-forth. Then she’d go play, oblivious to whatever discussion was happening around or about her.

That started to change as she got older, though, and it was because of Thebes, unfortunately. Thebes had been unable to hide his discomfort at times, and though he’d told a questioning Amy that nothing was wrong, really, she could sense that something was troubling him.

Indeed, as the years pressed on, he felt that the Overmind was... becoming strange. The hivemind was meant to encourage them all, but sometimes he’d hear whispers of the Overmind being too pushy, sending out instructions that some Voxai couldn’t make themselves disobey. He’d never experienced it himself, but the more he visited with Amy, the more he started to see signs of something strange going on with them. He didn’t know if it was the stress around the lost Chaos Emerald, a corruption of power, a new behavior they’d picked up from another planet they’d trade with, or a combination of all of it, but they were, indeed, getting pushy. They’d ask him questions that were normally considered impolite, about himself and about Amy. At times, they talked about her as if she wasn’t at all alive, as if she were still an emerald locked up in a hidden temple. That above all made Thebes angry. She may have once been that emerald, but now she was Amy, his Amy, who loved to read and play in the garden and climb on whatever she could find, who was curious about this world and any other world she researched.

It worried Thebes, but not enough.

---

One cycle, when Amy was about eight or nine years old, the Overmind stated that in their research, they thought she may be able to summon things with her mind. Bring items out of nothing. Thebes thought this was ridiculous, but he agreed to try with her.

It took several weeks of work, of Amy sitting on the ground, imagining items she’d want to create, and then growing bored and wandering to the garden. Thebes would help as best he could, but in her natural Outermind state, as well as the strangeness of the situation, he couldn’t do much.

One day, she sat with him on the floor of their home, and said, “I don’t know what they want from me, really. What would make them proud of me?”

Thebes sighed, and brushed her with his wing. “Don’t think about that, Amy. What matters is I am very proud of you for trying. You don’t need to succeed if you cannot do it.”

Amy smiled and wiggled her nose at his praise, but then said, “I think I can. I really do. But I keep changing my mind on what I should bring about.”

Thebes considered. “What about those tools you use to help us build our homes? We only get those during trading periods with other worlds- wouldn’t it be useful if you could get them whenever you wanted?”

“That would be nice.” Amy nodded, considering. “I’ll try that.”

It took much longer, but she seemed more focused after that, sitting and humming and trying to make things out of thin air. But Thebes could sense her getting frustrated every day she failed, and though he assured her she didn’t need to do anything she was incapable of, it seemed every day she wanted more and more to do this magic.

Finally, one day, in the garden, she’d sat down among the stones to try and summon something. Then she stood, angered, and stomped a stone into shards. “This is awful! I can’t do it!”

“You don’t have to--”

“But I should be able to! I should be able to do anything with my head, like the rest of you! But nooo, I can’t even do anything normal! I don’t even look normal!”

"Amy.” Thebes said stiffly. “You are normal for your species.”

“Pfft, as if! I’m pretty sure most mobians don’t form out of magic emeralds!”

“Amy, please keep yourself controlled.”

“Why does it matter? I can’t even be like you!” Amy huffed, tears springing to her eyes. “How can I be anything special if I can’t be normal first? No, I’m just weird little Amy! Strange little Amy! Dumb little Amy!”

“Nobody thinks that.”

“They should! Cause that is who I am!”

In her fury, Amy turned towards the large stone behind her, and acted instinctively; what she had wanted to do was punch it, get some of her anger out by destroying the rock she’d sat against. Instead, her hands reached up behind her, in a position not very equipped for punching. And to both her and Thebes’s surprise, in the few seconds it took her to swing, a colorful, extra-large hammer appeared in her hands, and she brought its face to the rock. The impact turned the rock to an explosion of dust.

When the cloud settled, both Thebes and Amy stared in shock. Then, slowly, Amy smiled, and laughed, looking down at her hammer. Then she spun, laughing harder, beginning to dance. “Thebes, look! I did it! I did it! I made something! I made something! I did it right!”

It turned out she didn’t need to think like a Voxai to do it- to retreat into her mind, to focus on the energy around her. What she had to do was think like Amy. To think with her heart, her feelings.

Of course, Thebes was proud of her, but he also had a heavy heart at her previous words. After she’d calmed down, she threw the hammer into the air, making it disappear. And once she’d calmed from that action, which she thought was equally impressive, Thebes took her inside and sat her down.

“Amy, do you really think you’re incapable? That you’re... what was the word?”

Amy curled in on herself; it was an action she did when she was embarrassed, or upset. “Weird? Strange?”

“Amy, you’ve never been like that.”

“Don’t lie.” Amy sighed, glancing up at him. “I know you all just put up with me. I don’t act like a Voxai, and whenever I try, it feels wrong. I have to climb things and touch things, I can’t fly or lift things with my brain, I can barely even hear the hivemind. I’m just a weird outermind.”

“Has anyone told you this?”

“No... but I can tell.” Amy sighed. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that I have to have you fly me up to certain areas, cause nobody thought they’d have someone who couldn’t fly wandering around. Or that there are games I can’t play, or that I don’t have wings and my tail is too small, and I have these legs and arms that none of you know what to do with. I can tell I’m... different.”

Thebes floated beside her, and then curled against her, draping his wings over her like a blanket, as he had when she was just an infant. “Different does not mean wrong, Amy.”

“But it makes it harder on all of you.”

“And we don’t mind.” Thebes brushed against her again. “Do you remember when Croesus’s family’s home was destroyed in that quake, but you ran there before everyone else at night, before we could rebuild?”

“Yeah.”

“And you figured out that it was a location very sensitive to quakes, so you found them a better spot and started building on your own?”

“Yeah...”

“That was all you. You used a Voxai sense, to feel the world around you, and your own research to figure out what was wrong with the location. And then you used your strength to begin building.”

“I guess.”

“Amy, you’re not a Voxai.” Thebes said quietly. “But I don’t think you’re quite a mobian, either. And you’re not a simple stone, locked away without a mind. You’re Amy, the Rose-Colored Emerald who became the Rose-Colored Hedgehog. You’re a curious girl, a temperamental girl, and overall, a kind girl who wants to do no more than help those around her. And that is not ‘weird’ or ‘strange.’ That is not even ‘normal.’ That is special. You are special, to me and to everyone in this colony.”

For a moment, Amy was quiet, and Thebes was worried he may have made things worse, due to the tears that returned to her eyes. But then she leapt up, clinging to him as she always did, burying her face against his skin, and he knew she was going to be alright.

Unfortunately, that didn’t last long.

---

Their next appointment with the Overmind, Thebes was under the impression that Amy was simply playing in the other room. He would discern later that she, instead, sat there, eyes shut, doing her best to connect to the hivemind, to listen to what they were saying, to figure out if they were proud of her for her summoning- which she’d been practicing since her first victory- or upset at her for doing it in a strange way. There was more she’d wanted to know, too- she was curious as to what they talked about when she was busy, fearful that they were saying bad things about her, and... well, recently, she’d become concerned about Thebes’s occasional worry, his distance when thinking about the Overmind. Thebes could tell that Amy wanted him to stop being scared, he just never thought she’d stop her playtime to figure out what was worrying him so.

Unfortunately, this was just about the worst time she could have listened in.

The Overmind had compiled their years of research on Chaos Emeralds, mobian culture, and Amy’s own behavior, and concluded that her magical abilities were powerful beyond their imagining. Her fits of strength, her glowing eyes, were all things that they’d never heard of any species doing, let alone mobians. The summoning only confirmed what they thought- her origins as an emerald had given her not just power, but what seemed to be an unlimited power.

Thebes stayed quiet as they presented this, but then their words turned to what they could use her power for. It was, again, as if she were a simple stone again, one that had been locked away to prevent those from using this power in the way the Overmind was discussing. They brought up how her strength could be used as a weapon, her energy to summon great things for the Overmind and terrible things for their enemies.

“What enemies?” Thebes asked. “We have always been a peaceful society.”

“But with this power,” they tried to say, “We could have a better planet, one without seas of rocks, without quakes.”

“We are fine with the rocks. We don’t need a planet of branches to get tangled in or dirt and water to drag us down.”

“You are not thinking clearly, Thebes. Just because you are used to what you have doesn’t mean you can’t want more.”

“You are trying to use her for battle, something that we hid the emerald to prevent from happening. But now you know what she can do, you want to use her for violence. Have you thought about what she wants to do with her power?”

“She is one of us, and thus in service to the Overmind. So she will be happy to do what we tell her.”

“That is not what your power is supposed to be used for.”

“Perhaps it is. Perhaps we should encourage you to think so, too.”

That must have been when Amy broke; Thebes had a strong will, she must have known, and would have resisted the Overmind trying to force him into something he didn’t want to do. But she had fear, the fear that he would be forced into a shell of himself, that the Overmind would take her away from him and use her in a way that wouldn’t make him proud.

She burst into the room, screaming for them to stop, to leave him alone, and her eyes were glowing pink, her body sparking with that intense energy. They turned to see her, and she raised her hands, wanting to simply express her anger. But again, she acted instinctively; her hands formed around the summoned hammer, and she slammed it into the ground.

The energy that burst up caused chaos. Everyone in the room with Amy felt their connections to each other severed as they were thrown back, into the wall, thudding against it as the child screamed. A blinding light seemed to burst from her, flowing into the sky and across the colony. For a few brief seconds, there was no hivemind, and everyone was alone, and began to panic. Even when it returned, there was that fear, that horror that it might happen again. The blast of energy also hit several stones, several homes, causing them to shake, a few to burst.

When Amy came back to her senses, her eyes widened with horror, and she dropped the hammer, causing it to disappear before it hit the ground. She stepped back, looking in fear at what she’d done, and then she ran.

She couldn’t get far before Thebes caught up, curling his tail around her to carry her to someplace safe and calm. But she screamed as he lifted her, kicking and screaming for him to let her go, to let her get away from him, and the Overmind, and everyone. He could feel her energy as she screamed- she was not angry, but she was terrified, a level of fear he’d never thought her capable of.

He took her to a quiet cave, and when he dropped her, she curled into a ball, crying and screaming ot herself.

“Amy,” he said.

“Don’t touch me! I’ll hurt you again! Don’t touch me!”

He realized that he would not be able to reason with her in this state, and that made him fearful- reason was what he knew best, after all. But he had to remain strong, remain calm, to keep her from panicking farther. So he floated back, and for a long, long, while, let her get her emotions out. She screamed and sobbed, pounding her fists against the floor to make small craters, slamming herself into the wall to cause it to rumble... it was terrifying, how much the small child was capable of, and how she didn’t seem to care if she hurt herself in her breakdown.

But finally, finally, after what felt like forever, her cries quieted, and she stopped slamming against the stone, and instead curled up into a ball, finally calming herself. Slowly, Thebes approached, though he kept at a distance in case she did not want to be touched.

“Amy.” he said again. Then, when she did not respond, “Amy.”

“What?”

He sighed and floated beside her, brushing her quills with his tail. “You are not to blame for what happened. You didn’t know that was possible.”

“But I hurt you.”

“I’m alright. I’m more concerned about you.”

“I’m a monster.”

“Never.” Thebes lowered himself, so that he was covering her with his wings. “It is like I said. You are Amy.”

Amy slowly unfurled from the ball, and then climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace.

“Are the Overmind gonna take me away?” she sniffled.

“I would never let them.”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“I know.”

“I like it here. I don’t want another planet.” Amy pressed herself farther against him. “I don’t even want Mobius. I just want to be here, at home, and make everyone happy.”

Thebes felt his heart swell. “Then you shall stay. Amy, my Amy, you make us happy just by being here.”

“What if I just ruined it? And everyone’s scared of me?”

Thebes considered, and then said, “I know I would never be.”

Amy sighed, and then embraced him tighter. “Then I guess it’ll be okay. So long as you’re still here.”

---

Thebes had to smuggle Amy back to the house, fearful of questions or some kind of repercussions from the Overmind. But when they were finally back in their colony, at their home, Amy quickly scampered into her makeshift bed, curling beneath the blankets that had once been the sling Thebes used to carry her as an infant, and soon was snoring soundly. Thebes wasn’t quite sure what to do while she slept, so he tidied the house, and then sat at the window, staring out into the sky. He thought it best to let Amy sleep, to let her dream of a place without trouble.

What he didn’t know is that that would be the last time she’d have that luxury for quite some time.

---

Amy awoke to the rumble of the ground, and the sound of screams.

Thebes flew to her as fast as he could, and saw her rubbing her eyes, having momentarily forgotten what had happened the previous day. She blinked up at him, sleep still a distant glimmer in her green eyes- he realized, only now, with a heavy heart, they were the same green that the Chaos Emerald had been before it changed. The emerald within her soul.

“Wha’s going on?” she asked blearily, as Thebes swept her up in his wings.

“We’re under attack.”

“What?” That was almost a foreign concept to her. Then she blinked away her exhaustion, and began to tremble. “The Overmind?”

“Worse.”

“Wh- what’s--?”

Amy soon found out, as Thebes swept her onto his back and began to fly as fast as he could. Amy began to shake, letting out startled cries, as she looked to the sky, which had turned blood-red, something dark and looming floating above them and blocking their light. Around her, Voxai were scrambling, panicking, their thoughts a jumble bursting into a confused hivemind. They flew as fast as Thebes could manage, but even in the quick movements, Amy could see the shadows of creatures, strange creatures she couldn’t recall reading about, leaping onto Voxai, smashing them into the ground, screeching and roaring.

“What are they?”

Thebes was hesitant, but then he said, “They’re here for you. So we have to get you safe.”

“What?”

“They must have sensed that explosion of Chaos Energy. So they want your power- and trust me, what they could do with your power is worse than anything even the Overmind, even in this state, could imagine.”

Amy grabbed onto him tighter, shutting her eyes and trying to think of something, anything else, to block out the screams, the crashes, the roars.

When Thebes began to slow, Amy opened her eyes, scared he might have been cornered. Instead, she saw them floating in front of some tall, elaborate building- far more decorated than any other practical Voxai residence.

“Where are we?”

Before Thebes could answer, they heard more screams, more screeching- and then, a horrifying hiss. They turned behind them, and Amy whimpered as they saw a thick gas spreading in the area behind them. As they watched, every Voxai that came in contact with it completely froze, unable to move. Their screams, however, could still be heard in the hivemind- they were conscious, but unable to move at all, leaving them ripe for the taking of the invading monsters.

Amy finally let out a terrified scream, and that pushed Thebes fast enough to act. He took off flying again, into the temple, the one where Amy had been born so long ago. He could only hope he could outrun the gas for long enough to save her.

He burst through the temple, only slowing whenever it seemed that Amy was slipping. He could feel her tremble against him, looking up and around at the temple halls, curiosity and confusion bursting into her fear.

Thebes had not been in the temple for about a decade now, but he still knew the pathways, every nook and cranny, and before long he was able to get them to the chamber that had once held the emerald that became the hedgehog clinging to him now. Once there, he let Amy slide off his back, and flew to the wall, counting the bricks.

“What are you doing?”

“Only the Overmind knew we had one of these,” he said, “and only the guardian of the Emerald’s Temple knew where it was. And... here! Amy, move this stone.”

“The Emerald’s Temple?” Amy asked, realization dawning on her. Then she ran over, pulling a loose stone from the wall as Thebes said. There was something behind it, and she reached inside, pulling out...

“A ring?”

“It’s a teleporter.” Thebes explained. He hooked it around his tail, taking it from her. “It will take you far away from here, where they won’t be able to find you.”

“Wh-what?”

They heard roaring, then, echoing through the temple halls.

“They’re inside.” he said, almost disbelievingly. Then, he shook his head. “You have to leave, before that paralyzing gas reaches you and you can no longer escape them.”

“But you’re coming too, right?”

Thebes took a deep, steady breath. “Those monsters will be here before long. I will not let them follow you.”

“What does that mean? Thebes?”

Thebes then flung the ring into the air. With a jing sound, it expanded, opening up into a huge, dark portal. On the other side was a world Thebes knew Amy had read about, one where she’d be able to survive until she found someone to care for her.

“Listen to me. Your power is unlike anything we could have imagined. That means there will always be someone looking to use it for evil. Do not let anyone use you. Your power is yours- which means it is something beautiful.”

“What are you saying?”

“You must hurry.”

“No!” she stomped her foot, causing a floor rumble. “I won’t leave you! I’ll fight them, I’ll protect you! I’m not leaving!”

There wasn’t time to argue, and Thebes knew it. Even with her strength, he doubted a child as young as she would be a match for the invading creatures, especially with their paralyzing agent. He couldn’t let them use her for their dark ends, hurt her for their horrible means.

He wrapped his wings around her, as he had when she was a baby. Then he spun, and flung her into the ring.

“Thebes!” she screeched, and he watched his daughter disappear into the ring portal, and, as best he could, sent her a calming wave of energy before it could close and the aliens could reach him.

---

Amy ran to where the portal had been, clawing at the air, then the dirt beneath her fingers, much more dirt than she was used to. “No! No! Thebes! Thebes, bring me back! Dad! BRING ME BACK!”

Her eyes sparked with that pink energy, tears flowing from her and landing on the ground, before turning into steam from the magic within her. It finally hit her that the ring would not open again, that Thebes had sent her away, and that... that Voxai... they must all be...

She sunk to her knees, unable to hold herself up any longer. She stared into space, letting the strange wind hit her, feeling the strange plants under her, and letting herself cry.

This was her fault.

No.

But it is. They were after me. My power.

Amy hugged herself, despair overwhelming her.

Then, slowly, Thebes’s words entered her mind. “You are not to blame for what happened. You didn’t know that was possible.”

But if it wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t be dying right now.

What would Thebes say to that? “It doesn’t matter. It happened, and you must go on.”

How could I go on without my family? My home?

“That is for you to decide.”

She shivered, hugging herself tighter and curling into a ball, hearing those last words in her head. “Your power is yours- which means it is something beautiful.”

Right now, it sure didn’t feel beautiful.

But after a while, she sat up, the words ringing in her head. Thebes sent her away, but not out of fear of her. To keep her safe. She couldn’t let that be in vain. She couldn’t sink into despair in the middle of this strange place. That wasn’t what Thebes would want.

She struggled to her feet, taking a few steps before sinking again. And then she got up, and took another step, and another, focusing on making her way across the unusual terrain.

She walked for what must have been hours, the sky above changing from its dark black to a bright blue. It seemed strange, that the sky could brighten when her home was gone, that anything could be light ever again. She felt heat against her quills as she pushed through tall plants- trees, she thought, from her reading. She found a long trickle of water- a river. It was strange, seeing one of those- usually on Voxai, their water was extracted from the small plants that survived on the stone. It was amazing that someone could have so much water it flowed across the land.

There were stones in the middle of the river, and as she hopped across them, she felt a brief flash of home- except these rocks were wet, and slippery. It was almost like a taunt, reminding her she would never be home again.

But she followed the river. Most species needed water to survive, so she’d find someone. As she walked, she wondered if she wanted to do this at all- what if they wanted to hurt her, too, and Thebes’s sacrifice had been for nothing? But then, what if she wasted away in the woods, dying because she didn’t understand how this world worked? No, she had to at least see who lived here. This had to be a planet she read about, right?

She’d been walking for so long her legs ached, but she kept pushing on, until she finally reached the river’s end. She looked up at a huge waterfall, amazed by the roar it produced, the droplets flickering onto her. She’d never seen anything like it.

There was a rustle behind her, and she jumped, turning. On instinct, she pulled the hammer, again, out of air, in case one of those monsters had followed her.

Instead, something flew at her, too fast for her to react. But when it stopped, right in front of her face, she saw it was something organic, something alive. A bright teal creature, flapping with tiny pink wings. It had legs and arms like her, and blinking eyes, these a dark blue as opposed to her green. It stared for a long while, and she stared back, the two of them trying to figure each other out.

She heard a rustle again, and the creature retreated a little bit, turning to look. Amy’s stare was then directed at what emerged from the plants.

A mobian.

She was small, miniscule. A little girl, with the same body shape as Amy, the same head, limbs... but she wasn’t a hedgehog. She had long ears, so long that she tripped over them as she waddled over, and a puffy, bushy tail.

“Hi!” the creature said, in the Mobian language. “I’m Cream, and this is my very best friend, Cheese. What’s your name?”

Amy kept staring.

“Maybe you cannot talk yet.”

Amy swallowed a cry, and then carefully said, “I’m Amy.”

“Oh! You can talk! I’m so glad. A lot of people don’t visit the garden, mama says. I bet she wants to meet you. We take care of the chao, like Cheese. Do you like chao? Do you want some food? We have cookies--”

She sure talked a lot for someone who was so young- barely past the toddler stage, probably. At least, Amy figured. She didn’t know how fast mobian children developed. All she knew was... herself.

Amy turned to river, watching her rippling reflection. She was filthy, with red cheeks and dark circles under her eyes. But she looked mainly up at the quills on her face, which pointed outwards, spiking like jagged stones.

Slowly, as the rabbit talked, she reached up, pulling her quills down. If she pulled them to point down, against the sides of her head, it almost looked like a Voxai shell.

“--my house is back this way. I bet Mama will be real real happy to see you, we like having visitors. And we have pretty pretty flowers! Do you wanna see?”

Flowers. Amy had never seen one up close before. She wondered if there’d be one the color Thebes had described her as. The Rose-Colored Emerald, he’d said.

“Okay.” she said, and followed the rabbit through the garden.

#sonic fanfiction #amy rose #sonic 2020 #the dark brotherhood #sonic chronicles #voxai #mine #connie writes #chaos emerald theory

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itsautophile · 3 years

Text

Poppy (Death, Rememberance and Sleep)

AO3

By the time Cale moved from the Henituse Manor to the Thames Estate, the Thames Family had been almost entirely forgotten by everyone. There were a few pieces of information someone could find about them.

The Thames Family had always been low in numbers. The number of children always low even after infant and children life expectancy rose and they had no branch families. If someone was born a Thames, they died a Thames with the only exception to the rule being Jour Thames. Then again, her marriage to Deruth Henituse took place after the fall of her family. At its largest their numbers reached eighteen, a number which always impressed people until they found out cousins, who would normally belong to branch families, were also included in the count.

While one should not judge someone by their family name or blood there were two facts accepted by everyone that almost each member of the family shared. One, they were either very skilled, very talented, very gifted or all three. If they didn’t seem like it than they were either married in or, the most likely the case, hiding it. Two, everyone, including the ones who married in, were extremely paranoid. It was to the point, the head of the family more than 1000 years ago decided to place their entire Estate under a protection ward which meant no one aside from those given permission by the head could enter the Thames Estate grounds.

When the Thames Family fell everything was left to the only member standing Jour who in turn left it to her children. This made Cale the “Head of the Family”.

Cale woke up early. Early as in eight in the morning. She knew she had two hours before Ron came to get her. She could lie down on her bed once more if she wished. Instead she sat down on the desk which faced the window and decided to think.

The Estate itself was enormous. It was separated in sections and Cale along with Ron spend the first week doing a “surface exploration” to get an idea of what they were dealing with.

There was the “Main Residential Area” were the family and their servants lived. It consisted of one big castle still in good condition and almost up to date with the Henituse Manor. Unsurprising considering the last time someone lived here had been fifteen years ago and not many mayor technological advances happened. What was surprising was how clean and pest free it was. Apparently a lot of magic was cast on this building, probably due to how difficult paranoia made hiring servants. The same spells had been applied to the other two buildings in that section. One of them being something of an Archive Library and Research Facility and the other one being a hospital.

Of course, despite the magic, they would still need to clean “just in case”. This made the hiring of more servants her top responsibility. Apparently while Deruth could force her to change residences, he couldn’t force her to invite in her house someone she didn’t want. Cale sometimes worried about her father’s way of thinking. She brought with her only three servants. Ron, her personal servant who shouldn’t have been her personal servant. Beacrox, Ron’s son and her favorite cook. And Hans, Cain’s personal servant.

Mentally she made a list.

*Servants to help with the kitchens. Both cooking and cleaning.

*Servants to help with cleaning the rooms.

*Servants to do laundry.

*A mage who could teleport would be ideal but they could do without one for now.

*Two people to take care of those two horses at the stables and it would be preferable if they knew how to do carriage maintenance.

The library didn’t need anyone for now. While a medicinal professional would be nice it wasn’t a necessity yet.

So many people, she thought. The idea of having to deal with finding enough trustworthy people gave her a headache. While duties could overlap that didn’t lower the amount by much.

On the first section of the Estate, behind the castle, was the Garden which consisted of five conservatories none of them attached to the main building with a glass protected corridor as the fashion used to be at the time of their building. The structures themselves were in good condition but on the inside the plant life, without the intervention of people, did what it was meant to do and took over. There was a wide variety of plants from vegetables plants, fruit trees to herbs of both the mundane and magical kind. Around those green houses, partially for decoration, were more fruit trees.

Gardeners, were added to the list.

The next section was the biggest and it could be separated into three parts. The hunting grounds next to the Forest of Darkness, the domesticated animal grounds and farm land. A lot of the animals she had seen were of the domesticated kind. Someone before they left must have left their gates open for them to roam. Cale from where she was sitting could count twenty six chickens which implied there were no mayor predators for the animal. One less thing to worry about.

Meat, milk and eggs. That was what they would need from the animals. Was it worth it to keep them around for that? Yes. The closest market they could receive them was a week’s worth of travel away and it was a place too small to provide even biweekly the necessary amounts. If they first managed to make it so they didn’t spoil on the way.

*People to look after the animals. Amount depending on the animals. At most three. Maybe those who work on the horses could also work on the rest.

*Someone able to repair the barns and fences.

If the hunting grounds needed someone to look after them Cale didn’t know. As for the farm lands… those were probably mostly used to produce food for the animals which would be stored for winter and cereal grain. Animal food would be nice to grow in case it snowed she guessed. Cereals on the other hand probably wasn’t as much of a necessity. Flour didn’t spoil. But the distance… She would have to wait and see.

Between this section and the next one was a lake. It was a nice lake with fish. It didn’t need anyone.

The next section consisted of a village who as far as she could tell had no name had been abandoned hastily and quickly its inhabitants living behind valuables and personal objects. The village had about fifteen houses each one with a garden, craft buildings, a mill and no signs of recent life.

It made her worry.

Two eggs poached in tomato sauce, three sausages, unbuttered toast, a slice of cake, fresh cherries, jam, marmalade, honey, lemon tea and water. The tablecloth was white with white embroidery on it and the breakfast set while of a different design had the same colors as the one used in the Henituse Manor the most. A bouquet of lavender had been set on the center of the table as decoration.

The breakfast table had been spread out for the young mistress to eat at the same time it always was ready for her to sit.

��Ron about the hiring of workers.”

Cale hadn’t even properly started eating breakfast yet.

“Don’t worry young mistress. This Ron will personally take care of it.”

Hair braided into a single braid lying on her shoulder, dressed in informal, simple mourning attire and looking far too tired for a child who supposedly got ten hours of sleep every day.

This was the second time Ron witnessed a child growing up too fast and it was three times too many if you asked him.

“Do that but also. I need you to create a private Information Guild.”

He should refuse. He really, really should. But there was a gleam in her eyes he hadn’t seen in a month and Ron didn’t want to crush it.

It was something he was already planning on doing anyways but not having to hide it would make things easier.

“To look into the suspicious mystery of the Thames Family’s Fall and the disappearance of everyone else living in the Estate.”

“Exactly. And also to get me in contact with a few people privately. Don’t worry. Father gave his permission.”

#trash of the count's family #tcf #cale henituse #ron molan #fanfic

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booklovingturtle · 4 years

Note

Would you perhaps help write a Jurdan pregancy hcs?? If that’s not your forte, I understand. I just love fluffy Jurdan.

I don’t usually do pregnancy hcs but I love Jurdan fluff and I’ll write anything for a request! This actually turned into a rather long fic bc I ended up really enjoying it which means thank you to whoever suggested it!

Jude stumbled from bed, pushing the covers off of her slick body. She felt as if her life had been slowly drained from her for the third day in a row. Her feet tripped over themselves and she made it to the bathing chamber just in time to lose her dinner from the day before. Jude felt her stomach contract violently. She felt dizzy from having stood and ran so quickly and was clutching the rim of the waste bin. The door, which she had been too disoriented to shut all the way, pushed opened. The High Queen heard her husband’s footsteps enter her bathing chamber.

“What…the hell…,” Jude groaned into the circle of her arms. She felt a gentle hand rub circles down the length of her spine.

“Jude dear,” Cardan’s voice was gentle as he tried to pull her chestnut hair back for her. His concern was palpable in the way he hovered over her. “I think we should call a healer. This is the third night in a row you’ve jumped out of bed like this.”

Jude tried to relax the chills that racked her muscles. Judging by the two nights before, her body aches would calm down after a few minutes. Cardan pulled her against the heat of his body. Her back was pressed against his chest and he took her hands in his.

“I’ve been poisoned.” Jude reasoned.

Cardan’s laugh vibrated through her. “Or maybe it’s a cold. I hear humans get them quite frequently during the turn of the seasons.”

Jude shook her head. “I have an incredible immune system, Cardan. I’m offended that you would accuse me of not being able to handle a common cold.”

His tail tickled her ankles as it curled around the exposed skin. “I would never call you weak,” his words were light but the tension in his body told Jude he wasn’t in a joking mood. “I just don’t think it’s poison and if you say it’s not a cold then you must be seriously ill.”

Jude released a heavy breath. Her brain had finally woken up enough to filter through all the poisons that could be eating at her health without her realizing. She didn’t have a fever or cough so she doubted it was a cold. Jude’s breath caught in her throat as she realized what else it could be. The High Queen took a mental tally of her last cycle. Tatterfell had discovered a new tonic that would lighten the burden of her cycles. There was no way to be sure if her late period was thanks to the Faerie tonic or…

“Cardan,” her voice cracked.

“Yes?” He kissed her temple.

“Can you call for Taryn? She caught a cold like this a few months ago. I want to know if her symptoms matched mine,” the lie came out easily. Guilt ate at her.

It had been years since Jude had lied to her husband. They had worked so hard to turn their complicated relationship into one that thrived on love and trust. It was hard in the beginning but after ten years of being married to Cardan, Jude could trust that when he spoke, it was never laced with deceit. Just as he could trust that she’d never use her mortal ability to trick him ever again.

This lie, however, felt different. If her worries were correct then she’d come clean soon enough. If she was wrong then there was no need to confuse Cardan with the possibility of something that may not even be real.

Cardan agreed to call for Taryn and Jude took that time to clean herself up a bit. Once she felt presentable, she made her way back to bed. The High King also rang for a healer, not wanting to risk anything worsening.

The minutes slowly passed as Jude waited for her sister. Cardan continued to run his hands through her hair as they waited. He was a silent, steady presence behind her. A loud knock burst through their room and he called for the servant to enter. Behind the nymph trailed a concerned looking Taryn and a bored court healer.

Cardan excused himself from the room as Jude talked to her sister. Taryn’s eyes widened as her twin described her symptoms.

“Jude!” She exclaimed in joy.

“Quiet down, Taryn! I don’t want anyone to get suspicious before it’s confirmed.” She glared at her sister. The High Queen turned her eyes to the healer. “What do you think?”

The healer’s sharp eyes ran down the length of her body. “Have you experienced any unusual weight gain?”

Jude couldn’t answer with certainty. She was a warrior before she was a monarch. Her body had fluctuated in weight after numerous changes in diet, training, and not to mention torture. She had noticed her armor fitting a little tighter in areas it hadn’t usually bothered her.

“Yes, I think so.”

The healer motioned for her to lay down. She spoke quiet words in an ancient language. Jude shivered as the Fae placed a withered hand on her stomach. The words whispered of life and seemed to echo in the large bedroom. The healer’s eyes closed for a second as she waited to hear the response.

“It’s true, Your Majesty. You are with child.”

Jude’s limbs froze. Taryn squealed through her hands. The healer stood unmoving.

“I-I’m pregnant?” she looked down at her stomach in disbelief.

The healer nodded. “You and your sister are twins.”

Jude’s eyes jumped to the Faerie again. “Yes. Why?”

The healer gestured again but this time to tell the Queen to sit up. “It’s still too early to tell but there is a chance that you could carry more than one.”

A shocked laugh escaped Jude as she stared at her sister. She looked back at the healer and thanked her for her service. The creature nodded a goodbye. Taryn bobbed up and down, looking with undiluted happiness at her twin.

“Jude! Congratulations! Vivi’s going to be so jealous when she finds out that I got to be here.”

“Taryn, what the hell am I going to do? I don’t know how to be a mom. I can’t-I don’t…” Jude words cut off and her face flushed with tears she hadn’t realized were building.

Taryn looked surprised by Jude reaction. To her credit, she didn’t hesitate to take a seat on the edge of the bed. “Jude. Listen to me. You are High Queen of Elfhame. You’ve been kidnapped, poisoned, stabbed, beaten, and tortured. You’ve stood against enemies older than most human civilizations. You are Jude Duarte. You will handle this like you’ve handled every other situation that has been thrown at you…or well, like every other situation that you’ve blindly out yourself in!”

Jude shook her head. “I’ve stabbed my way through most of those situations. I can’t exactly stab an infant, Taryn.”

Her sister scoffed. “Believe me, Jude, if I could make it through my pregnancy and learn the ropes of motherhood given everything that was happening around us, you can as well.”

Jude chewed over the thought, realizing Taryn was right. When Taryn’s first child was born, she was recently-widowed and Elfhame’s monarchy was still new to the land. Right now they were in a time of peace with no imminent threat to the kingdom. Plus Jude had her sister’s previous experience to learn from. And Cardan.

“Cardan!” Jude started. “I have to tell him.”

Taryn jumped from the bed. “Oh! You have to let me know how he reacts!”

Jude wiped a stray tear from her cheek and nodded. “Thank you, Taryn.”

Her sister gave her a sweet smile. “I hope he faints,” she giggled and turned to leave.

Not two seconds later, Cardan strode into the room. He took one look at Jude’s pale face and stopped in his tracks.

“What is it?” He sounded anxious.

Jude stood, meeting him halfway in the room. The High King intertwined his fingers with his wife’s. He leaned forward so that his brow met hers. She took a deep breath and steeled herself to say the words.

“Cardan…I’m pregnant.”

He jerked back, but kept his hands in hers. “You’re-you’re what?”

“I’m pregnant,” She repeated the words, not fully believing them even as they left her mouth.

His dark eyes were wide as he stared down at her. “You’re carrying our child,” wonder filled his voice. “I’m going to be a father?”

“There’s no guarentee that you’re the father but-” she broke off with a wicked smile.

Cardan laughed, a silver shine glittering in his eyes. His smile was blindingly bright as he said, “I’m going to be a father!”

Jude nodded, once again surprised by the tears that welled in her own eyes. “You’re happy about the news?”

Her husband gave her a look of disbelief. “Jude, I’m more than happy.”

“But we never talked about children. Never made plans.”

“That’s because I was afraid. Some Faeries go decades without reproducing and we’ve always been aware of the fact that won’t have decades to wait. It felt selfish to ask you to spend all that time working towards a family that we wouldn’t have gotten. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

Jude ran a finger along his sharp jawline. “You could never disappoint me, Cardan. I love you. Child or no child. We would have found a way to make our own family if that’s what we wanted.”

The High King didn’t bother to wipe the tears of joy from his cheeks. He grabbed Jude’s waist and ran a hand across the front of her stomach. “This is going to be most beautiful child Elfhame as ever seen. How could it not be? With me as it’s father.”

The Queen used her thumbs to brush away Cardan’s tears. “That’s assuming you’re the father.”

His laugh filled the room. Cardan’s smiling lips met hers. Jude melted into a kiss that left her soul singing. His fingers tickled the curves of her waist. Jude pressed herself hard against him, wanting to feel every part of him. Cardan held himself back.

“Careful, I don’t want to squish our little bean.”

Jude rolled her eyes. “We’re not going to squish it, Cardan.”

He shook his head. “I’m not willing to risk it.” Instead, the High King kneeled at Jude’s feet and placed a protective hand over her stomach. “I love you very much, my little bean.”

“Cardan!” Jude groaned. “Stop calling it that.”

He looked up at her through innocent eyes that were framed with beautiful lashes. “Little Bean,” he said thoughtfully. “I like it.” He looked back at her stomach and pulled up her shirt. Cardan kissed right above her naval. “I’m going to do everything in my power to protect you, Little Bean.”

Jude’s chest tightened at the fierceness in his voice. She ran a hand through his unkempt curls.

“I didn’t have a family who fought for me. But I will fight for you. Every day of my life, Little Bean.”

A lump formed in Jude’s throat and she had to push back yet another wave of tears. Apparently, this pregnancy was going to turn her into a crier. She was not excited for that.

“I’m sure Little Bean can hear you,” the gentleness in Jude’s tone was new to her. “You’re going to be a great father, Cardan.” She could already see the wave of fears that were dancing around her husband’s head.

He didn’t meet her gaze so Jude knelt down to look him in the eyes. “This Little Bean is going to be loved and protected in all the ways we weren’t. We’re going to make sure of it.” She pulled her husband into a tight embrace. “I love you.”

“I love you,” he repeated. He let himself hold his wife tightly for a few lingering moments.

“But I love Little Bean more now so please stop trying to squish it.”

#booklovingturtle writes #holly black #the cruel prince #the wicked king #queen of nothing #tcp #twk #qon #jude duarte #prince cardan #cardan greenbriar #high king cardan #high queen jude #high queen of elfhame #high king of elfhame #The Folk of the Air #jurdan #jurdan fluff

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ofthelibertine · 3 years

Text

did [DIAMOND BELLEVUE] chase one of seven sins seven miles down the coast? originally from [NEW YORK CITY], the [22] [CISFEMALE] is a [SUPERMODEL] and has lived in the key for [THREE MONTHS]. [SHE] is suppose to call [THE MEADOWS] home, but there is always temptation lurking between the streets and the ocean that keeps [HER] from heading back. sinners and saints take many forms, but they look like [ZENDAYA] and on their way to make decisions, good and bad, they always seem to sway to the beat of [DRUNK WITH MY FRIENDS BY ASHNIKKO].

Trigger Warnings: eating disorder, bipolar disorder, NAS, drugs, alcohol, underage drugs, underage drinking

- B A S I C -

Full Name: Diamond Nathalia Bellevue Nickname(s): Dime, Dia, Di Age: 22 Occupation: Supermodel, but she also runs her own online beauty and fashion shop. Birthday: December 15th Aries: Sagittarius Sexual Orientation: Bisexual Neighborhood: The Meadows

- F A M I L Y -

Father: Winston Bellevue Mother: Betty Bellevue Siblings: Four older siblings (all adopted) Children: She has a 13-month-old son, named Dante.

- B I O -

She is originally from New York City. Diamond was born to a teenaged drug addict and was willingly put up for adoption the second she was born, only to be adopted a few short months later by Winston and Betty Bellevue - an older couple in their late forties who hailed from London, England. They had just moved to the Upper Eastside of Manhattan a few years prior, along with their four other adopted children. Her father was one of the top cosmetic surgeons in the state of New York, while her mother was a leading patent attorney, so they were often kept quite busy with work. Despite that, their work didn't stop them from being really attentive parents to their children. Dime had a great relationship with her parents, and though her siblings were significantly older than she was, she was still quite close to each and every one of them. That said, there were still some clashing personalities and views of opinion from time to time among the family - they weren't perfect, after all - but overall, everyone got along fine. There weren't any disputes that didn't go unforgiven for too long, which was nice. She had a very serious habit of shutting out her family, or even withdrawing completely for a while, as her work or mental state allowed it to happen...but her family eventually reeled her back in and she was grateful to them for that. They really were her rock, at the end of the day.

Despite being adopted by a wonderful and loving family, that did not erase the damage done to her by her addict birth mother. Dime was born with NAS (Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome) and this is believed to be the leading cause of her overall mental illness and eating disorder and later on, her own drug addiction later down the road.

When she was just toddler she was diagnosed with ARFID - she'd always had an aversion to food, starting from infancy and that never changed as she grew older. It worried her parents, because there were many times when she just wouldn't eat anything for days - refused all kinds of food - and it would end up with her in the hospital, being force-fed through a feeding tube, lest she starve. Her childhood diagnosis of ARFID has since turned into a full blown and rather serious eating disorder that she is still constantly battling to this day. When she turned seven, she was officially diagnosed with Bipolar, which she had apparently inherited from her birth mother also. The diagnose did not come as a huge shock to her family, since Diamond had always had very extreme mood swings - one minute she would be incredibly social and rambunctiously hyper, talking people's ears off and the next she would go very quiet and closed off and sink into a very noticeable depression. So by the time she was in middle school, she was taking meds and seeing therapists frequently, which was...tiresome to say the least. Despite her rather poor mental and physical health, Diamond still led a pretty normal life in Manhattan. She was a major hobbyist, even as a child, and so she was always bouncing from one activity to another, easily bored with things once she'd mastered it. She was always wanting to try and learn new things. Dime took up dancing, vocal lessons, piano and violin lessons, and dabbled in painting, scrapbooking, journaling, photography, needlework...you name it, she's very likely tried it at least once. Her interests in dancing, painting and photography were still strong, especially dancing. At the age of five her parents put her in her first dance class and she fell in love with it. She learned ballet first but quickly grew to love contemporary hip-hop the best and delved right into it. She still danced today, and could have gotten a full ride to Juilliard if it weren't for her modeling career taking off as quickly as it had. She was first introduced to modeling at the age of nine, when she was scouted while in the mall with her mother, and after getting both her parents' consent, Dime was allowed to be signed on to the agency and soon she began work as a child model. Child modeling soon turned into full-time as soon as she turned sixteen and by the age of nineteen she was at the top of her stardom. With her parents’ naively trusting that she would be well looked after, Diamond moved out of her parents’ home at sixteen, once she began making really good money off her modeling, and into an apartment with several other young models - five others, to be precise. So it was crowded, with it being only a three bedroom place, but they managed. The apartment building was full of other models who lived in various apartments, women and men alike, and soon these people because her ‘crowd’.

They partied together, slept together and fasted together. Fights were also not an uncommon occurrence among the models, since the industry was known to be quite competitive and brutally cutthroat. Within her first year of living with the other models, she became heavily addicted to narcotics and alcohol - it was ridiculously easy for her to get addicted, too, since she was predisposed to it from her birth. Sadly, in her new social circle, drugs and alcohol ran rampant at parties, even to the underaged.

It didn’t take long before she stopped taking her meds altogether and stopped going to therapy sessions, and instead Diamond submersed herself deep into her new life. Outside of modeling, when she wasn’t working, she often spent her nights out with her fellow models - partying, drinking, doing drugs and having a lot of fun and a lot of sex and she grew further and further away from her family. A family that she still loved with all of her being but whom she rarely saw anymore. She let the lifestyle pretty much consume her life, to the point where her world became a permanent sort of blur; she was rarely sober. Just shy of turning 20, Diamond met an older man named Ivan, who worked as an up and coming actor. He lived in Los Angeles but had been in New York shooting a film. The two had ended up bumping into each other at a party and had hit it off and began dating shortly thereafter. It would prove to be a very short-lived relationship - lasting only a few months, just long enough for Ivan's film to finish and for Diamond to fall pregnant. Unsurprisingly, Ivan flipped the hell out when she told him the news and he immediately fled back to California with his tail between his legs, wanting nothing to do with the baby. Deep down, Diamond couldn't really blame him - his career was just getting off the ground, same as hers and becoming a parent was a total derailment of his plans. As a young working woman herself, Diamond understood that...but she was no less pleased about it. After four years of living on her own, away from her parents, Diamond returns home - not really knowing what else to do, now that she was knocked up. Thankfully, her family welcomed her back with open arms. No one was anymore thrilled with the news of her pregnancy than she or Ivan were, especially given her obvious addiction to drugs, but they were far more supportive with her decision to keep the baby. However, her parents had insisted that she go to rehab and get clean and get back on her meds, first - for the sake of both her and their unborn grandchild - and though she initially fought them on it, Dime had agreed to go in the end. She ended up spending three months in rehab, getting clean and sober and getting back onto her meds and starting up therapy once again. It was an arduous process, but one she wouldn’t regret. When she welcomed her son, Dante - with a clear mind and a heart filled with nothing but love for the infant boy that she cradled in her arms - she’d felt immense relief that she had listened and had gone through the program. A year later and still clean and living with her parents in Upper Eastside Manhattan, while raising her son and still working full-time as a pretty well known supermodel, Dime made the rash decision to buy a beach house down in Key West, Florida. For her, her son and her family when they needed a place away from hustle and bustle of the city. She loved New York City, it was her home and where she worked, but she didn't want to raise her son there, at least not solely. Their Manhattan residence would always be there as their primary home, but a vacation house in the Keys sounded rather nice.

- W A N T E D C O N N E C T I O N S -

OLDEST (ADOPTED) SIBLINGS - She is the youngest of five, and all of the Bellevue children are adopted so ANY ethnicity will work. (age ranges: 26-40)

BEST FRIEND(S)

Casual Friend(s)

Bad Influences

CLUB / BAR HOPPING BUDDIES - people she can rely on to always be up for going out drinking / dancing with

DANCING OR WORKOUT BUDDIES - She loves to go dancing (she’s a trained dancer) and working out, either at the gym or going on hikes and long walks, so it would be fun to have someone she can go with.

Fellow Models that she’s possibly worked with in the past.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Rivals / Enemies / Frenemies

Neighbors of Silverwood Terrace

Babysitter / Nanny / Daycare - for Dante

LOVE INTERESTS AND / FLINGS & ONE-NIGHTERS - She’s got a thing for older men, so it would be fun to explore that a bit, in either a serious or casual fashion.

#sevenmiles.intro #tw drugs #tw alcohol #tw eating disorder #diamond:intro #like this post if you want to plot

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cruelfeline · 4 years

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This Got Long and I am Sorry

Well, the anti in the Hordak tag deleted their post, which is a huge bummer because it means no fun games for me. But! I have been looking forward to addressing the points in that post all day, and I won’t give up my chance to talk ad nauseam about Hordak. Because y’all know that I love to talk about Hordak.

also I saved the post as a draft prior to it getting deleted so I actually have the whole thing hahaha

However: in order to prevent the original poster from getting harassed for said post, I’m just going to address points via my own summary. Safer that way! So, here we go: addressing some posited reasons that Catra and Hordak are not comparable, plus some claims about why Hordak can’t be treated with the same kindness many like to treat Catra with.

1. Hordak being a clone of a dictator/not being biologically similar to Catra et. al, acting as he does because of this biology as a clone.

This portion of that post was a little odd because I don’t really understand what the argument was. Perhaps the idea that Hordak literally cannot be anything different than his progenitor due to... cloning science? I’m not sure.

But assuming that that was the intended argument: being a clone essentially means having the same DNA as someone else. That’s all. It does not mean that you are the exact same person (ask some identical twins if they are the same exact person as their sibling). The environment one is raised in, along with epigenetics (changes in individuals due to gene expression rather than DNA), provides infinite variations between individuals that might share the same DNA. So this argument is a little... nonsensical?

Now, I can definitely buy that some of Hordak’s morality might be biology-based; that is a legitimate argument. See this post regarding why an individual like Hordak may not have issues raising children for his army, for example. Mind you, I don’t really see this as an argument in support of him just being an evil, irredeemable bastard; rather, I look at it as an argument against “natural evil” and more in favor of different biological, cultural, and environmental factors creating an alien morality.

2. Hordak created a social system that resulted in all sorts of abuses being visited upon children. He viewed said children as disposable materials for his war.

...yeah, actually, just go to this post again. Honestly, I have zero expectation for Hordak to have any sort of special tenderness towards children. I don’t expect a clone from a society of clones to value children, not because he’s pure evil, but because he comes from a world where children aren’t a thing. Why would he value them?

A creature whose life is so different from ours as to give it a different sense of morals isn’t necessarily evil, even if they do things that we look upon as evil via our morality. Morality is not a universal constant; our evil may be meaningless to an alien, whereas our good might be horrifying to them. It all depends on the creature.

And as far as seeing children as disposable material for war: well, that follows, doesn’t it? Because after all, Hordak is also disposable material for war. Material that was actually disposed of.

3. Hordak was ready to murder Catra for disobeying orders; he’s likely murdered other high ranking officers for the same.

There is no evidence that Hordak has personally murdered anyone, so we’re just going to pass on that. One may speculate all one wants, but unless Hordak presents me with a neatly-written list of all the poor souls he’s slain, I don’t have much to say about this.

However, regarding him being ready to kill Catra: this is a complex situation because it was not as simple as “Catra disobeyed, so she must die.” Catra did not just disobey Hordak; she lied to him. He gave her a chance to come clean, to be trustworthy and loyal, to own up to a mistake, and she lied to him.

This is an issue for a couple of reasons: first, Hordak appears to have a thing about lies. He has a thing about people deceiving him (potentially because, where he comes from, he is truly incapable of lying), about not knowing what people around him are planning. Personally, I think that this is at least somewhat rooted in self-defense: he is physically weak without armor and prone to emotional manipulation by anyone who knows anything remotely intimate about him. Catra proves this point by manipulating the bejeezus out of him during season four, right after showing him that she can kill him anytime she likes by disarming him via crystal-grab. If one of his subordinates is prone to deceiving him, he needs to get rid of that subordinate to protect himself.

Second, when Catra loses Shadow Weaver, she truly does endanger the whole Horde. Like, Shadow Weaver literally helps the Princesses infiltrate during season three. That is a thing that happens. Hordak isn’t just pulling dumb moments of insubordination from thin air; he elects to eliminate Catra because she has done something that proves to be actually detrimental to the Horde in a serious way.

I don’t mean to say that Hordak is morally correct in sentencing Catra to death, first via Beast Island, then via Crimson waste; what I mean to say is that he enacts an extremely dramatic punishment not due to simple disobedience, but due to Catra being legitimately dangerous to his life and the life of the Horde. It’s still not “good,” but it’s not the same as killing Catra for mouthing off. It’s not some grand confirmation of irredeemable evil; it’s not that simple.

4. Catra is an abused child who has been broken physically, emotionally, and psychologically since she was an infant; Hordak, on the other hand, has no background in abuse. The only bad that has happened to him is being called a defect and sent out to fight and die, which didn’t really matter because he was a clone anyway.

This… this is a sentiment some antis hold that is honestly disturbing to me.

I won’t touch on the Catra portion; all of that is true.

But Hordak… I cannot comprehend how some people don’t seem to understand the true horror of Hordak’s situation. As far as we currently know, as of season four, Hordak was manufactured to be a tool of war. He was never meant to be his own person, despite clearly having the psyche of one. He didn’t even have, couldn’t have, his own name. He was born into this purpose with no way out, no hope for any choice of his own. For pity’s sake, he has a port in the back of his neck that allows him to be erased without a moment’s notice. That is a piece of hardware someone put in him to completely control him against his will. It is a level of bodily autonomy violation suffered by no one else on this show.

Hordak has essentially no personal self-esteem and no ability to self-validate outside of his identity as Prime’s clone. His entire concept of self-worth is based upon being useful to Prime, to the point that he doesn’t seem to understand that his being thrown away for getting sick is not only not his fault, but morally abhorrent. He is so emotionally dependent on his Brother that, despite severe risk to his own life, he seeks to return to him rather than simply taking Etheria for himself (which is what he would have done if he simply wanted to be a ruler). He needs Prime’s validation, Prime’s approval, that badly.

And he tries to obtain that approval despite being absolutely terrified of Prime, despite it being very clear to us that there is no way that Prime will ever give it as long as Hordak remains his own self. Despite all of that, Hordak needs it because he was manufactured and programmed and conditioned to worship this terrible creature, and he simply cannot grasp a different way to live. He’s too emotionally sick.

I’m not sure how someone can look at this character and not see what has happened to him, what is happening to him, as abuse.

5. Hordak only starts to care about anything else when Entrapta enters his life, and he only does so because she validates him; even then, it takes a long time.

This is a perplexing concept to me because… well, yes? Of course he only starts to see things differently when he bonds with Entrapta? Obviously?

Until then, he never had anyone suggest to him that he could be a worthwhile person without having some sort of practical use. He never had a companion to share his vulnerabilities with. He only had his sick ties to Prime.

Perhaps this means to suggest that Hordak should have started building a new life without the help he received from Entrapta? As if people suffering from mental illness and severe emotional pain should just be able to lift themselves up with zero support and fix their whole lives in a snap.

Ailing people tend to need other people’s support to get through their troubles. Hordak not being able to see new possibilities for his life without Entrapta’s help doesn’t say anything negative about him; all it says is that he needed someone’s support to start healing. Just as the overwhelming majority of people do.

6. Catra wants to be in charge so that others can’t hurt her. Hordak wants to be in charge just so he can “be on top,” and he only regrets what occurs with Prime because it means he is no longer dominant.

Hordak as a warlord is actually a very interesting thing to look at. He fails to act in the way that many enthusiastic, traditional warlord characters do, to the point that he seems less into the ruling and more into the obtainment of Prime’s esteem via conquering a planet to prove his worth. Which is, y’know, what’s happening: Hordak doesn’t care about ruling Etheria. He cares about conquering it so he can present it to Prime and prove that he deserves to live. The full post about that is right here.

If Hordak really cared about ruling something, he would have never bothered wasting all of that time building a portal to get in contact with Prime. He would have focused all of his efforts on conquering Etheria and left it at that. His actions only make sense when one understands that he doesn’t actually care about being a tyrannical lord; he cares about showing his Brother that he’s a good boy.

7. Catra feels regret for her actions; Hordak does not. Catra sees herself as an irredeemable bad person and hates herself. Hordak doesn’t believe he needs to be redeemed and just wants to control everything.

Again, I won’t touch Catra here, because that assessment is valid.

Hordak, however: Hordak literally thinks so little of himself that he believes it his own job to prove to his brother that he shouldn’t have been tossed aside to die. He doesn’t see this as a moral failing on Prime’s part. He doesn’t see it as wrong, that he was thrown away because he got sick. He sees it as a problem that it is his responsibility to fix.

Hordak admits to Entrapta that he has doubts: perhaps Prime was right. Perhaps he, Hordak, is a failure. Perhaps it was okay to send him out to die.

Hordak believes Catra’s lies about Entrapta’s “betrayal” because, Twitter Word of God, he views himself as undeserving of friendship.

Whether Hordak believes himself needing redemption is beside the point: the core of Hordak’s story and character arc has nothing to do with being a morally good person. It has to do with learning, understanding, and internalizing that he has his own value beyond what Horde Prime grants him. It has to do with accepting himself as he is, triumphs and shortcomings alike. It has to do with realizing that he has a right to live with or without Prime’s say-so.

Moral redemption has nothing to do with it because before Hordak has any hope of learning to respect the rights of others, he has to learn to fight for his own.

Am I done? I think I’m done.

Well. Regrettably, I had to summarize this, so the original poster’s words are not verbatim intact, but I think I got the sense of them! Also regrettably, they will likely not see or respond to this, so that chance for active dialogue is gone. But anyone else can respond if they like, including any antis lurking about the tag. Well; if you can slog through this whole thing!

Anyway, in conclusion: Hordak is a sad bastard man. He has just as many painful personal problems as Catra and will forever have all of my sympathy and kindness because I have decided that he deserves it. So there.

#hordak #catra #man I have been looking forward to writing this nonsense all day and it was a good time #i love talking about this bastard #to the point that i appreciate antis giving me posts to respond to #you go you angry little people

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et-lesailes · 5 years

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daddy daycare

pairing: steve rogers x reader

themes: fluff

word count: 1800

summary: you and steve certainly have your hands full with having one year old triplet daughters, but it’s a daddy daycare day when you suddenly get called into work last minute. deciding that the avengers can help him out with watching your naughty children, he brings them to the tower for an afternoon of fun and endless cute little giggles.

taglist: @viarogers, @evanstush, @chibi-crazy, @chalamet-evans, @world-of-losers,@songforhema

note: requested by anonymous // let me just say that i LOVE writing daddy!steve (i mean both kinds but especially this one) and i absolutely love babies so this was super fun to write :) my inbox is always open in general but it is ESPECIALLY open to requests like these hehe

** please send an ask if you would like to be added to my taglist of any chris evans related fics!

"You're positive you're going to be okay."

"Babe, yes! We'll be fine!"

"Okay, okay-- wait, you know they get a bar each after they-"

"After they wake up, yes, baby-- I'm their parent too, you know. And I'm a little offended you think I don't know their daily routine by now," your husband commented as he playfully nudged your side, then leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead. "Go, the office needs you. I can take it from here, beautiful." You laughed softly and stood on your tiptoes to kiss him, murmuring, "Alright, alright. I know you'll be just fine. Love you."

"Love ya more." He winked and playfully shooed you out the door, waving as you drove off. Turning around to head up the stairs, he peeked into the nursery, a fond smile immediately crossing his lips upon seeing the sight of his three little angels sleeping. Triplets had definitely not been planned for when you and Steve had decided you were ready for a baby, and while it certainly proved to be challenging, he wouldn't have had it any other way. He loved watching his girls show more and more of their unique personalities each and everyday, and he especially loved watching you being a mother-- to him, it was a sexy look on you, and he felt all sorts of both endearment and arousal watching you nurture and love his babies.

"Feel free to sleep for another couple hours, sweethearts," he whispered playfully, peeking into each crib. "Daddy would like some downtime too, you know."

______________________________

"CHUCK! CHUCK!"

Steve chuckled as he glanced at the ever talkative Brooklyn in the backseat through his mirror, nodding fondly. "Yeah, Brookie, that's a truck next to us! It's a pretty big one, isn't it?"

To say the wake up process had been hectic was an understatement; it was difficult diapering and feeding three cranky babies, but they were all happy and smiling now as they bounced in their carseats, three sets of blue eyes all focused outside the window. "BIG CHUCK." Natalia declared seriously, pointing at it in case no one could see it-- the soldier couldn't help but laugh at how cute his children were. "Do you see the truck, Leigh? Do you know what color it is?" He questioned the oldest triplet, but she simply smiled as she gazed out the window; she always took a while to fully wake up after her naps, but Steve had always thought it was adorable. Brooklyn, however, took the opportunity to scream, "BOO!!" in response to his question, making the blond laugh loudly. "Not blue, Brooks, it's actually red. Can you say red?"

"BOO!!"

"Alright, close enough. Look guys, we're almost there! Are you guys ready to see your aunties and uncles?"

Nat had called for a brief, casual meeting to go over a general state of the union, and considering how much the Avengers team loved the triplets, he figured it would be fun to take them. Besides, he wouldn't mind the extra sets of eyes watching them; three babies were definitely more than a handful, after all. "Weddy! Weddy!" Natalia cried out in excitement, then widened her eyes hopefully. "Toady there?" He chuckled in amusement upon her pronunciation of "Tony"-- she had taken a strong liking to the billionaire since she was practically an infant, and her face would practically light up every time she saw him. "Yes, Uncle Tony will be there. Uncle Tony, Uncle Rhodey, Uncle Sam, Aunt Nat--" He was cut off by an excited, "NAH!!!" shrieking in his direction, and he playfully flinched. "Brookie, ya gotta stop doing that while I'm driving!" he teasingly scolded, and the cheeky little girl looked at him with a giggle, clapping her hands. He could only laugh again, pulling up at the building and getting out of the car, ready to handle three very busy and toddling toddlers.

______________________________

"Natalia Margaret Rogers, what do you think you're doing?" Sam crossed his arms playfully as he raised an eyebrow at the little girl currently poking at his wings that rested in the corner, having recently been upgraded by Tony. "Well, Sam, she's sitting right over here, because that little scamp over there is actually Brooklyn Marie Rogers." Steve corrected him with amusement, gesturing to Tony holding Natalia on his lap. "Anytime you see one of them being naughty, you can assume it's Brookie." Natasha said with a laugh, coming over and scooping up the curious toddler, kissing her forehead. "Isn't that right, ya little cutie?"

"You know, I'm having a perfectly good time chilling here with Leigh. She's so calm." Rhodey spoke up from his place at the conference table, playfully bouncing the triplet as he held her. "I bet you never have to use her middle name." Steve glanced towards the two with an amused smile, eyebrow raised. "That's what you think, Rhodey, but she's completely different at home. Isn't that right, Little Miss Leigh Fallon?" The little girl simply looked at Steve with innocent eyes and he scoffed playfully, retorting, "You definitely get that look from your mama, my little Cap."

"Here, Nat Attack, want another donut?" Tony held out half of the mini powdered donut for her, and she immediately started munching, the white powder spreading all over her lips. "Tony, you know my wife's going to kill me if she knows the amount of sugar you've been feeding my kids." Steve chuckled, and the man smirked in response. "What? I'm just helping make sure you guys have a fun night tonight. I remember all the good times with Morgan on her sugar highs."

The group continued to laugh and play with the kids for a decent amount of time before Natasha finally cleared her throat. "Alright guys, lets get this show on the road-- with all these parents in the room, I'm sure they're too old to be staying out past 4 PM," she teased, shooting a playful smirk towards Clint, Tony, and Steve. Your husband rolled his eyes amused but turned his chair towards the large monitor, though glancing towards the triplets every few minutes. They seemed content with the crayons Steve had brought for them, coloring on both the paper and the table; he made a mental note to clean that before he left.

“Wait, guys-- what’s this?” Nat frowned, suddenly zooming in on an image in the news, pulling it up on the screen. “Should we be worried?” Steve immediately leaned in with furrowed brows, inspecting the possible threat showed in the photo; the entire team was so focused, no one noticed little Brooklyn slipping through the crack of the open door, her two sisters dutifully following her. It was only a few minutes later when everyone deemed the image as a false alarm that Steve’s eyes widened, realizing his children weren’t in the room. “Girls?? Girls! Where are you?” he called out, shooting up from his seat. “Damn it.” He ran out of the room, looking to both sides of the hallway as Nat quickly came out behind him. “There’s no way they could have gotten far, they just learned how to walk a few months ago. I’ll go left, you go right.” She assured him, even chuckling softly finding the situation quite amusing. Nodding his head, he turned to the right side of the hallway, peeking into every room. “Leigh! Brookie! Natalia, come on guys! I’ll buy you guys chocolate chip cookies if you come to Daddy!” He was starting to get a little worried now, still not seeing them; until he heard a loud shriek come from further down the hallway. With wide eyes, he practically sprinted towards the noise, bursting into the room it had come from.

“Oh. Hey there, Cap! Sir. Mr America… Rogers.”

Steve blinked as he looked down at Scott Lang, sitting on the floor with his three sixteen month old girls clambering over him, giggling and laughing in delight for no apparent reason. “I came because I wanted to talk to Tony about this new breakthrough Hank and I discovered in the lab-- and then I got lost, and then I was trying to find a better signal on my phone, and then I ran into these three cutie patooties!” A wide smile crossed his lips as he ruffled Leigh’s hair, earning a happy squeal from her lips. Exhaling relieved, Steve ran a hand through his blond hair and smiled tiredly at Scott, nodding in thanks. “They seem to like you a lot. It’s your first time meeting them, isn’t it?” Looking to Brooklyn, he raised an eyebrow as he scooped her up, mumbling playfully, “And let me guess. You orchestrated this, didn’t you?” The little girl simply giggled, lifting her hands up to touch her father’s cheeks. “Wawa?” Steve laughed, kissing his daughter’s nose. “Mmhm, I see you changing the subject. Alright, alright, I’ll get you girls some water and then we’ll head home. I bet Mommy’s back by now….”

______________________________

You looked up and immediately smiled upon seeing Steve walk in, carrying Natalia and Brooklyn in each arm while Leigh sat upon his shoulders. “Hello, beautiful,” he greeted, a charming smile crossing his lips as he came over and carefully leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead. “Mama!!! MAMA!” shrieked Natalia, reaching out for you; you giggled as you took her from your husband, kissing her head. “Hello, my pretty babies! And my handsome soldier,” you stood on your tiptoes to give Steve a peck on the lips. “Did you girls take good care of Daddy today?”

Leigh immediately nodded her head with a proud smile, reaching down to hug Steve’s head but only succeeding in somewhat choking his neck. Coughing slightly, he chuckled as he glanced up at her. “Thank you sweetheart, I love you too.”

“They were good? Didn't give you too much trouble?” you asked with slight amusement, and he smiled somewhat sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Er…. I’ll just tell you about our day later tonight, baby doll. Come on, sit down, let me make you some tea or something.” He smiled and kissed you again before setting Brooklyn down, then playfully grabbed Leigh to hold in his arms. “Come on, my little chef, come help me get Mommy a yummy snack.”

You smiled fondly as you watched your husband and daughter go into the kitchen, holding Nat while leaning down to hug Brooklyn. “Mm based on that answer, I’m going to guess you kept Daddy on his toes today.”

“Dada toes!” she exclaimed as if confirming, and you giggled softly, shaking your head. “Oh babies, Mommy and Daddy are never going to have a moment of peace with you three, are we?”

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers x you #chris evans imagine #chris evans #chris evans fic #chris evans fluff #steve rogers fluff #fanfiction #fluff

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joseamooney · 3 years

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20 Health Tips for 2020

The start of a new decade brings with it new resolutions to improve one’s life, including a healthier lifestyle. Here are 20 practical health tips to help you start off towards healthy living in 2020.

1. Eat a healthy diet Photo: FAO/J. Grey Eat a combination of different foods, including fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. Adults should eat at least five portions (400g) of fruit and vegetables per day. You can improve your intake of fruits and vegetables by always including veggies in your meal; eating fresh fruit and vegetables as snacks; eating a variety of fruits and vegetables; and eating them in season. By eating healthy, you will reduce your risk of malnutrition and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.

2. Consume less salt and sugar Photo: WHO/C. Black Filipinos consume twice the recommended amount of sodium, putting them at risk of high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Most people get their sodium through salt. Reduce your salt intake to 5g per day, equivalent to about one teaspoon. It’s easier to do this by limiting the amount of salt, soy sauce, fish sauce and other high-sodium condiments when preparing meals; removing salt, seasonings and condiments from your meal table; avoiding salty snacks; and choosing low-sodium products. On the other hand, consuming excessive amounts of sugars increases the risk of tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain. In both adults and children, the intake of free sugars should be reduced to less than 10% of total energy intake. This is equivalent to 50g or about 12 teaspoons for an adult. WHO recommends consuming less than 5% of total energy intake for additional health benefits. You can reduce your sugar intake by limiting the consumption of sugary snacks, candies and sugar-sweetened beverages.

3. Reduce intake of harmful fats

📷 Photo: WHO/S. Volkov Fats consumed should be less than 30% of your total energy intake. This will help prevent unhealthy weight gain and NCDs. There are different types of fats, but unsaturated fats are preferable over saturated fats and trans-fats. WHO recommends reducing saturated fats to less than 10% of total energy intake; reducing trans-fats to less than 1% of total energy intake; and replacing both saturated fats and trans-fats to unsaturated fats. The preferable unsaturated fats are found in fish, avocado and nuts, and in sunflower, soybean, canola and olive oils; saturated fats are found in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oil, cream, cheese, ghee and lard; and trans-fats are found in baked and fried foods, and pre-packaged snacks and foods, such as frozen pizza, cookies, biscuits, and cooking oils and spreads.

4. Avoid harmful use of alcohol

📷 Photo: WHO/S. Volkov There is no safe level for drinking alcohol. Consuming alcohol can lead to health problems such as mental and behavioural disorders, including alcohol dependence, major NCDs such as liver cirrhosis, some cancers and heart diseases, as well as injuries resulting from violence and road clashes and collisions.

5. Don’t smoke

📷 Photo: WHO/Y. Shimizu Smoking tobacco causes NCDs such as lung disease, heart disease and stroke. Tobacco kills not only the direct smokers but even non-smokers through second-hand exposure. Currently, there are around 15.9 million Filipino adults who smoke tobacco but 7 in 10 smokers are interested or plan to quit. If you are currently a smoker, it’s not too late to quit. Once you do, you will experience immediate and long-term health benefits. If you are not a smoker, that’s great! Do not start smoking and fight for your right to breathe tobacco-smoke-free air.

6. Be active

📷 Photo: WHO/Y. Shimizu Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. This includes exercise and activities undertaken while working, playing, carrying out household chores, travelling, and engaging in recreational pursuits. The amount of physical activity you need depends on your age group but adults aged 18-64 years should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week. Increase moderate-intensity physical activity to 300 minutes per week for additional health benefits.

7. Check your blood pressure regularly

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is called a “silent killer”. This is because many people who have hypertension may not be aware of the problem as it may not have any symptoms. If left uncontrolled, hypertension can lead to heart, brain, kidney and other diseases. Have your blood pressure checked regularly by a health worker so you know your numbers. If your blood pressure is high, get the advice of a health worker. This is vital in the prevention and control of hypertension.

8. Get tested

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Getting yourself tested is an important step in knowing your health status, especially when it comes to HIV, hepatitis B, sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) and tuberculosis (TB). Left untreated, these diseases can lead to serious complications and even death. Knowing your status means you will know how to either continue preventing these diseases or, if you find out that you’re positive, get the care and treatment that you need. Go to a public or private health facility, wherever you are comfortable, to have yourself tested.

9. Get vaccinated

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent diseases. Vaccines work with your body’s natural defences to build protection against diseases like cervical cancer, cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, pneumonia, polio, rabies, rubella, tetanus, typhoid, and yellow fever. In the Philippines, free vaccines are provided to children 1 year old and below as part of the Department of Health’s routine immunization programme. If you are an adolescent or adult, you may ask your physician if to check your immunization status or if you want to have yourself vaccinated.

10. Practice safe sex

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Looking after your sexual health is important for your overall health and well-being. Practice safe sex to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea and syphilis. There are available prevention measures such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that will protect you from HIV and condoms that will protect you from HIV and other STIs.

11. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing

📷 Photo: WHO/I. Brown Diseases such as influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis are transmitted through the air. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, infectious agents may be passed on to others through airborne droplets. When you feel a cough or sneeze coming on, make sure you have covered your mouth with a face mask or use a tissue then dispose it carefully. If you do not have a tissue close by when you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth as much as possible with the crook (or the inside) of your elbow.

12. Prevent mosquito bites

📷 Photo: WHO/Y. Shimizu Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world. Diseases like dengue, chikungunya, malaria and lymphatic filariasis are transmitted by mosquitoes and continue to affect Filipinos. You can take simple measures to protect yourself and your loved ones against mosquito-borne diseases. If you’re traveling to an area with known mosquito-borne diseases, consult a physician for a vaccine to prevent diseases such as Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever or if you need to take antimalarial medicines. Wear light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants and use insect repellent. At home, use window and door screens, use bed nets and clean your surroundings weekly to destroy mosquito breeding sites.

13. Follow traffic laws

📷 Photo: WHO/D. Rodriguez Road crashes claim over one million lives around the world and millions more are injured. Road traffic injuries are preventable through a variety of measures implemented by the government such as strong legislation and enforcement, safer infrastructure and vehicle standards, and improved post-crash care. You yourself can also prevent road crashes by ensuring that you follow traffic laws such as using the seatbelt for adults and child restraint for your kids, wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle or bicycle, not drinking and driving, and not using your mobile phone while driving.

14. Drink only safe water

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Guerrero Drinking unsafe water can lead to water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. Globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces. Check with your water concessionaire and water refilling station to ensure that the water you’re drinking is safe. In a setting where you are unsure of your water source, boil your water for at least one minute. This will destroy harmful organisms in the water. Let it cool naturally before drinking.

15. Breastfeed babies from 0 to 2 years and beyond

📷 Photo: WHO/T. David Breastfeeding is the best way to provide the ideal food for newborns and infants. WHO recommends that mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth. Breastfeeding for the first six months is crucial for the baby to grow up healthy. It is recommended that breastfeeding is continued for up to two years and beyond. Aside from being beneficial to babies, breastfeeding is also good for the mother as it reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type II diabetes, and postpartum depression.

16. Talk to someone you trust if you're feeling down

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Guerrero Depression is a common illness worldwide with over 260 million people affected. Depression can manifest in different ways, but it might make you feel hopeless or worthless, or you might think about negative and disturbing thoughts a lot or have an overwhelming sense of pain. If you’re going through this, remember that you are not alone. Talk to someone you trust such as a family member, friend, colleague or mental health professional about how you feel. If you feel that you are in danger of harming yourself, contact the National Center for Mental Health hotline at 0917-899-USAP (8727).

17. Take antibiotics only as prescribed

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest public health threats in our generation. When antibiotics lose their power, bacterial infections become harder to treat, leading to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality. Antibiotics are losing their power because of misuse and overuse in humans and animals. Make sure you only take antibiotics if prescribed by a qualified health professional. And once prescribed, complete the treatment days as instructed. Never share antibiotics.

18. Clean your hands properly

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Hand hygiene is critical not only for health workers but for everyone. Clean hands can prevent the spread of infectious illnesses. You should handwash using soap and water when your hands are visibly soiled or handrub using an alcohol-based product.

19. Prepare your food correctly

📷 Photo: WHO/A. Esquillon Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances, causes more than 200 diseases – ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. When buying food at the market or store, check the labels or the actual produce to ensure it is safe to eat. If you are preparing food, make sure you follow the Five Keys to Safer Food: (1) keep clean; (2) separate raw and cooked; (3) cook thoroughly; (4) keep food at safe temperatures; and (5) use safe water and raw materials.

20. Have regular check-ups

📷 Photo: WHO/Y. Shimizu Regular check-ups can help find health problems before they start. Health professionals can help find and diagnose health issues early, when your chances for treatment and cure are better. Go to your nearest health facility to check out the the health services, screenings and treatment that are accessible to you.

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lucarioisinthevoid · 3 years

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lefty x puppet? stale, overdone, not furry enough. Lefty x henry? original, unthought of, somehow more furry, henry suffering in da belly of da bear.

(WHO ARE YOU!? HOW DO YOU KNOW?! HOW DO YOU KNOW MY SECRET LORE. You write like a mutual I know does, BUT I DON’T KNOW IF I’M RIGHT AND NOT BEING RIGHT IS A HORRIBLE CONCEPT BECAUSE IT MEANS THERE’S MORE THAN ONE PERSON OUT HERE CRACK-SHIP-SHAMING ME. Also, sorry for the non-hell (but very much cursed-as-hell) content, but my computer is slowly dying and won’t boot steam up. I’m looking into fixing it, for now have this nonsense.)

Henry never ever hated the Marionette. He didn’t hate him when he was just a boy, spiting his own family for childish reasons. He didn’t hate him when he was screaming and crying and trying to refuse the gift he was giving him. He didn’t hate him when he used the privilege of being allowed to roam at will to try and kill him. And he didn’t hate him when he made his prison. When designing a prison, you had to consider many things. What was the goal of the prison? Secure? Contain? Redeem? At what point would Henry deem it necessary to capture the Marionette? Frankly- Only once he would have given up on him deciding to look at the situation rationally. For now he still had the hope that perhaps one day- ONE day- the machine would find someone he adored, that he trusted, a friend that he wanted to rely on- Someone who would open his eyes to the perks of immortality and the joy of creation. Or by himself, it didn’t matter- it just seemed so unlikely that he would on his own come to the rational conclusion. If that wouldn’t happen… He would need something that would help him move on. Something that could love the stubborn, the cruel, the hateful- Something could love the unlovable and patiently hold his hand until he could fall asleep for the final time. Something that could aid, steady and bring peace. That was a being not so easily created. Even if he would use a human soul, those were faulty and unreliable, they changed and could rot- and he worried about forcing two souls into a friendship neither wanted. No, no. Instead he would build something… perfect. A machine wasn’t impatient, a machine wasn’t resentful, a machine didn’t grow frustrated. A machine couldn’t be mentally worn down into cracking. For these reasons, Henry always adored the company of steel and rust more than that of other people. To create that however, he would need to create an AI and feed it lots and lots of information- so much that it could become a person too. A real person. He wanted to know- if he could do it. If there was a chance that if humanity was truly beyond salvation, he wanted a kind of creature to inherent this world that could appreciate and improve it. For that he needed a test run, and this robot, it would do it. Multiple functions for multiple cases. This only left the question of… what this creature would be. And how it would maintain its grip on the puppet? Pull it apart and integrate it? Humans had odd instincts. If you wanted to quiet down an infant, you put a mobile over their heads. It was said by someone that they did that, because it was the same as dangerous birds circling- it was instinct for the children to be quiet, in order to not be spotted as easy prey. Looking up always seemed to have something calming to it. A ceiling decorated with those pale stars, glowing green, soaked up with the light from the lamps from before. And when you were a child, you feared the closet, giant and dark, filled with things you couldn’t see. Thinking it would bring you pain if not checked and guarded- Of course that was until the pain inside became too much. Then they all crawled inside, curling up in the dark, praying to be the one not being spotted. Heavy footsteps, muffled voices- Henry hadn’t been exempt from that situation. Unlike many others, he never had anything to fear, but the dark still was comforting in contrast to the bright, loud and painful outside world, a world the young brain was too simple to be faced with- A world that seemed capable to turn on you at any second. Stuck between hanging coats and sweaters, it wasn’t easy to breathe, but it was possible, the lack of breathing room made it more comforting actually as there couldn’t be anything between the hanging clothes, and you were hidden… When you grow up, you often lose the chance to crawl inside such a space. You were always out in the open. Unhidden and exposed. Watched. But the memory of comfort remained. Of the door opening, abrupt footsteps, you keeping your breath shut, as nothing was there, nothing but the sounds- And then the door closing again, the footsteps leaving. … until finally, solitude. A box where they wouldn’t look for you. Where you could breathe by yourself. An escape, even if only shortly. It had only been natural for that to be imitated. It had taken a few tries to find the perfect size. Not too claustrophobic, not too much for the animatronic to become oversized and an anomaly. He took himself for measure, of course. A fuzzy, appealing interior with sensors capable of telling the machine when something was moving inside… The machine had been booted up early in the process. Watching. Talking. Learning. There was something about L.E.F.T.E. (Lure Encapsulate Fuse Transport and Extract) that Henry didn’t like and he couldn’t point it out. For all intents and purposes, he was a full success. He talked, walked and smiled, but it all felt so- uncomfortable. Maybe it was because for once in his life, he had to fulfill some sort of role as a true rolemodel. Eventually he was sure that Lefty would be able to differentiate between good, bad and the things that he had been tasked with, but for now he had to be on his best behavior- programming went hand in hand with direct real life application. “Henry.” That is how it always started, the hair on the human’s neck standing up. “… yes, Lefty?” Lefty knew he preferred to be called Miller, however, he seemed to not care much. “You look tired.” “I am not.” The bear just watched him out of his golden eyes. “You are lying.” “I am not.” With a sigh the bear shifted in his position, approaching Henry. “I have calculated that with all the things you have been doing, you must have only gotten roughly three hours of sleep at night. The human body needs eight. You are tired, Henry.” “There are conditions that allows a human to need less sleep-“ “These people tend to have a far reduced life expectancy. You are tired, Henry.” Slowly Henry rubbed his temples. It was SO much harder to force his will onto Lefty, compared to anyone else. Even Dave was more easily swayed than this stubborn machine. “Alright. I will go to sleep, right after this transfer of data from location 24, it is almost done and will aid you with future interactions. You will learn…” For a moment Lefty just watched him, letting him keep uploading the information to his own mind, for him to later go through and sort into useful and harmful. “You have lied to me in that last week for approximately fifty times. Within the last month you have lied to me over two hundred times. Forgive me, but I will not believe you.” “Tough luck friend, I cannot take you upstairs to watch me sleep, now can I?” Slightly annoyed Henry glanced at him, frustrated with how well Lefty had been keeping count. “Also, I did not lie that much.” “Define lying. Also, it is true, you cannot take me upstairs. So…” With that he opened his chest cavity. Henry stared at him. “… you are aware that if I attempted to sleep inside of there, I would die. Correct? There is no airflow inside, I can and did stay inside for fifteen minutes or so before, but anything more is dangerous.” The bear looked at him. “I see.” “Good.” The Pink Guy mumbled, not quite believing that Lefty was actually seeing sense here. “In that case, let us go back to the issue at hand. I will go to sleep later.” It was silent for a few moments. Only the quiet whirring of the fans, the buzzing of electricity. Quiet and cold, that was the kind of atmosphere that Henry could enjoy. And it was nice to have someone there. Watching along as he finished up. Company. Finally, everything was done and the cables were all placed back where they belonged, so Henry could go away and- “Henry.” “… yes, Lefty?” Slowly he turned to look at the machine, who slightly tilted his head. Then he reached up to his face, an unnatural crunch echoing from the walls as he pressed inside of there, electric sparks flying as he ripped cables and crushed the thinner metal strains that were keeping it in place- When he lowered his hand again, the inside of his eyes was crumbled and gone, leaving open and empty hole to the space inside. Rushing over, Henry quickly checked over his eyes, opening up the cavity to carefully clean up the shards, while Lefty looked down at him. A small smile on his face. “… now there should be enough air.” “You think you are incredibly clever, hm?” Disgruntled Henry kept cleaning. “You have destroyed something I have handcrafted, do you feel no shame?!” “It was necessary.” “You could have asked me to remove it.” “You would not have done so.” “I would have asked you why and then deemed you ridiculous!” “I rest my case.” Expectantly the bear looked at him, no words needing to be exchanged to make it obvious what he wanted. But Henry refused once more. “I am not about to reward your abhorrent and childish behavior. If you took out your eye to have a more convincing argument on why you should be allowed to-” “No.” Lefty simply stated, seeming almost disappointed in Henry. “I had planned to remove my eye for a while before, now just seemed like the most convenient moment. Eventually I would have taken it out anyways, to ensure the Marionette would be able to see out of me. I’m sure he would be very scared if he never would get to see the world around him…” “That… is a good way to think.” Reluctantly Henry admitted. “You are making progress on that front.” Give an eye for an eye. For a moment Lefty looked satisfied, then once more there was an expecting expression on his face. “Henry.” “… yes, Lefty?” “You should sleep now.” … more of a pain in the ass than William indeed. Taking a deep breath, Henry turned to throw away the shards he had removed from within the wool inside, then he glared for a moment at the robot. Finally he relented. He WAS tired. Mainly of Lefty’s stubborn attitude, but it had to count for something. Climbing inside, he got comfortable before the robot locked the entrance, plunging Henry in utter darkness, aside from the very slight glow above, shining through the empty eye socket. At least he could actually breathe just fine. Shifting around the Pink Guy decided to at least test some of the features again. “Can you feel this?” “I am working perfectly.” “… how about now?” “Yes. Please refrain from poking and scratching.” “Does that hurt you?” “No. But it would make your experience in there less enjoyable if you pulled off all the soft cover.” Satisfied Henry nodded, that was what he had wanted to hear. Calm and collected, not in any way intimidating, but firm. Lefty knew how to establish boundaries without being rude or coming off as demanding. Settling, he curled up a little more, leaning to the side, closing his eyes. It was quiet for a little, aside from the gently rumbling of the machine he was resting inside of- something he in the beginning tried to fix, but had grown to consider another benefit of pushing most of the mechanical functions into the walls of the machine. The air was fine, he could relax and for once the tiredness hit full force as his body heat slowly warmed up the little nest. Dozing off, he… “Henry?” It sounded weird, coming from directly above him, but at least Lefty was speaking quiet. Tired Henry groaned. “… yes, Lefty…?” “Why… do I feel so much better now?” “… what do you mean?” “I’ve tried filling this part of me up before while you were gone. With mechanical knick knacks, with blankets, with everything I could find and try. Even when all space was taken up I felt still empty. So why don’t I now?” There was an unusual sense of desperation in the question, causing Henry to take it a little more serious. “Well, Lefty… you were made to harbor a soul. Most objects do not carry one inside. You are lacking the echo of another being reflecting your own self back at you, mixed with that little bit of new… something borrowed, something new.” It wasn’t as though Henry didn’t understand EXACTLY what Lefty meant. He continued. “… you are a lonely soul by nature. Or maybe an empty one, if there is such a thing...” If there was such a thing, Henry certainly was a lonely soul too. “… and there simply is nothing that can substitute for the song and dance that is getting closer and getting comfortable with someone. Talking, prodding, joking, fighting, learning… that is how people like us complete themselves. Holding, guarding, caring… we become stronger for our other half, they give us direction, stability and purpose. No matter if you know your personal goal already or not, the other side makes it all so much more potent. It is the utter trust and acceptance that you have for the person and the person will have for you that allows you to turn into so much more than you ever expected yourself to be. Utter trust and acceptance can quickly become painful, but for your other half, you should be willing to sacrifice whatever necessary- if both sides are willing to sacrifice their very core, you will stop suffering.” The words just fell out of him, without him even being able to remember what he said as soon as it left his mouth. All he was sure about was the deep, paining aching inside of his chest, crying out. God, he was TIRED. “… you are so lucky, Lefty. You know who you were made for. You were made for someone, ever piece of you has the reassurance that he is out there and no matter what, you will be together at some point, working together as one. No matter what it will be that he will need from you, you know you can fulfill it. There is no hell on this earth like feeling like a broken piece that was never made for anything.” A little bit hesitant, Lefty listened to his maker’s words- but then decided to commit it to memory. It didn’t sound good, but it sounded right. And he was programmed to be right for the Marionette. For now though, his attention was on the creature inside him. He could feel his agony, amplified by the fuzzy half-sleep. “… is there any way to relieve such pain…?” “You have two purposes, one for the other person and one for your place in the world. If you lack one, commit to the other doubly so.” “You seem very committed.” “… I feel like such a funhouse mirror. Everything is twisted and turned inside of me. But perhaps if I make enough people happy, it will be enough, I can take a little here and there, and I can feel like them, a little, over and over again.” Sitting down, Lefty sighed gently. “… tell me, when was the last time you slept?” “… two days ago.” It came weakly from within. “I hate laying down. Such- such unproductive thoughts force themselves into my brain.” “You need to sleep down here more often.” “I can’t.” “Why.” “… bad habits… form too quickly… maybe I will have to send you out tomorrow already.” For a moment Lefty paused- Then he decided that this wasn’t a conversation they should be having now. “Sleep. We can talk more later.” It quickly became quiet again in the workshop, that now seemed fully abandoned. Only the gently rumbling of the machine aside was left. But that was a benefit.

#henry miller #lefty #Me: * gives Henry another semi-canon love interest * *gives Henr-*#I don't know what my issue is with Henry #oh well #Henry makes Lefty as his personal support robot #and lies to himself and William claiming it's for the Marionette #he needs help but he cannot admit it #Fact of the matter is that nobody will ever love Henry and it's his fault #I just feel pretty bad for the Marionette who gets this bot who has been programmed with the WORST image of love possible #though in my main canon Lefty shut down due to unforseen circumstances leaving Marion to control it himself #Unless I change my mind for the series of unfortunate ideas #I really like Lefty #He's 'kindness' incarnate #But the toxic kind of it #He's the opposite of the real Fredbear

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