#a couple of days later my sister was playing and an already dead horse fell from the sky on a mountain and im like ah ok that tracks <3

[artist-rat]

nothing new, just average skyrim experience

[lost-onpurpose]

I was 11 when you came into my life. You were a tiny little baby with the sweetest face and most expressive eyes. You had been dumped at the vet clinic with your siblings, there were 9 of you total, but you stood out to me. You were hiding as far back behind a table as you could get, while your brothers and sisters were tripping over each other to get attention and love from anyone they could.

I fell in love with you with one look at your scared face, and I begged my dad to let me take you home. We were there with one of the horses and already had a couple dogs at home. Dad said no at first but he took one look at you and changed his mind.

The vet and my dad had to drag this heavy table away from the wall so I could crawl in and grab you. You were whining and whimpering and trying to run away but once I had you out from being the table and held you against me, you calmed down and starting licking my hands.

The vet had already given you all the required vaccines and we got you registered in the clinic under the name of Candy. You had scars on your legs from getting tangled up in a barbed wire fence but you were so sweet and loving but so skittish about new people and animals.

We had you for a few weeks before you slipped your lead and ran away. We searched for you all day and I cried all night because I was so scared that you were going to get hurt or run over. You never came home and I accepted that you were dead.

Then when I turned 21 and started volunteering at a local no kill shelter and not looking for a dog at the time because I was getting ready to move into an apartment. You were going crazy at the gate to your kennel and the staff I was working with was confused because "she just doesn't act like that." I offered to take you on a walk and play with you since you had energy, despite being one of the oldest residents of the shelter.

I was playing with you and you rolled over, and I saw the scars on your legs and suddenly I was 11 years old again, staring at your big brown eyes in the shadow of a desk. I recognized you and you had clearly recognized me ten years later. I asked the staff to pull your file and tell me what had happened to you.

Here's what I learned:

You showed up in an older lady's yard and she took you in. She had you for approximately 5 years and her kids brought you, some puppies, and two cats to be shelter when she went to a nursing home.

For the next 5 years you were at the shelter. You were adopted and brought back because they fed you with their other dogs on the first night and a fight broke out. You were labeled dog aggressive. You were adopted and brought back again because you wouldn't bark when people came in the yard. You were labeled too quiet to be a guard dog. No one else even looked at you.

You had been renamed Cleo but the lady who took you in. So Cleo you stayed.

I brought you home as soon as I could and you settled right in to the backyard.

We had some work done on the roof and the roofers left the gate opened. You were scared of them and ran away again. I stayed up all night crying and listening for you. I put your food out and left the gate open so you could get back in. You didn't show up again. I called Animal Control and left a voicemail describing you and leaving my number.

I went to work the next day and tried to hold it together. I got a call at 10:30 am from AC letting me know they had you. You had gotten in a small fight with another dog but you were okay. I told my boss I would be back and said I was bringing you with me. I was working at a vet clinic and they had told me I could bring you before but I didn't want to stress you out with it.

The roofers were there that day and admitted to the AC officer that they had left the gate open. They received a fine and you were given back to me. I got you a cheeseburger and went back to work. You went with me every day after that.

I moved into an apartment with you and Burrough, the FIV positive cat. I took you to the dog park and let you loose when there were no other dogs but gathered you up and left when someone else showed up.

I got Sulu later and you weren't thrilled with having another dog around but you warmed up to him pretty quickly. I couldn't take you somewhere without taking Sulu or he would whine and bark and whimper until we got back.

I eventually moved back to the family land and you slept under my house. You hated being brought in in bad weather so you had to spend bad weather in a crate, while giving your best ASPCA commercial audition.

Today, dad came in while I was baking cookies and told me you had died. I turned off the oven and hugged my dad as tight as I could and cried into his shoulder for what felt like twenty minutes, and easily could have been 10-15 minutes.

Dad buried you in the pasture shortly after that. I'm going to miss you so much Cleo. You were one of the best dogs I ever had. And I'm so glad you ended up at a no kill shelter and were able to come home after so long.

You were 17 years old, and I'm so glad that you were able to spend the last of them here with me, at your home.

[ichigoromi]

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 | 𝐌𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐀𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐮 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧 | 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐩 | 𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧

Timeskip Atsumu is conscious of his public image and what if his private life accidentally gets exposed to the mass media? I wonder how will he handle this...

As always, please do enjoy reading this headcanon! I do accept requests! If you have any specific requests, I'll try my best to write it!

Miya Atsumu

Atsumu is very conscious of his public image, but he is known for changing his girlfriends quite often.

You and Atsumu were childhood best friends, along with Osamu.

He always had feelings for you, but you unintentionally friend-zoned him to the point that he gave up any hopes that you would reciprocate his feelings.

However, it all changes when you shared a kiss with him on new year day and confessing your feelings to him.

And, from then on, you two have been official for a year now.

You have started working and furthering your studies as well.

Although Atsumu doesn't like you tiring yourself out, he wanted to pay for your tuition fee so that you can focus on studying. But you are an independent lady that wants to achieve your dreams by yourself, so the final answer was still a no.

Your relationship was so secretive that even his teammates do not know; only Osamu and your younger sister knows about it.

During his break from all the games and practices, he decided to visit you in Kyoto.

You two had fun; even though you were busy with work and school, he enjoyed it a lot since it has been a while since you two have met.

When he left for Osaka to go back for training, you were obviously upset that you two couldn't spend more time together, but you were going to surprise him next month by showing up at his game.

While preparing for all these, lots of mass media gathered information on Atsumu's girlfriend and prepared to release it soon.

The taxi driver wished you luck as you hopped off the vehicle and rushed to the arena entrance. Your flight from Kyoto got delayed, and there was a traffic jam on the way to the game.

You missed more than half the game, but there are still two more sets to go.

"Oh my gosh, I need a break." You sat down next to Osamu, catching your breath.

"Where were ya? I was busily textin' ya, and yer phone was dead." He flicked your forehead, and you rolled your eyes at him.

It was dead because you accidentally dropped in the swimming pool, and now it would not work.

"I dropped it in water. It's dead." You sighed, showing him your dead phone.

"Hmm, Tsumu does not know yer here. But he's annoyin' me bout ya." Osamu showed you Atsumu texting him about how you were not replying to him or answering his calls.

You focus on watching your boyfriend play. It has been a while since you have watched him play.

"I'm so tired~! The flight was alright, but I was panicking so much that I almost puke mid-flight." Osamu frowned at you, and you gulped the bottle of water that you have.

While you minded your own business, people were staring at you and murmuring among themselves.

"Why are they starin' at me? I'm part of the audience too." You pout and watch the players play.

It was an intense match for sure; most of them have played against each other in high school and are friends from high school.

You watch intensely, focusing on the plays made by the players, ignoring the increasing stares you were getting. Osamu noticed that more people were staring at you but just ignored it too.

Soon, the game ended with MSBY Black Jackals winning.

You and Osamu waited for Atsumu to finish interacting with his fans, and when the press talk to him, his face fell, and he pushed through them, looking around.

Then he spotted you.

He pushed his way through the crowd and pulls you to the team's private lounge.

It seems like the press has caught wind of you two.

"Tsumu! Slow down, would ya? What's goin' on?" He did not say anything and pulls you into his chest.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault." He mumbled, and you frowned and shook your head.

"Did someone discover that we're datin'? Tsumu, don't worry. We can figure this out together." You pat his back, and he nods his head.

"You can take the bus with my teammates and me. My manager has already informed the guys." He pulls you along with him.

Atsumu was by your side, with his arm wrapped around your waist securely and the other trying to feed you. Hinata and Bokuto was the most interested in how you and Atsumu became a couple.

The other guys were melting over your Kansai accent, which made Atsumu scowl at them. Osamu raised a brow at his brother's clingy side.

"Now everyone knows that ya datin' the popular and hot volleyball player, how does it feel?" Atsumu asked you with a teasing smirk on his face.

"Meh. Tsumu, get off yer high horse. Be more humble." You pinched his cheek and he pouts in response.

Osamu was glad that you were the one that his twin ended up with. The girls that he used to date, he disapproved before he even met them.

"Where's ya luggage? Do ya have any clothes on ya?" You nodded your head at his question.

"What about yer phone?" You looked away from him and he sighed.

"We have a few days off before we leave for the next game. We are goin' on a shoppin' trip." He declared and you know he is serious about it.

No matter how long you guys have known each other, you are still uncomfortable with his spoiling you.

"Don't worry, it's my duty as yer boyfriend." He reassured you.

"The hearts I've broken because I'm dating~." Ah, still ever the same Atsumu.

Was it a long one? If you noticed there were some changes in the line divider, that is because I've written this in two different parts and got rid of my old line divider. Hence I'm using the new one in later parts.

This was quite fun to write about! Thank you for reading!

Stay safe and healthy!

With love,

Rosalie🍓

[blindbatalex]

a carraville royalty au fic, in which Jamie is angry. [[cw for discussions of past character death and war.]]

Jamie’s steps echoed in the stone corridors as he walked to their bedchambers at a brisk pace. He stopped, at the last minute with his hand at the doorknob, and unclenched first, his jaw and then his fist, taking a couple of slow, deep breaths.

Time was, he would train when he got like this, train until the fire eating him from the inside out had cooled, until he could barely stand. Stevie would take one look at him, and with a gentle laugh, send him outside, declaring him unfit for human society as a twinkle lit up his eyes.

He opened the door. His shoulder hurt with such a deep, visceral rage, he thought two swings of a practice sword now would reduce him to tears.

Inside was warm. The fire that burned in the fireplace despite the summer made him want to take his jacket off as soon as he stepped in. Gary, on the other hand, did not seem to share this sentiment, holed up as he was in bed under a heavy duvet that he had pulled up to his chin.

“Where is everyone else?” Jamie asked, frowning at the otherwise empty room.

Gary shrugged with his eyes.

“Just wanted a bit of peace and quiet. Which is quite hard to get around here.” He coughed- once, twice. “But the blame is mine; neither of them wanted to leave. I yelled at them threatened to throw them into jail for disobeying their lord.”

Classic Gary. Jamie had left him here with Gini – their physician – and a servant with express orders to both to stay put so that if Gary managed to get rid of one of them the other would still be there. But of course he had underestimated just how obstinate Gary could be.

Jamie sighed and clenched his fist again, looking outside so he didn’t have to look at Gary.

“How is the boy?”

On the courtyard, the summer evening carried on as usual, servants and soldiers and the residents of the town criss-crossing the well-worn cobblestones on their way here and there.

“He is like you,” Jamie replied, not taking his eyes away from the scene below their feet. “Shivering and coughy but he will be fine.” Probably. He had seen men survive drownings before only for the water they inhaled to rise up in their lungs and choke them later. They had both been half-dead by the time Jamie and his men had pulled them out of the water, their bodies convulsing violently with cough after cough.

“That’s good.” There was a pause. “You were good out there.”

His head whipped to Gary at this despite himself, and the bastard was smiling. Not one of his smirks or a shit-eating grin or a sneer, but a genuine smile that reached across his pale face and into his tired eyes.

Would war really break out again if Jamie murdered him? Surely, they would understand.

“Well, you were really stupid,” he spat out, not bothering now to keep his calm. “What were you even thinking, jumping into the stream like that? Let me guess- you weren’t thinking. ‘Just saw the boy fell into the water and jumped after him, James.’” His eyes landed on the book on the side table next to the bed and it made him even more angry. “Of course, you would know next to no one survives falling into that stream if you had bothered to learn about your surroundings than tree dragons!”

He stopped and took a slow, deliberate breath. Damn him. The reckless, stubborn fool. Gary had stopped smiling now but his eyes, more brown in the evenings than green and always so stubborn, were still on Jamie.

“That boy would have been dead had it not-” Jamie took a step towards the bed, quite possibly to actually murder Gary because he knew what Gary would say next. Had it not been for me. As if either of them would be alive now if Jamie hadn’t shouted at the group of merchants who had been standing next to the bridge with their horses and in less than a minute got them galloping at full speed towards where the stream narrowed some half-mile downstream. If he hadn’t yelled at them to form a human chain into the water, with Jamie at the very tip, and nabbed both of them out of the stream.

But Gary surprised him once again.

“That boy would have been dead had it not been for us.”

Us.

Gary coughed again, once, twice, three times and Jamie wanted to break something- he didn’t even care what, just something that twisted and snapped in his hands or shattered into a thousand sharp pieces, that cut and bled him. And yet, Gary had the audacity to laugh.

“It’s really touching you care so much about me, James, but I promise I’m fine.”

“You-” Just a soft, weak laugh, and when Jamie looked a twinkle lit up his eyes and a smile played on his lips, equal measures fond and smug. Jamie couldn’t hear anything now for the pounding of his blood in his ears. “You think I am angry because I care? About you?” he said, spat out. “Did you know I didn’t get to say goodbye to my bloody soulmate, my Stevie? It took him a day to die and in his agony he called for me, over and over again—or so I am told. But I wasn’t there because a Mancunian archer had shot me under your orders and I didn’t know where I was, who I was, as he lay dying.”

He realised he had been screaming at the top of his lungs but he didn’t care. He didn’t. He was furious.

“And yet I married you. Not because I care but because the war destroyed everything. Did you know the boy- his whole family was massacred in the war, mum and siblings and infant brother in front of his eyes, their village burnt down, and he and the one sister who survived travelled for days to get here? And even now, while their lips speak of peace, councillors hunger for war, looking for an opportunity, a spark. If you die in my castle, doesn’t matter if it’s because you wanted to throw your life away or slipped on your arse and hit your head, they will say I did it, I let it and we will be back to where we started.”

He took a shuddering breath. Gary’s face was as pale as that of a ghost. “I’m sorry,” he rasped quietly and Jamie had seen him look- this broken, only a couple of times before, only after the most dreadful of his nightmares as he sobbed into Jamie’s shoulder.

Jamie had held him today, coughing and spluttering, rubbed his back and said “it’s alright, you are going to be alright,” over and over again. He couldn’t tell you if it was to reassure Gary or to reassure himself. He couldn’t be in this room.

So he tore his eyes away and left as quickly as he could. On his way out, he stopped in the kitchens and asked Mrs Torres to borrow Lucille and sent her up with instructions to call for the physician if anything in Gary’s condition changed. She was the one person Gary would not threaten with jail or execution and she, the one person who would not budge no matter what he did.

He spots Gary. There. The currents are punishing but he is somehow managing to keep both of them afloat. ‘Over here, Neville,’ he calls at the top of his lungs. Gary sees him almost immediately. But the current is fast and he is too far. With his free arm Gary swims towards him, once, twice, Jamie stretches and stretches but- Too far. Too far. Then, impossibly, their hands close around one another. ‘Hold on!’ Jamie yells, ‘I’ve got you.’

She stood up and curtsied when he came back, hours later. Gary was asleep but he had been fine, she reassured him. Jamie took the seat she vacated at the head of the bed and Gary’s eyes fluttered open at the click of the door as she left. He frowned when he saw it was Jamie.

Could Jamie blame him for that?

“’s alright. You were right,” Gary murmured, as if he could read Jamie’s mind, on his lips a half smile. Jamie wanted, more than anything, to reach out and push away his fringe, to fall on his knees and sob.

“No, Gary-”

He wanted, more than anything, to find the words to explain. Explain how the boy’s sister had thrown herself into his arms before she remembered herself and begged for mercy at his feet, in choked off sobs and frantic pleas to spare them. How old and world-weary her eyes were when she should be braiding her sisters’ hair and giggling over the boys she liked. Explain how scared he’d been. How much he cared and how that scared him more than anything else.

“’s alright,” Gary said again on a long exhale. His eyes had already drifted closed. Jamie promised himself he would find those words before the morning, even if he had to travel to the four ends of the world tonight. He had to.

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Roguish Women Part 36

Summary: Kate is an American who fled to Paris to escape her past life. Now she's dancing and playing the part of a courtesan at the Moulin Rouge. There she meets Tommy Shelby who thinks she can be useful in expanding his empire. But has he been blinded?

Part 36: Kate finds herself feeling more safe and trusting with Tommy even as he struggles to reunite his family. 

            They tried to make the best of the remainder of their holiday, but the news of the alliance put a damper on things. They returned to Arrow House with the promise that Tommy was going to get right to work on trying to reunite his family. Ada was meant to be leaving for Boston in the next week, but Tommy put her to task one more time before she left.

            “Tom, I’m on thin ice with them as it is.” Ada reminded him.

            “This isn’t about pride anymore; this is about survival. If they want to survive then they should consider listening to me.” Tommy insisted from behind his desk.

            “That’s your problem. If what you’re saying is true then you need to make it a joint effort instead of just controlling everything like always!” His sister snapped.

            He threw his hands up. “For fuck’s sake, I’m trying my best!”

            Ada frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll tell them what you told me. I guess it’s up to them how they want to respond.”

            Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. I’ve done all I can. I want you all safe.”

            She sighed and nodded. “I suppose this wasn’t just your doing.” The history with the Changrettas was long and winded but she knew each of her brothers had a play in the matter. No one could fully blame Tommy. “I’ll talk to them.”

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

            Out in the stables, Kate was grooming Blue before he was trailered to Mays so he could be trained. Initially, Tommy said the gelding wouldn’t need to be there for long. They weren’t training him for the track like Buchanan. But then, he made the unfortunate error of getting on Blue just to see how he would take to the bit.

            The warm-blooded thoroughbred-cross threw him so hard out of the saddle, he had a hard time getting up for a minute. Tommy assured Kate he could break the gelding in if he had the time. But decided it would be in everyone’s best interest to hand him over to May for training.         

            Despite the horse’s aversion to a saddle, he was very well-tempered on the cross ties. Kate enjoyed spending time with him, making his coat shine, and giving him pats and treats. Blue took a liking to her even in the brief time he was there before going to May’s. Along with dancing again, it was nice to have something to distract her. And she needed a great deal of distraction.

             “You’ve made alliances too.” Alice reminded her, on their first meeting after Kate and Tommy returned from Scarborough.

            “I know,” Kate mumbled.

            “You probably have more people on your side than that asshole has on his. And, he’s coming to us. He’s not going to send all of his men over here, that leaves his home base vulnerable. He has one army. Can’t be more than twenty people. You have armies in Birmingham and London. Everything’s going to be okay.”

            Kate nervously chewed on her fingernail. “Tommy’s family is still all over the place though.” She pointed out.

            “Well, that’s Tommy’s problem to sort out,” Alice said. “He knocked down those fences, he’s the one that’s got to repair them.”

                       Kate was ruminating on that idea as she led Blue back into his stall. As she locked the latch, Tommy came into the stables. She could sense the irritation coming off of him as he strode down the aisle.

            “Did Ada come by already? I was hoping to see her before she-”

            “She left.” He answered curtly. “Sorry.”

            She hung Blue’s lead line up on the stall door. “That’s okay. I could always call her later. I was just hoping to see her before she leaves for Boston.”

            “Yeah.” He mumbled, not really listening to what she was saying.

            “What did she say about everything?”

            He shook his head. “Not now.”

            But before she could protest, he took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. Despite hoping he meeting with Ada went well, Kate suddenly felt the urge to forget everything. Tommy took her breath away when he pressed her up against the polished wood door of Blue’s stall. If he was angry or upset, it didn’t show. Instead, there was a deep yearning for her.

            “Tom…” She breathed against his lips. “Bring me upstairs.” She pled.

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

            By the time they reached the second floor, Kate got a little nervous that it would all fall apart again. That she would have another episode.

            Tommy felt her hand in his tighten. “We’ll take it slow.” He promised. “When you need to stop, we will.”

            She pecked his lips before he opened the bedroom door for her. “I don’t deserve you.”

            He felt quite the opposite. After all, he was the one who kept her at an arm’s distance for so long. Even though it was torture for him, he still did it.

            But now, she was cradled in his arms, straddling his lap as he undid the buttons of her dress and she undid the buttons of his shirt. She carefully undid each little marker of his outward appearance. The cufflinks, the tie clip, the pocket watch, the waistcoat, all set aside.

            It was rare, in Tommy’s experience, to move so slowly. In anything, but in intimacy especially. He could recall many fabric ripping, missing buttons, and torn stockings in his past. He even thought Kate might’ve been a fan of the art of frantic sex. At one point at least, daring and witty as she was. But things had changed for the both of them. Perhaps they needed to be slowed down for their own good. They’d been hurt by others, the world, and each other. There was much healing to be had.

            “Alright?” He asked as she slipped out of her dress.

            “Yeah.” She agreed.

            “Lie back.” He helped her onto the bed, propping up a couple of pillows for her.

            Although Kate felt self-conscious, she reminded herself that she was safe. She closed her eyes for a moment. When she felt his lips on her stomach, she jumped slightly but giggled. “Sorry, I’m ticklish sometimes.” She admitted, opening her eyes to see him smile.

            His hands were resting on her hips, his thumb smoothed over a faded scar on her navel. “I don’t tell you how beautiful you are.”

            Her cheeks warmed. “What are you talking about? Yes, you do.”

            “I don’t tell you enough.” He kissed over the scar before finding her lips again.

            She wrapped her arms around his neck and inhaled his familiar scent. The scent of whiskey, cologne, and cigarettes mixed with a hint of the hay smell from her time with Blue. It was soothing and she kept herself grounded by knotting her fingers in his hair and repeating his name over and over in her head. Sometimes it slipped past her lips as she reminded herself she was safe because she was with Tommy. Her mind wasn’t going back to Boston, back to the nightmares she endured. She was right there in Warwickshire with the man she loved. The man she knew would never hurt her.

            “Keep going.” She begged.

            “I don’t want to push you, Kate.” He brushed a curl from her face.

            “You’re not. I’m here with you right now.” She touched his cheek. “I’m safe with you.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The late afternoon sun was finding its way through the part in the curtains. Kate was curled up in Tommy’s arms, elated at the hurdle she had overcome. Her trust for Tommy was sky high and she felt as though their bond deepened.

            Both of them had gone for so long without pure, uninterrupted intimacy and it really showed. Normally, Tommy wouldn’t be caught dead lounging around in bed in the middle of the day. But for once, no one could tear him away from Kate. As if to prove his own point, he pulled her closer and kissed her neck.

            She purred softly and entangled her legs in his. Opening her eyes after dozing off for a bit, she smiled up at him. “I’ve never seen you like this.” She remarked softly.

            “Like what?” His hand ran soothing lines up and down her side.

            “Calm. Just…not on edge.” She silently noticed warmth in his blue eyes that was so rare. Perhaps when he was younger it was more common to see. But the summer sky blue was so vibrant and heart-warming. Knowing she made him happy made her heart skip a beat.

            “I’m sorry.”

            Her brow wrinkled a bit. “Don’t apologize. It’s been such a hard time on everyone and you’re carrying a big burden, Tom.” She ran her fingers through his hair, lightly massaging his scalp. His eyes closed as he gratefully leaned into her touch. “I just want to be there to ease your burden like you ease mine. It’s only fair.”

            He buried his face in the crook of her neck. “I don’t hear the shovels when I’m holding you.” He whispered.

            There was no need to explain. Kate knew. When Tommy held her at night, she didn’t see Santo’s body bleeding out, or her mother’s body being dragged out of the river. She didn’t hear the screams of people as Santo burned her building down or the sound of him shouting at her. It was all near silent. All she could hear was Tommy’s soft breathing as he fell asleep against her. His familiar scent overwhelmed her with comfort. His heart beating near her was mesmerizing.

            “I love you.” She whispered into his hair. “I love you more than I could ever put into words.”

Permanent Tag: @papa-geralt-of-cirilla @biba3434 @kimmietea @kimmietea @karmezii @enrapturedbythemoon @vampgirl1997 @tarafaithe @evelynshelby

Tag list: @radical-gecko @actorinfluence @meltingicequeen @merlettina

Masterpost

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[mrsrcbinscn]

Wilbur Is Not Amused || The Robinsons

@wilbur-robinson​, @mrrcbinson​

Tl;DR: Franny and Cornelius tell Wilbur about the baby. It does not go well.

Date: August 23rd, 2020

 FRANNY:

 So about telling Cornelius she felt fine...turns out that was a lie. Once she got to her ninth week the morning (and noon, and night) sickness began. It got to the point she made excuses to be out during dinner time because she didn’t want to tell the family she was pregnant yet, but she couldn’t actually keep food down. Water and crackers were all that was on the menu these days. Even the foods she was craving she couldn’t actually enjoy! It was frustrating, but overall she was thrilled. 

 Due to her age and her history of miscarriages her doctor wanted weekly ultrasounds to keep an eye on the baby. Now at eleven weeks pregnant and rapidly approaching the second trimester, everything looked great. The baby had a strong heartbeat according to her doctor and that was all Franny had really hoped for. While eleven weeks wasn’t fully out of the danger zone for the most common window for miscarriage, she realized she couldn’t hide it much longer. They’d almost gotten caught already! 

 When Tallulah offered her a glass of wine at Wilbur’s birthday party — the fake one, the one with the family that they always did — she made up an excuse about being on a drinking hiatus to lose weight. Franny hoped her hands hadn’t instinctively gone to touch her abdomen like her brain had been telling her to do. 

 Eleven weeks with a strong heartbeat was already more than she had expected. It seemed like the right time to tell their family and Cornelius as ever took her lead on this. They told his parents first and Lucille squeezed Franny’s hand and reminded her that by loving their son, she’d already fulfilled all of their wishes for their family, and giving them Wilbur was just a pleasant bonus. Franny of course cried. What else could she do? Lucille was sometimes too ridiculously good to her. 

 Next it was Wilbur, and after Franny had stopped crying courtesy of Lucille being too damn wonderful, they called him into their bedroom to talk. Being on her feet was getting tiring, so talking at the window seat in their bedroom just felt more practical than sitting Wilbur down in his room. It was nap time right after this for the pregnant lady. 

 “Why am I nervous? Are you nervous? Am I freaking out again?” She leaned over to catch Cornelius in a kiss and tangled her fingers with his. 

 CORNELIUS:

 Cornelius was still in shock. He partly couldn’t believe it. Almost didn’t if it weren’t for Franny growing sicker and her weekly doctor appointments. It was weird to imagine that at their age - they might be parents again. Just as Wilbur was on the verge of graduation…

He had been caught up in these thoughts all day. Every time he saw Franny now, actually. But especially today because they were telling everyone. His mother had cried. Actually cried. And then hugged him tight while his father made a science pun about atoms - his mother’s crying in his ears had drowned out the rest, to be honest.

 But the kiss and her touch alone broke him out of his thoughts and he looked to Franny. “Oh! I - more like...well, I don’t know,” He admitted. “I mean, Wilbur’s almost an adult. Legally, at least. I know he can act childish sometimes, but he’s a good kid. I think he’ll be excited. He’ll probably teach them to be like his little sidekick and turn them against us at the age of two.”

 He laughed a little at the joke, honestly believing it to an extent though. But he could get where Franny was coming from. Still, he wasn’t nervous himself. 

 Not until Wilbur came in.

 “Hey, kiddo. Come have a seat, will you?”

 WILBUR:

 Wilbur and his parents didn’t really sit down for important talks often. There were a couple times when he was younger (like when they sat him down to say he might be a big brother, or when they sat him down and said actually no he wouldn’t be and his mum would cry). There were other memorable occasions of course, the last one being a dead relative.

 He started going down a list of relatives that could have kicked the bucket, because there were of course some older ones. But could he play guess who? Or was that entirely inappropriate? Wilbur wandered into his parents room with eyebrows furrowed, debating over whether tact was good or bad in this case?

 Wilbur eyed his mum first and then his dad, debating over who would spill the beans first. Then he shrugged and sat down in one of their chairs. “Okay what’s going on? Who died?”

 FRANNY:

 “What?”

 Franny had a brief spiel loosely prepared but Wilbur’s comment threw her off track. Died, huh? No this was the opposite hopefully. Next week would mark the longest she’d stayed pregnant and her OB/GYN said especially considering her risk factors, her pregnancy was healthy. She couldn’t believe her luck at last after nearly twenty years of marriage. 

 A decade and a half of trying to grow their family, until a few years ago, when Franny’s broken hearts couldn’t take it anymore. Cornelius had always been so good, so understanding, and never once blamed her. She couldn’t say the same for herself. 

 It felt too good to be true and too perfect but yet, here they were. Wilbur was going to (most likely, very likely, it seemed) be a big brother. He’d be so much older than his baby brother or sister but he’d be their superhero and the thought of that made Franny’s eyes prick with tears so she took care not to go there right now. 

 “No, your father and I just have to share some exciting news.” Franny began, tightening just barely her grip on one of Cornelius’s hands. “Wilbur, your father and I found out I’m pregnant. At our age, I know, I thought it was a mistake too but I really am. Twelve weeks; in March you’ll have a little minion to teach to get into trouble. Around your father’s birthday, too...everything looks good this time around. Looks perfect.”

 Franny’s grin almost hopped off her face, it was so wide! She reached for one of Wilbur’s hands and squeezed. “Isn’t that exciting?”

 WILBUR:

 There were a few different things Wilbur would have imagined that they’d have to say. Maybe some Great Uncle bit the dust, or they were planning another trip and they wanted him to give them input. Or maybe they were rethinking his request for a horse. You never knew. Wilbur was willing to be imaginative.

 But then his mum started talking, and Wilbur could feel his heart sink. Not sink, maybe it just fell right out of his body and fell into the sea. The bemused look changed so swiftly, any hint of a smile gone from his face as he paled. He could remember the last time his mum had told him she was pregnant. It was years ago, and Wilbur had just assumed (like an idiot apparently) that they wouldn’t try again.

 Why wasn’t he enough for them anyway?

 Wilbur sucked in a breath and let it out again, forcing himself to try not to blow up. He wanted to. He wanted to so badly, because his parents really didn’t think about him at all did they? Wilbur immediately tugged his hand away from his mother, arms wrapping around himself defensively as he glanced between Franny and Cornelius. He was still waiting for one of them to say ‘just kidding’ but...well his parents wouldn’t pull that kind of a stunt with him.

 Which meant no matter how improbable, no matter how horrible, it must be the truth. “Are you serious? Why would I be excited about this? In what world does ‘my mum could possibly kill herself again trying to have a real baby’ sound exciting?” Okay, maybe he couldn’t contain it.

 CORNELIUS:

 Of all reactions, Cornelius didn’t expect this one from Wilbur. Especially faced with the beaming face of his mother right now. But the moment his face changed, he knew something was wrong. And - 

 Real baby? What did that even…

 “Wilbur, what do you by real baby? You’re our real son,” Cornelius began slowly, his mind trying to process everything. Something that was so exciting and joyous suddenly turned sour and was about to become a fight. One that would not be easily fixed either. “Its….you’re not be replaced, if that’s what you’re getting at. Or forgotten or any of that.”

 Considering both of them were orphans, he could put himself in Wilbur’s mindset in a way. But not much. Because this reaction was just - shocking. Were they being selfish though? Were they bad parents to bring this up at Wilbur’s age? He turned to look at Franny, his brows coming together in concern.

 FRANNY:

 Franny first felt white hot anger at her son’s reaction. It was as if for a brief moment she resented him as much as she’d ever loved him. 

 (And briefly, she was angry at Cornelius for not at least gently chastising him for yelling at his mother, but she reminded herself that Cornelius was a better person than she was. He heard Wilbur’s hurt first, whereas Franny first tuned into the anger. Thank god Cornelius was here. She would have shouted right back if not for him.)

 How dare he, she thought though. Now, she expected her son to make a joke about how old she was. She wasn’t stupid enough to think Wilbur, a happy only child, would be thrilled. She expected, however, a quick ‘oh? Cool. Anyway is that all?’

 What she didn’t expect was such a reaction. 

 How dare he, in one instant, rob her of her joy. Franny’s heart sank as she thought to herself this is a mistake. 

 And as quickly as her anger appeared, it subsided, as it always did when she was angry with Wilbur. His words cut but after feeling the impact of those words it was as if she pressed pause on her hurt to instead focus on Wilbur’s, because that’s what moms are supposed to do. 

 She could cry to Cornelius later or perhaps her mother, but who could Wilbur go to? He usually sought her out for comfort but who now?

 “Wilbur…what are you saying?” Franny said quietly as her face fell, before for once in her obnoxious life, she struggled to find words. “You’re not...it...it was an accident, we didn’t mean—“ wait. Was she about to apologize for being pregnant? She sighed and her hand flinched to reach forward and hold Wilbur’s hand, play with his hair, anything, but he’d batted her hand away not a moment ago. “Wilbur, honey. You are our real baby. There is nothing we love more than you and being your parents. Nothing, honey.”

 WILBUR: 

 Honestly, Wilbur thought it was pretty clear what he meant. He was being replaced. By a younger model that would probably be nicer than Wilbur and more likeable than Wilbur because they wouldn’t be as bratty as he could be. They’d probably “try to get it right” this time, and where would that leave Wilbur? Miserable.

 “Really?” He asked, and he couldn’t help but snort. Of course he’d be forgotten. A baby would demand all their attention, and when Wilbur would need them for college things or anything else, he’d probably get ignored. His whole family would probably coo at the baby and focus on what it wanted and needed and he’d be pushed by the wayside. Wilbur wasn’t stupid. He knew babies needed a ton of attention.

 “Why would you still care about having another baby? That’s what I just don’t get! Mum was always so messed up by this shit, and yet that’s always been it. ‘Why can’t I have a real baby to take care of?’ You didn’t say it in as many words, but the implication is pretty fucking clear.” So what if Wilbur was a bit spoiled? Who were the people that had spoiled him in the first place? Oh yeah, it was them.

 He didn’t look forward to watching the way his mum would try to do things differently so this baby, their actual biological one wouldn’t turn out like him. He hated it. He hated it he hated it. He was going to be sick. “I can’t believe you’d do this now! What, I’m going to go off to college soon so it doesn’t matter what I think? That’s great really. Have fun with your new family.” He stumbled to his feet. He needed to get out of here. He wanted to cry, but he was nothing if not determined to do that in the comfort of his own space, without the people who hurt him around.

 FRANNY:

 “Wilbur!” Franny exclaimed, springing out of her seat but not advancing toward her son. She wouldn’t force him to stay but he wasn’t going to storm out without one final attempt to reach him. 

 And, yeah, maybe she said his name in the ‘I’m gonna kick your ass’ tone but with the way he was speaking to his parents right now did he expect any different? His words were hurtful not only to her as his mother, but as a person in general. Franny kept her composure enough to keep from well and truly yelling at Wilbur but under the far too consistent volume of her voice was boiling anger.

 “What do you mean ‘new family?’ For once would it kill you to not be so over-dramatic. Like I just. I just wanna know. You know damn well, Wilbur, that plenty of families have more than one child in them. We wanted a big family because we just did, okay? We just did. There’s no other explanation. We just wanted that. But your father -” 

 Never slowed down. Never could press pause so we could adopt again so I had to try the old-fashioned way even though my body kept telling me I couldn’t do it.

 “- and I just kind of shelved that for the most part. We stopped tryin’ years ago, I didn’t get pregnant to piss you off. Believe it or not, the world doesn’t revolve around Wilbur Robinson. Sometimes it just happens. What was I supposed to do when I found out I was pregnant, huh? What would have made you happy?”

 A beat, and Franny pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. 

 “Get out. Go to bed. Or don’t, I don’t care, just get out.”

 WILBUR:

 So the world didn’t revolve around Wilbur. He knew that already. His mum made it even more clear that he wasn’t that special. He wasn’t enough for them. He’d never been enough for them. If he had, then his parents wouldn’t have cared about a big or a small family. They would have just let that baby stuff be and loved him. 

 Why did mum think he was overdramatic? It wasn’t overdramatic to realize he was being replaced! It would be different if they’d adopted or had another kid when he was still little, when it was a normal thing to do. This wasn’t normal. He’d never felt so unappreciated in his life, and he’d had his moments of doubt. 

 “Oh I know the world doesn’t revolve around me. And it never will, because that new baby’s just going to replace me and that’s just great. I’m glad you get a do over to have a better kid.” And since he was already in it, and he’d clearly already pissed off his mum too, Wilbur headed out, both middle fingers waving at them as he made his way out. He’d break down once he was alone. He wouldn’t cave until then.

[nickmuch]

c.z.k. - high school (part 3)

PART 1 / PART 2

Note: Honestly, I have nothing to do at work atm, so I might update this daily. Can’t wait for Part 4! Bc I have finally some more Zion action planned.

Also: It might be prom season there, but you didn’t hear it from me. My favorite part to write was probably the one that took place after prom.

Aaand: mobile tumblr seems to ignore all the paragraphing I put into the text to indicate the end of a scene???? So it’s probably easier to read on the desktop version.

A week had passed since my outburst. If you thought that everything magically turned upside down and we lived a happy life riding into the sunset on our white horse, then you thought wrong. Absolutely nothing happened. I returned back to class that day, not even flinching from his words. And he came back a couple minutes later, both of us acting as if we didn’t just kiss. He went back to her and I went back to feeling like shit. The usual story.

I acted like it didn’t faze me when he approached my locker at the end of the school day. “So …” he began. “You and Edwin?”. His voice sounded nervous when he asked me. Scrunching up my face, I fully turned towards him. “Me and Edwin what?”. Sighing, he grabbed my arm making me look him dead in the eyes. “You guys together now? You both seem oddly close these days”. Wow, I couldn’t believe the words that left his mouth. “Congrats! You have officially lost your mind, Caleb” I started picking up my pace. The front door wasn’t too far from here, so I hoped he would just let it go and let me drive home in peace. I hoped for nothing because clearly, he and his long legs caught up to me rather quickly, opening the door to my passenger seat before sitting down. “Look, I’m sorry for everything. But honestly, I just wanna put this all behind us. I miss my friends and I feel like I can’t hang out with the group while you’re still mad at me” “I’m not mad at you, in fact I give zero shits about you. But if you have something to talk about with the boys, then do so. I’m not keeping you from seeing them. They were your friends first, so you have every right to chill with them. I just don’t wanna be included, s’all”. A tap on the window made us look up. There she stood, tight smile on her face and eyes cold like ice. “Aw shit” he said, hurriedly opening the door to get out and explain why in the name of God he was sitting in his Ex’s car talking. Since I seriously didn’t need to hear their arguing – which was bound to happen any second now – I quickly drove off.

“Prom is right around the corner. What do you mean you’re not going?! Yes, you are! Don’t leave me alone with these fools!”. Edwin was close to having a breakdown. All because I didn’t plan on going to prom. There was no reason to go, really. I had no date, it was way too cold In New York to walk around in a dress the whole evening, and I wasn’t in the mood anyways. “Eddie, I love you, but please don’t make me go. I would only destroy the fun” I begged, thinking that would change his mind. Wrong! Because Edwin was – well – Edwin. My excuses were exactly that: just excuses. And he knew. “Okay bebecita, I knooooow you don’t feel like going”. He was convinced that easily? Wow, okay. “But!”. Ah there it was. “We will have fun. Trust me! When have I ever lied to you?”. I mean, he was right. Whenever he said something was going to be fun, it actually turned out to be. “Fine, we’ll go! But make sure that Zion leaves me alone. He thinks we’re dating and I don’t feel like dealing with his headassery again”. Edwin’s eyes nearly fell out of his face. “What?! Oh my god, is he serious?”. A hearty laugh filled up the whole living room. “Mijo, not so loud!” his mom shouted from the kitchen, making him quit immediately. “Anyways” he plopped down next to me on the couch. “No offense, but even if you’d be the last girl in the world and we had to reproduce in order to save the human civilization, I still wouldn’t touch you” Edwin finished. “No offense taken. You’re not my type anyway” I casually said while not breaking my eyes off of the tv screen. Gasp! “I- what? I meant because you’re my twin sister! Not because of your looks!” he cried. “Uhm … oh y-yeah, that’s what I meant too …?”. No way I could save my ass out of this. He looked hurt for a second but didn’t seem to dwell on it when he used my lap as a pillow to watch the show. “Don’t be fooled, you still suck ass”.

The night of the prom, Edwin had officially turned into a bridezilla. Minus the bride, of course. His steps could be heard from everywhere in the house, like a ticking clock you couldn’t dismiss. It was driving me insane. It was driving us all insane. “Edwin, you need to calm down” I tried. “There’s no way! No. Way.” he frantically walked from one room to the other. “My clothes need to be ironed, you still aren’t in your dress- “. “It’s 2 p.m.!” my voice sounded squeakier than expected. “- … your hair’s a mess, face not beat, my hair is acting up, and the damn rental car is running late” he finished with one last breath before collapsing on my bed. “We won’t be on time. Just cancel on the boys for me, the stress isn’t good for the baby”. “What baby?!”. “Me. I’m baby”. I couldn’t believe my ears. This boy lost his mind. Narrowing my eyes at him, he challenged me back to a stare-down. “Listen here, egghead” An offended gasp left his lips. “You’ve been talking about this night for weeks. There’s no backing out now. Move your ass up and get your to-do-list, so I can help you with everything. We still have four hours left before the boys are supposed to be here. So, let’s start!”.

The white Range Rover came to a halt right in front of the school building. Loud music could be heard already, some new rap song playing in the background. “This is gonna be so lit!” Edwin bounced on his seat excitedly before jumping out and dragging the rest of us with him into the gym. The motto for this year’s prom was “neon festival”.The wall decoration was painted in a mix of fluorescent colors, which reflected every time the lights hit them. Bright yellow stars adorned the ceiling, some white smoke even coming out of a smoke machine. Everything was arranged so nicely, I couldn’t help but admire the great effort of the students who probably worked hard for this to come true. Now I understood why Edwin wanted to go so badly. Back home, our prom nights were pretty basic. No one could be bothered to put so much effort into an event, just for it to be over on the same night.

“Here, for you” Nick handed me a red solo cup, which was filled with some pink drink, accompanied by a cocktail umbrella. “Thank you” I said, turning my gaze towards the shining stars again. “I’m so sorry about what I’m gonna say next” he looked slightly uneasy, so I tried to calm him down by laying my hand on his shoulder. “Z and Asya will be joining our table. I mean, only if it’s alright with you”. As if on cue, my eyes wandered over to where I last saw the boys, seeing that – in fact – they were surrounded by the couple. All of them looked so happy, laughing and joking with each other. No matter what I felt towards Caleb, I had to set my pride aside and act nice from now on. The boys were longing to hang out with their friend again and I didn’t want to be the reason for a strain in their friendship.

“It’s alright with me” I replied. His hand cautiously wrapped around my hips, like he was scared of making me uncomfortable. “Lead the way, Mara”. He grinned at me. “Say no more, Honoret”. I rolled my eyes at the name. He knew I wasn’t really a Honoret, and yet everyone just called me that, totally ignoring all my attempts at correcting them.

Luckily, I got the seat between Edwin and Brandon. I didn’t know how to greet Zion and his girlfriend. She was too busy typing away on her phone to notice my arrival, anyways. So, I just gave him a short wave and a shy smile. “Looking nice” he said, motioning to my baby blue velvet bodycon dress. His girl was so busy, she didn’t even notice him complimenting another female. Either that, or she didn’t care. “Thanks Caleb, you too”. Coincidentally, he wore a dark grey suit with a baby blue pocket square. To not give awkward silence any room, Austin suggested to me to dance. Gladly taking his offer, we made our way to the dance floor. Soon enough, Edwin and Nick joined us, their dance moves putting me and him to shame. “You guys enjoying yourselves?” Brandon shouted over the music. I pulled him closer by his forearm to join us. “Very”. My grin however didn’t last. When I looked back to our table, I saw Zion all by himself. He looked bored, occasionally scrolling through his phone. “I’ll be right back” I told no one in particular before making my way over to the lone boy.

“Why so lonely, Kuwonu?” I nudged his arm. With a weak smile on his plump lips, he answered “Asya is preoccupied with her group of friends. I don’t really vibe with ‘em”. Nodding understandingly, I offered him to accompany me back to the others. “As long as you don’t hit the folks, we’re good” I playfully teased him. “Ha ha, very funny” Caleb sarcastically remarked. It was nice to talk to him without an attitude or tension building up. Maybe I overreacted a little bit in the last weeks. Having him around felt good, if you ignored the butterflies that erupted deep down in my stomach every time he looked at me or smiled his goofy grin. But we had our chance and it didn’t work out, that’s why I had to get over it. Better to have him as a friend than anything else. Right now, though, was about having fun and enjoying the company of good friends in a night that seemed to be endless.

The thing is, everything has an end. And so, I found myself in the booth of an old diner. The fake leather of the seats was peeling off and little bolts of cloth got stuck to our clothes. One of my legs was pressed against the window side, my other leg was touching Brandon’s involuntarily. Edwin thought a corner booth would totally suffice for all seven of us. Well, he thought wrong because now we were all huddled up, trying to get as comfortable as humanly possible with not much space between us left. Asya decided to not tag along, saying she was too tired from dancing with her friends all night.

“I hope they hurry up with our order, I’m starving!” Ansley sighed dramatically. Turns out, Austin was talking to her for weeks now, he just couldn’t build up the courage to ask her out yet. So, Edwin being Edwin, persuaded her to join our trip for a midnight-snack, claiming that “this pizza is going to be the best you’ve ever had!”. Judging from the interior design and the slack expression we were getting from the waiter, I highly doubted he was right. But then again, never underestimate Edwin.

“Okay, you were right. This is the best pizza I’ve ever had. Kudos to you, Ed” Ansley munched happily on her slice. Suspiciously examining the pieces in the center of the table, I couldn’t really put too much trust into her words. For some odd reason, the pizza had more grease on it than my face in the morning before washing it. “Just try it, she isn’t lying” Zion slid me a slice over. “If I die, tell Mama, Papa and the babies that I love ‘em” I told Ed before taking a bite. This was actually pretty good. Maybe not the best I’ve had, but it came close. “What makes this the best pizza in all of New York, though? It doesn’t taste that special”. The boys smirked knowingly, all eyes looking down trying to avoid my gaze. “It’s not necessarily the taste but rather the memories this place holds, you know? Back when we were younger, we’d spend our evenings after school here since our parents were working and we had no one to watch us in the meantime” Brandon nodded along to Edwin’s words, clearly remembering it all as if it had happened yesterday. “Can you imagine the mess we’d make?! Five little boys, full of energy rushing in to buy themselves some junk food, not a single care in the world” he paused for a moment, giving the others a short smile. The moment was filled with a melancholic retrospective feeling. “We literally grew up in this place. T’was safer to play and wait for our parents in here than at home or on the streets. I guess that’s what makes this so special to us” he shrugged. Sensing that he had finished the story, I nodded slowly, comprehending everything he just told me. “I like it here. Has charm to it”. Grinning widely, I took another bite to further prove my point.

People think of New York as this cool and hip city, with expensive luxurious apartments and such, but they seem to forget that not everyone is fortunate enough to live that life. Some of us have to learn from an early age that this world is full of bad people. Not everyone is going to wish you the best or give a helping hand. “We kinda are like OMB if you really think about it. Sure, no one is forcing us to join a gang or sum, but we do live a similar life” Zion threw in. “Actually, the weedhead might be onto something” B exclaimed. “You moving here out of nowhere” he said, pointing towards me. “Ed having to give up his room for you. A weird crackhead as a friend like Jamal” Now it was Edwin’s turn to be pointed at. “Hey! That’s rude! Besides, don’t do my bro Jamal like dat. He’s a great friend, always got their backs and shit” Ed tried to argue. “You’re a great friend, too. And an even better twin brother” I genuinely told him. A chorus of “Awwee”’s followed the round. “Now this is how you talk to friends! Take notes, ladies”. When he said ladies, he definitely wasn’t referring to me or Ansley.

The night itself turned out being amazing and I was glad that Edwin had convinced me to go to prom. We were talking about everything and nothing, really. Moments turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours, and soon it was already time to leave. Ansley had to be home soon, so Austin took it upon himself to make sure she would arrive there safely. Edwin was craving donuts from the corner shop across the street, but since he couldn’t be trusted on his own, Brandon decided to follow him. “Is B really the right fit to watch him not do any shenanigans?” Nick asked warily. “… honestly, talking from experience, I should probably go with ‘em before their sugar high kicks in”. With that, I was left alone with Zion in the booth of a run-down diner in the middle of New York. Despite being in one of the biggest cities, the world suddenly felt so small around me.

“So …” Zion said, looking around the place. “So …” I mimicked. Shaking his head, he just laughed. “This is low key awkward, not gonna lie”. It was true. In a group we no longer had trouble talking, however when alone it was a whole another story.

“I’m sorry”.

“You say sorry way too much”.

“Maybe. But this time I wanna apologize for attacking you with that kiss last week”.

“It’s all forgotten”.

His mouth opened and closed, scared to say something but I knew there still was something he wanted to get off his chest.

The bell above the door frame signaled the arrival of someone. “Guess what I gotchu guys?!” Edwin trotted over, taking a seat on the table, so that he had both me and Z on each of his sides. A small brown paper bag rested on his lap. With one swift movement, he pulled out some twizzlers, and shoved them in our hands. “And we also bought you make up wipes!” happily Brandon said in a sing-song voice. Fishing out the pack, he handed them over to me. “I love you guys!”. Nick walked in last. “Yo, I’m slowly getting tired. Can we drive home now?” sleepily he rubbed his eyes, already pulling on Zion’s sleeve. Reluctantly, Edwin followed behind, even though all he wanted was to eat his candy. His sugar high was still going in full force. Therefore, he didn’t feel an ounce of sleep.

“Why the fuck is he so bouncy?!”Austin asked. We had called him earlier to ask for his location, so that we could pick him up and drive home as well. He climbed up the Jeep, sitting next to an energetic Ed. “Twizzlers?” he offered to his friend. “No, thanks. Also, please stop smiling so creepily, you’re scaring me”. This was going to be a long drive.

Note: Part 4 will have more Zion moments. The plan is to have only one or two settings, so hopefully it’ll work out as planned.

I’d love to get some feedback, good or bad doesn’t matter!! What direction would you want this to go? How would you like this to end? Let me know!

Cami

[thesuperyooper]

Buzzfeed Unsolved VS Markiplier Manor

Inspired by this post by @markired 

This was too fun to write... 

"Here it is, Markiplier Manor." Ryan mused as the the Buzzfeed Unsolved crew pulled up to the looming mansion.

"Markiplier... why does that name sound so familiar?" Shane asked and Ryan shrugged.

"No idea man. No idea." he replied.

The group got out of the car and the cameraman started rolling on the manor.

"This is Markiplier Manor, one of the most mysterious and putatively haunted places in all of LA." Ryan introduced as the cameras panned to the mansion. A thunder cloud began to roll in overhead and a light rumble filled the air. Ryan jumped a bit and Shane laughed at him.

"We're not even in the house yet and you're already losing your shit." Shane giggled as they approached the main entrance.

The door was large and wooden, with a long vertical window in the center and matching ones alongside the door. A warm, golden glow emanated through the designs in the window panes. Two sets of armor stood watch over the door. The whole house gave off a welcoming feeling that didn't match the cold, stone facade of the manor. It quite sit right with anyone in the group. Ryan knocked on the door gently.

The door swung open hastily and a tall, well built man in black tie attire greeted them. He wore white gloves and his black, curly hair was styled back with expertise. "Ah, Bonjour! Welcome to Markiplier Manor!" he greeted with a jubilant smile on his face, "You must be the Buzzfeed crew! Come in, come in. I shall get out of your way, forthwith."

The butler disappeared into the house. The three men shuffled in the house and Shane looked at Ryan with a confused look.

"What the hell does forthwith mean?" Shane whispered as they made their way into the sitting room.

Ryan shrugged once again, but was caught off guard by a soft voice coming from the entryway that they had just left.

"Oh! There you are, old friend. How are you settling into your new office?" the voice whispered. It sounded layered, almost. Like it wasn't in the right place.

Ryan looked, confused once again, to Shane. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, the butler seems to be having a rough time in the kitchen." Shane laughed, and Ryan heard a clanging from another room.

"No, not that. That voice." Ryan reiterated. Shane rolled his eyes and clambered down onto the couch. Ryan sat down next to him and pulled out his phone, shaking off the weird vibe he was getting from the house. The cameraman set up a tripod and started filming the two.

“So, what’s up with this house?” Shane asked, leaning back, and Ryan pulled up his script on his phone.

“Well, back in the 1920’s, this house was under ownership of an actor by the name of Mark.” Ryan began.

“Wonder where the Iplier came from…” Shane questioned.

“Maybe it was his last name?” Ryan suggested.

“Nah, I bet his last name was something ridiculous. Like Fischbach.” Shane joked.

Ryan laughed and continued to read the history of the manor. “Mark lived here his whole life with his best friend, William. William left to serve in World War 1 where he came back as a Colonel. Upon his arrival back into the United States, his friends, Mark, the D.A, who’s name is never specified, and Damien, the town’s mayor at the time, began calling him The Colonel, and the nickname stuck. Mark helped William find employment after the war and kept him financially stable.”

“Like, the KFC Colonel?” Shane joked once again.

“Imagine coming back from World War 1 and your friends literally renaming you after a fast food mascot.” Ryan chuckled.

“I’d kill you.” his counterpart added.

Ryan continued once more. “It’s said that Mark, Damien, the D.A. and William were inseparable, until, that is, Mark married Damien’s sister Celine. It’s safe to say William was jealous, for now he was in debt to Mark and in love with his wife. Nothing big happened, though, until Celine left Mark for William. Mark then ostracized himself from the group; isolating himself in this very manor for months.”

“Jesus Christ,” Shane exhaled, “curb your best friend and steal his wife.”

“Talk about a homewrecker.” Ryan jabbed.

“Okay, but what about Damien? The poor guy is stuck in the middle of this like “I don’t want either of you to date my sister!”” Shane said in an old-timey voice.

“One day he just goes, “Fuck both of you!” and Celine goes “Been there done that.”” Ryan weezed.

“The D.A. just nopes out of the whole situation.” Shane giggled.

After catching his breath, Ryan went on, “After a year or so, Mark organized a private, weekend, poker party, in this very manor. Damien had told his girlfriend at the time that he thought Mark  was “trying to get the gang back together.” The party was exclusive and the only accounts of what happened that night were from the chef, the groundskeeper, a detective named Abe, and the butler, Benjamin.”

“I wonder if he’s any relation to our tall, dark, and handsome butler friend?” Shane mused.

“Maybe his grandfather?” Ryan guessed. “The only definitive things we know about the poker party was that the only people to come out alive were the groundskeeper, the chef, and Benjamin. The story goes, that Mark was killed the morning after the party, and the rest of the folks tried to figure out who the murderer was. Accounts of strange happenings such as Mark’s body vanishing, disembodied whispers, broken mirrors, and people appearing out of nowhere, have led people to believe the house may have been cursed before the party.”

“Wait- the body just disappeared?” Shane asked.

“Just straight up vanishes.” Ryan confirmed, “Never to be seen again.”

“Sounds hinkey” Shane replied.

“Most of the witnesses to the party refused to talk about it, the chef even claiming that he’d rather die than go back to the manor.” Ryan explained, “The only body found was Abe’s, who had been shot in the stomach. There are three theories: One- the bodies of the D.A., the Colonel, Mark, Damien, and Celine were disposed of by the staff of the house, who had gotten fed up with Mark’s management. Two- William killed Mark, Damien and the D.A. and ran off with Celine. And Three- every one thought to be dead is still alive. There have been accounts of people seeing William with pink hair and a mustache to match and Damien by his side. Some people also believe that Mark is still alive and makes Youtube videos.”

“Hold your fucking horses.” Shane yelled. “You’re telling me people think they’ve seen these guys, like present day setting? They would be like, over 100 years old by now!”

“I’m just reading the theories, man!” Ryan retorted, laughing, “Don’t shoot the messenger!”

Shane just laughed and shook his head, “I think it’s time we shut off the lights and get to ghosting!”

A couple hours later, Shane and Ryan were walking through Markiplier Manor, their cameraman in tow. As they walked into the dining room, Ryan clicked on the spirit box.

“Is there anyone here?” Ryan asked, as the spirit box’s static noise echoed throughout the house. “If the spirits haunting this house are with us tonight, make yourselves known!”

“Mark, if you are here, tickle Ryan’s chin!” Shane joked, earning him a glare from Ryan.

The spirit box crackled. A deep laugh was heard quietly through the house and the spirit box started to play some sort of techno-music.

“What the fuck?!” Ryan shouted, startled, immediately turning the spirit box off. “You heard that laugh too, right?”

Shane shrugged, “It sounded like the house settling to me.”

They moved into the sitting room and Ryan switched on the spirit box once more.

“What happened during the weekend of October 10th?” Shane asked.

The spirit box crackled, “Murder.”

“Holy shit dude.” Ryan gasped as a bolt of lightning struck outside.

“Well, that’s comforting.” Shane replied.

Next, they went to the D.A.’s room. Nothing happened. Then, to William’s room. Nothing happened. Their last stop on the second floor was Mark’s room.

They looked around at the room and Shane picked up a picture frame. Inside was a picture of William, Damien, and Mark. He set it on the floor and the Ghoul Boys sat around it.

“What happened between you and William, Mark?” was the question he proposed.

A hush fell over the room, before a strange, disembodied whispered quietly said, “Can I borrow your friend here?” The picture flipped over and the glass cracked around the Colonel’s face.

“You had to have heard that!” Ryan shouted, backing away from the picture as Shane picked it up.

“That butler is going to kill us.”

The boys exit the room in a panicked rush before they heard a voice shouting, “Madness is stealing your best friend’s wife! Madness is plotting the death of your childhood friend because you can’t handle the tru-” The voice was cut off by a gunshot that came from the upstairs balcony.

Shane and Ryan ran to the balcony, only to find no one there. They looked at each other, before running downstairs and towards the exit.

Before leaving the two paused in front of a large mirror and caught their breath. Suddenly the mirror shattered and a piercing scream came from the corridor below the balcony. Shane and Ryan looked at the mirror to find the D.A. staring out at them, screaming and pounding their fists against the shattered glass. Both men screamed and ran out the door, into two solid objects.

When they looked up, they realized that they had just ran into two other men. One was wearing a black suit and had pitch black eyes, while the other wore a yellow shirt and pink suspenders, his hair and mustache the same shade of bubblegum.

“Heard you two were looking for ghosts!” the man that people claimed to be William said in a slurred cadence.

Shane and Ryan ran passed them, their cameraman not too far behind. They jumped in their car and drove away from the manor.

“You guys win! I believe it all now!” Shane yelled.

And that was the final episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural.

[olicitybishop-clairmont]

Evil Die and Good Endure Ch. 4

Hey everyone! Hope all is well in the Arrow fandom! Here’s an update of my Dragon/Magic AU. It sounds a little different than what I had originally gone with, so I did a bit of a rewrite of my previous chapter to keep continuity. I have to say I like this version better. Hope you like it!

Master List

CH.1, CH.2, CH.3

Enjoy!

Hidden, Felicity watched from a balcony as more people arrived at the castle. She had snuck out here early in the morning as the first few arrivals had been announced and brought into the front courtyard. Some royal crests she recognized, some she did not, but none would be introduced until the welcome feast later in the evening. An odd feeling rose in Felicity as she sat in her hiding spot.

All of these men were here for her.

One of them would end up her husband.

She wasn't sure if she was ready for this.

To have her future rest on the results of this... game made her feel slightly nauseous.

What if some of them tried to cheat?

What if they tried to hurt her?

What if the winner was someone she didn’t want?

What if they found out about her secret?

Her parents had assured her that she would get the final word, regardless of the outcome, but that did nothing to settle her nerves.

Far too many variables. Far too many things could go wrong.

The sound of hooves on cobblestones drew her attention back to the courtyard below. She had been hearing the sound all day, but it had been accompanied by many voices greeting each other, as well as the other everyday sounds of a functioning household. The clangs of metal on metal in the forge, the snap of fabric being shaken out and hung on a line to dry by the laundresses.

But the sound of these hooves also brought something else.

Silence.

As if the horse and rider had placed a spell over everyone in the courtyard.

Felicity shifted her position and looked down to see what had happened.

In the middle of the courtyard stood a magnificent pitch black stallion, its mane and coat shining. The horse fidgeted slightly, noticing that the attention had shifted to him and his rider, but he settled with a simple movement from his rider. Well-trained.

That movement drew Felicity’s attention to said rider. When her eyes reached the emblem on the chest of his armor, they widened.

The Lost Prince of Starling, Oliver Queen, had deigned to come to her kingdom.

She had heard rumors about him, surely, but always took those with a sense of caution. She knew how rumors were most often untrue.

But what she did know sounded like a tall tale, one even more fantastic than the fact that Felicity herself turned into a dragon every night.

Before Oliver had been missing for five years, the consensus was that had he ascended the throne, he would have been woefully unprepared. Preferring to drink and bed women rather than learn how to govern, Oliver Queen became known as quite the lothario. There had been talks of forcing him to choose a bride and settle down, with the highest contender being Lady Laurel Lance. However, any attempt at that marriage fell through when she secretly eloped with the prince of the neighboring kingdom and Starling’s closest ally, Prince Thomas Merlyn of Merlynium (Thomas’ father, Malcolm, had been self-obsessed and arrogant, changing the name of his kingdom from Chicago to something he thought was befitting of the Merlyn family name. Thomas was in the process of changing it back.)

Not long after the announcement of Laurel and Thomas’ marriage, Prince Oliver Queen disappeared.

Some thought he was hiding to avoid seeing the married couple.

Some thought that he had run off with Laurel’s sister, Sara, in retaliation.

However, as more time passed and no one heard from or saw Oliver, foul play was suspected.

Search parties were sent out. Some returned, some didn’t. None returned with good news.

Some thought he had been kidnapped, and was already dead.

Some thought he had been magically transformed into a beast, or been placed in an enchanted slumber for a century.

Five years passed with no word as to what happened.

Then, suddenly, he returned.

But the prince that had disappeared was not the prince that was found.

He refused to speak about where he had been or what had happened, only saying that he was home, and he was safe, and his family was together again.

But there was a mystery there.

And Felicity hated mysteries. They needed to be solved.

And now she just might have an opportunity to do just that.

Felicity continued to stare at Oliver, taking in his physique, the way he held himself. Tense, as if searching the courtyard for threats. This gave her an chance to take in his face, and honestly, the gossip had not done him justice.

Hair, dark blond and shorn close to his head, but soft-looking. Felicity absently wondered what it would feel like if she ran her hands through it.

A straight nose, making for quite the profile. His face would certainly look good on Starling’s coins.

A strong jawline, blurred ever so slightly by closely shaven stubble, surrounding what looked like soft, full lips. Lips that were pulled up into a smirk.

Felicity’s gaze traveled upward slowly. Two pairs of blue eyes met and locked with startling intensity, making Felicity’s breath catch.

Before she could move back into her hiding place, someone down in the courtyard caught the prince’s attention, pulling his gaze away from hers. Felicity turned away from the balcony, staying still to make sure no one else had noticed her.

When she turned around again, he was gone.

0o0o0

The massive dining hall was full of light and music and the noises of men and women partaking in eating, dancing, and talking. Felicity listened from her hidden alcove near the doorway where her parent were to emerge momentarily, after which they would announce her and then explain the rule of the tournament.

Truth be told, Felicity was nervous.

There had never been so many people in her kingdom at once before, and they were all there to see her. She would have to choose one of them to be her husband, the father of her children, and the one to rule her kingdom beside her for the rest of her life.

A daunting task for any royal.

From the dining hall came the call of a trumpet, signaling the arrival of the king and queen. Felicity peeked her head around the corner, watching as everyone stood up out of respect for the governing royals.

The king and queen walked up to the dais, standing in front of the high table where their seats were located, and faced the crowd.

The king was the first to speak.

“Welcome, everyone, to our kingdom! Please be seated. First, my queen and I would like to thank all of you brave men for coming to our kingdom. We understand the circumstances of this tournament are not exactly traditional, but we hope for a positive outcome for all.”

The queen picked up where he left off.

“Tomorrow, the competition for our daughter’s hand in marriage will commence. As you all may know from the invitations we sent out, our kingdom has a dragon hidden in the forest. In order to be victorious, one of you must successfully retrieve a scale from this dragon and present it to the princess.”

The king spoke again. “Now, while this might sound like a relatively easy task, there are rules that must be followed, otherwise you will be immediately disqualified and sent home.” The steely expression that came over the king’s face was a quick but effective reminder of why this man was the one in power. “Rule number one, any and all attempts to obtain a scale must be done after the sun sets. Rule number two, no harm must come to your fellow competitors. And above all, no harm is to come to the dragon.”

Murmurs could be heard throughout the dining hall. Felicity peaked out to see surprise and confusion on nearly everyone’s faces.

“While its presence has startled the good people, and rightfully so, the dragon has done no harm to anyone in the kingdom, and there have been no reports of attacks or damage caused by it. We don’t want to give it cause to start terrorizing us and our people.”

Felicity scoffed quietly from her position. She knew that her father had to make the circumstances seem like the dragon was wild, and not his own daughter, but to hear him, even pretending, to be wary of her in dragon form was ridiculous, all the same. She would never hurt anyone in her kingdom.

The queen, continuing from where her husband had stopped speaking, said, “But fair warning, gentlemen. Simply presenting us with a scale will not automatically make you the champion. You must win the approval of our daughter as well, for it is she who will be the final judge of the competition. With that said, we would like to introduce to you her, the one you have all come here for, the Crown Princess Felicity!”

Sweeping her hand toward the entrance where Felicity was waiting, the queen directed everyone's eyes toward her daughter, who cautiously stepped out into the dining hall. As apprehensive as she was, Felicity had been trained well by her mother to maintain a royal air about her when meeting new people. That training was her saving grace as she walked over to where her parents were standing.

The three of them walked to their seats where they would be dining, and the king clapped his hands.

“Everyone, please enjoy your meal, and make sure you get a good night’s rest. For tomorrow, the tournament will begin!”

The sounds of conversation and eating that had been silenced during the king and queen’s speech sprung up again as people dug into their meals. Felicity looked around as she ate quickly, wanting to finish and get back to her rooms so she could change as soon as possible.

Tonight would be her last night of freedom as a dragon, and she wanted to make the most of it.

So there is chapter 4! Next up, the competition begins!

As always, let me know what you think and if you want to be tagged.

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[deadromance619]

Most of the legends of Azeroth are already written in books, told in inns, and are reenacted in plays, but history is written by the winners, where would the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner be if she hadn't liberated herself and accepted her defeat. Where would Varian Wrynn be if he died in the sands of the arena? We, the survivors, some of us are happy that we fell into the background of these great hero's. We can only hope someone will listen to our story, even though we didn't fight our way to greatness. That doesn't mean we didn't fight for our survival.

 My name is Vorioia Ace, for what it's worth I am married now, but I can only speak one word at a time. I can write though, so I'm writing in hopes someone will read and understand. I've been able to sing for quite some time now, but speaking I am stopped. For the most part I choose not to speak but forming the words without stuttering takes effort. There's also this cold icy chill the comes over my throat and the sound won't break through my wind pipe. So, I've gotten by by taking these long pauses to make my point. I can still write, so I'm writing now. Before, while aboard the giant necroplis the banshee's taught me to connect my words without the pauses, but the words need melody, harmony, or this cold chill will form, take over, and I may not be able to breathe for a few minutes. But that came later, when I was able to form words without effort or without song, I was almost completely tone death, but I miss my voice, I miss being able to speak to my husband, to anyone. How did I get like this, well, if you want to know that, I'll have to start from the beginning? This is a forgotten story of Warcraft.

 I, like most people I was born human, a child overprotected by my three older brothers, my father killed by savage troll tribes that littered the forest to the north, before I was born. My brothers say he was a strong man with enough strength to match or break any orc, but the people with him were his greatest asset. They knew how to fight as one with heavy shields that could trap in anyone more skilled with blades. That is why we humans beat them, not because we were stronger, faster, or more skilled. Because we knew how to fight as a single unit, but trolls use different tactics, my father, and his team were shot down with arrows on a patrol. This was the image my brothers gave to me, but he died before I can remember. I remember myself so strong and full of life, Vorioia Pride was my name, and even as a child I wanted to be a hero like how I envisioned my father and so did my brothers. So, I was tougher than most girls, I had very few friends, and was more often than not, short tempered. When I first met John he was so fragile, soft spoken, and would cry even when grownups would yell at him a little. If there was anyone that was the polar opposite of the image I had of my father or how boys should act it was John. John Ace had two sisters one older and one younger, Jandice the older and Ada the younger. Jandice knew quite a bit about the arcane but didn't display it as much as she loved to talk about it. When people would ask her to show them some magic she would show off some tricks, and for a long time that's what she did, magic tricks, with traps, mirrors, and sleight of hand movements. Hardly anything that could be used in combat, but the other mages did say she had the gift, she just chose to be more of a magician then a proper mage.

 John’s parents were somewhat poor, but once Jandice’s shows started getting more and more attention from town folks she started to get attention from the nobles of the Barov family and she was adopted into them. With a whole bunch of gold for John's family of course.

 John on the other hand, he was so shy and somewhat afraid of his parents. They said, Jandice Barov barely acknowledged them as their daughter, and that he should forget he had a sister. When we were kids I had helped him when I saw him being bullied by a bunch of girls, but I told him that I wouldn't be doing that again if he didn't stand up for himself. I told him, "Just get really mad and hit one of them as hard as you can."

 I remember I saw him getting bullied like he always did, and he looked over at me, and I shook my head in disapproval. I wasn't going to help him, and next thing I knew one of the girl’s hairs was on fire. John ran away but I never laughed harder in my life. The bullies' friends did get her some water. I ran after John. John was crying like he always did, but I told him not to be sad, those girls shouldn't mess with him again. He wasn't crying because of what he did, he was crying because he was going to have to change schools and he might be sold to the Barov family if his power developed. So, I connived the girls that were bullying him not to say anything. But John would have to show me his magic whenever I asked. Even though John was a child he could kindle sparks and fire, water and ice at a moment's notice. I had seen arcane magic before, but to see shards of water and ice, or sparks of fire and heat form in his hands so slowly was so pretty. Most mages did it so fast I couldn't really know what was happening. I told John; sooner or later the other mages are going to find out that you have magic. They will be able to "feel it" so to speak.

 Stratholme was a pretty big town and we eventually told his parents and since his older sister was basically sold to the Barov family, they didn't want that fate for John. With the money they got from Janice he was sent to South Shore Beach to an acquaintance of the Barov family that would acknowledge his family and protect his home, Kel Thuzad.

 So, I said goodbye to my friend, I was sad and missed him, but I didn't have the drive I do now. We were both children so when I reached my teens I thought about him a lot.

 But a few years later he was back in full mage robes with a proud strong demeanor. I never realized how attracted I could be to someone. I mean I had crushes before but seeing him come back so handsome and capable, women couldn't leave him alone. He swore his life to the people of Stratholme and despite him now being one of the most skill mages in town he was still too young to join the guard. For once I felt like the shy one, but he saw me. Out of all the people in our city he still wanted to spend time with me and my family. My brothers weren't too happy about it; they were always over protective of me which might have been the reason why all my would-be crushes never had a chance. I remember John never even wanting to spend time in my house. My brothers sharpen their swords and flexed their muscles, but John wasn't even phased by it. Laughed off every joke about mage dresses and even beat my youngest brother in an arm wrestling match. When we finally had some time to ourselves he told me how he felt. That he had thought about me every day he was training, and once he got done with the Arcane University he would marry me. We made love that night, but it didn't seem fair to me that he had just gotten there and now he was leaving again. We spent about three weeks together being a couple and when he was away he wrote me about how his life was at the University. But a year after that both of his parents were killed by highway bandits. He came back for the funeral and it turned out that he had taken up drinking while at the University.

 I thought it was because of his parents had just died that he was drinking so heavy, but he told me he had been drinking way before that. His letters were so kind and sweet I never thought he could be like this. He tried to make an advance at me when he was drunk. He told me that I was going to be his soon anyways and he tried to hit me with one of those sticks you beat your kids with. I knew I was stronger than he was, but I knew he knew magic and I was somewhat afraid. I was able to take away the stick and kick him to the floor. John threw a tantrum, yelled, and froze my feet to the floor, it was so cold. I had never fought a mage before, but I had fought more boys and men to not lose. I broke out of the ice and clocked him under the chin with the stick. He fell backwards falling back like a broken wooden doll. I thought the impact with the floor would have killed him, but he was out. I heard a snore from him and carried him off to my bed. I slept in my rocking chair watching him for a few hours making sure he didn't choke.

 When he woke up, he was in pain from more of the impact with the floor, I told him, "I'm not marrying you if you think that you’re going to own me. I told him that David my oldest brother had joined the king's Knights of Lordaeron and I could easily join as well."

 I told him that my mother was happy that I had decided to marry John, but if this is what married life is going to be like I would take my chances killing orcs, highwaymen, and trolls for the King.

 John cried just like he did when he was a kid, "Both of my parents are dead, how am I supposed to act and now you're the second woman to have beaten me in a duel." He complained.

 "At least you knew them both, you know. You know that my father died before I could remember. So, I never really knew what married life was like." I told him.

 John apologized for what happen and promised he would never use magic on me again. He didn't walk as proud as he used to when he first came home, but it was more like we were kids again. He had no idea of my skill with swords and duels. I at least showed him how to use a single-handed blade and he showed me everything his master Kel'Thuzad the Demon Slayer showed him. I know John would never make a pack with demons, but he knew how to summon them, but not control them. It wasn't a complete nightmare though. I did get to test my steel on demons but there was one he could control, well, it didn't try to kill us.

 A flaming horse, not a dreadsteed with horns and black scales, but with fire from its mane and tail, but an actual arcane fire horse. John told me that this horse will let you pet him, but he won't let you ride him.

 I thought its flames would be hot but as I approached my hand the flames subsided like steam or like water on a frying pan. Most of its coat was red as a sunset, but it had one yellow spot from the top of his head to its mouth. The rest of the flames subsided as I touched the horses face with the rest of my body. The horse looked almost completely normal, there was a complete loss of mane and hairless tail, but he looked like a completely beautiful chestnut breed. I completely forgot that a few minutes ago John had just summoned him. John looked at me in shock, "How? How did you do that?" John asked.

 "Love is the key, John. You just have to listen with your heart." Without asking I jumped on his back like I would any horse. "Does this horse have a name?" I asked.

 "Master called them 'Nightmares' and even he couldn't ride one of these like you are right now. He would need to summon two, each on one foot." John explained.

 "Nightmares?" I said in disapproval, "No, no, no, you can't call him that. How about Helios, it means the sun."

 John shrugged, Helios turned around toward John, sprayed him in the face with frost and water from its mouth. I patted Helios on the side, "I wonder if he'll wear a saddle?"

 Helios buckled, and rose up on two legs, I knew that he wasn't happy about my last statement, so I jumped off before it could knock me off. John said one word, "Dismissed."

 And it was gone, in a mess of flames and ice, it hurt like a hundred bee stings in the areas it hit. But I knew this wasn't John’s fault, I knew I was playing with fire and now I was the one burnt. John took me to a healer, but I was still bedridden, I needed to wear bandages in the areas the frostfire hit me.

 "You're lucky you know? I've seen Kel'Thuzad use those to set entire forest on fire." John explained.

 I grabbed John, "Helios, he's not some projectile to be cast into a wooded dummy. He's a mage just like you."

 John nodded, "I'll try to remember that from now on." He said

 By the time I fully recovered John needed to go back to the University. I received letters from John that he was able to summon two more mage horses and sent me drawings of them. One was white and blue, and another was purple, so I named them Avalanche, and Violet. Helios eventually let John ride him, but he didn't listen or go anywhere that John wanted to go. I wrote back to him and told him that there were shaman's that could ask the elements for aid, and I told him to think of his relationship with them like his relationship with his horses, not a skill that is grown with repetition.

 After that people of Stratholme started hearing more and more about the war with the Orcish warlock clans, then demons, and then disease. The boarders of Stratholme where strong, there was no way they could bring an attack to our city, but many soldiers were sent away and never came back. I wrote to John that maybe I should join the guard. Not a full-fledged knight just enough to defend our people. John wrote back saying no. That he wouldn't join the Kirin Tor station because he would be sent to Kalimdor, he would join the Silver Hand as a soldier, only a two-day’s ride away. He said not to join, not because I didn't know how to fight, but these new enemies were riddled with disease and I couldn't fight that off with a sword. But if I must fight, take up my brothers offer and join the Knights of Lordaeron. I knew how skilled those knights were and how heavy their armor was, but their service was to the king, and they never saw much outside combat. So, I was torn, I could defend my people here with my own sword and be married, and free to have as many children as I wanted. Or I could join the knights and leave my people to their fate, but be closer to my lover, but also our relationship would have to be kept a secret. I started writing letters to my brother and started training with the heaviest weapon I could afford. My brother taught me to use my fist and sword and shield. So, every technique I did with a two-handed sword was somewhat improvised, sometimes clumsily depending on how tired I was. I remember my mother trying to show me how to dance with a stick and ribbon and I was somewhat surprised I was able to do a lot of the same movements with a steel chain. So, I attached a chain onto my sword. I was able to spin my sword around over my head and whack the training dummies head clean off. That drew a bit of a crowd, I was a natural when it came to dance, dancing with a chain and sword was pleasing and fun. Once I heard music, but I knew I was going to need armor sooner or later. I couldn't afford to dance, spin, pull, and push in heavy armor. So, my days I spent in armor I only trained in the normal boring way, ate, slept, and if no one was looking I tried to sword dance. My mother was somewhat disappointed that I had taken up swords over dancing, but once I told her that I was joining the knights to be closer to John, she said I was just like my father, he wasn't supposed to get married either, and so she let it go. My brother came home to take me to a training camp and when I saw him I was so happy I passed out.

 When I woke up I felt like the over training was finally taking its toll.

 My brother said I was deathly ill; I could not go to Lordaeron like this. Every knight had their own healers to help them fight but their service was to that king and the knight that would protect him, not to a family member. The healer said even if he were to heal me on the way there I wouldn't make the trip, better yet survive training, but if I stay in bed I should recover. He said he came all the way to this commoner's city to find a promising knight, not some sickly sister. My brother wasn't too happy about that statement, he slammed the healer into the wall. "She isn't a sickly sister; she is the promising knight and we're not leaving until she is cured."

 The healer tried to regain some composure, "That's not what I meant," he said, "I came along to cure simple wounds and maybe poisons, but this, didn't you smell it when you came here. She needs rest, a proper diet, and if you want a speedy recovery I'm going to need herbs. All of these things I don't have."

 My brother put him down.

 "They rationed out grain a few days ago." I said.

 The healer shook his head, "No, empty carbs are not going to fix you, if anything it will make you worst, you need water, meat, vegetables, and a very big bed pan. I can do my best to nurse you back to health, but your brother is going to have to buy me the supplies I need. But I do have this."

 The healer pulled a large metal canteen, "Nothing, never mind, it's silly." He put it back in his robes.

"If it will cure my sister let her have it." My brother said as he tried to grab it.

 My brother reached for the canteen, but the healer pushed his hands away, "I got the recipe for this tonic from a bear when I was on Kalimdor. He said a bear sold it to trolls as a cure all."

 My brother repressed a laugh, "A bear? Now's not the time for jokes and if it's for trolls why do you have it?"

 The healer smiled and repressed a laugh, "Because one drop of this to any alcoholic beverage will get any human shit face drunk. It's made from ten different reptile and insect venom's and few poison plant roots." He said laughing.

 "This isn't funny Jacob; my sister could die if you gave her that, and a bear, do you think I'm a fool, you're telling me you learned this from a talking bear. I guess the next thing you're going to tell me that a giant turtle told you the meaning of life. " My brother kneeled by my side.

 "Well not like that I'm not, it was actually more of a panda. Talking bears are Furbolg's." The healer said. My brother just looked at him.

 "Man, you should see the look on your face." I couldn't help but laugh either.

 "Vorioia, you think this is funny too. This is not a laughing matter!" My brother demanded

 "Well if it can fix me, I don't see why I shouldn't take it," I stated, "but come on, a talking panda that's just funny." I finally said.

 "Yeah about that, troll's can recover from any wound and can even regenerate from torn off limbs but there not free from disease and sickness. Chen, uh, the panda, said it would put the trolls in a deathlike sleep and in three days they were cured of any illness that threaten their lives. I keep some with me if there is ever a time when your brother is slain, I would have the perfect possum remedy." The healer explained.

 My brother looked at him questionably, "Have you ever tested it on anything?"

 The healer half smiled, "Rats died, dogs died, one horse recovered in one day. Humans, only a single drop, but a full amount could kill her. But I know the people in this city are sick, I can feel it in my bones. Maybe I could buy some rounds and it will cure them, I mean we'd all have a pretty good time."

 My brother crossed his arms and thought, "Save one shot for my sister. But we'll test drops of this remedy at the local tavern. Kalimdor, you know I will never fully understand how people can actually live there. Can you imagine if we actually packed up and moved there?"

 The healer laughed and shook his head, "Right? What was that guy thinking, but fate is a strange thing, I had completely planned to sell this to local taverns but if it's a cure all for humans it will make me rich? I think I was meant to come here with you."

 My brother let out a sigh, "If it cures my sister I will have to agree with you, but that's all I care about."

 "Wait, what are you guys talking about? Why would we move to Kalimdor?" I asked.

 "Some wizard or sage or prophet said we should pack up and move to Kalimdor, he was probably just crazy." My brother answered.

 "Yet war and evil has come to our lands." The healer said.

 "Our father's destroyed evil once when they came through a dark portal, now it's our time."

 They left a shot for me and I put in under the floor boards and wrapped it in cloth, I wasn't trying to hide it. The remedy sitting there by my night stand made the whole room smell terrible. Wrapping it in cloth helped but it was still faint. So, they tested it. I never heard so many cries of drunkenness and singing coming from one place. I needed rest, but I couldn't really sleep with all that noise. When my brother and the healer Jacob came home they were singing, "Were going to be rich!" and passed out on the floor.

 When they woke up a few of my towns people were dead from "alcohol poisoning" and some were still sick, but a lot of them were completely cured and felt that a good night of partying was just what they needed to get back on their feet.

 When my brother and his healer recovered from there hangovers, they were debating whether the cure would actually fix me. There were a few people that had died that night from one drop, but not all had recovered. My brother decided to take the safe route with enough bed rest and a proper diet and for a few days I was able to walk around my house and prepare my own meals.

 Then the unthinkable happen. I was woken up to the battle horn sound through the whole city; we were under attack without warning. But when I looked outside I didn't see any orcs or demons killing our towns' people, they were wearing the same armor my brother wore. One of them shot a crossbow arrow at me but I moved before it could hit me. I was still wearing a purple night gown and I couldn't put on full plate armor, but I could at least grab my sword. I ran down stairs and Jacob the healer ran through the unlocked door, "THE TONIC, WHERE IS THE TONIC?!"

 I told him, "Wait, what's going on?"

 He looked frantic, "Arthas, our prince, he and his knights, there killing everyone. Your brother tried to explain to him that he and his men weren't infected but Arthas killed him anyways. Don't you see he won't stop until everyone in the city is dead?!" The crossbowmen fired an arrow at Jacob's back and he fell to the ground dead, I was still armed though. While he was reloading I pledged my sword through his armor and kicked him out the front door. For a while I just hid hoping they would past my house.

 "What killed this soldier, this doesn't look like a wound from an undead or demons and why hasn't this house caught flame yet." Someone loudly demanded.

 I tied a really long chain to my sword and tied the other end around my wrist. "Well I could fix that. These demons do use swords you know." The guard did as he was ordered and lit a torch.

 I opened the door and threw my sword at the soldier with the torch. It nailed him in the neck and I dragged him into my house as fast as I could and pulled out the sword.

 The soldiers around screamed out as they saw their comrade fall and drag. I hid behind the wall in my house. "A very skillful attack, woman." Someone said.

 "Arthas, was she wearing a night gown?" One of the soldiers said in disbelief.

 "Arthas was it?" I said, "Prince Arthas, I'm not infected, I was sick for a few days, but I've made a full recovery. You don't need to kill me or the healthy; quite a few of us have recovered as well."

 "Come on, Arthas, she's just a girl if she isn't infected we could use her in the war." One of his soldiers said.

 "Have you eaten any of the grain while you've been here?" Arthas asked.

 "Not lately, no." I answered.

 "But you did eat the rations, yes or no?" Arthas asked.

 "Yes." I finally said.

 "I'm sorry, but I can't take that risk, put down your weapon and I will grant you a clean death. If you don't surrender to me and my men we will go into your house and cut you down. Besides you already killed two of my men." Arthas demanded.

"ANY OF YOU TAKE ONE STEP INTO THIS HOUSE AND YOU'RE NEXT WILL BE IN THE TWISTING NETHER!" I shouted. I heard them all stop in their tracks.

 "What is your name woman?" Arthas asked.

 "Vorioia Pride!" I shouted.

 "Then I will let it be known that you fought and died with honor." He claimed. "Men bring me her head!"

 "Wait my prince; she's just a girl trying to defend her home. We all have wives at home that would do the same if our homes were invaded." I thought at the time Arthas wouldn't listen to reason from me, but maybe he'd listen to one of his own men. "I signed on to join the fight against demons and orcs that wish nothing but war and slavery! Maybe she's infected, maybe she isn't, but if we kill her now that will make us no better than the orcs that invaded our homes. We could just walk away and if she does turn into an undead we will deal with it when the time comes! For now, let's just walk away and deal with the larger problem at hand."

 I looked outside, this soldier had his hands spread out between my house and Arthas. I never knew how big Arthas was; he looked like he could knock over this whole house just by slamming into it. The other soldiers looked at each other and agreed.

 "You're smart, what the heck are you doing with all them?!" I shouted. I saw him look back at me and laugh. And a second later his head was completely gone smashed like a red pumpkin.

 "YOU MEN ALL KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THIS WOMAN IS AS A HUMAN. AS A UNDEAD THINK OF HOW MANY MORE OF US SHE COULD KILL IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING NOW! I WILL GO IN THERE MYSELF IF I HAVE TO, BUT WHEN I COME OUT ALL OF YOU WILL MEET THE SAME FATE AS HIM!" Arthas smashed his hammer onto the dead soldier he just killed. I ran upstairs and grabbed the tonic. And jumped out the upper window and ran to the streets. The soldiers shot me with crossbows but missed, but Arthas came charging with his hammer. When he was just within striking distance he spin 360 degrees and strike for my body. I backed away in the nick of time and slide my sword to the back of his knees as he tried to recover his hammer. He fell landing flat on his back and head. But more of his men showed up. I ran away from them and when I got a good distance I dropped the sword on the floor and spin the sword around over my head. It hit a few of the soldiers but when it made contact with their armor, it pinged, and stopped me from building up speed. I can tell it was stinging them, but I needed to take some of these guys out. I stopped the spin by slamming the sword and chain on the floor. It was a complete miss of any of Arthas's men, but it made a loud sound that made most of the men flinch.

 "Where did she learn to fight like that?!" One of the soldiers asked Arthas as he helped him recover. "Men fall back, this one's mine."

 "Sometimes improving dance and swordplay is the best way to win a fight. I won't hold back this time Vorioia Pride." Arthas stated.

 Arthas held his hammer with two hands and walked forward, protecting his face with the butt of his hammer. I pulled the sword by the chain and put it in my hands. "Then you will die!" I yelled

 I said it almost out of breath.

 I regained some composure and threw my sword at Arthas, he blocked knocking it to the right. I used that momentum with the chain to strike to the left, blocked again. With every strike the next one came faster. I never knew it, but my mother's dance lesson proved more useful in this fight than my older brother's teachings with the swords. I could feel every strike of the sword and chain and I moved with the rhythm of the dance. I could remember all the music and I felt I was moving to a beat of a song. But it was having no effect on Arthas, he was almost dancing to the same beat. Blocking every attack of my spinning blade almost like a waltz and held his hammer almost like it was a lighter woman. Finally, the blade broke in half. Arthas looked at the remains of the broken sword and looked at me, "My turn!" Arthas screamed in a creepy loud way.

 He charged toward me like he did before, this time he aimed the hammer at my face. I ducked this time looking for the opening he left open before, but he hit me with the back of his weapon. I backed away, and he actually drew blood. I touched the side of my head, "You still think I'm infected?" I asked

 "No, but you killed too many of my men to let you leave here alive." Arthas stated

 I finally had a moment to take it all in. The areas I grew up and played were burnt, the people I knew were dead, the houses and shops I would go to were looted. Arthas had killed my brother, and for what reason, because a few people got sick? "Arthas, have you taken a good look around? This was my home; do you really think I won't kill as many of your people as I can?"

 Arthas half smiled, "Why do you think I'm choosing to do this now and not later. You think I want to keep watching my back my whole life?"

 I wrapped the rest of the chain around me. I realized this wasn't a fight; this was a dance, and I spin the loose end around. "Come then Prince, defend your murderous people."

 Arthas spin his heavy hammer and circled me. I was somewhat surprised that he could spin that hammer while doing that same 360 strike he would always use but this time it was coming overhead. Still to slow, his hammer slammed into the cobblestone and stuck. This time he left his head completely open and I wrapped the chain twice around his overgrown neck. I could hear him choking and I whispered in his ear, "I will let it be known that you refused to listen to reason, you refused to walk away from someone who posed no danger to you. You killed women, children, and even your own men, and in the end, it was a woman in a night gown and a chain that took you down."

 I felt the burning pain of an impact sting on my back, and I was knocked to the floor, I heard Arthas gasp for breath. I felt a painful sting from a cold metal spiked shield as I tried to recover. And then the demon curses that fell on me like a hundred bee stings, I couldn't see or feel. But I could feel my life slipping as I fell to the ground. One of his men took my change purse from my gown, the chain around my waist, put it into his backpack, and passed the coins around to four oddly dressed men. "Don't kill her yet, I want her head." Arthas said.

 "Your highness your hurt, let me heal you." One of his priest said.

 The priests healed him and the wounds on his face and neck closed. "Thank you, priest, that is much better. This woman fought honorably, she deserves a quick death, and to be remembered."

 "I WON'T let you take my life!" I yelled, and I swallowed what was left from the tonic. It tasted just as bad as it smelled and burned my throat as it went down. I felt it ooze down my throat and I tried to throw it up, back out. I saw Arthas and his men hold their noses as I breathed in their direction. Then everything went numb, I fell to the ground and breathed as hard as I could, feeling the tonic burn my lungs and coughing it out. I felt myself slipping. I didn't know if this would cure me or kill me, but it felt like it was killing me, but I couldn't let him do it, I heard Arthas as I slipped away.

 "So, in the end she chooses the cowards way out. Leave her; I don't need her skull to decorate my chambers." And he walked away.

 "That stuff is still on her teeth, it smells worst then the undead, move the body someplace away from our men." I heard someone else say.

 #diary #arthas #kelthuzad #mage #lordaeron #sylvanas #varian #varianwrynn  #fanart #fanfiction #blizzard#blizzardentertainment #blizzard2018 #wow#wowgamer #battleforazeroth#worldofwarcraftfanart #worldofwarcraft#warcraft