#and ill probably change them again soon when i have More Ideas

[tossyouforedinburgh]

reunited finally

[astronomalyy]

Thinking about the lifespans of Dungeon Meshi elves... The fact that they're completely unnatural alters my brain chemistry, because you can tell just how haphazardly the demon implemented their wish. They live five times the length of tall-men, so they age at a fifth of their rate. It's simple maths and the implications are terrifying. No wonder their birth rate and population are declining - their early development is so slow that at the age of two, they're still unable to stand.

They don't reach adulthood until their eighties. What does the infant mortality look like? How many elves succumb to illness or injury before they're fully mature? It only takes one accident to lose the child you've been raising for decades - and could you bring yourself to care for another? Add to that the implication elf culture has no idea how to process grief... just look at the way the Canaries treat Rin after the death of her parents. They're callous and insensitive and detached - part of that's racism, but there's also an element of pure cold ignorance. They don't even recognise the emotion on her face.

And that's just scratching the surface... does elven memory accommodate their extended lifespan? Once you reach two hundred or so, do the years start blurring together? Kabru mentions that their temporal awareness is remarkably poor.

Two years feel like a few months. Their lives are longer but not fuller. They're older but not wiser than the short-lived races, and most refuse to understand this. Those that do grasp it are interesting - namely Otta, who's ostracised for pursuing half-foot women.

A 30-year old elf is a young child; a 30-year old half-foot has entered middle age. Otta is in the equivalent of her late twenties. She knows that her elven lifespan makes her no more mature than a half-foot - but she also acknowledges that it creates a rift between herself and her partners, and not just in the eyes of society. 'She dumps them as soon as they pass 30', but probably not for the reasons Lycion assumes. For this to be a pattern, decades must have passed - it's possible Otta doesn't want to watch them die as she herself barely ages. No doubt some of her previous lovers have already passed away. In the end, all living 400 years accomplishes is leaving them out of sync with the rest of humanity.

Marcille's perhaps the best example. As a half-elf, she's got 95% of her life ahead and the thought terrifies her. She's going to lose everyone she loves, over and over and over again, and this cycle has barely even started. She runs at a different pace. This context adds so much to her dynamic with Falin in earlier chapters.

Marcille loves her! She's scared for her! Maybe even of her! She's grown attached to a short-lived girl who she met as a kid when Marcille was a teaching assistant! Biologically and developmentally, they're the same age, but chronologically she's twice as old as Falin! Considering what happened to her mother, is history repeating itself? Her feelings towards Falin are tangled and messy and fascinating. They're also more than a little homoerotic, which makes Marcille's infantilization of her friend all the more interesting. It feels like her way of resolving their power imbalance, of remaining a responsible (former!) authority figure... but it's also a coping mechanism. She's frightened by the ways Falin is maturing and changing - aging - and keeping her mental image of her friend as young as possible is her way of denying the march of time that's destined to sever their bond.

Marcille's dream of lifespan extension would remove the need for this obfuscation, render them equal... only, they already are! This desire is imposed onto Falin, but it's primarily for Marcille's benefit. Watching her fight for a world nobody wants, for reasons both selfish and altruistic... it's as tragic as it is understandable. I love this manga.

[yandere-daydreams]

Feel free to ignore this! I'm just v sleep deprived and having brain rot inspired by some things I saw in ur writing and thought it may be up ur alley. Also this brainrot thingy is mainly aimed at readers who have the ability to get pregnant so if that don't sit right with you feel free to ignore it or change aspects of it!

Hear me out right. A mix of the sex doll au and hybrid au (either fox or husky) for childe. But like in the doll au how he replaces components as a form of trying to live out the dad fantasy? Yeah that but in the hybrid au. Like reader is trying to rehabilitate this poor little baby fox kit/husky puppy that's really sickly and was abandoned. Childe basically looks at the reader playing nurse/mommy for this poor thing almost 24/7 (his attention is being deprived lol) and goes "oh yeah that little one is ours duh". He starts exhibiting protective dad behavior while simultaneously being like "look at how good of a job I can do".

Follow up to that the pup/kit either gets better and can be handed off to another conservationist who has other young hybrids and would do a better job at caring for them in a group environment with other hybrid kiddos so there's less of a risk of em becoming too domesticated. And reader is supper bummed out about it for a while bc all their attention was zoned in on this one really precious little one and now they've moved onto bigger pastures 🥲. Meanwhile childe sees this and is like "oh now I can both console my mate in their grief, I've proven I'm a capable partner, I can totally help them make new little ones!"

Take all of that inspo/brainstorming as u will. Also if you consider people submitting ideas as commissions I apologize for misunderstanding! Did not intend to overstep 🙇‍♀️

tw - implied violence, child neglect/abandonment, and obsessive behavior.

fjdkljdfksdj i think this would probably be more plausible with husky!childe, but something about this scenario with fox!childe is just,,,

it'd just be so sweet to watch him dote over the tiny, terrified kit one of your friends found shivering in a snowbank. you really aren't qualified to take care of such a young hybrid, but while you scramble to get a hold of a more experienced volunteer, childe picks up the slack. despite being old enough to walk, the poor thing barely leaves his arms. he handles their near-hourly feedings, modifies the ill-fitting clothes you pull out of storage to accommodate their tail and hind legs, even lets them crawl between you and him at night and violate his cardinal rule (no one else gets to so much as touch your bed except for him - an unspoken law that's resulted in more than a few bitten hands and bleeding guests). he does his best to put a dent in their never-ending energy, and when it's time for you to take over, he's never more than a few feet away, wagging his tail as you take the kit's temperature and try to convince them to swallow a few drops of medicine. and, when you finally contact a volunteer with a small shelter and a pack of orphaned kits, childe seems as happy as you are, rubbing his cheek against theirs as he tells them that they'll be home soon enough. it's sweet, even if fox-hybrid dynamics are, admittedly, a little lost on you. honestly, you're just relieved you'll be able to sleep through the night again.

at least, you're relieved until you get back from work the next day, until you find your door unlocked and your apartment wrecked, furniture overturned and rust-colored stains soaked into your carpeting. you find childe on the foot of your bed, bouncing a crying kit in his lap and gushing them quietly, but he doesn't look concerned. if anything, his posture is slack, the smile written across his face nothing short of ecstatic. he looks calm. he looks happy.

he looks like someone who only just found his way home.

[me-loving-woso]

Monthly visits.

Prompt: Honestly? I don’t know what this is, nor I know if it’s any good. The idea came from one of my midnight delusions when I think about stuff to write. Is this a kid fic? Yes? Kinda. Most probably. Do I care? No. Will there be sequels about it? Most probably. I still don’t know. Probably the sequels will feature more Alexia, but for now, you have to endure this 7.4k Drabble.

Actual prompt: In one of your monthly visits to a children’s hospital you meet Ava, she is going to change your life completely.

It was a hectic day for you in Barcelona today. Every month, whenever you had a day off, you would go to the local children’s hospital to support children with Leukaemia. Your younger brother had the same condition, so it has always been an important topic for you to support. 

Every month you tried to convince one of your teammates, or from the girl’s team or the boys, to go with you. Usually, the children would go crazy if you brought them Pedri or Gavi. They would sign autographs and shirts and sometimes even get a ball and show off some of their tricks. When the club found out about this, they wanted to set up interviews and shootings in which they would broadcast or post your visits with them on social media, but you always said no. You liked this to be kept quiet, to not stress the kids, and not bring unwanted attention towards them; you weren’t there for the money, but just to give happiness to anyone you could. 

You knew you weren’t the most famous athlete in the club, especially when you had the likes of Lewandowski, Pedri, and Gavi. On the girl’s side, you played for one of the most famous women’s soccer clubs and was one of the captains; well, if Alexia and Marta wouldn’t play in a game, which wasn’t very probable. But still, Alexia and Mapi were more famous than you; therefore, the children they tend to want their jerseys to be signed by them, but occasionally, some would recognize you, and you were delighted in signing and taking pictures or carefully playing with them whenever they wanted to. 

You tried not to get too attached to the kids as you knew that they still had a deadly illness. Initially, it was hard, especially when you asked a nurse about a kid, and they would just give you a sad look. You would come home from the day and lay in your bed, absently trying to make sense of it. You hated seeing children suffer. 

But there was a girl you met 5 months ago; she was brilliant but also a little prick. Her name was Ava. The first month you saw her, you brought with you Pedri. He was like a little brother to you, you got along great, and he was great with kids. 

You went into her room, she was super excited to meet you both that she even asked for a double autograph. At first, you were confused by the request, but then you figured that the second autograph would be for a friend or a family member. So you went on normally with your day. The kids were all happy, you played Fifa with them and then, when it was time to leave, you decided to say goodbye to all of them. As you entered Ava’s room, you saw her working on something with her computer. As soon as she saw you, she shut it down very quickly. 

“What are you doing?” You smile, walking to her. You were curious as to what she was doing. She was eight, so you knew that whatever it was, it was going to be something funny.

“Nothing!” She says quickly, hiding her computer behind her back.

You started to gently tickle her sides, conscious of her weak state. She started laughing, but soon you stopped and got her computer.

“If you open it, I will cry, and you will never come here ever again!” She threatens me, pouting.

“Why don’t you want to show it to me? Is it a secret boyfriend?” You smirk suggestively.

“No! Ew! Boys are gross!” She exclaims disgusted.

“I agree with you.” You say. “Boys are gross.”

“You can’t see it! It’s - It’s a secret.” She says, trying to grab the computer from you.

“Oh, come on! I’ll tell you one of my secrets if you tell me.” You try to convince her.

“Okay, but promise me that you won’t get mad.”

“Pinky promise.” You say, putting up your pinky and waiting for her to do the same.

You slowly open the screen and see a tab with eBay. She posted one of the two autographs she received today, with a picture of you and Pedri signing it. You start laughing and looking at her, amused.

“You sneaky little child! You are selling them?” You chuckle.

She crossed her arms unamused and replied as if it was the most obvious thing, “One is for me, and one is to sell.”

You look at her with a questioning look.

“My sister told me that I can’t buy too many books and video games because they are too expensive, so I buy them myself.”

“You are a little businesswoman.”

“Shh, you can’t tell anyone, especially my sister. She would get so mad. She hates it when I do this kind of stuff!”

“Your secret is safe with me.” 

“Pinky promise?”

“Again?” You chuckle.

“Yes.” So you promise, then you stand up from the side of her bed and are about to leave when she asks, “Will you come back?”

“I come every month,” You say, turning around to face the little girl.

“If I’m already better, can I come here just to see you?” She asks shyly, hiding her mouth with her hands.

“Of course, you can!” You say goodbye to her and leave the hospital, waiting for Pedro. When you see him, you both get in the car.

“You know, today, I saw Ava again, and I saw her selling our autographs on the internet.” You laugh.

“That girl is sneaky!” He replies. 

“She even insisted and made me promise not to say anything to anybody.”

Over the next three months, whenever you saw her, you would wink at her and make whoever was with you that day sign a double autograph for her. Then when you finished staring with the other kids, you would go into her room, and you guys would talk and play with cards. You would always question why she would never talk about her parents but only about her bigger sister and how great she was. You weren’t expecting her to be sixteen when you finally meet her. Her name was Lucia. You saw her as you were about to say goodbye to Ava. You went into her room, but she was already asleep, and Lucia was sitting on a chair next to her.

You thought both girls were sleeping, so you quietly left the room, but as you were about to close the door, you heard a quiet whisper.

“You must be y/n.” She states, rather than asking. She stands up and walks to you. 

“Yes, that’s me. Are you Ava’s sister?”

“You know, she always talks about you.” She says, whispering and closing the room behind her.

“She always talks to me about you.” You say. “I think that as of right now, I know more about you than myself.” You try to joke, but she doesn’t laugh, leaving an awkward silence between you. Making you notice how tired she looks, as if she hadn’t slept in a long while.

“Do you want a cup of tea or coffee?” You offer.

“Nah, don’t worry.” She shrugs.

“Come on, I’ll pay for it. Five minutes, then I’ll get out of your hair.”

She slowly nods and then follows you to the cafeteria, which is open 24/7. Thankfully there was nobody there, so you could sit in peace.

You follow her as she sits down at a table, and then she breaks the silence.

“Why are you helping her?” She whispers.

“What?” 

“Listen, I don’t know your intentions here, but she is really getting attached to you, and whenever you are done with these ‘trips’ to the hospital for the kids, she will suffer from it, and I don’t want that.”

“What are yo-“

“She has already lost so many people in her life; she doesn’t need another one.”

“Your parents are not in the picture anymore, right?” You ask. 

She slowly nods. “It’s just me and her for now.”

“Where are you guys staying?”

“As you know, she is staying at the hospital.” She says as if she is stating the obvious.

“You?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Listen, I know what it’s like to be in this situation; let me-”

“No, you don’t know that!” She says defensively.

“Ten years ago, I was you.” You slowly explain. “My brother, Nico, had Leukaemia, and I was in the same position as you. I was just a little bit older and could work. My parents didn’t give a shit about us. They said it was too much work to take care of Nico and wanted me out of the house because I was a footballer and gay. I didn’t have a support system. I was the support system.”

You take a deep breath and then continue. “Fortunately, I had a job, so I was able to take care of Nico and I, but not everyone is that lucky.”

“So you are saying that you feel bad for us?” She asks rhetorically, standing up from her chair, ready to leave.

“No, I don’t. When I started these ‘trips,’ as you say, five years ago, I told myself that I would never get too attached to any of the patients. But then I met Ava, and she is so smart and also a little sneaky, I grew fond of her.” You give her a light smile and continue.

“I know that the money she gets from selling autographs, t-shirts, and stuff, isn’t for buying books and video games, as she says, but for you guys to survive. I would love to help in any way. And I know that you probably won’t trust me. I wouldn’t trust a stranger either.”

Lucia sits again and looks at the table, playing with her drink. Looking almost guilty, as if you found out about a secret no one was supposed to know.

“I can’t do this anymore.” She barely utters, breaking the cold and defensive mask that she put on with you.

You slowly take her wrist, trying to reassure her. “You are stronger than you think.”

“I’m just so tired. She deserves better than me. She deserves a whole family. A better support system, and instead, she got stuck with me. I still need to finish school. I don’t have a paying job; how will we go through this?” She starts to silently sob. Hearing her cries breaks your heart; you stand up and circle around the table to hug her.

“You are already doing a great job. Ava is so proud and thankful for you. You are already doing the best you can, which is more than enough.”

She removes herself from the hug. And you continue, “Where are you staying? Not Ava, but you.”

“I’m staying during the night at a local women’s shelter. I know it’s not ideal, but it’s the best option.” She says shyly.

You couldn’t let her get back there. 

“Come to my home with me. We have a spare bedroom, food, and whatever you need.”

She takes two steps back. “No no. You are already doing more than enough for us. This is too much.”

“Let me help you. You won’t leave her for too long. You need to rest too, so you can be there for her. Come on, go get your stuff. I’ll wait for you here.” 

She just nods and goes to her sister’s room.

In the meantime, you text your girlfriend Alexia that Lucia will stay at your house for the night. After a few minutes, she reappears with a backpack. you exit the hospital and get to the parking lot.

You get inside your car, and she sits beside you. “I live fifteen minutes from here. I hope you are not scared of dogs because you are going to see one.”

“I don’t have a problem with dogs. I didn’t even know you owned one. Ava didn’t tell me anything about that.”

“Well, it’s not technically mine. It’s my girlfriend’s. And you will probably see her too.”

“Is she okay with me staying? Cause if that’s not the case, it’s okay.” She soon rambles.

“Don’t worry, she knows. Most probably, she won’t even know you are there. She is a sleepy head.” You smile, remembering how Alexia would never get out of bed if not for training.

“Is she a footballer too?”

“Yeah, it’s Alexia Putellas. I think you know her.”

“Oh my god! So the rumors are true.”

“Well, we tried to hide it.” You remark, slightly blushing, thinking that you actually hid your relationship well from the media.

“Not that much.” She laughs.

-

As soon as you get home, Alexia greets both of you. 

“Que tal, mi amor?” She hugs you instead of kissing you and then focuses on Lucia.

“You must be Lucia. Hi, my name is Alexia.”

“Yeah, I know who you are. Here in Barcelona, everybody knows you.” She chuckles while your girlfriend blushes lightly.

You take her to your guest room and show her the bathroom. She takes a shower while you go to your kitchen, searching for Alexia. 

You sit on top of the counter and ask her to come closer to you. She finds herself between your legs while you take hold of her shirt. 

“I believe you owe me a kiss.”

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t know if you told her we were together or even if you wanted to kiss me in front of her.”

“Don’t worry, Amorcito.” You cutely rub her nose with yours, then put your finger to your lips, asking her to kiss you. 

She kisses you sweetly, then gives you pecks everywhere on your face. First on the cheeks, then on the nose, on the forehead, and finally on the lips again. You smile at the action. Even though you had been together for three years now, she still managed to make you feel all fuzzy on the inside with even the smallest actions.

When she finished, you hugged her and stayed in her embrace until you heard a door open, and Lucia came down the stairs. 

“Sorry to interrupt you guys.” She says awkwardly. “I just wanted to thank you guys again and say goodnight.” She quickly goes up the stairs, embarrassed to have interrupted something, not letting either of you reply.

“Go to the nena; I’ll get ready for bed.” Alexia encourages you.

You get to the guest room and knock on the door; you hear a faint ‘come in’ so you enter.

“I’m sorry I interrupted you guys.” She says she had her back on the head board, with the covers tucked to the stomach.

“You weren’t interrupting anything.” 

“Thank you for letting me stay today. You really didn’t have to.”

“Nonsense, I’m happy you stayed. Honestly, I really needed some new energy around the house. Don’t tell Alexia, but sometimes living with her it’s like living with a granny.” You joke, earning a laugh from her, while you hear from the other room, “I heard you!” 

“Ooh, she’s mad.” Lucia teases you.

“Nah, don’t worry, I said worse in three years of relationship.” Now turning back to serious, “Listen, I’m really sorry, but tomorrow I have training early tomorrow and-“

“Y/n, just tell me when I have to leave.”

“You can stay until you want; I can call you a taxi or take you to the hospital whenever me or Alexia come back from training.”

“I’ll be out of your hair in no time, don’t worry.”

“I don’t care, honestly. I know reaching out for help is difficult, but here is my phone number; if you need anything, just call me.” You gave her a note with your phone number, then affectionately caressed her cheek. “Good night Lucia.” You close the guest room door, turn off the light, and go to your room.

-

As soon as you enter your room, you are met with your girlfriend, who is cutely pouting on the edge of the bed. “I’m not a granny!”

“Yes, you are! You always go to bed early and make weird faces when you can’t see properly.” You tease her. 

“I’m a footballer!”

“Yes, you are! A pretty darn good one!” You add. While literally pushing her onto the bed and getting on top of her.

“Get off me!” She says, trying to be serious. “I’m still mad at you!” She says while trying to squirm out of your grip. 

“Nope! I’m sorry for calling you a granny. Will you forgive me?”

“Never!” She says, so you begin to tickle her sides. She started laughing while trying to remove your hands from her, but she couldn’t. “Okay, okay, I forgive you! Stop it!” You stop tickling her and get off her going to the bathroom.

You get ready for bed, putting on one of her nike shirts and a pair of soccer shorts, and then you plop on the bed beside Alexia. “Can I have cuddles, Amorcito?” You ask while stretching your arms, opening and closing your hands.

“Si, mi chiqui. Come here.” You put yourself on top of her and begin giving her sweet pecks in the middle of her chest. “No funny business tonight; la nena is sleeping two rooms from us.”

“I wasn’t going to do anything.” You say, continuing while smiling. 

“I’m very proud of you today, Y/n.”

“I’m really sorry if I didn’t tell you beforehand.”

“Look at me.” She says, waiting for you to look at her.

“You did what is right and what everyone should do. Whatever you do, I will always support you.”

You give her a loving kiss on the lips, thanking her for the words. “Next month I’m coming with you. It’s been long overdue, and I want to meet Ava.”

-

The next day you wake up and go to see Lucia; you knock at her door, but she doesn’t reply, so you slowly enter the room. You found all of the bedsheets neatly folded and a note that thanked you for everything. You were a little disappointed, but you knew how difficult it was to trust people and accept help, especially when you are alone. You figured that she probably went to see her sister in the hospital.

-

The following month you finally brought Alexia with you. The kids would always ask you to bring her to the hospital, but unfortunately, she never had the time to do that with her busy schedule. You had already informed the hospital that you would come, and the children were thrilled to do something different rather than always boringly watching tv or reading some children’s book. 

As Alexia greeted all the kids and played and joked with them, you went to see Ava, hoping that you would see Lucia too. You didn’t expect to see everything packed up and the two girls with their backpacks on, ready to go. 

As soon as she saw you, Ava ran up to you, and you lifted her weak body, giving her a hug. “The doctor said I can go home now! I’m not sick anymore!” 

“I’m so happy!” You say while hugging her a little tighter.

“So, who is it today? Who did you bring today?” She asks you excitedly.

“Why don’t you go and find out?” You say, indicating where Alexia is; she quickly squirms out of your embrace, exiting the room and leaving you alone with Lucia. Her eyes stuck to the floor from the moment you opened the door. She wouldn’t look at you.

“I’m really happy that she is finally healthy now,” You say honestly.

“That’s the most important thing.” She agrees weakly, finally looking at you.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling better now that she is better.”

“Where will you guys stay now?”

She hesitates, but then slowly, she starts, “I do-“ 

“Lucia! Look who came today with y/n!” Suddenly Ava came inside the room, dragging Alexia with her.

“Hi, Lucia.” Alexia waves at her, then focus again on Ava. “Y/n, how did you manage to convince Alexia to come here today?” Ava asks you in awe. “She is soo famous and the best player in the whole world!”

“I know! She really wanted to come, though, right?” You say, searching for Alexia’s confirmation. “Yes, of course!” She says, then kneeling in front of the small kid, “Y/n talks a lot about you.” She whispers, “She never talks about you, though,” She remarks, smirking. Alexia puts her hand on her hand, pretending to be offended.

“Who cares? I’m still better than her at football,” She whispers loud enough for you to hear, then sending you a cheeky wink; you react by poking your tongue out at her. This made Alexia earn a laugh from Ava and a chuckle from Lucia. She then drags Alexia out of the room, asking her if she could show her a trick with the ball.

“She’s her favorite player; our dad always brought us to your games.” She says sadly.

“I didn’t know you liked football.”

“I loved football, I even used to play it until a year ago, but now it brings out too many memories, so no football for me for a while.” She chuckles.

“Which position did you play?” 

“Guess.”

“Center back?”

“Nah, striker.”

“Oh wow! I’m sure you were the top scorer in your team.” You nod, surprised.

“I was, I even was called up in La Masia, but my parents wanted me home, and then Ava got sick, so I never was able to go.”

“Oh wow! You were good then!”

“Don’t act too surprised!” She says, teasing you, hitting you on the shoulder.

“I’m not!” You say rubbing where she just hit you “If the circumstances were different, would you have wanted to go?”

“Yes? I guess, I don’t know? I loved football.”

“Not anymore?”

“I haven’t played in so long; I don’t think I even remember how to kick a ball.” She chuckles.

“Well, I guess we have to find out!” You say, while she looks at you puzzled. 

“Come on, go get your stuff.” You say to her while putting your backpack on your shoulders, waiting for her to do the same.

“Where do you want to take me?” She says, looking at you puzzled.

“Don’t you wanna show off your skills?”

“I guess I don’t?”

“Come on, it will be fun!” You try to convince her.

“I don’t have cleats.” She tries to find an excuse.

“What’s your shoe size?”

“39, why?”

“I have the same size. If you want, you can use a spare pair of mine.” You offer.

“Why are you so nice to me?”

“I’m not being nice; this is me trying to show you that you, too, deserve to be happy, and you can have fun even if you think you don’t deserve it.”

“I-I don’t know what to say. I can’t leave her alone in the hospital; that girl has too much energy for a cancer patient.” She jokes.

“I think Alexia is keeping her busy enough. I genuinely think she is trying to steal my girlfriend from me.” She’s still not convinced. “Besides joking, Alexia is really good with kids, and she wouldn’t mind, but if it bothers you, we can bring her with us. Or they can come later on.”

“Oh, definitely, later on, I won’t embarrass myself with Alexia Putellas; I don’t think I could recover from that.”

“Oh, thank you! You know I am too a Barça player, right? And that I was the one that scored the winning goal in the last champions league, right?” You fake being offended.

“Oh, it was merely a tap-in.” She jokes, trying to rile you up. You knew she was joking, but you also knew this was a low blow to your confidence.

“Patri was the real hero in that Final, and I guess it was a tap-in, but it still brought us to the victory; that’s got to be worth something.”

“You know Ava basically woke up the whole floor when you scored that goal; she was so happy.” She smiles at you, quickly reminiscing that memory.

“Well, I can show you that I can score goals that are not tap-ins if you come with me.”

“Let’s see if you can do that!” She challenges you.

“If you win, I will get you two tickets to Camp Nou next year for every match you want to see, but if I win, you will let me help you.” You hesitate to say those words, hoping you wouldn’t push her away.

“Prepare to spend a lot of money because I never give up.” She teases you.

“You have some confidence, pequeña.”

“I’m not small!”

“Come on, go and say goodbye to Ava; we’ll leave in five minutes.”

As she exits the room to find Ava, you wait in there for her when you see your girlfriend appear from the door.

“Ava is wonderful.” She says while taking your hands.

“So wonderful that you would stay with her for another couple of hours?” You try while she gives you a puzzled look.

“What did you do, Y/n?” She asks, removing her hands from yours.

You tuck your arms behind your back, and shyly, you explain. “I’m taking Lucia to the field. Apparently, she played football, so I want her to have fun for a minute.” She doesn’t reply, so you continue, “But if it’s too much, I can bring her with me and Lucia, no problem. I just-“

“You are rambling, mi amor.” She says while grabbing you by the waist, trying to ground you. “You go have fun with her. I will come to the field after so we can play together.” She offers while smiling at you.

You give to get on your tippy toes and give her a small peck on the lips, “Thank you, Amorcito.”

“Just don’t have too much fun without me.” She grins, giving you a forehead kiss. You hear steps coming your way; you turn your head and see Lucia and Ava looking at you.

“You two are disgusting,” Lucia says, giving you guys a disgusted face while you just laugh at her. Ava instead looks at the two of you, trying to understand what the relationship is between the two of you. She looks at you and asks, “Is Alexia your wife?”

You choke on saliva, not expecting that question. After a mild coughing session, you received an annoying look from Alexia and Lucia. 

Not that you didn’t want to marry her because she was the only woman you could see yourself growing old with, but you were just waiting for the right moment to propose. Honestly, you didn’t even know if she wanted to get married, especially to you. 

You reply, “No, no, she is my girlfriend.”

“Wow, how did you land her?” She asks you curiously.

“Why is everybody bullying me today?” You say exasperatedly without even replying to the question. “Lucia, are you ready to go?”

After saying goodbye, you get in the car with Lucia and drive to the training facility.

“So I guess you don’t like the idea of getting married?” Lucia asks, breaking the silence.

“No no, it’s not that. I would love to get married, especially with someone like Alexia; she is incredible and so supportive.” You take a deep breath. “Do you want to know a secret?”

“Wait, are you going to propose?” She asks excitedly.

“I was planning to!”

“Oh my god!”

“Don’t you dare tell her! Or I swear I’ll get mad.” 

“I won’t” She makes the movement of zipping her mouth with her hand and throwing the key away.

-

You get to the training facility a few minutes later; the field is closed, so Lucia looks at you and asks, “If it’s closed, how can we enter?”

“Can you keep another secret?” She nods, and you take out a key and unlock the door. “I was drunk after we had won our first Champions League, I don’t know why, but I decided I wanted the keys to the field, so I convinced Mapi and Patri to help me. Let’s just say that Alexia had to come out and help us because we were too drunk to keep quiet, and she didn’t want me to get in trouble. I got the keys, made two other copies for my accomplices, and slept on the couch for two days, but it was well worth it.” You say proudly.

“You know, when I imagined what you were like, when we would see you on tv or at the stadium, I pictured you differently.” She smiles at you while following you to the changing rooms.

“How did you picture me?” She asked curiously while handing her a spare pair of cleats. 

“They call you the asesina silenciosa for a reason, you know?” While putting on the cleats, she continues, “You are always so cold and precise on the pitch, scoring and assisting in so many games, whereas in real life, you are basically the opposite. You are very nice, and you always try to help everybody, and a literal gay panic in front of Alexia; it’s so funny and very painful to see.”

“She’s just very beautiful and amazing, okay? Leave me alone.” You reply shyly, blushing a little.

“So, are you ready to get your ass beaten?” She asks you jokingly.

“You know that I’m a professional athlete, right? I get paid to play football.”

“Don’t get too cocky, Y/ln.” 

You get on the pitch and begin passing the ball to each other; initially, she was a little rusty, but as soon as she got comfortable with the ball, you knew she had a lot of talent and potential. 

“So favorite player?” You ask her.

“Messi. He’s just way too good and so great to watch.” She answers. “What about you?” 

“All-time favorite, of course, is Messi too, but right now, I really enjoy seeing playing Rodri and De Bruyne.”

After passing the ball to each other and chatting, you begin doing some shooting drills and dribbling. You were shocked, to say the least; she was so good, she dribbled with ease, and her finishing skills were incredible.

The first time she dribbled past you, your ego got scarred for life, but then as time went on, you began cheating a little by holding her shirt or picking her up from the air and moving her whole body away from the ball. She would get mad at you, while you would just laugh it out, but she began to do the same thing to you after a while. By the end, you were laughing on the ground, trying to catch your breath. 

As you both calmed down, she began talking. “I really missed it.” 

“Playing football?”

“Yes, and having fun. You know, I couldn’t even touch a ball after our parents left us; my dad was the one that loved soccer and Barcelona maybe more than anything, probably more than his family. I tried playing soccer to make him proud of me so that maybe he could see and pay attention to me, but I guess it wasn’t enough. After Ava was diagnosed with Leukaemia, they told me they would have to go on a ‘work trip,’ but they never returned. And I stopped playing football.”

“I hope that this didn’t bring back bad memories. I know how it feels when you think you are not good enough, but if it helps, you are a great kid, Lucia. In these last months, you have proven yourself to be more than enough for Ava and your parents. Any parent would be proud of what you did for Ava; not everyone is capable of that or willing to do it. You have proved everyone wrong. You couldn’t be more proud of yourself.” 

“Thank you, I really needed to hear that.” She breaks down crying. 

“Come here.” You say to her while gently holding her while she cries. “Let it all out; I’m here for you.” After a few minutes, she stops; you keep hugging her, waiting for her to let go of you, when you hear a car arrive. “Your sister is here. Do you want me to come with you to freshen up?”

“No, no. I can go alone; just tell them I went to the bathroom.” She informs you. 

“Will do, captain.” You say, giving her the military salute; she replies with a surprised chuckle and a ‘you’re so weird.’ 

As Alexia gets inside the pitch, you see Ava running towards you, giving you a crushing hug that makes you stumble from your sitting position on the grass to falling to your back on the ground. 

“How did it go with Alexia? Did she behave well?” You ask the little girl.

“We stayed at the hospital, we played games and I pranked a nurse!” You hear the voice of Lucia from behind you, so you tell her sister to go to her and cheer her up. As she walks to her sister, Alexia sits next to you, and you turn to her.

“You are really good with kids.” She remarks.

“You too, you know. Would you ever want kids?” You ask her.

“I never thought about it, but I think it would be something I would like with you.”

“I think I need to help them. They deserve to have a house and a support system. Lucia is so smart and kind, and fierce. While, Ava is so full of energy, funny, and sneaky.”

“I love you, Y/n, and even though this is too early and I still haven’t fully processed every-“

“It’s too much for you. I get it. But they’ll be on the streets if I don’t help them. You must understand why I’m doing this, but I can’t do this without you.”

“We’ve been by each other’s sides for years; you think I’m gonna leave now? If you’d let me finish, Y/n, I would have told you to do it. I will always support you, and I kinda got attached to the Nena. So go through with it; you have my full support.”

“If it actually happens, our lives are going to change drastically, would you be ready for that?”

“I got you all for myself for three years; it’s time to expand our little family. Of course if they want to. Don’t push too hard; she is still scarred and scared to trust again. Be cautious.”

“I don’t know how I got so lucky.” You say beaming at her.

“I’m the lucky one.” She smiles while gently rubbing my thigh and then standing up. 

She goes to Lucia and asks her if she wants to play some football with her; she is hesitant at first, but after a bit of convincing from you and Alexia, she eventually decides to play with her, but you know that she is holding back. 

Alexia knew that something was wrong. Hence, she took the ball into her hands,  and stopped the little competition that they were doing, “I’m not made of glass; you can play harder on me, you know.” She offers.

Lucia throws her hands in the air, “I’m not going to be the reason why La Reina got injured again.”

“I’m taller and stronger than you; you won’t injure me.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes, I’m sure.” She chuckles while they return to playing, Lucia clearly getting more physical. 

You laughed at their interaction and how Lucia worried about hurting Alexia;.while Alexia just wanted to have fun. After a while of playing, Alexia turned her head to you, mouthing the words “She’s good”, you respond by nodding approvingly, shifting your focus on the little child next to you, who at the moment was very quiet.

“Did you get your autograph from Alexia?” You ask her, trying to break the silence.

She slowly nods, still looking at her sister, then turns to you. “Yes, only one, though.”

“You didn’t want one for you?”

“No, I only got one for me; I didn’t want to sell hers.” You see her softly yawn, trying to keep open her eyes.

“Did you have fun today?” 

She nods, then looks again at her sister, who was trying to dribble past Alexia, “I hadn’t seen her that happy since before I got sick.” She smiles like a proud sister, showing signs of her tiredness again.

“Are you tired?” You ask her.

“No.” She says defensively while crossing her arms, yawning again. You chuckle at her, finding it adorable how she tries to hide how much she wants to sleep. 

“Yes, you are!” You say, poking her side. “You can nap if you want; I’ll watch out for your sister for you.” You offer.

She slowly nods and then moves near you; you didn’t expect her to sit between your legs, curling on your chest. You were shocked; you didn’t know what to do, so you just put your hands on her tiny body and rubbed her back. “You’re comfier than the grass.” She says, dozing off to sleep. You kiss the top of her head and then whisper, “Go to sleep, Nena.” And she did. 

You were physically in a very weird position, as you knew that you would be getting cramps in a couple of minutes, while mentally, you couldn’t nor remember the instance of ten years ago when you were holding your brother in the same position you were with Ava. She reminded you of Nico, both of them had the same personality and were too smart for their age.

Trying to get more comfortable, you slowly sink to the ground from your sitting position. At the same time, Ava gently stirs, repositioning herself, fisting your shirt with her tiny hand, not wanting you to let go, even though you wouldn’t go for the world. After a few minutes, you doze off and get woken up by a light caress on your cheek. You slowly open your eyes, Ava is still sleeping soundly, and on your side, Alexia is waiting for you to wake up.

“Mi Chiqui is getting dark outside; we need to leave.” You slowly get up, still Ava in your arms, spoiler alert: you couldn’t feel your arms and back anymore. She gently stirs awake, “Shhh, go back to sleep.” You whisper to her, still rubbing her tiny back. She was so small for a six-year-old.

You see Lucia, she was taking your cleats off her feet; putting on her shoes again. You give Ava to Alexia, and then you walk up to her. “I’m sorry she had to sleep on you; I-I was just too caught up playing that I didn’t even notice she was tired. I’m really sorry.” She tries to explain.

“Hey, don’t apologize; you were having fun, and she was just tired after a long day. And now look! She stole my girlfriend again.” You say sincerely while trying to joke in the last part, pointing at Alexia, who was rocking Ava in her arms, showing off one of her big smiles reserved for children and for the people she loves. 

Then you turn to her and ask her, “Are you hungry?”

“Oh yeah, I’m starving. I haven’t run that much in months.” Then she backtracks. “Oh, wait. I knew what you were doing; you are trying to manipulate me into eating with you guys.” She asks, clearly understanding your intentions.

“Manipulate is a big word, isn’t it? I guess you can call it offering to eat something with us?”

“Nah, the right word is definitely manipulate or gaslight.” She remarks.

“Well, do you want to come with us?”

“I don’t know; I must get her to bed.”

“Where are you guys staying, if I can ask?”

“You already know the answer. And don’t you dare ask me to stay with you. That is too much, and I wouldn’t know how to repay you. I can deal with everything on my own.”

You knew she wouldn’t budge on that one, but you had to give it to her; she knew your actions before you said anything.

“Why don’t we just eat something and figure everything out later?” You offer. 

-

So you did that; you brought Lucia and Ava into your home, ordered take-out, and put on a movie to watch. Alexia and Ava were petting Nala, which in the beginning, the little dog hid in your room, but progressively through the night, she slowly got accustomed to the new people and gladly accepted the cuddles that the younger girl had given her.

The scene that was before your eyes oddly felt really domestic. Most nights with Alexia, if they weren’t spent out with friends, would include snuggling on the couch and relaxing; the only difference was that there were two new other people now. 

You tried not to get too attached to them and tried not to act as a parent but more like someone that could help. They already had parents, and you for sure didn’t want to replace them. You just wanted to give the help you weren’t given when it happened to you, so if some food and a roof were needed, you wouldn’t hesitate to share that and maybe a little love here and there. 

Ava was asleep, and Alexia was about to, so you tried to get the attention of Lucia so you could talk to her. You went outside on the porch with her so you wouldn’t disturb Ava from her much-needed sleep. 

“Thank you for today, I really appreciated everything you did for us, but I think we have to get going.”

“You can always stay here.” You offer while she tries to dissuade you. “Listen, if it’s a problem to stay with us, I can book you a hotel room, but please let me help you find accommodation. I would love for you to stay until you find a better place. Ava can start school, while you could go and play in La Masia, or finish school and go to university, or both, whichever you prefer.And I know I’m not your mother, nor your relative, I’m just a stranger, but it wouldn’t sit well with me to let you guys leave somewhere that maybe it’s not even safe.”

“I don’t want to be a burden. And you don’t owe me anything.” She scratches her forehead, thinking, “Why are you even doing this?”

“What?”

“Why are you helping us?” 

“Honestly? I don’t know. I just know that I would love to help you in every way you let me. And you can always tell me to fuck off. But I hope you don’t” She chuckles, and for the first. The time she looks at you. “So what do you think?”

She remained silent for a while, while you patiently waited for her to reply, hoping it would be a positive answer. “Only until I can find a better solution for us. Plus, Ava already loves it here and loves you. When she saw you for the first time, she kept gushing about you and how you were her second favorite player, the first being Alexia” You chuckle. “And maybe living in a real house is better than waiting for social workers to find another accommodation.” She shyly adds. “I think you should ask Alexia if it’s okay for her too; I don’t want to get in the middle of you too.”

“She’s okay with it. She loves kids, and believe me, in a matter of days, she’s going to turn all protective, especially with Ava; she always had a soft spot for kids. As for the social workers, let me handle it, okay? I’ll try my best to make it as quick as possible.” She slowly nods and whispers a ‘thank you,’ taking you by surprise and hugging you. It took you a second to react, but soon you tightened the embrace, waiting for her to leave it.

“Probably, it’s going to be much of a burden for you rather than us.” You chuckle, “When our friends and Alexia’s family and my brother find out that we have two new people in our home, they’ll want to meet you. But I’ll take care of it.” You explain.

She removes herself from your embrace and looks at you. “Can I come to your games too? I miss being at the stadium.” She asks shyly.

“Oh, you must!” Your jokes. “I expect you to come every week with my jersey on.” You grin, pointing at her.

“We’ll see about that. I also like some other players in the squad, like Mapi Leon or Caroline Graham Hansen.” She playfully smirks.

“Then I don’t think I can give you any tickets.” You fake being offended. “Now go to your sister and take her to bed.” You grin, winking at her.

“Yeah, yeah. Thank you y/n.”

[windmaedchen-oceanhorn]

Taking Care Of You

Summary: Valen's falling ill and the Heroic Order uses the situation to find out what secret the Knight has at home - you.

Tags: Valen x Reader / GN Reader / fluff

For @afktales - writing is not my forte but when your head bursts with some ideas it's gotta go onto paper one way or the other... xD

===================

Valen sank heavily down onto the old sofa standing in the entry hall of the Heroic Order. He felt dreadful, with heavy eyelids and a dull aching in his head whenever he moved. He clearly came down with a cold and he could no longer hide it.

"Are you dying?" Joey stepped up to him. His teasing tone was quickly accompanied by sincere concern for his colleague's situation as he bend down to observe Valen more closely.

The knight looked up with a smirk, gently waving the notion aside. "I shall never perish by anything my sword cannot touch. But … I admit, I am not fully alive either right now." The smirk gave way to a more tired smile of resignation against the forces of nature against him. Valen sighed. "It isn't busy, is it? I sure hope I don't have to get up again anytime soon."

The archer nodded. "It has been quiet, but things can change quickly. Shall I ask the General to dismiss you before that happens?"

Valen sank even deeper into the cushions of the sofa. He wasn't really the kind to lay aside his duty for small inconveniences such as temporary light illness, so he took a moment to consider. Joey, however, stopped him in his thoughts straight away.

"Never mind my question, it is a yes, so don't move until I am back."

"Huh, but I didn't… say anything…", Valen protested but Joey had already turned and walked towards the office door. General Hogan was busy catching up on some reports and would be able to respond straight away. With another sigh Valen folded his arms to hide the slight shiver running through his aching body. Torn between his sworn duty to serve and the soothing call of home, he placed the decision into the hands of the General.

Just when he began to wonder what might take them so long, they both emerged from the office. Valen tried to sit up to properly greet the General, but a raised hand stopped his endeavour.

"General?"

"You really do not look good today, Valen.", Hogan sighed after a moment of careful observation. "I do appreciate all your efforts, but you should not push yourself when it is not neccessary. I have enough men to cover your duty today AND tomorrow. You are dismissed."

"Yes, General. Thank you. I… appreciate it." Valen raised his fist to his heart in both greeting and gratitude. But when he tried to get up, the General stopped him with outstretched hand once more.

"Hold on. You look even worse when you try to move. It is best that you do not go home alone. In fact, I shall have you be picked up. Joey!"

While Valen's tired body sank back into the soft sofa, his mind protested. "Wait, what? Why do I have to be picked up? I can go home alone!"

"No, you won't. My orders. Joey, you know where he lives, right? Do go there and ask for assistance."

"Yes, General." Joey saluted with a sly smile. His gaze quickly flashed over to his protesting sick colleague, but then he turned and left.

"General, there really is no need to do this." Valen tried to get up this time but General Hogan just pushed him back into the seat.

"Valen. Your well-being is a great concern to me. You will stay here and wait, for I am certain there will be someone to take you home. Or am I mistaken?"

The stare of General Hogan penetrated deep into Valen's soul. He knew. They probably all knew and it looks like Valen could no longer hide his secret. Resignated Valen looked up at his superior, nodding. "No, you're not mistaken. You just want to know who's there, don't you?"

The General crossed his arms, mildly patronizing Valen. "So I do. In fact, I would have liked to know much sooner. Not just for regulation's sake."

"Ah, my apologies. It'll be a yes, but I still need to formally… propose, so relax. And what that's regulation there for anyways? But you will be the first to know when we've settled on a date, I promise." Valen showed both his hands to appease his superior.

Hogan uncrossed his arms, humming in approval. "Is it who I think it is?"

Valen nodded. "Yeah."

The old soldier didn't say anything more. But his expression showed Valen that he was glad to hear so. The General then turned to uywin, who had been observing the scene nearby and asked him to stand by the sick knight's side.

As General Hogen departed Valen leaned back, tilting his head to rest on the sofa. He closed his eyes as his thoughts turned to you. After what felt like years of knowing you and months of agony, he finally could hold you in his arms. All the things you went through and what he endured, to the final moments of saving you and taking you home… it all came flushing through his drowsy mind. The memory of your warm embrace soothed his shivers. You intended to keep things secret until you could officially announce your engagement, but it looks like Valen's colleagues didn't want to wait that long. In Hogan's case, understandable, as it was him who provided some support when Valen felt worst. Now that the General was forcing the matter himself, he actually felt a little guilty for not having shared this news with him sooner. Maybe he should invite him over for dinner some time. Either way, you'd shortly be showing up right here in front of him and even though the idea that he'd be taken home resting lightly on your shoulders like a (love)sick fool felt like an embarrassment, he also couldn't wait to show off how beautiful, charming and caring you were.

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

When you heard the heavy footsteps on the steps and corridor outside the small flat, your first thought turned to Valen returning. You put down the shirts you just folded and stepped up close to the door, ready to greet your knight appropriately. The knock on the door wasn't like him, however, and in sudden confusion you just voiced a careful "Yes?".

"Joey, from the Heroic Order", came the voice from the other side. "I have a message from General Hogan."

A message from the General? That could only be for Valen but was he not at work? Before you started worrying about that, however, you did mind the gentlemen in front of your home and quickly opened the door. "I am sorry, but Valen should be at work."

The imperial archer immediately bowed to greet you. "The message is for you. Valen has fallen ill and the General requested that he is picked up so that he may return home safely."

"Oh. Is that it?" You straightened up in relief. You knew you could have imagined much worse than that. Still, was he so ill he couldn't come home alone? "Where is he now?"

"At the Heroic Order. It will be my pleasure to escort you there. Please be assured that he is still strong enough to return with you here."

"That is a relief. Thanks for coming to get me. I'll join you right away". You grabbed your small bag from the hook next to the door and slipped into your shoes. Confusion took hold of you, however, so when you joined Joey in the hallway, you couldn't resist asking. "Sir Joey, why didn't you bring him yourself?"

Joey gave a apologetic smile. "It was the General's orders. He wants to personally make sure that Valen is taken care off. But with all the work to be done, he could not leave himself."

"I see. Of course, he couldn't, so he send you."

For a moment you walked silently next to the archer. It still didn't properly explain why Joey couldn't have dropped Valen off. Maybe he was so ill that he needed a 24-hour support? But then, why not take him to the infirmary? And how did the Heroic Order know about you in the first place? Valen had assured you just a few days ago that he never said a word. Then again, in the same breath, he had mentioned how they joked he might have a sweetheart … in which case… is this just a ruse to lure you out? You clutched your bag. You were hardly prepared to meet his colleagues and even less, General Hogan. Not that you weren't ready to expose yourself to the world, your dress was neat and clean and your hair taken care off. But first impressions are crucial and regardless of the situation, you worried you might be a reason for your knight to be embarrassed.

Hesitantly you turned to Joey. Just to be sure what kind of situation you were truly in, you dared to ask. "May I request an honest response? Has Valen really fallen ill?"

Joey slowed his steps and shared a gentle smile with you. "Yes, he truly is in a sorry state. I am certain, however, that with rest and your care he will fully recover. Why?"

"Has Valen requested me?" You kept your eyes set on Joey's. He held his gaze for a moment, but then dropped his shoulders and tilted his head.

"No, he did not."

You return the archer's answer with a nod and smile, you even let out a compassionate chuckle. Your reaction visibly confused him as he stopped walking. That's how it is, then. They may be taking advantage of the situation but their curiosity about their colleague's private life fills you with warmth.

"I am sorry for my reaction. It is quite alright, I assure you. May I know, how did you know you would find me at his home?"

Trying to make up for the Order's little trickery, Joey was quick to answer your question. "He stopped going out so often, or left home early from the tavern. There is also the noticable lack of engagement in certain conversations with certain people, that led us to conclude he must have gotten entangled with someone special. Besides, his mood has never been better."

Yes, that you could fully understand. Being with Valen had caused nothing but happiness for both of you, regardless of the strains from the time prior. "I am glad to hear it. Even more so if that happiness extends to his workplace and his colleagues. Thank you so much for standing by his side."

Joey placed his fist on his chest and bowed slightly again. "Thank you, it is a pleasure and privilege to work with him. He is blessed to have you by his side."

A blush reddend your cheeks. You always thought you were the blessed one to have been found by Valen. Hearing that he is the blessed one, underlines your efforts to support and enable the knight doing his work.

"I think we are both blessed to have each other," you responded. "Let's keep going. We better not leave him waiting."

You continued to walk towards the Heroic Order. It wasn't far and after another couple of minutes you entered the building. Joey pointed directly to the sofa on which Valen seemed to have dozed off. The archer then excused himself to get the General.

You greeted Guywin with a gentle smile and nod. He returned the smile and gestured you to approach his ill colleague.

"Valen. Are you alright?" You bent down a little to grab the hand on his lap. The knight immediately squeezed your hand gently in return and slowly opened his eyes. He looked tired and there was a slight sheen to his eyes.

"Hey. I think I'll live. Barely."

You chuckled. "Please live more than just barely, hm? I don't know what to tell General Hogan if I return only half a man."

Valen visibly collected some strength and with a moan he sat up properly. He still held your hand and now pressed it gently against his face. "Don't worry. As long as you're with me, you'll only have to give reports about a truly whole man."

"I hope so." You placed your other hand over Valen's, reassuring him that you would take gentle care of him in the coming days.

The heavy steps and slight clinking of armour next to you drew your attention. General Hogan came to a halt just when you looked over. He stretched out his hand towards you.

"Hogan, General of the Heroic Order and Magistrate of Holistone. Who's care do I have the pleasure of entrusting Valen to?"

Valen had pointed him out to you from afar before and you knew the General, the Bastion of the Lightbearer Empire, also from the many stories told about him. He was a man to inspire lives, but now that his massive figure stood before you, you couldn't help but feel even more impressed than you thought you'd ever be and when you gave him your small hand to shake, his gentle grip surprised you pleasantly.

"[Your name], I am honoured to meet you, General."

"So am I." He then looked over at the ill knight. "Valen hasn't been feeling well and I have given him permission to recover. If he does need more time, please do come and let me know. I expect him to be in full health upon his return."

Your gaze settled on Valen sitting in front of you. "Of course, I will make an exception and spoil him particularly well to make sure he recovers as quick as possible."

"Really?", Valen intercepted, "Do I get eggs in mustard? A foot massage? Drink delivery? You'll polish my armour?" While he made his requests he shook your hand in anticipation like a young child.

"Yes, yes, no, you'll have tea and no, Valen, I can't even lift that thing without your help. If you are that excited still, maybe I should help you move to the office rather than take you home."

In a flash Valen's smile was replaced by a playful frown and he leaned his head heavily against you, pulling on your hand, shaking all of you. "No, no, a bed would do really nicely now, forget the armour or the drink, let's just go home."

"Yes, maybe that would be best, you better get the boy home," remarked General Hogan with a chuckle as he observed Valen's silly display.

"Come on…" You lifted Valen's hand onto your shoulder and reached then around his torso, dragging him up a bit. He moaned loudly as he followed your cue and stood up. He wrapped his arm fully around you. He didn't really need the support but this was the best excuse to touch you while being in the company of his colleagues, so he took it. He then turned to the others.

"Alright, back home it is. Thanks again, General. I shall be back as soon as I can. Joey, Guywin." He lifted his fist up to his heart, as did they. Valen's colleagues wished him a fast recovery and shortly after you and Valen were on your way back home.

"Really no help with the armour?", he carefully asked.

You chuckled. "Not with that one, no. I am better at making those mustard eggs. But I am happy to help you out of any restrictive clothing in a minute. Just so you may rest better, mind you."

Valen sighed deeply. "Yeah, I know. It's still heaven when you handle me, though. Let me stay at home at least long enough so I can handle you, too, before going back to work."

"Once you are well enough. But then, very very gladly."

--------

That you came down with a cold a few days later came as no surprise. But it was well worth it, after having had the pleasure to take care of the man you loved so much during his time of need.

[fallingdownhell]

hello! i was wondering if i could request a poly cyno x reader x tighnari where the reader is going through a tough time and is kinda burnt out. maybe where she tries to brush it off, but the boys catch on pretty quickly and then they comfort her? anyways, i hope you have a good day/night!!

-🌹 anon

Hey! Of course you can!<3

I don't have anything against poly ships, I do in fact have a few of them myself. Have I ever written for one? No, but I sure want to. Hope it turned out okay.

Thank you so much for your request, 🌹 anon

Content: poly relationship; written with fem!reader in mind, but can also be read as gn!reader; mentions of mental illness; self doubt; burnout; much comfort from the bois

Word count: 1,8k

Hope you enjoy reading<3

You were tired.

Your days studying in the Academya left you more drained than anything else lately. Although you were a good student, diligent and often praised by your professors, that didn't change anything about the heavy workload you put on your shoulders.

The days seemed to last for an eternity, while the nights were over far too quickly. You never felt like you got any quality rest.

While one of your boyfriends, Cyno, kept a close eye on you and made sure you took care of yourself, the other suffered extremely from the lack of contact with you.

You haven't really seen Tighnari for a few weeks, except for his one day visits to Sumeru city when he was in need for new materials. He would make it a point to visit you, but you were still so focused on your research, that you didn't spend much time with him.

Same with Cyno. While he was often times with you in the city, he rarely got to see you anymore either. Well, that's wrong. He did see you, but was the time spend with him? No, it wasn't.

You kept telling youself and your boyfriends that this was only a temporary issue, that you would soon be done studying in the Academya. Then you could finally give them all the attention that you have deprived them off until now.

And yet, two months after your last conversation with your boyfriends about this issue, there were still no signs of it getting better anytime soon.

You were working yourself to the bone, day in and day out. So it was only a matter of time until the stress would get to your head, poisining your thoughts.

You began to think about all the times you neglected Cyno and Tighnari, how you didn't even keep in touch with Tighnari back at Gandharva Ville via letters. He probably only heard about you through Cyno, meaning he had to rely on his words.

You couldn't help but feel bad, ashamed and guilty.

Your head then began constructing this idea... this terrible idea of your boyfriends. About how they started to resent you. For neglecting them, for focusing on your studies instead of them.

Thoughts began to bloom within you. Hlw they probably hated the idea of seeing you again, hating you in general.

Your hand that had been writing on a paper until a few moments ago, began to shake as silent tears began rolling down your cheeks.

You wanted to believe that it wasn't true. That this was just the stress getting to you...

But how could you, when it all made perfect sense? Of course they would feel this way.

Now that you thought about it.. you haven't seen Cyno at all the last two days. He usually came by every day, even just to make sure that you were taking care of yourself.

But... nothing. He didn't show up at all.

And as you realised that, the thoughts only became louder and more convincing.

'They already started separating from you, silently..'

'They feel they're not important to you...'

'You are no good partner to them..'

Those thoughts began to flood your mind as you set down your pen, tears continuing to fall down your face. That night, you cried yourself to sleep, as these negative thoughts kept pestering your mind.

...

The next day, Cyno saw you walking within the walls of the Academya and immediatly noticed that something was wrong with you.

He saw your red, swollen eyes and knew that you must have cried yesterday. The reason for it he might nit know, but that didn't matter. It was obvious that you needed him right now.

So, he talked to the Matras, gave them their orders and then set out to find you again.

He found you in a quiet corner in the house of Daena, reading some kind of book related to your studies, while you occaisonally sniffled and rubbed your swollen eyes.

Cyno approached you quietly, sitting down on a chair across from yours, his eyes fixed on your exhausted form.

You jumped a little, not expecting any form of company to disturb you. Once you recognise Cyno, you relqx a bit, but quickly tense up again, remembering what had happened the day before.

Cyno, of course, noticed that shift in behaviour from you.

"What's going on?", he immediatly asked, not wasting time with chit chat.

"What... do you mean, exactly?", you answered, trying to deflect, making it seem like everything was fine. Which, you failed. Because even if Cyno wasn't the best with feelings, he was perceptive.

"You cried. I can see that with only one look at you. So.. what happened?"

At his words, you wished to just slap yourself as you realised that you forgot to put on makeup, so that you could hide the obvious bags under your eyes. But that would have been only one part of the problem, anyway.

"Oh.. nothing much. Just... stressed."

"Stress? That's all?"

You nodded, not being able to look your boyfriend in the eyes. You knew that if you did, he would immediatly figure you out. Little did you know that by avoiding his gaze, he worried even more.

"You're hiding something from me.", he concluded. You sighed, but didn't give him anything further to work with for a few minutes. Then..

"It's just.. the stress is getting to me. To my head, exactly. It's been... a lot.", you told him in a low voice, not wanting to say anything more.

To your surprise, the next thing Cyno did was to just silently, without another word, stand up from the table and walk away. You didn't see were he was heading, but that didn't matter to you.

All your head needed, was right there. Your boyfriend walking away from you when you would have needed him the most.

You could feel the tears welling up again in your eyes, but this time, you forced them to stay in, not wanting to cry in broad daylight in front of your fellow students. But going home wasn't an option in your head either, so you tried to swallow the hurt and continued your studies.

Little did you know though, that Cyno was walking straight to the Acting Grand Sages office, not bothering in the slightest that he had just interrupted a seemingly important conversation with some other sages.

Alhaitham looked at him with his usual stoic expression, while Cyno explained the situation to him, requesting for a two weeks vacation for you amd himself.

After a few seconds of considering, Alhaitham signed it off, handing the documents to Cyno, whishing him the best of luck. Having achieved what he came for, Cyno headed back down to were you were seated before, glad that you were still in the same spot.

He approached again, but this time, you noticed him. And he wore an even more determined expression than he usually did.

"Cyno? What are you-!"

You got interrupted as he grabbed your wrist and pulled you out of your seat and after him, waking his way towarsa the exit of the house of Daena.

"Hey, stop. Where are we going?", you asked, weakly struggling against his grip.

"Visiting Tighnari.", he said.

"Wha.. but I can't. I still have to-"

"You don't have to do anything. I requested some time off for the both of us, and Alhaitham approved of it. We are going on a vacation, because Archons know that you need that, (name)."

After he said that, you were in no place to argue against him anymore. Your resistance against him grew less and less, until you completely stopped. He, in return, loosened his grip on your wrist a bit, but still held you tightly to him.

He made a stop at his and your house, to gather some stuff, mostly clothing, before you made your way to Gandharva Ville together.

The walk was mostly quiet as you were trying to figure out what to make of it. You were sure that they must hate you at this point, yet Cyno's actions clearly indicated the total opposite.

As you arrived at the base of the forest watchers, Cyno spotted Tighnari in front of his hut, talking to some other forest rangers.

The fox immediatly picked up on the scent of his two lovers as soons as you two entered the village. But he also instantly knew that something was up. He could sense that you were upset about something amd Cyno was worried about you.

He made quick work of the matter with the forest ranger, and as they began to depart, Tighnari already spotted you and Cyno walking towards him, so he waited there for you to.

"Hey..", he said in a soft tone, immediatly pulling you in for a long and loving hug as soon as you were close enough.

"...", you didn't say anything as you hugged him back tightly, which confirmed his assumption that something was definitely not right.

He looked over at Cyno, who motioned for them to go inside, which Tighnari gently coaxed you to do so with them.

"Do you want to talk about it?", Tighnari asked as you all were inside. But you didn't feel ready for that just yet, so you just shook your head slightly, gaze fixed on the ground.

"All right then..", you heard from the fox and the next moment, you were suddenly in the air, as your lover had picked you up and walked over to the bed.

The next moment, you were placed on the soft mattress, ine of your boyfriends on each of your side. You were completely surrounded by them, and suddenly, you felt safe.

Like a heavy weight has finally been lifted from your shoulder, and you could feel a single tear run down your face again.

Tighnari, who you were facing, brought one hand up to your face, softly carressing your cheek. He slowly leaned in, kissing you on the forehead.

In the meantime, Cyno, who was laying behind you, slid on hand down your arm, intertwining his fingers with yours once he reached your hand, as he slowly started to place light kisses on your neck.

In this moment, you felt so loved and cared for by your two boyfriends, you had no idea how you could have ever doubted their love for you.

You couldn't controll your tears anymore and you just let everything out that you had been holding back.

For the next few hours, you three just laid there, cuddling with each other, while Cyno and Tighnari whispered sweet and loving words to you.

You may not be able to talk about your troubles quite yet, but you knew that with them by your side, everything would turn out okay in the end.

Because you had each other. And now there was no doubt in your mind anymore..

... they did love you with all their heart.

[vitanithepure]

Gale's romance

To absolutely nobody's surprise I am back with my thoughts about Gale and I am honestly surprised how many of you still follow me and interact with what I have to say, love you all so much 😭

Again, a freaking long one (over 1200 words, I wrote fanfics shorter than this...), but I need to get it all out of my system to properly function. Of course spoilers for Gale's story and a bit of the main storyline.

First of all - his introduction. Not less of a jump-scare, but somehow this one seemed to fit him better? He doesn't come out of the portal and begin judging our capabilities, instead we help him out, and if anything - I felt an instant level of sympathy for the wizard falling face first on the ground straight out of an unstable portal.

His bashful "I'm usually better at this."? It just served to even out the field and I love it. I was literally sitting there grinning at the screen and thinking "oh, how the mighty have fallen" :D

We still get all the talks known from EA (apart from the failed spell one? Did anyone manage to trigger it? Did they remove it?), so I won't be going over them again, because there is still a lot of new stuff to go through. Although they seem to fire up differently and it makes Gale seem a lot more considerate. Sure, at first he still hides the exact reasons and I still think it's understandable. In my playthrough he brought up his orb problem on the road, in front of the others with us claiming we need to know about it. 

He even leaves us the decision if we want him to stay or not, but we cherish this man in this house, so I have no idea what goes down if and how he leaves. Not really interested in learning that, too.

Him showing us the Weave was as wonderful as it used to, didn't notice any changes here, then again - why change something that just…works? And now, in hindsight, I cannot help but see how it sets the tone for the whole relationship with him, be it romantic or otherwise. He shows you this part of him he loves, tries to show because even he, with all his eloquence, cannot find the right words to express what magic means to him.

I feel as if he was not expecting much from it, judging by the mumbling, adorable mess we made of him just imagining a walk, hand in hand. As we learn later (much later, but I think it's important to mention it here) he never considered being this close to anyone after the orb fiasco. Not because he still loves Mystra but rather he realizes how much of a risk it brings. He himself calls himself a "menace" and that, for me, speaks volumes about his character. 

Ok, now onto the new parts, previously unavailable in the EA. 

I mentioned my reaction after the first talk with Elminster in another post, but I'll say it again: fuck Mystra. 

I was worried that there might not be a way to rid Gale of this cursed orb, I was bracing for the possibility that there might not be a happily-ever-after here. Because he seemed set on going along with Mystra's wishes, and I felt bad for standing between the man and his honest faith. Misguided, not fanatical, just honest faith.

I was thinking "yeah, this will probably happen at the end of the game, we'll cross that bridge when we get there". BUT… one moment we are fighting Kethric Thorm and the next Gale is ready to sacrifice himself. "Wait, it's too soon, it can't end like this, WHAT THE HELL is going on?" 

"Fun" fact? Gale can really do it from what I saw and it just… ends the game right there and then. I am not ever going to even consider that a viable option, for anyone. It just makes me sick thinking about it in hindsight.

So yeah, no, sorry Mystra, we are not going along with your stupid plan. It really feels like he went along with it in a shell shock state through the whole act II of the story and it made me feel so bad for him. Gale felt like a complete shadow of himself since his first talk with Elminster.

Can you look me in the eye and with a straight face tell me a man ready to die makes a whole fucking illusionary world for just the two of you, shows you his home, his safe place, tells you he loves you and gives you his all? Yeah, yeah, you can tell me "he doesn't want to regret anything", but that's the point! He already regrets so much, and that means he is not ready to become vapor!

So, in the style of Meredith Grey, we go all in with "choose me" and…wow, does he ever. It was like a switch went off, Gale instantly is back to his old self, already having a plan to make it all work. A terrible idea, worthy of the 10 wisdom stat, mind you, but an idea still.

Of course in the meantime we get another visit from Elminster, who drops a few - actually good! - words of wisdom Gale's way and says Mystra wants to talk. Of-fucking-course she wants to, her pet refused to die and she can't fathom why.

I know the talk can go differently depending on what you suggest him to say, I don't know if we can skip the talk altogether and what are the consequences of that, but on my first playthrough I actually encouraged him to seek forgiveness and the talk went… fucking awful if you ask me. Is there a honest to god good way to do this talk? 

Hated it when Mystra went all "oh yes, now that you are alive I'm not taking care of your orb until I send you on yet another suicide run, but don't worry - I believe in you, 'kay-thanks-bye!"

I guess this is faith for you - everything becomes a trial for it.

Moving on! The first big romance scene for act III of the story left me in emotional shambles.

In this moment Gale knows he wants to do *everything* and *anything* for us. He wants to gain power for us, to give us everything we deserve because if he gave Mystra his all he won't be holding back for us. And when we say we don't want it… you can see how absolutely devastated he is - up until he hears what we are really telling him.

"You are already everything I need you to be."

God, the animation here was so amazing, you can practically see the moment realization strikes him. He can live without Mystra, he can live without power, but he can't live without you. That he matters to someone, not for what he can do, but just… for him. And he was never loved that way, he himself says that, much to the dismay of my bleeding heart.

And that is that! Our story with Gale ends here, without a bang, but that is good. Gale is no longer the man he used to be, his ambitions now centered around a happy life with us. And I'm all giddy and teary-eyed for him. 

Mind you, the ending felt…rushed? But perhaps that's just me not ready to say goodbye after all this? The game ending is a dash of adrenaline and I felt like there was just not enough time to unwind after. Guess I need to headcanon the rest ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Either way, if you managed to stay to this point - a big thank you for reading!

[fruitycutie]

Debate thoughts and quickie analysis!

The main reason Democrat and Republican debates have been historically frustrating is because it's always: Step 1: Republican makes outlandish, false claim about democrats or immigrants or what have you! Step 2: The Democrat responds with, "well no, actually, um" and doesn't actually face or address how INSANE Republican statements are in the first place. Step 3: The Republican, having already won, sneers the whole time and controls the conversation. This has been the case for 90% of recent american history. I am glad to see that that is NOT the case anymore. Kamala is actually doing really good, AND the moderators were on point, too. Like, for example, actually asking critical questions to both, and providing fact checks when Trump says that immigrants are EATING YOUR PETS, Substantiating that they already talked to the mayor of Springfield, Ohio and that there is absolutely no evidence found of something that- lets face it- is just one person's brain worms. It spread from one person's probably ill mind, and became a MAJOR REPUBLICAN POINT! It's that easy. And now it's completely gone because of course it is, its a total fabrication and in 2024 those don't fly anymore because we don't live in ignorance of Trump's strategies anymore. This whole thing just shows how desperate, vile and awful they are, that this is ALL they have after all. Honestly though, just seeing the people making bullshit up on the defensive is great! So I enjoyed the debate a lot. That being said, I want to talk about the fact that I was also pleasantly surprised. I expected it to be more 50/50, truth be told. I do think Kamala, like any other Dem, has a little bit of liberal syndrome - which is pretty standard for Democrats, it's just their bread and butter weakness, but she's definitely the best in that regard - which is why she's actually doing well! What do I mean by that? Well, it's simple. Democrats make this mistake of thinking that they're as equally left as Republicans are right - which is only a little bit, in this theory - and we can unite as a people, if we just try. Meanwhile, the reality of the situation is that the Democrats live in the real world, where people matter and policies affect them, while to be completely honest, Republicans live in the AI power fantasy where the Shadow Qabbal Border Tzar Trans Alien Prison Immigrants from Mexico are killing every aspect of the american dream you love and schools are where your Children transition by Force, you can trademark half of those buzzwords if you want. And you damn well know that if it were convenient for them, they'd include Jews in that, too. The point is, that is fundamentally not something you can compromise with. Because to compromise with something, it has to like, already exist in REALITY, right? And their ideas just don't. To summarize I guess, the main mistake Dems make is that they believe they'll get more of the Republican voter base if they move right slightly. BUT THAT NEVER WORKS!!! Because, the people voting for trump are ALL cultists, who are stuck up their own ass about emotional messaging and DO NOT care for empiricism, DO NOT care for results or outcomes, all they care about is being right that trump is their american savior. After all, as soon as Trump lost in 2020- a verifiable fact with NO room for empirical debate without changing the meaning of the word "lose", a shitstorm of false accusations about the election being stolen happened, the Capitol riot happened, not to mention even that Trump keeps promising that if he gets elected, nobody will have to vote again. Like - come on, it's so transparently fascism, to the point where even the most irrationally opposed to the term have to see it. You cannot reason or compromise with people like that, it's just not possible. Kamala has been better about this than all democrats up to her, easily, but she's still not perfect. And I hope this is completely understood by democrats going forward, if the Republican enstablishment doesn't change it's ways.

[echo-goes-mmm]

Hoarding Behavior #7

Masterpost

Previous

Next

Warnings: none

Noct frowned. His precious gem was acting strange. He was pale, and took far more naps than usual. He didn’t seem as interested in cooking or much of anything, and he clung close to Noct at night.

Was he sick? He didn’t understand. River had all the things he needed. A warm bed, good food, clean water, attention, regular care, and all the toys and puzzles and games Noct could find.

He looked down at River, partially in his lap, adorably asleep. His freckles were stark against his skin as opposed to beautifully blending into a bronzy smoothness. Noct curled his tail over him and waited for him to wake up.

___________________

“You need a healer,” said Master. River chewed the inside of his cheek. 

“Are you sure?” He’d never been to a doctor before.

“Yes. You are ill.” Noct’s voice held no room for argument, and he was too tired to bother.

Noct unlocked the cuff around his ankle. It was a weird sensation after so long, and something about it made him feel exposed.

Noct scooped him up into his arms and walked towards the exit. He was vaguely annoyed that Master insisted on carrying him, but he didn’t feel like walking anyway.

But when they reached outside, Master set him down and transformed into his massive flying form.

“Hold still,” he rumbled, and River froze as Master’s huge hand wrapped around him. Noct lunged into the air, and they were off.

Don’t look down, he thought, squeezing his eyes shut. He knew Noct wouldn’t drop him, but the rush of wind made his head spin and his gut clench.

Soon the wind stopped coming at his face, and instead quieted. River cracked an eye open, and saw the town square slowly come towards his feet. He looked up. Noct’s ruby wings glowed with light, and they were fully outstretched, circling them downward. 

He’d never seen Noct’s wings completely unfolded before, and the size was breathtaking.

Faint shouting reached his ears, and the square was practically abandoned when they landed.

Master changed again, and wrapped his arm around River’s waist. 

His tail swished, and River knew enough about Noct’s body language to tell he was either nervous or suspicious. Probably both.

“Do you know the way to the healer?” he murmured.

“I’m not from here,” he explained. “I have no idea.”

“Hm.” Noct pulled River close to his chest, eyes darting around the street. 

“Come,” he said, guiding River to a bench on the side of the square. They sat together, and Noct put his arm around River’s shoulder.

“Now we will wait and ask a passerby.”

“Okay.”

___________________

He was half asleep on Noct’s shoulder before he jostled him awake. 

“Stop that.”

“Sorry, Master.” Noct sighed.

“This is not working,” he said, frustrated. People were moving through the square again, but they were avoiding them. The midday sun was in the sky, and the villagers needed to run errands even if Noct was intimidating as hell.

Noct stood and tugged River along by the hand. He cornered a woman by the bakery, and her eyes went wide with fear.

“Pardon me,” says Noct, smooth and in his best calming voice. The effect worked on River, but not her for some reason. “Would you be so kind as to point us towards the healer? I apologize for taking up your time.”

She pointed a shaking hand to a nearby building. Noct glanced down the street. “Much appreciated,” he said. 

The woman squeaked a ‘you’re welcome’ and River mouthed a ‘thanks’ as they passed. She gave him a brief and shaky smile before darting into the safety of the bakery.

But Noct had grown impatient, and picked him up again. He made long strides over the stones, a smooth movement that River barely felt. 

They came to a small stone building with a tile roof. The sign must have said ‘doctor’ or something, because Noct put him down and knocked, tail calmer but still swishing.

“Come in,” said a voice.

Noct reached over him to turn the handle, and they walked in together.

The building was one large room. There was a raised, long platform to one side of the room, and the other side was occupied with jars and bottles.

The doctor was busy stocking the shelves with bottles before he turned. His eyes went wide, and he glanced between them from under his thin wire glasses. But before Noct could comment, his expression smoothed. 

“How may I help you, Mr…?”

“I am Noct. River is sick,” explained Master, gesturing to him. “I do not know enough about humans to fix it.”

“I see. And you’re River?”

He nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Have you ever been to a doctor before?”

“No, sir.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Noct sit in a chair. His tail was still, elegantly curling near his leg.

“Sit up on this table,” said the doctor. He hopped on. The doctor took out a pencil and a stack of papers. 

“I’ll need to ask some basic questions, give you a physical, and then we’ll talk about any issues. And feel free to ask me about anything you don’t understand. Sounds good?”

River glanced at Master. “Yes, sir.”

“Great. Some of these are fairly personal. Would you like Mr. Noct to step out?”

“Oh, um, no.” River shifted. “I don’t mind.” The doctor gave him a strange look, but said nothing. He turned back to the papers.

“Last name?”

“Uh, I don't have one.”

“Mm. Age?” 

River shrugged. “Adult?” 

“Occupation?”

“Slave.” The doctor paused. 

“And I assume Mr. Noct is your master?” River nodded. “I see.”

“Sexually active?”

“No.”

“Ever?” 

River fidgeted. “No.”

“Does… does your master beat you?” The doctor asked, quiet.

“No.”

Noct sighed from his chair. “Answer the man honestly, my gem. He must know, for your health.”

“But... you don’t,” he said. Master cocked his head. River looked back at him, equally confused. Surely he didn’t mean the punishment Noct gave him weeks ago. An open hand, no bruises, barely a mark on him. That wasn’t a beating. Maybe if Master used a switch, or actually used his strength and a fist he’d answer differently. 

“Please elaborate.”

Noct gestured for him to speak.

“Master punished me when I broke something.”

“Go on.”

“It wasn’t- he didn’t-” River’s ears turned red. “It was just a spanking. That’s all. It hurt but there weren’t any marks. That doesn’t count.” Noct was staring at him, and River wasn’t sure how to read his expression.

The doctor made a note. “I see.”

They went through a few more questions before finally moving on. 

The doctor had him face towards a chart of arrows on the wall, and had him list off the directions they pointed.

He checked his ears by whispering and making him repeat the words. 

He checked his throat with a flat stick to keep his tongue down.

He looked at his teeth.

He had him lie down to poke around and feel his organs. He even made him get on his stomach to see if his spine was straight.

But the doctor didn’t seem to find anything wrong.

“So what actually brings you in today?”

River hesitated. He didn’t think there was much to talk about. 

“He is constantly sleeping,” interrupted Noct. “And he is pale and cold all the time.” 

Oh. He hadn’t really noticed. How nice; Master had been looking out for him.

The doctor looked at Noct, and then back to him.

“I hate to make assumptions,” said the doctor, “but you live in a cave, correct?”

“Yes, sir. Master’s home is in the mountains.” The doctor leaned close to examine his skin, especially the part where his freckles were.

“Is it harder than usual to lift heavy items?”

“I guess?” The doctor straightened, adjusting his glasses.

He took his pencil and a small pad from his pocket and scribbled something down. He tore off the paper and handed it out to him.

“I can’t read.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Instead, he passed it to Master. “Spend time in the sun, at least an hour a day. Get some exercise while you’re at it. Eat more fish, especially in the winter when you aren’t outside much,” he said.

“Why the sun?” asked Noct. “There is plenty of warmth inside. I make sure of it.”

“It’s not the heat. There’s not really a good explanation, but sunshine is important for human health,” he explained. 

Master hummed. “And this will help?”

“It’s not a guarantee, but yes. If the problem persists, come back and we’ll figure something out. I’d also like to see River once a year for a physical.”

“I understand.” Noct stood, and reached for a bag on his waist. It clinked with gold coins, and he offered it to the doctor.

“Oh no,” said the doctor with a smile, hands up. “Don’t worry about it. The village takes care of my pay.”

“I am not part of the village.” Master plopped the bag of gold on the chair. His voice was firm. “Keep it as thanks.”

___________________

They walked through the streets, and River had to wonder why they weren’t leaving right away. Noct clearly wasn’t very welcome here, and by extension neither was he.

“Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

Master led him back towards the square. They stopped by a pastry shop, and Noct bought a mixed box of them to the terror of the storekeeper.

“Are you mad at me?” asked River as they sat on the bench, munching on sweets.

“No.”

River usually liked Master’s directness and simple answers. No tricks. Noct was always honest, but doubt fluttered in his chest. He nibbled on his cookie (chocolate chip).

A mother and her child passed by, her face buried in a shopping list. The kid stared at them, and River waved. The child waved back. Cute.

“Then are you upset with me?” 

“No.” His tail swished. “I am simply upset.”

“Oh.”

Master reached for a cupcake. It looked smaller in his fingers. Human sized cupcakes weren’t made for dragon sized hands.

Noct studied the cupcake, turning it slowly. It was vanilla strawberry with pink icing. He watched Master take a small bite, licking up the sticky red jam filling that leaked out.

“I apologize,” said Noct. “It was not my intention to harm you.”

“I didn’t know about needing sunshine either,” he said. “It’s okay.”

“I should have guessed,” frowned Master. “Humans do not live inside dens.”

River didn’t have a response for that.

He picked up the second cupcake, a chocolate caramel, while Noct finished off a snickerdoodle. 

They packed up the remaining sweets and started the long walk home. 

River made sure to try and keep out of the forest shade. He felt a little better already.

taglist: @paintedpigeon1 @haro-whumps @mj-or-say10

[suffarustuffaru]

What is your opinion on arc 8? For me its such a mess (probably bc tappei improvised arc 7 and 8, they werent in the original plan), i hope it will end soon

i do agree with you there on otto development but im definitelyyy biased *sweats in becoming an otto blog someone save me from the hyperfixation* but in my defense otto arc 8 development was the result of a slow burn since arc 3-4 and otto's various side stories but even without the side stories it feels like the logical conclusion that his arc was leading up to, which feels pretty solid to me for the most part (side eyes otto apologizing to the girl who sent assassins after him.... side eyes tappei's fixation on shipping otto's brothers and then not even elaborating on how that'd even work as dynamics) but. anyway i digress

arc 7-8 ive followed since their conception via reading it chapter by chapter. unfortunately i did also get kinda busy with irl stuff while the middle of arc 7 was happening so i had to do catchup and also my memory is Pretty Bad. if youre wondering how i remember certain lore so well its only bc i have to reread/rewatch/use that info for writing things a lot which is the only reason why i remember it HAH. so. all in all. my memory of arc 7-8 is pretty shaky. i did read the beginnings of arc 7 and 8 via the polished translations though on WCT a while back while the rest was mostly like as each chapter came out.

rn ive started rereading arc 6 and i have several side stories i need to finish (ana camp side stories, the wilhelm-theresia trilogy, and ex 5 are top of my list right now). and then eventually ill get to reading arc 7-8 in their entirety so that i can 1. have more knowledge of it and 2. so i can have more fully formed opinions on it. so definitely i could try answering this question again once im done with that. no idea when that is bc im kinda a slow reader but ill do my best HAH. but i do have some thoughts now!!

(arc 7-8 stuff under cut + a single arc 9 mention)

arc 7-8 i do have a few mixed feelings about, namely louis's arc so far, but im really trusting the process here bc tappeis writing is just like that sometimes. you really need to be patient and definitely while i have things to criticize about louis's arc particularly i do hope that the catharsis of her character kicks in hard later so !! im interested in that.

but generally like. arc 7-8 are pretty solid. as expected of tappei. there were a lot of really really fascinating stuff brought up, a lot of interesting characters that we got to know (and im a really big fan of how much love tappei puts into a lot of the side characters, it really makes the world of rezero fleshed out). subarus arc continues to be interesting even if i personally really dont like that he adopts louis as spica While he looks like hes the exact same age as her, it really broke my immersion a bit.

but anyway yeah like. arc 7-8 was pretty good. like objectively, in my opinion, theres a lot to love, even though personally it did take me a bit to warm up to it in the beginning. i definitely think though that they do feel a bit messy as arcs. with arcs 1-6 they flow really nicely into each other - you can tell they were really planned out and tightly knit. arc 7-8 does something really new - throwing us right into vollachia - which is interesting, but i do think it does feel a bit less planned out, which makes sense bc according to tappei vollachia was a change in his original plans. this isnt bad on its own and we got two giant arcs out of it that were pretty fun. but there are points i feel that you can kinda Tell that it wasnt planned out. the slight reliance on the teleportation throughout arc 7 was like the first thing i noticed haah.

and my big worry after arc 8 is that like. tappei doesnt strike that perfect balance of still keeping vollachia and its cast relevant but like not letting them overshadow other matters that tappei needs to get to before finishing rezero. like i want vollachia to continue to matter after we've spent two really big and complex and busy arcs with vollachia, but i do want the focus to shift a little away from them gradually / bring up vollachia again later.

arc 9 so far in its 2 chapters at the time of me answering this ask has been really really good so far with wrapping up arc 7-8 while building up future conflicts. i do think however that since we spent time with vollachia this now comes with the expectation of branching out into kararagi and gusteko possibly - just bc we already know we're gonna spend a Lot of time in lugunica, as we have for a lot of rezero already, and we've spent a lot of time with vollachia, so narratively there probably needs to be some equality in that we should at least get a glimpse of other nations in the main route. so !! im interested in that possibility too and i think it would fit rezero well.

so yeah thats like. my personal opinion on arc 7-8 and i think reading through the whole entire thing wont change much of my opinions on the above besides me probably falling in love some more with the cast and understanding the story during this time period more deeply (and probably having more thoughts on louis and rem). i do hope that you reconsider your stance on arc 7-8 though anon!!! but if not thats totally fair too.

[beanieman]

I decided to put YTTD characters to some songs that I think the lyrics match earlier. Now I’m ‘forcing’ this duty onto you since I want to see whether our opinions match on some of them.

•Abnormality Dancing Girl

•Meltdown

•ECHO

•Appetite Of A People Pleaser

•Kakakuri Pierrot

Now some of my own-

•BETTER OFF WORSE

•Non-Breath Oblige

•Bug

•HIBANA

•Fixer

•Orthodoxia (ignoring the meaning of the actual song here)

•Bocca Della Verita

Anyways. Have fun.

Oh a bit of a challenge! I'll gladly take it since I'm always happy to indulge in YTTD related stuff!

Abnormality Dancing Girl - This is such a Shin song. It's about changing who you are and feeling as if you're going crazy while doing so! I think the lyrics that most back up my choice to pair this song with him is: "I can't go on like this. Constantly being manipulated by useless measures of worth. I've already come to hate this life. So, I think I'll restart my life.

The Rest Undercut

Meltdown - I'm going with Sara for this one! I interpret this song to be about haunting grief, which is something Sara has felt since the death of Joe. She feels guilty like she caused it, which how the lyrics "In my dream I strangled you. In the languid afternoon light. I watched your throat, thin and twitching. I watched your throat, thin and twitching." could come into play.

ECHO - This is so Maple core. The lyrics "What the hell's going on?! Can someone tell me please? Why I'm switching faster than the channels on TV? I'm black, then I'm white. No! Something isn't right! My enemy's invisible, I don't know how to fight!" match so well to when she's freaking out in the pink room.

Appetite Of A People Pleaser - Maybe Ranmaru for this one? The song could be about his need to make Sara happy despite how self destructive it is to himself. The lyrics I think most back up my choice are: "Maybe if I try a little harder, it will be okay. One day. Keep on eating more and more. Divide my life away into servings. And go beyond the point of no return."

Kakakuri Pierrot - This is another Sara mourning Joe song to me! Mostly because of the multiple references to being a clown, and I consider the Joesara theme of the game to be "Clown Song." The lyrics I think most back up my idea are: "It's so easy, and yet so difficult, for I can move on as soon as I accept reality. Unable to believe it, not wanting to believe it, I must be a clown inside your mind, aren't I?"

BETTER OFF WORSE - This gives me Alice during the band era vibes. The song is more overdramatic then what he probably felt about the situation, but I do think it has some basis! The lyrics that make me think this are: "Bleed out for audience approval Tragic, but perfectly on schedule. You think by now that we would have learned. Behind every piece of art is a human to be heard. Rejecting change to keep you there."

Non-Breath Oblige - I think this fits Shin the most since the lyrics all seem like a long winded rant he'd go on! For example: "I'll raise the white flag to the tyranny of the majority. Suppress my ill feelings and say cheese." Plus the chorus has Shin written all over it: "I want to live but I'm told to die."

Bug - This song feels like a panic attack so I'm assigning it to Shin. The lyrics that make me think this are: "Well! It's a desperate situation, I'm doomed to fall no matter what I do! Surely, surely sinking, no, no, NO!"

HIBANA - Another song that I think is Maple and Midori coated! Mostly about their messed up "romance" that Maple was forced to feel despite how poorly Midori treated her. The lyrics that make me think this is: "Come, come, mute the complaints. Hesitating over stupid things. You're kidding, huh? Ahaha!. Seems like unbreakable walls are being pressed for a kiss."

Fixer - Again, I think this is a Shin song! He really fits Vocaloid tunes! The lyrics that make me think this are: "With this shoddy excuse for a smile, I let time fly by, acting as if I know what I’m talking about. I never wanted to end up like this."

Orthodoxia - I know you said ignore the meaning but the song seems to fit ASU-NARO as a whole considering we hear that it may have some basis in religion in Kai's mini episode. The lyrics that I think back up my point are: "I take people’s lives away, devouring even their wishes. I’ve been living by trampling on the misfortune of others. The world was not such a wonderful place after all! If you flatter your idol, then your life will be saved. There is no such thing as correct teachings!"

Bocca Della Verita - I think this fits Maple and Midori since I could see it playing over the scene where she attacks him. The lyrics I think back up this idea the most are: "I-I-I quite hate you, w-w-w-w-what is wrong? You're still so frivolous, while I'm noble. I drag you across the dry floor. If you weren't around, I would be a goddess by now!"

[unfunnyaceartist]

Vent post ahead that may change your view on me and that may sound dramatic (NOT DIRECTED AT ANYONE, THIS IS JUST IN GENERAL) Mostly just to get out my feelings. I only ask that if you look, to be kind and understanding and patient. Also the tags are silly and id appreciate if you read em. id appreciate if you didnt ask me anything on it

I feel toxic sometimes because i can get so jealous i borderline gatekeep things and I always feel so bad because its never intentional but then I end up hating myself because I know its unhealthy and irrational but I cant help it, and I know im so lucky and have a lot in many senses of the word, but at times it feels like they can be taking everything, because when I like someone or something, they tend to matter a fuck-ton to me. Im sorry to anyone ive lashed out at a bit for them wanting what I have, I really am. Its not coming from a place of hostility, rather a place of trauma responses and hyperfixation that stem from my adhd and autism but like when I try something and it goes great, and then someone else is like "OOH thats awesome I wanna do that too" It feels almost like when Im finally happy or excited or proud to have something, someone comes and takes it. Usually Ill play it off as a joke, but in reality, its complete honesty that im trying to soften so I dont upset anyone, especially when its over fiction or a person, because I do NOT own them and I know that, but it bothers me when someone swoops in to do the exact same things or even one-up especially when its really soon after me, and since my self worth is already abysmal, it just makes me feel worse, like I should be lucky to have what I do to begin with, but I feel the need to hold it close to me and protect it so I dont lose things that make me really happy.

Recently Ive even started reverse gatekeeping in response to others, where ill just tell myself I cant or dont deserve to have anything special because I'm not, and only others can enjoy this. But thats why people making me ship content makes me so happy. Its dumb to get jealous over others selfshipping with a character I like. Its dumb to get upset over someone I know copying or taking heavy inspiration from one of my ideas. Its dumb to get possessive over someone else trying to befriend my new awesome friends or wife/wives. I rarely selfship anymore due to my reverse gatekeeping and instead serve the others who simp or enjoy content. I provide since I feel I cant take. It makes me happy and distracts me. But the moment someone else does something similar to what is my toxic coping mechanism for my toxic coping mechanism, it only hurts worse. Thats why sometimes, for example, I get a bit snappy when someone else provides gummybunny (that and also shipping jealousy sometimes). Thats why I get snappy when I make a friend someone else super cool and then another person comes in and wants to befriend them (No darken, this wasnt directed at you, its happened more than once with more than one person but I know how you tend to assume). I LOVE giving but I hate sharing, because all my life whenever I shared, I lost something.

Introduce a friend to a friend? They leave me behind for eachother. Let someone wear my fitbit because they wanted to feel "rich"? It got stolen. Give money to someone in a "rough spot" who promised to repay me somehow? Never saw them again. I was always so trusting and understanding, and I always made excuses for others. Always so naive and gullible. So much so, in fact, that in elementary I kept letting my bullies pretend to be my friends when they claimed they changed, and let them destroy any ounce of worth I had whatsoever. Things that make me happy I CHERISH because of all the things ive lost and all my experiences. Ive never been hit, not once, but the abuse all my life came emotionally and mentally, and I only recently realized through therapy. Now its hard to trust people in certain situations. Sorry for my probably hard to follow and melodramatic rant.

sorry im dumb haha

[im-not-buying-it-ether]

*revives again*

I'll be soon going to sleep, but anyways

Thank you btw! <3 I'll still be a bit hesitant as of now to write fics but i'll definitely will keep making ideas, boredom does that to ya'

Now i'm like, wanting to write a fic about cryptid Hal especially after reading a one shot with this topic, but i think i'll just write down ideas so i can talk about them with someone who is willing to listen! :3

I'm now like: Hal slowy turning into a cryptid without realizing it.. bird Hal...(I have the perfect bird for him, even though i would probably make my own little species for him), lots of hurt before comfort, it gets worse before it gets better, lots of whump.. nomnom😈

Body horror too since the wings would have to, literally and im not even joking, rip apart his back since he didn't originally have them.. painful back pains before the wings actually come out, gotta love some good old fashioned "it gets worse before it gets better"

Also him hiding out of either fear or denial, or fear of being judged by the League because God that man needs therapy!!

The deep seated fear of becoming inhuman bc of the rings is so scrumptious, MMMM

I’m reminded of that one nightmare JL:U episode where that GL was stuck in a nightmare where humanity became alien to him and he progressively got taken over by the ring until he couldn’t understand English and was scaring people away.

Specifically with Hal and this bird transformation imagine the slow creep into it tho.

His appetite gets weirdly fast and suddenly he’s catching up with Barry or Wally on their snack breaks to carb up, eating way too much until he feels like he’s going to be sick but then it passes and he’s hungry all the same, not knowing he’s fueling the fire of his body burning up calories to shift. His skin gets weird and prickly in places that’s mostly covered by his suit or loose clothing as a civilian, his fingers seem longer and thinner, his hands and palms too as they stretch out to an appropriate wing span but it just looks slightly unproprtional for the time being so he’s not worrying too much other than his skin. His lips thin and there’s a sharp pain at the front of his gums, like something is trying to force itself out and his teeth are feeling ill-fit in his own mouth.

He gets knee pains and during a fight with a heavy hitter, maybe Lobo, multiple bones are broken and they stick him in some sort of med pod to expedite the healing process but that does him in. His broken legs bend backwards and the change forces a talon from his heel as his feet cover in scales over flesh, his arms grow and fingers combine into those misshapen wings that take up so much space in the med pod he’s curled in on himself in comatose agony. His teeth rot and are replaced with the beak that had been forcing itself out until his lips stretch around the outline of it and are covered by the feathers just starting to take proper form.

When someone checks in the next day what’s inside isn’t Hal anymore, he can’t do little more than scream in harpy cries at the agony he wakes up to. He can’t walk, can hardly lift himself up with his hands gone and replaced with winged arms that hardly have the feathers needed to fly after his bones stretched and broke into this new misshapen body of his. His head pounds because his eyes have shifted from front facing to more on the sides of his head like a prey species, not entirely but enough that he can’t physically see the world the same anymore. When the pain subsides and he finds his voice it’s more shrill and improper because his mouth isn’t the same anymore and he has to learn how to speak again with this new speech impediment.

Arugh! Love this

He’d have to be physically bigger too, bc yes, and have to come to terms with the fact he’s got hollow bones now. After all the angst is done his biggest sad factor is that he can’t enjoy food the same anymore bc he can’t really eat much of it depending on what beak he grew in

[cemetery-irises]

Did a sickfic picker wheel SO! Ideas for sicksop.

Aesop was a bit sick even before he got caught in the harsh rain that sometimes populates the manor gardens. It was nice on his flushing skin, so he stayed outside and let himself be drenched. That was a mistake. As it turns out, rain makes your illnesses so much worse.

Even as he desperately tries to keep them under lock and key, his previously well-hidden symptoms are leaking through despite his best efforts.

Aesop is usually quite alert, even while sleep deprived. So when his hallway sees him so obviously sleepy, hands shaking as he attempts to eat and act natural at the group's breakfast table (forgetting a strange amount of times that he has a mask on), is very worrying. But Aesop insists he's completely fine. He never gets sick. (He CAN'T get sick. Otherwise everything might fall apart. That's what he's learnt.)

Aesop's attempts to stay on his feet despite the temptation of sleep growing higher and higher every passing hour leads a sudden collapse in front of a very startled Edgar as the sickness fully overtakes his foggy brain and sleep pulls him into it's grasp, having to be grabbed by the collar to avoid hitting the floor face-first.

He's disoriented when he comes back into consciousness a few seconds later, slurring a "wwhere 'm I?" as he tries to stand on legs that have decided now is the perfect time to turn to jelly. He thinks he can hear a different question from someone else, a 'w-what the hell happened to you!?', but he doesn't respond, more focused on getting himself to the floor with as much grace as he can muster.

The tile is nice against the upper part of his face, but it doesn't last long before he's grabbed again, groggily flailing, and lifted into the arms of someone who holds a different voice.

"it's alright Edgar, I've got him." That voice says, and Aesop realises that his fall must have greatly worried the man that he's not currently in the arms of. (Edgar... which... one is that... again...?)

Aesop can try to say "I'm terribly sorry for becoming a burden" all he wants, he's not getting far. Which is probably why the one carrying him shushes him as soon as he tries, his words becoming a garbled mess upon leaving his mouth.

The halls feel familiar as Aesop's eyes glaze upon them, head bobbing up and down along with the footsteps of his makeshift doctor, but they make no sense to him. He doesn't know where he is. He hasn't for a while now. But it doesn't matter, does it?

No, not anymore. Aesop closes his eyes, and drowns in the world of his mind. The footsteps are rhythmic, and the way he's being carried rocks him side to side. Even through his body groans in pain, it's ever so easy to slip away, lulled by the sensations, into a state that he remembers faintly being in before. He wonders what new thing will have changed when he wakes up from this trance.

He'll snap out of it when he's removed from those arms, surely. But he's content to sway for a little longer.

agghhh i adore this. eating it. andrew and aesop both twinning with standing in the rain when they shouldnt

[fraternum-momentum]

Okay, so let me ramble abt making the last comic, cause that was an absolute behemoth to work on, and I have a lot of thoughts in my head. Man, I don't know how those webtoon artists do it every week. They scare me now.

This is super long btw, so get cozy if you want to read :]

Starting off, I actually got this idea from my lil 'ol diary I keep by my tableside :] I like writing down what I feel so I can see it in a more concrete(?) manner, helps me cope i think. One time, I really did cry for someone because I guess I just really liked them a lot. Having crushes is fun, but catching feelings isn't.

I always get this giddy feeling of being head over heels for someone. Every interaction is so exciting. Intoxicating even. And I couldn't get enough of it, but after that few seconds of bliss I immediately think to myself that all these scenarios in my head will never happen, not in a million fucking years. I just preemptively reject myself without ever telling the person what I feel. I know what the outcome will be anyway, and I'm afraid of what will happen if I did say anything. It's just too risky.

The second half is completely made up tho, I will never ever kidnap someone... unless? (For legal reasons, I will have to clarify that this is a joke, Thank you.)

Now onto the comic itself!

The composition is probably the easiest and the most fun part. I love, love, love, how versatile you can be in the webtoon format. Figuring out how to transition the panels is super fun, and it sucks that most of the webcomics I see on tapas or webtoon, etc. are just sticking to those boring box formulas over and over again when it has so much potential, although there are exceptions like, for example, Lore Olympus. While it has it's fair share of flaws when in comes to other aspects, you can't deny the artist's talent esp when it comes to knowing how to place the character in an illustration, (again) the compositioning etc etc. (ep. 8 is p good. They stick to the box stuff during dialogue but gets more experimental in some parts. I haven't been keeping up with it, so idk any other good eps)

One of my only big regrets is that I wish I had made the space between the '...but I love it." and "And soon..." parts longer. I think it changed scenarios way too fast and your eye immediately moves onto the next piece of text,, but eh, it is what it is, and I can't be bothered to edit it so ig I gotta learn to live with it.

It's still messy in,, a lot of parts actually, and I still can't do lineart to save my life, but i kinda tried just cleaning up the sketches instead???? I mean, it kinda works, but it isn't really smooth so,, And there are small mistakes here and there that I could've fixed or colored stuff in properly or whatever. But at that point, I'm just done with it. No more. Am tired and want to draw other shit now. Maybe boobs n dicks n pussy-

Oh actually i have another comic in my wip folder that I started before the sad Kylar crying one. Here's some of the thumbnails for it:

the fucking lisa simpson looking ass face just cracks me up every time I see it LMAOQJSJQJ I just wanted to show it to u but stay tuned for that ig

I eventually want to make little comics like this for other characters as well! Like Sydney, who is also one of my favorites cause of the whole religion aspect to them, and I would like to tackle that topic with yet another super personal experience of mine that for some reason I'm comfortable with sharing with a bunch of ppl lmao

I also really want to make a full on nsfw one, like gut rearranging, carnal fucking, hardcore banging,, ok ill stop. But I do need to do more,, uh, "research" on that,, i swear it's research, i have no clue how im gonna draw it. Hell, I already struggle with drawing people fucking and imagine adding cool transitions to that. Guess even my masochistic tendencies extend to this shit too.

And I think that's pretty much it? I'll probably just stick to b and w or monotone with a few accent colors because i just know that it would break me if i did a fully colored one.

Okay, thank you for reading this ramble, I'll go ahead and answer some asks now,, Here's your prize though!

[rorykeanersactualgf]

request where the reader gets sick with the flu and a fever so their boyfriend Benny Weir takes care of them

A/N: i quite like this idea because he is such a cutie patootie that he would love to take care of us. i hope it was okay that i did a pov switch and the pronouns were g/n. other than that, i hope you enjoy the fic my lovelies xx :))

CW: Benny being an absolute sweetheart, mentions of throwing up but it doesn't happen only gagging does, kisses and thats about it i think xx

Sick Remedies

On a dreary Tuesday morning, in the early hours of the day, I was awoken to a searing headache, a hot sensation rolling over my body, my joints aching every time I tried to move, a blocked nose, a sore and dry cough, and to top it off, it made my eyes water and burn so I couldn't see anything. I stood up and almost instantly regretted it, I felt dizzy and so close to being sick but I managed to keep it down. I decided to write my parent/s a note saying how I felt and hoping that they saw it. As I tried to go back to sleep, my head started to pound more than before and all I wanted was sleep at that moment so I quietly crept downstairs and grabbed some water and Tylenol, chugging it and sneak back upstairs to bed.

Benny's POV:

As I woke from my peaceful sleep, I turned over to my phone to talk to my baby (Reader), now usually they message me first but when I saw my phone had no good morning text, I was a little bit confused but shook it off quickly seeing as they may have slept in or forgotten.

My day had gotten stranger when I was waiting outside of their house, like I usually do but they didn't some out, maybe they slept in or left without me. Weird, its not like them to leave without me, and we've never had an argument before so maybe they were at school. I had even tried knocking the door but no one answered, oh well, ill see them soon.

As I continued to mull over what could have happened on the way to school, I hadn't noticed that I had basically blanked my friends and already made it to school by walking on my own. I realised that I should probably try to find them and talk to them when I was in school, that was if they were even here. As I walked into the courtyard I saw my friends and walked over to talk to them.

A plethora of different greetings flushed my ears that made the talking and laughing in the courtyard less noticeable and helped me take my mind off of this morning a little bit. That was until I didn't see (Reader) with any of them and asked if any of them had seen them.

They all had a range of answers, ranging from "Oh, I thought they were with you," and " Nope," 's and wondered where they could be. Hopefully they were just late.

As the day went on and lessons progressed, I gathered the notes for their classes and made sure that the assignments were at least noted of so they wouldn't be completely lost on what to do and when it was supposed to be in by.

At the end of the day, when there was still no sign of (Reader) via in-person or text message, I went over to their house just to make sure they were okay and at least had the stuff they needed. I walked up their porch steps, knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. When someone did answer, it was their mom, with a smile on both of our faces, she let me in.

"Are you here to see (Reader)? They are pretty sick at the moment so I'd be careful going near her but if you want to see her go ahead." She said with a genuine smile on her face and two taps to my shoulder and she walked into the living room again. After hearing that (Reader) was just sick and not annoyed with me or in any serious danger, my heart swam with relief. I walked up the stairs to their room and knocked, just in case they were getting changed or just wanted some privacy.

At no answer from (Reader), I knocked again in case they didn't hear me and when I didn't get an answer again, I decided to walk in. When I walked into their room, it was dark, a small pile of tissues was near them on their bedside table, a small and now probably lukewarm glass of water was next to them on the table, and a small lump of a person was on the bed, under the blankets and lightly snoring.

As I saw (Reader) sleep for a little bit, I started to think of any remedies that I could use to help them. I quickly got up and went to the store, grabbing a few things and making my way back to their house.

When I got back to their house, I thought that I should at least let them know I was here and that I was going to take care of them so when I got back up to their room, I gently nudged and shook them awake. At first, it didn't seem like they were going to wake up until I got gently shoved off saying "5 more minutes mom" and rolling back over. This made me chuckle a bit because they were being cute and they didn't know it was me. I sat with them on the bed and said,

"Hey, it's me, Benny, I came to take care of you," which made them slowly but surely roll over onto their back and pull the blanket down so I could see their adorable face and smile at them,

"Oh, hey Bens," they said, their voice croaky and hoarse, which made them cough painfully and look at me with sad, almost watery eyes.

"I'm not very well if you couldn't tell already. How was school today? Did I miss anything important or interesting?" They said with a sniffle or two falling from them.

I had caught them up on my day given them the notes they needed so they didn't miss anything.

My POV: As benny was telling me about his day, it had slowly begun to dawn on me how confused and possibly upset he must have been that I wasn't in and that I hadn't given him his usual fix of attention and affection like I usually would have.

I felt bad so I picked up my phone when he had finished to message him good morning even though he was right in front of me. The plan was to cheer him up and possibly make him laugh, and it worked. He leant over to kiss me and just as our lips were about to touch, I pulled away at the last second.

Confused, he looked at me and was about to ask me what was wrong when the pieces in his mind had clicked and he understood that I pulled away to not make him ill.

When I had started coughing again, I leant over and noticed a shopping bag near my bed that wasn't there last night.

"What's in the bag?" I asked curiously, trying to look into its contents.

He picked up the bag and started taking things out like heating and cooling pads for my aches, water bottles, bland food like crackers and chips, a new teddy bear, and various other things.

He instructed me to sit back and let him take care of me. I did as I was told and sat back on my bed, laying upright on my pillows and groaning slightly from moving. My body ached so much and I surmised that it was because I had no Tylenol in my system and just as I had thought that, Benny had pulled a new bottle from his bag and gave it to me with a cool bottle of water to go alongside it.

He also pulled out a pack of crackers and an apple for me to eat with it, claiming that if I ate fruit with it, it would help bring antioxidants, minerals and whatnot back into my system and help me get over it quicker. "Can I use a spell to at least help with some of the coughing and sniffling? I promise it wont go badly." He said with puppy dog eyes, knowing I could never say no to him.

"If you're absolutely certain, then yes you can my love." I said with a small smile on my face and a quick ruffle to his hair to solidify my point.

"Yay!" He exclaimed and excitedly rummaged through his bag to get his spell book, flicking and scanning through all the pages to get to some of the remedies for small things like illnesses.

"Okay, so I'll need a frogs liver, a bunch of herbs and spices, a garlic clove, a chickens eyes, and a ladybug." Just hearing some of those ingredients, made me want to gag, and as he ran off to make the potion, I kept thinking about what was going to be in it, making me feel nauseous, so I pulled the bin from the other side of the room over to my bed's side. I continued to nibble on the snacks while he was measuring and making the potion, taking extra care so that it doesn't go wrong and when he came back up to my room, I saw that he was covered in various thing, and smelt like a crackly fire, a nice addition.

He walked over to me and worried about it being wrong, hands slightly shaking he passed it to me and I looked at it suspiciously, still apprehensive about it potentially being wrong so I lifted it to my nose and with the best of my abilities, I gave it a smell and instantly reclined. It smelt disgusting.

"Are you sure this is right? It smells horrible." I interrogated Benny as he looked more hopeful.

"I followed the recipe to a T. I guess that's just how it smells." He answered calmly.

"Alright, I trust you." I said as I looked at the potion, back to Benny, and back to the potion again. I lifted the concoction to my lips and took a small swig, the taste was almost obscene to my senses and caused me to gag, I almost leant over and spat it out when I suddenly felt a little bit better, my nose wasn't as blocked before and I could breathe semi-normally without felling like I need to bring my lungs up.

That was until I looked over to Benny and he had an incredulous look on his face, in complete and utter disbelief about something above or behind my head. As I looked up and behind myself, I couldn't see what he was looking at so I turned back to him and when I looked back, he was holding a mirror up and I saw I had a pair of cat ears on my head.

"Benny, you told me it was fine!" I exclaimed but not angry.

"I thought it was! Hold on a minute." He exclaimed while laughing slightly. He flipped back through his spell book and tells me that apparently additions from random animals was normal and should go away soon.

I started to calm down and laugh at myself because in all honesty, it wasn't a huge deal since my parent/s weren't going to be coming anywhere near me because of my various symptoms and they already knew that Benny was a wizard because of him pulling out a bouquet of flowers for my mom when they first met and he didn't realise she didn't know.

After letting him take care of me for a few hours, I told him that it was probably best that he left so he didn't get the same illness I had but he was adamant that he stayed by my side because he didn't want me to be alone and sick, and he said that he knew I would do it for him, which was true.

He ended up staying the night, giving his grandma a message so she didn't go crazy looking for him, leaving small kisses on my forehead and cheeks while I slept, holding me close and making sure that I wasn't going anywhere and because of that god awful potion he gave me, my symptoms cleared up by the morning but I was left with another surprise.

I woke up and rolled onto my back, feeling much better, better than I was before; when I looked over to see Benny, he was in the same state I was in yesterday, curled up to me, looking sweaty and uncomfortable. So, I tried some remedies that I had read about but in Benny's case it was slightly funnier since when he sneezed now, there were sparks that flew out and he had coughed a few butterflies into existence.

All I said to him was "I told you so," with a kiss and a smile gracing my face and a pout on his pretty face.