#but the other option was to invite him along with the brothers and like nah. I want ✨️solo time✨️ | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

obae-me · 3 years

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Upside Down- CH 2

Author’s Note: I swear I don’t hate Mammon, he just happens to be the subject of everything right now, but don’t worry, the comfort will come. Just hold out for the next one, the healing will start I swear!

Tags: Cussing, fighting, unhealthy coping mechanisms, mentions of death, toxic friendships, blackmail (As always, read safely, feel free to ask about any of these tags)

Word Count: 4683

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An Unlucky Break

Honestly, at this point, you weren’t sure what was worse. The humans? The endless noises? Or the devil-forsaken sunlight?! Groaning, you pulled another blanket over yourself, tugging it up above your head. Taking the pillow, you used it to try to muffle the sounds of the outside world. It was all so much. How did the humans even get any sleep? How could they see with all the blinding sun rays? You cocooned yourself tighter, imagining that you were back inside your home where nothing but endless moonlight existed and you were left exactly how you wanted to be. Alone.

But all those dreams and imaginations were dashed when you heard a single name roar throughout the house. “Mammon!” If it wasn’t his name, it would be another. They always seemed to be screaming at each other for something around here. At least they had the decency to leave you--

The door to your bedroom door opened, then shut itself quietly, the sound of panting followed by whispered cursing invaded your space. “Why’s he always gotta be on my ass? It’s just a little money, he’d spend it all on useless plastic or junk anyway. It was better off in my hands for sure. For sure...” A little bit of pacing, a small chuckle. “Just gotta lay low in here. It’s abandoned and dark as hell, he surely won’t find me.” It was bitterly amusing how your supposed “babysitter” seemed to have forgotten all about you. Although you stayed quiet, not really in the mood for conversation. Besides, you always had a knack for blending in.

The both of you sat in silence--well, relative silence, since it was obvious the human didn’t seem to understand the definition of being still. He kept mumbling to himself. But the two of you listened to whichever brother was on the hunt go rampaging through the house. Doors kept opening, slamming shut, the footsteps pounding angrily against the floor upstairs. Then it all went quiet. The brother of greed seemed as hopeful as you were that it was a sign they’d given up the chase. Mammon sighed, much too heavily. So of course, the handle slammed against the wall as the room was raided. “There you are, you--you---you!” Then the fighting started. A heavy sound of a body hit the side wall.

“Son of a--get offa me, will ya!? I don’t have your damn money!”

The newcomer growled. “That’s the problem!” The scuffle didn’t seem to end. Neither of them really dug too badly into each other, pushing, shoving, slapping. It was hard to tell if you were intrigued or annoyed. Regardless, you slowly took the blankets off of you, getting a better look at the fight. It was immediately disappointing, or maybe this was as intense as humans could take it? Mammon had his brother’s head in some sort of lock, while the attacker was simply tugging at Greed’s hair with two full handfuls. Neither of them were getting anywhere. No, this was definitely lackluster.

You were back to being annoyed. Sitting up, speaking up finally, you were going to ask, ‘can you two beat each other up elsewhere’, but you couldn’t even get that far. “Can you two--” were the only words you managed to utter before the both of them shrieked in startled fear, high-pitched enough to leave your ears almost ringing. The fighting dropped immediately, the humans instinctively grabbing onto each other in a supportive hug. They stayed like that for a good while before one of them broke away to flick the light on. The intense brightness had you blinking away spots.

Bright blue hair, a shirt with some sort of strangely drawn figure with...large proportions, a curved device around his neck, the brother’s previous assertiveness instantly melted. “W-who are y-you?! God, Mammon, call the-the cops or something!”

Sheepishly, Mammon caught his breath and cleared his throat, the look of recognition coming back to him. “Wait, Levi, this is the guest Lucifer told us about.” The one you were supposed to take care of. Not that I care.

“N-nani?!” So this was Levi Morningstar. Everyone labeled him as Envy. The third eldest and third strongest. So many of his demon followers drove themselves beyond mad, jealous that they couldn’t be as envious as the human. And if that was enough to tell you about this brother… “I thought that was, like, a prank or something! How long have they-they-they…” With every word, he seemed to turn more pink, and yet his face looked almost angrier. “Why didn’t you tell me?!” And he was back to fighting, taking Mammon by the front of his shirt. “I’ve been singing the opening song to ‘Kiss Me I’m Your Princess’ in the shower for the past week!” It was true. He had. “That’s supposed to be private!”

Mammon shrugged, his forearms raising with his shoulders. “Not very private if the whole neighborhood can hear ya, and besides I did tell ya! You were just so upset about the money you must’a not been paying attention!” He shoved Levi off of him. “So that’s on you!”

The older of the two really knew--or maybe he didn’t know--exactly how to push buttons. Levi, his anger reignited about the mention of his money, knocked Mammon to the ground. “Scumbag!”

Mammon pushed his brother off with a knee to the gut, turning the tables and getting on top of his opponent. “Fuckin’ weeb!” It was obvious Greed was the more physically capable, his speed and reactions praiseworthy, perhaps even for average demon standards. However, Levi was bringing his own to the fight--if you could even really call it a fight. He was more adept at using his surroundings as well as guessing predictable movements to stay in the ring.

Should you stop it? Human bodies were much more fragile than demon ones weren’t they? While they might have not been digging their heels into swinging, they were still aggressive, and it was only escalating. The binding marks around your wrists left a dull heat across your skin. Like it or not, you had to keep them in decent health to observe them. So you got up, placing your body between them. They quickly put their fists down, although Levi’s got dangerously close to your face, his knuckles so close they tickled your cheek. The intensity of battle fizzled instantly, and Levi touched a sore spot on his chin. Looking right past you, the blue-haired boy scowled. “You’ve got 24 hours, Mammon, you hear me? If you don’t, I’m taking this straight to Lucifer!” He went to leave, but then turned around to add something else in. “I’m sure he would compensate me by letting me sell your dumb bike!” Again, he went to the door...and again, he stopped to add another comment. “And-and forget about me lending you money ever again!” Finally, he slammed the door behind him. Which meant that finally the fighting was over with. Peace and--

Someone took you by the shoulders, giving you a shake. Every nerve in your spine sparked, the feeling of being touched burning you up and leaving you chill all at once. You slapped the hands off your body and took a good few steps back. “Are you an absolute idiot?!” Mammon yelled.

Who was he to talk to you like that? “Excuse me?”

“Struttin’ up and steppin’ right in the middle of a fight, did you wanna get hit?!” He outstretched his hand, ready to move your head. “Did he land one on ya?”

Blocking him, you used your arm to cover your face. “Don’t touch me.” The words came out harsh and yet desperate. You didn’t mean to sound so emotional. They left your chest heavy, and apparently the human picked up on it. He backed up, his arms dropping. He turned his head away from you with a snap of his tongue.

“Damn it! How am I supposed to pay him back by tomorrow?!” Mammon started pacing, the wheels in his head visibly turning. “First I lose my precious Golide, I can’t lose Ruby!” He really was near crying over this. He verbally shouted out ideas, most of which were getting more loans from others to pay off the one to his brother. Not a smart option. But, somehow he came to an even worse conclusion. “I’ll just have to gamble it back!” Suddenly he looked excited. “Today is a lucky day, I can feel it! That way, I get to have fun and Levi gets his money back! Win win!” Or a lose/lose, if he, you know, loses. But that aspect didn’t seem to even dawn on him. “Come on, get dressed!”

You blinked. “Huh?”

“Well, you’re coming with me, aren’t ya? Don’t you want to get out for a bit? I haven’t even seen you out of this room once, made me completely forget about ya!” He laughed, every bit of negative emotion gone from his body once the addiction of gambling was rushing through his veins. Without even really giving you a choice, he was opening your suitcases which you hadn’t bothered to unpack, handing you an outfit. “Come on, come on! I do better with someone there watching me!” Were all humans this into invading personal space, or was it just him? “It’ll be fun! I’ll show you my home away from home!”

Your top eyelid started to twitch. “Don’t you have someone else to drag around?” It was meant to be spiteful, maybe a bit hurtful to get him to go away, but he just slowed. Then a familiar hue clouded his bright eyes, dulling them. A color you knew too well, the color that stained your soul. The loneliness of isolation.

He shook his head, and although you could feel a bit of his aura cry, he just smiled. “Nah, n-not many people are good enough to hang out with the Great Mammon! So-so be thankful I’m inviting you along!” It was demanding, brash, boarding on rude, but yet it came off to you like a beg.

It nearly churned your stomach at the thought of casually spending time with a human...but...those were your commands. You couldn’t hole yourself up in this room forever. At some point you’d be expected to hand in your findings, to try to restore these brothers to see if humanity was capable of change. You turned over the human clothes in your hand, the style of them vastly different than you remembered human fashion being. Sighing out of your nose, you gave in. “Fine.” His expression almost blinded you as badly as the sun.

It was very clear to you that there wasn’t going to be a single mode of human transportation that you enjoyed. They were all loud, bumpy, and the smell of metal and plastic that stayed in your nose and settled on your tongue made you gag. Mammon, however, was extremely enthusiastic about them. He had brought you to a special room of the home called a ‘garage’ , a special resting room for the family’s many...many vehicles. Each sibling seemed to have just one car, but Mammon had a few. He had waved you over to his specific end of the large room, gesturing to--as he referred to them-- his treasures. A bright yellow low-set sleek one that he named ‘Amber’, a tall black one with a carriage for storage attached to it--called a truck apparently, but he just called it ‘Ob’. But the one he adored most was one that looked vastly different to the others. This was Ruby, the one Levi threatened to sell in exchange for the missing loan.

Although, if you were being honest, you didn’t understand why Mammon didn’t let him. “It’s broken,” you claimed.

“What?! My baby?!” He left your side immediately, scouring over it, his eye scanning over every inch of the thing. “What are you talking about? She looks fine.”

Was he blind? You pointed to it. “It’s missing two wheels. All your other motorized vehicles have four.”

Waving a hand at you, he scowled. “Don’t joke around about something like that! I thought you were serious for a second!” I was serious...Oh well...It wasn’t anything you wanted to concern yourself with. He threw his legs up over the bright red two-wheeled thing, sitting on it like one might a horse. After he fiddled with it for a second, it roared to life. The sound pounding in your head, meanwhile, Mammon was thrilled. “Ah, yeah!” The machine continued to make this deafening deep...scream. You brought your hands up to cover your ears. Did they like the noise? Was basic human hearing so dull that they didn’t find it inconvenient at all? “Come on! The sooner we get to a casino, the sooner I can get more monay!” Isn’t it supposed to be Levi’s money? Mammon seemed adamant that you join him on the...Ruby. You shook your head, and with a little frown, Mammon turned the infernal thing off. “What, are you motion sick or something? Usually people would die to take a ride on a bike like this! With me!”

“Do you have something quieter?”

Dismounting the bike, he pulled a ring of keys out of his pocket. He clicked a button and the black truck lights flashed. “I’m already startin’ to regret this. You’re a buzzkill, you know that don’t you? And here I thought Lucifer was the one who didn’t know what fun was like.” He opened the door and hoisted himself up into the car. It already sounded much quieter than Ruby. It still rumbled and made your heart leap, but it seemed steady. It appeared to you that luckily most cars operated the same way, so you remembered how to pull the handle to open the door. Settling yourself in the seat, you shut the opening behind you, trying to calm your already churning stomach. Waiting for the thing to start moving, you braced yourself, but the truck stayed motionless. “Hey, man, I know I just called you a buzzkill and all, but I can’t afford another ticket right now, so seatbelts on.”

You could only understand about half of those words. Trying to blend in with the human world was going to be harder than you thought. Maybe some studying was in order...But you had to come up with some sort of excuse that made it appear as if you knew what he was telling you. “I don’t have one.”

It was practically an insult that he looked at you with such disappointment. “Come on, playing dumb won’t work on me, Lucifer’s already pissed from the last time I got pulled over.” Individually the words themselves made sense, but the phrases were almost gibberish to you. Taking too long trying to piece things together, Mammon sighed, leaned over, much too close to you, reaching behind your head. He tugged on an extending fabric, pulled it across your body and attached it to a clasp near your hip. As it fastened, it clicked. A seat belt. Strange. Why was it necessary for them to restrain themselves like this? “Rule number one about hanging out with Mammon,” the human started pulling a similar belt around him. “When you’re in my car, I’m in charge!” He hit a button, extremely loud music pouring out of every corner of the car, making the entire carriage thump. Screaming to be heard above the audio, he tugged on a lever in the middle. “Whoo! Roulette, here I come!” Your insides lurched as the front of the room lifted open and Ob moved forward.

Off in the distance, two adolescent humans were pushing each other around, speaking much too loudly about idiotic things. The car a little ways to the right of you had a human with long hair and tired eyes sucking on a piece of metal, blowing smoke out of their mouth. And as lines of more vehicles chugged on, and people talked in ways you didn’t comprehend, it started to hit harder how far you were away from home. This was a foreign land, filled with sins and distractions at every corner. And...food dipped in liquid apparently. As you raised the bag, you felt the slick underside of it rub off against your fingers. “Oi, oi, oi, oi, don’t be like my brother and get greasy fingerprints all over the place! I just got Obby detailed!”

You placed the bag in your lap. “I thought this machine was named Ob?”

He smiled to himself. “Ob, Obby, they’re the same. Technically, it’s Obsidian, but I like to give ‘em nicknames you know? Anyways, I ain’t like Lucifer, you can eat, but just be careful, ya hear!” He reached a hand into his own bag while the other hand was on the directional wheel. He pulled out a...fried stick and put it in his mouth. Mammon had stopped by...it was called a drive-through. At least you were starting to get the hang of their fairly straightforward naming system. You didn’t want anything, but apparently he got you something anyway. You didn’t even know what was in here, and honestly you were a little scared to find out. It was...dare you say, rather polite of him to consider feeding you. “Lucifer’s gotta give me my card back for sure! For looking after you so nicely and all! You better be thankful! I don’t do this stuff for anyone, just so you know!” And of course his ego ruined the gesture completely. Every action he made was a move to get him closer to more material gain.

Appetite was lost on you, not that this sickly human food was appealing anyway. It was all too much. The stimuli of everything was driving you mad. You put the bag beside you, leaning against the inside of the car, trying not to notice the seatbelt and how suffocating it all felt.

Suddenly, the deafening music turned down. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong? You’re not feeling sick are ya? No being sick in my treasure!”

You were sick. Sick of all this. “I want to go home.”

Something about that must’ve resonated with him. He sighed, turning his head to look out the window. “Ah, geez…” Quickly, the mood turned awkward. “Hey, I mean, I can always turn around if you want.”

“Not your home. Mine.”

Mammon remained quiet at that, something that seemed like a rarity for him. It didn’t last for too long though. “They said your folks died, or something like that right?”

The lie the prince had come up with nearly made you laugh. You let out a single scoff instead. “Something like that.”

Even though you hadn’t been around Mammon for too long, he ended up surprising you. “That sucks, man...Listen...I-I know what it’s like.” The tone of his voice sounded uncertain, like this had been the first time in a long time that he’d been honest, vulnerable. The pitch was unsteady, struggling to try something on that he hadn’t worn in ages. “Losing someone...it stays with ya. Broke my family apart...if you can even call us that anymore nowadays. Once she was gone, we all found a different way to fill in the gaps.” There was humanity in him yet, buried deep beneath heavy sorrow. “But you know what helped me out the most?” You raised your head, actually wanting to look at him for the first time since you’d known him. Mammon pulled up into a lot littered with a bunch of other human cars. Just as you glanced at him, the goodness and seriousness in him retracted. He glanced out the window at a large shiny building. His particular “fill” he had mentioned had such a tight grip on him, it was hard to tell if he understood how much it controlled him. The lights of the casino hypnotized him, erasing any sense of despair that lingered in him. Or perhaps covering it up was a better explanation. This was no cure. “There’s nothing quite like a casino! Trust me,” He patted you on the shoulder. “Play a few games and you’ll forget that you wanted to go home in the first place!” Ob turned off, the shudder of the frame dying. Mammon hopped out of the car without a second thought, treading towards the entrance, leaving you behind. For a moment there had been awareness, a connection. Now, there was only one thing on his mind. Greed.

There were two options for you. Stay in this stuffy thing or follow the human inside. Neither were great options, unluckily. However, now your curiosity was piqued. Was it truly possible for this Morningstar to change? But did you have the patience to try? Maybe this was your own gamble. You landed on the solid grown below, making sure to remember to shut the door behind you. The bright white hair of the human was in your sights for only a second before he was engulfed in a crowd. At the worst, it might be fun to watch him fail...So inside you went.

If you thought outside was overstimulating, you were drastically underprepared for the contents of a human casino. Screens were flashing, noises rang out from every single inch, the carpet was almost louder than the buzzing in your ears. The aroma of tainted beverages and smoke sent your vision swirling. People bumped into you, some blind from crying, some far too lost in their indulgences to notice you were there. Mammon was gone. But even amongst all these attacks on your senses, there was one feeling that rose among them all. The presence of demons. You should’ve known a place like this where people sold their soul for the rush of a Jackpot would be where your kind thrived.

Knowing your luck, today would be the day Mammon lost more than the pot. You had to find him, quickly.

A circle of hell…this is what this had to be right? An hour had passed and still no sign of the cursed human. The only thing you kept note of was the same dumb sign that promoted some sort of membership that was obviously a borderline scam. You had seen it three times already…you were walking in circles. It wasn’t your fault! This place was a maze, a blinking, haze filled maze. You were running out of options, as well as sanity.

A large bulky man stood against the wall, keeping an eye over the many glossy-eyed consumers. You headed up to him. It took a second for him to notice you staring. “Yeah?”

“Have you seen a white-haired man, about this tall,” you moved your arm to about where he was against your own height. “Wearing a brown jacket?”

The man huffed out a laugh. “You think I remember everyone that walks past me? Listen, I’m just here making sure people behave. I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

Useless. Turning your back on the human, you walked off again, head on a swivel. Your eyes spotted a woman, still sober, also looking around for someone, maybe she’d spotted who you were searching for instead. Coming up behind her, you didn’t wait this time for them to notice you. “Excuse me?”

“Hm?” Brown curls bounced across her forehead.

“I’m looking for someone. Have you seen-“

The woman’s attention left yours, looking up past you. “Oh, there he is!” Following her gaze, you looked over your shoulder to see someone else entirely. Someone who was without a doubt not Mammon. Without listening to the rest of your question, she brushed you off, matching strides with the person she had found. So annoying…

Then a warm sounding voice pricked your ears. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help but overhear.” A different human man approached, someone with shaggy light brown hair with eyes to match, the shadow of a fresh growing beard darkening his jawline. His black leather jacket hung loose off his body, a few sizes too big, like it wasn’t his. Not to mention it smelled of cologne and cigarettes. “You’re looking for someone? I might’ve seen them, I’m good with faces.” His smile was wide and spotless, so flirtatiously perfect you had your doubts about him.

But any help would be worth it at this juncture. “White hair, golden brown eyes, a -“

“Mammon Morningstar, right?” The answer was so sudden. “He’s in here all the time, it’s hard to not remember him, you know? Well, that and he happens to be a good friend of mine.” The lungs in your chest stopped as soon as he put his arm around your shoulders. “Tell you what, why don’t we go find him together?” The mysterious helper started dragging you forward, and as he did, a few other people pulled away from their spots in the background, carefully weaving through the crowd, trying not to seem as if they were following you...but they were. Everything in you was tempted to tear the human off of you by his arm and chuck him into the nearest machine...but that would garner attention. “You know, it’s weird…” your escort wondered. “I’m really good with faces, and yet, I can’t seem to recall seeing yours. Where are you from?”

As blandly as you could, you gave him a completely honest half-answer. “Not here.”

The man laughed. “Oh, good!” Then he turned his questions in a different direction. “How long have you known Mammon? Because he hasn’t...ever mentioned someone like you before...and Mammon tells me everything.” The amusement was sour, bitter, just like this human’s soul. Simeon had been shocked when he’d discovered you’d never taken a mortal soul. But how could you when they were always so...revolting?

Your fondness for humans had already sunken to the bottom, but somehow you found yourselves wishing to be annoyed by Mammon rather than this…human in devil’s clothing. ”You’re asking all about me, and yet, I don’t know a single thing about you. What’s your name?”

Never give a magical being your name, that was the first thing legends taught humans, at least, the last time you visited they did. Either legends had long but died out, or this human was cocky enough to pass out his name to you on a silver platter. “It’s Cory.” As soon as he handed himself to you, demonic insight did the rest. Glimpses of terrible secrets, of all the wrong he had done in his life. What greed and anger had encouraged him to do. He was dangerous, and this human had Mammon centered in his focus. “But all my friends just call me Cash. So feel free to call me that too, yeah?” You opened your mouth, ready to finally get rid of this pest and drag Mammon to his house if you had to, but Cody’s arm left you. Outstretched, he moved away from your side to greet another familiar face. “There’s my Golden Boy!”

Standing in front of a table, rattling around dice in his palm, Mammon stopped himself from rolling them. At the sound of Cody’s voice, his shoulders tensed, his expression losing it’s playful tone. Cody’s hand’s gripped Mammon’s shoulders as he came up behind him. “C-Cash, fun-funny seeing ya here!”

It was obvious ‘Cash’ also wanted to avoid unwanted attention, although anger started to darken his eyes at the sight of his ‘good friend’. Ignoring the stuttering, Cody smiled. “How’s it going? Winning anything?”

Confidence faltering, Mammon tried to chuckle. “N-not yet.”

Three of the bodies that had been shadowing you and Cody stood directly behind you, far too close for comfort. There was something odd about their presence...You were picking up a smell, something you were sure human’s couldn’t possess. Yet, each of the humans behind you possessed something that was shockingly similar to dragon’s breath… Leaning in a bit closer to Mammon, Cash let some of his true colors show. “Well, I sure hope you start winning something soon.”

Another loaner had come to collect his dues.

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tmntgirlie · 4 years

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TMNT Universe!Reader x Turtles 4

A giant rat. Four mutated turtles. These were now your roommates. Did I mention your living quarters were inside a sewer?

You always wondered how nobody ever found them by accident. Surely, there were teams of employees that worked in the sewers. If there was anything that seemed fishy or out of place, they’d be called to investigate. Right?

To be honest, it was kind of amazing. They lived underneath people that would possibly never even know they existed. They fought crime in the shadows, protecting people that would never know their names.

Except April. Casey. That Falcon guy, what was his name again? And those police officers you remembered from the 2016 movie. They all knew, but that was it. That was a very small friends list. It was smaller than your own, which was really saying something.

No wonder they were so out of touch with socialization. And socializing.

“What time is it?” you asked, finally breaking the pregnant silence that ensued after your prolonged questioning.

“Almost two in the afternoon,” Donatello answered immediately.

You hummed quietly to yourself. “What do you guys usually do all day?”

“Depends, dudette,” Michelangelo said with a sly smile. “Depends on our company.” After a firm wack from his red-banded brother, he forced a laugh. “We eat, train, play video games. Like anybody else.”

You started to reconsider your promise to not get a job or anything up top. This was a dream situation, really, but was that really it?

These boys needed some spice in their lives.

“How old are you guys now?” you asked.

“Twenty-ish,” the blue-banded leader said. “We don’t really have birthdays, but we know we’re all at least twenty.”

“You don’t have birthdays?” Your expression changed from surprise to pure sadness. “I can’t imagine not having a birthday. You don’t know your star signs, your daily horoscopes, when the right day is to finally have your first drink- legally, anyway-, that kind of sucks.”

“It’s not like we can throw a party anyway,” Raphael said. “It would be like any other day in the sewers.”

Well, they weren’t wrong. If your calculations were correct, and you were pretty sure they were, this was 2020 in their time as well. You thought that in the 2014 movie they had been around 15, and around 17 in the 2016 movie. It made sense they were around 20 or 21 by now. Meaning it was only about five or so years since they met April and the Falcon guy, and three or four years since they met Casey Jones.

(If the turtles weren’t an option, you’d definitely go for Casey. He just had this way about him. It was too bad you figured he was well along with April by this point.)

“That only tells me that we have years to make up in parties,” you said with a grin. “Around twenty to be exact. Besides, parties don’t have to have fifty people. I’d much rather prefer a party with less than ten people that I’m close to. It’s too much otherwise.”

In less than ten minutes, you found yourself planning a party for four mutant turtles that didn’t even exist in your universe. Sure, they weren’t teenagers anymore, but they were close enough to probably enjoy some high school party games. Spin the bottle, truth or dare, two truths and a lie, House Party- they were probably too old to play musical chairs, right?

You weren’t even sure if alcohol was on the table or not.

You liked video games as much as the next person, but there was something more genuine about playing games without electronics. Maybe it was just you being nostalgic. Monopoly on the Nintendo Switch just didn’t have the same dramatic effect as playing it at the dinner table, with the banker not really keeping great track of the money.

The game of Life probably wouldn’t be a great idea. Would they be able to even hold the tiny people pegs?

This party could just consist of you, the four boys, and Splinter- but on second thought, you weren’t sure how he would react to a jolly game of spin the bottle. You’d have to get in contact with Casey, April, and maybe even that other dude. What the heck was his name?

“Hey, Donnie,” you called, leaning over the notepad you had been writing on. “What’s the dude’s name that took credit for that whole thing that happened with Sacks and the mutagen?”

He seemed a bit taken aback by the question. “Vernon. Why, what do you need with him?”

“I might be adding him to the guest list,” you said slowly, trying to judge his face for his reaction. It seemed positive enough. “Might make things a little more interesting.”

“Are you really planning us a party?” Michelangelo asked as he plopped down next to you on the couch.

You quickly hid the list at your side. “Maybe. I’m not really a planner per se, but you guys deserve something like this.”

“You’ve known us for less than a day,” he said with a lilt in his voice. He frowned. “How do you know what we deserve?”

“If everything I know about you guys is true, you deserve at the very least a celebration of your existence,” you said matter-of-factly. “Since I don’t know your birthdays. I think it’ll be fun.”

“That’s so nice!”

“Reading stuff about you guys brought me out of funks many times in my life, it’s only right that I do something for you, too.” You just smiled. It was still such a surreal situation. Were you really going to throw a party for these turtles? And invite April, Casey, and Vern?

“As long as it’s alright with you,” you said quickly. “I am just a guest right now- an unwelcome guest at that.”

“Nah, don’t even think that! We’ve dealt with way weirder stuff. It’s nothing having you here. If you’re looking for permission, I’d probably talk to Leonardo or Master Splinter. Probably Leo more, though.”

It wasn’t like this was some illegal drug-infused party. Why did you feel so nervous to ask the blue-banded leader for permission?

#tmnt #tmnt 2k14 #tmnt 2k16 #tmnt raph #tmnt leo #tmnt donnie #tmnt mikey #tmnt universe reader #tmnt reader #tmnt x reader #tmnt imagines #bayverse tmnt #tmnt party

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littlemisslol-fic · 4 years

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46, 48, with team awesome?

Hey anon!! Thanks for the ask! This one got away from me, I’ll be real, so it’s a little long, but I had fun with it!

46. Fever and 48. Shackles

Eugene Fitzherbert isn’t a man who would crack under pressure. Sure, there’s been the odd time where the panic will settle deep in his bones and he’ll be forced to choke it down like a bad pill- but he never cracks. Not for Stalyan, not for Gothel, not for Zhan Tiri-

But this might just break his streak, and snap his disposition in two.

It was supposed to be a simple trip to Vardaros, an easy in-out kind of trip to grab a few things for his and Rapunzel’s anniversary. The kind of adventure that was more of a chore than anything, just a long hike and a day of shopping, followed by the trip back. Maybe that was why he’d invited Varian along, just for someone to talk to while they made the trip- though Eugene’s sorely kicking himself for that now.

They’d been jumped not even a few hours from the border.

They’d been attacked from the side of the road, a group of thugs springing from the brush like rats from a sinking ship. It had caught them both off guard- hell, Eugene was still kicking himself for that. He’d gotten complacent with the low crime rates of Corona, it seemed it had made him rusty. Sure, they’d put up a good fight, the kid had gotten a few good swings in and took down a guy nearly twice Eugene’s size- the man couldn’t have been prouder, bless- and Eugene had managed pretty well for himself.

But when a familiar figure had emerged from the bushes, Varian had frozen up immediately.

Andrew looked just about as smug as he had the last time Eugene had seen him, but with Varian distracted- even for a second- it took only a few seconds for the other Saporians to get the drop on the kid, and Eugene by extension.

And now, here they were, chained up in some kind of basement, waiting for the bunch of hippies to decide what to do with them.

The cell was about the size of a Coronian jail cell, made of thick stones and iron bars against one side. A small window let in a few slivers of weak light, but it also let in the drafts of cold air from the evening. When they’d first been locked in, the two brothers had tried everything they could to escape, from picking locks to chipping at the grout between the stones, but nothing had worked. Their chains attached to their cuffed ankles only allowed for maybe two feet worth of movement, not even close to enough to reach the cell door. They’d been in the cell for the better part of the week.

And Varian started to get sick.

“How’re you holding up, bud?” Eugene asks, and Varian offers a weak smile. The kid shifts a bit- the shackle around his ankle makes an unhappy noise of iron scraping against stone. Eugene winces at it, but shuffles closer to offer his shoulder.

“Been better.” Varian mutters, pressing into his older brother’s side. Eugene gives up on the macho-man bit and wraps his arms around the kid, hugging him close to keep him warm. Varian keeps shivering, cold no matter what Eugene does to try and help. It’s damp and nasty in the cell- Eugene can see mold and mildew growing in all the little crannies, even in the weak light.

Andrew hadn’t been nice enough to give them blankets, or anything really- it seems the Saporians weren’t exactly about five-star accommodations.

“It’ll be alright.” Eugene says, curling his arms around Varian as if to shield him from the world. “I’m sure sunshine is out there right now looking for us- give it another hour and I bet she’ll be here with her frying pan flying.”

Varian laughs at that, but it quickly devolves into a coughing fit. Eugene grimaces and rubs at his back, unable to do much else. Just their luck that the dismal conditions had caused Varian to get sick, but the former thief can’t say he’s surprised. The kid’s small, he gets cold easily- as Varian had complained about on more than one occasion- and the cell certainly isn’t the place to keep an illness at bay.

The coughing stops, and Varian slouches a little more into Eugene’s side. Idly the man brings up a hand to feel the kid’s forehead with the back of it. He’s burning up- Eugene huffs out a stressed breath. This was only going to get worse the longer they stayed down here.

Eugene tenses when, speak of the devil, he hears a nearby door slam open. His arms tighten around the kid, trying his best to hide Varian from view. The alchemist shudders, from the fever or from fear Eugene can’t tell, but either way he levels his very best glare as Andrew waltzes into view.

“How’re we doing today, boys?” Andrew asks, his grin splitting from ear to ear. Eugene feels the urge to growl- Andrew only seems to have eyes for Varian at the moment, and it sets the older man on edge. Eugene knows they have history, knows that Andrew would love nothing more than to kill the kid.

Eugene refuses to let that happen.

“We’re doing just swell, thanks!” The former thief says in a faux-chipper voice. “Really, out of all the cells I’ve ever stayed in, this one is a solid eight-out-of-ten.”

“We do aim to please.” Andrew snarks, pulling a key from his pocket. Part of Eugene wants to lunge for it, but he knows better by now- he’d only get caught on the chain and fall flat on his face.

But it doesn’t stop him from curling tighter around his little brother when Andrew cracks the door open and enters the cell.

Varian’s shaking hands ball up in Eugene’s undershirt- the only layer they’d left him in once they’d taken anything they could use to escape. The man scowls as Andrew approaches, has to bite back a scathing retort as Andrew crouches into a squat and looks at them with a sort of condescending look.

“I’m going to give you a choice.” Andrew says, “Because we of Saporia believe in giving everyone a chance.”

“Bite me.” Eugene mutters. Andrew laughs.

“Nah, I’m good.” He tilts his head to get a look at Varian. “Now, here’s your options. You’re either going to let go of the kid, or we’re going to take him, forcefully. It’s up to you.”

Eugene feels Varian’s shaking hands tense, curling tighter. In response Eugene manages to curl around the kid more, offhandedly worrying about how warm Varian was getting, but he looks up to Andrew to ignore it for now.

“Not happening.” Eugene says. His voice rings through the cell, ricocheting off stone and iron and puddles of water. Andrew rolls his eyes, and stands.

“Fair enough, you had your chance. Kai!”

Andrew barks the name, twisting around as the larger man enters the cell as well. Eugene tenses, clinging to Varian all the tighter. The kid’s gone a little limp, the fever taking over and sapping the alchemist’s strength. He can’t fight this, Eugene realizes as the panic settles in, it’s down to Eugene to keep his little brother from the people who wish him harm.

But this is a fight even Eugene knows he can’t win.

As Kai roughly reaches for Eugene, Andrew backs off a little, grabbing at the place Varian’s chain is bolted into the wall. Eugene tenses, anticipating it, but it still is a jolt when Andrew grabs the iron and yanks- nearly tearing Varian from Eugene’s grip. The kid shouts in pain as his ankle’s pulled, but Varian clings to Eugene all the same.

And then Kai intervenes.

Eugene snarls when he feels hands on his arms, an inhuman growl that nearly startles Kai-

And that’s when Andrew manages to pull the kid from Eugene’s arms.

Varian screams, a weak little squeak of a thing that rings through Eugene’s ears like a funeral bell. Kai’s hands tighten on Eugene’s arms- he tries frantically to pull away as Varian’s essentially dragged along the floor towards Andrew like a fish on a line. The boy’s hands weakly scramble at the floor, trying in vain to dig into the smooth stone.

Andrew laughs a bit at the display, deftly pinning Varian’s ankle with one hand and unlocking the cuff with the other. Varian spits something that Quirin would box his ears over but Eugene can’t stop to chide him- the man’s too busy trying to pull away from Kai.

“Andrew!” Eugene shouts, desperately trying to pull the Saporian’s attention back to him. “Andrew, c’mon, don’t you want to pick on someone your own size, man-bun? Isn’t the kid a little below your paygrade-”

Andrew laughs, roughly grabbing Varian’s flailing wrists with both hands. “Oh, no.” The Saporian says, harshly using his grip to yank the kid off the floor. Varian snarls, trying to kick at Andrew with all he has. Eugene can’t help but notice how pale the kid is- there’s a thin sheen of sweat on Varian’s brow, which is worrying in the chill of the cell. Andrew chuckles, leering over Varian as the boy begins to tremble.

“Me and the kid have unfinished business.”

Varian struggles as Andrew drags him up and away, both his wrists caught in each of Andrew’s hands. “Let go!” The kid cries, digging his heels in as much as he can. Eugene pulls against Kai with everything he’s got- that’s his little brother goddamn it-

“Eugene!” Varian’s voice is wrecked, a scared noise that digs right into the depths of Eugene’s soul. The panic is so thick in his throat he can taste it, the bitter twang of not being able to protect-

Kai shoves Eugene back into the wall. His back hits with a crash and a flash of pain that skitters up and down his spine like fire. Eugene’s head cracks against the stone, and just like that he’s out like a light.

>>><<<

When he wakes up again, Rapunzel is there. Eugene feels a pulse of confusion, and then terror. If she’s here, then where’s-

“The kid!” Eugene gasps, sitting up roughly, Rapunzel hisses as he moves, taking a hold of his shoulders and pushing Eugene back down onto the plush surface underneath him.

“Don’t move,” She says, “You still might have a concussion.”

“No- I- sunshine the kid-”

“Is right next to you.”

Eugene tilts his head to the left, breathing a sigh of relief when he sees Varian lying close by. They’re both on a bed in some kind of caravan, the kid’s curled up around himself, not looking any worse for wear. He’s still pale, but the shaking seems to have stopped. Eugene feels something in him settle, seeing his little brother more relaxed. Rapunzel’s hands in his hair are soft and gentle. She hums her song to him, even if it doesn’t have magical properties anymore she can’t seem to help it.

“He’s fine.” She murmurs, “You’re both fine. But you need to sleep.”

Ah, sleep sounds so good.

Eugene reaches out an arm for Varian, patting next to him. On instinct the kid rolls into his side, in that subconscious, innocent way kids do. With Varian properly accounted for, Eugene feels himself start to drift.

“Go to sleep,” Rapunzel coos, “He’ll be there when you wake up.”

The man nods his assent, already feeling himself floating away. Varian snuffles into his side, hands curling tight into Eugene’s shirt and clinging. He’s small, warm and safe, Eugene can’t help but press a firm kiss into Varian’s hair at the sheer relief of having his little brother safe and sound in his arms. Exhaustion creeps up on him, his eyelids growing heavy. Rapunzel’s hands are soothing, soft and gentle, and the former thief feels himself slip away into his dreams.

And Eugene, for the first time in a week, sleeps soundly.

#varian #team awesome #tangled the series #fic #mild angst but nothing crazy

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the-writing-mobster · 4 years

Text

Yes Man AU

I know no one was asking for this, but this is literally my favorite movie! So as a small love letter to Yes Man starring Jim Carrey, I wrote a small au oneshot with the WDYW cast. I do hope you enjoy, and found it just as funny as I did while reading it!

Yes Man AU

Sans couldn't believe he was doing this. He couldn't believe he had let Nick talk him into coming. He hadn't even really talked him into it. Nick had just popped up out of nowhere, threw a rock into the university window where he worked and yelled at him to go to the stupid Yes Seminar while getting chased by security.

Honestly the reason he had actually come to this stupid fucking thing was because he had accidentally blown off Papyrus's engagement party. What kind of a brother was he!? That was the wakeup call he needed to get off his ass. Maybe… maybe this would… he didn't know. He already felt stupid as he walked through the throngs of happy humans and monsters alike.

It was like walking through a mega church. There was an air of… some weird spirituality sprinkled with scummy book stores.

Everyone was so… smiley. He himself had a literal permanent grin on his face but… their smiles were different. Alive?

“Sans! You actually came! I knew you would. Trust me man, this is what you need. You're gonna love this man. You need this!” Sans nodded along, trying to hide his pained grimace as best he could from his longtime friend.

“Yeah well… I just… yeah,” he murmured as Nick dragged him to their seats in the audience. Sans sat awkwardly amongst the jabbering crowd as Nick waited impatiently for the seminar to start.

He felt as out of place as an atheist during mass.

Then the lights dimmed and a hush fell over the crowd. Music swelled throughout the room and his brow bones raised and he glanced at Nick, who's eyes were wide with childish excitement.

“Life… we are all living it… Or are we?” spoke a mystical voice. Sans grunted.

“Riveting…”

“Change is generated from consciousness, but where is consciousness generated from? From the external. And how do we control the external? ... With one word. And what is that word?”

“YES!” screamed the crowd, Sans jumping in his seat at the sudden roar of noise. He laughed nervously and shot Nick a desperate look, already regretting his decision to come.

A man emerged onto the stage, a monster. An old tortoise man in a sharp white suit and silver tie.

“The word is yes! Yes. Yes! Yes!” Sans smirked and leaned over to Nick.

“That's what she said,” he teased and Nick rolled his eyes as he stifled his snicker, punching Sans lightly on the shoulder.

“What are you, twelve? Pay attention.”

“Say it a million times. Say it a million more times. And the word you will have said two million times is…” This time Sans was expecting it and waved his hand with annoyed amusement as the crowd screamed YES once more. There was an uproar of cheer and staggering emotion that swept through the ballroom. Sans didn’t know what to think of it. There was such a mixture of being freaked out and being very interested in what was about to occur that he merely just sat there in stunned, awkward silence while the crowd lost their fucking minds.

Finally, everyone had the decency to shut up and let the old tortoise talk. Sans let out a breath and leaned back in his seat. He hadn’t even realized he was on the edge of it.

“I want you to invite yes into your life… because when you say yes to things, you will embrace the possible.” Sans’s eyes wandered the stadium. Psh, what a bunch of horse shit.

“You gobble up all of life’s energies… and excrete the waste.” Sans furrowed his brow with puzzled disgust at the wording and shot a wary look at Nick. What the fuck did he drag me to?

“I would like to welcome our newcomers… Who among us is new?” asked the turtle man, his eyes glittering in the spotlight. Nick jumped up and pointed directly at Sans with giddy excitement.

“He is! This guy right here!” Sans’s soul dropped to the floor, his eyelights snuffing out and leaving his sockets black as the abyss. He shot Nick a poisonous warning glare. The entirety of the ballroom seemed to turn and lock their eyes onto him.

“Haha… I’m gonna kill you...” he growled under his breath as he shot a sheepish, nervous grin at everyone. His threat didn’t phase Nick, who continued despite Sans’s embarrassment, to point him out to everyone.

“Come on up, future Yes Man!” beckoned the tortoise. Sans grimaced and shook his head, he was flooded with humiliation. He really was going to murder Nick Creamer. No doubts about it. He was already planning where to dismember and bury his body.

“Uh… No thanks I’m just… auditing?” he called back. The crowd vocally cringed at him, some laughing and shaking their heads like they knew exactly what was about to happen. He couldn’t believe his luck, or rather lack of luck.

“You can’t audit life my friend, now get on up here!” Sans seethed through his teeth and gave the fucker a dismissive wave of his hand.

“Nah… No thanks, I'm good.” Let it go old man.

“I’m sorry, what was that you just said?” he asked. Sans gritted his teeth and shot Nick a withering glare. Nick merely smirked smugly at him, sealing his fate. He glanced back up at the dumb ass turtle and shook his head stubbornly.

“Uh… I’m good?” he grunted. We could play this game all night. It was clear though that Gerson wasn’t going to let this go.

“Before that.” Asshole. Fuck you Nick. You’re dead. You’re so dead. You’re already dead. The crowd all looked at him expectantly. He wanted to wipe their smug little grins off their faces. This was awful. This was worse than the entirety of middle school.

“Thank you…?” he said again. A few people rolled their eyes at him and he growled. Gerson shook his head and held up his hand as if trying to reach something intangible. This guy ain’t gonna let up.

“Back up just a little bit more…” Sans glared at him and ran his tongue along the edges of his fangs. Nick nudged him and he punched him in the shoulder hard. Nick winced and held his aching arm. Sans grunted, sinking under the pressure.

“...No—”

“—No man! No Man, No Man, NO MAN!” Sans shrunk into himself as the crowd yelled at him, wagging their fingers as they shamed him and only him.

“Ok! If the molehill won’t come to Gerson… Gerson will come to the molehill!” he exclaimed. Sans’s eyes widened as the old man took off in a sprint down the aisle right for him. His eye flared with shock as he stumbled back in his seat, Nick holding him in place. The only reason he hadn’t used his magic was for all the humans’ sakes.

Gerson stole a chair and turned it to face him, sitting down as a crew member handed him a microphone. Sans gulped.

“What’s your name?” He shoved the microphone into Sans’s face and he let out an annoyed grumble. No getting out of this now.

“Sans.”

“Let me guess Sans, someone talked you into coming here today didn’t they?” Sans rolled his head to look at Nick and he sighed. Yep it definitely looked like he’d have to do this. Fuuuuuuck!

“...Yes.” Everyone shouted YES at the top of their lungs and Sans rolled his eyes.

“And you’re not… sure about this are you?” Sans narrowed his eyes at Gerson as he weighed the options of his answer. It was just a yes or no question. He inwardly groaned. This sucked.

“No,” he grunted. Again, the audience shouted no man over and over, none more passionately than Nick, who was only digging himself into a deeper hole than he was already in. Sans shook his head with irritated bafflement at his predicament. He really should’ve stayed home. Gerson shrugged.

“You’re dead Sans,” he said bluntly, with a nonchalant shake of his head, “you say no to life and therefore you are not living.”

Sans’s skull grin faltered at the words.

“You make up excuses to the people around you, and to yourself. You’re trapped in the same dead end job you’ve been stuck in for years. You don’t have a significant other. You don’t have anything close to a significant other, and you lost the love of your life because they couldn’t be with someone who couldn’t live theirs…” Sans’s brow furrowed as he read him like a newspaper. ...Hittin’ a lil’ too close to home their bucko.

“And most nights you’re so bored and filled with ornery that… you can’t even summon up the enthusiasm necessary to masterbate.” Sans choked at the statement. He was right. Jesus I’m depressing.

“Am I right, Sans?” He shoved the microphone right against his skeletal nose and Sans avoided looking into his dark, glittering… piercing, green eyes. He had just read the contents of his soul… In front of everyone!

“Um… you uh, I mean I guess you could say I’m sans enthusiasm,” he murmured the shitty pun, trying as hard as possible to not let the microphone pick up the rumble of his voice, or allow the audience to hear his meager confession. Gerson gave a soft smirk. He glanced up as the old turtle pulled himself closer. Way too much closer. Sans scaled his chair to somehow escape him as he came right up to his nose.

“We’re gonna make a covenant Sans… do you want to make a covenant?” he whispered into the mic. Sans’s breath shook as he glanced down at the floor.

“Come on Sans!” shouted some random guy in the crowd. Sans grimaced and groaned softly as he tried to battle his thoughts.

“Uh—” Sans flinched as Gerson hit his head with the mic, the auditorium filling with feedback at the move.

“—The answer is yes, Sans.” The crowd screamed Yes.

“Yes!” he croaked. Nick screamed yes with fierce passion into Sans’s ear and Sans curled away from him.

“Yes!” This time with a bit more conviction. Nick was right. He… maybe he did need this. Gerson had been right about everything. He really was a sorry sack of shit. Would it really kill him to spice up his life like this?

The crowd screamed yes again and Sans let escape a soft whisper, pleading and desperate, partly for this whole ordeal to be over, but… mostly a sincere want to change.

Gerson’s piercing eyes locked onto his, his face solemn and sober.

“Once you leave this building… every time an opportunity presents itself…no matter what it is… you will say yes.” Another round of yes’s filled the hall, and this time Sans found himself embracing it. Afterwards he gave Gerson a nervous grimace and nodded.

“And what if I say, heh… the other word?” he asked, not willing to risk the chance of saying no and being yelled at again. Gerson narrowed his eyes at him.

“You’ll be breaking a promise to yourself… and when you break a promise to yourself… things can get a little dicey. What do you say, Sans… want to make that covenant?” God yes, if this is what it takes to make Papyrus… or, fuck, if this is what it takes to get out of my funk then…

“Yes.” YES!

“Yes!” YES! Gerson grabbed him by the face and dragged him out of his seat with such vigor, Sans gave a growl of surprise.

“MAKE ME BELIEVE IT!” he snarled as he shook Sans.

“Yes! Yes! YES!” he cried desperately, Gerson throwing him back down in Nick’s arms. Sans was shaking from the entire experience. What. The. Fuck… just happened to me?

Gerson turned back towards the stage and made his way through the crowd. He rose his fists into the air with a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

“YES!” he cheered, the audience practically screaming their inspired praise. Sans breathed shakily as he tried to regain his composure. A laugh escaped him as Nick pushed him back into his own seat. Slowly Sans began to clap. Guess you could say I’m a little shell shocked.

⁂

“Hey! There he is!” Sans glanced up at one of the men from the auditorium as he and Nick walked through the parking lot. The man’s wife smiled brightly at him.

“That was wonderful, so inspiring,” she said sweetly as they climbed into their car. Sans grinned and saluted them lazily. Nick chuckled as they came to his little blue car.

“So… you gonna do it?” he asked. Sans hummed in thought and shrugged.

“I… I don’t know. Maybe,” he said with a coy grin. Nick scrunched his nose at the answer and chuckled.

“That’s weird, I didn’t realize we stepped out of a maybe seminar,” he teased. Sans snickered and rolled his eyes as he turned away, coming face to face with an old homeless monster, his head cloaked with a black hood, nothing but bright white eyes peering back at him.

“You… are a reaper, tralala… yes?” asked the homeless monster. Sans swallowed and raised his brows, looking down at his skeletal hands.

“Uh, tch, yes,” he grunted. The hobo gave a small squeak of delight.

“Do you think you could use those fancy powers of yours, tralala, and take me to Ebbot City park?” he asked. Sans hummed his displeasure at the request and began to shake his head. He hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep last night, in fact, only around three hours and the closest thing he’d had to a meal all day was a hotdog from a street vendor. He only had enough energy really to get himself home and make a measly ramen noodle dinner for himself. Jesus Christ, I really am pathetic.

“Uh… liste—”

“—YEEESSSSS!” shouted Nick as he came sprinting to Sans’s side. Sans winced at the reminder of the stupid covenant.

“Sure he can! Right Sans?” asked Nick with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Sans laughed wryly at him. Nick, do you want me to kill you? You have to say yes. He thought bitterly. He inwardly groaned and turned back to the homeless man. With a long sigh of resolve he shook his head yes.

“Uh, yeah. Sure. Why not?” he grumbled. Nick giggled gleefully, and the homeless monster shot him a puzzled look.

“Yes! You won’t regret this Sans!” Sans shot him a warning glare and chuckled bitterly as the hobo held out his dirty hand for him to take. Sans grimaced as he debated on taking his hand, the two dancing around each other awkwardly before Sans grabbed sternly onto his shoulder.

“Alright just… Ebbot City park right?” he asked. The man nodded and he sighed as smoke poured out of his sockets. He longed for the days people were scared shitless of reapers. They were all getting so comfy.

“Have fun!” called Nick as he walked back to his car. Sans shook his head as the red smoke surrounded them.

“Fuck off.”

⁂

The mist dissipated to reveal the gate leading into the park, big rod iron letters spelling Ebbot City Park. Sans grunted and turned away before the hobo cleared his throat and pointed inside.

“I need to go a little further in, tralala. It’s in the hiking range near the water, if you don’t mind tralala,” he said. Sans froze and glanced back at the hobo. He stifled his annoyed growl and plastered on the fakest smile he could.

“Of course… silly me.” Because nothing could be easy. He sighed as he clasped his hand onto the monster’s shoulders and shrouded them in red mist again. The hiking range was way deep in the park. He prayed to whatever dumbass god was listening to allow him to have the energy necessary to get him home.

When they arrived at the riverside, dark water lapping up at the shore, the hobo searched the water. A tired sigh exploded from Sans’s jaw and he shot the hobo a disgruntled look.

“Got any more requests or can I just leave ya here cause it doesn’t really matter… tralala…?” he grumbled. The hobo hummed his disapproval and glanced back at him with a sheepish sparkle in his bright, white eyes.

“I’m sorry man, but… it’s on the other side of the river, tralala” He said. Sans stared at him. Fuck you Nick, fuck you Nick, fuck you Nick. He mustered up enough decency to give the homeless monster a gracious smile and snatched his arm.

“Fine by me,” he growled as once again, his smoke surrounded them.

He stumbled and leaned against a tree as he took them to the other side of the river. There was a small encampment with a little canoe pulled up on the river bank. The hobo clapped his hands cheerfully before slowly turning to Sans.

“Thanks man for doing this, you know a lot of people would’ve just said no, tralala… although I have been getting a lot of luck lately outside of that hotel,” he said. Sans chuckled wrly and shook his head.

“Hey man it’s… it’s no problem,” he grunted as he wiped his hand on his jeans.

“Um… you wouldn’t mind if… do you think you could spare a couple bucks, tralala?” he asked. Sans’s eye socket twitched before he chuckled aridly and yanked out his wallet.

“You know what? I’ve come this far,” he hissed as he leafed through some of his on hand cash. “Yes you can… tralala,” he said with a gracious smile.

The hobo glanced at his stack of cash and chuckled, shaking his head and pointing to it.

“You’ve got a whole lot there, tralala, can I have it all?” he joked. Sans’s eyes snuffed out, abyssal black holes filled with rage. These assholes keep testing me. The riverman hobo let out a jolly laugh and Sans laughed mockingly along before holding out the whole stack.

“Sure,” he hissed as he held out the stack of cash. The hobo laughed nervously, his eyes widening at the generous gesture. He hesitantly reached for it and clasped it in his hand. For a second, they both pulled on the money, Sans’s grip a cold dead grip on his hard earned money. However, the hobo eventually won that game of tug-o-war.

He held up the bundle to him as Sans glared across at him.

“Angel bless you, tralala,” he breathed with genuine gratitude. Sans waved him off as the hobo got into his canoe and pulled a raggedy blanket over his head. He scoffed and walked along the river path as he tried to summon his magic. A curl of red mist fluttered around him, but he was exhausted and he had reached a depletion in magic. He panted and leaned against a tree trunk.

“Come on man!” he snarled. He tried again only for his eye to flare like a sputtering candle and he stumbled back. He gritted his teeth and growled low under his breath.

“Great” he spat. He dug through his pockets for his phone. He’d have to call an Uber or something once he made it out of the park. A reaper in an Uber. What was the world coming to?

As he glanced down his eyes widened when he realized his battery was at one percent. He had forgotten to charge it before he left, banking on just charging it at the seminar.

“Oh no, no, no!” he gasped, just as it decided to shut down. His fists clenched and he rummaged through his jacket pockets. Yes, he had his charger, thank God. Ok then… new plan… walk to a gas station, charge my phone, get somethin’ to eat and call an Uber. He would’ve called Papyrus, but where they stood right now… he knew his brother would rather not deal with him. He was on his own.

“Heh… perfect.”

⁂

“Hey Sans, do you wanna give away all your cash to a homeless guy? Why yes. Yes I do,” he growled to himself as he marched over the empty bridge across the river. He couldn’t fucking believe he was in this situation.

“How about expending all the rest of your energy teleporting him around a six hundred acre park? You know what? That sounds like a fucking great idea!” he shouted into the indifferent night.

Assholes. All of them. Weird culty assholes. How could anything good ever come out of this? He’d probably get jumped, and with no magic to defend himself… Ugh! He read the directions to get out of the hiking trail and sighed as he found himself running along a thin dirt path. Fuck this Park. Fuck that homeless guy. Fuck Nick. Fuck the covenant!

“Let’s just take a late night stroll through the hills and get killed by a murder cult! Don’t mind if I do!”

It took hours. Literal hours. He was winded… and sweaty and exhausted! His legs felt like jelly by the time he was practically crawling up to the closest gas station. He threw the door open, eyes black as a starless night as he locked the cashier in his gaze. He held up his phone as he caught his breath and bared his fangs.

“Charging port. Where is it?” he snarled. The tired teenager squeaked with fear, that’s more like it, and pointed outside. He groaned and stomped back out to find the port. As he bent down to plug his charger in, the rev of an engine filled the air.

A vespa pulled into the gas station and parked at the front near the building. He glanced up as the rider slid off of their ride and spared him a curious look while they took off their helmet. It was a rather stupid sight. A large skeleton monster hunched over a little outlet with his stupid little cell phone. Might as well join the circus while he was at it.

To make matters worse, they were a human woman. A rather cute one at that and he looked like a fucking idiot.

They smiled awkwardly at each other and she stepped inside. He gave a small sigh and turned back to his phone to check if it was charging. Now with one percent battery life and still charging, he gave a small breath of relief and tried to force it to turn on. He shook his head as frustration flooded him. He couldn’t believe this.

“Do you wanna call an uber for the first time in your stupid ass life and sit in some smelly guy’s car as he forces you to talk to him about your fucking day while Nickleback plays just a little too loud? Oh could I? Could I really?—” He froze when the flash of a camera lit his vision and he jerked up.

The woman looked down at her cute polaroid camera as it printed the picture she had just taken. People still used those? She giggled quietly to herself and glanced back up at him with a coy smirk.

“That’s a good look,” she said as she waved the picture in the air. He narrowed his eyes as he studied her. She was small… short brown hair that framed her round, bronzen face and… her eyes were big and brown. Ugh, just my luck that I would look like a complete dumbass in front of such a pretty girl!

“Did you just… take my picture?” he asked, pointing to the photo in her hand. Her smirk widened and she bit her lip as she unscrewed a water bottle. He watched as she took a sip before turning her attention back to him with a sigh.

“Maybe… Did you run out of battery?” she asked. He chuckled wrly and glanced down at his phone. He glanced back up at her through narrowed eyes, running his tongue along the top of his fangs.

“Maybe…” he murmured. She grinned and shook her head.

“That sucks. That happened to me last week,” she said as she grinned down at the picture before pocketing it. He rolled his eyes to the heavens.

“Was it because you forgot to charge it and then had to keep teleporting a homeless guy all around a park because no matter where you took him it just didn’t feel enough like home… which depleted all your magic and left you stranded with an empty battery so you couldn’t call a driver?” he asked. She snorted with laughter and leaned against the wall, head tilted with tender curiosity.

“Um… no… but I take it that… that’s what happened to you?” she asked with a giggle. His grin widened and he shrugged innocently.

“Nope. What would make you assume that?” They laughed quietly as he looked down at his phone. Four percent. He glanced back up at her as she continued to drink her water. Why was someone like her talking to someone like him? Not that he was complaining… after all she was super cute.

“He kept making you teleport him around a park?” she asked. Sans grunted and nodded at the ridiculous truth.

“Yeah, uh, apparently he was the most demanding homeless man on the planet. Wasn’t letting anyone walk all over him. He was keeping his sense of dignity… It was good to see,” he said with a teasing grin. She laughed with him, her nose wrinkling sweetly as she tried to understand his current predicament. He chuckled along and held open his arms with a welcoming grin. “I’m just glad to be a part of it really…”

Her smile grew on her face. “Yeah that must feel good,” she said with a firm nod.

They shared a lingering gaze before he cleared his throat and turned back to his phone. “Truly, yeah… oh and I’m getting some exercise… which is cool,” he mumbled as he glared at the Uber app in the app store. Was he really gonna have to download this and make an account and everything? Tonight was gonna be a long night…

“Well… do you need a ride?” she asked, gesturing to her scooter. Is she for real? He looked over her shoulder at the little vespa and swallowed his nerves. Would he even fit on that?

“Uh… on that thing?” He asked nervously. She quirked a perfect brow at him as she sauntered back to her scooter and handed him her helmet. No fucking way. Well… Yes is the only option you have…

⁂

They sped through the street, weaving in and out of traffic, Sans’s arms awkwardly wrapped around her slender waist. The rev of the vespa engine and the slap of wind in his face was exhilarating. This was probably the first time in a long time he had felt like he was alive… and maybe that was because at any moment they could go flying to their certain death.

“Am I going too fast for you, faucheuse drôle?” she shouted over the wind. He laughed nervously and leaned his chin over her shoulder.

“Nah, in fact I think you should go faster… that way if we crash at least I’ll die.” She barked with laughter at his quips and he chuckled along. “I just don’t want to be kept alive artificially, ya know?” They laughed together as they drove.

She turned into a street with a little less traffic and slowly raised her polaroid into the air. His grin faltered as she straightened and smiled into the camera lens.

“Wait, what are you doing?” She laughed cheerfully and leaned against him.

“I’m taking our picture! Sourire!” she said as the camera flashed. He groaned as the flash cut through his vision.

“Oh God, are you trynna blind me? Can’t see shit,” he said, but he couldn’t help but chuckle. She gave an easy laugh and shook her hair in the wind.

“Me neither! Isn’t it great!?” she exclaimed as she swerved through traffic and down another road as he shouted in terror. Is she crazy!? Yeah, he was definitely not a vehicle kind of guy.

When he realized that, yes, they were still alive, he allowed himself to grin and hug her a little tighter. This was… kind of fun. She was really fun! He was having such a great time! To think all it took was an awful trip through the park.

They laughed together as she drove the rest of the way to his apartment complex.

They stopped a little ways down the street and the woman dismounted, kicking her stand out to lean the scooter on. He stalled as he glanced up at the building, then back at her. She glanced at him as she ran a hand through her short, windswept hair. They stood in silence, studying each other with gentle curiosity.

He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his skull. “So uh… thanks for uh, doin’ that. Ya didn’t have to really,” he said as he tried to avoid her gaze. She smiled sweetly at him and began to walk, Sans stupidly following behind her to his own apartment complex.

“No problem, maybe the color will return to your face sometime… or not, considering you’re a skeleton.” He laughed at her joke and nodded along.

“Well I hope you feel powerful because you’re the only person who’s made me scream like a little baby,” he said with a bashful grin. She scoffed with teasing laughter and winked at him. She was so pretty… How had he gotten this lucky?

“Je le porterai comme un badge d'honneur… Can I have my helmet back now?” she asked as she pointed at his skull. He glanced up and chuckled with quiet embarrassment. He pointed at it and grinned.

“I’m still wearing it, aren’t I,” he murmured. She gave a sleepy laugh and nodded. He sighed in mock sorrow as he took it off and handed it back to her. As she reached for it, he lifted his hand out of her reach and she whined playfully. He laughed and tossed it to her, her fumbling it a bit before pulling it to her chest. They giggled together.

As they came to the gate to the complex she faltered and shoved her hands in her coat pockets. She swayed on her heels and smiled.

“So… are you gonna be ok?” she asked. He grinned and leaned against the gate as he eyed her. Well now that I’ve met you…may the angel bless me indeed.

“Yeah! Yeah I’m great… unless you wanna stick around and makeout,” he murmured under his breath. Her big, brown eyes perked up at the words and he inwardly kicked himself. No I did not just say that out loud. I don’t even know her name!

“What?” she asked, eyes wide. Oh shit, I totally fucked that. Stupid, idiot, asshole!

“Wha- What did you say?” he stammered. She narrowed her eyes and advanced on him with aggressive finality. He held up his hands as he feared maybe pepper spray, or a taser if she was one of those girls.

“Hey listen, I wasn’t bein—” She grabbed his jacket and pulled him down, pressing her lips to his fangs in a forceful kiss. He froze up. That had been the last thing he had been expecting. She pulled away… too soon… and stared up at him. A shocked silence fell over both of them.

“... Have a good night,” she said as she gave him a firm pat on the chest. His eyes followed her as she sauntered back to her vespa. She swung her leg over and revved the little engine before taking off down the street. He watched her go and looked down at his chest, where his hands were clutching a… a photograph. His grin softened. The two of them on her scooter. He actually looked happy…

He glanced back down the street where she had driven off and smiled to himself, tucking the photo into his jacket pocket.

“Yes…” he murmured thoughtfully, a skip in his step as he made his way back to his room. Yes always leads to something good… Thank you Nick.

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my-whumpy-little-heart · 5 years

Text

Cracks. (Defective Series 3)

In a request from @burtlederp for my @badthingshappenbingo card, this will be based off of the trope: Lifted by the Neck. (Requested squares are white hearts, completed squares are red hearts. If you want to request any, send an ask with the trope and (optionally) a character of mine to fill it with.)

The previous entry in this series is here.

Tagging @castielamigos-whump-side-blog as well, who wanted to see another continuation of this :) Since this will probably be an ongoing series now, anyone can ask to be on a tag list or taken off.

One final announcement! These characters now have names since I’ll be continuing the series. The sister (previously X) is Elle Valencia, and the brother (previously Y) is Jirard Valencia. As for the box boy’s name… well, you’ll just have to read a little further.

By the end of his first training session, the boy had passed out. Jirard figured he pushed it a little too far when it almost lost its voice from screaming near the end, but he had reached his goal. Whether by obedience, delirium, or weakness, his boy had stopped pulling away altogether by the fourth cauterized knife wound. Elle had gotten a little bored when she realized she wouldn’t get to shock him any further, but he promised he’d make it up to her. So, a few days later, he invited her back over.

“What’re you doing, Jirard?” Speaking of his sister, she must have let herself in. He closed the book in his hands and looked over.

“Just writing in my journal,” he shrugged, setting it aside and standing up.

“Journal, eh? Didn’t know you kept one.”

“I do now: started the other day after you left, actually. It’s mostly to write about the boy and observe his progress. Whumpee Barn is getting a strongly worded letter on the importance of quality control when I find the patience to write it, and I’ll need to remember details. Thus, journal,” he gestured to the book once more before starting down the stairs, waving Elle after him. “Plus, I can’t lie; it’ll be nice to have a window down memory lane when it’s finally properly trained.”

“Speaking of it, did you think of a name yet? Might be easier to train commands into if it has something to respond to.”

“No, I haven’t actually, but you’re right about that. The instructions I read through mentioned names too. You have anything good in mind?” Jirard stopped at the landing of the stairs, leaning against the basement door just opposite them.

“Personally, I thought it’d be funny to name it something strong sounding. Maybe like Maximus or Orion. More satisfying to talk down to it, then.” Elle smiled, and her brother paused with a contemplative look on his face. A few seconds later, he looked back up with a grin.

“I like your style, Elle... You sure you’ve never owned one of these bad boys?”

“Just got good taste in friends, I guess. I pick up a few things being around them and their pets enough.” she laughed, walking down to the basement when Jirard finally opened the door.

“Yeah, isn’t one of them some hotshot blogger now or something? The one with the wild green hair?” He made some awkward gestures trying to describe them, and Elle snorted at her brother’s ignorance.

“Oh my god, you turn thirty and suddenly you’re completely out of touch. You’re literally only five years older than me, you dolt; you should know they’re a YouTuber. We should totally watch some of their videos later if we get time. You’d like them; they’ve got flair.”

“Ugh, whatever you say. Those videos do sound like they might be fun though,” he said as they finally reached the boy’s room. “Getting down to business, the boy hasn’t been too active since you were last here, though I’ve really only gone in there to feed it. Thought it should have some time alone in the dark to really think about what’s important, you know?”

His sister took that as a rhetorical question and stayed quiet when Jirard opened the door. He flicked on the light to illuminate the room, and his own face lit up when a groan came from inside. In the corner, he spied the boy curled into itself, squinting against the light assaulting its vision.

“Oh, so you are awake this time! Honestly thought I might have broken you for a bit there. Well, broken you more anyway. You’re already aware of your manufacturing defects.” Jirard walked across the room to sweep a hand across its cheek and down its bare neck which still bore marks from the shock collar. It made sure not to flinch away from the touch. In fact, it almost seemed to lean into it, as both he and the boy realized.

“...I almost want to take that back. Seems like your training did pay off a little after all, huh?” It nodded its head slightly at that, almost akin to bowing it down in shame. Its face remained set in a grimace. “Hey, that’s not a bad thing. You’re just fulfilling your purpose as a product; nothing wrong with that. Oh, speaking of! The manual didn’t give me anything to call you, so I’m just gonna have to name you. What do you think about Maverick?”

The grimace set in deeper as it frowned disapprovingly.

“I, personally, think it’s a lovely name. Suits it well.” Elle butted in with a sparkling smile.

“It’s decided then. You’re my little Maverick, and you’re going to respond whether I call you Maverick, Mav, or any matter of pet names. Got it?” The nod he got in response was short and clipped this time, but it was an agreement. It was beginning to learn what he wanted. “Great. Elle, you can take it. I trust it knows its place by now and won’t try anything, but here’s the obligatory warning just in case, Mav. Don’t go getting your priorities switched up now.”

Jirard turned around before it could respond and his sister walked over instead, grabbing it by the back of its neck and pulling forward. It got up on unsteady legs, trying its best to keep up with the quick pace already being set as it was dragged along. Maverick was almost choking around the strong hand, but its cramping legs had trouble keeping up and staying stable. If it didn’t trip on its own, some strand of the long, plush carpet threads would catch on its toes anyway and send it stumbling behind only to be yanked forward again.

And god if that grip didn’t already hurt. That shock collar had left scarring that Elle’s rough hand now rubbed painfully against with every movement. Up the staircase, she stayed one step above it, moving opposite it and pulling up hard on multiple occasions.

At the top of the steps, Mav finally got a full scope of the house. There was a large, luxurious entrance, lit by a glittering crystal chandelier and framed by a curving wooden staircase. It couldn’t see the scope from just one room, but this house could easily be an entire mansion. No doubt it was fit with a high end security system that would lock all the doors and windows at the tap of a finger, leaving no way to escape…

“Maverick,” Jirard’s call lingered in the air for a few seconds before it remembered that was supposed to be its name, and lifted its head. “Did they at least teach you how to complete basic chores where you were trained?”

It gave a curt nod, eyes still wandering the open space. Fingers snapping in front of the boy’s face brought its attention back to the situation at hand, and looked back at Elle, whose fingers had just retreated from its face. She shook her head and pointed back in front of them, to her brother who was staring with a less than pleased expression.

“I may as well address this now rather than later, Mav. I’d love it if you could give some verbal responses every now and then. You know, so I don’t have to constantly stare at you to have a conversation. Not to say I didn’t wish I could stare at you all the time, of course.”

“...okay, then.” A hint of sass shone through the words.

“So how would you answer my previous question…?” he asked expectantly, leading it on.

“Yes.”

“Yes what?” The boy only stared blankly with a carefully guarded expression, lip twitching. “...Oh, come on, I’m sure they gave you a few ideas of what to call your owner back where you came from. Sir, Master, Mr. Valencia… take your pick. Honestly, I’m really not all that picky as long as you can show me some basic respect.”

His boy seemed to have frozen halfway through the statement, eyes blown wide and somehow clearer than they had been in days. It trembled in an unnatural way, which would have been interesting to him had it been in fear and not what looked to be pent up rage. He made eye contact with Elle over it and she only tightened her fingers on its throat, adding her other hand for extra security.

Only Jirard saw when it broke, something greater than itself taking control of its body, and signaled a warning to his sister just seconds before Maverick reared up against the restraining hands, teeth bared and snarling.

“Valencia, VALENCIA! I knew you were familiar. Damn it, it’s you- it’s fucking YOU! You’re the asshat from up the street who would never stop harassing my mom before she- she-! And of course you’re enough of a sick BASTARD to treat a fucking human being as a pet! Fuck you! Fuck-” Its words were cut off by its head slamming into the wall, and feet leaving the floor, hands curling further around its neck, cutting in and taking his breath until it could only wheeze through sobs and tears that spilled down its cheeks. Its expression only dropped further at the realization of what it had just done--what it had just said!--and the surely looming consequences he couldn’t even dream of.

“That’s. Enough.” Elle hissed as her hands closed over its throat, and it could only gasp fruitlessly and scramble for footing as Jirard stepped closer, expression unreadable.

“Let off a bit, Elle.” He stalked forward, talking slowly to his boy now as if addressing a toddler, “I think we need to have a short discussion before I beat you senseless for what you just did, don’t we Mav?”

“Th-tha’s not- nah-” it sniveled and cried as it spoke, knowing any more of its defiance would only make things worse, but some spirit had awoken inside that it couldn’t push down.

“Are you trying to tell me Maverick isn’t your real name?” A brief moment passed, as if he was expecting a response. “Okay, sure, I’ll indulge you,” Jirard remembered the manual advising strictly against speaking over a boy’s past, but he figured it already broke that boundary for him, “What is your ‘real’ name then?”

The boy froze at that, looking ahead with empty eyes. Its lips trembled and breath hitched around Elle’s hands, but it was still silent. He resisted the urge to smile at his risk having paid off. With specific memories so fresh in its head, Maverick would need more of an overhaul than he had planned for, but it would certainly be interesting to try out.

“Oh, can you not remember? Are you sure you really ever had one in the first place? Because from what I remember, you never had a proper name until today. Anything that came before must certainly have been miserable--something you’d never want to remember, of course--for you to sign up for a program like this.” The words came sweet from his lips, but his boy was having none of it with what those memories had instilled in him. It muttered things about how it didn’t agree to this, how it had people down the street that cared about it, and it only saw Jirard’s raised fist right before it smashed across its cheek.

The hands on its neck held Maverick in place as its face snapped to the side, a wretched, choked moan escaping its mouth. Elle eyed her brother, but he nodded in a motion for her to keep holding it. Punches came in strong to its head, hitting anywhere that wouldn’t make it immediately pass out, and pained noises became shouts that rang and echoed in the open space. Elle counted seven before he finally brought his fists down, and the body under her hands groaned deliriously.

“Very elegant. Beating it senseless, you said?” She smiled, letting it drop to the ground, barely clinging to consciousness.

“You see it having any senses right now? It should have a few concussions by now, at least. Figure that’s the easiest way to mess with its head.”

“Well, it’s not gonna take to anything you tell it right now. Gonna need, I don’t know, at least an hour if I had to estimate.” She nudged the boy with her foot, and it leaned faintly into it in its half-conscious state. Maybe the training the other day had caused that, but she wouldn’t place bets on it with this one. “...maybe two, actually.”

“Is that enough time to watch one of those videos you were talking about earlier?” Jirard’s voice rose in a hopeful tone, and Elle smiled back.

“Oh, definitely a few at least!”

She grabbed Maverick’s arms while her brother took the feet and they dragged it to the living room with his flatscreen TV, abandoning it on the floor in favor of sitting up on the couch.

“Okay, so we should definitely start with one of the earlier videos,” Elle scrolled through the channel on her phone which was streaming to the TV, “would you rather the collar haul or the prank video?”

“Ooh, the prank sounds fun…”

Videos played on the screen for hours as Maverick lay on the floor, disoriented by its throbbing head and swirling vision, unable and unwilling to force its confused body to move, and hearing only the muffled sounds of audio and the piercing, too loud laughter of its owner and his sister. In the back of its head, memories of defiance and punishment danced like a curse, and it just wished it could think clearly enough to remember what it was trying so hard to defend.

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keelywolfe · 5 years

Text

FIC: Beneath an Aurora Sky ch. 10

Summary: The South Pole Station is equipped for research and Edge has always made sure things run smoothly for the inhabitants. His charges are meant to follow his rules and regulations, and in turn, he makes sure they survive in the arctic temperatures. It takes plenty of hard work and determination and Edge, along with his crew, can handle both.

He wasn’t counting on one of the newest researchers. He wasn’t expecting Rus.

Tags: Spicyhoney, First Time, Arctic AU, Hurt/Comfort

Notes: So, bourbon came up with an amazing AU and did some lovely art for it: please look at it and love it.

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four

Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Read Chapter 10 on AO3

Read it here!

~~*~~

When they walked into Alphys’s lab, Rus at Edge’s side and Red dangling over his shoulder like a sack of flour, all their resident scientist did was sigh loudly and take off her headphones.

It was good to see. When they’d first come Aboveground, Alphys had not been in a good state. The years Underground had not been kind and if it hadn’t been for her skills, the old King would have likely given her what he considered a merciful dusting.

Seeing her recovery was warming, proved that the station was the best place for them. The cold weather was a struggle for Alphys but she never minded staying inside anyway, preferring her lab and the occasional company the permanent residents provided. That and Undyne; they were an odd couple, loud and boisterous coupled with timid and softly spoken, but whenever they were together, their souls practically shone with love.

Also sexual tension, but Edge made a point of ignoring that, lest nightmares haunt him.

Her scolding wouldn’t have been possible when they first arrived; her stutter had been nearly complete and she still sometimes lapsed into Hands to get across certain points. But today she walked over with her fists on her hips and said sternly, “I t-t-told you not to force him to come.”

“this ain’t force, leapin’ lizard,” Red called from behind Edge’s back. “i was just tired a walkin’”

Alphys’s look told how much she believed that. But she allowed Red the pretense. For whatever convoluted reason, Red never wanted to admit how much he hated the treatments; it was possible he didn’t want to hurt Alphys’s feelings, but doubtful. That possibility had never stopped him from making his opinion known before. As always, his reasons were his own and Edge didn’t care to pry, so long as he eventually got his brother here.

“Well, c-come on, then,” Alphys gestured then towards the machine. Now that they were safely in the lab, Edge could set Red down with the reasonable assumption that he wouldn’t vanish the moment Edge took his hand away. It was a petty revenge to dumped Red roughly to the floor, ignoring the profuse swearing that rose up as he turned his attention to Rus.

Who only stood with his hands in his pockets, casting an idle glance here and there at the lab. It was almost disappointing; Alphys’s lab wouldn’t have been out of place in an old mad scientist movie. The machine alone was impressive, massive tubes fed into it along with a slender wires and electric cords, all leading to a simple cushioned chair. One that Red hopped into, settling in with the nonchalance of one about to take an afternoon nap.

There were very few people who would notice the slight tremor in his hands, and two of them were in the room. Before he settled in completely, Red whipped off his ski cap, exposing his skull.

Edge noted grimly the way Rus’s sockets widened when he caught sight of it, eye lights flaring in shock. His reaction was typical, most people that possessed a shred of compassion would be horrified to see the damage, the cracks that still webbed over the entire parietal bone. Few would believe that before the treatments it had been much worse. Once there had been a gaping hole in his skull large enough to fit a hand through, his entire left socket destroyed.

Over time, the machine forced the bone to regenerate and now the hole could hardly fit a finger, perhaps two. His brother no longer teetered close to dusting with any small injury and Edge owed Alphys a debt that could never be repaid.

Sweet creature that she was, she only blushed and stammered at gratitude and Edge no longer gave it; instead, he focused on giving her a safe place to work, a home where she could do her experiments and be happy with the person she loved. Hardly a fair trade in his opinion, but it wasn’t his that mattered.

But he had refused when Alphys offered to work on the crack that ran through Edge’s socket. That scar was a badge of honor, not one of shame. He’d wear it until the day he dusted.

Rus took a step closer and Edge wondered if his curiosity was over the machine, or more morbidly on Red. It was no surprise that his brother didn’t seem to care which option it was, only that Rus was here at all.

“don’t think you need to be poking around at shit that ain’t none of your business, fashion victim,” Red grumbled, although his sockets were closed.

Rus only shrugged amicably, holding up his empty hands. “i’m not touching anything. i learned how to keep my hands to myself as a baby bones. well, mostly,” he offered Edge a leer that made him roll his eye lights and Alphys titter from where she was working at the machine controls.

“H-he’s been here b-b-before,” Alphys offered softly. Her fingers were moving rapidly in an efficient contrast.

That was news to Edge, “When was this?”

“eh, couple days ago,” Rus said easily, “alphys and i were talking about some stuff.”

“what stuff?” Red said suspiciously, cracking open a socket. That Red hadn’t known Rus and Alphys were talking would not sit well with him and Edge found some discomfort in it, too. Alphys could be fragile and Undyne was very protective. He made a mental note to ask her if she was aware of their resident fashion victim making yet another friend to add to his collection.

Rus only smiled cheekily, “just stuff. science stuff.”

“oh, yeah, grad student?” Red sat up, scowling, “alphys knows her shit, you askin’ for theories? what’s your thesis on, anyway?”

“Don’t move!” Alphys squeaked. She left the controls and darted over to push on Red’s chest until he reluctantly subsided back to the chair. “He’s only t-t-teasing you, we talked about anime!”

“oh, ain’t that kawaii,” Red cooed, though his sugar-sweet tone did not match his scowl. “still didn’t tell me about your thesis.”

“nope, i didn’t,” Rus agreed cheerily. “it’s about this and that.”

That maniacal gleam in Rus’s eye lights was terribly reminiscent of Red and Edge was starting to think it might be better to for them to leave. This was partly his fault, he knew Red was on the fence about Rus, he shouldn’t have dragged the other skeleton into helping him corner his brother. Even if he’d been terribly effective at it.

“so, tell me,” Red challenged.

For all that his teeth were blunt, Rus’s grin was sharp enough to cut glass. “dunno, it might be over your head. your understanding might fall short.”

For a moment, Edge was honestly concerned his brother might attack Rus and that would lead to a very uncomfortable talk with the Institute.

Then Red threw his head back and roared a laugh, pounding on the armrest hard enough to jar the entire chair. He ignored Alphys’s hiss, turning in the chair to toss back at Rus, “that’s kinda high and mighty of ya, think it’s a stretch to assume.”

“maybe, but you’re probably used to low blows.”

“it’s a tall order.”

“yeah, i wouldn’t want to overlook you, don’t want to stoop that low.”

The entire exchange was making Edge regret several life choices, but Alphys was smiling faintly. With a jolt, Edge realized she’d already begun the treatment and Red hadn’t even noticed, too busy defending his honor as the resident punster. Normally, his brother would be lying in the chair, fists clenched and sweat dripping while he struggled to allow the machine to do its work. Now he was distracted and gleefully antagonistic, firing back pun after pun. The machine finished before they did and it was only Edge taking hold of Rus’s arm, pulling him along, that finally ended the war.

“—need to work on your low standards!” Rus called as Edge tugged him out the door.

Before it could swing shut, he could hear Red crow triumphantly, “you already used that one! next time i’ll hafta ride on your shoulders and teach you the way of the jedi!”

Rus laughed delightedly, finally allowing Edge to lead him away. “he’s a goblin, but he’s got jokes.”

“Very apt,” Edge said dryly. They were in one of the walkways that led to Alphys’s lab with few overhead lights. Not as open as the umbilicus that she was testing, but still filled with portholes that revealed the aurora starting overhead. The soft greens cast shadows that moved eerily in the dimness. “Thank you for your help, I’ll let you get back to your work.”

“nah, it’s cool,” Rus tucked his hands in his pockets, rocking on his heels. “i’ve got some numbers to compile before i can do anything else.” He paused, sockets hooded and his eye lights soft, then asked, “did you want to come back to my room?”

It was as blatant an offer as they’d ever exchange, no safety net of teasing flirtation, and Edge hesitated. It was tempting, the warmth of invitation in Rus’s eye lights promised a very good time. Despite Undyne’s insinuations, Edge was not a virgin, but it had been a long while, since before they’d come to the surface. The urge to see Rus’s face twisted with pleasure, to hear the delightful sounds he would make waged a brief war with his sense of responsibility.

So very tempting, but he had duties to fulfill, ones that he’d already set aside to deal with Red.

“I can’t,” Edge told him, quietly. He braced himself for some form of persuasion, some new enticement he’d need to resist, wondered distantly at the limits of his control.

But Rus only nodded. “okay. see you around.”

“Wait.”

He stopped, head tilted curiously, and his pale bones were tinted with the aurora light creeping in. Edge stepped in close, lifting his chin to press their mouths together. The taint of cigarettes had faded and there was only sweetness, his tongue moving boldly against Edge’s, sharing that honeyed flavor even as he stole a taste of his own. A hand settled on Edge’s face, cool bone against his overheated skull and Edge was forced to swallow a moan. They parted reluctantly, and Edge could feel the pocket of warmth between them, their magic responding with mindless eagerness.

“I can’t right now,” Edge corrected his own words.

Rus gave him a small, secret smile. “yeah. soon then, edgelord.” He started to turn away then stopped, “wait, shit, all my equipment is still in the locker up front.”

Edge barely hesitated before taking out his keys, the mass of them jangling loudly as he removed one and tossed it to Rus. He nearly fumbled it, managed to grab it before it fell to the ground. “Don’t lose it.”

“oooh, exchanging keys already,” Rus winked at him, ignoring Edge’s exasperated huff. Edge only gave him a hard look until Rus smiled wryly, making a little cross over his soul with one finger. “i won’t lose it, promise.”

“See that you don’t.” He turned and walked away then, before the simmer of temptation became too much to bear.

~~*~~

He had cause to regret it later.

On his last check of the station before he went to bed, Edge heard muffled laughter coming from the kitchen. Familiar, loud laughter and he sighed inwardly and went to check.

What he found made him sigh again, this time in aggravation. Undyne, of course, with two of the female researchers and Rus. One of the bottles on the table in front of them was a dead soldier and the other was half-empty. Not much for Undyne, but from the glassy eyes and giggles from her companions, they'd had their fair share.

Rus beamed at him, only slightly more enthusiastically than the researchers, and an echo of slurred 'boss!' carried towards him. He shook his head. "Undyne--"

"Aww, calm down," she hiccoughed, laughing raucously, "didn't hurt the precious! he's only had like two!

"Yes, and skeleton Monsters don't possess a liver,” Edge crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his second-in-command. “Our tolerance is completely dependent on our weight and level of magic. Would you care to hazard a guess as to what he weighs?"

Undyne blinked owlishly, considering, and then to his horror, she scooped Rus up, hefting him as he squealed a laugh. She laughed with him, spinning around sloppily before finally dumping him gently on top of the table where he sagged, sprawling across it.

“again!” Rus giggled weakly.

“Huh,” Undyne prodded at him with one clawed finger. It must have tickled, because Rus nearly spasmed, his laughter doubling. “Prolly enough that two drinks hit him like a sledgehammer.”

“You think?” It took a little effort to gather him up. Drinking made Rus surprising noodly for a skeleton, limbs escaping to hang limply while Edge tried grimly to hold him close. “Come on, time for bed.”

That got his attention. Rus squirmed in his arms, ostensibly trying to help Edge hold on as he wound his arms around Edge’s neck. "you're taking me to bed? again?”

Undyne snorted loudly and Edge felt his cheekbones heat. He liked to think they hadn’t been entirely blatant in their flirting, but now the two researchers were perking up with visible interest. Lovely, the rest of the station would know by morning. He wondered grouchily if Rus had inadvertently just won someone a bet. Probably his brother.

“Can you get these two to bed?” Edge asked her, ignoring all looks, both curious and knowing, along with Rus snuggling happily into his arms.

“Yeah, I got ‘em,” Undyne gave him a needle-sharp smile, “Have a good night, boss.”

Tomorrow, he was going to remind himself why he couldn’t kill her. For tonight, it was simply a good thing that his hands were full.

“Come on,” Edge sighed, shouldering open the door. Rus wasn’t heavy, but he was awkward to carry, and his hands weren’t still, tracing his cervical vertebrae with only slightly clumsy fingers. The touch made him shiver and Edge walked a bit faster.

“I hope you have a laundry token,” Edge told him, “Your shirt needs washed, you smell like a distillery.”

“s’your shirt, isn’t it?” Rus slurred. One of his hands slithered down, making Edge bite back a hiss, and plucked at his shirtfront.

He almost denied it, but, “Yes,” Edge agreed, softly. “I gave you some of my clothes.”

Rus’s beamed up at him triumphantly, “knew they were yours! they smelled like you.” He lifted his head, whispering too loudly into Edge’s audial canal, “firs’ i was thinking you felt sorry for me, but then i thought...i thought maybe you liked me? did you like me?”

The hopefulness in his voice hinted at something desperate, perhaps only drunken melancholy, Edge couldn’t know. Better if he didn’t acknowledge it, and Edge said, lightly, "What's not to like?"

Rus scrunched up his face and blew a sloppy raspberry, and Edge bit back an exasperated smile. “lotsa people don't like me.”

“I can't even begin to imagine why, Rus,” Edge told him honestly. Certainly he’d charmed his way into the station, Monsters and researchers both.

“i dunno, either,” Rus said, sullenly. “but they don't. He looked up and his sockets were engulfed with his eye lights, hazily wide and pleading. “do you like me?"

It was far too easy to admit. "Yes. I like you.”

“i knew it!” Rus crowed. “only, i didn' really know it. but i thought it. i hoped it.” He fell silent, snuggling into Edge’s arms as he whispered, “you’re not staying in my room, are you.”

Again, that faint hint of unhappiness, of desperation. But staying while Rus was like this, drunkenly tempting, was out of the question. Edge settled on a compromise. “I can stay until you’re asleep.”

“’kay,” Rus agreed, and Edge thought ruefully he was in for a short wait. Possibly only long enough to settle him on the bed, Rus was already drowsing in his arms, one hand clutching the front of Edge’s shirt as if to keep him close. It loosened easily enough as Edge set him into his bunk, taking off his shoes and tucking his blanket around him.

Rus barely stirred as Edge pressed a light kiss to his browbone. His scent was whiskey-tainted, but Edge breathed it in anyway.

“I do like you,” Edge whispered to him, tracing the angular line of his jaw with a single finger. Rus didn’t so much as murmur an acknowledgement, only breathed softly, evenly in sleep.

Next time, Edge told himself, next time he would stay.

Whatever his misgivings were, he no longer cared. Rus was a growing temptation in body and soul, Edge was finished resisting.

~~*~~

tbc

#spicyhoney #papcest #keelywolfe #underfell #underswap #underfell papyrus #underswap papyrus #underfell sans #alphys #undyne #beneath an aurora sky

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marco-pierre · 4 years

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Dinner Party || Rory, Marco, & Gen

Where: Marco and Rory Pierre’s Home Who: The Pierre Siblings and Genevieve Debarbarac Notes: Marco invites Gen over to his home for dinner and to formally meet his sister Rory.

@genxdebarbarac @rory-of-nantes

Marco

Marco was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, trying to get everything ready for the dinner with Gen and Rory, He knew he didn't have to do anything fancy because Gen would totally be against that. She was all about keeping things simple, and because he couldn't cook, he ordered food from an Italian restaurant, making sure to have some vegan options for Rory. He did make dessert though, he made a vegan chocolate cake. He learned to make vegan desserts for Rory when she decided that she was going to be one and because of all her allergies. He was setting the table, making sure everything was perfect, he really wanted the night to go perfectly, but he wasn't looking forward to doing his pirate voice for Gen, but he made a bet and he was going to follow through. He walked over to Rory's room and opened the door, Hey, are you ready? Gen is going to be here soon.

Rory

Rory was glad Marco was on board for having Gen over for dinner. After her brief meeting with the woman and then her conversation about the woman with her brother, she wanted them all to be able to get together. Since Gen made Marco very happy, she really wanted to get to know her better, maybe even become friends. The day of the planned dinner party, she had offered to help her brother get everything ready; but since she'd been feeling a bit under the weather that morning, it was decided she'd be better taking it easy so she was ready to go once Gen arrived. So she was curled up on her bed, reading a book and waiting to be summoned for food. Catching sight of her bedroom door opening, she glanced up from her book, watching as her brother signed. Nodding, she hopped off her bed and tossed her book onto her quilt. I'm ready... Are you ready? I don't see an eyepatch or a hat. She teased.

Gen

Gen was...a little nervous. Okay, a lot nervous. She didn't do relationships and serious feelings yet..here she was, about to officially 'meet the family' (or, well, sibling at least). And even though she'd already met Rory, this was different. And as much as she tried to pretend things with Marco were just casual.....they weren't. Clearly. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so nervous right now. Or trying so hard to make a good impression. So here she was, in a nice pair of jeans and a new top Solenn got for her, hair actually brushed and picked up and she came armed with a bottle of wine and vegan brownies she got from a bakery after Marco told her Rory was vegan. She hesitated in front of the door, letting out a shaky breath before knocking and waiting, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Marco

Marco rolled his eyes at Rory when she talked about his eye patch and hat, I'll bring them out later on in the evening, now come on she should be here soon. He was so nervous and excited about tonight, it was nice to have his sister and his special lady in one place, bonding, and hopefully becoming friends. He looked back when he heard the knock on the door, She's here! He quickly walked out the door and headed to his front door. He stopped at the mirror and gave himself a final glance before opening the door. He smiled when he saw her standing there. She looked beautiful in just her casual outfit, "Hey...you look beautiful." He leaned in and kissed her sweetly on her lips. "I am so glad you came." He stepped back, "Please, come in." He closed the door behind her and went over to Rory with Gen, Sis, you remember Gen.

Rory

If Rory was going to be staying with Marco long-term, they'd definitely have to invest in one of those flashing doorbells like back at their parents' house. It'd be nice to know when someone was at the door without relying on her brother to tell her. Following several paces behind her brother, as he went to greet Gen at the door, she waited off to the side, figuring it best to give the not yet official couple some space. As Marco led Gen over to where she was standing, Rory offered up a warm smile, extending her hand for a shake. "Hi. It's so good to see you again."

Gen

When the door opened and Gen saw him there she let out a breath, relief starting to flow through her a bit- because as nervous as she was, she still consistently felt a sense of calm around him every time. She leaned up, kissing him back softly and smiling at him, "Well thank you. And yeah, of course. I've been looking forward to it..and I hope I don't make an ass out of myself." She tacked on, wrinkling her nose a bit at him. She let him lead the way in and when she spotted Rory again she gave her a bright smile, waving and reaching her hand over to shake it, "It's good to see you too." she lifted her other arm then, holding the bag up, "I um..I brought some stuff. Some wine, and some brownies. Marco told me you're vegan?"

Marco

Marco smiled as Gen kissed him back, he would never get tired of how perfect her lips felt against his. He shook his head hearing her comment, "There's no way you could do that, you are too amazing to make an ass out of yourself." He had no doubt that things would work out and Gen and Rory would be amazing. He watched as two of the most special women in his life talked and he couldn't stop smiling. He liked that Gen remembered that Rory was vegan, she was really trying to impress her and that meant a lot. He scrunched his brow at the fact that Gen bought brownies, he signed and spoke this to Gen and Rory "You actually brought baked goods in this house? Argh...ye matey, how dare you undermine my baking abilities?" He smirked and looked right at Rory, knowing she would get it.

Rory

Rory was impressed. Not only had Marco told Gen she was vegan; but Gen had remembered and brought something they could hopefully all enjoy. She just hoped Marco also told Gen about her numerous food allergies... Nothing worse than those brownies being vegan but still containing soy or one of the fruits or tree nuts she couldn’t eat. “I am.” She glanced down at the tray of brownies, offering out a hand to take something from the other woman’s arms, her gaze shifting towards her brother as she noticed him begin to sign. She saw his words. And his facial expression. And all she could do was shake her head and let out a heavy yet moderately pained sigh. Not good enough. She signed back before once again offering to take something from Gen’s arms. “I’ll bring these into the kitchen.” With that said, she started towards the kitchen before Marco could comment further on the fact his pirate voice wasn’t good enough.

Gen

“Okay great. I asked the lady behind the counter to make sure there’s nothing in them at all. No nuts or fruits or anything. They’re technically blondies actually so..I hope you like them.” And she hoped they were the right thing. As she stepped more into the house then though, Marco started speaking....weirdly and Gen shot him a confused look, a little frown tugging on her lips before she looked between the two siblings. Obviously, some kind of inside joke and she let out a laugh, scratching at the back of her neck, “I..think I’m missing something here huh.” She asked teasingly, and even though she was still confused she was still smiling as she shook her head and gave Marco a nudge “And I’m not doubting your abilities at all. Just figured baked goods are always appreciated.”

Marco

Marco scoffed at Rory when she said his voice wasn't good enough, she was definitely not going to make this easy on him. It was obvious that Gen was confused by all of this and he wanted to tell her so bad what was going on, but he couldn't. She started to laugh a bit, which was good, she was going with the flow and he knew this would all be fine when he was able to explain it to her. Her little nudge and comment made him smile, "That is true, baked goods are always appreciated." He leaned down and kissed her cheek, "I hope you're hungry, we are having Italian tonight." He took her hand and led her into the dining room where Rory was. "Did you grab the drinks from the kitchen? Or do I need to grab them?"

Rory

After bringing the brownies and wine from Gen into the kitchen and placing them on the counter, Rory decided to start bringing the drinks, bowls, and plates Marco had previously prepared into the dining room where they’d be eating. That way, they could all just sit down and begin eating once the not yet official couple was ready. Besides, she was hungry and didn’t want to have to wait longer than necessary, especially since the food smelled delicious. And the restaurant her brother had picked had a vegan parmigiana di melanzane, one of her favorite Italian dishes. Setting the table, she turned towards the dining room’s entrance as she felt the vibrations of footsteps coming towards her. I poured us each a glass of water. I haven’t brought the wine in yet if you and Gen want some of that. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be partaking in the wine due to health reasons.

Gen

Gen followed them through the apartment, trying not to feel awkward or nervous- especially whenever they signed to each other. It was just all the more reason she wanted to learn how to sign. "Italian sounds perfect. I'm not picky. I eat literally everything. Except for olives. That's just the one thing I don't like. Or canned tuna." She wrinkled her nose, shaking her head as she said it. She followed along to the dining room, moving to the table but before she sat down she turned to look between them, "Can I help with anything?"

Marco

Marco was glad that Rory finished bringing in the things from the kitchen except for the wine. Okay, I'll grab that. He looked over at Gen as she offered to help, "Nah I got it, I'm just going to grab the wine." He was about to head in the kitchen, but stopped and turned to face the ladies, "You guys go ahead and start making your plates.” He smiled and headed into the kitchen. He quickly grabbed the wine and two glasses and headed back out. He took his seat and opened the wine, pouring a glass for him and Gen. "Here you go, so how has your day been Gen?" He signed and spoke so everyone was involved in the conversation.

Rory

When Marco said he’d fetch the wine, Rory just nodded before taking a seat and beginning to fix her plate. And after a moment, she shifted her gaze to where Gen was sitting. “I’m really glad you could join us for dinner.” She stated before quickly glancing in the direction of the kitchen to ensure Marco hadn’t returned yet. When she didn’t see him, she was about to speak up again but stopped when she caught him out of the corner of her eye, instead once more returning her attention to fixing her plate before turning her attention to her brother and Gen, watching as Marco signed so she was fully included in the conversation.

Gen

Gen nodded and grabbed a plate so she could begin serving herself, humming happily at how good it all smelled. When Rory's voice hit her ears she looked up, smiling at the other girl, "I'm glad you invited me. I really do want to spend more time with you. Get to know you." and I want you to like me went unsaid in her head. She noticed how Rory looked over to the kitchen like she was going to say something more but then stopped. She didn't comment on it and just smiled as Marco came back. She sat down beside the man, thanking him softly as he poured her wine before she shrugged, "It's been alright. I only had to do some inventory at the restaurant today, so I got to leave early." She looked between them but was always conscious to keep her face angled towards Rory so the girl could read her lips. "How've your days been? Getting used to living together again?"

Marco

Marco began eating his food and everything seemed to be going well. He listened as Gen was telling them about her day, it seemed pretty normal with work. Her question made him shrug his shoulders, "My day was good, I went and did my workout this morning, went to the Nantes House to do some work, and then came home to get the house cleaned up for dinner." He smiled and looked over at Rory, "Argh....what was ye day like matey? Argh..." He was starting to get a bit embarrassed by his pirate voice, but he had to do it. He gave Rory a That's it look. “Having Rory back home is good, I missed her, but I do have to get used to having someone else in the house.” He smiled and took a bite of his food.

Rory

The smirk widened even further upon Rory’s face as she watched Marco do his pirate voice again, complete with the facial expressions she loved so dearly as a young child. Honestly, I was hoping for some pirate-themed pickup line to be used, Captain; but I suppose that’ll do. She signed back before turning her attention from her brother to Gen, the smirk still upon her face. “My brother was a pirate in a past life. All about that booty and that chest.” She couldn’t help the laughter that escaped her lips as she said such words... All part of her job description as the annoying baby sister.

Gen

As they all settled, Gen took a sip of the wine, hoping the alcohol might help calm her nerves a bit as Marco spoke about his day. But then came that ridiculous voice and she looked between them, seeing Rory beginning to crack up and Gen huffed out a breath, a bemused smile on her lips, "I'm missing something here...--" Rory soon explained just what he was doing and once she did Gen laughed, shaking her head, "Oh my god." she gasped in between her laughter. "All about the booty huh?" She asked, smirking and knocking her elbow lightly into Marco's just to tease him more as she saw a blush actually coloring his cheeks. "Good to know."

Marco

Marco was so relieved that Rory said he didn't have to do the voice anymore, it was clearly confusing Gen, and he didn't like leaving her out of the joke. He took a sip of his wine when Rory explained that he was a pirate in his past life, and was all about the booty and chest. He almost choked on his wine, and his eyes went wide and fell right onto Gen. He couldn't believe that Rory said that...he was so embarrassed. Thankfully Gen played right along, making this a little less embarrassing. He smiled at her response, "Don't forget the chest little one." He winked at her, "Argh..." This time his tone was a bit more sensual and he made sure to look away from Rory, this was just for Gen.

Rory

Marco’s reaction to her words was utterly priceless; and Rory couldn’t help but laugh even harder, so much so that she caused herself to snort... which only made her giggle even more, the playful smirk still wide upon her face as she watched the exchange better her brother and Gen, taking note of how they both responded. And then her brother turned away from her to say something, which caused her to grow curious. She took the moment to stop and take a drink in an attempt to calm her laughter as her chest was starting to hurt, something she definitely didn’t want Marco to notice. She then sent one more glance between her brother and Gen before shifting her attention to the food on her plate.

Gen

Honestly, Gen was just the tiniest bit jealous: it must be nice to have a sibling, to have such long-standing inside jokes like they did. She saw the smiles between them, how Rory was happily teasing her big brother and it just made Gen smile. She may not have that, but at least someone as wonderful as Marco did. When he responded quietly back to her, it was now Gen's turn to blush and she cleared her throat, reaching for her glass of wine, "Maybe if you're lucky I'll let you pillage later." she shot back, mumbled into the glass before she took a long drink from it, her eyes glancing up to the Dom beside her. He wasn't the only one who could tease. Finally, though she shifted on the seat and took her fork so she could start eating before she reached over, tapping her fingers on the table a bit so the vibrations and the motion could get Rory's attention. "So..I remembered that you traveled? Where are some places you've gone to?"

Marco

Marco loved that he and Gen could banter with ease, it made for a fun time. She started teasing him back and talked about pillaging her later, and he licked his lips, "I'm feeling really lucky, so a pillaging I will go later. I need to find me treasure." He smirked and took a long sip of his wine. He turned to eat his food and smiled when Gen asked Rory about her travels and he knew she could go on for a long time with that topic. "She has been all over the world and seen a lot of things. I have to admit, still a bit jealous of that."

Rory

As Rory felt the vibrations on the table like someone was tapping to get her attention, she glanced up, turning to face Gen as she saw her lips moving. She then saw Marco sign, and she figured she’d add her own response to Gen’s question. “I’ve been to over forty countries in the past six years or so.” She began, stopping to take another sip of water. “It’s hard to pick favorites, but I think I got the most out of my trips to Brazil and India.” Other than the USA/Canada, she’d also spent the most time in both those countries. And if she was going to revisit any countries she’d gone to already, they’d be the two she’d go back to in a heartbeat. “I spent six months backpacking throughout Brazil and the Amazon. Just incredible... And I spent three months in India with my best friend from uni.”

Gen

Gen hoped her blush wasn't too apparent on her face as he spoke but even then she rolled her eyes, smiling amusedly. She knocked her knee against his under the table before looking to Rory, letting her speak. Gen nearly dropped her fork then though, her eyes widening. "Forty?" she was stunned, clearly. She'd never even left the city let alone the country...it was a bit overwhelming to even think about. Also more than a little envious. "Backpacking...living in places for months..wow...." she let out a breath, shaking her head, "I can't even wrap my head around that." She agreed with a laugh. "What brought you back?"

Marco

Marco smirked and knocked his knee with Gen. He then turned his attention back to Rory. He was very proud of her for going out and fulfilling her dreams and seeing so much of the world. He chuckled at Gen's reaction to hearing about her travels, it was a lot. "She has seen a lot, and yes she has brought back a lot as well, you should see her room." He laughed, and looked at Rory when Gen asked her what brought her back? It was something he wanted to know as well, so he listened closely.

Rory

“If you want to see my room after we eat, I can definitely show you some of the photos I’ve taken and all the, um, souvenirs.” Rory’s room was full of them. She liked filling her living space with little reminders of everywhere she’d been. They made her smile, brought back wonderful memories. Though when Gen asked what brought her back to Vannes, she grew quiet, chewing at her lip for a moment and shifting her gaze down to the food on her plate. If Marco and Gen became official, she’d be seeing a lot of the other submissive; and it would probably be good for her to know the truth about her heart condition, just in case. But at the same time, she wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to fully disclose that information. It was something she still struggled to tell new people for fear they’d begin to treat her differently. So she took the time to contemplate her response, finally deciding maybe a little bit of the truth would be best. “Um, for health reasons.” She began, glancing back up so she could watch Gen’s reaction as well as Marco’s since he appeared to be invested in her response as well. “I have a heart defect.”

Gen

"Oh? Yeah, I'd love to see your room!" Gen agreed with a smile, speaking in between bites of the delicious food. She knew she'd never go to half the places in the world she wanted to, but it'd still be nice to live vicariously. Things went quiet when she'd asked why Rory came back and she immediately felt bad, felt like she'd overstepped. Clearly, it wasn't her place... She was about to apologize, to say Rory absolutely didn't have to answer her- when she did. Health reasons, heart defect... her eyes widened slightly, her lips parting, "Oh, I..." she bit her lip, not really knowing how to respond. Apologizing clearly wasn't the right way to go. What was there to be sorry for? She figured it wouldn't be something appreciated. "Well, I hope being here helps."

Marco

Marco smiled hearing Rory was willing to show Gen her rooms and all her souvenirs she collected along the way. "You could be in there for hours going through all of those." He laughed but then he intently listened to Rory talk about her health issues, he knew of somethings that was going on with her, but he wondered if she was hiding anything from him, not that she would tell Gen while he was sitting there. He nodded when she mentioned her heart defect, "She's been dealing with this since birth, but has managed it up to this point." That was the real reason he insisted she moved in with him, he wanted to keep an eye on her.

Rory

Since Marco shared she’d been dealing with the heart defect since birth, Rory figured there wasn’t much else to say about her condition right about now. She could tell that her mentioning it had caused a bit of uncomfortable tension with Gen. That certainly hadn’t been her intention. She just figured the other submissive should be aware in the event of an emergency. “Being back does help. My family has always been very supportive, especially Marco.” She decided to share, playfully kicking her brother’s shin underneath the table. “Total lifesaver of a big brother.” And a lifesaver in every sense of the word. He’d been there for her through the worst of things.

Gen

Gen listened as they explained about Rory's condition, how she was born with it. Again the apology was on her tongue she swallowed it down and just nodded, "Well, it seems like you've managed amazingly so far." She told her with a smile, keeping her eyes over at the other woman. When Rory mentioned her family, Gen looked up to Marco and smiled softly, nodding, "I can imagine. I've only known him for...is it almost two months?" She asked, directing the question at him (and then feeling her heart flip because it'd been so much time, and yet he wasn't gone yet...) before she looked back to Rory, "He's definitely a protector. I'm glad he's there for you, and you two can have this time together again."

Marco

Marco wanted nothing more than to be there for Rory and he was going to do anything he could for her. His heart melted a bit hearing how she talked about him and their family. He wasn't doing anything special, just what families did for one another. He waved his hand, "I'm nothing special, just doing what a big brother does." He smiled and looked at Gen, "Yeah it's been two months...wow, time really flies when you're having fun doesn't it?" He smirked and tapped her knee underneath the table. He didn't need all this praise from the two of them, it's overwhelming. "Would you two stop it, you're making me blush. I like taking care of the people I care about. I am grateful to have my sister here with me and I am glad to have you in my life Gen. I'll always be here for the both of you." He smiled, "Now can we stop with all this mushy stuff and eat?"

Rory

“You’re special to me, Marco.” Rory left it at that. He said he was only doing what a big brother was supposed to do, but she knew that wasn’t fully true. He’d always gone above and beyond for her, more than was required because he was her brother. And that’s why she thought of him as her best friend too... Though she’d never admit that to him. Went against the whole ruse of the annoying baby sister act. “And I’ve years of messing with you to make up for. Deal with it.” She stuck her tongue out at him before switching to signing briefly. Also, remind me I have something I want to talk to you about later. He’d probably be able to see in her eyes that whatever it was was more on the serious side. But she didn’t let that look linger for long, instead once again returning her attention to the food on her plate and taking a bite. After all, he had said to stop with all the mushy stuff. “So Gen, how’s the food?”

Gen

Gen hesitated for a second before looking up at him, "You're special to me too." she told Marco softly, biting her lip for a moment before looking away and taking a long drink from her glass of wine. She caught Rory signing to Marco, obviously something she wasn't supposed to know and she glanced away, focusing on her food. She took a few more bites, looking up when her name was called and she smiled, "It's good. Really good. I'm definitely not picky when it comes to food so..I'll pretty much eat anything." She told her with a laugh. "My favorite is Mexican food. Or pizza."

Marco

Marco smiled at Gen, it meant a lot to him to hear her say that. It was definitely a step in the right direction. He raised his brow when Rory said she had something to tell him. Okay... It seemed like it was serious but he wasn't going to press her about it now. He shifted his attention to Gen and smiled as she talked about her not being picky. "I was told that she eats like a twelve-year-old boy. He laughed. "But I don't mind since I'm not too far off from a twelve-year-old boy myself."

Rory

"I guess it's a good thing Vannes has plenty of eateries then, yeah?" Rory commented before once again shifting her attention to the food on her plate. She was determined to finish her meal without letting it go too cold. Taking several bites, she glanced back up, turning to face Gen so she could watch the other submissive's lips for a response. "Have you ever made your own pizza? Like completely from scratch?" It was something she'd gotten the opportunity to learn how to do properly while in Italy. She was already planning on teaching Marco what she'd learned, but maybe she could try and teach Gen something too. It might be a nice way for them to get to know one another better.

Gen

Gen laughed again, shrugging, "Hey, twelve-year-old boys get great food! I mean- pizza, wings, burgers, fries? What more could you want." She asked teasingly. She suddenly flushed though as she remembered that...right. Rory was vegan. She definitely didn't eat any of that. She hesitated a second before looking over at the other girl, "Sorry." She said--as well as bringing her hand to her chest and signing it, one of the few she'd managed to memorize thanks to Youtube. She took another long drink from her glass, nearly emptying it before looking back and shaking her head, "Oh, uh..no. Never. I'm kind of a disaster in the kitchen.."

Marco

Marco laughed, "I couldn't have said it better myself, twelve-year-old boys eat amazing food." He laughed but saw she felt bad and apologized to Rory for the non-vegan food she named off. "I don't think she minds, she used to me eating all the foods she doesn’t eat." He smiled seeing she even signed for her. He couldn't wait to teach her more. He shook his head and interjected, "Don't listen to that sis, she is a great sous chef. We made brownies together, so I think she can manage pizza."

Rory

When Gen apologized, a small smile began to form upon Rory's face as the other signed along and spoke. It was nice to know she was already picking up some signs. But the smile faltered and was quickly replaced by a look of confusion. Why was Gen apologizing? She had no idea, not until she saw Marco start to sign. "Vegans eat pizza. And wings. And burgers. And fries." She shared. Obviously, they were, for the most part, different than what most people were used to, especially the wings and burgers. But there were vegan options for pretty much anything, even bacon, and steaks. "I actually love a good burger." She shared before reaching to take a sip of her water. "Well, I took a pizza-making class while in Italy if you'd ever like to learn. I also learned how to make fresh pasta too." Since she was a self-proclaimed foodie (despite all her food allergies), she'd made sure to learn as much about local cuisines wherever she went. The cooking classes she'd gotten to take were always some of her favorite memories.

Gen

Gen was still so nervous and she just needed to relax. She leaned over to take the bottle of wine to refill her glass, going ahead to top off Marco's as well before she looked over, glad to see that Rory wasn't offended or anything. "I've had a mushroom burger before, it was pretty good...granted, it had cheese on it. And ranch but..yeah." she laughed, scratching the back of her neck lightly. Culinary classes in Italy. It sounded like a dream. "That actually sounds pretty great! The pizza and the pasta." She smiled still as she looked up at Marco, "You have a lot of faith in me not burning down your kitchen though."

Marco

Marco shook his head, he couldn't lie, he was not that into all the vegan foods. He scrunched his face, "I am not a fan of mushrooms, so a mushroom burger does not sound appealing to me." He was impressed that Rory took cooking classes in Italy, it was something that he was definitely interested in. "I would totally be down for some pasta and pizza making." He smiled at Gen, "Total faith...." He signed it as well so Rory would see he was taking her advice.

Rory

Marco didn’t like mushrooms? Challenge accepted. Rory wouldn’t go for the typical mushroom burger, but now she was determined to find some vegan option secretly starring mushrooms that her brother would actually like. Probably in the form of ‘meatballs. That would be a safe option. Plus mushroom 'meatballs atop pasta with a cashew milk Alfredo sauce mixed with broccoli was to die for! “Well, then I guess I’ll have to see what I remember and pass on that knowledge.” It has been a few years since she was in Italy; but between the fact she’d always had a good memory and the fact she blogged nearly everything, she knew she’d be able to recall enough about both cooking classes to teach Marco and/or Gen if they really wanted.

Gen

"Hey, some mushrooms are great! Like mixed in with a good chicken and pasta dish? Or on burgers? amazing. But it's only certain types I like, and they have to at least be cooked with some oil and garlic- garlic makes everything better." She announced with a nod, smiling brightly. "But anyway, yeah. Making pizza sounds great. ..Can we throw in garlic knots too? ..It's like the same bread right? Or..well, dough?" Clearly, she was excited with the prospect--or maybe just really liked pizza. Either way, she was looking forward to learning and spending more time with Marco- and with Rory.

Marco

Marco shook his head, "Nope, not a fan. I just don't think anything called a fungus should be eaten." He didn't think he would be convinced that any type of mushrooms would be something he would enjoy. He looked over at Rory, "I'm sure you will remember everything, you have an amazing memory." Seeing the excitement on Gen's face was something he would never get enough of, she was so adorable when she was excited. "I'm sure we can make garlic knots, I do know how to make my own garlic butter." He tried to make it sound like he was doing something special, but really it wasn't hard or a lot of work at all.

Rory

“Because he’s a fungi!” Rory blurted out, unable to keep from laughing at her own stupid pun, looking between Marco and Gen to see if either of them understood the joke. Taking a sip of her water, she calmed herself down from the outburst of laughter. “I’ve never made garlic knots; but I’ll find a recipe, okay?” She didn’t think they’d be that difficult. She’d definitely prepared far more complicated recipes before.

Gen

Gen was surprised by Rory's little outburst but she couldn't help but laugh along with her at the ridiculousness of it, giggling as she shook her head fondly. She liked being here, spending time with them. If only she could stop being so damn nervous and worried that she might slip up or do or say something dumb. She sipped her wine again, smiling at Marco. "Oh man..garlic butter? A man after my own heart." She said it more as a teasing joke but...well...it really wasn't all that far off from the truth either, was it? Instead of thinking more on it she looked back to Rory and nodded, "Sounds amazing. Are all your family members good in the kitchen?" she asked with a smile, loving to potentially learn more about their family.

Marco

Marco rolled his eyes and laughed hearing Rory's joke, "You are so lame, sis..." He shook his head, but he was totally laughing at her joke. He smiled at Gen, "I try to be...I want to be." He looked into her eyes deeply, so she could see the sincerity, he wanted to be the man after her heart. He smiled when she tried to change the subject, he was just going to let it go for now. He shook his head at her question, their dad and brother were crap in the kitchen, but he was going to let Rory answer.

Rory

At Gen's question, Rory just shook her head. The answer was as simple as that. Being skilled in the kitchen didn't exactly run in the Pierre family. "I had to learn to cook because of my allergies and then when I went vegan. And Marco here learned to cook after I went vegan so he could help out... Our maman's not a bad cook; though she doesn't experiment much. And our papa and brother... Well the less said about them in the kitchen, the better." She explained before once more stopping to take a bite of her food. It was starting to cool down thanks to the constant distraction of conversation. But she was enjoying the conversation too much to complain.

Gen

Gen felt her heart skip a beat, going double-time as he responded so quickly, so assuredly. And the way he looked at her... She felt a blush coloring her cheeks but chose to ignore it as she took a few more bites of her food- not minding that it wasn't as hot anymore since she really wasn't at all picky when it came to food. "It's nice of Marco to learn how to cook the foods you eat. Super sweet of you." Under the table she reached over, giving his leg a little squeeze. She still had a smile on her face as she looked to Rory, "And still, even if they're not the greatest in the kitchen..still must've been nice, growing up with a big family."

Marco

Marco smiled when he felt Gen's hand on his leg, it meant she got what he was trying to say, and all he needed to do was keep this up and hopefully they will be more than just friends that hang out. He blushed at her compliment, "She's my sister and I would do anything for her." He meant that he wanted to make Rory's life easier, but he was better at baking than he was at cooking. He laughed when Rory talked about her father and brother, "No way, we keep our brother and father out of the kitchen, they are more hopeless than you claim to be." He laughed.

Rory

Rory always found it nice when Marco would reassure her that he’d do anything for her. He’d gone above and beyond for her pretty much since she was born apparently. She had plenty of memories of her eldest brother being there for her, everything from learning to cook and bake foods she could eat to reading her stories before bed to playing dress-up and going on ‘adventures’ with her to helping her with her different treatments and therapies to always being there whenever she was hospitalized and doing everything in his power to return the smile to her face... The mere thoughts of all he’d done for her brought a wide smile to Rory’s face. She had a whole photo album somewhere of pics of them from when she was younger. She’d have to go dig that out to show Gen just how sweet and caring Marco could be. But she’d do that after dinner. “Usually I like to give others the benefit of the doubt, but our papa and brother are... Well, they’re considered safety hazards once you let them in the kitchen.” She grimaced. “Did you know it’s possible to burn water?” Well not technically; but one could let the water boil over to the point of it evaporating off the stovetop and causing the whole place to stink. Kinda funny looking back on it, actually.

Gen

Gen's smile softened as he spoke about Rory, how close they obviously were. She felt another pang inside herself, a longing for something she'd never had and never will. She took another bite of her food to focus on that instead of her feelings, knowing there was no use in letting herself get upset over it. It is what it is. As she mentioned burning water Gen happily focused on that instead and let out a laugh, shaking her head, "I didn't. But I feel like that's something I would do if left to my own devices in the kitchen." She teased, smiling at them. "Does your brother still live here in Breton too? Or just your parents?"

Marco

Marco laughed at the story that Rory told Gen about her brother burning the water, “It was something that we never thought was possible, but he proved us wrong. We should have known he would do something like that though, he was always focused on other things that were not in the kitchen. So when he put on the water and decided to take a nap, our house was smokey for a few hours." He laughed and shook his head, "No he lives in Milan with his Domme. They just had a baby and he is enjoying being a new parent." He smiled, feeling a small pang of envy because he wanted to be a parent someday himself, but he knew one day it would happen for him.

Rory

"Who thinks it a good idea to nap while cooking?" Rory still couldn't believe the ridiculousness of what happened. She hadn't thought burning water was really a thing until that day; and of course, being the annoying baby sister she was, she never let her brother forget it. She hadn't seen him in a while; but whenever she did, she 100% brought up the burnt water thing. "Anyway," She began, pushing her chair out and moving to stand up. "I'll be right back. Excuse me." She placed the napkin that had been on her lap down next to her plate before making her exit.

Gen

Gen laughed again at the story they were telling, shaking her head, "While I don't know anything about cooking, I do at least know that napping while there's some sort of heat or fire involved is very, very bad." She agreed, grinning. Her expression softened when he said they'd had a baby and she hummed, "That sounds nice." She didn't know Marco had been the only Dominant in his siblings, but she believed it--especially with how protective he was. It just made sense. She wanted to know more about the whole family...almost allowed herself to wonder if they maybe even vaguely knew about her. When Rory excused herself, Gen nodded, smiling and watching her go before she let out a breath and gave Marco a little smile, "I haven't made a total idiot out of myself yet right? Your sister does like me?"

Marco

Marco laughed so loud and shook his head, "Only our brother, he just figured someone else would fix his mess because we always did, but this time...he proved to us that he can't be trusted in the kitchen." He shook his head, "Because you are smarter than he was back then, but I think he has become a bit more responsible now that he's older and a parent." He loved talking about his family, especially with Gen. He wanted her to know everything about him like he wanted to know everything about her. He looked over as Rory excused herself from the table and nodded. He smiled back at Gen when they were alone, "You definitely have not, you are perfect. Rory already liked you, so now she likes you even more." He leaned in and kissed her deeply, pulling her almost in his lap. Once they pulled away he smiled at her, "I wanted to do that every time I looked over at you." He took her hand, "You have nothing to worry about, I told you that she would like you because you are a wonderful person, and because you make me happy."

Rory

After excusing herself from the dinner table, Rory made her way to her room in search of one particular photograph. Unfortunately, since she hadn’t finished unpacking, there were a few places where said photograph could be. But eventually, she found it, a triumphant smile widening across her face as she made her way back to the dinner table. “Here.” She began as she moved to sit down, handing the photograph to Gen. “Told you my brother was a pirate in a past life.” She smirked, sending a quick glance towards Marco to see his reaction. Of course, he didn’t know exactly what the photo was of; but she was sure Gen would show him when she commented on how cute he was (which she was also certain would happen). The photo featured one of her favorite memories, Marco wearing an eyepatch and tricorne hat while reading pirate adventures to little her before bed. At one point, the promise of storytime with her eldest brother had been the only thing to get Rory to cooperate when it came to wearing her nightly oxygen flow or corrective foot brace.

Gen

Gen listened as Marco spoke, his words flooding through her, leaving her warm and more assured and she smiled, nodding, "Okay, if you're sure." He knew his sister better than she did after all. He was leaning in then, kissing her long and slow and she couldn't stop the little noise she let out, wanting more. She was on the edge of her seat by the time they pulled apart, her face flushed and she let out a breath, smiling at him, "Well, we'll have to make up for lost time then later. That is....if..you wouldn't mind it? Me staying over?" She asked, biting her lip, almost hesitant. She heard Rory's steps again then and she shifted, tucking some hair behind her ear. She gave the girl a smile as she returned before she was handed a photo and she blinked in confusion, taking it. The image on it though made her laugh, made her 'awww' as she pulled it closer, inspecting it, "Oh god, this is so cute!"

Marco

Marco loved that Gen wanted to stay over, he wanted her to stay. He smiled, "I want you to stay little one, we have a lot to make up for." He was about to lean in and kiss her again, but Rory came back out and handed Gen a picture. "What is that?" His eyes got wide when he looked over her shoulder and saw exactly what the picture was, "Are you serious? You would show her that picture." He shook his head and covered his face. It wasn't until Gen said it was cute that he looked up, "You think so?" He asked shyly.

Rory

“What?” Rory inquired, the smirk widening even further upon her face at Marco’s reaction. Just think. Someday after you two claim, you’ll be able to do your pirate voice for your children. She signed that way Gen wouldn’t know what she was saying. And you can tell them about how you used to do that for their angel Auntie Rory. In a way, it was a sad thought for the brunette. She figured that at the rate things were currently going, she wouldn’t be around to watch her brother do his pirate voice for any future little nieces or nephews; but she did her best to hide any sadness such a thought brought about, instead she continued to focus on the photograph and on teasing her big brother. “It’s my favorite picture with you, Marco. I’m thinking of framing it and putting it on my desk! Actually, that’s exactly what I’m going to do!”

Gen

Gen grinned as she looked at the picture and nodded towards, "Oh of course! C'mon, look how adorable." She teased, turning it towards him before she shifted, taking out her phone. She was about to take a picture of it when she looked up, seeing Rory signing to Marco. She bit her lip, feeling a bit like she was intruding so she looked back down. Whatever it was...clearly they didn't want her to know. Trying not to feel awkward, she just took a picture of the photo for herself to have before handing it back over to Rory. "Framing it's another cute idea. I've always liked seeing old photos."

Marco

Marco sighed and shook his head, You need to stop, we are not even close to the claiming stage yet. He used to never think about claiming but since he met Gen, those thoughts would creep in from time to time. Would she even be interested in that? He wondered, but he wasn't going to think about it now. Besides, you can tell them yourself, you are going to be around for a very long time. He didn’t want to think about losing Rory. He looked over at Gen as she was seemingly taking a picture of his picture, "You did not just take a picture of that did you?" He shook his head, "Don't give her any ideas. I mean a photo album is a good place for it too."

Rory

I have years to make up for. I will never stop! Rory continued to tease, playfully sticking her tongue out at her brother before once again directing her attention to everyone at the table, wanting to ensure she didn’t exclude Gen for too long. “Maybe you can help me pick out the frame then. This photo does not belong in an album.”

Gen

Gen grinned at him, playfully waving her phone at him before shutting off the screen and effectively locking it. She moved to grab her wine glass again as they continued to sign and not speak, clearly having a conversation they didn't want her to know about. Once the other girl began speaking was when she finally focused again and she smiled, nodding, "Yeah of course. Do you have albums here too? Cause if you do I'd love to see more embarrassing kid photos." she teased, nudging into Marco's side.

Marco

Marco didn't want to leave Gen out of the conversation for too long, so he was glad when Rory started talking about picking out photo albums, but then it took a weird turn that he didn't like. "Oh come on...you don't need to see any more photos of me as a kid. I was not the cutest kid, especially not with this little girl around. I was invisible when she was around."

Rory

While Rory had paid attention to Marco's signing, she merely scoffed at her brother and turned her full attention towards Gen before speaking up again and placing the small flip album she'd grabbed along with the pirate photo on the table. "Oh, I have a few albums dedicated to the silly things Marco used to do to make me smile... I, um, I was a lot sicker as a child; and he always went above and beyond with his big brother duties to make sure I would be okay. Got me to do my nightly treatments with the promise of costumed storytime." She began, gesturing to the photo she'd brought out before continuing to list off some of the things Marco used to do for her, some of the reasons he was her favorite person. "Um, he drew silly faces on the masks whenever I was in the hospital. Played Candyland with me for hours and hours and let me win even though he'll say I beat him fair and square. Let me paint his nails bright pink and put on lipstick once or twice. Um, wore a tiara and jammed out to Disney songs, and had tea parties... I don't think any of the photos or things he did are embarrassing. I think they just show how amazing he is, how lucky I am." With that, she sent a quick glance to her brother before directing her attention back to Gen and smiling. It was the perfect opportunity to sneak in some more facts about why Marco was so incredible. She wanted Gen to truly know what a wonderful man he was, that she'd be an absolute fool to pass him up.

Gen

Gen just rolled her eyes in Marco’s direction, but then practically ignored his wanting them to stop in preference to look at the album Rory brought over. She leaned in to look at all the photos, a little smile on her lips as she looked at them all. It was admittedly a bit heartbreaking to see such a little girl with tubes and wires and masks, couldn’t imagine how hard that was. But all the stories Rory told her...she was lucky. She had such a wonderful brother. “He really is amazing.” Gen murmured softly, looking at Rory and then to Marco, the same soft little smile on her lips. She couldn’t believe someone was so....perfect. Perfect and actually wanted her. Marco could literally have anyone in the world with how sweet and charming and handsome he was... She let out a breath as she passed the album back, smiling over. “I wish I had albums of my own childhood photos.”

Marco

The last thing Marco wanted was for this conversation to turn into a praise party for something he would naturally do. Rory was his sister and he didn't think twice about doing what he could do to keep her happy. He figured any brother would do the same thing in his situation. He felt a full blush as Rory went on and in telling Gen all the ways they played together. He needed to step in here, "It wasn't that big of a deal, my sister had a raw deal dealt to her and needed to smile through her tough times, so I was just her personal goofball. My brother and I just wanted to see her smile and get through the more difficult times of her life." He didn't want acknowledgment for caring for his sister. He smiled as Gen commented, "You're amazing..." He wanted to kiss her so badly, it just seemed to happen when she was around. He felt a pang of sadness when she said she wished she had albums of her childhood, he wished the same for her. "Well since we can't change the past, we can work on making sure you never miss any more memories." He smiled and took her hand under the table.

Rory

Typical Marco not wanting to take any praise for the things he used to do. Rory merely shook her head at her brother's words and waved them off. "It was a big deal to me. Still is... So hush." She playfully stuck out her tongue before stopping to take a sip of her water, momentarily shifting her attention away from the conversation. When she once again shifted her attention back to both Marco and Gen, she noticed the dopey lovestruck look they both had in their eyes. It was sweet. She was happy for her big brother; though she had to laugh at his oblivious factor sometimes. Tucking the pirate photo safely into the photo album, she placed off to the side of the table, not wanting anything to happen to the captured memories. Her eyes then trailed to everyone's plates, noticing it seemed they were all getting close to being finished. That meant dessert soon, something her inner child was very much excited for.

Gen

Gen just shook her head, figuring he was going to adamantly undersell himself so..whatever. She'd just happily continue to think he was amazing--and utterly out of her league. Her smile faded a bit as he spoke of her past and she hummed softly, nodding, "Yeah, maybe." She agreed, glancing away. She wasn't sure if Marco had told Rory that she was an orphan and grew up alone in an orphanage. If he didn't..well....it wasn't really something she wanted to dwell on right now either. So instead she just cleared her throat and shifted on the spot, "I think I'm done with dinner for now. If you guys are too, I can clear up here. Least I could do."

Marco

Marco welcomed the change in subject, he would rather talk about anything else other than himself at this point. He finished up his food and smiled as Gen offered to clean up, "Thank you, Gen, I appreciate that. I can get the desserts out if you guys aren't too full yet? Or we can go watch a movie and have dessert later." The more time he had with Gen and Rory, the happier he was.

Rory

"I vote for dessert." Rory didn't hesitate with her answer. While she didn't have the biggest of sweet tooths, she still favored dessert when it was offered. And she always ensured she saved room for it. "Or if you two would rather a movie, I can wait for dessert... But those brownies you bought looked amazing." She added, briefly shifting her attention solely towards Gen. She wasn't picky about what they did. She was just enjoying getting to know the woman who was spending so much time with Marco. It was nice getting to see how happy Gen made her brother; so all in all, it was turning out to be a nice evening.

Gen

Gen smiled at them, nodding, "Oh I agree. Dessert first." she moved to stand then and started piling the plates rather effortlessly--a perk of being a waitress for so many years now. "I'll take care of this if yeah, you guys wanna get the desserts? I should've brought little paper plates.. fewer dishes to do.." she pulled a little face, nose wrinkling a bit "I'll help with the washing too though."

Marco

Marco smiled and nodded, "Okay, dessert now then." He would never be opposed to dessert first. He got up and headed to the kitchen to grab the desserts, "You don't have to wash the dishes, I'll take care of them later." He didn't want to waste time with her by washing dishes. He grabbed the brownies Gen brought for Rory and the chocolate cake he made and took them out. "This looks good...I can't wait to eat it."

Rory

Rory had to bite her tongue to keep from commenting when Gen mentioned paper plates. She hated the concept of paper plates or anything of the like that was single-use. They only ended up filling landfills and adding to the pollution of the planet. What was a little extra dishwashing if it meant bettering Mother Earth? But her thoughts were drawn from the topic as the smell of brownies and cake began to fill her nostrils. Both smelled delicious; and she couldn't wait to dig into the brownies, glad to know they were vegan and free from any of her known allergens. As Marco placed the dessert’s down on the table, she didn't hesitate in reaching for a brownie, a goofy little grin finding its way to her face as she also didn't hesitate in taking a bite. "Where'd you get the brownies from, Gen? They're delicious." She'd add the name of the bakery or wherever to her list of places in Vannes to check out.

Gen

Gen brought all the dishes to the kitchen quickly, squirting some soap onto them and letting the water run for a moment- just to let them soak before she quickly rinsed off her hands and headed back, smiling as the delicious food was replaced now by even more-delicious looking desserts. She sat back down as everything was set and she took a bit of both, smiling at the question, "Oh! It's a bakery right beside the bistro I work at. They deliver desserts to our place for us to sell as specials. They're always delicious."

Marco

Marco sat the dessert’s down and took the spot next to Gen, “Oh I've been to that bakery, they have some amazing treats. If any other baked goods were to come in my home, that place is allowed." He laughed, casually wrapping his arm around Gen, it felt normal for him to do that, so he did. He cut a piece of chocolate cake he baked and offered it to Gen, seeing that Rory was already eating the brownies. "Do you want a piece of cake or are you going to eat the brownies?" He hoped she would try his cake so he could get her opinion on it. "What are you guys in the mood to watch? I can watch anything.

Rory

Taking another bite of the fantastic brownies, Rory's eyes trailed to watching Gen's lips before trailing to watching as Marco signed. Washing down the brownie bite with a few sips of water, she reached for another one and placed it on her plate before commenting further. "If their other vegan pastries are as good as this, I think I might be in trouble." She giggled. "You made the cake, Marco. It'd be rude of me to not try a piece, yeah?" She added before making the sign for 'give me'. "But just a small piece. Don't want to overdo it." If she ate too much, she knew she'd feel sluggish and doze off during whatever movie they ended up watching... Actually, she'd probably end up dozing off anyway. She was notorious for falling asleep before the halfway point of movies. "And as for movies, anything as long as it's not horror, please. Maybe a musical?"

Gen

Gen smiled as Marco's arm went around her and she shuffled her chair a bit closer to him, happy to lean into his side. "Of course I'm having some of your cake. Anything you make I'll want to try." She assured him with a grin. "And as for the others, I had a friend who's now moved, but she was always vegan and she enjoyed things they made! She liked their tiramisu. And my restaurant I work at has a vegan section on the menu as well. You should stop by some time." She offered with a smile, taking another bite of her dessert. At the question she hummed, nodding, "Can we...watch Wizard of Oz?"

Marco

This was nice, sitting here with his sister that he loved more than anything in the world and the woman he found himself falling for every moment they were together. He liked how this felt and would love more moments like this. He happily offered Gen the chocolate cake, "I think it's my best one yet." He didn't like to brag...well maybe he did a little, but this time it was true. He listened as Gen talked about the bakery and her dinner having vegan options, it was nice to gather all the places in the city that would be good for Rory. He wanted to make sure she always had everything she needed. He smiled when Gen suggested The Wizard Of Oz, "I think that would be perfect, I happen to have a copy here." He knew she knew that since he told her how home and his mom would watch it together all the time. "I'll go grab it and get started." He jumped up and grabbed the DVD from the shelf and popped it in. "Anybody want a blanket while I'm up?"

Rory

While The Wizard of Oz wouldn’t have been Rory’s first choice for a musical, she definitely wasn’t against the suggestion. The songs had decent enough beats that she could easily enjoy their vibrations, and that was what was important to her when it came to a musical. She often got asked how she enjoyed musicals if she couldn’t hear the songs... It all came down to the vibrations. Simple as that. Taking another bite of the brownies, she eyed the cake as Marco began to cut slices. She’d save her piece to nosh on during the movie before she most likely dozed off. “If you want to be the best brother ever, you’ll fetch me the weighted blanket from my trunk.” She beamed, knowing there was no way he’d refuse fetching it for her. Plus he had offered if anyone wanted a blanket.

Gen

Gen smiled around the bite in her mouth, "Mmm, I mean, I've probably had better...." she replied teasingly, giving him a bright grin that showed clearly she was kidding and she leaned up, kissing his cheek, "It's great." Once they agreed on the movie Gen grabbed another brownie to bring with her over to the couch with her, shaking her head, "No, I'm good thanks." She assured him, and as Marco went to get the blanket, Gen decided to quickly bring everything back to the kitchen, wiping down the table quickly before heading back to the living room for the movie.

Marco

Marco gasped in a fake hurt as Gen razzed him about his cake. "You could never have better than my cake little one..." He smirked as she kissed his cheek. "The two of you like teasing me." He shook his head and nodded to Rory, I can do that for you. He headed to her room to grab her blanket. It didn't take too long to find and he gave it to her as she laid on the couch. He grabbed a blanket for him and plopped on the loveseat waiting for Gen to come back so they could start the movie. He turned the surround sound on and booster so they could have the full movie experience and so Rory could feel the vibrations.

Rory

When Marco returned with her weighted blanket, Rory situated herself on the couch, completely taking it over as she was starting to feel a bit off and wanted to lie down. Plus if she took up the entirety of the couch, that would force Marco and Gen to have to cuddle up on the loveseat. Draping the blanket on top of her, she then reached for the plate with the slice of cake she'd momentarily placed on the coffee table and placed it on her lap for when she got hungry. And as the movie began to play, a smile found its way to her face as she could feel the vibrations coming from the speaker next to the couch, thus making the couch the perfect spot for her to watch a movie from.

Gen

Once everything was clean, Gen picked up her plate with a little bit of cake left and her second brownie and she followed to the living room. She hesitated a second, looking to the couch that was taken up by Rory laying down and she bit her lip before going to Marco, giving a little smile, "Share the space with me?" She asked lightly, meeting his eyes despite the darkness in the room, the movie loud enough that even she could feel the vibrations and she figured that'd be best for Rory coupled with the captions on the screen.

Marco

Marco saw Rory get comfortable and that was what he wanted. He always found himself making sure she was good before relaxing himself. He sat down and looked up with a smile hearing Gen asked him to share the space with him. He opened the blanket, "I was saving it just for you little one." When she sat down he wrapped his arms around her and started watching the movie. It was perfect...

Rory

Rory sent a quick glance over to the love seat where Marco and Gen were sitting to watch the movie. She took note of how they looked comfortable curled up together, and it made her smile to see her brother so happy. She hoped things with Gen worked out for him. While she still didn't know the other submissive all that much, she could tell she was a good person. Kind. Compassionate. Plus she was gorgeous. Glancing back towards the TV, she began to watch as the black and white of Kansas faded out and the colors of Munchkinland. She always liked the scene in Munchkinland, mainly because 'Munchkin' had been one of her nicknames when she was little, thanks to this movie.

Gen

Gen's smile widened as Marco pulled the blanket up for her, clearly just waiting for her. She climbed up onto the chair, sitting more in his lap than anything else and happily curling up against him. Once his arms went around her she nuzzled in a bit, taking a bit of the brownie before offering it up to his mouth, more than content to feed him. It was...nice, being like this with him--with both of them. It felt right. Natural even. She could see this becoming a regular occurrence. More than that......she was pretty sure she wanted it to be. She wanted this again and again. And hopefully, she'd get it. Once the desserts were done she laid her head against his chest, eyes on the screen, and settled against him for the remainder of the movie, a little smile on her lips the whole time.

Marco

Marco instantly got comfortable with Gen in his arms, he could feel the smile on his face. This was almost like their first date, but now he had the added bonus of Rory being there as well. He smiled and opened his mouth as Gen fed him the brownie, "This is really good." He kissed her cheek and focused on the movie. He could spend so many more nights like this, it was hopefully a glimpse into his future. They all seemed to be enjoying the movie, he couldn't wait to see his favorite part of the movie when the cowardly lion came out, that part always made him laugh.

Rory

Like clockwork, Rory dozed off around the halfway point of the movie, the plate from the slice of cake sliding off her lap as she pulled the blanket up around her body and curled up into the couch, letting out a satisfied and sleepy sigh. The couch was comfortable enough for her to sleep straight through the night, but that wouldn't be the case. She'd yet to take her nighttime meds, and she knew Marco wouldn't let her stay asleep without doing that. He never failed to remind her not to skip a dose, sometimes to the point of annoyance.

Gen

Just like Rory, Gen fell asleep on top of Marco a few minutes later, not even making it to the end of the movie. She stayed with her face pressed to his neck and only woke up once she felt Marco moving under her. She hummed, yawning quietly before giving him a nudge, "Get her to bed. I'll wait for you in your room." She told him softly, leaning up to kiss him gently before she padded off to his room. She tried waiting as long as she could once she'd stripped off her clothes and grabbed one of his t-shirts he'd had laying around, but she fell back asleep before he got back, curled up in the middle of his bed with the sheets only covering her legs, more than content in his space.

Marco

Marco was the only one that finished the movie, both ladies fell off to sleep. He smiled looking at the two of them as they slumbered, it was so cute. When the credits started to roll, he went to grab the remote, and Gen started to stir. He smiled when she told him to get Rory to bed, "I will, and I'll join you as soon as I'm done." He pulled her in and kissed her deeper before letting her go to his room. He got up and went to grab Rory's nighttime meds and sat them out for her to take. He shook her and waited till she opened her eyes, Hey, take your meds and head to bed. I'm going to wash the dishes before heading to bed. He smiled and made his way to the kitchen. After such an amazing night, he's sure that he was on the right path with Gen, and having Rory here just let him know it was right and he was completely happy.

#dinner party #gen #rory

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v-hope · 6 years

Text

Alone Time

Pairing: Jung Hoseok x Reader

Genre: Fluff, slight angst

Word Count: 1.6k

Request: Nah, I'm just always soft for my precious sunshine 🤧

Summary: When you always seem to want to spend more time with his members than with him, you know, your own boyfriend.

Something was off with your boyfriend that day, and you couldn't quite put your finger on it.

It was Hoseok's day off and he obviously had wanted to spend it with you, which was why he called you over to have lunch together. Everything had been great the moment you arrived to the dorms – kissing his awaiting lips hello and making your way inside. He was already walking towards his room to go get his things when you noticed it was not only his day off, but also the rest of his members'.

And, you see, pretty oblivious to you, that was kind of the reason his mood changed.

It wasn't that you took a detour from your way to his room to go greet his friends; he was more than alright with that. What bothered him, though, was that it wasn't just you wanting to be polite and go greet them, but the guys getting excited over your presence and inviting you to have lunch with them on the dorms – and how could you ever say no to that?

So here you were now, all eight of you eating delicious homemade food, having a nice chat over it. But Hoseok was not being himself. He was quiet, from time to time either accepting the food you offered to feed him or him being the one to do so for you. No jokes, no bickering; just silent eating.

Once you were all done, he stood up first and asked you to do the same so you could go to his room to watch a movie or something – cursing himself for having said that out loud and in front of everyone, because maybe if he had just kept quiet his blood wouldn't have been boiling the second the maknaes proposed to watch a movie in the living room instead, you know, all of you. And maybe it wouldn't have been that bad after all, but when the same three younger members asked you to sit on the couch with them and you complied? Leaving him all alone in another one?

Hoseok knew they loved you and wanted to spend time with you, too. He also knew that maybe he was being over dramatic, but at this point? At this point, he couldn't give any less of a shit, which is why he stood up and stormed out to his room.

Now, you might have been oblivious as to why he was in such a bad mood, but you couldn't just pretend you didn't know something was up with him. So, excusing yourself from the rest, you stood up, too, and followed your boyfriend to his bedroom.

“May I come in?” you wondered quietly, peeking your head through the door.

You saw him lying on his stomach with his face buried in his pillow – just giving you a slight shrug as his answer.

Closing the door behind you, you went to sit by his side on the edge of his bed. “What's wrong?” you softly ran your hands through his hair, like you knew always helped him calm down.

No reply.

“Hobi” you tried once again.

When he didn't respond at all, you felt a twinge in your heart. Maybe he wasn't just upset, but he was upset with you.

“Why are you ignoring me now?” you lied down to rest your chest on his back, softly kissing the nape of his neck. “What did I do?”

Hoseok sighed, moving up his shoulder, signaling for you to sit up so he could turn around. It still amazed him how he couldn't bring himself to be mad at you for too long.

“I just… miss you, I guess” he pouted.

You furrowed your eyebrows. “But I'm right here?”

“That's not what–” he ran his hand through his hair out of frustration, “I miss you, Y/N” he remarked. “I miss spending alone time with you. Just you and me. Lately the guys are always with us whenever we hang out”.

“That is not true” you argued.

“Is it not?” he cocked one of his eyebrows. “Half of the time is all of us together, and the other half is just you and them”.

“Wh–”

“Please, just” he took a deep breath, “I'm okay with you being good friends with my members, it actually makes me really happy that you guys get along so well…”

“But?” you tried to give him a little push.

“But you seem to spend more time with them than with me, angel” he finally said with sad eyes. “I am your boyfriend”.

“I know that, Hoseok” you nodded, not wanting him to believe otherwise, “I wouldn't want it to be any other way”.

“Then why… Why can't you spend more time with me?” he frowned. “Just last week you went out to have lunch with Yoongi hyung instead of me, and then on the weekend you went out shopping with Jin hyung and Joon instead of me” he reminded you. “How many times did I get to see you? Was it maybe one? For like an hour?” you gazed down, feeling ashamed. “And please don't think I'm being jealous… I mean, I guess I am, but not of you and them hanging out, I… I guess I'm upset that you would rather spend more time with them than you'd do with me… like, just now, you went to sit with the maknaes and I… ugh” he threw his head back, hating how possessive he was sounding.

To you, on the other hand, it was as if all the flashbacks from all the times you had hung out with Hobi were displaying right before your eyes, showing you he was actually right. It was always either the two of you and his members, or you with them... without him at all.

The girlfriend of the year. That you were for sure, huh?

“I'm sorry” you blurted out once you came out from your trance and back to him. “Hobi, I'm honestly so, so sorry. I hadn't noticed” you apologised. “I don't really know what else to say, but please know I only went to have lunch with Yoongi because you told me you were stuck in the dance studio and he was already done for the day” you explained, “and I also only went out shopping with the guys because you said you were too tired to go out. I don't really have an explanation for me sitting with the guys… I guess I just hadn't seen them in a while… but then again, I hadn't seen you in a while either” you rambled, looking apologetically to the man in front of you. “Pushing that incident aside, you're always my first option, Hobi. I always go to you first”.

“I know, angel, I do. But” he sighed, “maybe instead of going with Yoongi hyung you could've gone to the studio and we would've ordered something to eat… and when I told you I was too tired to go out you could've maybe stayed in with me instead of going shopping…” he shrugged. “I know it's selfish of me and you don't have to give up your plans for me but… I don't know, I just want to spend some time with you. Alone, quality time with my girlfriend. Is that too much to ask?”

It was not.

“Hobi” you cupped his face in your hands, “you have to tell me these things, I am no mind reader” he lowered his head, sheepishly nodding. “But I must admit I've been a pretty shitty girlfriend. I mean, the things you're asking for are the ones any decent significant other would come up with by themselves”.

“You're not a shitty girlfriend, don't say that” he reassured you immediately, “I'm just being too needy”.

“Now you don't say that” you scolded him. “You're really not, sunshine” you shook your head, resting your forehead against his, “I fuck up sometimes, too. It's on me, you don't need to make up excuses in my favour” you smiled weakly.

Hoseok mirrored your expression – his smile growing brighter after you had gently kissed the tip of his nose.

“I'll spend more time with you from now on, okay? Just you and me, I promise” your words surely put his heart at ease.

“Can we start now?” he questioned, tugging a strand of hair behind your ear. “Just… stay here with me?”

Your answer was a coy hum since you didn't really have time to get a word out of your mouth, for his lips were already tenderly pressing on yours.

His hands pulled you towards him for you to straddle his lap – your fingers immediately tangling themselves in the hair at the back of his head, while his arms were wrapped tightly around your waist to feel your chest against his.

Just as you smiled in between the kiss, slightly opening your mouth to allow his tongue the entrance it was asking for, the two of you heard the guys calling you from the living room.

Although Hoseok knew they only wanted to know if he was doing alright, like the preoccupied brothers they were, he couldn't contain a loud whine that had threatened with abandoning his throat. You laughed lightly at his annoyed reaction, pressing a chaste kiss to the top of his head, since his forehead was now defeatedly lying on your chest.

“How about going to my place instead?” you suggested.

That seemed to bring some life back to him, for he went right back to your eye level in a second – cupping your face in his hands and giving you a loud smooch; letting you know you were a genius.

“I don't know why we didn't do that to begin with” he smirked, earning a light chuckle from you as your lips came in touch once again.

Honestly? Neither did you.

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lilacmoon83 · 4 years

Text

Mysterious Fathoms Below

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 7: Freedom in Love

The years passed quickly and the Charmings traveled the realms, visiting various lands that weren't frozen by the curse. They were incredibly happy and enjoyed watching their baby grow together. They had quickly learned that being mermaids had slowed their aging down to almost nothing though, as while Emma grew, they didn't change much. The other mermaids that were still around told them this was common, as full grown mermaids aged much slower than humans did.

As one might imagine, Snow and David soon found themselves with child when Emma was still quite young and their son, Ben, was born when his sister was only two. But they didn't stop there and Snow gave birth to twins when Emma was five and Ben was three. They named their youngest, a boy and a girl, Hunter and Rose.

It was quickly determined that, like Emma, their other children had the ability to phase between mermaid and human. Ben's tail was white like his mother's, while Hunter's was crimson, darker than his father's, and Rose's was red like her name and a bit brighter red than her brother's.

Today they were enjoying the beauty of Mermaid Cove in Neverland. They were here often and careful to avoid Pan. Mermaid Cove wasn't a place that he ventured to and the other mermaids had warned them to avoid Pan's island at all costs. They followed that advice, though they loathed that he seemed to lure lost children to his island.

Their children were not lost though and never heard Pan's call or the supposed crying that the other mermaids told them that went on at night. It tore at Snow and Charming's hearts, but they were warned harshly against interfering with Pan. The other mermaids had been clear on that. If they did choose to confront him, then their children would end up being orphans.

Today though, Neverland was just a rest point. They had just returned from the Land Without Magic, visiting various cities in their human forms. They were debating whether or not to take human form again with more permanence and send the children school. But they were leery and also enjoyed the freedom they had in this form. Their children liked this life too and Snow was educating them on all lands, including the Land Without Magic, from all the books they had acquired.

Atlantica was also an option as well. They had been invited by Ariel and it wasn't frozen by the curse like many other lands. It would allow them to keep the freedom they enjoyed as well, rather than putting down ties in the Land Without Magic, which came with its own set of dangers. For today though, they were enjoying a bit of rest in Mermaid cove.

The twins giggled, as Charming waded into the shallow part of the lagoon and put them down. Their tails changed to legs upon contact with the sand and they ran to their mother, who was lounging on the beach in her human form. He was very much enjoying the white colored swim attire she was wearing that she had picked up in the Land Without Magic. A bikini was what it was called if he remembered correctly.

"Mama...daddy found us again!" Rose announced.

"Well of course he did. Daddy is very good at finding the people he loves," Snow said, as she met her husband's gaze. He smiled and put his necklace on, transforming his red tail into legs and he joined her on the beach.

"Can we go back in the water?" Hunter asked.

"Sure, but don't go too far and stay where we can see you," David said, as he sat down beside his wife and leaned over to kiss her. Ben was still out in the water and they knew he'd keep an eye on them too.

David kissed her tenderly and caressed her face, as he pulled back, gazing at her with awe.

"What?" she asked under his gaze.

"You are so beautiful…" he replied, making her smile shyly.

"I think you're a bit biased, Prince Charming," she teased.

"Nah...you are Snow White. You are the fairest in all the lands," he teased back and she smacked his arm playfully. He pulled her close and she gently caressed his face this time. He kissed her again and they basked together under the sun's rays.

"Where's Emma?" he asked.

"I let her swim further into the cove for some of those berries we all like so much. She should be back soon," Snow assured.

~*~

Emma gathered the berries in her satchel and prepared to head back to the cove when she heard someone cry out in distress. She looked out into the open waters and saw a pirate ship. Her parents had warned her against going anywhere near any ships, but she gasped, as she saw a boy being tossed into the dangerous waters. Immediately, she ran into the water and her legs transformed into her tail automatically. She swam as fast as she could and gasped, as she saw Pan's shadow looming above him. She dove and snapped him up, carrying him away from the shadow. And strangely, she saw the shadow abandon his pursuit of the boy and return to Pan's island. It wasn't like him to let a lost boy go so easily, but she didn't worry about that now and quickly deposited the boy on the shore.

He coughed and looked at her in amazement.

"It's okay...I'm not going to hurt you," Emma said.

"You're...you're a mermaid. But a young one," the boy mentioned. She smiled and stepped onto the shore, allowing her tail to disappear and her legs to reappear. His eyes widened again.

"I am...but I'm also like you. It's a long story. Who are you?" she asked.

"My...my name is Baelfire. Thanks for saving me," he replied. She smiled.

"You're welcome. I'm Emma, but you can't stay on Pan's island if he's after you," she said.

"I have no way of going anywhere else," he replied. She smiled and put her hand out.

"Come with me to mermaid cove. I know my parents won't mind," she said. He looked at her and then took her hand. He yelped, as she pulled him back into the water with her.

"Don't worry...we can swim there slowly," she promised, as she pulled him along.

~*~

"Why did you let him go?" Felix questioned.

"Oh, I never intended to keep Baelfire here forever. He has a destiny beyond Neverland and it looks like he has just met it," Pan responded cryptically. The other boy didn't understand, but no one questioned Pan.

"Baelfire's path is beyond this place. Trust me...my survival means letting him go with his beautiful little mermaid friend," Pan added, as he smirked smugly.

~*~

Emma pulled him along into the semi-private cove where her family frequented and lived while in Neverland. She saw her brothers and sister playing together in the lagoon, close enough to shore and her parents were on the beach, being their romantic, gooey selves.

"Mom! Dad!" she called, as her tail became legs once she got close enough to the shore.

"Hey sweetie…" Snow said, as she took the berries that her daughter had gathered in her satchel.

"Who is this?" she asked, curiously noticing the boy coming ashore.

"Oh...this is Baelfire. I saved him from Pan's shadow," Emma said.

"You were near Pan's shadow?" Charming asked in alarm.

"Relax Daddy...I'm fine. The shadow flew away when it saw me," she chided. Snow smirked playfully at her husband and nudged him with her elbow.

"Yeah...relax daddy," she teased him. He shook his head in amusement at them.

"It's nice to meet you, Baelfire. Would you like to join us for dinner? Charming and I are going to go catch some game, but you can help Emma get the fire ready and wash the fruit if you'd like," Snow said, as she and Charming stood up.

"Sure...thank you," he said in surprise. Snow smiled and took her husband's hand.

"We'll be back in a bit. Keep an eye on Ben and the twins, honey," Snow called, as she grabbed her bow and Charming sheathed his sword, as they set off into the jungle to catch some game.

"They're your parents?" Baelfire asked. She nodded.

"It's a long story, but we can actually tell you all about it," Emma replied, as she looked at her brother.

"Ben...where is your book?" she asked. He smiled and dug it out of his satchel, before handing it to her.

"Wow...this is an incredible book. Where did you get it?" he asked. She shrugged.

"We're not really sure. One day Mom mentioned to Daddy that she wanted to write down their stories and the stories of their friends since they'll all be trapped by a curse now," Emma explained.

"A curse?" he asked. She nodded.

"When she woke up the next morning, this book had just appeared and it is a chronicle of my parent's story and many of their friends from the Enchanted Forest," she replied.

"The Enchanted Forest?" Baelfire asked, hoping that she didn't hear the quiver in his voice. She nodded.

"Mmm...go ahead and read. It might explain things better than I can," she suggested, as he flipped through it and landed on the page depicting a man he hadn't seen in almost two hundred years and the two people Emma said were her parents.

"Oh, that part happened in a place called Storybrooke. It's the town in the Land Without Magic that the curse took everyone. My parents went there when I was just a baby to help a boy they met in the Land Without Magic. He lost his father and the Queen had him locked up. But my parents rescued him with the help of Rumpelstiltskin," she explained.

"Wait...Rumpelstiltskin helped them?" he asked with wide eyes. She nodded.

"Yeah...here, I'll read it to you," she replied, as she flipped back and started with the beginning of her parent's story while Baelfire listened with rapt attention.

~*~

Snow smirked and shook her head in amusement, as her distracted husband kept looking back over his shoulder, until she finally took pity on him.

"Baby...she's fine," she assured and he sighed in defeat.

"I know...it just worries me a bit. Pan hates mermaids and I don't want Emma anywhere near that little demon or his shadow," he replied.

"I know, but Emma is like us...she'd never refuse to help someone that needed help and if we saved just one boy from the clutches of that evil boy...then that's a good thing," she said. He nodded, as they proceeded to hunt some game and were successful in snagging some, before returning to the lagoon.

They found Emma reading to her new friend and they smiled, until they noticed the pale look on the boy's face.

"Is something wrong?" Snow asked. He swallowed.

"You're going to hate me," Baelfire replied.

"They won't hate you...trust me," Emma prodded.

"I'm the reason for the curse...I'm the reason that Rumpelstiltskin wanted the Evil Queen to cast it for him," he admitted.

"You? But you're just a boy," Snow said.

"I've been here in Neverland for a couple hundred years. He's been looking for me...I'm his son," he announced.

"Well...that would make sense then. I knew he wasn't telling us something," David said.

"Well...that's great. We can help you get back to him," Snow said.

"No!" he exclaimed and they were taken aback.

"Why not?" Emma asked.

"Because he abandoned me...and I want nothing to do with him!" Baelfire replied, as he got up.

"I'm sorry...I have to go," he said, as he ran off into the jungle.

"Wait!" Emma called, but he didn't stop and her shoulders slumped forward. Snow gently put her arms around her daughter.

"Oh honey...it's okay. We'll find him," she assured. She sniffed.

"We will?" she asked. David smiled and hugged her, as he cradled her head.

"Of course we will...he needs help, even if he doesn't know it. And he may be angry with his father, but I'm sure he still loves him and though Rumpelstiltskin has done things we don't agree with...he deserves to be reunited with his child," he reasoned.

"Your father is right...and who knows, maybe reuniting him with his father will be the key to ending the curse faster and defeating Regina," Snow added.

"He did say it would be on Emma's twenty-eighth birthday though," David reminded her.

"Perhaps, but somehow, I don't think he foresaw us finding his son for him. This may change things," she reasoned. He nodded.

"Let's eat and then we'll look for him first thing in the morning, princess," he promised. She nodded and helped her parents get their meal ready. She could only hope they found him tomorrow...

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #feat young Emma #and young Baelfire #OC Charming babies #Mermaid AU #Snowing and Charming family mermaids #romance #adventure #family #AU #mysterious fathoms below

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punkscowardschampions · 4 years

Text

Jimmy & Janis

Jimmy: [okay so we said that JJ have gone to get the PE shit and are casually having a 🚬 and the teacher is like go see what the hold up is and Ella volunteers cos 1000% that bitch and she of course starts a vague rumour about them being saucy with it] Janis: are the boys saying shit Jimmy: what kind of question's that? Janis: fuck's sake Janis: right, how do you wanna deal from your end Janis: 'cos you can say shit or you can slag me off like you'd never, either way, your move, new boy Jimmy: how do you want me to? Jimmy: I could give a shit what gets said about me Janis: alright, just say nothing then Janis: I'll deck her Jimmy: 👍 Janis: hardly Jimmy: nowt close to a challenge my end Jimmy: and it ain't like you'll have one flooring her Janis: still can't get her to take it back Janis: have to force feed her or some shit for that Jimmy: and what? you've got a missus waiting at home that'll be 💔 you were at it with someone else in the sport's cupboard? Janis: Fuck off Janis: if I've got to explain sexism to you then cba Janis: no one's chatting shit on your name like they are mine Jimmy: I bet lasses are, 'cause I shouldn't have touched you with a barge pole or some bollocks Jimmy: hang on, I'll check Jimmy: [DMs] Janis: and what? Janis: I didn't start it, take it up with Blondie Jimmy: I don't care what any dickhead in this shithole reckons, it's your problem if you do Jimmy: that's what Janis: Don't need your groundbreaking hot take to know that, tah Jimmy: stop whinging at me then, tah Janis: I ain't, do one Janis: I was checking you weren't making it worse for me, that's it Jimmy: job done Jimmy: and there'll be a new #scandal tomorrow so no need to check in with me again Janis: you reckon, new boy? Janis: you'll be lucky if another kid joins before you leave yourself Jimmy: I'll be leaving myself soon as Jimmy: you'll be lucky if it ain't you and 👑💀 stuck doing the project Janis: mistaking me for the bitch that cares about her A Jimmy: nah, I weren't Jimmy: the 😎 ain't prescription Janis: i'd get her to spread that it is Janis: don't wanna shout about how that look is a choice Jimmy: you ain't that bad that I feel the need, looks wise at least Janis: great Jimmy: any road, my brother's deaf, if I start spreading that shit about they'll be asking my sister if she's got a fake leg or some bollocks Jimmy: be a bit rude to her Janis: I'm not gonna chat shit on your unfortunate genetics, don't worry Janis: can't rival mine anyway Jimmy: @iantaylor8 if you wanna have a go Janis: unless he has his own law firm, I'm not bothered Jimmy: 💔 for him Janis: obviously, we had a great time amongst the unwashed bibs and muddy footballs Jimmy: surprised she could get the door open Jimmy: 💀💪 Janis: got that burst of adrenaline knowing she'd get extra treats from her master for it Janis: could've been in there alone, obviously helps other people give more of a fuck that it was you Jimmy: 🙄 Janis: so yeah, it is your fault, cheers Jimmy: didn't send myself or force you to have that 🚬 off me, mate Janis: not my go-to defense story Janis: crying rape might seem kinda cute but I'm alright Jimmy: funny Jimmy: you ain't that cute I NEED to fuck you mid P.E Janis: oh no Janis: let me go cry into the nearest 🏀 Jimmy: the mats would be a better shout, they've managed all that 💦 Janis: oh yeah, bring up the mats Janis: not heard enough about what a romantic setting they are Jimmy: soz, next time I'll assault you in the 🚽 Janis: even better Janis: I'll just stay in there and set up shop Jimmy: 💕 Janis: should've picked an option with a racket Jimmy: 🎻🎻 Janis: work too, fair heft behind that Jimmy: bit of class an' all Jimmy: rich girl won't have nowt to whinge about Janis: 'cos I've proved well classy Jimmy: will do with a full orchestra behind your rampage Janis: I'll find a music nerd in these DMs Jimmy: 🥇💡 Janis: beats Mia suing me 'cos I killed her girlfriend Jimmy: another'd spawn from Mia's rib or some bollocks Jimmy: she'd be alright Jimmy: if she don't regurgitate one like a 🐍 jaw unhinged Janis: 🐑 don't baa on the way out, new boy Janis: ask my sister Jimmy: You're alright, I'd rather not talk to her Janis: wow Janis: same Jimmy: 😱😱😱 OMG Jimmy: no wonder every dickhead thinks we're love's young dream Janis: yeah, she's SUCH a delight, everyone else 💘s her Jimmy: obvs Janis: you're new, so I'll let you off for not being up enough on the gossip this once Jimmy: tah Jimmy: so generous, you Janis: apparently so Jimmy: go on, what do you want me to do Janis: ? Jimmy: you're that 💔 Janis: you can't do fuck all Janis: even if I were Jimmy: Why can't I? Janis: what's to do Janis: they chat shit 'cos they got none of their own Janis: none as interesting as what they wanna gob off about anyway Jimmy: I dunno, that's why I asked Jimmy: but alright Janis: just forget about it 'til they do, like you said Jimmy: nowt to bother remembering Janis: not a diss, just factual so Janis: yeah Jimmy: bet Ella counts her 🚬 Janis: easier habit to hide when you have to brush your teeth at least ten times a day Jimmy: got something else to blame when they go yellow and fall out an' all Janis: set of falsies is the way to go Janis: off and on again whenever you need to purge Janis: I'll float it Jimmy: shame she don't do lads Jimmy: that's a kink right there Janis: she definitely does Janis: that's why this is bullshit Janis: does whatever 💀👑 needs her to Jimmy: I'll live without hearing about them threesomes Janis: grim Jimmy: they still ain't welcome up north Janis: 💔 how will they cope Jimmy: idk idc obvs babes Janis: 🤮🤮🤮 Jimmy: go ahead and spread that about as your official ™ reaction to my 😘 Janis: no one cares if you were good, new boy Jimmy: bollocks Jimmy: that'll be why my inbox is full Janis: your inbox is full because a. people think you're good as is b. they wanna know if I am Jimmy: if they reckon I'm good they care enough to have thought about it Janis: alright, they're well concerned Janis: if you need 'em to be Jimmy: piss off Jimmy: you ain't concerned about what I do or don't need Janis: nah, I'm not Janis: just a weird hill to live and die on Jimmy: would be if it were the one I were on Janis: 👍 Janis: just saying, no one is concerning themselves if I had a good time or not Jimmy: I heard you Janis: alright Jimmy: in a bit then Janis: later Janis: [actually later, like a lesson or so whatever] Janis: do you know George Daley? Jimmy: Why? Janis: 'cos I wanna know if he's telling the truth or not Jimmy: about what? Janis: apparently you told him loads of extra details he was loudly telling his mates Jimmy: leave it out Jimmy: new boy, remember Janis: he's not also saying you're best friends Jimmy: I'm saying I've said nowt Jimmy: piss off Janis: okay Janis: you're marginally more plausible than him so take your word Jimmy: I'll take my 🏆 soon as you've engraved it Janis: don't get ahead of yourself Janis: either your imagination is lacking or it's his Janis: and I know you're WELL artistic so Jimmy: alright, stop flirting with me Janis: how many more girls need to tell you that's disgusting Jimmy: how many lasses are in this school? Janis: ha Janis: know they don't do royalty in the north, even they ain't that thick Janis: come up with a new bit probably Jimmy: 👌 Janis: send you his socials if you wanna smack him down Jimmy: go on then Janis: [does] Janis: he's the least attractive one in the groupshot, go figure Jimmy: the 🦐 looking twat? Jimmy: alright Janis: 😂 Janis: good shout Janis: fits with your fish kink Jimmy: What lesson you in? Janis: Physics Jimmy: that's [a classroom/ lab number situ, don't get lost boy] ? Janis: next one along Jimmy: 👍 Jimmy: [shows up and decks this boy so that all kicks off] Janis: [dramaaaaaaa] Jimmy: [enjoy the show bitches] Janis: [what are you gonna make of that, ladies, when it looks like you're defending her honour instead of your own] Jimmy: [when you lowkey are though, we see you boy] Janis: [we all do, not her though so it's fine] Jimmy: [literally been here no time Jimothy, casual crush at first sight okay then] Janis: [we know you're both hot no hiding from that] Janis: how much trouble you get in? Jimmy: You've been here longer than me, have a guess Janis: 🤔🤔 Janis: depends how much of a good mood the head was in 🥴 Jimmy: ☕ were half full Jimmy: might be 🥃🥃 or 🥃🥃🥃 depending on his measures Janis: either way, bet you have to write him an apology Janis: always make you do that Jimmy: [shows her his 🦐 doodles all over said apology] Jimmy: ✔ Janis: 😏 sincere Jimmy: Am I supposed to invite him out for a 🦐🍛 or what? Janis: no Janis: he'll 😢 and with his eye how it is now, might explode from the pressure Jimmy: can either handle a #ladsnightout or you can't Janis: poor shrimpy Janis: he looks better for the swelling, honestly Jimmy: might write me a thank you note Jimmy: been after a pen pal Jimmy: 💕 Janis: figures Jimmy: ? Janis: artistic Janis: prefer 🖋 over 🗣 Jimmy: nah, just northern Jimmy: can barely write and I need the practice Janis: tell the head that, she can tell her bosses, and they'll get you out of detention Jimmy: 👍 Janis: success story ⭐ Jimmy: my dad will be dead proud Janis: buzzing Jimmy: what am I missing then? Janis: a sense of purpose? Janis: your keys? Janis: what? Jimmy: what 🗨 dickhead Janis: oh, what shrimpdick said? Janis: just more bollocks than I'd heard already Janis: if it were bad before, it's 💘 now Jimmy: you could've said 💀👑 were in there Janis: how was I supposed to know you'd show up Jimmy: what did you think I were gonna do? Janis: well, see him after school sounds a bit gay but Janis: not barge in to a lesson, obviously Jimmy: yeah I asked you for directions I weren't gonna use Janis: I thought you were bullshitting Jimmy: you're alright, there's nobody about to see me 😭 Janis: probably work in our favour once everyone else calms down Janis: reckons we're both gay so Janis: let her do the work with the 🗨 Jimmy: what were it you said? buzzing Jimmy: that'll be me Janis: 👍 Janis: you didn't get in proper shit, did you Jimmy: What's proper shit? Janis: like excluded level Janis: anything below that, not saying sorry for your 😭 Jimmy: weren't after a sorry off you any road Janis: 💔 Jimmy: and I never hit him that hard Janis: I know Janis: but he's being a right tart about it Janis: make more sense if he was good looking to start with Jimmy: 🦐💔 Jimmy: you a vegetarian or what? Janis: hilarious 🙄 Jimmy: 🤡 me Jimmy: it were you who said it Janis: 'cos my taste borders outside aquatic, I'm gay now, alright Jimmy: nowt to do with me Jimmy: literally Janis: you asked Jimmy: nah Janis: you just curious about my dietary needs Jimmy: if that's a crime, give Mia's dad a bell Janis: 🤞💘 Janis: they're well pissed off rn, nothing else Jimmy: sod catholic school, don't even need it Jimmy: about to get into heaven off the back of that Janis: told 'em it weren't me that was getting #saved Jimmy: you wanna piss 'em off a bit more? Janis: obviously? Jimmy: Alright, what would? Jimmy: I'm here, you're there and we're 💕 Janis: you said no one's about? Jimmy: I did do Janis: a teachers showed? Jimmy: nah but that means they could in a bit Janis: fuck it Janis: hang on then Jimmy: 🤞💘 Janis: [ask for a pissbreak, go to whatever room this is and take a #goals selfie for the first time] Jimmy: [love that because it makes the fake dating less out of the blue as a request so well done lads] Janis: [you're welcome] Janis: get more ❤s than her she'll 💥 Jimmy: I'd say challenge accepted but it ain't one Janis: 🥺 when your boyfriend isn't as fit as you thought Jimmy: if you're doing that face since you've been back, you'll really sell the starcrossed lovers angle Jimmy: 🥇 Janis: 😒 translate just as well Jimmy: I get it, there's no oscar in your future Janis: fuck off Janis: it ain't hard Jimmy: couldn't hack the proposition of being in my ad, you Janis: that's different Janis: besides, tell me it won't be funnier to make her do it Jimmy: might be for the first 10 takes Janis: she gets to roleplay with daddy to rehearse she'll be 🏆 Jimmy: SUCH a romantic, you Janis: just want her to be happy, like Jimmy: fuck her, I'm giving you the 🏆 Janis: #blessed Jimmy: that's me, obvs Janis: no, you're #saved Janis: don't hog them all Jimmy: one #'s worth fuck all Jimmy: every dickhead knows you need to flood it Jimmy: bit biblical an' all, that Janis: you get sent her to get turned? Janis: hardcore conversion therapy Janis: here* Jimmy: not gay, just fit and mysterious Janis: 👌 Jimmy: gone right off 🐙🦑🦐🦞🦀🐡🐠🐟 but I don't reckon we can call that hardcore Jimmy: or much of a turn Janis: aren't supposed to eat shellfish actually, so God should be made up Jimmy: success story ⭐ Jimmy: like you said Janis: can go back to where you came from now Janis: in the nicest, non-racist way possible Jimmy: 🤞 Janis: 🙏* Jimmy: tah my dear Janis: not 👠👠 but you get what you pay for Jimmy: ain't my fault the tip jar's got nowt in Jimmy: @💀👑 Janis: I remember Jimmy: she ain't changed her ways or owt recently, funny that Janis: she needs the #bornagain Janis: thank fuck she ain't got a dog Jimmy: Oi, what's El if not a service 🐕? Janis: she walks herself enough though Jimmy: she does do laps round the table before she gets her ☕ Janis: not surprised Janis: beyond surprised she can still manage it without the heart attack, obvs Jimmy: 🙏* Janis: deal with the 😈 Janis: gotcha Jimmy: if you can say fuck it today, why not, like? Janis: decent tagline Janis: I'll put it on the site Jimmy: good shout Jimmy: I were gonna say if you need 📸 for it, give me a shout an' all Janis: like IOU one 💘 selfie? Jimmy: sir ain't getting my nudes that easy Janis: gutted Jimmy: 🎻💔😭 Jimmy: call it another deal with the 😈 if you want, mate, but I were being serious Jimmy: bagsied the 🎨 ages ago Janis: alright Jimmy: alright Janis: was thinking, how do we piss her off more with this project Janis: without it being dead obvious that that's what we're doing Jimmy: Depends Janis: on? Jimmy: do you mean us or the #content? Janis: both Jimmy: what thoughts did you have? Janis: well, obviously we can't put in anything that she can run to sir with Janis: but, like the ad, you can edit it to be like one of those no win no fee things like you said Janis: shit like that Jimmy: Do you know what her dad actually looks like? Janis: hold on Janis: [finds his linkedin or whatever 'cos that bitch] Jimmy: 🥇 Janis: you reckon we could use his shit Janis: he has a website as well, can take bits of that as #inspiration Jimmy: few edits so it ain't LITERALLY his, bit of a parody, OMG she'll be fuming Janis: right, that's the VIBE Janis: could use his face but distort it, shadow it, put a bag over Janis: you know she'd know still Jimmy: I've been pissing about with hers an' all Jimmy: [shows her what he's been up to because he didn't have her father's deets] Janis: that's good Janis: on the same page on this one Janis: make 'em victims of medical negligence or something Janis: botched hair transplant Jimmy: 😏 Jimmy: dickheads sometimes put a 👍 review of their website, happy clients that sort of bollocks Janis: right Janis: and if we make her the lawyer she wants to be Janis: can't really complain Jimmy: she can't but not to sir Jimmy: can* Janis: that's all I care about Janis: she ain't gonna stop COMING for me 😭 Jimmy: or her man for me 😱😱 Janis: soz I don't know what classes he takes so you can smack him and all Jimmy: he'll find me, unless they're both all mouth Janis: 🤷 Jimmy: *🤞 Janis: least the muscles are purely for show Jimmy: 💪🏆 me Janis: mhmm Jimmy: so complimentary, you Jimmy: I get why your inbox is full Janis: don't need to be Janis: I'm the 🏆 Jimmy: I'm taking back the one I gave you a bit ago for generosity or whatever bollocks it were Janis: I'll survive, mate Jimmy: 👌 dry your eyes and crack on Janis: enjoy your DMs Jimmy: Oi I'm illiterate remember, and there's no need to rub it in, Janet Janis: there'll be lots of pictures for you, no doubt Janis: get the gist real easy Jimmy: 🤤🤤😍😍 Jimmy: might be right about me being saved Janis: 😷 GROSS Jimmy: we'll both live Jimmy: 💔🎻 Janis: real tragedy that Jimmy: give it a few years to get on the English curriculum Janis: not that you'll ever know Jimmy: might still be trying to pass it Janis: awh Jimmy: *🤷 Janis: i'm well concerned about your education Jimmy: HANG ON, is this NERD FLIRTING?!! 💕🤓 Jimmy: I'd heard loads about it Janis: have to see what 💀👑 reckons Jimmy: I'll @ her Janis: she'll love that Jimmy: [does obviously and sends her whatever response] Janis: good to know she's SO on board with this 💘 Janis: have to keep it up if she's gonna be so 😭 😤 Jimmy: if she can't have us, next best, obvs Janis: now she knows how poor Ella feels Jimmy: what the fuck is going on there? Janis: if she ain't in love with her idk Janis: she don't need her to buy her shit Jimmy: I'll have to @ her an' all Janis: fill your boots sherlock Janis: 🤞 it's a death cult naturally, so they take my sister with 'em Jimmy: sounds like a bit of me, that Jimmy: gutted I pissed off their leader Janis: well, you want a new 👜 she'll take you in and make you pay with 🩸🥵😭 Jimmy: if it can start a gay teletubby scandal, might do something for me Janis: better rep than 💫💘 Janis: probably Jimmy: what ain't? Janis: cheer Janis: s Janis: not the only one with an inbox full of hilarious 'better' offers Jimmy: you wanna go from 😍😍 to 💀💀💀 in 3 days that's your shout Jimmy: be a record around here at any rate Janis: I'll just do one when you get mixed messages and top yourself Jimmy: take it up with the 'better' offers, more of 'em you can take out, the 'better' this shithole would be Janis: no shit, like Janis: not that much of a slag, sadly Jimmy: you called me Sherlock, pointing out the bloody obvious is my job done Janis: go shoot up and go to your mind palace, like Jimmy: not that much of a druggie, sadly Janis: letdown Janis: said you were 😎 Jimmy: 😎 by 💀👑 standards is bound to be a letdown by yours, Jules Janis: understatement Jimmy: alright, bighead Janis: coming from you, that's almost a compliment Jimmy: I know Jimmy: you can stop fishing now Janis: piss off Jimmy: 😏 Janis: 🖕🖕🖕 NEW BOY Jimmy: 💕 Janis: anything that reminds you of our glorious leader 😍 Jimmy: this teacher's ☕ breath is really doing it for me Janis: cruel and unusual punishment that Janis: tell socials you're being tortured Jimmy: start me a # Janis: #justiceforjimmy is catchy but you don't have a name so won't help Jimmy: @ Mia's dad for legal words beginning with n Jimmy: 🤞 he's got that far in the alphabet or you're on your own, girl Janis: I'll have to go for the cryptic #whereisnewboy Janis: not having 👀 on you must be well distressing for them anyway Jimmy: steady on though, sounds a bit like I've already ghosted you Jimmy: not very #goals that Janis: oh yeah Janis: 🐇🐇🐇 Jimmy: 🐇 on the boil or nowt Jimmy: 💀👑 rule 1 Janis: I'll think on it then 👻 boy Jimmy: 👍 Janis: #getghostboyout Janis: how long did you actually get in there? Jimmy: #bustoutghostboy Janis: lowkey suggestive Jimmy: 👻👻👻👻👻👻👻 Jimmy: right, they'll LOVE that Janis: [pisstakey socials] Jimmy: [replies that are lowkey suggestive because we know we've started something] Janis: [when you don't even know what you're doing but you're doing IT] Jimmy: [god bless you both]

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turtle-steverogers · 6 years

Text

the good and the bad

hi i want bread

warnings: death uh, crying

editing: no

ship: ralbert

word count: like 2000 ish

September 23

Leaves crunched under Race’s shoes, the noise amplified by the accompanying silence. It was warm still, the sun bleeding persistently through the trees, combated only by the few leaves that remained on the branches. There wasn’t a clear path through the woods. The thick underbrush made it nearly impossible to walk normally, but he persisted, trudging onward.

He wasn’t entirely sure where he was going. He just needed to clear his head; get out of the house for a little while. He was craving somewhere new and exotic, but his options were limited within his small hometown.

So he decided to expand his horizons within the confines of his little bubble. Explore a little- find somewhere new and refreshing.

So when his legs carried him off of the sidewalk and into the expansive stretch of woods that surrounded his neighborhood, he resolved to trusting his instinct.

It was a pleasant Fall day. Entirely ideal for this sort of adventure and he smiled, feeling at ease in his afresh solitude. The land sloped downward and the tangle of trees thinned out to reveal a small clearing.

Yellow grass blanketed the flat land, countered only by the small clumps of flowers that were scattered at random. The tree line seemed to create a perfect circle, sheltering the area from the outside world.

Race had long since lost track of the sound of traffic and other clues to life, but he didn’t mind much. He was getting what he came for.

He trailed along the edge of the clearing, coming to a halt in front of two trees. He sat down, leaning his back against the trunk of the nearest tree and closing his eyes, allowing the sounds of nature to swallow him.

“Yo,” a voice sounded directly above him and his eyes flew open, his heart leaping into his chest as he froze. Someone dropped out of the tree adjacent to him, sticking the landing heavily.

Race’s gaze traveled from the guy’s shoes to his face, taking note of the utterly obnoxious way he was dressed. Despite his borderline fuckboy clothing, he was charming- attractive even. The sun reflected flatteringly in his auburn hair and he seemed to have a permanent glint in his eyes.

The guy barked out a laugh, “Didn’t mean to scare you, sorry, but,” he raised his eyebrows, “did you just check me out?”

Race fought the smile that threatened to grow on his face, “Nah, bro, you just literally landed in my line of sight.”

The guy studied him for a moment before plopping down in front of him, crossing his legs and sticking out a hand, “‘Sup, bro, I’m Albert.”

Race allowed a small smirk to form as he took Albert’s hand, “Race.”

“Race,” Albert said, slowly, “exotic, I like it.”

“It’s not exotic,” Race countered, “It’s a nickname.”

“Even cooler,” Albert said, “So,” he leaned back, propping himself up on his forearms and stretching his legs in front of him, “what brings you to my woods?”

Race cocked his head, letting out an amused huff, “Your woods?”

“Hell yeah, man,” Albert said, throwing his head back and looking towards the sky, his hair falling behind him, “been coming to this place to catch my breath since I found it like a year ago. No one else has ever come, so I called dibs on it.”

Race quirked an eyebrow, “How could you call dibs when no one else was around to challenge that.”

Albert furrowed his eyebrows and looked back at Race, “Uh,” he paused, “well you’re here now, so, dibs.”

September 24

“Welcome back.”

Race grinned up at Albert where he was standing on a branch right above his head.

“Couldn’t stay away?” Albert asked, sitting on the branch and reaching a hand out to help Race up.

Race floundered for a moment before settling beside Albert, dangling his legs towards the ground, “Guess I couldn’t,” he admitted, “S’nice here.”

“Sure is,” Albert said, turning to face Race and sitting back against the trunk, propping one leg on Race’s lap and letting the other swing back and forth, suspended in the air.

Race looked down at the leg on his lap, “Already on this level, huh?”

Albert laughed, lifting his leg and poking Race in the chin with his shoe. Race yelped rearing backwards slightly and nearly losing balance. Albert’s eyes widened and he sat up hastily, grabbing Race’s bicep before he could fall completely.

“Whoop, sorry about that,” he said, sincerely.

“You’re good,” Race said, gripping Albert’s hand to steady himself, “I’m good.”

The silence they fell into was oddly comfortable. Although Race hadn’t known Albert for very long, but something about him felt familiar- reassuring- and as they sat in the tree, watching the sky turn from dull blue to orange, he couldn’t help but feel as if something had led him here. A pull stronger than curiosity.

October 14

“You okay?”

Albert wasn’t in the tree when Race showed up. Instead he was sat on the grass, knees bent in front of him. His eyes looked oddly devoid of their usual glint and Race frowned, worry spreading through his chest. He didn’t give any hint as to whether he’d heard Race or not and Race could see his fingers twitching as he fiddled with his watchband.

“What’s up?” he asked gently as he sat next to Albert.

Albert’s eyes flicked towards him for a moment, the only acknowledgement he’d made to his presence so far. He didn’t answer the question directly, his shoulders shrugging somewhat uncomfortably as he spoke.

“M’not gonna be good company right now, you don’t gotta stick around.”

Race grimaced, “We don’t gotta talk about it, but I’ma stay, dude.”

“Why?”

“‘Cause I like it here, too,” Race said, “And I care about you, I don’t want you to be alone.”

Albert nodded, lowering his chin to his knees, “Thanks,” he mumbled.

“Anytime.”

The breeze around them picked up, and Race clenched his teeth to keep them from chattering. He scooted towards Albert slightly, hoping he’d take the invitation. To Race’s surprise, he did, tucking his head onto his shoulder and shifting closer as well. It wasn’t much, but it provided some shield against the wind.

“We should bring a blanket out here or something,” Albert stated, “It’s getting too fucking cold.”

“It’s not that cold,” Race pointed out, “Only, like, 50 something degrees.”

“Too cold,” Albert pouted.

Race laughed, shrugging the shoulder Albert was leaning against, “Alright, buddy.”

Their breaths synced, an even rhythm echoing between them. Race closed his eyes, allowing tranquility to envelope him. He wasn’t sure how long they sat there, but neither of them seemed to want to move.

“My little brother is sick again,” Albert spoke softly, “And he’ll be fine, I hope, but shit in my house always gets really hectic when he gets flare ups and I just,” he sighed, moving almost impossibly closer to Race, “I wish it didn’t have to be like that.”

Race nodded, placing his hand over Albert’s and rubbing his thumb across his knuckles soothingly, “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” Albert said, trailing off for a moment before continuing, “It hurts seeing Elijah like that and I know it hurts my dad and Thomas, too. I wish we could all just be happy and healthy.”

“You will be one day,” Race tried to console him, “One day, Elijah’s gonna beat this shit and you’ll all live long, happy, healthy lives together.”

“I hope so.”

October 31

“Broughtcha some candy, dumbass.”

Race had gotten there before Albert that day, opting to arrive early and set up the mini blanket fort under the tree they’d been plotting for ages while Albert took his brothers trick or treating.

He peeked his head out from the blanket that draped down from the lowest branch, acting as a door. Albert was staring at the fort with wide eyes, pillowcase full of candy in hand.

“This is sick,” he breathed, snapping out of his reverie and joining Race inside.

He’d opted out of adding a roof, content with peering upwards past the treetops where faint, twinkling stars could be seen.

“I know, I slaved on it for hours for you,” Race teased, plucking a snickers bar out of the bag and popping it in his mouth.

“Fake,” Albert said, smiling at him.

“You’re right,” Race said through a mouthful of chocolate, “Took me like fifteen minutes.”

They laid back on the comforter that Race had laid out as the floor, pulling another blanket over themselves as they settled in. They curled into each other, fitting together like a puzzle piece. It felt natural, the way they melded into one another so seamlessly, a silent understanding ingrained into their souls.

Race rested his head on Albert’s chest rolling over enough so he could still see upwards. He could feel Albert’s heart beating beneath him. The steady pulse grounding him and pulling him further into the earth, cementing warmth into his stomach.

He lifted his head, rolling onto his stomach and propping himself up onto one elbow. Albert looked down at him, a silent question in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it, eyes flicking almost inconspicuously down to Race’s mouth.

Race leaned forward, eyes falling closed as he pressed his lips to Albert’s. They let out simultaneous sighs, the final knot tied as they deepened the kiss.

Neither of them pulled back for a while, losing themselves in each other. Eventually, Race leaned away, keeping his eyes closed as he felt a smile stretch across his face.

A hand brushed his face and he opened his eyes, seeing Albert looking back at him with an awed expression.

“I love you.” Albert’s voice was a faint whisper, the words reserving themselves for only Race.

“I love you, too,” he whispered back.

November 11

Race sat and waited in the clearing, hours upon hours passing with no Albert. Figuring he must have just been busy, Race left.

November 20

Once again, Race was left alone in the clearing. This time, a sick feeling in his gut growing more intense as the minutes passed. He hadn’t heard from Albert in days. Something wasn’t right.

November 30

A month since the kiss. Three weeks since he’d last seen Albert. No sign from him. No explanation. Nothing.

Race sat numb, back against the same tree as he stared at the sky, wishing for answers it couldn’t provide.

December 3

It was officially cold. The real definition, not Albert’s, and as Race trekked towards where he’d discovered the other boy lived, he couldn’t stop his body from shaking.

Partly from nerves, mostly from the biting wind.

He knocked at the door, shoving his hands in his pockets as he waited. A boy, no older than 13 answered, staring at him with quizzical eyes.

“Yes?”

“Uh, hi,” Race swallowed, the realization that he had no idea what he was going to say hitting him like a truck, “I’m a friend of Albert’s, are you Elijah?”

The boy shook his head, “Nah, Thomas.”

“Right, sorry,” Race said, “uh, nice to meet you, is Al home?”

Something in the boy’s face changed and his eyes grew cold as he answered, “He’s not here anymore.”

The world seemed to muffle and Race shook his head, confused, “What do you mean?”

The boy blew a breath out through his nose and he looked to the side, “I mean,” he looked back at Race, eyes glistening, “He’s not here anymore. Freak football accident. You’re his friend, didn’t you hear about it?”

But Race couldn’t hear anything anymore. He distantly heard himself thank Thomas and turned away before the door closed. The world was spinning as he walked. He couldn’t hear his footsteps, or the sounds of the street, or his own thoughts as he walked on autopilot to the place he’d grown so used to visiting.

The clearing seemed darker than it had been before, less welcoming and entirely unfamiliar.

The blanket fort was still up. He hadn’t bothered to take it down. Besides, Albert and him had planned to use it more. One of the blankets blew in the wind, falling unceremoniously from the tree.

It seemed to wilt along with the rest of the place. Even the trees had lost their charm.

Race became acutely aware of the tears that stained his cheeks. He only just remembered to breathe as sobs forced their way out of his stomach in painful waves.

He didn’t remember walking to the fort, or taking down the blankets, attempting to fold them nicely, but giving up halfway through and discarding them with an angry shout.

He wished he’d never come here. He wished that he’d stayed painfully oblivious to the beautiful clearing and the beautiful boy it had brought with it.

But he was cursed with the fate of meeting Albert. Cursed with the fate of falling in love with him.

Doomed with the fate of losing him.

He sat down heavily on one of the blankets, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Eventually he stood back up, crossing to their tree and clambering onto their branch. He struggled to stay balanced. Albert was usually there to help him stay on.

As his tears ebbed away, leaving him empty and hopeless, the life of the forest seemed to rush back to him.

Animals were still traipsing. Wind was still blowing through the trees. Life was still going.

But he was gone without him.

maybe i should write some Not Angst next, thoughts?

thanks for reading, chiefs

hmu to be added to my tag

TAG LIST: @bencookisagod @we-dont-sell-papes @suddenly-im-respecsable

@aw-jus-let-em-try @well-the-kids-do-too @spot-conlon-king-of-brooklyn @felix-loves-albert-and-ralbert @tommy-boyyy

@andthewoildwillknow @the-newsies-justice-for-zas-blog @sunshine-e-cigarettes

@have-we-got-news-for-you @musical-shitposts @thebroadwayaesthetic

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@ripped-rhino

#newsies fic #newsies #ralbert #racetrack higgins #albert dasilva #chaotic boys #chaotic sad boys #yikes #adlskfjsdl

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maya-tl · 6 years

Text

Slice of Life

Author's Note: This fic is inspired by @altruistic-skittles and their Slice of Life Sanders Sides AU, which can be found here. All worldbuilding credit goes to them, I only stitched the ideas together in writing.

Author's Note #2: Due to Tumblr restrictions, the story was split into three chapters. Next chapter will be posted on Sunday.

Honorary mentions: Keep your eyes peeled for @themicrosoftnerd and @crofters-jam , who make an appearance in this chapter!

Shoutout to Toby, who is part of the AU but sadly doesn't get a mention in the story.

This work will also be posted to Ao3 in the near future.

Link to my Ao3 profile will be at the end! Tag list will be in the replies! Enjoy!

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3

***

"Virgil~"

It's barely above a whisper, but he groans anyway and sinks into the pillow like dead weight. He swears he hears someone giggle just above him and he feels warmth through his chest.

"Virgil, honey," he feels a hand on his shoulder that gives it more of a gentle nudge than a shake, "get up. You'll miss breakfast."

The prospect of waking up just makes him settle down even deeper under the comfy blankets.

Truth be told his brain had probably kicked into gear a good while ago, but once the dreaded feeling of expectation that his alarm would be blaring into his ears any minute had passed without coming to fruition, he hadn't questioned any of it and simply gone back to sleep.

He doesn't know if he's actually gotten any rest since, but the fact that his mind is a foggy blank space probably alludes to a yes.

The mattress dips beside him and the hand on his shoulder resumes its shaking—definitely a shake this time.

"Viiirgiiil~" they say, stretching the word like it's a song lyric, and he can hear the smile in their voice even through his sleep clouded mind. "Wakey wakey, sleepyhead~"

He groans again—though it comes out more like a whine—and tries to wiggle out of the hand's reach. There's another giggle, and this time he grudgingly opens his eyes just enough to muster a glare, but even that's half-hearted and reduced useless when the offending figure leans down and plants a kiss on the tip of his nose.

He laughs softly, reaches up to rub at his eyes, and the steady warmth in his chest flares when the source of said warmth laughs back, beautiful and genuine and music to his ears even after nearly two decades of hearing it every day.

"Five more minutes?" he tries, raspy with morning voice, but even as he's saying it he's already sitting up and stretching his stiff muscles.

His answer is a peck on the cheek this time, and he can see Patton's entire face break into a smile out the corner of his eye when he leans into the touch.

That reminds him, their anniversary's coming up. He makes a mental note to get something ready in advance, even if that won't be for a few months now.

"What time is it...?" he mumbles and reaches for his phone, effectively draping himself across the bed.

"Kids are already up and about." Patton offers as he rises from the bed and goes to open the curtains.

"Wow, I outlasted Roman's beauty sleep? That's a first." he squints through the sudden flood of light and gapes at his phone screen until he's sure his eyes might roll out of their sockets. "Breakfast?? Pat, it's nearly noon."

Patton gives him a sheepish look, though his smile doesn't falter. "Brunch then? We've all had breakfast except for you and Ro—Lolo and I already had pancakes. Roman thought I batter go wake you before you turned into Sleeping Beauty—"

He snorts, both at the pun and the implication; sounds like his eldest alright.

"—and he wanted to make his own breakfast. I'll go get some leftovers ready for you, yeah?"

"If there are any leftovers..." he mumbles under his breath, before it's silenced by another kiss.

"You know Roman is too worried about his physique for that and Logan doesn't approve of pancakes in the morning. I barely got him to eat his share." Patton smiles, and it's crooked and beautiful and the sunlight beaming through the windows brings out his freckles and Virgil gets this inexplicable urge to kiss every single one of them. "Take your time getting ready, you haven't been sleeping much for the past week and I don't want you falling asleep at the table again."

He chuckles, standing up and stretching some more; he can hear the birds chirping downstairs when Patton opens the door on his way out.

Someone that sounds suspiciously like his son is talking more loudly than is necessary on the phone and he swears it's a habit he only picked up after they moved; he must've stayed up late and gotten friendly with that Remy kid at some point, because Virgil knows his 'beauty sleep' is more of an excuse to sleep in rather than an actual concern with beauty.

On second thought, knowing Roman, it's probably both.

"Oh! I almost forgot," he hears his husband, who sounds like he's halfway down the stairs, "Thomas told me yesterday that his car broke down!"

Again? He should probably ask Emile for some lucky crystals or whatever he's into these days, their soft-hearted neighbour could sure use it. That man has such a knack for trouble that sometimes Virgil finds himself wondering how he hasn't burned down his house yet.

Would be a shame too, apparently it's been in the family for generations.

"Do you mind if I drive them to the theatre today? Ro agreed to extra practice hours and his whole group of friends wants to come see how the big play's coming along!!"

Of course he did, and of course they do.

"Nah, I'll do it." he says, even though that's the last thing he wants to do today. Not that his other options are much more exciting; he mostly just feels like sleeping the whole day through. "I've got a shift in about three hours anyway, might as well waste a bit of gas."

"You're working? I thought you had weekends free??"

He pulls out some sweats and a simple black T and heads to the bathroom to turn on the shower. His work clothes are already laid out for once, look at him being productive.

"It's just a small shift, Pat, I took it up so I could have less overtime, it's a compromise."

He can hear the underlying tone beneath the innocent question, the silent implication that if his boss is screwing him over Patton can and will physically fight them, because for all his fun loving self he's also dreadfully overprotective.

He knows Patton's not convinced, but he's also learned that Patton still puts a lot more trust in him than he ever expects to receive, and just like that Virgil suddenly feels an overwhelming sense of belonging.

He loves this kind, beautiful, incredible, perfect man that he shares his life with so much he vaguely wonders if he's legally, ethically and morally allowed to marry him again.

Patton laughs again, and so does Virgil when he realizes he's spoken out loud.

How did he ever get so lucky?

***

Patton walks in on the sight of his eldest son pacing a hole into the kitchen floor, a piece of toast in one hand and a bunch of disorderly papers in the other, with his phone squished between his shoulder and his ear.

"Right?! I would make for a brilliant prince!!" he tries to get out between a mouthful of toast and jam, flailing the papers around like they were the ones who didn't give him the part. "Thomas is totally underestimating my incredible acting skills, the audition I gave was practically flawless!!"

"Or perhaps your ego has finally rendered all your other brain functions useless and you are living under the misguided assumption that you are better than anyone at everything you do."

"Nobody asked you to speak, Microsoft Nerd!"

Logan doesn't even lift his eyes from the book he's reading. As a matter of fact he flips the page over, looking utterly and purposefully disinterested in the tantrum of his older brother, who is currently at risk of choking on his food if the fact that his entire face looks like it's gotten sunburn is any indication.

"No, but you are yelling rather loudly and I am trying to enioy a quiet morning lecture." he adds, manoeuvring his cup from its place on the table to take a sip of tea without breaking the narrative he's currently engrossed in. "Not that anyone ever gets any peace and quiet in this household when you're home."

"I beg your pardon?!"

"Play nice, kiddos." Patton chides as he walks in, opening the fridge to take out a rather large stack of pancakes and some orange juice. "And Roman, quit talking with your mouth full."

Roman quietly mutters something like 'gimme a sec Val' before dropping the papers—which Patton assumes are pages of his current script if the neon highlighter marks he catches a glimpse of are anything to go by—into a messy pile on the counter, a tactful distance from the sink.

He even makes a show of swallowing to prove that he's not in any life threatening situation before propping the phone right back to his ear.

"Sorry, my dumb brother interrupted me—"

"I'm not the one actively trying to fail math after the semester's hardly begun." there's suddenly a definite edge to Logan's tone and he's giving his brother a stare so cold it's a wonder his head doesn't turn into a block of ice.

Patton knows that tone; if there's anything his little Lolo is insecure about it's his intelligence, no matter how many times he or Virgil assure him that he's not only the smartest one in the family but also one of the smartest in his school. A work friend of Virgil's they invited over once even called him a prodigy, and that must mean something coming from a therapist.

Unfortunately, Roman's impulse of speaking with absolutely no filter is just as immovable, which means their children have raised the term of sibling rivalry to a whole new level.

Patton decides to stop the argument before it's begun.

"Boys." they clamp their mouths shut immediately, as he knew they would, but he places his hands on his hips just for a little more authority. "What did I just say?"

'Play nice?' Roman more asks than answers at the same time that Logan lets out a tight 'Play nice.'

"Now, what's the right thing to do?"

They sigh in tandem and speak together. "Sorry dad." When he gives them a pointed look they share a glance and give in, both their shoulders dropping the tension simultaneously.

"I'm sorry I called you dumb, I didn't actually mean it..." there's genuine emotion in most of his eldest's apologies, because most of the time he really does blurt out his first thought without considering it and realizes it when his head's in the clear.

"I didn't mean to undermine your creative skills or make you feel inadequate in any way." his youngest is not the most in touch with emotions, but he is smart enough to know when an apology is in order and to differ between a sincere and insincere one.

He gives them a nod of approval and goes back to putting together a late breakfast, plopping the pancakes into the microwave and reaching into a cupboard for a clean glass. Logan likewise resumes his reading as if nothing had happened; Roman is the only one who settles down, picking up his conversation at a more acceptable volume.

As the pancakes are heating up he opens another cupboard door and frowns.

"Have any of you seen the honey?"

"Mhm?" Roman glances over as he chews around another mouthful of toast with too much jam on it. "Oh, it's over there."

Patton turns to the area he'd vaguely gestured to and spots the bee shaped bottle peeking out from behind a very familiar jar of jelly, both items that have long become staples in the kitchen due to Logan's surprising demands. The cap of the jar is undone, and as he swiftly puts it back on his dad reflexes kick in before he can think better of it.

"Who left the jar open?"

The microwave decides to beep at the same moment that Roman abruptly freezes, sticky fingers in his mouth, and he immediately turns to his brother. Logan puts it together in a matter of nanoseconds and practically leaps out of his seat, book tumbling off his lap.

"Is that my Crofter's?!?"

Seeing that not even his acting skills can provide an escape, Roman spreads his arms in a shrug. "Uh, do you own the company?"

It's difficult to get Logan truly riled up, but Roman does have a habit of biting off more than he can chew. Literally this time.

"You know it's family owned—that's not the point, Roman, it's my food!!"

"Oh come on, you have like fifty jars, you can share."

"You didn't even ask me if I'm willing to share!!"

"I was hungry!!!"

"Dad!!!"

Patton manages to suppress a sigh, but only just. He shoves his glasses up and pinches the bridge of his nose for the briefest moments.

Honestly, he loves his children unconditionally, but sometimes, on occasion—and he would never in a million years ever admit this to anyone except maybe Virgil—sometimes he loves them a lot more when they're in separate rooms.

On separate floors.

With their doors closed.

***

My Ao3 profile.

#my_writing #sanders sides #virgil sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #anxiety sanders #morality sanders #logic sanders #creativity sanders #deceit sanders #remy sanders #moxiety #romantic moxiety #platonic lamp #familial lamp #slice of life au #emile picani

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sometimesrosy · 6 years

Note

I hate seeing things like this “Someone on reddit (a huge bellarke fan) has had infos on s6 regarding bellarke. She said it was someone she trusts and that unfortunately the person made it clear that bellarke wasn't happening this season, if not ever. She said she completely lost hope... so yeah, low your expectations” I know better than to believe fleakers on reddit or twitter from GOT but it still gets you down knowing you can’t completely disregard it until the season airs

Anonymous said:A reliable moderator on Reddit said she has an insider and so far Bellarke isn’t in Jason’s plans and she was told Bellarke isn’t happening in s6 if not ‘ever’. I really know i shouldn’t believe in things like this, that don’t have open source or sumn but I feel so down. I still have hope I can’t accept that they put all those scenes or dialogues for nothing

Okay. So that’s two on the same topic. So this is going around again…. Three different asks now. And one nagging ask declaring i won’t answer their first. And it’s all bugging me.

*sigh* fine.

honestly i wish y’all just wouldn’t read it. but i should get it out. and you should know why I don’t buy those rumors and understand that I have reasons, I did research when they first came out. I went back to the text. And I have been watching the source of that rumor for literal YEARS now, so I’ve made some analysis on the way she works. I think we all forget that this is the internet, and we know what you said last year, how many times your theories were wrong, and who you blamed when they turned out to be wrong. None of this I say here is being said lightly and I wish I didn’t have to say it, but I think more harm has come from letting these rumors stand without challenging them. So. I guess I should do it, even though I don’t want to. The other option is to just wash my hands of fandom all together. I guess I’m too stubborn. fine. This is going to be a mess because I wrote it all day long, trying to get it out, planning on deleting it, getting new asks, having conversations with people, taking things out, adding others. And I’m just gonna post it and let it go without editing anymore.

I am not delusional. I am not naive. I am not a blind bellarke shipper. I am JUST trying to stick to the text and watch the show. I AM critical, but that does not mean I am negative. I am looking to UNDERSTAND the show on screen. And when rumors or writer commentary doesn’t fit with what I see in the show, I put them aside and do not take them as confirmation of anything.

I have been sitting on this answer all day trying to figure out how to answer it, because it gets pretty negative about… well… about one particular person and I am trying to keep out of drama and mind my own business and stick to the text and my corner of fandom. But I’m so tired of this all the time.

I just went to reddit to find out why it’s coming back and who this redditor is and what they said. So I couldn’t find it in the 100 reddit, but it was in bellarke reddit. I don’t know know WHO that moderator is, although it might be someone I know, who I know listens to the person who started the original rumor, and even if it isn’t him, it’s still pretty clear to me that’s where this new wave of negativity is coming from.

I have been avoiding speaking out on this particular rumor because I did my research when it first showed up and tracked it back to a person I had a meta argument with YEARS ago. And because of that, I’ve been careful to not say too much about it because it ends up sounding like I have a grudge. But it’s too much now. It isn’t fair that this stuff goes around because someone decides they are all knowing and understand everything better than everyone else and they think it’s a good idea to spread bad feelings as “confirmation.”

First of all, I don’t do gossip. I do canon. I analyze canon and stories and film and visuals and symbolism. Whatever someone says outside of canon, I consider it and see how it reflects upon canon. The more official it is, the more I take it seriously. Someone having an unnamed source with no written confirmation of what they said? And then DECLARING their interpretation of undocumented source material to be ACTUAL CANON CONFIRMATION? No. That’s called gossip and rumor and innuendo and interpretation and speculation. NONE OF THAT IS CANON CONFIRMATION.

I am at about third hand here, one person told me what she said about what the inside source said, so I cannot confirm anything I say as truth. But I want to explain the stuff I heard, and why I have decided that, far from confirmation against Bellarke, it actually sounds to me like confirmation FOR bellarke. It’s about interpretation, confirmation bias, point of view, rumors, fears, and ego.

As far as I can tell, someone who is an insider, who is in the know about the writers room said something along the lines of,

“The writer’s room used to argue all the time about whether or not to write romantic bellarke, and now they don’t argue about it anymore.”

The person to whom this was told interpreted that to mean that it was CONFIRMED that Bellarke was dead and JR was NOT GOING TO DO BELLARKE AT ALL. RIP.

Even if the source who said this is a good, honest source, that’s not what was said. At all. That was an INTERPRETATION of the statement, which seems to be strongly influenced by prior assumptions. The statement is saying they decided. That means it could go EITHER one way or the other. EITHER they’re giving up on Bellarke OR they’re committing to it so no arguments needed.

And I don’t understand that interpretation. Because it means that this source of gossip believes that season 5 had absolutely no romance in it. That there was nothing romantic about bellarke to argue about NOT doing.

But in season 5 we had 2199 calls to Bellamy, She must be important to you/She is. Sexy hug. The hostage taker and his girlfriend. Clarke jealous of B/E kissing. TWICE. Another traitor who you love. I always cared about bellamy. Love is not a weakness. Don’t make the same mistake I made when I betrayed you. Go save him. Do you know how much she cares about you? She called you every day. Bellamy inviting her to the bridge and then giving her the romantic “look back” before he leaves. Waking up ONLY Bellarke. Marper charging them with care of their child (that’s not romance that’s MARRIAGE) and facing the new world in each other’s arms, TOGETHER.

I mean, maybe one of those things could be taken out of context and read as romantic when it’s not intended to be, but all of them, one after another? on and on? No. That’s evidence that supports a romantic storyline.

If they CHOSE to not do romantic Bellarke, then there would be NO explicitly romantic moments, Clarke would NOT be compared to Echo in Bellamy’s feelings. They would NOT have used the daily letter trope. The camera would not have closed in on his hand by so much skin and his lips brushing her shoulder. Clarke would NOT have been jealous– a shot that CLOSELY echoed when she saw finn and raven kissing, an explicitly romantic/jealous parallel to a canon love triangle.

And if they had changed their minds about romantic bellarke, they would have wrapped up the 2199 calls as NOT romantic at that fireside. They would have had Bellamy tell Clarke he poisoned Octavia to save Clarke’s life, and it was no big deal. They would have had Clarke tell Echo that Bellamy was her best friend, like a brother to her. But instead, they leave all these things unsaid, unspoken, still to be discovered. There are ACTIVELY open romantic Bellarke plots, especially because Bellamy HAS to either choose Echo and NOT Clarke, or he has to break up with Echo and see what can happen with Clarke, because he loves them both, as stated by Octavia. Or he could keep them both like Finn did. WHICH takes us back to romantic storyline anyway. Not endgame, but romance definitely. Which, EVEN if they have decided to go with endgame B/E STILL makes Bellarke part of a romance. Bellarke was a canon romance in season 5. Love triangle. C/B/E.

The writers CHOSE to put that stuff in there. They CHOSE to announce Bellamy’s love for Clarke as a tipping point for a major MAJOR plot and character moment. If they were clear about NOT putting romance in, they wouldn’t have done that. They would certainly not leave the storylines OPEN and in need of resolution. LIke with Supergirl, where Kara and James kissed and then did a 180 and were like, “nah let’s just be friends, HEy do you think that bland white creep is cute?” They tanked karolsen for a new ship. THIS is not happening on The 100. They did not tank Bellarke. They brought it in tighter and made it more immediate and brought other people into the the story and are forcing the need to CONFRONT the feelings they have for each other, because Bellamy is not going to be able to pretend he doesn’t feel that, when his girlfriend is there, and he SHOULDN’T be feeling it at all.

If they were in the middle and TEASING bellarke and not intending to make it GO romantic, or delaying it and intending to make it go there, they would still be arguing about it being too much or not enough or whatever.

However, if they put all that in there WITHOUT arguing, that means the plan, for everyone, is to do romantic Bellarke. It means they’ve already started.

They know how to do platonic. Raven and Bellamy are platonic. When THEY stood at that window looking into the future of a planet, they DID NOT TOUCH. Platonic. When Bellamy refused to leave Raven behind, it was the memory of CLARKE that made it painful, and Raven jollied him out of it by calling him names and lying to him. NOT romantic. If they had decided to NOT do Bellarke and NOT tease romance or foreshadow it, they know how not to make it romance. Which includes NOT comparing your love for her to your canon girlfriend.

NOW TWO people have declared the source to be a good source. And this has been the problem with this rumor, because this person has a lot of authority within fandom, has been involved with production, has a broad audience and does indeed talk to people. SO she is seen as an authority that cannot be questioned.

There is no authority that cannot be questioned about their opinion.

And I have had significant interaction with this person that calls into question her interpretations, her judgment, and her authority. I once called her a hypocrite because she said I could not possibly know authorial intent, because SHE knew authorial intent and I was wrong. Which, as a teacher, just pisses me the hell off, because she’s basically saying that only certain people are able to understand story, people with authority like hers. She was gatekeeping my interpretation. And, like, my JOB was to teach kids how to think for themselves and come up with interpretations. And that’s what I try to do here. Come up with my interpretations, show you how i got there, encourage you to come up with your own and back them up. I mean if you agree with me, great, but it’s fiction. We all get to interpret things. The better our analysis, the better we can defend it. To just flat out say that she was the authority and SHE knows and can tell everyone what to think? No.

So I guess that’s why I’m going all in on this. I wrote this this morning when I was ranting, but not sure I’d post the vague blog because I try not to be negative. But then I got the second ask so it’s all coming around again, and I already avoided speaking out about it the first time. And that didn’t make it go away. She’s still acting as an authority who knows everything and all she has to do is say it is confirmed, and other people take it as truth because she said it. It’s not like it will cause a rift in fandom. The fandom is in pieces anyway, and anyone who believes her thinks I’m delusional and an embarrassment, according to the anons I get, But I’m going to put this under the cut in the hopes that most people are too lazy to click more. But whatev, she’s not my friend, she doesn’t respect me I don’t respect her. And this whole gossip horror was the nail in my fandom coffin when it first came up a few months ago. I’m not naming names but if you know what’s happening or what happened the first time, you know the story.

I hope this is too long and y’all won’t read it. This is why I have been sitting on this post all day, but I keep getting asks and I’m getting so angry.

I know who said that, and i never trust her interpretations, because she spent season 3 telling us all, definitively, that Lxa was the hero now, CLarke was the Love Interest, and CL was endgame because it was *pretty,* and we had no right to think CL was dark. First of all, pretty does not equal good, and hasn’t been assumed so for like idk a hundred years? But worse, that I had NO RIGHT, to look at it any other way but a beautiful love story. (incidentally silencing abuse victims.) That we COULD NOT understand authorial intent, did not have the ability to do so, but she did, and we were wrong. And not allowed to say anything else.

When she doesn’t understand something in the show, she doesn’t bother trying to understand the story that JR is telling, she just says that he’s a bad writer. When she DOES understand something in the story, she says the writers are so bad that they didn’t do it on purpose, and it’s only because she’s so smart and clever that she figured out their underlying psychological misogyny that they didn’t know they were writing into the story. That’s the Finn as “Nice Guy” storyline.

When the writers actually TELL her that they LITERALLY meant what she saw and they are surprised the fandom missed it, she again goes back to blaming the writers for not being clear enough. When she was TOLD that the CL story in polis was a dark story of Clarke’s psychology and she MISSED it, she AGAIN blamed the writers for not being clear and then. And THEN. Get this. Blamed the fandom for never looking critically at the CL story in POLIS, For only seeing it as pretty, unless they were screaming ABUSE. Remember when I told you she told me I didn’t have a right to my interpretation and she was silencing abuse victims? So. Yeah. She’s referring to me, and those of us who were talking about that seriously, as abuse survivors or psychology students.

Anonymous said:She’s not the only one that claimed Bellarke is never happening. [XX] had some insider too as i remember and tweeted something along those lines of the moderator from Reddit publicly. {XX] is reliable enough and she said something like they aren’t planning canon but I don’t wanna put pressure on her I only saw her tweet she is not a part of fandom drama she’s a part of presskru.

Yeah. I’m not saying her name. That’s her. I’ve spent all morning trying to write my thoughts on this, and on what I’ve seen her do in this fandom for three years. And I found that reddit thread and I’m pretty sure that the mod’s “reliable source” is that woman who is NOT a reliable source. She’s a biased source who does not check her theories against the canon because she’s more interested in hearing herself talk and being right than in actually understanding the story.

Being part of presskru does not mean she is right. The press writing about this show has OFTEN been wrong. DO you remember season 3 at ALL? Some of those people were still writing reviews in season 5 where Clarke and Bellamy did not exist almost. They were trying to rewrite the show as Octavia-Raven-Diyoza centered. She was part of the completely inaccurate interpretations of season 3. Just because someone tells you they are an authority that does not mean you should take what they say without questioning them. QUESTION EVERYTHING.

She is not reliable. She has had consistently bad speculation and has interpreted this show ABSOLUTELY incorrectly MANY times. And when she’s wrong, she says the problem is with the story and the writers, not her meta. She refuses to question her own interpretations or even, really, to check it to the canon show. She believes Bellarke is dead so when someone said something, she IMMEDIATELY decided she had to tell EVERYONE that Bellarke was confirmed dead. This whole rumor comes from her. From her unreliable interpretations and confirmation bias.

Please, don’t take my word for it. Go back over her meta and her speculation. See what she says when the writers tell her to her face that she was wrong, and how she is friends with them until she is facing fandom and then she calls them all bad writers and the show a bad show and the story making no sense. When really, she the show just WENT OVER HER HEAD AND SHE MISSED IT. Every time she calls a writer a bad writer, you can just assume that she did some lazy analysis, jumped to conclusions, and when the story didn’t do what she thought it should, decided the fault was with the writers, the story, the characters, or, well hell, why not just blame me. I did after all say CL was abusive. And that’s why she didn’t bother looking into the symbolism of Clarke’s character development in polis.

Someone told her something, when she knows the whole cast and crew are on lockdown, and she ran to twitter and started telling everyone that she had insider information and she knew the truth. That is not reliable. That is HIGHLY suspect and arrogant and lacks any sort of honor. She needed to be the one who had insider knowledge, so she decided to hurt a whole fandom. She HURT people, because she HAD be the one to know the truth. She was NOT concerned with anyone else and did NOT allow them to be happy shipping their ship.

As far as I can tell, her interpretation of what someone told her is par for the course for her, had nothing to do with the canon, and everything to do with fandom drama, ego, confirmation bias, and the desire to be the authority and have everyone think she’s the shit.

I do not think she’s the shit. Sorry. I think she is an irresponsible writer claiming authority and using it to control those around her. Worse, she’s a teacher. And as a writer and a teacher, that makes me ANGRY. She can’t bully me into following her, or convince me that she’s smarter than me and make me hang on her every word, and so she blocked me a long time ago. But I’ve tried to help people understand the story and come up with their own interpretations and she’s actively gone out of her way to claim her authority to kill a whole ship and fandom. Am I biased? YOU BET. But that bias means I pay very close attention to what she says. And what she says, is suspect.

Please don’t send me any more asks about gossip, rumors or drama. And definitely don’t send me any asks about her.

I would prefer to talk about CANON, literature, film, science fiction, character development, symbolism, storytelling, and Bellarke.

#oh fuck just take this thing #too long; don't bother reading #antis #fandom wank #gossip and rumors #in defense of me

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