#i was so shaky i almost fell down the stairs when we got to the venue lol

[smileymoth]

Thinking about the Placebo concert last October when Brian walked on stage, lit an insence (to top off the fog machine), changed guitars after every song and drank from a massive round clay mug every now and then that he had to hold with 2 hands

He is a crystal mom at heart

And then suddenly after I had averted my eyes to my friend for 2 seconds to check if he was alright, a piano had appeared on stage. No idea how it got there it just vaporized out of thin air.

[powpowstuff]

TW: Mentions of: death, grief and sex.

Author's note: Hiya ! Here's the second part of Jason's story. I'm sorry things got out of hands and a little cheeky. It's getting hot in here ! Please tell me if you like it and if you'd like another part ! Enjoy :) xx

Two weeks had passed since you last saw Jason. There were no traces of him in the city since then, although you and Batman had arrested a few of his henchmen. When you had told Bruce about your encounter, he was as stunned as you were and determined to find him too.

You returned home that night at 5 am after a gruelling patrol. Exhausted but grateful for the distraction it provided from thoughts of Jason, you ascended the emergency fire stairs and entered through your living room window. The light unexpectedly flickered on, casting a soft glow across the room. Turning to investigate, your gaze fell upon the lamp next to your reading armchair. And there he was.

Jason sat there, legs casually spread, one hand supporting his tilted head as he gazed at you. His presence filled the room with a tension you could almost touch. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as you both locked eyes, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air.

You nearly tripped on your rug, caught completely off guard by Jason's presence.

“We need to talk,” he said, his gaze unwavering.

“I… I’m sorry, I’m just so surprised to see you here,” you stammered, your voice betraying the mix of emotions flooding through you. Despite knowing he was alive now, his appearance still felt surreal, like seeing a ghost. Looking into his eyes brought a rush of memories flooding back, memories of the life you once shared, now suddenly tangible before you.

“I have a few questions. First one: how can you still work with the old man?” Jason leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together, his eyes fixed on you.

You settled onto the armrest of your couch, keeping a measured distance from Jason, though every fibre of your being longed to be closer. His aloof demeanour made you cautious; you knew it wasn’t the right time to bridge the gap, not yet.

“After what happened…” you began tentatively.

“After I died, murdered by a lunatic clown he never wanted to kill, you mean” he cut in sharply.

His words sliced through the air, leaving you momentarily breathless. The anger and resentment in his voice were palpable.

“After that…” you continued, gathering your thoughts. “I was consumed by hatred toward Bruce. I held him responsible for what happened to you. I…”

“He is responsible” he interjected, reclining back into the armchair with a bitter edge to his voice.

“I hated him” you insisted, trying to meet Jason’s gaze. “For so long… After five years, I realised that hating him wouldn’t bring you back. I needed to keep myself occupied, to help the people of Gotham. I…”

“Oh, so you worked with him to keep busy” he scoffed sarcastically, a flash of resentment in his eyes. His dismissive tone struck a nerve, igniting a spark of anger within you. You knew he had endured unimaginable hardships, but his demeanour made it seem like your efforts had been effortless.

“I know you’ve been through hell and back, Jason,” your voice cracked with the weight of your emotions. “You didn’t deserve any of this. But losing you wasn’t easy for me either. I was going mad. We were so young, Jason. I was so lost without you. You were always the one taking the lead, my light in the dark, and suddenly, you were taken away from me. I felt so alone.” Tears streamed down your face, each one a release of years of suppressed emotions, anger, sorrow, and grief all crashing over you at once. “I started going out on the streets at night, just looking for danger, hoping that beating the hell out of anyone would make the pain go away. I…”

You took a deep, shaky breath. “I spent all my time wishing it was me instead of you, hunting down that fucking clown in hopes of killing him. But every time he mentioned you, I froze, and he beat me senseless with a crowbar!” You stood up, stepping toward the armchair to face him directly. “So yes, I went back to Bruce. We had a long, meaningful talk and shared our grief. He’s filled with guilt and sorrow too. I did no good alone; I was lost and confused. The only way to get back on track, to train better, to be better, was to work with him and put an end to that fucking clown.”

You wiped your tears and let out a deep sigh. “Fuck, Jason. I know I’ll never understand how hard it was for you, and I know you had it worse. But it wasn’t easy for me either. So yes, I went back to Bruce, I work with Bruce, but that doesn’t erase everything that happened. It doesn’t erase all the anger and sorrow. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you, that I don’t wish you were here…”

Jason stood up, now towering over you. He gently held your chin, tilting your face up to meet his gaze.

“I thought you had forgotten about me,” he murmured, his voice a breathy whisper. His eyes into yours, filled with a mix of longing and uncertainty.

“I could never forget about you…” you whispered back, your heart pounding as you got lost in his eyes.

“I was put in the Lazarus Pit. I went... totally mad, to say the least. There was a time when I lost my memory. But as soon as it came back, all I could think of was you. I was terrified that after all this time, you had forgotten about me…” His voice was husky and low, as his lips inched closer to yours. His hand slid from your chin to the back of your neck, his touch sending shivers down your spine. His other hand settled on your lower back, pulling you firmly against him.

“You still love being in control,” you whispered, your breath hitching. “What are you waiting for ? Kiss me, you fucker.”

Jason chuckled softly, his breath warm against your skin. “Giving orders now? That’s new.” He moved closer to your ear, his voice a tantalising whisper. “I think I like it.” He tightened his hold on you and captured your lips in a kiss filled with both love and fiery passion. Your bodies pressed against each other, the kiss deepening, conveying years of desire and longing.

When he finally pulled back, he gazed into your eyes, his own filled with intensity. “I said I had a few questions... Here's the second one: will you let me make love to you?”

You bit your lip, your voice barely above a whisper “Yes, please.”

You felt at home, a feeling you hadn’t experienced in far too long. His hands were everywhere, holding you, feeling you, igniting a fire that had been dormant for too long. His touch was urgent yet tender, as if he was memorising every inch of you.

He ran his hands down your thighs, his fingers trailing a path of heat. With a swift movement, he lifted you effortlessly, pulling you closer. You wrapped your legs around his waist as he carried you to the bedroom, his lips never leaving yours. The air was thick with anticipation, each step echoing the pounding of your heart.

As you reached the bedroom, he laid you gently on the bed, his body following yours. The room was dimly lit, shadows dancing on the walls, but all you could see was him. His eyes, dark and intense, held a promise of unspoken passion. He hovered over you, his breath mingling with yours, creating an electric tension.

Jason’s hands explored your body with a fervent need, his touch both familiar and thrillingly new. He kissed you deeply, the years of separation melting away in that single, passionate connection. His kisses trailed down your neck, igniting sparks along your skin. His hands roamed over you, relearning your curves, your warmth, your very essence.

With each touch, each kiss, you felt a flood of emotions, relief, joy, desire. His hands found yours, fingers intertwining as he pressed his body against yours. The sensation of his weight, his warmth, made you feel alive in a way you hadn’t in years.

He paused, his eyes locking onto yours, searching for any doubt. But there was none. Only love and longing reflected back at him. He kissed you again, slower this time, savouring the moment. His lips moved against yours with a mix of tenderness and urgency, as if trying to make up for lost time.

The passion was undeniable, a fire that consumed you both. The night was a blur of heated kisses, whispered confessions, and intimate caresses. It was a dance of rediscovery, each movement a testament to the love that had endured the years apart.

As dawn approached, you lay wrapped in his arms, the afterglow of your reunion wrapping around you like a warm blanket. You rested your head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. His fingers traced lazy patterns on your back, a silent promise of never letting go again.

After ten years of waiting, it was the most passionate and loving night you had ever experienced. You felt complete, your heart full, knowing that despite everything, you had found your way back to each other.

[lilian-sins]

“𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑟𝑎.”

❥︎ pairing: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir x gn!Ladybug miraculous user!Reader

❥︎ p.o.v: 3ʳᵈ person

❥︎ prologue summary: After months of unsuccessfully trying to find Hawkmoth’s identity, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is faced with a different kind of challenge: moving house halfway across the world. Stressed about her situation, both as Marinette and as Ladybug, she puts off telling everyone the news. On her final day in Paris, she visits Master Fu, the holder of the Miracle Box, and gives back the Ladybug Miraculous entrusted to her. With a final goodbye to her old life, the Dupain-Cheng family leaves for New York, starting a new chapter in their lives.

❥︎ tags: marinette leaves; weird magic headcanons to explain things; mentions of an Akuma attack

❥︎ word count: 1,734

       series masterlist | chapter 1

This day couldn’t have started better for Marinette Dupain-Cheng; for once, she wasn’t late for school, waking up earlier than her alarm, in fact. She didn’t rush her morning routine, there were no accidents consisting of tripping down the stairs or spilling food, and the girl was on her way to school in no time.

The school day was also quite nice, not as full of mishaps as it usually is. ‘It truly is miraculous!’ Marinette thought to herself as she walked across the street to her home, ‘Even Chloé didn’t bother me, actually, that was kind of weird’. The girl pushed open the front door to her home and was immediately greeted by her loving parents. It seemed like they were waiting for her.

       —“Hey mom! Hey dad! What’s up?” Marinette asked.

       —“Hi, honey, me and your father need to talk to you. You’re not in trouble, of course, but it is quite urgent. Here, let’s sit down,” Sabine, Marinette’s mother, gently stated.

The family goes to sit at their dining table. The young girl’s thoughts were running wild, and her hands were growing slightly cold and shaky.

       —“So… what is it?”

       —“… Well, ahem, your mother and I got a business offer that would help us move up in the world!” Tom replied.

       —“Oh, well, that’s great, I don’t see a problem with it!” Marinette congratulated her parents, feeling elated for them.

       —“Yes, it is great, but... we’ll have to move to the United States if we take this offer,” the girl’s mother finally spit out.

Time seemed to stop for a second, but for Marinette, that second felt like an eternity. She stood frozen in her seat, staring almost past her parents sitting in front of her. An uncomfortable, stuffy silence passed before Marinette stood up, her chair almost falling over.

       —“But... but we can’t just leave! What about ME? What will I do when we move? I only have two years of school left; all my friends are here; and- and you’re telling me that I’ll just have to start over?” The girl felt her throat closing, unshed tears pooling in her eyes, and various thoughts swirling through her mind.

‘What about Ladybug? What will happen to Paris when she’s gone? Oh god, Chat Noir will be powerless against Hawkmoth all on his own!’ Marinette ran upstairs to her room, ignoring the worried shouts of her parents, who were pleading for her to come back.

The teen girl slammed her attic door shut and fell face first on her sofa, sobbing loudly. Tikki flew out of her bag, worried about her holder.

       —“Please don’t cry, Marinette! Everything’s going to work out!” the kwami tried to comfort her.

       —“But it won’t, Tikki! Everything’s turned upside down so suddenly, and I just can’t deal with it right now! I don’t even want to THINK about what to do about Ladybug! I don’t want to give you up, but there’ll be no other choice…” Marinette was inconsolable at the moment, so the kwami suggested the two get some rest.

       

       

       

       

       

The next morning, Marinette woke up late, silently thanked her good fortune that it was a Saturday, and headed downstairs to freshen up, trying to relieve her swollen eyes and face her parents.

       —“Good morning, honey. Are you feeling better today?” her mother asked gently.

       —“Morning, mom, yeah... I’m better,” the teen responded, searching through the cupboards for something to eat. “I mulled it over and... I’m fine with it. Obviously, it’s a big change, but if it’s going to make you and dad happy, then let’s do it!” Marinette smiled brightly. Just then, a thought popped into her head, “Uhm, mom? When exactly are we moving?”

       —“Oh! Well, see, this was struck upon us quite suddenly, and we ourselves needed a bit of time to process it... so, we have a bit over a week to move,” her father coughed out quickly, coming into the room.

       —“…WHAT? But- but that’s such a short amount of time!” the girl shouted, shocked by the news, though she deflated just as swiftly, “I would’ve thought we had more time, not- not a week...”

       —“Well, don’t you worry,” Marinette’s father rubbed her shoulder reassuringly, “a week is quite enough time if we start now!”

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

That week, the teen girl didn’t know how to break the news to her friends, especially Alya. She kept putting it off until her very last day of school. Marinette rushed to class on Friday with a box of macarons her dad had made and a few hand-crafted bracelets and charms in hand. She tripped a few times along the way but made it to class just in time.

The school day was quite ordinary, though a bit chilly from the crisp early December air. As school ended, she broke the news to her friends. Tears were shed, lungs were nearly crushed from tight embraces, and heartfelt goodbyes were shared. Alya, Nino and Adrien could only watch sadly as their friend left for home.

       

       

       

       

       

Unfortunately, her last day in Paris was also the same day Hawkmoth decided to send out one of his Akumas to terrorize the city — a deranged farewell of sorts, the girl pondered as she ran for cover. She swiftly transformed into Ladybug and, with the help of Chat Noir, took down the villain in no time.

The two heroes were about to part ways. The heroine asked her partner if he could meet her on top of the Eiffel Tower after re-transforming. Of course, the feline-themed hero eagerly agreed. As they met up, Chat looked at his lady with anticipation, but then she broke the news.

       —“…Chaton… I don’t- I have... to leave Paris, and I don’t think I will ever return.” Ladybug couldn’t look her partner in the eyes, not ready to see the expression on his face.

Chat Noir looked like he was about to break down, but he calmed himself and went to comfort his distressed friend. The teen boy promised her to continue protecting their beloved city and become partners with the next Ladybug Miraculous holder.

And so, the pair of heroes, partners, and friends hugged and bumped their fists together before parting ways for the last time.

       —“Pound it!”

       

       

       

       

       

The heroine leapt across the rooftops, intent on heading home, before remembering one more person she had to visit, perhaps the most important one. Swiftly changing directions, Marinette hid behind a dumpster in an empty alleyway, then walked the rest of the way to Master Fu’s residence, the cold air nipping at the apples of her cheeks. The teen girl opened the door and saw Wang Fu with his back turned before he addressed her.

       —“Hello, Marinette, what brings you here today?” asked Master Fu.

The girl stood in the doorway with Tikki by her side, unsure of how to break the news to him. She went to stand by him, and the old man turned to face her as she spoke.

       —“Uhm… Master, I should’ve probably told you this earlier, but... I- I’m leaving Paris permanently.”

       —“My, that is of importance...” Fu replied, walking away from Marinette, looking through his dresser, opening a couple of drawers, searching for something unknown to her, “You do understand that you cannot take the Miraculous with you, right?”

       —“Aha!” It seems that he found whatever he was looking for.

       —“Of course, Master, I’ve accepted it as much as I could,” the girl replied, confused but not questioning him.

       —“Alright, then, to sever the soul ties between you and Tikki, you must take this.” As he spoke, he handed her a small fabric bag.

Marinette stood there, eyebrows raised, confused out of her mind, wondering just what the hell was inside. Master Fu noticed her gaze.

       —“This bag contains a secret blend of herbs and spices to help you recover quickly from the aftermath of the separation. Though it is not lethal, all holders feel as if they have lost a piece of themselves. The bond between a holder and their Kwami hurts more or less, depending on your connection.”

       —“Will I still be able to remember any of this?” Marinette asked.

       —“Yes, you will. Only the memories will become murky as time goes on. You will not remember secret information, only a blurry picture,” the elder replied.

       —“…oh…”

Master Fu handed her a cup of steaming liquid, presumably the very herbs he had been talking about.

       —“Drink up, this will help you reduce most of the symptoms in advance.”

Marinette did as instructed, gulping down the hot liquid, her throat confused by the oddly tropical yet spicy and sour blend of flavors. After setting the cup aside with a sigh, the girl turned to face a strangely quiet Tikki.

The pair looked at each other, committing themselves to memory for what was definitely the last time. All the time they had spent bonding was gone so suddenly, as if someone had pulled the brakes at the last possible second. The little creature gave in first, flying over to Marinette’s face and hugging her as far as her little limbs could let her. The girl embraced her back almost instantly, her eyes welling up with tears.

       —“I’ll miss you so, so much, Tikki...”

       —“I will miss you too, Marinette, you will always be one of my favorite holders.”

Shaky hands reached up to the earrings — such unsuspecting little jewels, yet they held so much power within them. The girl removed the backings from the rest of the earrings and watched as her beloved friend disappeared into them with a bright pink light, the black studs reverting to their iconic red and black spotted theme. Marinette stared at the two pieces in her palm longingly before handing them over to Master Fu.

       —“Be very careful over the next few weeks. A splitting headache is the most common symptom after separation. Drink this tea blend twice a day. You should feel better after a month,” he said, putting the Miraculous back into the Miracle Box.

Another farewell was spoken that day, and with it went another piece of her old life.

       

       

       

       

       

Early in the morning, the Dupain-Cheng family left for the airport, their home empty and barren, a shell of what it used to be, now left behind. As they boarded the plane, Marinette sat in the window seat and looked out the window.

       —“Goodbye, Paris… I’ll miss you,” she murmured softly.

       series masterlist | chapter 1

❥︎ author's note: This is a re-write of the original chapter!

❥︎ series taglist: @leafanonsforest @ok-boke @they2luv1naia @mytaiyakeylover (if you wanna get added, lmk!)

❥︎ posted: 2023 | 05 | 25

[chicago-pd-is-weird]

Adam Ruzek x Fem!Reader

Requested by @maximeseveridecasey

It was date night. You looked forward to this night for a long time, but when it came to finding an outfit, you couldn’t find anything that fit you right. Being almost seven months pregnant, your regular clothes didn’t fit you anymore. Your belly protruded out too far. As you tried on outfit after outfit, you started to get frustrated, slamming things down on the bed, tears coming to your eyes. Nothing you had looked good enough, in your opinion.

From downstairs, Adam could hear your cries of frustration. He frowned, grabbing the large plate of food he’d been making for the two of you. Seeing as your date was a movie, you’d both decided to eat beforehand. He climbed the stairs slowly, listening to you rip the clothes off your body and start to sob. He knocked softly on the door as he entered, setting the plate down on the dresser and walking over to you. “Hey baby…” he sat beside you on the bed, setting a hand on the back of your head. “What’s the matter?”

You started to sob, leaning into his shoulder. “Nothing fits right! None of my regular clothes fit and my maternity clothes don’t look good!”

Adam hummed and rubbed your back, stroking your hair. “I think you look good no matter what. Besides, the theater is dark. Who cares how you look?”

You shook your head. “I can tonight, I-I just can’t!” You cried harder, Adam pulling you closer and gently shushing you.

“Hey, alright… We won’t go anywhere. Why don’t we run you a bath instead?”

You sniffled, nodding a little. Adam got up and helped you to your feet, leading you into the bathroom. You couldn’t face yourself in the mirror, so you watched him turn on the water instead.

As it was running, he walked over to you. “Turn around for me.”

You frowned, but reluctantly turned around, looking down at the sink.

Adam wrapped his arms around you, specifically around the underside of your belly, lifting the weight of the baby off of you. Immediately, you were relieved, leaning back into him as his body pressed against you. He kissed your neck and whispered in your ear. “You aren’t alone. I’m your husband. I made vows to you to always love you and keep you safe and happy. I love you no matter what your body looks like. Besides, you’re carrying our child. The product of our love. How could I not love you? How could I ever think you’re ugly? Hmm?” He nuzzled your neck, kissing at it between statements. “I love you, (Y/N) Ruzek. You took my last name and stole my heart.”

You blushed heavily, tears streaking down your face at the kind words your husband spoke. Maybe it was just the hormones getting to you. You had no idea why you were so sensitive. You wiped tears from your eyes and let out a shaky breath. “Thank you, Adam…” you whispered.

“Anything for you.” Then, he slowly set your belly down, fixing the bath up for you with some epsom salts and essential oils that you liked. He helped you into the tub when you were ready, then sat beside the tub, helping you to wash your hair. He massaged your scalp as you relaxed in the tub, the Epsom salts helping with your back pain. You nearly fell asleep beside Adam there, finally relaxed. When he finished washing your hair, he put in some conditioner, clipping it up and kissing your cheek. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Adam left you in the tub to soak, cleaning up your bedroom from the mess you’d made, making your bed, and grabbing some comfy clothes for you, including one of his own hoodies. Then, he walked back in with the plate of food. “Here baby, I know you’re hungry.”

You smiled. “You know me so well.”

“That’s why I married you.” He smiled and kissed you softly, then fed you as you relaxed in the warm water.

.

When the two of you were finished eating, Adam helped you out of the tub, and helped to dry you off and get you dressed. Then, he took you to the bed and kissed you deeply. “What do you want to do now?”

“Can you paint my toes?” You asked, cupping his face and stroking his cheeks with your thumbs. “Then kiss me and never let me go?”

Adam smiled and nodded. “I think I could make that work,” he teased. “Still hungry?”

“Yeah, a little.”

“Let me make you something else to eat and I’ll grab the stuff from downstairs. What color do you want?”

“My favorite color.”

Adam laughed softly and nodded. “Your favorite color it is.” He left for fifteen minutes, then came back with another plate of food and nail polish, along with a towel to put your feet on.

You munched on the sandwich Adam had made you, watching as he painted your toes. “You wanna know something?”

“Hmm?” Adam glanced up.

“Every time you kiss me like you did earlier, the baby kicks.”

Adam smiled. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll kiss you like that all the time.”

You giggled as he moved up and kissed you deeply, you wrapping a hand around to the nape of his neck, running your fingers through his hair.

—

Months later…

—

You sighed, not feeling well as you sat at your desk. Grabbing the stack of envelopes beside you, you decided to stretch your legs. Something didn’t feel right and you couldn’t place it. You walked through the firehouse and into the common area where most of the men were. “Hey guys,” you said, sorting through the envelopes. “Payday.”

All of them turned their attention to you as you passed out the checks, getting various remarks and thanks in return. When you got to the bunks, you slid Casey’s check beneath his office door, seeing as he was napping inside. Moving over to Kelly’s door, you stepped into the doorway, which was open. “Hey Kelly,” you said with a smile. The two of you had been friends a long time, and even dated back in the day before you met Adam. “Here’s your check.” You handed the last envelope to him.

“Hey, thanks,” he said with a smile, looking up at you. “How you doing?”

You groaned slightly. “I feel horrible. Like I’m about to-“ Just then, you felt a gush from between your legs. You frowned, looking down as your pants soaked. “Shit…” you mumbled.

Kelly looked up at you. “Did… your water just break?”

You grabbed onto the doorway. “I think… Maybe Shay and Dawson should take me to the hospital.”

“Yeah,” Kelly said, standing and offering his arm to you. You quickly took it, Kelly helping you into the bay and to the back of the ambulance, sitting you on the bumper. “Stay here, I’m going to find Dawson, Shay and the Chief.”

You groaned, leaning back on the ambo. Within thirty seconds, Leslie was sprinting to see you, Dawson on her heels. Kelly and Boden were close behind. Leslie and Dawson took your vitals, then helped you into the ambo.

Leslie sat beside you as Gabby drove you to the hospital. She smiled. “You ready to have a baby, (Y/N)?”

You groaned. “I need someone to call Adam. I need him.”

“I know honey,” Leslie said, nodding and grabbing your phone from your pocket. “We’ll call him right now.” She dialed Adam’s number, putting it on speaker.

“Hey, baby, what’s up?” Adam’s voice came through.

“A-Adam, I’m going to the hospital. I’m in labor.”

There was silence from the other end for a moment before there was rustling. “I’m on my way. Which hospital?”

“Med,” Leslie said. “Chicago Med, Adam.”

“Got it. See you there. I love you, baby.” Adam then hung up.

—

Finally, after an intensive labor, you got to hold your baby. A little girl. You named her Leslie, after your best friend. Adam was alright with this, seeing as Shay had been a huge help and influence in your life, even before you married him, though you promised to let him name your next child.

Adam sat at your side, holding you and kissing your sweating face. “She’s beautiful,” he whispered in your ear.

“Yeah,” you whispered back, smiling tiredly at your child, enthralled with her and how beautiful she was.

.

A few hours later, you were resting with Leslie in the bassinet beside you. That’s when Leslie, your best friend, came in to visit you. She smiled and sat beside you first. “Hey, how are you?”

“Mmn, tired,” you replied softly, smiling at her, then at your baby. “Adam got called into work, it was really important, but I’m glad he was here while I was in labor. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him.”

“I know, sweetie,” Leslie replied, smiling. “She’s beautiful, though.”

“Takes after her namesake.” You winked at Shay, who laughed softly with you, stroking your hair.

“Rest.”

“I will,” you replied, closing your eyes and holding her hand softly.

[seasinkarnadine]

@redswan12

Undead tissue doesn’t heal the same way living skin does. The body’s natural responses are stymied, so without magic it takes an absolute age for injuries to recover. On the other hand, one can continue moving whence the living might be debilitated with pain. It’s been a long time since Laudna felt the pain of being alive. Her left leg drags awkwardly behind her as she stumbles through the inn’s front door.

“Excuse me–terribly sorry,” she murmurs as she maneuvers through the busy crowd. “Oops–! Let me clean that for you.” She prestidigitates the woman’s dress in apology. “You look ravishing in that, by the way.”

It’s a relief to finally reach the stairs. 

Between the railing and her good leg she manages an awkward hop-skip-drag up, one step at a time. There’s a long look from a dragonborn who passes her on his way down, but nobody halts her progress. Thank goodness. 

Her hands are shaking so it takes a few tries before she gets the key into the lock. It’s empty. The others must still be gathering their supplies. That’s probably for the best.

It takes a few minutes of digging through her supplies but she comes up with a spool of red thread. There’s black in there somewhere, but she likes how the red looks against her skin. Almost like she has actual blood. 

“Oi! Put me onna table, all this swingin’ about’s gon’ make me sick!” Ah. Oops. 

“Sorry, Pâté.” She unhooks him from her belt and settles him against her pack.

“They gotcha pretty good huh?” He tilts his head to get a better look at her.

“Oh, damn. Am I quite a mess?”

“‘Fraid so.” She doesn’t have any mirrors so it’s difficult to do a proper assessment. Imogen probably has one… no, it would be rude to go digging through her things.

"I suppose we will have to do what we can." 

"Ye, get the one on yer hip, yer leakin' all o'er the floor!"

"Dear. So I am." It's not difficult to hike up her skirt; the villagers slashed right through it with their scythes. Seems like they cut through tendons, too. Otherwise her hip dislocated when she fell. She'll have a poke at it later.

"Little to the right and they'd have got your lady bits," Pâté notes.

"How gruesome that would've been," Laudna chuckles. Her shaky hands steady some as she weaves the needle through her skin. 

"I betcha it would look like ground meat. Is Imogen inta that?"

"Pâté," she scolds gently.

"Right, sorry." 

She finishes stitching her hip back together, and then moves on to her wrists. She used them to cover her head so they unfortunately took quite the beating.

The door slams open, causing Laudna to startle about 6 feet in the air.

“Assholes,” Imogen spits, unbuckling her harness and tossing it onto the bed. “Laudna?” She turns, but her eyes don’t land quite right. “Why you sittin’ here in the dark?”

“Oh! Seems I rather lost track of time.” She gently folds her skirt over her hip. When had the sun set? “Darling, what happened?” Now that she’s paying attention, Laudna can feel the agitated hum of Imogen’s mind hovering at the edge of her consciousness 

“Small-minded country folk is what happened.” Imogen busies herself with lighting the lamps in their room. “It took me fuckin’ three hours to find a shop that even carried the griffon feathers and when I did the shopkeep took one look at my arms an’ hair and pretended he didn’ even see me! Every time someone new’d show up he’d talk to them before me! And-and then! When I finally did get his attention, he said he didn’t have the feathers, like they weren’t just sittin’ out on the front of the table for everyone to see!”

“What if I went back with you? I’m sure the two of us together could find a way to…persuade him to part with the goods.”

“No, thank you,” Imogen sighs. “I got the feathers in the end–Laudna!” Imogen’s eyes go wide as she turns to look at Laudna for the first time since entering the room.

“What happened?!” 

“What? Where?” Her form of dread prickles at her skin as she searches for the cause of Imogen’s alarm.

“Sweetheart, no. Your face…” 

“Oh.” Her magic settles down. “Is it bad?” The grim set to Imogen’s jaw is at odds with the tender way she cups Laudna’s cheek. 

“Who did this to you.” Something flutters up Laudna’s spine at the dangerous husk in Imogen’s voice.

“I-I took a tumble down some stairs–”

“How’d you fall down stairs?”

“I was in a hurry–”

“Why were you in a hurry?”

“Some of the townsfolk mistook me for a ghoul.” Imogen’s mind stops buzzing and picks up a tapping rhythm instead. She’s asking to be let in. Laudna does not deny her. laudna could never deny her.

I’m gonna fucken’ killem–

No, no, it’s alright. They pushed me into a river–

They pushed you into a river–!

–and I’m pretty sure they think they killed me. They won’t come after me. It’s alright.

Alright?! You coulda drowned!

Darling, I don’t need to breathe. Past the first bend the river was quite calm, really. It was easy to swim out. I dried myself and sneaked back here.

Imogen stands back, her hands balled into fists. Laudna doesn’t need the mental connection to know that fury is blazing bright and hot.

“I’m gonna burn this place to the fucken’ ground.”

“Dear you know I fully support whatever you want to do, but can’t we take a rest, first? I’m exhausted.” She’s beautiful when she’s angry (she’s beautiful all the time), but the townsfolk don’t deserve Imogen’s wrath. They saw Laudna and they were scared. They wanted to protect what they loved.  She can’t fault them for that. After all, if Imogen were in danger, Laudna would do whatever was necessary.

You are far too generous to the world, Imogen sighs. Her body relaxes, her fists unfurling. And far too sweet to me. She sits down on the bed.

“Hand me the jar with the–what’s it called, arcina.” They spend the rest of the evening tending to Laudna’s injuries together. As a team.

[pbandjesse]

I had to leave from the music festival an hour early. I couldn't take the heat anymore. It was 105 in the heat index. And it was rough. But it was not a bad day. I had fun! I drank so many drinks!! I tried really hard to stay hydrated.

I slept really really hard last night. I struggled hardcore to write my post last night. I was falling asleep while writing it. So I apologize if I didn't make a ton of sense. I was really really struggling. And fell asleep almost immediately after posting it. I just remember saying okay goodnight to James and falling out hard.

When I woke up I was alright. Tired but not horribly so. I let myself sleep until 830. And when I got up I was kind of shaky. That would be a theme for the day.

I was having a hard time not being in the AC. We only have ac in our bedroom. Someday I hope we can add central air to our heating system. The furnace will need to be replaced in the next to couple years. We will save up for that and an ac after the fence and doors get fixed. And then we'll start working towards a deck and french doors in the backroom.

Once I was clean and dressed I would make sure my tote again had everything I might need and then some. Tiny fan. Frozen nalgene water bottle. Fake Stanley of ice water. Soda cup. Snackle box. Drink packets.

I would feed Crabcake and give Sweetp new water. I would soak on of my bandanas and would end up using it as a headband. Some cool was on the back of my neck. It would help a bit but the heat was unreal.

I would sit in the basement to stuff the new bears j made. I had hoped it would be cooler down there and it wasn't horribly hot but I was sweating and shaking but I would get them stuffed. I would sew them once I got my table set up.

I had a hashbrown for breakfast. And would leave at 930. And as soon as I left the house I was like. Oh shit. It's going to be very hot. It was already 94 degrees! I was worried but I was trying to be positive despite the shaking.

I got to the parking garage and things were going okay. I paid on the app. I got a spot on the second level. Things seemed okay.

Except the I couldn't figure out how to get out?? I was wandering around for almost ten minutes. The stairs were there but I couldn't bring my wagon up the stairs. And the elevators weren't working. I was trapped.

I finally just decided to go up the car ramp. They gave me no other option. I was sweaty and upset and not having a good time

Even though it was hot outside at least the air wasn't sitting and there was a little breeze. I got across the street without dropping anything. But when I got over there, after checking in with Kathleen, I heard someone yelling something. I had dropped a whole basket of beads and they were all over. Oops. I dropped off my wagon and went back for them. Another vender helped me put them back. And then I was just working on set up. It didn't take long. I have a pretty solid routine, even if the tables are different each time.

I would feel a little unprepared. I didn't have any tape or extra binder clips with me. Thankfully Kathleen would have painters tape ans jw ould make it work. And I was happy with my table. Once I was set up I would work on sewing the 12 bears. I would fall in love with some of them. But I decided I jeeded to keep this one red bear. I just loved him so much. Reminded me of Edwin. The bear I sleep with. And I would keep him in my cleavage all day. I would pour water in him to keep myself cool. That was the battle today. Staying cool as best I could.

I would make good sales. It wasn't the best day ever, mainly because the turnout wasn't amazing with how hot it was. But the people who were there were great. Telling me how cute my stuff was. People being so cute interacting. I liked the music too! And I felt like even if I didn't make a lot of sales I was just going to have a good day.

I finished all the bears within the first two hours. I was hot but I was trying my best to ignore it. I would finish my soda by 1130 and refilled that cup with water. My nalgene was mostly melted. I would end up refilling my soda cup three times and my fake Stanley twice. I would pour the nalgene water over my head twice. Just soaking myself to try and cool down. The mid afternoon was the worst part. But I troed to remain positive.

Meril was there running a booth for the museum. They wrote "what in heck is old time?". They forgot the "the". It was very funny to me. She was really sweet and shared one of her ice packs with me (she told me that she brought "every ice pack" she owned) and it would help but it would melt pretty fast. We were all trying our best.

There were some characters. People fighting but mainly it was calm and nice. I really enjoyed the music. And I was just knitting away all day. I would make 8 squares! Which brings me to 39 squares for my 144 square blanket. It's exciting to see it coming together.

I would start feeling a little insane. I would eat my snackle box. I would try to remain normal. I was having fun! But it was so hot.

Meril would leave at 4. She wished me luck. James would be done work soon after that and would come help me. Give me a break. I would get a little upset when they didn't come straight there. Instead biking the long way. I know they love biking but they had been in the AC all day and I had been locked to my table. It made me feel very frustrated and I knew I was on the verge of being irrational.

So when they did finally come I told them what I was feeling and they apologized and went to find me more water. Which was a struggle. They had taken the hydration station away to refill so James was just walking circles trying to find it. But they would eventually return it. And I had cold water again.

James would go and get me shake shack. Which I would end up dropping and was very sad. I would remove the parts that touched the ground and eat the safe parts.

James would get a falafel and fries and shared the fries which were very good. I would go on a little walk to see the other venders. I bought a little hip bag. But the other two things I liked were $65 so I decided to save my money. Maybe another time.

At 630 I was just so done. The sun had been creeping into my tent. I was hot and tired and I had drank so much water but never had to use the bathroom because I had been sweating so hard. James joked that the bear I had in my cleavage would only sell for $1 (for being sweaty and gross) or for $100 (for perverts). I wanted to make it through.

But I apparently looked so bad that even Kathleen said if I didn't feel safe I should pack up. And I took that seriously. We made one more sale of two of the blind bags (which would leave me withh one! We did so well!) and then packed up.

Packing up goes quick. I would make one stop to give a woman a business card who possibly wants to do a collaboration. I am hoping I get lots of people readhing out this week. About the teddy bear hospital and my workshops and classes. It was a really positive way to end the day. Even if I didn't feel like myself.

This honestly was an endurance test. I was just so done.

James pulled the wagon and I carried two baskets. And we had to go down the ramp because we couldn't figure out a different way. But we found the car fast. James loaded me up and gave me a kiss goodbye. They would walk back to their bike and I would drive home.

It was only 10 minutes but it felt like forever. When I got back here I got a good spot. And got inside.

I spent a few minutes checking on everything. Crabcake are all his food. Proud of him. I would let him walk around and would sing at him for a little. Sweetp let me hold him. And I fed the frogs. And soon after that James was coming in. And we were all together again.

I played a song I really like for James. Juno by Jesse Detor. And James put the dishes away. Watered the plants. And I went to take an everything shower.

An everything shower is hair washed, body scrubbed, shave, scrubbed again, conditioner. Then regular lotions and add in oils. I went all out. I even brought a fan into the bathroom so I didn't get sweaty after I got clean.

James would get me more water before they took their own shower. And when they were done they came and joined me in the sitting on the floor time I am having. They brought me a little leftover pasta from yesterday. I am glad I ate a little. I am ready to lay down now.

Tomorrow James had the day off with me!!! I am so excited about that. We are going to have brunch and go paint pottery and get laundry done and hopefully just have a really nice day.

I hope you all are staying cool. I love you all. Goodnight!!

[whumpy-writings]

Solitary Confinement

Febuwhump 2024 Day 2

The Dhampir Files Masterlist

CW: Non-con drugging, abusive parents (whumpees are adults), failed escape attempt, solitary confinement, sensory deprivation

Cal tried to sit up when he heard the footsteps on the stairs. He only made it halfway before he was swamped by dizziness and fell back to the floor. He groaned. Whatever he'd been drugged with was strong.

Father opened the door to the cell and set Renn down next to him. Cal's heart skipped a beat when he saw Renn's tears.

"Rest, you two. We'll be back later." Father closed and locked the door behind him. Cal watched him disappear back up the stairs before he spoke.

"Are you okay?"

Renn sniffled, cleared his throat, and then sighed. "Besides the drugs and the fact that our parents are going to treat us as their personal science experiment, I'm doing great."

"We need to get out of here."

"No shit. But we're not going anywhere right now."

Cal lowered his voice. "Once the drugs have worn off, we'll have a chance. There's two of us and two of them. Even odds. If we take them by surprise, we should be able to overpower them and escape."

Renn let out a shaky breath. "What if we fail?"

"What if we don't try?" Cal shot back. "I for one do not want to spend the rest of my life locked up in the basement, subjected to gods know what."

"I'm just so scared," Renn whispered.

"Hey, it'll be okay. I'll take care of you. You're my little brother, after all."

Renn cracked a small smile. "I thought I was an old man now?"

Cal snorted. "I'm still older than you. You'll always be little to me."

It had been almost an entire day since they had been drugged. Their parents had come check on them once or twice, but that was it.

"Help!" Cal screamed. "Help!"

Renn lay motionless on the floor. Cal suppressed the grin as footsteps pounded down the steps. Things were going perfectly.

"He won't wake up!"

Father swore as he and Mother tore across the room to the cell.

"Please, I don't think he's breathing." Cal worked a sob into his voice. "Please help him."

Father unlocked the door and knelt down next to Renn. Mother stayed outside. No, she was supposed to come in too. Cal was hit by the first flash of uncertainty. But then he steeled his jaw and took a deep breath. This would work. It had to.

"How long has he been like this?" Father asked. He didn't get a response. Renn bolted upright, slamming his head into his chin. At the same time Cal bolted out of the cell and tackled Mother to the floor.

Renn ran out of the cell, Father momentarily dazed. Cal scrambled off Mother and sprinted toward the stairs, Renn close behind him.

Cal took the stairs two at a time. They had gotten through the hardest part. Now they just had to get outside and make it to the forest.

"Stop them!" Mother cried. Cal didn't bother looking back. He grabbed the doorknob and burst through the door. Only to run right into someone. The person wrapped their arms around his torso and slammed him against the wall. The wind knocked out of him, but he barely had time to gasp before something hit his head and he crumpled into unconsciousness.

Cal awoke with a start. Everything was dark. He was laying curled up on his side on a cold stone floor.

"Hello?" His voice echoed off the stone walls. "Renn, are you there?"

No response. Cal winced as he pushed himself to sitting. It was so dark he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. He tentatively reached out. His fingers found a stone wall. His head pounded, but he slowly mapped the room by touch. It was small, barely long enough for him to lay down. There was a wooden door at one end. Cal pushed on it. It was solid. He ran his hands across the door. If he could just find the doorknob, maybe he could figure out how to get out.

"Fuck!" Cal slammed his hands against the door. There was no doorknob. The door was completely solid, save for a tiny slot at the bottom which he assumed was to deliver food. He got onto his belly and pushed his hand through the opening. He felt around, but all there was was more stone. He couldn't get his elbow through the opening. I'm trapped. Cal let out a frustrated sob. They had been so close. He and Renn had almost been free. He withdrew his hand from the slot and sat back against the wall, knees pulled up to his chest.

He sat like that for hours, listening to his shaky breaths and the beating of his heart. He hoped Renn was alright. Maybe he had made it. Even as he had the thought he shook it off. Renn wouldn't have left him. If Cal was still stuck in this hell, Renn was too.

Cal awoke with a jolt to something sliding into his cell.

"Hey! Let me out of here!" He pounded on the door to no avail. He could just hear the retreating footsteps. "Fuck you!" he screamed.

He hated this. He hated being stuck alone in this dark fuckin' room. He hated not having his brother next to him. Cal reached down and found a small tray with what felt like a bit of bread and cheese. His anger boiled. He didn't want any of their fuckin' food. He pushed the tray back through the slot.

Cal sat with his elbows resting on his knees, fingers tangled in his hair, and screamed.

Taglist: @dragonqueenslayer6 @whumpsday

[ananyawrts]

Both of us were devils.

Betrayer, that’s what you are.

A cruel and inhumane betrayer.

The way my hands slipped the golden curved wine glass from my hands and spilled the richly sour wine down the throne and the way your eyes lighted up in delight and lust for my deserved seat as it got empty with my body falling downwards, the very seat carved with diamonds and ivory, I had watched it all with my bloodshot eyes.

your hands were joined together as a sly smile took over your face and my eyes watched it, realizing your deception with my heart dropping from my chest to my stomach. I felt my chest tightening and my veins paining inside my body.

My pulses were accelerating and my hands felt electric.

I had difficulty forming words on my tongue as my body fell down a flight of marble polished stairs but my eyes remained on you.

Millions of thoughts crossed my mind, millions of memories crossed my mind, millions of your unkept promises crossed my mind.

Slowly, you walked forward and towards with a grin on your face and my eyes were dropping low due to your intoxicating poison in my red wine but I wanted to see you, see your win over your victory, see you watch me drown in my own blood, see your smile stretch across your face.

My body was on the ground and my hands fell on either side as I coughed up my gory blood, a bile forming inside my throat from the words I wanted to speak out but couldn’t.

“Your trust in me to reveal your royal secrets was brave, my dear friend.” 

You had bent down to my face, caressing my pale lifeless face and whispering those words to my ears. But I couldn't reply since my lips felt sealed with disbelief.

My eyes tried to stay awake as the chandelier’s yellow light above me almost blinded my vision.

A cough left my mouth as my legs felt stuck and tied to the renaissance rug below me and you had got up, eyes on me as you had passed by me and walked towards my seat.

 I could feel your excitement and desire growing.

I could feel how your hands ached to grasp my throne, the throne shone brightly and glowed to your eyes like a jewel treasure found on a dark night.

I could feel how your legs hurry like my heartbeat towards it.

“But… why?” 

My voice felt breathy and shaky since my eyes searched for a witness who had watched as the scene unfold, but none.

Then a soft laugh escaped my lips at the realization,

You were a genius and I was a fool for your charms, you were a devil and I was your worshiper, you were a sinner and I was your saint, you were my master who I had followed and I was your puppet whose strings you played with.

You raised my soul high in the sky but when it was time to leave, you didn’t hesitate to drop me down from the sky, just like you did to drop me from my throne.

My ego and anger clashed,  how could you and how dare you?

“Innocence is not appreciated much in this world, my friend. So let me appreciate your naivety and innocence today as I sit on your throne, proud and hopeful to do so. You don’t know how my nights I slept, waiting just for this moment, yes we had our fair share of laughter and promises but for power and glory, who wouldn’t be a madman? Tell me! You were too at one point in your life, right?”

You replied nonchalantly and my blood boiled and my words aroused as I laid down on the floor, my throat dry and my tears sticky on my cheeks. I was unable to move but my soul inside burned with the raw ignition of fire.

“But, I trusted you with all my heart, with my position! I had lent my secrets to your wicked ears just to get spilled out at the last minute. Didn’t our friendship stop you from acquiring your plot on betraying me? Didn’t my belief and faith in you stop you from acquiring your plot on stealing my throne?” 

“See, that’s where you are mistaken, my dear. To be frank, my mind was consumed from the thoughts of acquiring the throne from the start. You had forgotten the life spent in misery and poverty which you had spent and when people are shown hope, they want to grab it like a star in the sky and paint it on their chest, wide and open. Your power and glory had shown me hope to claim it for myself, selfish as you might call me, my motives were clear the moment I had laid my eyes on you and on the kingdom, i am sure you are familiar and related with these sentences.”

You sat on my throne, a satisfied laugh left your mouth and a sharp whimper left from mine, disbelief and distrust closed the walls around me which I had made a mistake of letting you in. The palace was empty but your heart wasn’t, i knew how happiness looked on you and I could imagine your face as your hands had quickly grasped onto my throne and your body placed itself on it.

You had curved your lips into a smile, legs crossed with pride, head leaned back from satisfaction. I could sense it because i had felt it often too.

“This is wrong. What you have done is wrong, James. If people get to know, they will kill you for it! Kill you for killing their ruler! Kill you for your sins.” 

My breathing was shallow and a breathy cough left my mouth again as I whispered those words with my drowsy eyes closed. I gasped for air and gasped it again when my lungs felt trapped inside my body. forcing my body to face him, my body felt numb with sharp pain and my stomach troubled with a mixture of pain and malice created for him.

“then you should have been killed already and also, what is wrong and what is right, my friend? If not something people created to shape others' minds. If not something, people created by their poor experiences and warned others to not face the same fate as them. In this world, we are not the ones to decide what’s right and wrong, we humans have created these morals and principles which we abide by thoroughly and expect others to abide by too.” he leans forward and scoffs before continuing,

“People are not the same, you can’t expect people to turn from sinners to saints like you did. we are humans of greed and desires. No matter how much you call yourself a good man, there is a darkness lurking within your soul, a devil hiding within your goodness. No human was born great, people made them feel great about themselves due to their status or virtue. people often require other people with greater power to fulfill their incomplete wishes because they themselves weren’t able to do so thus they behave a little friendly and when times comes or when opportunity hits, they grab their opportunity without thinking twice and use their innocence as a weapon for their needs, a simple philosophy.” 

He explains with a sly smirk on his face and I want to grab a sword and ruin it until it bleeds out just like my blood.

By the time he completed his sentence, my blood flowed from the rug to the spilled red wine and was slowly diffusing and mixing with it, creating a maroon color on the piece of rug.

The same expression crossed my face like his did.

I knew I was on the verge of dying, it was sudden and unexpected but isn’t life as unexpected as death is?

“Your reason for-for killing me is quite self-centered, I didn't know you were just after my glory, I knew other viscounts and subjects were but you were least expected. Very well, pretending to be my friend and my well-wisher when you just wanted to see my downfall. Wonderful.” 

I chuckle,

“What will you say if someone questions why I died? Since you are close-closest companion, they would be sure to ask you first.” 

My throat chokes up those words and my lips form a smile as it closes.

“Me? Oh yeah, i forgot about the acting which i got to start now.” 

He clears his throat and smiles wickedly at me before I watch how the expressions on his face change into quick panicked one. The fake surprise and concern on his face looked so true and real that my attention didn’t avert, he was a good actor too, no wonder his lies worked on me.

“I will tell them the genuine truth about you but with more drama like, ‘oh sire! I have to confess something about our dear king, our beloved ruler. I regret and it pains me quite a lot saying it out loud but circumstances have forced me too… It aches my heart to speak out that the king isn’t from the true bloodline of our rulers and that he was adopted from a secret orphanage in our town since the high queen was infertile to give birth to a true heir. His parents had kept it a secret that Oliver the king was not originally their blood for the sake of ruling the kingdom until they died. If you don’t believe me, I have the proof! They are hidden deep inside the king’s cabinets in the right wing of the kingdom, the information about his true parents and their identities, the king had personally said it to me! and since I am the king’s dearest friend and brother and you need to have a right ruler henceforth, make me your ruler and let me rightfully rule your kingdom without committing  a single sin like your king had done and also as for the death of our king, he had died due to over drinking of alcohol these days. he had been quite distress about his adoption since he learned it only a few days back, he couldn’t accept the truth and hence… he left us with only his crown left behind.”

His expressions changed from the sadness and into a quickened smile and sparkly eyes and a soft sigh leaves my mouth as i consume all the words he just spoke out, the secrets which he would confess about me which i had kept a great interest and trust. he would make a great king in my kingdom for sure, his white lies and his act was all so convincing that my heart raced in sudden fear though i tried to deny it. The truth would ruin my whole reputation and not only mine but my parents too. 

“How was my acting, dear friend!?” James exclaimed and questioned me and I was speechless with only silent tears leaving my eyes.

Wow, he would actually reveal the truth of my heritage for the throne, the thing I had trusted him most with. Whatever he said was true that I wasn't the true king to the kingdom but I deeply cared about my subjects like no ruler did, but people would forget that once the truth would be out. 

The people would forget the once good king and remember him as a liar and a conman for ruling the kingdom while lying about his heritage, people’s minds would be corrupted, thankfully due to James's incredible acting and my grave secret. but he had left out a part because he and i both knew how messed up it was. my hands trembled at the thought of him confessing those truths out too, and the look on people’s face, disgusted snickers and widened eyes. but it was some pretty dark truth I had drunkenly confessed to him one night.

james kept quiet as a lone tear left his left eye, he realized that i knew what he was talking about.

his cold and stern face blankly stared at mine despite i could sense he had billions of emotions rushing inside his chest as he waited for me to think more about it.

I tried to kill my childhood friend at the orphanage who was my age, to claim the position and people’s attention when I was young, he was initially first adopted for being the heir before me. I tried to kill him with the kitchen knife until his body had numerous fresh scars and his eyes drained out of tears and with my stubby fingers just so his mouth would shut down all the truths on a night before his adoption by the royals but he had escaped from my hands and went missing from the silent town, so my plan went into vain. I was abandoned by my parents and a life of loneliness wasn’t being handled by me alone. I wanted to be chosen. I was young and desperate but I realized I was wrong after entering into the kingdom’s door. I wanted to experience the riches and power like many kids like me wanted to at the orphanage that time and the royals had no choice but to adopt me since i had a black hair and green eyes like my friend who i had tried to murder but had escaped for the fear of his life. but soon, when I was held on top of the world, I started respecting people for that and started serving people with all my heart, forgetting what of an injustice I had done to the naïve boy.

my guilt started eating me alive as I processed my past again, re-lived my traumatic past again and again. those sparkly green eyes of the boy whose life i had threatened to kill, scarred him just for the sake of getting adopted, those sparkly eyes which got lit up at the thought of getting adopted, the lost friend of mine held my hand that night and told me how desperately he wanted to become the future king and bring back his father’s land back to his faraway family righteously and all his other desires for becoming a true ruler.

but i had tried to kill him for my own greed for getting known, ruined him for my pleasure and desperation while suppressing his truth.

karma had it’s eye on me too, just like his. no matter how much i had changed, i forgot that my past would haunt me back in different ways. 

like, he is what i was. he dreamt of things i had dreamt too, he shares the same soul as mine does, dark and silent.

fuck it.

It was all planned out from the start to expose that I was an illegitimate child of the king and queen and lure me into my own death by the hatred of my dear subjects, after the truth would be out.

It would be better to die now than die out of hatred of people who once respected me.

A chuckle leaves my mouth as I raise my hands and clap them against each other, creating a loud sound against the cold four walls of my kingdom, praising him for his brain and manipulation.

Trusting him was the most foolish thing I had done in my life. I should’ve listened to the king and queen when they kept me away from him during his arrival as a advisor to the high king to palace, but his warm eyes and his trap of laughter, affection and attention made me follow his path, naively as he would say.

I heard that his birth was a mystery but he was believed to be a son of a peasant and was often snickered and disgusted upon, but I treated him as my equal without knowing he had an eye on my place from the start of our friendship.

Brilliant, just brilliant.

He laughs out and claps his hand in excitement.

“Such a good actor, friend and a blackmailer you are, i couldn’t expect anything less from you. Brilliant job, my friend. Lovely to know how I am dying, this horribly on the ground. I hope you have got what you had always wanted too, you bastard!” I say with immense bitterness and sarcasm in my tone.

“it always mine to have, to begin with, my lovely friend.” he replied with a smirk on his face and my head titled a little in confusion, what? 

what was he saying!? this throne was always his to begin with?

James’s black hair and nostalgic green eyes bought back certain bad memories to me of my childhood friend but i denied it and tried pushing it away.

The boy at the orphanage had escaped. it isn’t james, right? but my childhood friend had same reasons as james for the throne and same eyes and facial features as him.

what is happening to my mind?

I tried to join the puzzles in my head and his sly riddles of words but it was just a guess,

he wouldn’t actually come back after i scarred him and scared him away.

 but my heart raced again as i thought about the coincidence.

My hands fell to the sides without enough energy and my mind felt dizzy with the poison starting to take its effect on me.

“Shh, my oliver… it’s time to go back to sleep now and let me sleep too since i didn’t have a proper sleep since that special night. now Quick, close your eyes and silent your soul for all your sins. it was very good while it lasted, right?” 

he yawned out and stretched out his hands, placed it down his chin and warily watched me, his lips twisted into a thin line. 

“ honestly, it feels so miserable and quite upsetting to watch you die. I wish i could have saved you or something but someone had to be the bad guy in your story and luckily it was me. But please die, knowing how great of a liar you were too, more wonderful than me actually, lying and lying until you had changed yourself for the interest of your people. people like you are a threat of society, a dirt. Honestly, my friend, rumors have it that people tried to assassinate you for the throne before me just because they could claim your power and glory and whatnot because luck always followed you like a dog, but who would tell the fools that they lost!? for the first time in my whole life, the beautiful luck changed it’s path and started followed me back and only your death would change my past, people would finally start respecting their true ruler and be on their knees for my word, fight for me and teach me arts of warfare and more about the royal politics without looking at my status or my family line for that, for that was i always desired and you always knew it.”

james pointed a straight finger at me, like he was stating facts.

“you do not deserve the throne, my friend. It was a tit-for-tat. from the start, You didn’t have any real goal in life unlike me and just out of sheer nepotism or something, you had claimed the throne to yourself. pretended to be nice just so your sweet little truth won’t be out, pretended to be helpful and righteous just so people won’t take disgust on you for who you really are from the inside but un-fortunately time is up, time is up for you had enjoyed power for yourself without even deserving all of it but don’t worry, i will make sure people remember your bloody existence and make a huge statue outside for it, paint you like a masterpiece and also, write fucking poems about how righteous you were, though i highly doubt the people will ever think that after the truth would be out, and yeah since i am such a good friend to you, i will leave out the beautiful and greedy murder of the young boy you had at the orphanage, like i would leave mine.”  

him and i were the same people with same desires but with different motives.

I wanted the throne so that i would be loved and cherished by all despite my actions, wanted the throne so that I would treated as everyone’s equal despite my past but he wanted the throne since he took great determination in actual kingdom’s politics and glory after winning wars with rival kingdoms who snatched the farmers hard-worked lands with injustice, just like his father’s small land was snatched away in his past with misery. just like the boy i tried to kill so harshly, james and him shared the same ideas and it haunted and pressure me continuously.

unlike me who valued reputation and lived for people’s validation for my existence.

He was a true ruler and a visionary for thinking that far for my kingdom.

that’s what i came to know at the verge of my last breath.

He watched me from my throne and smiled proudly at the work he had done, by killing me but without getting my blood on his hands.

 and soon my eyes dropped and my vision was dark and i could see the same boy i had killed, but this time it was as if he was coming back to me for revenge, i could see the boy sitting on the throne with serene green eyes of his as it glared into mine at hatred but in the form of my best friend james or was he the same man i had tried to kill that night?

I felt my heart rate slow down and my breath becoming cold, my hands draining its color and my face becoming pale as the poison and the guilt of my past worked its magic on me.

“both of us were devils.” he called out to me as an crossed his legs sharply and glared at my body.

And so, as I laid dying on the ground, his wicked and menacing laughter echoed around the four walls with pleasure and victory for claiming the throne like it was always his to ever claim.

then i realized.

the righteous ruler had come back from his flee, escaped his death from my hands and his fate just so he can come back and rightfully claim back his throne which i had stolen. It was not a guess but a fact, the pieces of his mysterious birth and existence clinked like pieces of puzzle in my head. 

it was my own childhood friend at the orphanage, my sweetheart from orphanage who once trusted me, 

my james.

[indecentpause]

Find the Vibe Tag

tagged by @oh-no-another-idea to find  phrase with the vibe “I can explain.” thank!!

from The Most Beautiful Puzzle

“So, the room--” you start, but [Josselin] interrupts.

“ADHD or autism?” he asks.

You freeze.

“What?” You stammer as it comes out.

Josselin straightens his neck and brightens. “Or are you comorbid? I’m comorbid.”

“ADHD,” you have to murmur, because he just sat down and you’ve barely said a word, so how could he know? “How--?” you start to ask, but he interrupts again.

“You’ve got a spinner ring on your left pointer finger and you’ve been tapping it against your cup and your straw has bite marks, probably stimming, yeah?” He leans to the side and gestures to your pocket. “And you’ve got a fidget cube in there, right? I can see the outline under the fabric. Most neurotypical people don’t carry more than one stim toy on them at a time, if any at all.”

Your face goes cold and your heart drops to your stomach.

What. The. Fuck.

Your face hardens and he seems to realize he’s made a mis-step.

“Is this some kind of prank? Did Danny put you up to this?”

Josselin’s hand slides away from the can on the table and to the corner, instead. “Friend or brother?”

“Answer the question,” you snap.

He shrinks back in the wrought iron chair a little and his brow furrows. “No, I, nobody put me up to anything, I was just, I just need someone to take the spare room and nobody could last with me longer than a month and--”

“Wonder why,” you mutter. A hurt look strikes his face and he drops his hands into his lap.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. His voice is shaky. “I put us off to a really bad start. Can I try again?”

And with everything that everyone in your life has done to you over the past six months, you should say no, but you need a roommate, and Josselin doesn’t appear to be dangerous, just… incredibly weird. But you can deal with weird.

Your shoulders relax a little, and you smile behind your mask.

also tagged again by @oh-no-another-idea to find the vibe “I’d sell you to satan for one corn chip.” I love this one haha, I don’t have anything with the humorous vibe of it but Meara would certainly sell Drake to satan for even half a corn chip

also from Puzzle!

cw: mentions of past intimate partner abuse, stalking

When you wake up, it’s to artificial light and you’re still fully clothed, shoes and all, one leg hanging off the bed and your laptop half on your stomach. It’s a little too warm there, so you put it to sleep and flip it over to cool down, then grope around for your phone on the side table.

It’s just past 2:00 AM, and you have twenty seven texts, thirteen discord messages, and five voicemails.

What the actual fuck.

They’ve got to be from your ex; nobody else you know is ridiculous enough to leave all that, and if it were Danny with an emergency and you’d hadn’t answered, he’d have just come and banged on the door until you woke up.

You clean your glasses off on your shirt and open your messages. You only read the first one.

Please come back, I’m so sorry.

“Fuck you,” you whisper, because he wasn’t sorry when he twisted your wrist or almost broke your ankle when you fell down the stairs as he tried to keep you from leaving. He wasn’t sorry when he accused you of cheating, he wasn’t sorry when he tried to control where or how you could work or who you could spend time with or, hell, how you could spend your own money and what and when you could eat.

And he’s not sorry now. He’s sorry he couldn’t get away with it any more.

You screencap everything in case you need it for a restraining order later and mass delete the collection of text messages and block the number they came from. It’s not his; you blocked his number immediately, but he keeps finding people who will let him use their phones.

tagging @winterandwords @albatris @drippingmoon @magic-is-something-we-create @vacantgodling and @oh-no-another-idea right back to find a line or excerpt with the vibe, “You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting you to say that.”

[froggoslegs]

The reason why

Summary: post-game drabble

Without any warnings, just a moment between my mc - male Hufflepuff- Cyril and Ominis talking about Sebastian. English is not my first language and I'm sorry for any mistakes! Fell free to correct me. Also, I do headcanon that how mc is, well, killing everyone is not there in reality. It's just absurd and clearly an element of gameplay more than anything else. So, while all the encounters with poachers etc happed, mc used non-lethal spells like petrificus totalus and sneak around most of the time :)

Silence in the corridors of Hogwarts is heavy at night, thus his steps sound almost like thunder. The ancient clock, that's hiding the passage to the secret room, rumbled like boulders in a mountain stream. It's a miracle not a single prowling Prefect heard it. Coming down the stairs nostalgia start to ooze with each step ringing as laughter in Omini's ears. Once happy memories now were bitter sweet at best. He wanted to say "goodbye" to it. To all of it. Till the next school year begins. However, he realized, this plan will not come true when he sensed someone else's presence.

- ...Sebastian?

- Oh, - voice sounded startled and... hoarse? - I have not expected you, Ominis, or... YOU should say that. It's your place after all.

- Why are you here, Cyril?

- Wanted to reflect on everything that have happened this year and... It seemed appropriate to do it here for some reason, and you?

- The same, actually. I... I wanted to say my farewells before I'll go.

- Ah...

- Indeed.

An uncomfortable silent stretched between them. Truth be told without Sebastian both boys didn't know what to talk about or how to act around each other. For the short time that everything have been... passable Sallow was the one to "glue" the trio together.

- Do not mind me?

- Very well.

Ominis reached the wall then sat down on the floor not far from Buckley. Silence thick as a layer of dust in the corners.

- So, I think I shall go? Sure you don't need me to interrupt seclusion of your memories.

- Wait! I didn't want to ask, but since you already welcomed yourself here,-

- ... sorry...

- That's alright, just answer me honestly, without hiding a single thing and I mean it, why... Why do you stood up for Sebastian? You've known him lesser then a year, yet to cover a murder...

The sound of a caught breath is his immediate answer and a light chuckle right after.

- You are not the one to beat around the bush, are you? Okay, you have every right to know, but I don't think you'll enjoy it. So... To turn Sebastian in it would be... Hypocritical.

- No, it can't be that you too, -

- Yes, I have... more than enough blood on my hands. I killed Rookwood and Ranrok, after all.

- Well, they were, -

- The bad guys? Murder is still a murder, Ominis. And not just theirs! Lodgok, Professor Fig if not for me then maybe... Or if I was better...

Cyril took a shaky breath, heartbeat loud in his ears.

- I couldn't do it! They would have sent Sebastian to the Azkaban! And that place it's worse then death. I saw what dementers can do! They tear apart the soul itself, consuming it in pieces like a cake, until nothing is left but the scrambled packaging on a floor!

- Wait, when have you...

- No one deserve such treatment. Alais, if he didn't kill Solomon, it would have as well be me who've done it. Solomon attacked us, Ominis, with full force. Didn't gave me a chance to talk Sebastian out of it. Didn't talk to me either. Just... Yelled and... And..

- That's enough! - hastily interrupted him Slytherin, - I understand, don't like it, but understand.

Gentle hand found a way to Hufflepuff's shoulder, giving it a little squizz.

- Thank you for telling me and... Thank you for protecting Sebastian.

- Well, - chucked Buckley quickly brushing a tear from his cheek, - that's what we Hufflepuff's do! Staying loyal by our friends side.

- That you do. Sebastian is lucky you got attached to him.

- I meant you too, Ominis.

- Oh... Thanks

Soon both boys went to their respectful common rooms. While silence still present it felt more like a moment before dawn.

[frizzle-tales]

Jiyeon whimpered when she was suddenly spun around, her dress still undone, before she came to a stop, right in front of Taehyung.

Did she do something wrong?

She didn’t dare to look him in the eyes as he spoke, her eyes drifting off as he seemed to compliment her make up look.

Then, with a swift move, the dress was snatched from her body, and her eyes shot to Taehyung as she tried to cover her body with her arms in a pitiful attempt.

“What…” She stopped at his question, not quite understanding why he had to bring up that embarrassing moment on the phone. “I, uhm—“ She saw his eyes dragging down her body, and the young woman didn’t understand what has gotten to him. He seemed out of it, his words were vague, and he seemed to grow more impatient with the second.

It all just didn’t make sense.

But before she had more time to think about this, she was thrown onto the bed and pinned down by the much stronger man. “No!” Jiyeon panicked, squirming underneath him as she finally realized what he was going to do to her. “Stop, please stop! What did I do wrong, mr Kim?” Jiyeon whined, shaking her head as she tried to avoid his kisses, but she couldn’t. Embarrassment crept onto her face as she tried to get out of his grip.

Why did it feel like no matter what she did, it didn’t matter? No matter how much she resisted against Taehyung, he would always overpower her. It wasn’t fruitful. It didn’t matter if she fought back or not.

Tears sprung into her eyes when Taehyung’s hand collided with her face, before tears ran down her face at the stinging sensation burning her cheek.

—

It truly didn’t matter how much she squirmed, tried to get away, pleaded or cried. Taehyung was a selfish man who couldn’t give a shit. She just wanted to get it over with, her mind wandering to happier moments, before… this, before all of this.

“You.” Jiyeon responded, almost immediately. It didn’t matter whether she truly believed that. Nothing she did mattered. “You.” She answered again, letting out a shaky breath, just wanting him gone.

Jiyeon’s eyes followed the shirt as it landed on the bed, before looking down, not making a movement to the clothes item. Instead, she shook her head, to afraid to voice her objection. But after a stern warning she complied and got dressed and followed along.

Once downstairs, she sat at the table, her eyes glossing over to the food but soon looking away, looking down at her lap.

“I’m not hungry…” She whispered, pushing the plate away.

[🎙️]

Floorboards creaked in the hallway upstairs. Subtle beneath the woman’s delicate, yet slightly wobbly, footsteps. Heavy underneath the killer’s confident ones trailing behind her.

Really for the first time since he’d lured her to his home, Taehyung fell a couple footsteps behind, letting Jiyeon take the lead — for one small moment. It gave him the perfect view; the sight of his prisoner enveloped by his shirt, the effortlessly smooth skin of her bare legs.

He wanted to feel it again. Feel her again.

Unlike miss Jiyeon, this wasn’t his first time. Far from it. But this time, with her … It wasn’t like anything he’d felt before. Any sound that came from her — pleasure or pain — drove his mind wild. She gripped him so tight, like no other. Fuck, dare he say she tasted sweeter than cotton candy, but melted in his mouth all the same.

When she reached the top of the staircase, without warning his arms wrapped around her body, swiping the ground out from underneath her feet. “We should avoid any potential accidents, don’t you think?” He taunted, carrying her down the stairs, including to the dining room.

At least she could never say he wasn’t considerate.

Flames from the candles danced across the table. Small smoke trails dissipated in the air from the few that burnt out. Two plates of once steaming hot food sat across from one another, and two glasses of wine.

Taehyung lowered Jiyeon back onto her feet, guiding her to her spot at the table before taking one of the drinks. “What was that?” He asked her to repeat. Of course, he had caught the words she whispered, but that wasn’t how he taught her to speak to him. He set the wine glass on the counter, returning this time with a tall glass of water.

The cup clinked as it made contact with the oak table. He dragged along the grain before it stopped right by the girl. “Is that so?” Taehyung hummed when she repeated, this time clearer, her words. Like a shark, he circled around her chair, disappear just out of her sight. His hands found their way to her shoulders, resting there as his lips hovered near her ear. “You and I both know that’s not true.”

There was no way she wasn’t hungry. At least not fundamentally. After earlier? She was just throwing a little tantrum.

Chair legs scraped against the tile floor. Right beside her, Taehyung took a seat before his arms locked around Jiyeon’s waist, pulling her onto his lap. “Is this your way of telling me you want another round?” A dark chuckle vibrated his chest as he pulled her plate closer to the both of them.

Already, his thoughts began to drift.. Imagining what sounds would leave her lips the second time. She’d be too exhausted to fight, too sore to resist. Nothing would be off limits —

Blood rushing to a certain area of his body snapped him from his daze. His throat cleared, a kiss planted against her jaw before his mouth moved back to her ear. “Don’t give me anymore ideas.” His arm stayed like an iron rod curled around her waist, keeping her pressed against him. Entirely. Every possible part of her. “Now.. Why don’t I help you get started, hm?”

With a utensil in hand, Taehyung gathered a bite of food from her plate before bringing it to her lips. “Open up, little bird.”

[5sosxqueen]

Ashton Sick From Stress

~Part 1~ , Part 2 >

What is this? 😅 Sometimes, I wonder what was going through my mind while I was writing these stories back then.

Warnings: Minor depictions of illness, migraines

Written in 2018

Published (Wattpad) - Jan 29, 2018

Word Count: 1511

Updates are every Tuesday and Thursday

Also Available on Wattpad and AO3!!!

Part 1:

Ashton's POV:

     For the past couple of months of our tour we have been busy almost nonstop. We have had constant meetings, signings, sound checks, rehearsals, recording sessions, interviews, anything you name we've had to do in the past 2 months. Our band is seriously exhausted. We are all stressed to the max. So when I woke up this morning to achy muscles I wasn't too surprised, as we had a concert last night, but even still I don't normally get this achy and stiff from a concert. Practically all of my muscles were really tight and stiff.

     We have a couple days off and we are at a hotel for a week so, thankfully, I can rest. I was brought out of my thoughts when Calum said "Hey guys I'm going to head down to the gym. Anyone care to join me?" After he said that my mind instantly was in a warm, bubbly, Jacuzzi that was waiting for me downstairs.

     "I'll go! I need a bit of exercise once in a while." Michael said jumping off the couch in our room.

     "Same here. I'll meet you guys there." Luke had just gotten up so he wanted to eat something and brush his teeth.

     "Ash?" Michael's voice bringing me out of my happy trance.

     "Huh? Oh sorry. I think I'm going to relax in the jacuzzi for a bit... I'm really achy from last night." Of course they didn't think anything of it since being the drummer is the most strenuous job in the band. At least that's how I often feel, this being one of those times.

     Michael and Calum went ahead while I got my swim trunks on and grabbed my water bottle, and a towel. This hotel was really nice the swimming pool and jacuzzi are inside, so I didn't have to worry about sunglasses or sunscreen. The only downside of this hotel is that there are no elevators, that we have seen anyways. It only has two floor though so it's not so bad. I started the climb dome the stairs and I noticed not even a full flight down I became very short winded. Again odd, but nothing serious... Hopefully. If I ended up needing, anything the guys are just a 10 step walk from the jacuzzi so I wouldn't have had very far to go.

     By the time I reached it I felt strangely exhausted. A little relaxing did me good though. All of the achy and tense muscles I had we're gone, thankfully and I had only spent a total of 20 minutes in there.

     When I got out I looked in the weight room and noticed that Luke joined Cal and Michael at some point. Although I felt a bit better, I started to notice some pain in my chest and with the breathing problem I was experiencing 30 minutes prior, I didn't want to risk walking back to our hotel room alone. I was starting to also get quite shaky and a tad wobbly on my feet. 'Ya I need help...' "Michael... C-can you help me g-get back to the r-room?" 'That's odd why am I stuttering?' I questioned myself. I wasn't expecting that at all. I knew I was shaking.

     "Uh, sure. Are you alright Ashton? I did notice the stuttering- Whoa!" I suddenly fell and felt arms around me. "Ya... I'll take that as a no... Of course I'll help you out buddy. You need to lay down anyways, by the looks of it." Michael quickly picked me up and went up the status back into our room. He wasted no time in laying me down onto one of the beds. "So what's going on exactly? I know you mentioned something earlier about being sore. Do you think you are getting sick?" Michael kind of rambled.

     "I'm not sure. Probably... If I'm being honest, the Jacuzzi did help the aches and tightness in my muscles, but as soon as I got out I noticed I was shaky and having some chest pains." I watched as pure terror etched it way onto Michael's face.

     "Ashton.... Anything else?" He asked.

     "I was having shortness of breath when I was going down the stairs. That was one of the reasons I wanted your help." I addmited, only succeeding in making his worry skyrocket all the more. "... And I'm starting to get a fucking headache on top of everything... Fucking hell man." I exclaimed suddenly forcing myself into a sitting position with a hand on my head.

     "Ashton, I really don't like these symptoms... Maybe we should take you to a doctor." He started to pull out his phone to call the others and let them know what's going on, but I stopped him.

     "No! I'm going to try taking a nap and we will see how I feel when I wake up. If I am any worse we will go." He agreed to the plan. "Could you, maybe, make me something small to eat? That could be adding onto, or even causing all of this."

     "Sure. I'll also bring back some meds for you. I don't fully know what to give you though." He said, somewhat sadly.

     "Just get me something for my head. I'm not feeling sick or anything so it shouldn't be the flu." He nodded and felt my forehead to see if there was any warmth. I quickly reminded him that I was just in a hot Jacuzzi and that could really alter a body temp.

     "That's true... Now I will be back. Try not to fall asleep just yet Ash." I nodded tiredly. Even sitting up and leaning against the headboard my eyes felt really heavy. I was fighting to stay awake.

Michael's POV:

     'I am really worried about Ash. Chest pains aren't something to fuck around with and he should know that. He asked me to leave it alone for now and I will try my best.' There were plenty of times that I found myself contemplating calling Luke and Calum, but I ultimately decided against it. I finished putting together some Bacon and eggs in the kitchenette we had and swiftly brought over to Ash. "Oh Ash.." I muttered under my breath upon noticing his long deep breaths. He fell asleep. I set the plate of food down and gently shook his shoulder. "Ash I have some food for you bud." I watched his eyes open and he winded and grabbed his head. "Sorry. Do you have a migraine now?" He nodded, a tear falling from his hazel eyes. I wiped it away and closed the curtains, before grabbing a couple of my Excedrin migraine meds. "Here Ash. You were only asleep for 20 minutes. I'm shocked you have a migraine now." I whispered so I wouldn't hurt his head again.

     "Ya, me too." Wincing at even his own voice.

     "Will you be ok alone while I go downstairs to let the others know what's going on?" He nodded as he took the plate of food in his hands and began to eat. "Ok I'll be back." I said before turning and walking out of the room. I practically ran down the stairs and into the weight room. "Guys Ash isn't feeling too well."

     "What do you mean? What's going on with him?" Luke asked quickly concerned for his band mate.

     "Ya what's going on Michael. Is he ok?" Calum questioned.

     "Define ok... Ha sorry. When he came in here and got me earlier he ended up falling over. I just managed to catch him, luckily, but he told me that he was having chest pains and shortness of breath, along with the muscle aches from earlier. He had developed a headache and after sleeping for about 20 minutes, it was a migraine. He's eating right now so that's a plus I suppose, but I'm still really worried about him. I tried to get him to agree to go to the doctor, but he denied and said that if, after a nap, he isn't feeling better he will go." I unknowingly rambled on.

     "It could be from stress. We've all had so much on our plate the past couple months, I'm honestly surprised none of us had gotten sick sooner." Luke said. That made a lot of sense. I hadn't thought of that. "But even still, I agree that we should take him to the doctors."

     "So do I. Even if it is just stress, it seems pretty serious, but we will have to wait it out for now and let him sleep. If he thinks it'll help that's in him." Calum stated.

     We all decided to head back to the room. I waited while they grabbed there stuff from the lockers. Once they came out we headed back to the room. I looked to the bad and noticed that Ash had finished his food and fell asleep.

     We all sat down on the couch and watch football on low volume. We chatted amongst ourselves for a while until we heard it...

[moonflower80]

Underforest- Chapter 6

I desperately tried to swim but it was too cold. I was sinking deeper and deeper and hearing words like: “HUMAN!”, “PAY ATTENTION”, “check the ice” and “broken” My eyes began to close, but then I heard a crack and splashing. I suddenly got grabbed by something and heard another crack and then I was on the sturdy ice. A skeleton head popped out from the water. “APOLOGIES, HUMAN I THOUGHT THE WATER WAS WARM ENOUGH FOR HUMANS TO SWIM IN IT, I GUESS IT GOT MUCH COLDER FROM WHEN I LAST CHECKED UP ON IT!” Papyrus would then climb out of the water and would hold me, he would then complete the maze. “SANS CAN YOU LEND THIS HUMAN YOUR SWEATER?” Sans would look at me. “Sure bro.” He would then take off his sweater and give it to Papyrus and then Papyrus would put the sweater on me. “uh pap, i think the human needs to rest before you do the next puzzle.” Papyrus was holding me very tightly but I didn't really care. “GREAT IDEA SANS, LET’S GO TO THE INN, I HOPE THEY ARE DONE WITH THE EXPANSION!”

Papyrus was about to go run but then “wait pap i can bring them there much faster than you.” Papyrus was shocked. “WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY BROTHER!?” Papyrus then sighed “BUT I WILL LET YOU GO AND BRING THE HUMAN THERE IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN!” Sans laughed, “I know a shortcut.” Papyrus placed me down and I stood up, even though I was shaky and exhausted I walked next to Sans. “hold on kid.” I held on to Sans arm and then suddenly we were in front of a big wooden hut. “looks like they finally finished that expansion, come on kid.” We walked inside and saw a bunny. “Hello there-” The bunny seemed surprised to see me but then quickly regained her focus. “Welcome to the inn, how many nights will you be staying for?” Sans would quickly pull out some coins and some ketchup. “One night, it’s for the kid and here is a tip.”

Sans would place down the ketchup after he gave the coins. “Alright hun, your room is upstairs and look for a door that says room 4!” I would walk upstairs and I would see another flight of stairs which means there is another floor. But I just walked to the room with the wooden door which had the number 4 carved into it. I went into the room and closed the door. The room was so cozy, and so warm. There was a little bathroom, a comfy bed, and…well that was about it. I took of sans’s jacket, and washed my hands and face. I changed my clothes into a pair of pajamas near the door. There were many sizes, ranging from big enough to cover the bed to small enough to fit a mouse. I changed into a pair that fit me. I jumped into the bed, and fell asleep. The dreams came back, but they were different. Toriel hugging me, Sans and Papyrus smiling at me. They all smiled. I saw a froggit. It hopped towards me. It said, “Keep going! You are our..” Everything turned to black. And I woke up. I heard a knocking at the door. “room service.” I opened the door. Sans stood there, his jacket back on. The jacket he let me borrow was hanging near the door. He probably has another. “geez, kid. you slept tibia-ble.” I giggled. He smiled wider. “well, i'm here ta pick up my jacket.”

He grabbed the jacket, and started to walk away. Then, he turned. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot. paps is waiting for ya downstairs. get ready.” He walked away. I went back into my room, brushed my teeth with one of the many toothbrushes, washed my face, and went downstairs. Papyrus and sans were waiting downstairs, “my brother has-” Papyrus would look at sans. “BROTHER DON’T TELL A JOKE THAT WILL GIVE THEM A CLUE ON WHAT THE PUZZLE IS AND SPOIL IT , AND I DON’T LIKE SPOILERS!” “HUMAN! I HAVE A GIFT FOR YOU!” He hands a present to me, neatly wrapped with wrapping paper with little bones on it. I opened it up. Inside is a cape/scarf, like papyrus’s. Except it’s green and blue. “THAT, HUMAN, IS A SCARF! SO YOU DO NOT GET COLD AGAIN! IT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” I will try it on. It fits quite well. “NOW, SANS, WE NEED TO GET TO THE PUZZLE AGAIN!” “ok bro. hold on bro. and you too, kid.” We grabbed his hand, and went out the door.

We were back at the puzzle. “HUMAN, I HAVE FIXED THE PUZZLE! NOW, PROCEED!” I started to walk forward, but then hesitated. “FEAR NOT HUMAN! I SHALL SHOW YOU THAT IT IS PERFECTLY SAFE! WATCH!” He walked forward, swerving a couple of times but otherwise being fine. I walked forward, following his steps. “HUH? THE HUMAN…WON?!” “THIS WAS ONLY A VICTORY! FOR..BOTH OF US! NYEHEHEH!” Papyrus walked off. I touched some of the other ice. It quickly started to crack, and shattered. I shivered, and walked to the next puzzles. “NOW HUMAN, OUR NEXT PUZZLE IS…” He would point at something which looked like an obstacle course. “THE ULTIMATE PUZZLE OF INFINITE DOOM AND TERROR!!!” Sans was trying so hard not to laugh, snorting behind Papyrus. Papyrus kept explaining, while I ran through the obstacle course. I won't go through the details, but I got through it easily. By the time he was done, I was in a hammock on the other side, enjoying hot chocolate with Sans. “...AND THAT IS WHY DOGS ARE REAL. ANY QUESTIONS? HUMAN?” He looked over to the other side, and I could see the absolute shock and anger on his face. “SANS!!!! I TOLD YOU NOT TO RUIN THE SURPRISE!!!!!” I looked over at Sans. His smile widened before he burst out laughing, and we all started to laugh.

Except Papyrus, obviously.

“*SIGH* WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET RESPECT AROUND HERE…” The bridge and the entire obstacle course retracted back into the ground, and Papyrus walked over. “WELL, HUMAN! I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS A PRANK FROM SANS, OR YOU ACTUALLY DID IT, BUT GOOD JOB! NOW, LET’S HEAD BACK TO TOWN”

[fablewritesnonsense]

Lost in the Commonwealth

Chapter 9: Broken Clocks

“A little birdie told me you spent the entire afternoon entertaining Kent with the Silver Shroud,” Hancock said, sidling up next to them at the bar at the third Rail. Bentley nodded.

“It was nice,” they admitted, and a bittersweet memory rose to mind. “I uh, my… god it’s not going to get any easier saying this. My late husband and I met when we were young, attending a live showing. We had seats right next to each other, his buddies left to do some Jet part way through and my date fell asleep. So he and I were excitedly whispering to each other. When the show was over, I just left my date there and went to get a Nuka-Cola with him. We talked about our favorite episodes and got so deep into theories that I was out so far past my curfew that my parents came looking for me.”

Hancock looked at them sadly, with a hint of a smile.

“That’s a beautiful memory, it seems you two had something special. But, I’m sure he’s glad you’re out here looking for your son, he’d be proud of you,” Hancock said, and Bentley felt their gut twist. They propped their head up in their hands and gave a shaky sigh.

“Maybe, but he should be the one here, not me,” they said.

“Now don’t say that,” Hancock said, leaning over and putting a hand on their shoulder. “Oh, that’s three bottles, come on, let’s get you upstairs.”

He gently led them upstairs, and they lost track of the number of stairs, but after a moment they were sitting in one of the State House rooms in a plush chair, and cracked a window open next to them.

"Do you know what a lawyer is?" They asked him as he took a seat across from them.

"I have a vague idea," he said, grabbing a Nuka-Cola out of a cooler and handing it over to them.

"I used to be a lawyer," they said. "Went to school for it and everything. Never thought I'd see a day where a law degree would be worthless but here we are. It requires you to be smart enough to know the laws and to be persuasive enough to convince about two dozen people not to put your client. Or deceptive enough in some cases."

"Sounds like politicians," Hancock snorted.

"Many politicians had law degrees. It was by no means a job requirement but," they shrugged. "But, that skillset is all but useless here. But Nate, he was a war hero-" their voice broke and they took a moment to compose themself.

"Before Shaun was born, he was in the army. He was highly decorated and… he would be able to handle this world so much better than I've been able to," they said with a sigh, falling back into the chair. "If I'd been the one to grab Shaun, he'd be the one looking for him. He might have already found him by now and they'd be back in Sanctuary in our old house with a lovely life getting the Minutemen back on track. Meanwhile I'm here and it's been two months and I have nothing to show for it."

"Survivor's guilt is a bitch," Hancock said with a heavy sigh. "Bentley, if your husband loved you half as much as you seem to have loved him… Had he survived, he would be singing the same song. Wishing you'd been the one to survive to find your boy. But you're here, and he's on the other side glad you survived and are doing everything you can to find him.

"Fuck, if I were in your position I'd have given up. You don't know when he was taken or where he was taken or by who, but you're still going. Bobby was telling me you had a small panic attack after fighting that first batch of super mutants but you still made sure he and Dogmeat got into Diamond City first. He said you were ready to go down fighting Swan, when the rest of us would have just given up and let it happen. I saw you threaten to take Finn's balls off then almost pass out when I killed him. You're not weak, not by any means. You're just overwhelmed… Shit don't go crying on me now, I can handle pretty faces crying like that."

Bentley gave a wet laugh and smiled at him, and he smiled back warmly.

"Thanks," they managed after a moment. "I don't feel strong but, thanks."

"I don't think anyone worth a shit actually feels strong," he sighed. "If you feel strong then you're full of yourself. Knowing you've got your weaknesses, and going forward anyways, that's strength."

Bentley smiled, pulling their legs up underneath their skirt and holding them close.

"Did you learn that the hard way or did you learn from someone else's mistakes?" They asked softly.

"Bit'a both," he said. "But it got me here, wouldn't have it any other way."

***

In that room, those two chairs, sitting across from Hancock, Bentley found a bit of peace and began building themself together. He sat and listened as they worked out the barbs that had dug into their soul, and helped them come to grips with the world. With the future they’d been thrust into. Occasionally offering the odd piece of advice while looking at them with a look in his eyes that they couldn’t quite understand.

Eventually, their caps began running out, and they realized they had been there for over two weeks.

“Daisy, you wouldn’t have any work I could take up, would you?” they asked one day, and the ghoul looked at them in surprise.

“I have something, you’re not going to like it,” she replied with a wry grin. “Honestly honey, you’re not going to like any work you find here in Goodneighbor.”

“I need caps,” they said with a shrug.

“Well, you know the Boston library?” she asked.

“Yeah, spent a bunch of long days studying there,” they replied. “Back in college.”

“Well, it’s currently over-run with Super mutants, yeah that’s about the face I was expecting,” Daisy laughed as their eyes popped open. “Yeah, I was going to pay MacCready to go clear it out for me, but he hasn’t come out of the Third Rail lately. It’s yours if you want it.”

“I’m going to have to think it over…” Bentley breathed, and Daisy laughed.

“No worries honey, why not go ask Hancock? I’m sure he’ll find some excuse to give you some caps,” she teased. Bentley rolled their eyes and walked out, thinking about how if they could just get back to Sanctuary, they’d have their stash of chem ingredients. Goodneighbor was a solid place to sell them, even if part of them was still remembering when that was extremely against the law.

“You’re looking better,” MacCready said, from their left. They looked up as he walked through the front gates, a hefty bag over his shoulder.

“Thanks, I didn’t realize you’d left town,” they said.

“Yeah, had some errands to run,” he grunted, dropping the bag to the ground as various residents started trotting up. They heard the state house open up behind, and MacCready produced a stack of papers from the bag. “The kid’s taken over the paper last week and oh my god some of this stuff is pure gold.” Hancock chuckled, taking the stack away.

“And as for you,” MacCready said, pulling a note out of his jacket pocket and handing it to Bentley. They frowned as they took it. “You didn’t mention you’d been leading the Minutemen, they’ve been looking for you for a while.”

“Ha! They like me more, I already knew,” Hancock teased MacCready while Bentley read over the note from Garvey.

“Shit, yeah, I told them I’d be back soon or send word…” they muttered.

“I sent word back with the guy I ran across that you were safe in Goodneighbor recovering after a nasty run-in with Swan. Don’t worry, I made you sound way cooler,” MacCready said, poking them in the arm. They took the top paper and whacked him across the arm.

“Don’t go putting ideas in their head, I’ve heard of the shit that hangs around their old fortress,” they grumbled. Hancock grinned at them as they replaced the paper. “I’m going to have to leave soon, I forgot all about Nick and I was supposed to meet him in Diamond City three weeks ago.”

“Hey now, you seemed so confident a second ago, what happened?” MacCready asked, handing off the bag to someone else. Bentley snorted and waved at the doors.

“Out there I’m a goddamn disaster. I got lost three times before I ended up here, I almost died ten times, and I would have died two of those times if you hadn’t been there,” Their head began to swim as panic set in. Hancock took their shoulder and squeezed it, which brought them back to earth.

“Hey, you’ll be fine, don’t worry,” he said. “Tell you what, go get everything together, and I’ll make arrangements for you, yeah?”

“You don’t have to-”

“Nope, but I want to. Just gotta make sure you swing by here pretty often and say hi,” he said, squeezing their shoulder again. They gave him a grateful smile and nodded.

“Thank you so much, I really appreciate this,” they breathed. He let go, and watched them run off with Dogmeat at their heels.

“I don’t envy whoever’s stuck with them,” MacCready muttered. HAncock reached over and took the younger man by the scruff of the neck and led him into the state house.

“Well today’s your lucky day,” Hancock said.

“Oh for f- really Hancock?” MacCrady snapped as he was dragged upstairs.

“Yup,” Hancock said, depositing him in the chair in front of his desk. He turned and leaned against it, and looked at MacCready, who raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes.

“No, I don’t do charity work, Hancock,” MacCready said with a laugh.

“I’m not expecting charity, I’m waiting for you to name a price,” Hancock said, straight-faced. MacCready studied him for a moment.

“You’re serious,” MacCready realized. Hancock nodded. “What do you get out of this?”

“In a material sense? Jack shit,” Hancock said, taking a deep breath and sighing. “But I’ve become quite sweet on them since they arrived here. And I’ve been rather at risk at acting on my feelings, which they’re definitely not ready for. I was going to hire you to help them as they did their good work around the Commonwealth anyways. This was just fortuitous timing.” MacCready gave a melodramatic sigh.

“I can name any price?”

“Yup.”

“And you’ll pay it?”

“Yup.”

“Over what period?”

“Let’s say two weeks, gives you time to wander and bring them back around so I can see how they’re doing,” Hancock said. MacCready groaned and rubbed his face.

“250 a period?”

“Sounds good. Be ready to go in the morning,” Hancock said, clapping the boy on the shoulder on the way out.

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Have a wonderful day!

[mooncakesofpan]

2,229 Miles

Billy Hargrove x Male!Reader

Summary: the Hargrove-Mayfield house hold maybe wasn't moving just to start over away from Max’s dad.

Warnings: Angst, strong language, Slurs, Reader gets manhandled (not by Billy), Neil's terrible and abusive parenting, Friends to lovers, He/Him pronouns, Violence, homophobia  

Word Count: 1.3K

Stranger things Masterlist | Main Masterlist 

DO NOT STEAL MY WORK

No one batted an eye at the close friendship that's been alive since 2nd grade when you decided you decided that a juice box and some cheese Tid Bit’s your mom packed for you. Of course, a lot of people had stopped being friends by the time 6th grade came around and Billy was beating the ass of anyone who looked at him the wrong way. Yet there you were being the friend having to reel him in. 

That day would always be fresh in your mind the first time Billy beat the shit out of a kid at school. Billy's fist had continued to pound into the face of Mike Campbell as everyone had tried to get Billy to stop punching the brunette on the floor who had commented on Billy’s mom leaving. No one could get him to stop while they were out on the school’s black top, except for you who with no fear tackles Billy off of Mike knowing he would be in more trouble if he had done any more damage than the black eye mike was sporting and the bloody nose that didn't seem to be broken. you could never forget the tears in Billy's eyes as he roughly wiped his eyes,

“He said, I'm probably the reason my mom left,” the 11-year-old said voice shaky,

“He shouldn't have said that to you,” your voice filled with sympathy.

Your family has been very close to Billy’s mom and your family offered her support when she needed it but she never told them where she was going but that she’d be back for Billy. that last part turned out to be a lie. Eventually, both of you were picked up Billy's dad was mad and yours was more confused about why they had to bring their son home even though he wasn't technically a part of the fight.

Billy acting out only ever got worse with the things going on at home, but you knew your friend was suffering and there wasn't much you could do for him, other than being there for you. When freshmen year hit, you and billy ended up in classes together still determined not to be split up. and for the most part, you didn't the only issue for you was you had fallen for Billy you fell back in 8th grade for your best friend, the boy who was in your life because of a cheese cracker. When the middle of freshmen year came and the truth came spilling out your mouth during a conversation about some of the girls in your class talking to Billy and throwing themselves at Him. You were jealous but you weren't gonna say anything till Billy asked why you were so quiet recently, while the two of you were in your room working changing your wheels on your skateboard.

“Because I'm fucking in love with you and constantly have these girls coming up to me all the time trying to be my friend to get close to you in hopes that you will fuck them,” you ramble.

 You were panicking about the fact you just confessed to your best friend not knowing how he would react. but before you knew could continue to ramble on with an apology Billy's lips were against yours. 

”Billy you know we can't tell anyone, especially your dad,” you said pulling away.

“I know it can be a secret,” he says leaning back in.

And that's what it was for a good few years then Neil married Susan and her and her daughter Max moved into the house, meaning much more sneaking around for the both of you. The first time you met Max you were leaving the house after you and Billy could have a bit of alone time again.

You walked down the stairs shrugging on the leather jacket you wore and almost ran into the young girl “uh hi,” she says surprised to see me in her house.

“hi I'm Y/n Billy’s friend,” you say shaking her hand.

“oh uh, I'm Max,”

“nice to meet you Max, Billy’s in his room if your curious,” and with that, you were out the door.

Max grew to like you the most out of Billy's you were nice, not as disturbing as the dirty blonde as you came around the house she realized how much you brought out the best in Billy and you tell him off for being mean to Max. and for the most part he would ease up on her.

Until Everything came crashing down.

you and Billy knew that you'd have to be careful and you two had been for a good 4 years but it was a spring day and you thought Neil and Susan were out and they weren't supposed to be home till later that night.

you and Billy were in his room in his bed his hand on your cheek and kissing you deeply the sounds of Metallica blasting in the background but you missed the sound of the door opening downstairs and Neil coming to Billy’s door the both of you two absorbed with each other to hear Neil pounding on the door suddenly slammed open, Leaving the both of you to jump apart.

 “I knew I couldn't trust you, and your little faggot ass,” Neil said grabbing you by the collar of your leather jacket 

”I Should have thrown you out of my house when the rumors first started should have kept you from my son” Neil kept yelling dragging you down the stairs you were struggling to fight against the Professional security guard.

He pulled you up so you were more standing at his front door “if I see you back here, I will kill you got it” you glared at him ”Got. it.” he repeated,

you got saliva collected in your mouth and with Neil being so close you spat in his face causing him to let you go

 “You. Little.- Get back here,” you were already running down the street your boots hitting the concrete. you and Billy spent more time in secret spots. Him saying he would hang out with his other friends and he would so they could give him an alibi but the day that broke you was the day Billy told you his dad decided they were moving almost immediately after Billy and You had been found in his room.

“Y/n we gotta talk,” Billy says

You were sitting on the beach it was the place you two would go during the summer to chill it was relatively peaceful.

You look at him eyes filled with fear maybe he was breaking up with you.

“My dads moving us to Indiana, something about a fresh start,” Billy said pushing around the sand. the sadness evident in your eyes you were the one person he felt like actually loved him.

“I'm sorry, this probably wouldn't have been happening if I had listened harder” ”don't blame yourself please,” Billy says running his hand there his hair. ” I plan to come back after I graduate, I can't expect you to wait for me but ill be back,” he said looking out to the water.

”that what 2000 and something miles,”

“2,229…” he said with a sigh.  ”Maybe I can visit we can do it in secret or- maybe we can, ” The words and ideas came spewing out your mouth in incoherence, as tears started down your face.

“hey it's okay ill write, call, even drive back down here and everything” of course you knew him driving wasn't gonna be an option Neil would have your head on a pike if billy drove down here. but the day before he left he showed up on your doorsteps. The knock on your door was rushed and the curly mullet pushed you back in your house slightly his lips quickly connecting with yours.

“we're gonna make it that 2229 miles alright, baby,” he said pretty blue eyes looking at you with adoration hands cupping your face. you nod tears rolling down your face.

[helliontherapscallion]

Safe

Pairing: SBI family x reader (platonic, one shot), BASED OFF FROM CHARACTERS NOT ACTUAL PEOPLE

Warnings: child abuse/neglect, bullying, alcoholism, death of a parent, mentions of panic attacks, injury, mentions of a dog’s death, mentions of eating disorders, mentions of suicide attempts, depression

Word count: 7,730

(A/N): if you’re not feeling safe at home or are being abused, please contact the proper authorities. Here’s the abuse hotline: 1-800-799-7233, my DMs are always open if you want to talk 

You met Tommy and Tubbo when you were in third grade. You were a relatively quiet kid, the type to always keep to themselves and abstain from social activity. Mrs. Jansen, being the nice woman that she was, let the entire class choose their own seats.

“Welcome to your first day of third grade, class! I’m Mrs. Jansen and I look forward to getting to know all of you. As you can see, there are enough desks for all of you. You may sit with who you want.”

You shifted around uneasily and gripped your book in your hands as your classmates hurried to get the back seats. After every seat was taken, you walked to the only seat left in the front. You were between a girl and a boy. They introduced themselves as Dorothy and Samuel, and were relatively kind to you. 

As the class passed their second week, two boys that sat in the back row made themselves apparent very quickly. They were both rambunctious, always disrupting the class with their giggles and whispers. Mrs. Jansen had warned them multiple times that she was going to separate them, but it seemed that they didn’t think she’d do it. One day, she finally had enough.

“Tommy, Tubbo. I’ve given you plenty of warnings, I’m going to have to separate you. Dorothy, Samuel, can you please switch places with them?”

You could feel dread wash over you. Why was she putting you between them?! What did you do wrong to deserve this? You could swear that you’ve done all your chores, you even made your mom smile at you! She never did that. 

They pouted as they sat next to you, Tommy on your right and Tubbo on your left. You already missed Samuel and Dorothy. “Thank you. (Y/n), make sure they behave.”

You shrunk down into your seat as you felt Tommy’s glare burning holes into the side of your head. Tubbo, on the other hand, was watching the lesson with bored eyes and  his chin propped up in his hand. You tried to take notes, but you kept getting distracted by Tommy’s heated glare. You were going to fall behind, you couldn’t have that. Mama wouldn’t like that. 

After the final bell rang, you hurried out of the classroom to avoid Tommy’s wrath. You could hear him shouting for you to stop, but you never stopped until your hand was grabbed and yanked backwards in the empty playground. You fell back onto the pavement of the basketball court and whimpered at the sting in your palms. 

Tommy glared down at you, “you gonna cry? Serves you right. Never tell on Tubbo and I. Got it?”

You tearfully nodded and he grinned maliciously at you, “good. Tubbo, let’s go. Wil and Tech’s probably waiting for us.”

The brunet was staring at Tommy with a shocked expression, unmoving. Tommy rolled his eyes and huffed before he grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the crowd of families. Tubbo looked back at you with an apologetic expression and watched as you looked at your scratched up palms. 

You wiped at your tears as you stood up and started to walk home. Your neighbor’s dog behind the wired fence barked at you as you hurried past it. You never liked that dog; it was a drooling, angry, ugly furball. It scared you, but not as much as Mama did when she drank her adult juice. She was scary when she drank it. You tried hiding it from her once but she grounded you from eating dinner and snacks for half a month. You didn’t try to hide it again. 

You trudged up the creaky wooden stairs of your porch and tried to open the door only to find it locked. You tried to knock on the door but Mama didn’t answer so you just sat on the front porch waiting for her to open the door. She did so when the sun was setting, surprise and then anger shining through her hazy eyes. She yelled at you before she sent you to your room for the night without dinner.

The next day when you were sitting alone at a lunch table, someone plopped down in the seat next to you. You jumped and scooted away from them, looking up only to see Tubbo. He was smiling at you.

“Hey, I’m really sorry about Tommy, he gets mad easily.”

You eyed him warily and clutched your open book, “...it’s okay.”

He grinned and scooted closer to you, peering over your shoulder at the book. “What’re you reading?”

“‘Harry Potter’.”

“Oh I love that book! My favorite character’s Ron, who’s yours?”

Surprisingly, the conversation was pleasant before he was dragged away by a glaring Tommy. You might actually make a friend after all. Later that day after school, Tommy once again stopped you in the school yard. This time, he shoved you to the ground and started to shout at you. 

“You do not talk to him, freak! You’re gonna mess him up, he talks to me and me only. Do you unde-undastunend?”

You gulped and shakily spoke up, “yes, and it’s ‘understand’, not ‘undastunend’.”

His glare intensified before he reared back a fist. You yelped as you curled into a ball with your hands protecting your head. Before he could hit you, you heard the stomping of shoes against the concrete.

“TOMMY STOP.”

You could feel a hand on your back and a gentle voice asking if you were alright. You hesitated before you looked up to see an older boy with a mop of curly brown hair on his head and wire glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He reminded you of Harry Potter. Looking past him, you saw a tall pink haired boy glaring and lecturing Tommy, holding the struggling boy in place with a firm grip on his elbow. Tubbo was just behind him looking down and shifting on the balls of his feet.

“I am so sorry about Tommy, are you alright? He didn’t hit you did he?”

You shook your head and the boy heaved a sigh of relief, “that’s good. I’m Wilbur and that’s Technoblade, we’re Tommy and Tubbo’s brothers. What’s your name?”

“(Y/n).”

He smiled at you, “that’s a lovely name.”

“Wilbur, let’s go. This one,” Technoblade shook Tommy’s arm, “needs to talk to Dad.”

You watched as Tommy’s movements stopped and he looked up with wide eyes. “No, please don’t tell Dad. Please-” 

Wilbur stood and helped you up before grabbing Tubbo’s hand and lead him away, “you aren’t weaseling your way out of this.”

You watched the brothers leave, feeling guilt wash over you. You didn’t want to get him in trouble, punishments were the absolute worst. Even though he shoved you and almost punched you, he didn’t deserve any punishment. With guilt weighing down on your shoulders, you walked home. At least Mama was in a good mood, she made you some mac n cheese for dinner. 

The next day, Tommy trudged up to your desk and put a tupperware dish on your desk before sitting down in his seat and ignored you. Tubbo sat in his seat next to you and smiled at you.

“Open it,” he jumped in his seat slightly as he watched your expression change to shock. In the container laid five chocolate chip cookies. You had only had cookies once in your life and that was during a class birthday celebration a year ago. “They’re our Dad’s secret recipe, I helped make them! Um, Tommy wanted to apologize to you.”

You glanced at Tommy. He was glancing at you over his shoulder and blushed a bright red when he saw you looking at him. Tubbo cleared his throat and gestured at Tommy. The blond crossed his arms and looked off to the side. “Sorry,” he mumbled halfheartedly. 

After that, they started to sit next to you during lunch. Tommy was a bit cold towards you, but you found yourself beginning to relax around Tubbo’s friendly aura. Soon enough, you started to supply him with more than a few words per sentence. Tommy eventually got bored of eating in silence and would join your conversation. You three became thick as thieves that year, you even met their Dad. He was very different from Mama; he never yelled at you, he was always giving you snacks, and he even smiled at you often. 

That house became like a second home to you. Eventually, you ended up spending more time at the Minecraft residence than you spent at home with your mom. Over the years, she got worse with her drinking. She was always passed out on the couch and when she wasn’t, she was swaying on her feet in the kitchen staring at a portrait with dazed, wistful eyes. You can remember when you first realized that she had a problem and always being unhappy and drunk was, in fact, not normal for a parent. 

It was a warm spring day in seventh grade. Luckily, you had your health class with Tommy and Tubbo. You were currently learning about alcohol dependency and the effects it had on the body. The teacher listed all the symptoms your mom had; the uncontrollable urge to drink, the aggression, the shakiness and dizziness, everything. When you came to the realization that your mother might have a problem, the teacher started to explain the disorders and diseases that could come from heavy drinking, most of them having the potential to be fatal if the drinking persisted. You felt like you were drenched in icy water as your body seized up in fear for your mother. You stared unseeingly at your notebook at the symptoms of alcoholism and associated disorders. You didn’t want your mom to die. You had to do something before it was too late for her.

“(Y/n)?” You jumped and looked at the person who called your name. Tommy and Tubbo were giving you worried stares. “Are you okay?”

You shakily started to put your supplies away into your backpack. The class had been dismissed and you didn’t even realize it. “Y-yeah. It’s just- I’m worried.”

“Yeah, I’m worried too,” Tommy laughed as you followed the two out of the classroom and to the courtyard. “That essay’s gonna be awful.”

“Oh god we have an essay?”

“Yeah, Mr. Smithers assigned it to us before the bell rang, are you sure you’re okay? You’re usually on top of this stuff.” Tubbo threw a worried glance towards you.

“Yeah, just a bit distracted today. I uh, have to go home. Like right now, my mom wants me home right after school today.”

You sprinted off towards your house. When you reached your neighborhood and ran past the wired fence. The bulldog that lived there was now old and gray. You found out that his name was Buster and he was actually a total sweetheart if you slept next to him on the other side of the fence on more than one occasion. Buster watched from inside his doghouse as you sprinted into the house. Luckily for you, the door was unlocked and your mother was passed out on the couch surrounded by glass bottles. You locked the door behind you as you rushed over to her intensely watching for any sign of movement. She looked dead, her skin was pale, her hair matted, and her mouth gaping open showing off her yellow stained teeth. She wasn’t moving, were you too late?

Just as you started to panic, she snorted and started to breathe. You slumped in relief as you stepped over the beer bottles into the kitchen. The table was sparkly clean with a pristine picture frame resting in the middle, a stark contrast of the beer bottles that littered the floor and the piles of dirty dishes in the sink. It was of a man standing stiffly in a military uniform saluting at the camera with a stern expression. He was an exact copy of you. Well, you were an exact copy of him; that man was your late father.

“Hey Dad, how was your day? Mine was awful, I learned about alcoholism and cirrhosis today and- and I’m worried about Mom. She’s been drinking a lot lately.”

You stared at your dad’s face behind the glass as if expecting a response. You wanted some reassurance from the man. You wanted him to tell you everything was going to be okay and that he’d handle it so you could be a normal kid. Like usual, his steely expression didn’t budge one bit. 

You sighed to yourself sadly and trudged to the refrigerator opening the door. The beer bottles stared back at you tauntingly. Your fingers twitched on the fridge door as you contemplated the consequences of throwing away the offending glass bottles. You remembered in second grade when you hid your mother’s alcohol she punished you by withholding food from you. She’d probably do worse this time, but the consequences were worth it if you were going to save your mother’s life. 

It took you ten minutes of tossing alcohol into the garbage can until the fridge was left barren of the drink. Without the green bottles, the fridge was completely empty with the exception of milk and a few probably rotten eggs. You struggled to take the trash out to the curb and started to work on homework in your room. 

At seven at night, you could hear her roll off the couch and stumble into the kitchen. A series of frantic rustling and banging sounded downstairs before you could hear pounding footsteps storm up the stairs. Your door flung open to reveal your red-faced, livid mother. 

“What the fuck did you do?”

“M-mom I hid them because we learned about alcoholism and cirrhosis and-” You cut yourself off when she walked over to you with her arms extended towards your trembling frame. You tried to scoot as far away from her as possible, but she grabbed your shoulders with clammy but firm hands, shaking you roughly.

“Are you saying I have a problem?! You spoiled fucking brat, you’re the problem! Everything was amazing before you came and fucked up my life. You took him away from me. YOU FUCKING KILLED MY HUSBAND.”

You could feel tears start to drip down your cheeks as you remembered that day in first grade when you begged your dad to get you some McDonalds for dinner. When he relented, you cheered and your mom laughed at your excitement. She was so full of life back then; her hair was shiny and bouncy, her skin was unmarked and flawless, her eyes were lively and bright. Her laughter was perhaps your favorite memory of her. Then everything went to shit when your dad never came home and your mom got a phone call saying that your dad was killed in a car wreck on impact. You could remember your mother’s heart wrenching sobs as she collapsed to the floor and pulled you tight against her body. As if she was trying to protect what was left of her husband.

You were snapped back to reality when your mom shoved you back onto your bed. The happy, beautiful woman that you saw was replaced by the shell of a broken woman. Her silky hair turned dull, her smile turned into a grotesque scowl, her loving eyes turned cold. She truly was a husk of her former self. 

“Stop crying, you’re not the one who’s life was ruined. I want you out of my house in ten minutes. You’re gonna not step foot anywhere near here for two weeks. If I even see you on my property before those two weeks are up, you’re fucking dead.”

You frantically nodded and watched as she stumbled out of her room. You packed what you would need in your spare backpack and ran out of the house past your mother sobbing and babbling incoherently to your dad. You flinched when you could hear a bang and the sound of glass shattering when she threw a bottle at your retreating figure. 

You ran until you couldn’t run anymore. Your legs brought you to the park where you spent most of your childhood. Everywhere you looked, you could see glimpses of your mom and dad pushing you on the swing, Tommy and Tubbo running from you playing tag, Mr. Minecraft putting a bandaid on your scraped knee. Tears streaked down your cheeks as you pushed yourself up and went to your safe place. It was a little nook deep in the vegetation where nobody could see you. You originally found this place when you were playing hide and seek with Tommy and Tubbo. They never knew where you hid.

Tears moistened the soil underneath you as you pulled out a blanket you had hid in a plastic grocery bag and spread it out on the floor. You curled up on it and cried freely into your hands. You didn’t sleep much that night. 

That was the first time she had kicked you out for that long. You barely ate in those two weeks, wolfing down any food you could get your hands on at lunch. Lunch for you was the small scraps of food that Tommy and Tubbo shared with you. Mom never packed you lunches or gave you money to buy things anymore. To make matters worse, they had told their dad that they thought you had some form of eating disorder. 

About a week into your exile, you finally visited the Minecraft residence after avoiding them for a week. You remembered how the blond man pulled you aside into the kitchen. He gently sat you down and pushed a plate full of chicken and vegetables in front of you. You looked at him confused as he gestured towards the plate.

“Eat that, I heard you haven’t been eating much lately.” When you made no move to eat, he smiled at you. “Go ahead, it’s okay if you don’t eat it all. Just eat some of it.”

That was all you needed to hear, you began to eat quickly like a starving wolf. It’s been a while since you had more than half an apple to eat, let alone an actual homemade meal. When you were done, you looked up to see the older man looking at you worriedly. 

“...Are you not getting enough food at home?”

You scrambled to find a lie, “my- my mom is away a lot on business trips. We don’t really eat much.”

His worried expression grew tenfold as he moved to kneel in front of you and put his hands on your shoulders. “You need to eat three meals a day, especially now that you’re growing. You’re always welcome here when your mom’s away, our door’s always open. Is she away now?”

“Yeah, she won’t be home until next week.” You felt bad for lying to the man that put bandaids on your scraped knees and took you to the father daughter dance in fifth grade when he heard that your dad was dead. He was always so kind to you, which you never quite understood. Despite feeling bad for lying to him, you felt incredibly relieved that you didn’t have to be alone anymore. 

From then on out whenever she kicked you out, you went to the Minecraft residence. They welcomed you with open arms and treated you like you were a part of the family. You and Techno bonded over your love for reading and mythology, Wilbur made sure you took care of yourself, and Philza (he told you to just call him Phil at that point) treated you like his own child. You didn’t think that it was possible for you, Tommy, and Tubbo to be any closer than you already were, but you three became inseparable. You told them everything one night when you couldn’t sleep. You told them how you felt like you were the cause of your mother’s decline and your dad’s death, how she would usually punish you, her ‘hobby’. They were about to tell Philza, but you begged them not to. After a while of pleading and assuring them that she’d never hit you, they hesitantly agreed and made you promise to call them whenever you felt unsafe in your home. 

You kept to that promise, calling them whenever she would get too drunk to know what she was doing. They would calm you down from panic attacks late at night and invite you to their house in the daytime. They felt like your actual brothers and you started to refer to them as such. You three gave each other a shoulder to lean on and gave each other comfort when needed. One night when you were in your freshman year, however, your mother caught you sneaking out to see them after she sent you to your room. That was when she started to hit you.

Just as you were about to sneak out the front door, your mother started to scream at you incoherently. When you flinched away from when she got up in your face, she became even more enraged. 

“WHERE WERE YOU GOING? I BET YOU’RE WHORING YOURSELF OUT, AREN’T YOU LITTLE SLUT?”

Without thinking, you yelled back at her, “I would never! Why-” You were cut off by a harsh slap to the cheek sending you to the ground. She quieted down and stared at you and her hand, a glint of shock shining through her dazed eyes. Without a word, she turned around and left to go talk to your dad. You sat there listening to her rant about how she failed as a mother, how she wanted to do better but she didn’t know how, how she wished that he was there with her. You scrambled up and ran to your room. You looked at yourself in the mirror, there was a bright red mark on your cheek in the shape of a hand. There was a small cut where her wedding ring connected with your cheek. A single drop of blood dripped down your cheek and curved down the dip of your chin before dripping onto your shirt. Without doing anything else, you plopped down onto your bed and sobbed into your pillow, crying yourself to sleep.

When you woke up in the morning, you realized that you slept through half of the school day so it was useless to go to school now. You reached up to run a hand down your face only to hiss and pull your hand away. You once again looked at yourself in the mirror.

You looked terrible. Your eyes were bloodshot and swollen like you were crying in your sleep. Hair was sticking up in all directions and matted slightly. The slap mark was gone, but the cut had bruising around the edges with dried blood crusted on your cheek and on your pillow. It was a small cut, but it bled a surprising amount overnight. You couldn’t see Tommy or Tubbo like this, they’d flip out. Luckily for you it was a Friday and you had the weekend to heal. 

Your mother gradually started to hit you more and more. It started off as a once-a-week thing whenever she was really angry, but then it divulged into something that would happen daily over the smallest things. You became her punching bag for her to release some steam. Makeup became your best friend at that point; you used what little savings you saved over the years for dollar store makeup.

Soon after it became a struggle to hide the cuts and bruises from Tommy and Tubbo, so you gradually started to avoid them. Your face, once synonymous with the Minecraft residence and Tommy and Tubbo, became a rarity. They tried their hardest to contact you, but you always dodged their calls. After a few months of you dodging Tommy and Tubbo, you finally told them that you didn’t want to be friends with them anymore. 

It broke your heart to say it, but it had to be done. They were getting too close to the truth and you couldn’t have that; the government would take you away from your mom and she’d end up dead. You were the only one keeping her alive at this point, she lost all motivation to eat. The only thing she did nowadays was hit you, drink, and hug your dad’s photo to her chest. 

The beatings got to the point where you could barely walk without feeling pain. School became something that you’d rarely attend. Tommy and Tubbo stopped trying to talk to and call you. Buster, your previous confidant, had long since died so you were truly alone in the world. The neighbor’s yard looked barren without the dog house and the graying dog. The only person you had left was your mom. 

When you had accidentally burnt dinner late at night, she completely snapped. She grabbed your arm and held it on top of the burner. Pain hit you immediately as you screamed and cried apologies to her. When you instinctively hit her with your other hand, she dug her nails into your arm and pushed your arm closer onto the burner. Nerve endings screamed at you to get away from the pain. The pain was becoming too much, so you looked on the countertop next to you for something to defend yourself with. A metal fork was lying close to your other hand. 

You grabbed it and, with a distraught apology to your mother, drove the prongs deep into her arm. She screamed in pain and let your arm go. You ripped yourself out of her grasp and started to run for the front door. A force collided with the back of your shoulder making pain explode in the area. You didn’t know what happened at first, but after hearing the shattering of glass, you realized that she threw a beer bottle at you. You could feel the sting of alcohol and glass mingling with your open wounds on your shoulder. The sting was almost as bad as your arm, but you didn’t stop running especially when you glanced behind you to see her running at you with a knife raised and the fork protruding from her arm.

You flung open the door and sprinted out without bothering to close the door behind you. As your bare feet hit the sidewalk, you could hear your mother stop at the end of the stairs and shout at you to come back. You never stopped.

You didn’t stop until your feet took you to the Minecraft residence’s front door. Nobody was on the street as it was about eleven at night. You hesitated to knock on their door, you ignored the family for the past six months, and you weren’t sure if they even wanted you there. After five minutes of thinking, you just sighed as you walked back down the wooden stairs and walked back towards the sidewalk.

“(Y/n), what are you doing here?” You froze up at Tommy’s sleep riddled voice. You stayed frozen as you heard him stomp over to you. He placed a firm hand on your injured shoulder and forced you to turn around. His angry expression faded into a concerned one when he heard you start to sob and flinch away from him. 

“Wha- shit are you bleeding?” You nodded slightly and he gently turned you back around to see a patch of darkened cloth on your shirt. You could feel him shaking as he grabbed your arm and pulled you into the house. He plopped you at the dining room table and told you to wait there. With that, he sprinted up the stairs and brought back a serious Philza holding a first aid kit. 

When he saw you bruised and battered, you could hear him take in a sharp intake of breath and saw unbridled anger flash across his face. You flinched away from him when he approached you. 

“Hey,” he said in a gentle voice, “I won’t hurt you. Can you show me where you’re hurt?” 

You eyed him warily like a scared wild animal and reluctantly moved your burned arm away from your chest and showed it to him. This was the first time you saw your forearm; it was an ugly red that expanded up the majority of the underside of your forearm with skin burned off at the edges. Yellow, fluid-filled blisters were starting to form. 

You could hear Tommy’s horrified gasp as he turned to run out of the room. You kept your gaze downwards as Philza warned you that he was about to put disinfectant on your wound. He apologized to you when you whimpered in pain at the sting of the alcohol on your exposed nerves. After he was finished wrapping your arm, he asked you to show him where else you’re injured. You turned around so he could see the growing patch of blood staining your now ripped shirt. You could feel him gently move your shirt to the side and heard him wince. 

“Shit, there’s glass in here. I’m going to have to get some tweezers to get it out. Stay here, I’ll be right back.” You were then alone in the kitchen for a moment before he came back with a worried Wilbur and Techno in tow. The brunet pulled up a chair next to you and asked if it was alright to hold your hand. After you hesitantly nodded, he grabbed your hand and started to run his thumb over your knuckles. Techno held a light close to your shoulder as Philza started to tweeze out the green tinted glass from your shoulder. 

Every time you would suck in air through your teeth and muffle your yelps with your other hand, Wilbur would whisper reassurances to you and hold your hand tighter. After the glass was out, the wound was disinfected, and wrapped in gauze, Philza told the boys to leave the room. He grabbed both of your hands and gave you the best reassuring smile that he could.

“Tell me what happened.”

You swallowed the lump in your throat as you felt tears well up in your eyes, “I tried Phil, I really did. She never got better no matter what I did.”

“What do you mean, are you talking about your mom?” You could hear the angry undertone of his voice. You tensed up and nodded.

“She… she needs help. She was never the same after Dad died, she started drinking. It started off with only one beer a day, but after seventh grade she was going through an entire case in a day. She’d punish me if I said or did anything about it. No dinner for a week was a popular one until she started to ban me from the house for weeks on end. She never went on business trips, Phil. She got a knife today. I-I thought she was actually gonna kill me this time, I was so scared.”

Without another word, he pulled you into a tight hug, letting you sob freely into his shoulder. “It was my fault, I couldn’t help her! She- she needed me and I couldn’t help her.” You said between sobs. He hugged you tighter and started to rub your back, making sure to avoid your shoulder. “None of this is your fault, you can’t help someone if they don’t want help. Sometimes you can’t fix someone who’s too far gone.”

“Am I too far gone?”

“No, you aren’t. We’ll help you through this, we won’t let anybody hurt you ever again. You’re gonna go on to live a good life.” You passed out in his arms after a while of crying. 

When you woke up, you were in Tommy and Tubbo’s room. The two boys jumped to your side and pulled you into a tight group hug. After you tried to apologize to them for how you treated them in the past six months, they shushed you and just sat there in silence hugging you. 

Later that day you found out that your mother was found by your neighbor on the front porch with her wrists slit and empty beer bottles surrounding her. She was breathing, but just barely. Currently she was in an unstable condition in the hospital. You had a full breakdown when you found out that she almost killed herself because of you. You had run out of the house and to your safe place in the park. You hadn’t been there in a few years, so you hoped that it was still there. 

Sure enough, it was still there albeit a bit overgrown. The blanket in the plastic bag was in the same place where you left it. You had no idea how long you were sitting there crying and having a panic attack, but when you came to your senses it was dark outside. You could hear crickets chirping and the rustling of leaves in the entrance of your hideout.

A brunet head poked itself in and smiled when he saw you. Tubbo fully came into the nook and gestured for someone to follow. Tommy’s blond hair made itself apparent before he joined you two inside.

“Nice little place you have here. It’s… homey.” Tubbo rubbed his hands together and blew warm air on them. You threw one side of the blanket at him and pulled your knees up to your chest. “Thanks, I used to sleep here sometimes… How’d you find me?”

“We could hear you,” Tommy pulled out his phone and typed something on it before pocketing it and sitting next to you. He covered himself with the blanket as Tubbo followed suit. You sat in silence before Tommy broke it. 

“How long has she been hittin you?”

“Tommy!” Tubbo scolded him.

“She started about six months ago.”

“Six months ago… that was when you cancelled plans! I knew something was wrong Tubbo.”

Tubbo said nothing as he looked at you with a helpless expression. Just as he was about to open his mouth, you interrupted him. “It’s not your fault. It’s mine. Everything’s my fault. I’m the reason my mom’s in the hospital right now fighting for her life. I wasn’t there for her.” You would’ve started crying if it weren’t for the fact that you just felt so drained and numb.

“The fuck do you mean? She was about to kill you! You told us that she was about to stab you, what else were you supposed to do, just let her kill you?!” Tommy exclaimed.

You shrugged, “maybe. If she did she’d be happy, I was just a burden to her. I- I just wanted her to be happy and I would never be able to do that as long as I’m alive. If she killed me she wouldn’t be in the hospital right now.”

“What the fuck (y/n),” Tubbo shouted, startling you. He never shouts, let alone swears. “How could you even say that? I don’t know what I’d do without you, everything would be so boring and nothing would be the same without you. Fuck her happiness, she’s a wretched woman if the only way she can be happy is when you’re dead. Fuck her.”

You and Tommy stared at the seething boy in shock. He never shouted when he was angry, he only did that once when he found out that Tommy was being bullied. Whenever he sweared, that’s when you knew his emotions were hitting him at full force. Tommy quickly recovered from his shock to join him, “yeah fuck her, man! She can go suck a dick.” He was interrupted by his phone buzzing.

“Dad’s here, c’mon he’s worried sick about you.” After they helped you out of your safe place, they both wrapped an arm around your shoulders and walked you to the parking lot. You could see the headlights of the lone car in the lot turn off before the door swung open and a figure rushed towards you. You pushed yourself behind Tommy and Tubbo and hid behind them fearfully. They both turned around and put a hand on your shoulders. “It’s okay, it’s our dad.”

You peeked over their shoulders and saw a mop of disheveled, long blond hair. Philza looked like he was just told that there was an antidote for a fatal poison he just ingested, despite the flash of hurt that showed on his face. His blue eyes were accentuated by the redness of his sclera and you can see the relief painted in them. A gentle smile was on his face as he moved his arms up. Without another word, you launched yourself at him and pulled him into the tightest hug you could manage with your shoulder.

“Are your accusations true, Mx. (L/n)?” 

Your gaze flickered over to your mother sitting on the other side of the courtroom. She looked at you with no expression on her face. Her wrists were wrapped tightly in a white bandage that was a stark contrast to the bright orange prison uniform and the silver of the handcuffs. She wasn’t the woman you knew when your dad was alive. The life was sucked out of her the second she picked up that phone call.

You looked back at the lawyer, “yes sir.”

“I have no further questions, your honor.”

“You may return to your seat, Mx. (L/N).”

You stood up and walked as confidently as you could past the dull eyes of your mother and back to your seat between Tommy and Tubbo. You held their hands tightly as the trial moved onwards. Buster’s owner even stepped up to the witness stand to give his testimony. Apparently he knew about the abuse from your late night conversations with Buster. He had contacted CPS and the police multiple times but the case was always dropped for some reason that you couldn’t bring yourself to ponder. A few of your previous teachers even showed up to give their testimonies. Their words, though true and slightly sweet, rubbed you the wrong way. If they ‘knew something was happening at home with you’, then why didn’t they do anything when it was happening? You tried to focus on the rest of the trial. 

Your mother’s only witness was herself, and she did a piss poor job at it. She was basically digging her own grave with every word that came out of her mouth. The entire time, she was staring at you with her infamous dull eyes. 

“Do you have any further points you would like to add, Mrs. (L/n)?”

“Yes, I have always loved my child. They were my husband’s pride and joy, the splitting image of him. Their rightful place is safe with their real parent at our home.”

You could feel Tommy attempt to stand up, but you pulled him back down; now was not the time for him to start yelling in anger. Tubbo squeezed your hand in reassurance and glanced at you. You were staring at the woman you called your mother with pain and hate filled eyes. You wished her words were sincere, but you knew fully well that they weren’t. The words that left her mouth would’ve been one hundred percent true  and genuine when your dad was still alive, but he’s buried six feet under in a military cemetary now and he has been for years. You would’ve given anything, even your own life, for those words to be true a month ago, but you knew better now. Mothers don’t treat their kids like this, they’re supposed to give their children their unconditional love and take care of them. As far as you were concerned, she was no longer your mother. She forfeited that title the second she turned to the bottle. Philza is and will always be more of a parental figure than she’ll ever be. 

After the jury left to discuss, the court was in a recess. You slipped out of the room and speed walked to the bathroom. You looked at yourself in the mirror. You could see heavy eye bags under your dull eyes. The dullness of your eyes, to your horror, reminded you of your mother, so you splashed your face with water. That fixed it, your eyes were slightly brighter. You could still see the faint outline of the scar on your cheek from when she first hit you. Small scars littered your face from the more recent wounds she gave you before you ran.

A knock sounded at the door, “(y/n), the recess is almost over.” It was Techno.

You patted your face dry and went to leave the bathroom. The pink haired boy that you now saw as your older brother was waiting patiently for you on the other side. He put a gentle hand on your shoulder and led you back to the courtroom. There, the rest of the Minec- no, your family was waiting for you. Just as you reached them, the judge announced that the jurors would be arriving back. The entire courtroom stood as they walked in.

“Have you reached a verdict?” The judge asked.

“We have.”

“Mrs. (L/n) and Mr. Langsburg, would you stand and face the jury? You may read the verdict.”

“We the jury of the state court find the defendant guilty under the charges of child abuse and child neglect.”

Tommy clapped a hand on your shoulder as Tubbo squeezed your hand. They both smiled widely at you. You, however, didn’t acknowledge them. You were only staring at the empty eyes of your mother as she was looking at the jury. Her reaction was akin to her breaking a pencil, like it didn’t matter to her. Like all the years abuse that she put you through didn’t matter was as trivial as breaking a pencil. 

“So say you all?”

“Yes, your honor.” 

“I hereby sentence Mrs. (L/n) to twelve years in the state penitentiary with no opportunity of parole. Mr. Philza Minecraft shall be bestowed the custody of Mx. (Y/n) (l/n) as they do not have any next of kin. Court is adjourned.” With that, she banged the gavel and the courtroom exploded in the bustling of people. You never took your eyes off from your mo- no, the monster with the dull eyes as she picked at something in her nails boredly. Just as she looked up to meet your gaze, Tommy pulled you into a tight hug, lifting you off the ground slightly. You were passed around the family in the courtroom for their individual hugs. Philza’s was comforting, Tubbo’s was congratulatory, Wilbur’s was warm, and Techno’s was slightly awkward, yet soft. 

At home, you spent most of your time in the spare room Philza had given you. He had offered to help you decorate it, but you had no idea where to start. You were never allowed to have decorations in your old room. You kept the room simplistic and your possessions light. 

You often stared at your dad’s portrait on your nightstand wondering what your life could’ve been like if you never asked him for McDonalds that day. Your family probably would’ve been stationed in who knows where and moved around often, as is customary in most military families. You probably would’ve never met Tommy and Tubbo in third grade. You probably would’ve never met your now older brothers and new father. You didn’t want to imagine a life without them. 

After a few days of you being locked up in your room, Tommy and Tubbo came into your room with mischievous grins. You knew them like the back of your hand, so you knew the second you saw their faces that they were about to do something. You sat up and looked at them suspiciously. 

“What are you doing?”

“We’re not doing anything, (y/n). Right Tubbo?”

“Right Tommy.” Tubbo nodded curtly. They still had grins on their faces. They walked over to your bed before they picked you up and walked you out of the room. You didn’t have the energy to fight them, so you laid limp in their arms. They eventually took you down to the living room and plopped you down onto the couch between them. Techno tossed them a blanket when they then used to wrap you tightly into a blanket burrito. The home screen of Disney Plus was pulled up on the TV and the curtains were drawn. Philza and Wilbur exited the kitchen with glasses of water and two big bowls of popcorn.

They smiled widely when they saw you squashed between your brothers, putting a bowl of popcorn in your lap and three glasses of water nearby. The two next to you dug into the popcorn as the rest of the family made themselves comfortable on the couch. 

“What are we doing?”

“Movie night! We’re gonna binge the Marvel movies, your favorite!” Tubbo grinned at you, practically bouncing in his seat.

“Just double checking, the order is Captain America, Captain Marvel, Iron Mans One and Two, Incredible Hulk, Avengers, Thor-”

You cut Wilbur off with a mumbled “first Thor, then the first Avengers movie.”

“Glad I asked then! The timeline would’ve been thrown off.” 

As the movies progressed, you started to finally feel like you belonged as a part of the family. Laughter came easier to you, mingling effortlessly with the family’s laughter. Every time you laughed at a scene, they would give you a smile and laugh alongside you. Eventually after about halfway through Captain America: The Winter Soldier, everyone had fallen asleep on the couch. Soft snores and the quiet sounds of the occasional fight scene filled the room as your eyelids started to close involuntarily. You looked around the room at the rest of your family. They all looked peaceful in their slumber. Tommy and Tubbo’s protective hold of their arms around your shoulders made you feel safe. It was in that moment that you realized that they would never let anyone hurt you ever again. You were a part of an actual, loving family. With that, you let yourself fall asleep into a peaceful slumber surrounded by the people that loved you the most. 

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