#maybe this is the real reason he started leaving night island

[apoptoses]

Daniel would be getting the shrimp sweats and Armand would be like hmmmmm yeah baby 👅🫡 that’s 100% right 😮‍💨🤤 🔥 that’s what my man should be smelling like 24/7 🫦 💦 he likes that man stinky and sweaty we been knew!!!

anon i'm a seafood hater so this is taking me out, shrimp sweats sound FOUL lmao

but ykw you're not even wrong, i can see it, when daniel is really on a tirade about how tired he is of these dinners and he wants his reward and to be turned already. armand would just whip out a comment like this and stop that man in his tracks, immediate argument killer just for how out of line it is 💀

[head-empty-just-ace]

Gotta love how I went from never watching horror movies bc I was too scared to casually watching them in my free time. Ofc, I'm going to drag Ace into this. Again, unedited and just on the fly stuff. No plans/plots. Just vibes.

CW: Horror movies. Slightly on crack bc this is assuming Ace (is scared) doesn't like horror movies. Also, he teases you later at the end.

Word Count: 600+

You and Ace usually have movie nights in your room since you like to collect tapes of various movies across islands you guys visit. The two of you play rock-paper-scissors to decide who picks the movie. Rock-paper-scissors with the winner deciding the movie/s to watch (but he secretly uses his haki to win sometimes).

This time, however, Ace wanted to indulge you. Let you win. Part of him was trying to guess what kind of movie you'd want to watch. He reaches out to grab his drink by the nightstand and take a sip. His mind wandering to the possible genres. Action? Comedy? Romance? Maybe something steamy—

"Let's watch horror." You say and Ace chokes on his drink. Your brows furrow as you turn to your side to glance at him. His hand patting his chest as he tried to recover. "You alright?" A hand comes up his shoulder to pat his back to soothe him a bit. It takes him a while to recover.

"Just didn't expect you to pick that." Ace says, shrugging his shoulder. By now, he's sitting on your bed with his back against the headboard while you get up to pick the movie. "Well, if you're lookin' for a reason to get real close t'me, I won't stop 'ya." He chuckles as he proudly opens his arms for you with a wink.

You roll your eyes, mumbling something about growing up with horror movies. The movie begins and you settle beside him. There's still a bit of distance between the both of you. With that, the movie starts off.

That's when you start noticing it. Him tensing up at the jumpscares. The almost spilling the snacks or food on the bed at times. How he adjusts his hat just enough to hide a major chunk of the screen every now and then. His hand near you twitching as if holding back from touching you for comfort.

It finally clicks. He's scared. Ace is scared.

When the tension in the movie rises (that feeling of moments before a jumpscare), you clap your hands loudly. A colorful arrangement of curses leave his lips as he literally jump from his seat. A panicked expression on his face as he looks around as if on high alert.

You laugh. A loud joyous laugh that Ace usually adored but right now he was just glaring at you with his face burning red from embarrassment. But ofc, its you— laughing, he couldn't really find it in him to be actually be angry.

"Awee, if you're scared, I'll let you cling to me~" You coo while batting your lashes at him playfully. Arms wide open for him while gesturing him to come closer.

He lets out a groan and grumbles a complaint but an idea comes to his mind. With a tug of your hand he shifts you into a different position. His back still against the headboard while you sit between his legs and his arms wrapped around your waist.

"This seems like a good position." Ace whispers in your ear. The warm breath of his voice sends a shiver down your spine. Now, its your turn to blush. He chuckles at the sight of you looking flustered. You didn't need to turn around to know he had a smug look on his face.

And now, each time something scary is about to happen, he'll bury his face against the curve of your neck. Not so discreetly brushing his lips against your skin. You can barely focus on the movie by now and he's relishing in that fact.

Ace still does occasionally lean back and just hold you against his frame throughout the movie. But the unpredictability between his affections and casual touches was getting to you (not that you minded). When the movie reaches its end, he presses a kiss to your temple. You could feel his smile against hour skin, his warm breath making your heart flutter.

"Y'know what...I'm starting to like horror movies."

~~~~

In case you guys liked this, here's my masterlist of other works!

[kentocalls]

fushiguro toji | love you a latte ♡ sfw. soft toji w/established relationship. fluff for a WIP. inspied because i wanted to enter @tsukimefuku's JK foodies and goodies.

mornings have become a fast favorite ever since you’ve turned his space into your home. he’s wrapped in a marigold comforter that feels lighter than air and softer than clouds. maybe he should invest in real cotton or bamboo fibers or whatever you were deliberating over. funnily enough, the same heavily fretted comforter is so viciously pulled off him by your sleeping form, he feels his chest fill with warmth, even in your sleep you’re no less eager to glue to his skin.

toji smiles soft as he watches you start to shift, it’s way too earlier for you to be up. it should be toji’s usual hour to head out for his leg day but he’s finding less and less reasons to leave you alone in the mornings. afterall, this is your third attempt to resettle in dreamland.

he’s used to it by now, the nights you don’t sleep dead like a log from grading assignments you’re rolling along his extra large california king sized bed. there’s nothing california sized about it since toji is relegated to his tiny slice as you roam free. exploring the vastness of comfort foam and some spring technolog that’s done wonders for toji’s back. but somehow it’s not giving the relief you need, body still bending and turning and stretching. damn, can he get you into those positions too? or is conscious you somehow less flexible than asleep you? he wonders if you dream of dancing, your arms and toes stretch, extend prettily like a ballerina

except your face scrunches when somehow you know you’ve drifted too far. legs swirl and sway to find him, body swimming into his side; when he’s close you breathe in deep, head bobbing under his arm, then on top and honestly, toji’s can’t keep watch. he’s knows you won’t get comfortable without his help, he pulls a leg up and over his hips, as the other snakes around on its own. and you’re so good for him, even in your sleep; easily laying your weight onto him, head nestled on his chest, the top of your head close enough to his lips.

he gently eases a few stray hairs from his mouth and out of your face and waits for the rhythmic deep breathing that lulls him back to his own rest. does he dream? if he does, they’re ones he has have been led by your soft breathing. maybe he dreams of a boat or a picnic, it’s all forgotten by the time he wakes up.

and he does, try his best, not to jolt awake when the sun is too annoying to ignore. he’s gotten better since sharing a bed with you, he doesn’t startle awake with violence. now it’s more of a quick jerky motion that’s soothed as soon as he touches your skin.

on autopilot he moves his hands but is met with his own skin? his own chest? he reaches out across the mattress to find it cold. like you’ve been missing for hours. despite all the logical reasoning, panic sets in. where are you? why aren’t you next to him? did you fall off again? he moves like a lion, sprawled over the edge of the bed but he’s met with his own discarded clothing.

head assessing the rest of the room and nada. you’re not in here.

he hears his expensive coffee machine whirl and exhales, falling flat onto the mattress. the sheets smell like you and that almond lotion you adore and he takes an extra deep inhale before getting up.

padding out to his walnut and cream kitchen, you’re moving about the giant island and following a video about — latte art?

he leans onto the island, takes in your form while you concentrate, practice how to move your wrists with an empty class and milk container. he takes the plate of french toast and his favorite fruit over to his dinning room table. another one of your purchases that breathes order into his abode. he’s never really eaten at a proper dinning table unless formally meeting a client at thei home but now he can’t seem to eat anywhere else. no more takeouts on the couch or coffee in the bedroom. you like eating together and that’s it for him.

he eats slowly, still watching you hum a song and repeat the latte art video. perhaps you’re a teacher now because you’re such a diligent student. but your eyes meet his and your voice is full of amber honey, “oh! good morning!”

bright, you’re so bright and walk ever so slowly. eyes moving between him and the mug of coffee? latte? that you gently gently gently place in front of him. it looks…like a circle. he tries to offer the best smile he can, “thanks sunshine.”

you look at him expectantly, “it’s a heart.”

he pulls you in for one kiss, then another and another before you push away with a pout. “it looks like a heart right?”

“whatever you say, doll. the circles a heart.” he’ll erase what a circle is if you deem. you wipe at some syrup on his lips and give the nape of his neck a small squeeze. attempt to make your way back to the big kitchen but he wants more of you, hands firm. he’s been robbed of his morning touches. hasn’t touched the skin of your back, hasn’t gripped your thighs and it’s part of his day off routine. he skipped leg day for cuddles and keeping you on his lap—why are you being so torturous and walking away?

you don’t even like lattes.

“we had a barista visit the school, they said i had a real talent for this and i should swing by his cafe. said he’d hire me on the spot now i think he was lying.” toji hums.

“yeah? he say that with dreamy eyes?”

you shoot him a look, he glares back, watches you replay the barista interaction and your hushed “toji, no.” has him laughing big.

“doll, i’d say anything to get you on a date too.”

“am ? that bad?” you’re bringing another mug over to him, moving at a snails pace but stop your face so focused on the mug that toji has to take pity on you. stomps over with his tall self and bends to look at the second attempt at the latte art.

“it’s a…rabbit?”

your shoulders drop and you click your tongue before taking a giant gulp, toji’s hand on your hip, thumb massaging gently. “i’m good for nothing.”

you’re being pouty and dramatic but the barista really had you believing you had a talent for this! “could’ve made more money on the weekend.” you sigh, toji moves the mug into the kitchen island, long strong arms pulling you close.

“you don’t need the money doll, i’ll buy whatever it is.”

“it’s not the money toji.” another sigh and toji doesn’t like it, has a hand under your chin, eyes serious. if its something on this green earth, he’ll bring to your feet. you just have to ask.

“thought i could work part time when you’re working your longer jobs, something to pass the time.” oh.

you get lonely.

toji pauses. he hasn’t felt lonely since…the day he met you. the time before he knew you feels like a fog. he wasn’t really living them, just getting through day by day. “sorry doll.”

you shake your head, pulling him close. it’s silent safe for your breathing and the angry expensive coffee machine whirling. when you do pull away from him he follows, hands lingering on your hip, makes you both waddle like a penguin and you can’t help but laugh.

it’s his favorite sound now, bounces off his spacious walls, fills the apartment with joy.

“teach me how.”

“toji—“

“you’re really good at teaching, so teach me how.” He grabs an empty mug, “and when i do a really good job, you’ll give me a reward.”

☕️

toji leaving the curtain open doesn’t usually happen, he’s super duper considerate of your schedule and knows sleeping in is a rare luxury given you’re a teacher and have to report to school earlier than most people expect. but he left the fucking curtain, blind AND window open. the gang of crows outside better be fighting a crazy battle because they have interrupted your sweet sweet dream. you and toji had robbed a bank and moved to a cold country. it was magical, you had a talking pet tiger.

you convince yourself robbing a bank is not a good idea and that you enjoy teaching rich spoiled kids because you’re being the emotional parental figure they need. you’re doing good in the world! you kick toji’s side of the bed, its so cold and that makes you grumpy. you wanted cuddles.

you’re as fresh as possible when you stumble into the kitchen. you made a many latte arts over the weekend and the despite toji working hard to put that caffeine to use, slept escaped you. your legs are sore, hips carrying the badge of his hands as you press the power button for the machine.

once the sleep is rubbed from your eyes you notice the steamer spout is dirty. you rush to wipe it clean, knowing that stupid part of the machine is the most sensitive and then you realize your mugs are all gone. you weren’t that hyped on caffeine, you cleaned everything diligently. you have a routine, part of it includes setting things up for tomorrow so that your mornings move as easily as possible.

it’s only when you turn around do you notice all seven of your mugs lined up in a row. all of them have latte art that spell out “i love u ♡”

and a huge wad of cash.

[strayheartless]

So I don’t know if I’m ever really going to be able to write it coherently because it’s a mess of an idea but I need it out of my brain box. But I have an idea for a fic I’ll probably never write -because as I say ✨coherency✨- and it kinda goes like this:

Cloud is a pretty lonely kid. Even when Tifa tries to include him, he struggles socially and the others don’t really like him. As a way of coping with this Cloud falls back on his imagination and essentially creates the entire universe of kingdom hearts in his head like a maladaptive daydream to cope with his situation.

He has drawings of Sora and the gang all over his room and every note book is filled with complicated plots and backgrounds and ideas for characters. His Ma worries that he spends too much time in his own head. However, she quickly realised that moving his drawings and Writing causes him great distress so she tries to leave them be.

For Cloud Sora is an extension of the outgoing hero he wants to be. The kid who wasn’t necessarily the chosen one but is the best version of himself and is the hero because he’s good.

Riku is his sephiroth type character. He’s the cool kid that everybody wants to be like, and just like us he lives for torturing his blorbo. What Clouds not really aware of as he writes though is that Riku becomes more and more like an extension of himself. There’s an intense loneliness to his character and a repression of something Cloud is really not ready to look at.

Kairi is probably his romanticisation of Tifa and an extension of Clouds own desire to protect the people that matter to him most. Sora wants to protect kairi in the same way Cloud wants to protect Tifa. But like Tifa as the Kairi develops she has a certain strength of her own and a story worth telling.

More characters develop along the way and by the time he joins shinra military he’s got a whole fantasy world (or worlds in this case) planned out in his head that consumes his every waking minute.

Cut to being in the army and Clouds usually got a small field journal with him that he uses like an ideas book that’s full of scribbles and drawings. He’s incredibly territorial about the notebook and has gotten into altercations over it multiple times.

By this point he’s established some other stories. Sora feels really distant to him and he can’t quite reach him. It’s upsetting but around the time he meets Zack Ventus sort of emerges from nowhere.

Ven is quirky, he’s a bit silly and a lot sarcastic. But he’s smiley and friendly and exactly the person Cloud is around a certain second Class soldier…

Hiding his sketches from Zack was never an option. He was never going to get away with carrying his journal around without Zack popping up over his shoulder to ask “whattcha doooin’?”. Once Zack got a little snap shot into Clouds world(s) he wanted to grill Cloud about it every time they hang out. What Zack doesn’t really get though, is that for Cloud it’s not a story… not really.

These are Clouds friends. This is where he feels safest. Being able to talk of them makes them more tangible more real and when the Genesis war starts to get that bit more tense Cloud is stuck in his head As Sora and Riku make a reappearance.

Waking Dreams and nightmares plague Cloud for hours to the point of exhaustion because there’s someone on his island! Someone who shouldn’t be. Zack suddenly gets the feeling that maybe there’s something a little off about Clouds stories. He unfortunately gets his answer when he opens the door to Clouds room in the barracks and finds him crying into his knees and rocking.

“He opened the door, he opened it Zack! He shouldn’t have done that!”

“Who? What door Cloud? Where’s your head at bud?”

“Riku! He opened the door to darkness”

From that point on Zack is very careful about how he approaches Clouds stories. He notices Clouds staring; the times when he will start crying for no reason; nights when Zack will come to get him for dinner and find him scribbling out drawings of dark little shadows and a sword that looks like a key… The night before sephiroth burns down Nibelhiem Zack leaves Cloud scribbling a drawing of Ansem rising up covered by a monster gagged with bandages.

…..

When cloud dreams in the Mako pod it’s confusing. He dreams of Sora Trapped in a white room. He dreams that none of his friends know him and that Riku isn’t what he remembers. He dreams of some of his lesser characters in Black coats and his brain confuses Ventus and Sora to make Roxas.

He dreams that Lea is no longer Lea he’s Axel. He dreams of Kairi with Black hair and Blue eyes but she’s not Kairi she’s- shes…. Xion? He dreams that there’s a girl that’s making Sora forget things, and he’s struggling to remember things himself.

He dreams that Riku won’t show anybody his eyes. What’s wrong with his eyes?! He dreams and dreams and dreams of Sephiroth, in the colosseum, in Radient Garders… no Hollo- hollow bastion… why are you here?!

Get out get out get out get out!

GET OUT!

…..

……..

When Cloud wakes up in the sector seven train station the first thing he registers is that summer vacation is over. No that’s not right. They were going to the beach right? Roxas and Heyner and Pence and Ollette. They were going to the beach, to get pretzels and watermelon and…

Sora?

He blinks and he’s lying on his back in a bed on stargazer hights and When Sora Cries so does he. Why is Sora crying? Where is Roxas?

There’s a tower surrounded by stars, and a wizard who tells Sora that the darkness still exists. He tells him about Nobodies that are the husks of people who have lost their hearts and Cloud wonders if he is a nobody too…

There’s a black feather in the underworld. And one on Mount Olympus when Sora parks the Gummi ship. Cloud thinks someone should be running to meet them with a big smile and questions about Terra… no that’s not right?

There’s a figure in a black coat in hollow ba- radient- hollow bastion. And another one in the underworld. Half way up a mountain in the land of dragons there’s another one, different from the others who won’t fight back.

As Avalanche reach Kalm Cloud makes a beeline for an art supply shop and suddenly there’s flowers in radiant garden again.

When he gets splashed with Mako in Corel he’s sees Riku and Roxas in loveless avenue. No that’s not right. What… what is this place.

“Come on sora, you can do better then that!”

“Oh yeah look which one of us is winning!”

“Stop by once me and him are both hero’s!”

“Oh so never come back!”

… Hello?

This is where I got up to with this idea and I can’t figure out the rest of it, but it’s been bugging me for months. So ✨here✨

[weirdthinkingdragon]

Shouldn’t Have Traveled

Yandere Diluc, x chubby reader x yandere Zhongli

Words: 5,700+

warnings: poisoning mentions, slightly descriptive murder, unwanted touch,  reader made fun of by others, physically clingy Diluc (you can pry that from my cold, dead, hands)

Took a pic of where the ending scene is for clarity. 

Sorry if anyone (besides Donna, Diluc, and Zhongli are ooc. Idk their personalities too well yet.

I’ve decided to leave Mondstat. Not for any reason anyone would think. It’s rather awkward and I’ll never admit the real reason to anyone. I can’t really stand being around Diluc anymore. Donna and other’s words are starting to get to me. 

What words? The scathing words of “He’d never like someone like you”. They say that’s due to my different appearance. The words never really hurt, but it’s getting irritating, and I’m unsure how much more I can hear them talk about it before I snap and deck one or more of them. That’s also why I can’t be around Diluc. Just seeing or interacting with him also brings up their words again.  

A few final things are being packed tightly into my large bag. My plan is to just stay at the hotel for a week or two and come back. Then again that plan might change, who knows? If somehow a job comes up and they’re welcoming, I’ll maybe live there instead. 

Thankfully I kept Mora saved up for a while and quit my job at Good Hunter. Being a cook there was exhausting too. One of Donna’s friends also being there obviously made things worse as she framed me for a lot of things, making the others not too happy with me. Think one of the only ones who do still like me is Barbara when they tried to frame me for making her food extra spicy. 

Another glance in my bag. Hmm… I’m a little low on things to drink on my travel to Liyue. Some grape juice would be nice, so I head towards Angel’s Share. 

The group of Diluc-obsessed parasites try to block me. 

“Yeesh, you guys still have a whole fence shoved up your asses? I should have known you have a poor tree up there now too. Sad it had to die for your personalities. All I’m doing is buying grape juice for travel.” I reply and give an eyeroll with it, entering Angel’s Share. 

Their insulted faces a sight to behold being the last thing seen.

A certain redhead was working, catching me by surprise. Really wasn’t expecting for him to be working instead tonight. Fuck. Ah, screw it. A last chat won’t harm anything. 

“Diluc?” 

His head whips towards the door instantly. His eyes zoning onto the bag I’m carrying. They almost seem to narrow. 

“I wasn’t expecting you to be working tonight.” I inform, sitting down in the free seat in front of him. My bag being placed onto the floor. 

Diluc places the glass he had in his hands onto the island and looks me in my eyes. “I decided to give Charles a break for the night.” 

“That’s one thing I admire about you-” His eyes widen slightly, meanwhile I mentally smack myself for letting that slip. “I- well- It’s how you treat your workers. Unlike many I’ve seen, you’re not as harsh with them, and more thoughtful.” 

I cross my arms and mumble “If only Good Hunter stayed the same, I would probably have stayed.”

He rather firmly slams the glass back on the island I didn’t notice he picked back up. “You’re leaving? Alone?” I could almost swear his voice slightly raised like he was worried. Maybe he is? Kaeya has told me he does care about others. As just said how he’s letting Charles have the night off. He  just doesn’t show emotions very well most of the time. 

“Yeah, I was planning on heading to Liyue early in the morning. I was hoping to get some grape juice for on the way there though. It would need to be in something portable. Bottles or even jars would be fine. Of course, I’d pay the fee for those too.”

Diluc’s frown deepens.  

The door open and closed, but I think nothing of it. 

“If you don’t have any, I could go find some and come back for you to fill them, if that would be alright. I don’t want to overwork you.” 

He shakes his head. “No, that would be fine. Believe it or not, it’s not the first time someone has asked for transportable items to be filled. I’ll work on it. You won’t have to worry about carrying them since I’ll be coming with you tomorrow.”

Wha- no! The whole reason I’m leaving is involving him!

“That’s alright. I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’re quite a busy person as it already is.” 

His eyes narrow at me. “I’m not taking “no” as an answer. I’m going with. You need a guide.”

His tone scared me a little, I won’t lie to myself. 

He crosses his arms and closes his eyes for a second, taking a breath in before looking at me again. “You don’t even have a vision. You also don’t know where you’re going, and I am worried, whether you believe it or not. I also was planning on going to Liyue as well to visit someone close to me.” 

I hate everything he said was nothing but logic. I would just ask him if I could ask a knight or something to come with, but knowing his strong dislike for them, it would be a bad idea. 

It stays quiet between us for a minute. 

“... Why don’t you go rest up for the night? It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

I wonder if I could get far enough before he could catch me if I left tonight.

“You’re giving away what you’re thinking. You better not. I will catch up. Don’t test it.” 

Ugh, fine. I’m still worried since he’ll be tired tomorrow. 

While leaving, the group comes up yet again with bottles in their hands. The door opening and closing must have been a friend I didn’t notice was there. 

They hold out the empty bottles towards me. 

… are they serious? What makes them think I’d trust them? They probably put poison or something in these. Doesn’t help they’re not see through. Yeah, no. I’m not using these. Their smirks are just making me more tired and not wanting to deal with their shit.

“Oh, you guys already know I’m leaving? Uh, thanks…” I take them, already knowing they’re going in the trash. 

“Just a little goodbye gift~” 

Wow, how thoughtful. 

They leave giggling. Probably from malicious intentions. 

“Would you like me to take those, (Y/N)?” suddenly asked a voice. I turn to see Charles. 

“You haven’t left yet?” I asked him. 

“I stayed to clean up a few final things in the back. It’s not my place, but I don’t trust what those women gave you.” 

I glance at the 3 glasses in my hands again. “That makes two of us. Are you sure they won’t be dug into by the cats and dogs around? That’s my main concern if I throw them.”

“I can assure they will be taken care of properly.” He informs. 

I mentally shrug. Eh, whatever. He’s reliable. I pass him the bottles and go to my house one final time. 

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

I feel a hand on my shoulder as I prepare to exit to the bridge with Diluc. Diluc’s not here yet though. Oh archons, if I ever come back, I’m not going to ever hear the end of I took their “precious Diluc”. Turning around, it’s Venti. One of the closest friends I made here, and only ones left. His face is far more serious than I’ve ever seen it. 

“... Stay safe out there,” He cautiously looks around. I do as well, and the nuisances are not around for once. Diluc however is seen with his own bag coming up. “Especially from him.” He quickly takes his hand off before Diluc could see. 

Diluc glares at Venti while walking up to me. “We better get going.” A hand of his is on my lower back, gently pushing me forward. 

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

Numerous quiet hours pass, and my feet are starting to kill me. I’m starting to think Kaeya lied to me it was an easy day trip. 

Looking at Diluc, he doesn’t even seem to be the slightest bit uncomfortable. The only noticeable thing is the bags growing under his eyes. 

I’ve been trying to think of things to make it less awkward, but nothing comes to mind. He hates small talk. 

“So… should I find a way to message you or something if I want to come back to Mondstadt?” 

Diluc stops for a moment. “... I’ll inform who I’m going to meet.” 

Okay. well, that was a good talk, I guess. 

About an hour later, I’m at my limit. Curse everything and whoever created pain. My feet are going to be sore for weeks at this point. How the hell do people wander like this? 

Diluc still stays vigilant and glares around at every direction like something will pop out. I’m more worried about him collapsing from exhaustion than anything. 

… why do I feel like I still would before he would at this rate? 

“When should we set up a small camp for rest for a while? I only brought my small one for more easy transportation, but I think we could both squeeze in.” though I’d much rather not. 

It’s already near sunset. Holy fuck I’ve been walking ALL day. 

Diluc gives a stare off into the distance in though,, then nods. “I’ll get some firewood.” 

I nod and dig out the tent. Fortunately, slamming the sticks in deep enough was pretty easy and I remember how to set it up from camping with a few friends years ago. 

Diluc comes not long after with an impressive amount of wood, and drops it onto the ground not far from the tent. He piles a few together and scrapes dirt into a pile around it. He then lights his claymore and holds it onto the wood until it starts to burn. 

I begrudgingly have to admit having someone with a pyro vision likely makes traveling a lot easier.  

We both crawl under and it’s so phenomenally awkward. Him closer to the back and I in the front. It’s really crowded just between us. We’re both just staring awkwardly at each other in the eyes. 

… something drops onto the tent. Then another, then several- it’s raining. How did we not notice that sooner? There was no point in making a fire. 

Nope, it’s now already pouring. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” I mumble, but the close proximity likely made him hear it. 

“I never need an umbrella, so I’d be fine. Hopefully the temperature won’t drop too much.”

The temperature does rapidly starts to drop though. Now I’m wishing I brought a second blanket with. My arms get tucked together, trying to keep a bit more warmth. 

Arms grab my sides, making me let out a surprised noise. “Wha- Diluc! I’m not sure if-” 

“Don’t care,” His arms quickly wrap around my back, squeezing me close. “I’d rather you not get sick while we’re on our way.” His great smelling cologn from proximity hitting my senses hard. 

The heat that rushes to my face is even warmer than the warmth radiating out of his clothes. 

“Uh…” What the fuck am I supposed to say? “Ooh this is nice!”??

It’s definitely not! Ugh, why did he have to be the one for this? I should have lied about when I was leaving… 

He tightens his grip when I uncomfortably try to squirm free. “Quit. Moving.” 

I stop and mentally sigh. It better not rain again tomorrow night. 

He never loosens his grip.

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

The tightness around me while slowly coming back makes me try to squirm free again, while the memories of last night catch up.

Diluc’s arms tighten more than last night. Looking at his eyes, he appears to still be asleep. 

The way I’m so torn between enjoying this, and being disgusted is wild. Donna’s words trying to come back. Thankfully the little I know about Diluc is he will never talk about this out loud, even with a blade pointed at him. 

For a second, I wonder if I should wake him or let him sleep. But he should probably get ready to get back to Mondstadt ASAP. 

Well, since it’s not raining anymore, and I’m still uncomfortable at this, I’m waking him up. 

Fortunately, my arms are free. I reach up and shake his shoulder. “Diluc, it’s time for us to continue.” my feet throb in protest at the idea. 

He lets out a sigh, almost like he was disappointed. He lets me go and I roll off onto the ground, then getting up. Checking my bag, it thankfully stayed dry.

I pack my bag back together, and we head off again, much to my feet’s displeasure. But from Diluc informed me earlier, we should be about halfway there. Luckily we’ve only encountered some hillachurls, and he gets rid of them so easily it makes me almost feel bad for them. 

The sights have been beautiful though. Almost to the point I could ignore the still-growing pain in my feet. 

“Here.” 

I turn to notice a clear bottle of grape juice handed to me and take it, finally realizing I haven’t drank anything in a while either. I drink it quickly. 

“It’s better to stay up with fluids and food for long travels. I’ve… learned my lesson before.”

Well, that’s a can of worms I’m not opening. In speaking of bottles though… “Sorry to change off that, but did Charles give you three that weren’t clear?”

Diluc frown gets worse. “He did, and told me how Donna and the others gave you them,” His voice dipped like he was disgusted even thinking about it. “Had them drink from the poisoned bottles they gave you. Unfortunately, it won’t kill them, but it better make them think twice about their actions. Next time I won’t be so lenient.” 

So they were poison- wait, what??? He’s fucking insane! I mean, sure, they were pretty bad and wanted to poison me, but poisoning them back isn’t right either! I force myself to stay calm. I can’t outrun him anyway, and I don’t know where I’m going either if requiring to leave the path. This does open my eyes more on him though. 

A secret part of me is touched he did such a thing for me though. 

“That’s a bit far, isn’t it? Couldn’t you get in trouble for that?” 

“I have my connections if they decide to try anything.” 

I shrug. Eh, whatever I guess. I am still staying a bit away from him, which he seems to notice. He comes over and grabs my bag, pulling me right beside him. 

“I also don’t think me being this close is necessary.” 

“You’d be surprised how quickly an ambush could happen. Especially if we encounter a ruin guard or abyss mage.”

Fat chance a ruin guard would be on the main path. Even I know that. 

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

Yet another day already flies by. I plop my backside onto the ground, take my shoes off, and rub my worsening sore feet. “Ugh, I’m not usually one for complaining, but holy Celestia my feet hurt. Smack Kaeya for me next time you see him for lying it was a rather short trip.”

Diluc jabs the stake quite deeply into the ground and is setting up the tent this time. “I’m surprised you got this far without complaining. If it’s really bad though, do you want me to carry you tomorrow?” 

Gods no. I could never deal with that embarrassment if anyone traveling were to see it. “No. You’d have a lot more to carry than just your bag already. Me and my bag is too much to ask.”  

He gives me a look I can’t understand. Kind of annoying it’s always been rather hard to understand whatever he’s feeling since he hardly shows it. 

“It wouldn’t be.”

“I’d rather not test it. Besides, we should be there by tomorrow noon, right?” 

He nods.

Looking at the darkening sky, it’s likely not going to rain this time. I glance at the tent, not wanting to stand up and walk to it. 

Diluc seems to notice and comes over, crouching down. An arm wraps under my knees, making me instantly realize his intention. “Wait- stop! I can do it!-” 

He puts his other arm behind my back, and easily stands up fully. “Don’t struggle.” 

I feel like I’ve heard stuff like that more the past few days than all my life before combined. 

He places me down on the blanket and sits next to me. Too close next to me. Honestly? I’m too tired to really care at this point. 

An arm wraps around my torso, keeping me closer. What is his obsession with touch!? He never is with anyone anymore, not even his own brother! 

A very gentle squeeze to my stomach makes me whip my head to look down at his hand. 

??? When did he take his glove off!? 

“... I’ve heard what many have been saying. If moving is really what you want, I can’t stop you. However, if you ever wish to visit again, both the Winery and Angel’s Share are always open for you to stay. As for me, I’m angry what they’ve been saying.”

I can’t look at him. I should have known someone like him would so easily catch on.

I begrudgingly have to admit his shoulder is a lot more comfortable than the ground. At least not laying on his chest this time. 

“Who do you have to see, anyways?” 

“Someone you could say I’m very close with. I have something urgent to discuss with them. 

I let out a light chuckle. “Wonder who in the Teyvat got the attention to be cared about by the great Diluc. I’ll surely have to meet them.” 

“You will sooner or later when in Liyue.” 

Not going to tell me? Alright, he can keep his secrets. Not like he has a lack of them. 

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

I could kiss the dock we’re walking on to enter Liyue. The guards stand down pretty quickly upon seeing Diluc, so they likely know him. 

We get to a hotel and both order rooms. Diluc disappears not too long after, and I stay in my room to rest. I wonder if I should ask someone a tour of Liyue since I know very little about the place. 

But first, some rest.

Several hours later, I’m wandering around again, more refreshed. There seem to be a lot of great restaurants to try. 

“Hey partner! I reckon you’re new here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before.” 

I turn around to see someone with two ponytails walking up to me. She feels rather friendly, but still got my guard up a bit just in case. 

“Is it really that obvious?” I ask. 

“Yeah, But you don’t have to worry. We get a lot of people from all over visit here. So, what were ya lookin’ for? I might be able to help.” 

“I was trying to think of where to eat something, honestly. But uh… I’m not really sure what’s right to start with.” 

“That’s easy! You can try something at Wanmin Restaurant! I’m sure my friend there would love to figure out something ya might enjoy! C’mon!” She gestures for me to follow her. 

It doesn’t take long to get there, and there’s a girl cooking very enthusiastically. 

“Heya Xiangling! Got a new friend here for you to figure out what they’d like.” 

She whips her head up. “Xinyan! Ooh, a new person, huh? Where you from!?” 

“From Mondstadt.” 

How hyperactive can someone get? She somehow gets even more excited at the news. 

“Mondstadt!? Ooh! Just let me finish these orders, and I’ll try something you’d like!” 

Sooner than later she finishes, and makes something else I’m confused of, especially from never seeing such ingredients being used in food before. 

… Eyes are on me from behind. I decide to ignore it. It’s probably just someone curious or rude and not worth my time.  

Xiangling passes me something finished I’ve never seen before. I’m a little reluctant to try it, but eventually do after a moment’s pause. It’s delicious. 

I say so and nearly scarf it down. 

They smile back at me. 

“I guess you got another to try your new foods!” Xinyan pipes up. 

Oh hell yeah, I’m willing to try others she makes.

I jump out of my skin as a hand rests on my shoulder that isn’t Xinyan’s or Xiangling’s. 

“Oh Hey, Zhongli! Been a bit. Ya able to show the newbie here around Liyue? You’re a lot better at that than anyone.” 

“I would gladly show a tour around Liyue. I suppose it’s not unknown for me to be the one to do so anymore. Thankfully I’m free to do so now.” 

Hot damn that voice. Dude, don’t stop talking.  I turn to look at the man who was-

… I don’t like how he’s looking at me. It’s not aggression, disgust, etc. It’s more like wonder? Fascination? Something more like that which worries me worse than something negative or neutral. 

He offers his hand to me. Is it to give a handshake or to help me stand up? I reach out to grab his hand. I guess I’ll find-

He grabs it gently, and brings it to his face, kissing the back of it. 

Aw fuck, it was the weird 3rd option. Well, he’s a gentleman at least. 

“Are you ready for the tour, my dear?” 

My- my dear??? A little quick on the draw, Doesn’t he think? 

I stand off the chair. “Yeah! Even though I just got here, I can tell I like it here already.” 

He smiles like he’s very proud of that.

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

Great. I have a bad headache now with everything he’s tried to show and inform to me. This feels like something that should have been spread a few sessions. It was great to know, and I enjoyed it all, but this is too much. I can’t decide if Zhongli talking is helping or worsening the pain. 

I rub my forehead. Well, at least it takes away the pain in my feet. “Zhongli?” I cut him off on yet another story of information overload. 

He stops and looks at me. “I’m sorry to cut you short. I really like everything, and am totally down to know more, but it’s too much in one setting for me. Would you… maybe be free to continue tomorrow?” 

His eyes widen slightly. “Ah, I do apologize. I suppose giving more than just the best tour spots was too much. It appears to have given you a headache. Would you like to come to my place for a bit? I have some tea that would help.”

How about No? Have you ever heard of “stranger, danger”? Seriously, I could be a thief or you could be a murderer for all we know. 

“I’m good. Thanks for the offer, though. Just really want to go to bed.”

“Fair enough. Shall we meet at Wanmin Restaurant again tomorrow?” 

I nod and turn to head to my room. 

“See you then, (Y/N).”

A chill comes over me. Could have sworn my name was never mentioned with him. Or maybe I did? Ugh, head says no thinking. 

A group of girls come up to me. “You know, someone like you shouldn’t be interacting with someone like Zhongli.”

Ugh, seriously? He was just showing me around. He really seems to love this place and know the insides and outs. And they should shut up. Their voices are grating my nerves.

A shorter, younger looking woman with them rolls her eyes and almost seems to be playful about it. She comes up to me. “Hey! I’m Hu Tao! It’s nice to see a new face around here!” 

I blink a moment, trying to register how she’s super friendly to me already. Trying to sense if she’s just doing it to stab me later, I can’t feel anything off about her. Her being genuine makes it more jarring. Still keeping guarded though, I smile back at her. “Name’s (Y/N). Visiting from Mondstadt.” 

Hu Tao gives a massive mischievous smirk, like she knows something bit I don’t. “Mondstadt, huh?...” 

“What’s that look for?” I ask. 

“Nothing~”

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

It’s finally around noon when I exit my room. Something from the side jumps out. 

“Ha-what- Hu Tao! What was that for!” 

She giggles. “Nothing serious! It was just funny! 

Yeah, so funny to scare someone just exiting their room. 

“So what are you here for?” Might as well change whatever that was about. 

“To see how you like Liyue so far!” 

I was… not even here for a day? “Well, good so far. Though Zhongli feels a little odd.”

Hu Tao gives me the same massive smirk. “I Don’t know… I think Zhongli sure likes ya!” 

I try not to laugh at the impossibility, but the bark of a disbelieving laugh still comes out. “Yeah right. Not even in my dreams could that happen. I mean, look at him, and look at me.” I joke, while in the proximity of some girls making fun of me earlier. They’re around too, so may as well give them what they want, though it probably won’t help. 

She shrugs. “So? You’d be surprised!”

Thanks for the hope, but no. 

She runs off without another word. 

“I hope you’re well rested?” Inquired the too-familiar voice of Zhongli. 

Oh for fuck sake I just woke up for all this.

“Yeah. Weren’t we going to meet later, though?”

“A friend of mine informed me You’d be around here. With your headache from last night, I guessed it was going to take you a long rest before leaving. Would you like to eat somewhere before we continue where we left off?” 

My stomach growls in agreement. Ugh, stupid thing. “Sure. lead the way.” 

We reached a different restaurant.

One of the girls from before “Hey, look out everyone, they’ve come to eat all your food!” 

Yeah? And what if I do? I’ma nibble all your food for making fun of me. May you always have a mysterious bitemark in everything for eternity. 

A hand is placed on my shoulder. “I would like it if you’d refrain from such vulgar outbursts about someone innocent who’s come to visit Liyue.” Zhongli pipes up. 

The woman’s face was either red with embarrassment or anger at me. Maybe both. 

He lead me to a different one instead, and we ordered. 

I notice he keeps looking at me while we eat. What? He got a staring problem? I’m getting mixed signals of what he’s like. 

Someone came for the mora for our meals. 

Zhongli couldn’t seem to find his, making me nearly facepalm. Whatever, he’s a good man so far, as paying is just a favor for his touring I guess. 

“Ah, there. I apologize it took a bit to find.” 

The waiter didn’t seem to mind and left. 

“Well that sure took a bit to find. Having a hard time remembering where you put your mora doesn’t make sense to me.” I tease.

He nods at me. You’d be right. Thankfully someone very close to me has been watching out for my forgetfulness.” 

Good thing someone is for him.

He showed me the rest around the harbor, and even some grounds out of it. One place being the strange really tall statues by the thing in the sky, named the Jade Chamber I guess.

It was starting to get dark out.  

Zhongli looks over to his right, then stands in front of me. “Apologies, but I will have to cut this short. I need to… take care of something important.” 

His voice dipped into something that almost seemed to show anger. Yikes.

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

I was still restless after hanging out with Xiangling for a bit again, and left right out the town. It should be safe enough being so close.

The giant statues are visible all the way from here.

A pungent smell hits me as I walk the path. My eyes catch sight of a fight not far up ahead, making me hide behind the rock wall to make sure they wouldn’t see me. I peek up to see

!? Diluc and Zhongli… KILLING people!? The moonlight clearly showing their faces. Neither have psychotic smiles, making it all the more unnerving. Multiple dead Treasure hoarders dead, while one of the women that made fun of me already lying on the ground presumably dead too, and being burned. The pungent smell likely their burning flesh. I can’t believe they’re killers!” 

Zhongli pierces through the chest of the final woman still standing is the one who made fun of me earlier. She opens her mouth to scream, but Diluc covers her mouth.

“Surprised you’re helping. Doesn’t your contract prevent you from harming your Liyue people?” 

“That would normally be the case,” Zhongli then easily pulls his spear from the now corpse of said woman. Her body flops to the ground. 

I’m frozen in my spot. I want nothing more than to move, but my body won’t let me. 

“But that’s a good thing many don’t fully read contracts anymore. They broke my contract I made with them. They originally weren’t Liyue people. I could already tell from how they were not too kind to Liyue by making snide comments that they were nothing but trouble. The contract involved no demeaning remarks anymore, or they shall be removed from Liyue one way or another. It’s not hard to tell where they must have skipped. And they tried to damage Liyue’s newest, finest jewel.”

What the fuck does that mean!? I have to get out of here! Come on body! move!

Diluc sets fire to the corpse. “Suffer the wrath of the rock. Much better than that nuisance of a bard’s.” 

“I agree. I do also admit, I wish you could be here more often than around him. You’ll have plenty of time though. As for making you and our dear like me, that’s still a work in progress. Are you still sure you want to go through with it? Immortality can cause mourning of losing many.”

“I’m not close to many anyways. You’ve not been to Mondstadt, but outside of my work, I’m not well liked by many. They’re not exactly quiet when speaking their opinions. Besides, (Y/N) is in the picture now.” 

Me!? Their behaviors make so much sense now. Oh fuck, fuck, fuck! I REALLY have to leave! 

My body can finally move, and I take a slow step back. Hiding might be the best option since there’s no way I’ll be able to outrun them. 

*Snap*

Their heads whip towards the sound. 

OH MY GODS WHY WAS A STICK THERE!?

I can only hope they think it’s not a human. I hold my breath.

“In speaking of our dear, come on out. It’s safe now. I saw you try to hide earlier.” 

I don’t move. 

The sound of long strides comes towards me. 

I don’t get time to try to bolt before being grabbed by my wrist tightly, but not enough to hurt. My eyes get locked with Zhongli’s, who seem to almost glow a bright golden yellow.  

Diluc comes behind and rather loosely wraps his arms around me, his heat radiating off onto me with his close proximity. It slightly tightens before loosening again. A warning. A threat, showing he won’t hesitate to tighten his grip if I try to struggle free and run. their colognes combining almost making me dizzy. They’re not bad, but both at once is powerful.   

Zhongli reaches his hand and folds it under my chin, making me look up at him. “You must be quite lost, dear. I said we wouldn’t hurt you. And that was a promise.” 

He brings his face to mine and kisses my lips. I was so shocked I didn’t think of biting him until he pulled away. “Now, let’s get back, shall we? I’ll inform of what went on here, then I’ll join the both of you in cuddling. I’m patient, yet I cannot wait.” 

I should have just stayed in Mondstadt.

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

An: I’m sorry I made Diluc so physically obsessed or it seemed too repetitive to a point. I like to think due to his past, he’s touch-starved to the MAX. He just only shows it to a rare few how much he craves it. Yandere Diluc being even worse. That and I’m rather self-projecting of wanting my favorites being so obsessed with touch with reader lol. 

Not my proudest work, but screw it. Debated whether or not to post it lol. Was trying to write a more self confident chubby reader since apparently a lot of people are annoyed when they’re not. Even though I’m not self confident at all. Oh well. 

Also, writing full fics still feels like pulling teeth

[nethhiri]

Marooned: Chapter 15

Kid x FemReader x Killer

Warnings: None

Hangovers and Hang-ups

Killer leaned against the wall of Kid's workshop while Kid took a closer look at your log pose. "What's your plan with her?" Killer had taken care of you until you passed out. He had thrown you over his shoulder and taken you to Kid's huge bathtub. He had thought about tucking you into his bed so you would be more comfortable; he knew you would have a raging hangover in the morning and Killer could always sleep in Kid's bed so you could have his room to yourself. As nice as he could be, and even after you treated him, he didn't want you to puke in his sheets, so he settled for a pillow and comforter thrown into the tub with you. It would be easier to clean if you threw up there. He felt bad about leaving you in clothes covered in now-stale beer, but he felt worse when he thought about taking them off, unable to shake the image of your mouth around his fingers while your eyes burned into his through the holes in his mask. It brought heat rushing up his neck thinking about it now.

Kid shrugged. "Wire said we have another week until we get ta the next island. Our deal was that she gets off there." He continued to tinker with the log pose. "If I still want to fuck her by then, I'll make her change her mind. We need a doctor anyway." 

"I think we need to figure out who she is before you think about keeping her on this ship, if she even wants to stay. You don't think it's odd that she won't tell anyone her name? That she can put up a fight?" Killer picked up your weapon that had been sitting on the corner of Kid's bench. It was a unique design, though he was certain he had seen something like it before. "Do you remember when we first started out, the time we got intercepted by marines?"

"Nah. Why?"

"No reason." It was fuzzy, yet the tool in his hands made Killer keep thinking back to that time. Something was there. He wanted to be sure before he brought it to Kid's attention. "If she doesn't want anyone to know her name, she must think we'll recognize it, which brings a few possibilities: she's from a rival crew, she's a marine, or she has a bounty. Maybe a combination of those. And then there's the separate matter of what she told me last night about not being able to swim. She might have a Devil Fruit." 

Kid cackled. "If Trafalgar or Strawhat had a bonnie lass like that on their crew, I would have kidnapped her in Sabaody. Those two losers haven't seen a tit in their lives. Wouldn't even know what ta do with pussy." Kid seemed pleased with himself, whether it was from his own jab or his tinkering was unclear. The log pose split into two halves in front of him. "What a shit log pose... If a marine has a name that big, they would be an admiral and she isn't one." Kid paused to think, "Don't we have some old bounty posters somewhere? Go through them with Heat and see if she's there." Kid looked at the dials more closely. "Killer, look at this." His took one off and flipped it upside down. 

Killer moved to the bench, setting your gun down. He picked up the pose's needle that Kid removed. "There's... a small piece of paper."

Kid took the other two needles off. "These too." The three needles on the table shifted, ever so slightly, in three separate directions.

"Those are vivre cards!" Killer was impressed with the ingenuity. It wasn't a real log pose at all, it was a tracker of sorts, and it seemed to be aimed at three people. Family? Friends? Or... enemies. 

"What a clever little bitch." Kid reassembled it so that you wouldn't know it had been tampered with. "No wonder she wanted it back so badly." Kid had been confused initially. He showed it to Wire, who compared it to their own log pose, and concluded that it was broken since the needles didn't point the same as theirs. 

"You mean no wonder she would tolerate fucking you for this long otherwise." Killer dodged a wrench launched in his direction.

Kid shoved the log pose in his pocket. He did say he would give it back. "DON'T BE JEALOUS!" 

"I'm not," Killer said in a teasing tone, getting ready to slip out the door.

Kid narrowed his eyes in his best friend's direction. "Did she fuck you?" He thought back to what you had said before emptying your stomach over the railing. "KILLER?!" 

The masked man left Kid's workshop with his captain's shouting trailing after him and a sly grin on his face. Killer thought it was fun to ruffle Kid's feathers and get him worked up. Killer knew Kid wouldn't be mad if he had fucked you; Kid simply liked keeping track of his playthings. And Killer also knew that Kid would have wanted to compare notes to make sure you weren't holding out on him. 

Grumbling, Kid examined your weapon. He had made some improvements to it so that it met his standards. Kid was going to present it to you at the party as a gift, but he decided at the last minute that would be lame. It didn't have anything to do with the scenarios in his head where you didn't like it that left his hands clammy. He wasn't even going to do much to it, but he ran out of things to do when Killer told him his helmet was fixed and that he didn't need a new one. That concerned Kid for two reasons: anyone but him would have to weld it back together and there were no weld marks. 

It fucking sucked waking up. You were sore from being in the hard tub all night, you were nauseated, and you had the worst headache of your life. For a while, you had turned on the hot water, still in clothes, and let it rain down on you after moving the pillow and sheets that Killer had left you out of the tub. There wasn't a lot that you remembered from last night other than winning a pair of pants, that you would be sure to collect on, and Killer holding your hair back when you got sick. How embarrassing... like a damn teenager.  You pulled yourself up with a groan, plopped the soaked dress on the floor, and washed all of last night off.

When you were drying off, you heard a soft knock from Killer's end of the bathroom. You hadn't noticed the first time, but the captain's room and the first mate's were joined by this bathroom, a door on each end. Throwing the sheets around your shoulders to cover yourself, you opened the door to Killer's towering frame. 

"You look like shit." 

You blinked at him, simultaneously offended and amused. "I feel like shit." 

He moved to let you walk past him. "You should drink some water."

You looked around. His room was more simple and less dark than Kid's. "Thank you, Dr. Massacre Soldier. I'll take that into consideration." It felt like an intrusion to sit directly on his bed. There weren't any chairs and he wasn't kicking you out though, so you sat on the floor next to the wall, bringing the sheet over your head to block the light. There was a creak as Killer's weight sank on his bed across from you.

"Wire says it'll be about a week before we reach the next island. What will you do then?"

The pounding in your head nearly drowned out his question. "Eager to get rid of me, huh?" 

"No one's making you leave."

"Not yet."

"You know, you don't have to be a smart-ass all the time. There's no need to be so defensive" Killer couldn't gauge your reaction under the sheet. "You think you're so special that we'll even give a shit who you are?" 

That made you laugh. "Well now you're just making me sound like an asshole." You uncovered your face to look Killer in the eyes, well, mask holes. "It's not about who I am. It's about who I used to be." 

"We've all done things we aren't proud of... except Kid. I don't think he has regrets." Killer offered. 

You sat up, pulling your knees in and burying your face in them. "The thing is... I was proud of it. Until I learned my career was a sham. Wasted part of my life doing..." You sighed. "Killer, I know you're trying to be sympathetic or whatever and I appreciate what you did for me, but I'm only trying to make it to land alive, so I can do what I have to do." You stood up and mumbled on your way out, "I've already been ripped apart and left for dead by a crew once. Don't need to relive it." It was impossible to be betrayed again if you had no one close enough to do so. 

Next

[krirebr]

For the IKISKB verse: what if Curtis was the celebrity (maybe an actor) and Reader was his PA or publicist? How would that change the dynamic?

Oh, I love this question! The short little thing I came up with has real ch 1 of IKISKB vibes. I went with Actor (action star) and PA. I hope you like it and it answers your question!

Just Part of the Process

Pairing: Actor!Curtis Everett x PA!Reader

Warnings: Explicit language, references to excessive drinking, adult themes, angst

You sat at the kitchen island on your laptop, going through emails and updating Curtis’s schedule. Schedule Tetris was your superpower, moving things around to make sure everything fit just so. It was one of the reasons he’d kept you around the last two years. One of many, you hoped.

It was about 1 PM when Curtis stumbled down from his bedroom and entered the kitchen. He went straight to the fridge, pulling out one of the fancy, high-electrolyte hangover cures you kept stocked. He pounded it quickly, recycling the container, and then finally looked at you. “Oh hey. How long have you been here?” he asked, his voice gritty with the remnants of sleep and whiskey.

“A few hours,” you said quietly. “I put your drycleaning in the downstairs closet. I didn’t want to wake you up. Now, I’m just working on your schedule.” 

He grimaced. “Please tell me I’m clear today.”

You shook your head. “Your trainer will be here in half an hour.”

“Fucking shit,” he muttered and grabbed another drink out of the fridge.

You almost reminded him that his trainer was going to be pissed at him for being hungover, as Curtis was supposed to be bulking up for his next movie, but you didn’t need to bother. He knew.

“Did you have a good night?” you asked, instead.

“No,” he said in almost a growl. Shit, it was one of those nights. “Anything online?” 

“I haven’t checked yet,” you said, carefully. Wondering what was on the gossip blogs was a bad sign. “Anything in particular I should be looking for?”

He shrugged. “I don’t–” he started, then looked away from you. “I don’t really remember clearly, but I feel like there might be something.” Oh, double shit. It was a really bad night, then. 

This wasn’t fully out of the ordinary. Known as America’s Bad Boy by the tabloids and gossip blogs, it wasn’t uncommon to see stories about him insulting someone outside of a club, smashing a paparazzo's camera on the ground, loving and leaving some starlet. So you’d been surprised when you first met him to find that he was actually very quiet, soft-spoken when he did speak, respectful of your time, and appreciative of your effort. He was the third actor you’d PA’d for and by far the easiest to get along with.  

But lately, he’d seemed increasingly tired and maybe a little – sad? He’d been going out even more than usual, blowing off prep for his next movie – which wasn’t like him at all, talking to you, or anyone, even less than normal. You’d prided yourself on being a help to him, knowing how to take care of him, but this? You didn’t know what to do about this.

The other complicating factor was the pesky feelings you’d developed over the past two years. You’d always known he was hot. He was an action star, that was part of the job. But up close and personal, you appreciated how beautiful he was. How kind. How thoughtful. How gentle. You were in love with him and you had been for a long time.

“Well,” you said, trying not to show your concern too plainly, “I’ll take a look and let you know what I find.”

He nodded absently, still looking away from you. You gave yourself a moment to take him in. He was a little hunched over, his skin paler than usual, his eyes a little sunken. You sighed, knowing you shouldn’t do it. He was an adult, he could face the consequences of his actions. But. You sighed, again. “I’ll call your trainer, and let him know you’ve come down with something. But that just means he’ll kick your ass even harder next time.”

You half-expected him to respond with a shit-eating grin or a sheepish smile. Instead, he looked at you very seriously. “Thank you,” he said. “I don’t deserve you.” You just sort of blinked at that, having no idea what to say. He turned back towards the stairs. “I’m going back to bed, wake me up if you need anything.”

He was almost to the staircase when you were finally able to turn your swirling thoughts into words. “Curtis,” you called out to him. He stopped and turned to look at you. “Are you ok?”

It was then that he shot you a cocky grin. You were a little stunned by the degree to which it didn’t reach his eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be ok?” he asked, then spun back around on his heel and trudged up the stairs, leaving you to worry alone in his kitchen.

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[nico-di-genova]

pleaseee share any pato/alex headcanons for alib? i miss them an unhealthy amount

I miss them, and I’m the one creating them. My brain when I think about ALiB Palex is honestly just this:

Which makes it hard to have cohesive thoughts about them most the time. But have this random headcanon dump:

They have a method when it comes to chores. Pato does the laundry, but Alex folds and puts it away. Alex cleans the kitchen, but Pato organizes/cleans out the fridge (and also washes the dishes because Alex hates touching wet food). They work around each other, basically in synchrony. If Lance and Fernando are ever over for dinner and they stay to try to help clean they usually just find themselves standing off to the side kind of watching Alex and Pato work together effortlessly.

They love beach days. Usually if they’re going to the beach it is a full day affair. Sometimes they rent a whole beach house because they need to get away from work and regular life for a bit. Pato has a favorite one at Anna Maria island that Alex is always sure to get if they’re looking to leave the Fort Myers area for the weekend. The dogs also love the beach, so there’s long walks along the shoreline in the morning and afternoon with pauses for Norbi and Nala to play and chase each other. They rent jet skis and race each other with no real finish line set. Afternoons are spent watching the sunset and lounging on a blanket, pato resting his head on Alex’s chest and starting to doze off to the sound of heartbeat. Pato always gets sunburnt, because he’s insistent on layering sunscreen on Alex’s back but usually forgoes his own. He’ll insist he doesn’t need it but then ends the weekend looking like this:

Alex learns to start stocking up on aloe Vera when they stop at the grocery story for sandwiches and snacks in the morning. Pato is always very grateful for it come nighttime when he’s laying in bed with overly warm skin.

Their wedding is perhaps a beach wedding at the beach house. The dogs are the ring bearers ofc 😌. Lance is Pato’s best man, James is Alex’s. Esteban actually gets certified so he can officiate the wedding.

They adopt a third dog after their honeymoon, because Brunner needs to be apart of alib, obviously.

They’re both super active. Alex because he likes the routine of working out, the consistency of it, and because it’s really good for his mental health. Pato for the same reasons, but also because he’s just really passionate about it, about taking care of his body (but he also maybe goes overboard occasionally). So they workout together sometimes, not all the time, they like having their space. When Pato wants to do intense lifting Alex is usually his spotter.

They buy insane amounts of dog toys, and Alex spends an equally insane amount of time trying to organize them.

Arguments over who’s going to drive are common, they both hate being the passenger because they both hate not having control of the car. Usually this is settled with rock paper scissors, sometimes they get inventive.

Alex is always going all out for Pato’s birthday, but he hates the same attention in return. Pato’s learned he’s more comfortable doing things when it’s just the two of them, or a close group of friends. One year he takes Alex horseback riding, calls around until he can find the best place with the most secluded trails. He makes sure it’s not all flat land and empty fields, tries to find a place that has towering pine trees because he knows Alex likes the woods. It ends up being one of Alex’s favorite birthdays.

Before they started dating, when they were in the extended friends with flirty vibes zone and Pato would spend the night a lot, they got really into Mario kart. Alex is always insisting they play the N64 version, ‘the real one’ as he calls it. He consistently beats Pato in every race until one day Pato starts coming over and just kicking his ass out of nowhere. Turns out he bought his own console and game and had been playing with Esteban and Lance until he eventually got good enough to beat Alex. He was training, as he likes to call it, though Alex is still trying to figure out ways he could have been cheating.

There was a massive hurricane that hit the area during Pato’s senior year, he rode the storm out at Alex’s place. This is how he finds out Alex has a fear of storms, and also how they both find out Norbi and Nala share this trait. Pato isn’t necessarily cool with them, but he ends up playing the cool and collected one by default.

The first time Pato kisses Alex he’s a little drunk, and it’s impulsive. Alex doesn’t kiss him back, because he doesn’t want Pato to feel like he’s taking advantage of him. Instead, he waits until he’s sober and then kisses him properly.

[theresawritesstuff]

Maisel: Always finding excuses to stay with each other

More season 5 fix it ficlet

Ever since he'd gotten back from California, Midge had seldom passed a night without winding up in Lenny's arms. 

It started innocently enough. A drink after her set. A heart to heart.

Another hotel room. 

The walls weren't blue this time but the activities certainly still were.

Another show (his this time). Another drink. 

Her parents were out of town. Joel had the kids.

And so it became another very blue night in a not so blue room.

They went on like this for weeks, pulling out nearly every excuse in the book just as to why they should stay close to one another as the evening drew to a close.

Some schmuck was making a pass at her and not taking the hint.

He was avoiding running into an old dealer.

They needed coffee but not diner coffee.

She was cold.

It looked like rain. Somewhere. Probably.

On and on and on.

The excuse itself hardly mattered. They both knew the real reason they always left together. Always ended the night wrapped up in the other's embrace.

They just weren't brave enough to say it.

Until the night before he had to leave again.

"I've been thinking…" Midge ventured as they lay sated from yet another round in her bed.

Lenny lolled his head over to look at her.

She kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "They've got phones in California, right?"

"So I've been told," he replied.

"And planes that travel in both directions."

Lenny propped himself on an elbow, giving her his full attention.

"...Maybe we should use them." She turned hesitantly, meeting his eyes. "It would be tough being on opposite coasts, sure, but we could try…"

"What are you saying, Midge?"

She bit her lip, looking down at the mattress as she summoned all her courage.

"I'm saying I don't want another nebulous goodbye. And as fun as this has been, I need more than just I'll see you when I see you because… I think I'm in love with you, Lenny."

"Which orgasm finally did the trick?" he wondered impishly.

A chuckle rumbled in his chest as she swatted him in reprimand, pulling her in close to himself as he placed a tender kiss to her lips. "I love you, too."

He exhaled a sigh, trailing his fingers lazily along her hairline. 

"You know, I realized something the other night," he admitted quietly.

She looked up into his eyes, waiting for him to elaborate.

"I realized I haven't been arrested once in the time I've been back. Not on any night I thought I might get the pleasure of your company."

"Three whole weeks," she praised teasingly. "Is that a new record for you?"

Lenny chuckled, absently tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Something like that."

"And seeing little old me was all it took?" 

She smirked, putting on her best Lenny impression, "So sorry officer. Can't tonight. I've got a hot date later. If you want to book me you'll need to talk to my manager."

"I must be better behaved when properly motivated," he shrugged.

"So I should write you a few blowjob IOUs to keep you out of trouble on the west coast?" she quipped.

"No I–well I mean it wouldn't hurt if you're serious, but what I meant is you're good for me, Midge. Probably too good."

She smiled softly tucking herself against his chest, listening to the comforting rhythm of his heartbeat.

"You should know I've been hopelessly in love with you for quite some time now," he murmured. "Nice knowing it's finally reciprocated."

"Very much so." 

She worried her lip quietly before asking, "You're really up for this? Giving a bi-coastal romance a go?"

Lenny shrugged, holding her a little tighter.

"It won't be so bad. Kitty's school lets out for the summer next month. After that I was thinking we might see how the east coast treats us for a while. There's a place in the village I think I could swing now. We could… I dunno. Take the kids to Coney Island or something. Go to dinner a couple times. See how this works long term."

Midge smiled at the thought. "I'd love that."

"Then it's settled. A month long distance."

"Calling now on the table," she reminded him.

"I think we could manage it."

"There's always letters too if the time difference gets tricky."

Lenny smirked, shifting so that he could kiss her properly again. "I promise to pen you the most salacious notes to ever grace your mailbox."

She felt herself grin, resting her forehead to his. "Can't wait."

[animatorweirdo]

The lonely star on the island

You were spooked by something real and terrifying. However, your brother claimed it was simply paranoia making tricks on you. You were left uncertain till you found more dark secrets. 

Chapter 2

Warnings: fright, panic, your brother will be even a bigger douche, violence, blood, ghost stuff and threats of leaving you stranded. 

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

The moon shimmers in the sky. The waves hit the rocks and the shore while the birds of the sea rest in their nests. It was a peaceful night on the island. Allard and his company had started a fire and brought out some liquor to relax and laugh after a day of exploring the ruins of Himring, unaware of what you had discovered in its darkened halls. 

Your feet pound against the ground. Frantic breaths escape your burning lungs, and beads of sweat continue falling across your skin as you run toward the camp. Your heart was pumping between your ears, and you were nearly on the brink of passing out after running nonstop from the fortress to the outside. 

An overwhelming sense of terror filled your mind. When you finally reached your brother and the camp. You screamed. 

"Ghost!"

Allard and his friends snapped their gaze on you as you stopped, gasping for air and sweating like a madman. "Woah! (Name), what's wrong?" your brother questioned as you tried to calm yourself down. 

"A ghost! There was a ghost, an actual ghost – in there!" you breathed out while pointing at the fortress. 

"He was tall! He was missing a hand– and– his hair! It was red like the one I saw before!" you explained while frantically flailing your hands. Your brother looked at you awkwardly while his friends stared, confused by your panic. 

"And I saw his ears. He's an elf– an elven ghost!" you continued until Allard suddenly grabbed you by your shoulders. 

"(Name), look at me!" he said, making you stop and look at him. "Let's calm down first. Follow my lead, breathe in," you inhaled, following his movement. "And out," you exhaled, feeling your lungs relax. "In and out," Allard repeated, and you followed. You felt the adrenaline and the panic dissipate as you followed Allard’s instructions. 

"Good. Good. Now that you're calmer and not shrieking like a little child. Let's get back to the business at hand." Allard said, holding his hips. "A ghost, really?" he questioned, sounding like he didn't believe you. 

"You couldn't pick something more creative to get panicked about?" he added, making you frown. "I am not making this up! There was a ghost sitting there and watching me," you said. "Even if it wasn't a ghost. There is someone in there!" you pointed at the fortress again. 

"Alright. I hear you, but let's think logically. Why would anyone live in an isolated place like this?" Allard questioned. "There's no food, and we haven't found any boat or anything. How do you know it wasn't just fatigue that got you?" he asked. "I know what I saw," you snapped at him. "Sure, but you have been running around all day, writing your little book with no breaks. It's dark, and you were alone, and I heard Brawley over here did a really rude prank on you," he said, pretending to glare at Brawley, who was only rolling his eyes. 

"So maybe being alone and tired in the dark made you a bit paranoid, thanks to his prank. The mind can imagine things in the dark," he tried to reason. 

"So how about you take your dinner and go rest? There is a good chance your imagination was just pranking you," he said, pushing you toward your tent. "That can’t be. It felt too real!" you turned toward him. "Come on now, dear sister. You said it yourself that ghosts aren't real," he said. “And I admit I have been teasing you about ghosts since we were children, so this is on me. Take this and go to your tent. You might feel better after getting some food and some rest for that tiny body of yours,” Allard pushed a small box into your arms and then motioned you to go to your tent. 

You stood there motionless for a moment before reluctantly walking to your tent. Your mind filled with doubts and thoughts if your paranormal experience was truly just a figment of your mind. 

When you were out of sight, Allard clicked his tongue. "Ugh. Sisters, you can't take them anywhere,” he stated. “I mean, what’s next? Island trolls?” he grinned, making his friends laugh and ending the awkward silence. 

"I don't know. (Name) seemed genuinely scared by something," Manton said with a worried tone as he glanced at your tent. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you're starting to believe in ghosts now," Allard groaned. 

“I’m just saying that maybe we should consider caution since it would take a lot to scare (Name) like that,” Manton stated. “Whatever, lover boy,” Allard rolled his eyes and continued drinking. 

You listened to Allard and his friend's conversations through the tent, hearing them mock and laugh at the jokes about you and your sudden outburst. You spitefully began eating while thinking about the elf you saw in that chamber. 

It happened quickly, but the memory was still fresh in your mind. You shuddered when you thought about the elf and how he looked at you. His eyes. They looked alive and yet were so devoid of life. You didn’t know what to make of it. 

You shook your head and continued eating. You will look into it tomorrow morning. The best thing you could do now was to eat and get enough rest, so Allard won’t have a valid excuse to slander you about the ghost and what you experienced. 

Night came and went quickly. The island was welcomed by nice sunny weather, and the seagulls were flying early above the waves, hunting for their morning food. You were looking through your books while eating bread with no fillings. Your eyes looked through each line of the text before flipping the page and continuing your search. 

Manton stopped as he was passing you. He watched as you looked through the pages before flipping them with intensity. "What are you looking for?" he asked. 

"I'm going through the books to see if I can find any description of the elf I saw," you answered, flipping the page. 

"Ah, still not giving up on the elf ghost?" Manton asked with a smile. Your eyes landed on something. You stared at it before grabbing the bread out of your mouth and flipping the book toward Manton. You rested the book against your knee while pointing at a specific name on the page. 

"Maedhros The Tall, the eldest son of Feanor. He was described as being one of the tallest elves known during the first age. He had crimson hair and lost his right hand during his time as a thrall in Angband," you explained as Manton glanced at the name. "It matches, and he was the lord of Himring. He ruled this place and watched over the north until he had to move for certain reasons before Beleriand sank beneath the ocean," you explained. 

"Sounds about right, but how tall are we talking about?" Manton questioned. "It's not every day someone would get nicknamed for their height," he added. 

"He was sitting, so I couldn't tell, but if I calculate the height if he was standing up, " you stood up and climbed up on one of the boxes. "He would be somewhere like–" You laid your hand on Manton's shoulder and raised it to the height over his head. "Here," you said.

"Wow! That is really tall," Manton said. "He definitely never had any short people problems," he chuckled as you jumped off the box. 

"But one thing I can't figure out because I read that he died elsewhere," you said, flipping the page of your book. "What did he die from?" Manton asked curiously. "According to the old records, he threw himself into the flames of the earth after reclaiming his family's heirloom, the silmarils. Apparently, they burned his hand because of his and his family’s crimes. He was with his last remaining brother, who was said to vanish into the sea after fulfilling the oath, never to be seen again," you explained. 

"I heard elves go to the halls of Mandos after they die and separate from their bodies, so why would Maedhros be here?” you questioned. “Did he purposely ignore the call of Mandos?” you spoke, thinking about the possibility. 

"Maybe he felt guilty," Manton said. “You said that he and his family did bad things, and this used to be his home, so maybe he wanted to stay here because he felt guilty. Maybe he wanted to be left alone,” he suggested. "That would make sense until we came and found the hidden entrance, disturbing his peace," you said. 

"Mm... sounds like a good reason to hurry up, find the thing, and leave, so we don't upset our ghostly landlord," Manton grinned, trying to lighten the mood. You stood silent for a moment. 

"I have to look into this. It felt too real just to be a figment of my imagination," you said, shutting the book. 

"Are you sure? You looked like your soul was about to leave your body last night?" Manton asked. "Well, I have to see if the ghost I saw was real or not. I prefer not to get called paranoid for no reason,” you replied as you grabbed your bag. 

"Makes sense," Manton said. 

"So, do you wanna come along or stay here whatever you do with my brother?" you said as you walked toward the fortress. "Well, this is more interesting, so wait up!" Manton called out and ran after you. 

You looked into the hallway after climbing up the familiar stairs. The hallway was empty but more visible thanks to the light from the windows and the balcony. Nothing seemed out of place, so you walked through the hallway while Manton followed you. 

You approach a familiar door. You already felt your heart race since you didn’t leave it close when you ran out of the chambers, and here it was – closed again. You grabbed the handle and tested if it was locked like last time. It wasn’t. 

You took a deep breath and then pushed the door open. You looked around the chamber.  Thanks to the light from the windows, you could see everything in a better light. It felt less ominous as well. 

You find your lamp lying on the floor, broken and glass scattered everywhere. There was a charred spot, most likely from the flame when you dropped it. 

You checked the chair and found it empty. 

"When I turned around, he was sitting there, looking right back at me," you pointed at the chair. 

"Spooky," Manton said. 

"Do you feel watched now?" he asked. You waited for a moment. "No," you said. "Maybe he left," Manton said. “I don't know… look around for anything strange,” you said and started looking for anything out of place. Manton helped, looking from drawers, shelves, and even from pots. 

You spend some time trying to look for something. You stood up, feeling frustrated as Manton came back to you. “I’m sorry, but I can’t find anything ghost-related,” he said as you stared at your broken lamp. 

You sighed and crouched down, picking up the pieces. You held your broken lamp in your hands as you stood up, careful not to cut yourself from the glass pieces.  

"I don't get it," you stated. 

"A lot of strange things happened yesterday, like doors opening themselves, things falling down. I hear strange footsteps and see things. But now, nothing is happening," you explained as you stared at the empty chamber around you. 

"Am I seriously losing my mind?" you questioned. 

"I don't think you're losing your mind," Manton said. "People have been saying strange things about this place like tales, history, and even ghost stories," he said. "Maybe you're not totally wrong. Maybe the former lord is still here but isn't feeling somewhat active for the day," he said.

You were silent. 

"You know what? I might have something that might cheer you up. Follow me," Manton smiled and walked out of the chamber. You held on to your lamp pieces and followed him out of curiosity. 

You follow Manton to the underground levels of the fortress after disposing of your broken lamp. The corridors were narrow, and a few torches had been lit to give light. The flickering flames cast eerie shadows on the walls, making the atmosphere all the more eerie. You hear some of your brother’s friends walk in the distance before Manton comes to a stop before a pair of doors. He opens them and allows you to walk first into the room. 

You notice big barrels stacked up in the corners and shelves, and some bottles were lightly dusted and sealed with a cork. The glass was dark in color, but you could see the liquid inside and immediately understood what the room was. 

Manton smacked one of the barrels with a smile. 

"Ancient elven wine, before you start talking about artifacts and stuff. Hear me out," Manton started. "I heard from many that wine made by elves can last even more than a thousand years and taste unlike any other, so there would be many who would love to get their hands on one of these," Manton explained. "Wine that's even more than hundreds of years old. They're rare to come by, so someone could pay a hefty price, probably enough to help your old man," he added. 

"So if you can't find anything else, maybe you can bring one of these back," He suggested. "It's not gold, so I don't think our good lord Maedhros would get upset about it unless he likes his wine–then we might have a problem, but that's for another time," he said, making you chuckle. 

"Isn't it bad luck to say the name of the dead?" you asked. "Whoops!" he said, making you smile. 

"I don't know. It won't get me a scholarship, but I could use the money to help my father," you said. 

"I take it as a last resort if I can't find anything else," you said. "Thank you, Manton," You smiled. "Hey, you can always count on me if you need anything," Manton smiled back. 

Someone then came to the door. “Manton. You need to come to the dungeons. The boys had been getting stuck again,” They said. Manton hissed. “Duty calls. Honestly, I prefer trying to find our mysterious elven ghost than making sure our boys don’t get trapped in the old dungeon cells or trying to find something that might not even be here,” Manton passed you and approached the doorway.

“What are you and Allard trying to find anyway?” you asked. “I’ll let you know when we finally find it. In the meantime, good luck with your research, and be careful since our ghostly elven host seemed to have taken a liking to you,” Manton winked with a grin, making you roll your eyes as he left. 

You decided to leave the old wine cellar and return to the surface level of the fortress. You strolled around for a moment, watching your brother and his friends as they were doing their things until you found a room you had not seen before. 

Curious, you walked into the room, finding some of the furniture covered in white fabric that had turned slightly gray over the passing of time. You looked around and found interest in paintings stacked against a corner of a wall. You grabbed one and cleared out the dust to reveal what was beneath. 

You were faced with a picture of two trees, and from the color scheme – you recognized them as the two trees of Valinor, the world’s light source before the sun and moon. You stared at the painting, finding it almost unbelievable how such beautiful trees once existed before even humans came around. 

You carefully laid it down and took a look at the other paintings. There were portraits of different elves. They shared a strong resemblance to each other, so you figured they must be related until your eyes landed on a familiar face. Maedhros, in all of his living glory. He looked so much alive without the scars, and looking at him made you find a resemblance between him and the red-haired elven woman you saw in another portrait, most likely his mother. 

You have read little about him and his family, but you knew they were one of the key figures of the events that once occurred in the first age. They were known for many things, especially as kinslayers. They killed their own for the sake of an oath they swore in their father’s name. 

You found something silly about the whole thing because Feanor, Maedhros’s father, didn’t apparently last long as the high king and was killed by Balrogs when he arrived in Middle Earth. 

After looking through the painting, you notice stacked papers on a desk. There were a lot of them stacked and even fallen on the floor. When you grabbed one of them and dusted them off to read the text, you felt excited because they were old battle plans and reports of a battle you recognized as the Battle of the Unnumbered Tears. 

You knew it as an event when The union of Maedhros tried to preach Angband. It ended in extreme failure since some of the human houses sided with Morgoth and betrayed the elves during the battle, resulting in the death of many and the Noldor’s high king Fingon, the eldest son of Fingolfin. He was also Maedhros’s half-cousin. 

You read something about it in your home city’s local library, but since some details were lost in time, not all were clear about the battle. Now that you had clear reports and documents, you could finally investigate it thoroughly. Now this was something worth bringing back. 

You took out your journal and began to write down details. Thanks to your fluency in elvish, you didn’t have a problem understanding the text and reading firsthand what happened during that ancient battle. However, there was something saddening about them when you continued reading them. There were so many losses. Your mind could have been doing tricks, but some documents had spots that looked like tear stains.  

You almost jumped when the door suddenly moved by itself. You looked through the door and found no one. You would have guessed it was the wind, but then you remembered what happened yesterday and felt frustrated. 

“Maedhros! If you, please! I’m not in the mood to get frightened today!” You called out with an annoyed tone. Your ears then caught talking in the distance. It was clear and getting closer. You listened for a moment and recognized the voices to be Allard and Brawley. You would have focused on your current task and left the two be, but when you heard what they were talking about— you couldn’t help but listen more. 

You closed your journal and put the old documents away as you slowly approached the door and listened to what your brother and his ill-gotten friend were talking about. You put yourself against the door and carefully listened. 

“Allard, we looked everywhere. We haven’t found a single dime in this abandoned rock,” Brawley said, frustrated. “At this rate, we’re gonna go home empty-handed,” he added. “Not to mention weird things have been happening all day, doors close by themselves, things fly around hitting people, and some of our boys said they keep seeing a shadow lingering in every corner,” your eyes widened when you heard the last part. It was what happened to you yesterday. Maedhros was real. It wasn’t a figment of your imagination. 

“They’re starting to believe there is an actual ghost running around thanks to your sister’s stunt last night,” Brawley said. “I’m certain it’s just frustration kicking in. Ghosts aren’t real, so we can’t blame this on the nonexistent,” Allard interfered. “Well, whatever it is. We better find this treasure, or the boys will not be happy,” Brawley said. You frowned and thought for a moment. “We just need to look harder. It’s already difficult keeping the act with (Name) snooping around,” Allard said. 

You thought about what he said for a moment. Everything what he and his friends have been saying for the past few days came back to you, and when you carefully examined the meaning behind his words. You came to a realization. You burst through the door in anger. 

“So, you really came here to rob this place?!” you almost yelled at him. Allard jumped from your sudden intrusion. “(Name) — how much did you hear?” he questioned. 

“Enough to learn my brother is a greedy scoundrel who’s only after gold and treasures that might not even be here,” you crossed your arms. “You do know what our laws say about robbing historical sites?” you asked. 

“Alright. I admit. I might not have made this expedition to find any historical artifacts or for studying purposes,” Allard raised his hands in surrender. “I heard there was a treasure, riches left by the elves when they abandoned this place, but trust me, it’s all out of good intentions,” he explained. “What good intention?” you asked. “Like helping our father–” he said. 

“Imagine, with this gold, we could finally pay him a proper healer and maybe get someone to make him a new leg since he’s physically handicapped,” 

“Bullshit! Our father would never accept stolen money, and I heard your boys will not be happy if you don’t find the treasure. You only want to find this treasure for yourself!” you tapped him harshly on the chest with your finger. 

“(Name), calm down. There’s no reason to get this upset,” Allard backed away. “I have every reason to get upset with you! Do you have any idea how this will affect our family if people find out you are a thieving grave robber?!” you yelled in anger. “We won’t be affected if you don’t tell anyone about this,” he said. “I can’t do such a thing! We both would be breaking the law then! Either stop looking for this treasure, or I will tell everyone what this expedition was about.” you stated. 

“Alright, that’s enough, woman!” Brawley suddenly grabbed you. “Let go of me!” you struggled, but then he grabbed you by your hair and forced you to stay still. 

Allard sighed. “I wish we could have done this the easy way,” he said, then looked at you. “(Name), you will not tell anyone about this unless you want to be left alone on this island with your little ghost friend,” he said, making your eyes widen with fright. “You can’t do such a thing!” you struggled. “I think I can, and unless you’re willing to cooperate, you’re going in time out,” he said as more of his friends arrived. “Take her to a room, cell. I don’t care. Take her somewhere and make sure she won’t get out,” he said, then Brawley and the others began taking you away. 

You compiled for a moment, walking forward as Brawley pushed you and pulled your hair, making your scalp sting with pain. When you noticed a room with an open door approaching, you tried to struggle yourself free. 

“Stop moving!” Brawley ordered as he lost his hold of your hair, and you managed to slap him across his face. “Agh! You wench!” he grabbed you by the hair and smashed your face against the doorframe before pushing you in. 

You heard a crunch when your nose made contact with the hardwood before falling down the short stairs beneath the door and hitting your head against the floor. 

You yelped and groaned while holding your head in pain. Blood dribbled from your nose and your head was spinning around the room, making you feel dizzy and like passing out. 

“Brawley, was that necessary? I don’t think Allard will be happy if she’s directly harmed,” One of his friends asked as you withered in pain. “What’s a couple of bruises gonna do?” Brawley asked. “On the contrary, maybe we should teach her a lesson she won’t forget,” he said with a smirk. 

The door to the room began to shake, confusing Brawley and his friends before it suddenly slammed shut in Brawley’s face. There was a loud noise when his nose made contact with the door. He yelled, stepping back and holding his bleeding nose.  

“What the hell?” he yelled and groaned painfully. One of his friends grabbed the handle and tried to open the door. “It’s locked,” They said. “How can it be? It’s supposed to get locked from this side?!” Brawley demanded as he held his now festering red nose. 

“Alright, what is the commotion? My sister can’t be that troublesome!” Allard arrived at the scene. Brawley and his friends froze. They stared with widened eyes as Allard stood there clueless. 

“What? What are you looking at?” Allard demanded. “Boss–” One of them started with a frightened tone. “---behind you,” he pointed out as they continued staring at a tall shadowy figure standing behind your brother. 

Allard paled and quickly turned around. The shadowy figure vanished after he turned his head, so he found nothing standing behind him. Allard released a nervous chuckle and turned back toward Brawley and the rest of his friends. “Stop messing around,” he said, shaking his head. 

Things suddenly began shaking around them. Old pots and furniture vibrated against the ground, and even dust began to fall from the old rocky ceiling. The men stood cautiously until the shaking stopped.

It was dead quiet. 

They waited for the ground to shake again, but nothing happened in few minutes. Allard allowed himself to relax and release an exasperated sigh. 

“Well, that was strange,” 

Out of nowhere, a ferocious wind started blowing around them like a wild tornado, picking up light-weighted objects off the ground and throwing them at the men. “What is going on?!” Allard yelled until a chair suddenly flew at him. He yelped and barely dodged it. The chair broke into pieces when it missed and hit the wall instead. 

The room shakes, and the wind blows objects around, making the men yell and desperately try to avoid getting hit and struck by sharp old pottery or blunt objects, which was a task impossible. The moment they think they dodged an injury, they always get hit from behind. The wind was also relentless and did not give them a chance to escape. The wild hurricane had trapped them inside.

Brawley backed away in bewilderment as he witnessed what was happening around him. He managed to get out and considered leaving, only to feel a hand laid on his shoulder. 

You began to hear screaming behind the door. You tried to remain conscious, but the aching pain in your head became too much to handle, so you laid down on your side. You took in deep breaths before you eventually blacked out on the floor.

[bookofmirth]

I don't believe in another Court, let alone one close to the territory of Corte Nortuna.

I believe that perhaps could make a kind of refuge for the Valkyries, because Nesta and Rhys don't get along and she will never see him as her High Lord and that would perhaps solve the problem.

There would be no other court and it's not about anyone taking power for the island, but I wonder if the lower Fae or any female who wants to be a Valkyrie could go to a place of their own and have no men, if they happen to have a history of abuse on their part and don't want to be close.

And there would also be other options for those who don't want to stay in the library.

Maybe this is wrong reasoning, but I really believe that perhaps the Valkyries are an isolated force and do not belong to any Court, know.

And another thing that makes me disbelieve in the eighth court is that it doesn't need another one, and starting a court from scratch doesn't just say: HI, open a court and come and live here.

Azriel is not diplomatic, and does not give off the vibe that he is dissatisfied with his role in the Northern Court, and does not even want to leave.

Elain can be diplomatic in everything, but it's already difficult to see her governing an already built court that just needs to make the people of Primaveral come back, for example. and aside from the fact that she just became a fae, barely knows about the world of Acotar right, would she have to start a court from scratch?

What she needs to know is who she is, not how to figure out how to build cuts from scratch.

And I don't know if it's because I'm poor, but I think about the money would also need, because the fae must use it and need it too and I'm sure the island is healed but people didn't appear out of nowhere to live there.

And technically Rhys can take the island for himself without any problems.

Oh anon, I meant to put something about this in my post about the Prison!!!!! *shakes fist*

Yes, I totally agree that Nesta saying that she is NOT Rhys's subject, NOT a subject of the Night Court in that bonus chapter, and making that decision about the mask on her own, that also supports the idea that the Prison is going to become Valkyrie territory. It supports the idea that the Valkyries are going to be their own entity, not beholden to any one court. Nesta is their leader, and she herself doesn't want to be Rhys's subject. Yes she lives in the NC, but... that's because she had to. And then she literally Made herself a house, a house which Rhys gifted her. People can live in a place without being a citizen of it.

I agree with you too about the idea of starting a court from scratch. It's not just a matter of saying "real estate for sale", but coming up with the governing system, a public support/welfare system, education, laws, economic system, etc. I think your reasoning makes total sense! It would start with a lot of resources (the firstlight) but they need a politician, and you described Az as not being very good at that, which I agree with, but I can't see Nesta in that role either. A leader, yes. A politician, meh.

And yes, like you said, I can see Elain being a much better diplomat/politician, but we'd still have the practical problems of establishing a government etc. It would make much more sense for her to take over a court that already has those systems in place. And I absolutely agree that Elain's work needs to be more internal right now, figuring out who she is and what she wants. Then later she can settle into being a High Lady.

[mossyivy]

Okay—I really need to know this because it’s been keeping me up all night pookie…This is just my guess! But we can alter the story any way! MENTIONS OF ABUSE (KINDA)!!!

I feel like Chris’s now wife was in one of those situations where she got married extremely young, I’d say about 20-22? Maybe even a little older. But I feel like that’s one reason she was in such an abusive and toxic marriage. Her and her now ex husband were still young, probably had a baby not to long after, and that’s when I think the abuse really started.

It wasn’t long after their little ‘honeymoon’ which was really them just having time off from work and staying home all day. He’d start getting a bit manipulative and toxic, then as you advanced into your pregnancy, I feel like that’s when all of the real serious things started to happen. It would be over the most random and small thing too. She accidentally dropped a glass while washing the dishes? He’d get into his screaming fit, going on about how she was useless while she stood there like a scared puppy, trying her hardest to apologize and defend herself only to be met with a slap on the face.

Ollie was only a year and a couple months when you finally had enough, dropping everything and leaving your shitty husband. You’d spend all day working, taking extra shifts to make enough to atleast put away for a tiny apartment for you and Ollie. Yelling at Redfield all night for him to take your orders and STOP GETTING HIMSELF IN TROUBLE!!!

Chris was born in 1973, technically making him like…51 or something in 2024 😳. (I ❤️ Peepaws.) He’d be 48 in RE8 and around 40 for Death Island. I feel like him and his wife would have an age difference. Let’s just say she got married at 24, + 1 year for the pregnancy with Ollie and how long it took to conceive. 25 + 15 (Ollie’s age basically) she’d be around 39/40ish in 2024? Correct my math and lore if I’m wrong yall…

AND GIVE OPINIONS!!!!! If you don’t agree, I totally understand! <3

- Anon! 🎀

(Jesus Christ this is so long I'm sorry I went crazy 😅)

(Edit: fixed some timeline inconsistencies and pin pointed that Chris and his future wife physically met sometime between August-October of 2010.)

Correction: Chris is 42 in DI cause it's set in 2015.

If your math is matching right and by the ages of the kids they met sometime in 2011ish, So he'd be 38 and if she got married at 22, waited to have a baby at 24+1 for the pregnancy and 1 more year for the time frame of her leaving Turner (yes her ex-husband gets an ugly name). She'd be 26 when they met.

11 years difference

(fun fact, my parents were 11 years apart from each other lol)

So if our girl math is girl mathing yes, it be 51/40 (Cradle robber Chris. Jkjk that's not even that big of a gap imo)

Which is hilarious because that would mean she's younger than Claire too... By 5 years. But y'know. People can find love at any age. Plus there's benefits to loving an older man. They know what they want (most of the time)

As for the previous marriage! (CW: Baby trapping and abuse in a varieties of ways) (Also, there's literally no excuse to abuse your partner...)

They definitely got married young, probably met in college and decided to get married after she graduated (he's like a year or 2 older than her). Turner's got some fancy business job that makes him stressed constantly and he's away a lot so she didn't get to see him often.

She's got a degree in Public Relations and knows a few languages as she took elective courses to make her resume look all that more sparkling when graduating. And so she shot high, applying for a lot of jobs (it's about 2006 at this point so the job market isn't that bad) she gets a lot of offers.

She ends up taking some assitant position at a relator office and the market crash is 08 pretty much made her job vanish. So she's unemployed and solely relying on Turner. Which is fine, he's doing well and they have a good income. Nothing to worry about too much. But for ages now they've argued and it got really heated. Got in each others faces. But she loves him so she stays. But her patience is waring thinner and thinner by the day.

She gets pregnant and he's just... Awful. Manipulative and making everything out to be about how this is going to solely affect him. (Even though he most definitely got her pregnant on purpose so she'd have no choice but to stay) But she debates on keeping the baby and eventually Turner tells her she is. Doesn't even let her think otherwise after that, love bombs her because it's noticeable she has one foot out the door. But even after that she's on edge constantly. Flinching at the slightest knock or slam of a door because she thinks something's wrong immediately.

Turner still argues with her, has escalated to calling her a worthless cow by now. Telling her all she's ever been good for was giving him the son she's pregnant with. Eventually he goes away for business and she tries gaining some sense of independence. So she gets a shitty marketing job where she basically calls people all day and gets hung up on. July 2009 rolls around and Ollie's born. Turner makes her quit her job so she can take care of the baby. Complaining about how they can't afford daycare right now.

So she complies... Quiting her job. Things got worse and worse from that point on. This is when the physical abuse starts. They're fighting in the kitchen and Ollie's asleep in his room. Turner comes in from work and they start going at it. Ollie wakes up and starts crying over the baby monitor. Immediately she's going to see what's wrong and the argument shifts to her mothering skills and how Oliver seems to be getting too reliant on her. So she spits back at him about how if she had some help it wouldn't be like that.

Turner slaps her, she's shocked. He actually put his hands on her. He wedges her between the babys bedroom door and his body. His hands gripping her hard enough to bruise. Gritting his teeth as he threatens her. Telling her if she ever talks to him like that again he'll do a lot more than just a simple slap. He let's her go and tells him to shut the baby up.

So she goes into Ollie's room and consoles him and she starts silently crying herself. Realizing the severity of everything now. She can't stay, that was just the first time and if he'd do that feet away from the baby imagine what he'd do in front of him...

So she start slowly warming him up to the idea of getting a job again. To help get Ollie in daycare or even a nanny so they can get out of their apartment and into a house with enough space. Turner agrees, letting her look for a job. She applies for a job as a communications team lead at the BSAA. It sounds like an easy enough job. And she's over qualified. Saving up for nearly a year all while taking countless instances of abuse verbally or physically.

She gets the job easily. Ends up setting up her checks to go into her friends business account and transfer her paychecks into a separate account because she lied to Turner and told him she got a job with her friend so it be "more secure" and less likely to be fired. He buys it. She slowly pulls money out of her second account and hides it in the babies room until he goes on a business trip for work.

Literally packs all their stuff in the back of a moving truck and goes to Bella (her best friend since highschool) begging for the help she needs and of course she takes them in...

She's finally out of that hellhole. Slaps him with a divorce filing not long after. Getting a push from the countless police reports they'd had filed over domestic disputes. No need to wait to separate. But the divorce takes time itself.

She takes night shifts, switching spots with the night shift lead because it's higher pay. The only thing that she hates about the job is the people she has to deal with. Especially with the Alpha team leader who frequently talks over her or orders his men to shut comms off in enemy territory when it's literally her job to relay information. You strictly deal with this Redfield guy only...

Well each team lead needs to join a special meeting with the BSAA'S UN ambassador to go over how each department is doing. So you're all sat around this long table and they slowly introduce everyone as each department or team head stands up and talks about everything. It's your turn, you stand and introduce yourself. Talk about everything that's been happening since your shift change and each teams performance could use improvements. But this absolute brick wall of a guy 3 seats down is just staring... Intensely...

Everyone is staring, they're supposed to when someone's presenting. But his feels different. Almost like you're an exhibit and he's a patron of some kind watching you in your natural habitat. You sit, being thanked by the ambassador as he moves along the table. Eventually landing on the massive guy.

The words "Alpha team leader" leave the ambassadors mouth as this bear man stands up. He's so tall... Built like a buff rectangle... He talks, introducing himself as Chris Redfield.

Of course... His name would be something douchey like Chris. He's just talking and you can't help but dig your nails into your hands he's so irritating. Eventually the meeting ends and you're saying your goodbyes as you leave the meeting room and who's waiting at the elevator.

Redfield... Of course.

You really can't help yourself at this point, this man's been on your nerves for the past 2 months now. You need to say something. So you stomp towards him, pulse beating in your neck the longer you look at him.

"Hey asshole." He turns his attention as you walk up to him. He looks down at you, the size difference being almost laughable as you glare at him.

"H-"

"You got a lot of fucking nerve talking to me like you do sometimes." His eyebrows raise and lips part, about to say something when you cut him off.

"Whatever you're about to say, save it... My job is to relay information to your TEAM, not it's captain. I'm supposed to keep you and your squad safe and informed. You aren't letting me do my God damn job."

You jab a nail into his chest, poking hard.

"I need this job. My money goes straight from my wallet into my babys mouth and I'm not gonna be the one explaining to him why mommy can't feed him because some... Some giant, steroid obsessed... bear looking man can't keep his mouth shut! So do us both a favor, shut the fuck up and let me talk to your team."

You take in a breath and he stares wide eyed and almost amazed by your display of forwardness. The elevator dings next to him as he makes some kind of "um" sound. But you don't care what he has to say, you just push past him and decide to take the stairs down.

Your next shift you come in to your desk to a bouquet of flowers and a hand written apology from Chris himself. At the bottom his phone number is scribbled next to his signature. With a 'P.S. If you ever need anything, don't be scared to reach out.'

[murfpersonalblog]

Loumand's Timeskip - "Dubai Is A Child"

This thought literally just woke me up at 4 in the frikkin morning cuz who needs SLEEP, but WHEN did Loumand move to Dubai?

I had a dream that I was still responding to this Loumand bed death post @vividxp made, thinking about this show's altered timeline; how Loumand was obviously happy/happier from the 40s-70s; and how the show will handle not only Louis' increasing descent into depression, but Armand's depression as well--which culminated in Armand finally breaking up with Louis for good in the books, pre-QoTD, ToTBT, Memnoch & Merrick, etc.

"....When I looked into Louis's tortured face...I knew that this black-clad dark-haired gentleman...was the alluring embodiment of the misery I felt. He mourned the loss of grace of one human lifetime. I mourned the loss of the grace of centuries.... I fell in love with him hopelessly, and leaving the Theatre des Vampires in ruins (he burnt it to the ground in a rage for a very good reason), I wandered the world with him until very late in this modern age. Time eventually destroyed our love for one another. Time withered our gentle intimacy. Time devoured whatever conversation or pleasures we once agreeably shared. One other horrible inescapable and unforgettable ingredient went into our destruction. Ah, I don't want to speak of it, but who among us is going to let me be silent on the matter of Claudia, the child vampire whom I am accused for all time by all of having destroyed?" -- Armand, TVA

What went wrong between the time we see Louis in SanFran, and the time we see him in Dubai? WHY did they move to Dubai, and WHEN?

"Time eventually destroyed our love for one another. "

The Ep6 flashback to 1970s SanFran has always jarred me, cuz Louis looks so dang vibrant here--flirty and joking and talkative in ways we don't really EVER see--"I HAve An ACceNT!?" 🤪

(One of my FAVORITE Louis moments--Pyromaniac Du Lac is a frikkin DRAGON, y'all. 🐲🔥🐉😍)

Then we cut to 2022 Dubai, and it's Hello Darkness, My Old Friend?

Did Louis start spiraling the night of Daniel's OG 70's interview? Maybe? Louis was definitely angry, that he hadn't adequately convinced Daniel that vampirism was a horror, not something Daniel should be begging for like a simp--"You were disrespectful!"

Unlike in the film, Louis actually bit Daniel on the show, and woulda killed/drained him if Armand hadn't intervened; "this time I won't save your life." They (read: Armand) wiped his memory, took the tapes & ran--presumably to Dubai? But why THERE? Pretty drastic change of scenery--it's not like Dan would've remembered enough to call the cops on them, forcing Loumand to duck the CIA or something. Louis was killing humans alllll the way up to 2000--attacking Daniel didn't stop him--he kept going for 30 years! Then in 2000 he suddenly stops? So it wasn't SanFran or Daniel that triggered Louis after the 70s and made them flee to Dubai, it was something else.

Also, for all their claims of wanting "privacy/anonymity," they definitely weren't HIDING in Dubai, not with their ostentatious lifestyle--using the Prime Minister's own illustrious Dr Fareed just to give Daniel meds--"you've got your own hangar at the airport, privileges on the Royal Meydan Bridge, and zero presence online. I know the Emirates are big on privacy, and that's probably important to you, but I gotta ask, what does it cost?..."

But it's certainly interesting that RJ chose Dubai as their modern home, since it only started being developed into a modern super-city of the UAE in the 1970s--right when Armand & Louis might've fled SanFran to live there. It certainly tracks with the real estate investments Armand made on Night Island in the 80s. Like Armand said: "Dubai is a child," and it's a HUNGRY, VAMPIRIC child at that, cuz the economy & real estate markets in Dubai literally SUCK.

But it took TIME for Dubai to become that glitzy nighttime city so attractive to vampires. If we consider all the iconic skyscrapers and Palm Islands and structures shown off in the pilot episode, ALL of those landmarks weren't constructed until the late 1990s-early 2000s. And remember what else happened in the 2000s?

Then there's the penthouse. According to Daniel, they're in the Al Sharaf Towers in Dubai--but unless Google's lying to me, there are no Al Sharaf Towers in Dubai. (And @eosphoroz did some pretty nifty super sleuthing about Armand's prayer location, too.)

In the original pilot script, the penthouse was actually in the JLT's Al Seef Towers, which actually DOES exist in Dubai, built in 2008--infamous for the FIRES started in the 20teens that made the JLT's buildings uninhabitable for almost a decade of repairs. 👀🔥

I wanna know why RJ changed the location/name of the tower!! 😭(This post gives a strong argument for why the April 2020 to June 2022 date was changed.) But it makes a lot of sense if they want to remove the penthouse from the temporo-spatial realities of Dubai, this liminal zone cocooning the vampires from the outside world by living in a fanciful Tower From Nowhere. But that's boring, since this show's paid so much attention to detail, and many other places they name-dropped really exist, like Polynesian Mary's. So I'm gonna just go with the penthouse being in a REAL building. Meaning:

after 1973 IMO Loumand was probably not in Dubai yet, and were likely still city-hopping. Daniel said the SanFran apartment they lived in was "a dump;" which tracks with book!Armand not being rich yet--they were both living like bums after Paris. (IWTV OG 70s interview)

~1985-1990s book!Armand took up treasure hunting, art theft, & real estate. Built Night Island in Florida, but soon abandoned it. (QoTD Devil's Minion era)

~1995 book!Armand attempts suicide after seeing Veronica's Veil (Memnoch/TVA era, meets Benji & Sybelle, lives in NOLA while Lestat's comatose).

~1999 book!Louis attempts suicide after his ghost!Claudia seance (Merrick era, but I highly doubt AMC is post-Merrick, cuz Louis burnt too easily in the sunlight to have gotten his vamp upgrade yet).

in 2000 Louis stopped killing humans again (WHY? And how well did he adapt to that diet with Armand, rather than Lestat? We saw how much Louis struggled to keep his energy up in the 1910s: "I tried to adapt to my new diet. I barely had the energy to hold up a book. My libido was not what it had been.") How long was it till they started keeping blood bags, hiring Damek & co., keeping Louis' favorite AB- "fresh from The Farm"?

How would 9/11 in 2001 affect Muslim!Armand? In the PL trilogy he owned Trinity Gate in NYC during the 20teens (briefly reunited with Louis before Louis left him to marry Lestat in RoA/BC). Trinity Gate was in Manhattan, where the Twin Towers fell. What kind of depression/existential crises does AMC's Armand face with American Islamophobia? Is THAT why they moved to Dubai? Finding a home that was safe for them BOTH in a post-9/11 world?

after 2008 Loumand moved into the (Al Seef/Sharaf) penthouse, even if they stayed elsewhere (in Dubai?) since the 70s. Did they hire that team of staff specifically to maintain the penthouse, or to help keep up the Rashid illusion only when Daniel arrived? (This was also likely when they started keeping The Farm, somewhere in the penthouse/tower presumably for on-demand drinks.)

The 1990s SUCKED for both Armand AND Louis, both driven to suicide during the events surrounding Lestat's coma. So I actually doubt it was the 1970s that broke Louis, but rather 2000 when he stopped killing--the turn of the millennia/century, which probably heavily impacted Louis' psyche, as the existential dread of living to 100+ badly affected his outlook on vampiric "life."

So I wouldn't be surprised if AMC's Loumand lived in NYC (a la Trinity Gate) after SanFran, and left America AFTER 9/11. Thus contextualizing Muslim!Armand's race & religiosity with real world events, the same way they did with Louis and the IRL race riots in Storyville. I could ofc be dead wrong, and S2 could confirm that they've been living in Dubai since the 70s this whole time.

But regardless, Dubai was obviously NEVER a healthy environment for either of them, especially not Louis--that dead, cold, dry desert wasteland of concrete minimalism & hypocritical elite extravagance. When Daniel asked Louis where his coffin was, Louis said "you're standing in it."

"Why did he come away with me afterwards?.... He remained with me because he had to do it. It was the only way that he could go on existing, and for death he has never had the courage, and never will. And so he endured after the loss of Claudia, just as I had endured through...centuries...but in time he did learn to be alone. Louis, my companion, dried up of his own free will, rather like a beautiful rose skillfully dehydrated in sand so that it retains its proportions, nay, even its fragrance and even its tint. For all the blood he drank, he himself became dry, heartless, a stranger to himself and to me. Understanding all too well the limits of my warped spirit, he forgot me long before he dismissed me, but I too had learnt from him.... I too went on alone--perhaps for the first time really and truly alone. But how long can any of us endure without another?.... We can't stand it, to be alone." -- Armand, TVA

Loumand's entire time in Dubai was built up on artifice--their relationship was withering on the vine, as Louis AND Armand were already spiraling by the time Daniel showed up. That's why Louis was so desperate to do the interview in the first place--"truth and reconciliation;" "you are chronicling a suicide!" (This is leading up to Merrick ISTG y'all....)

"It was the love of Louis which had at times crippled Lestat, and enslaved Armand. Louis need have no consciousness of his own beauty, of his own obvious and natural charm." -- David, Merrick.

Eff you, David, but YES, actually.

Cuz JESUS, this was the performance of the century, the Theatre would be proud--what were they even DOING with "Rashid"? That whole Penthouse was their stage--it's all FAKE--which is why I'm not buying Armand's explanation for "The Groan," either.

-- Rolin Jones

Daniel just forced Loumand to face bitter reality, that neither one of them wanted to admit about their pasts, present, or future.

But please understand, y'all, I'm NOT tryna be a mean-spirited Loumand "Bed Death Truther," claiming Louis & Armand are just perpetually platonic & miserable roommates. I DO think they were happy briefly--(in the books moreso in NYC at the Trinity Gate reunion than anything that happened pre-Merrick, while they were BOTH on the verge of suicide). They're BOTH walking around with untreated trauma, and their relationship was built on a stack of lies (thanks to Armand's culpability in Claudia's death).

So I smh at Loumand same as I smh at Loustat, cuz BOTH relationships were a frikkin WRECK--Daniel's right that the only relationship Louis needs is with a therapist! U_U

"Loustat suffered 7yrs of bed death & they're a literal pack of horndogs for e/o. 😅 Louis' depression (& diet) directly effect his libido. In the books Armand walked away once he realized he couldn't help Louis anymore. AMC's timeline's likely going in that direction. No way are Loumand by Ep7 & the S2 trailer the picture of a healthy thriving couple--they could be humping like rabbits and still be unhappy together. :( Like, I fully expect to see Loumand have a bubble of happiness together in S2--turning to him for comfort in 40s Paris. And we already saw them in SanFran cruising for thirds quite comfortably in the 70s. But something bad obviously happened to Louis by the time they got to Dubai--he is UNWELL, and this interview is unlocking way too many doors Armand obviously wants Daniel/Louis to keep closed. So even if it's not bed death YET, it's GONNA die--hence: Merrick." --Me.

Like, I'm lukewarm towards Loumand (at worst apathetic), cuz I know it doesn't LAST; and I know Louis was only with Armand out of necessity, cuz the books said so. I'm waiting on S2 to convince me otherwise.

[nethhiri]

Marooned: Chapter 8

Kid x FemReader x Killer

Warnings: references to violence

Rude Awakening

It was a miracle Kid didn't toss you over his shoulder and steal you away to his cabin. He still very much did the second half of that, but if he had done the first, the crew would have gotten an eyeful. Maybe you could at least get some real clothes. You were currently surveilling the room in front of you. The bed was huge, unsurprisingly, and had a plush, furry duvet thrown over it. You curled your lip at how you could imagine being sweaty and uncomfortable all night under it. Staring more closely, you noticed places on the headboard where things, like, say, handcuffs, could be attached. You raised an eyebrow. Fun. There was a walk-in closet filled with mostly red and black pieces. Next to that, there was a door that you assumed led to a bathroom and in the corner opposite the bed, there was something akin to a drafting table. Directly across from the bed, there was a chaise, Kid's feathery coat thrown over it. 

"This'll do... But where will you sleep?" As if you didn't provoke the man enough. 

Kid threw back his head and laughed. "That mouth of yers gets ya into trouble, doesn't it?"

"It gets me out of trouble, too."  You quipped, heading towards the door that you guessed was to a bathroom. Opening it and peering inside, you guessed correctly. Kid's taste was questionable, but he liked expensive things. There was a black marble bathtub that could fit several people, well, several normal size people. There was also a shower head attached to it in the case that there wasn't time for a luxurious bath. "I would kill for a real shower," you somewhat muttered to yourself. The luxuries of being on a ship were starting to flood back to you: showers, hot water, runningwater, real food, meals, other people, booze, no fucking sand. 

"As much as I'd like to put that theory to the test, I have things to take care of." Kid said mildly regretfully. "Fuckin morons can't live without me." 

"Well, I certainly can," you said, turning the water to the shower on. "I'll be thoroughly enjoying the hot water. Come get me if someone gets maimed." 

Kid lingered to watch you take off your shirt and empty holster. The dim light of the cabin was still brighter than the moonlight and revealed a little bit more. He could tell you were skinnier than you should be, hip bones poking out and rib outlines visible. It wasn't extreme by any means, but he let his mind wander with how you might look with a little more curve. He turned to leave before his imagination went wild. As much as he would love to punish you for being mouthy, he was exhausted and he didn't need his bedroom reputation to be tarnished with a lack of energy. There would be plenty of time for that. Wire let him know earlier that the next island was weeks away. 

The hot water against your skin was heavenly. It could bring tears to your eyes how good this felt after years of not having the privilege. You felt guilty that you were enjoying this so much when poor Mini was remanded to the brig. Before she was escorted there, you assured her that it wouldn't be for long. You half-wished that you had opted for a bath to really indulge. The reason you didn't was that you thought that would have been too tempting for Kid, and although you weren't necessarily against him jumping your bones, this moment was meant to be for you and you alone. When the water started losing its warmth, you decided it was time to get out.

Opening the bathroom door, you expected to see Kid splayed out waiting in his bed. Instead, you were alone. Still without clothes, leaving the cabin was not happening. In that case, you chose the side of the bed that looked the least slept in and made yourself comfortable. Silk sheets...not bad. Exhaustion hit you hard and you didn't have any thoughts past that before having the most restful sleep of your life. Even Kid's eventual snoring didn't wake you up. 

Kid was still shocked that you actually decided to sleep in his bed. He was perplexed that you weren't scared of a total stranger, and one that was an infamous pirate at that. Something was off about you. He just had to figure out what that was. Or wait for Killer to get better and let him figure it out. He was better at that stuff. For a moment, Kid thought about letting you sleep in. After all, you were so quiet like this. That thought lasted about 10 seconds before he grabbed your ankle and dragged you out of bed, your body making a solid thump on the floor. Kid did say you were a rookie, and rookies had to work. 

A surprised cry left your mouth as you found yourself on the floor, partially tangled in sheets. "What the fuck?!" You tugger reflexively at the sheets to cover yourself. 

"Get yer ass up, Rotten. Come on deck when yer dressed, or come naked. I don't care, but yer gonna earn yer stay." 

You narrowed your eyes at the new nickname. As long as it keeps them from asking my real one. He could see the smart remark waiting to launch itself at him, yet before you could get it out, there were clothes thrown at you and he was turning on his heel to leave.  "Aye, aye, Captain." There was a random assortment of clothes, none of them your style, and most of them leaving little to the imagination. "That fucking bastard," you muttered to yourself, holding up the only bottoms in your size, light-washed cut-off jean shorts. They barely qualified as shorts. Sorting through the fabric, you unfortunately found no underwear or bras, only mesh and lace. Considering the tops, you found the least see-through ones that would fit and ended up with a dark-red cropped babydoll tee with a cut part-way down the middle. At least it was tight enough to hold your boobs in place somewhat. It wouldn't be a bad outfit to the right person, though you didn't particularly enjoy the shorts riding up your ass, and you would never pick it out willingly. The shoes were somehow in your size... however they were the tackiest pair of high heels you had ever seen in your life. Barefoot it is. Judging by the array, you thought these clothes were probably left behind by some of the crews' paid lady companions. 

Before heading out, you grabbed your things, not intending to make your place in this cabin permanent. Something blue on the table caught your attention and you grabbed that, too. It was easy to figure out where to go based on the direction of loud voices. The voices ceased as soon as you opened the door to the deck. You internally struggled with whether to shout insults at them or just ignore them. Wisely, you decided to ignore them and find the captain. You didn't feel like immediately drawing more attention to yourself. Your tiny outfit was enough. Out of nowhere, a huge hand was guiding you from the back of your neck towards a side door and shoving you in. Inside was a pleasantly clean room with a distinct anti-septic smell and a few stretchers, one of which was occupied by Killer. 

"Tend to him and then ya can go to the brig and clean up the mess yer beastie made." Kid looked you up and down. "Shame. Was hoping ya would pick the mesh." 

You rolled your eyes. "Maybe I'll wear it tomorrow if you're a good boy." The last two words were drawn out. 

Kid backed you up against one of the counters on the side of the room. "It's cute when ya do all this barking." Kid put his hand on the scarred side of your face, instantly causing your stomach to turn. "But do it in front of my crew and I will make ya regret it." His face hardened and his hand slid to firmly hold your throat, oddly bringing you relief even though it was evident he could strangle you with one hand. Kid looked at you a second longer to make sure you understood and then left, slamming the door.  

You let out the breath you were holding. What was that? Kid's threat didn't scare you. No, it wasn't that. You had been through worse. Which is maybe why it bothered you so much to feel touch on that side of your face. You used to dream about it. Visions crept into your mind of the near past: you in a cell, periodic visitors bringing you near death but never letting you get there, bleeding out on the wood deck of a ship, searing pain on your face and then nothing. Bile rose in your throat, forcing you to run to the sink in the room to vomit. You stayed leaned over the sink for a minute and rinsed your mouth out. 

Next

[hokiis-writing-dump]

Genshin Team Sleeping Trend, but I write about it instead.

So I’m back from a long time of no writing at all, and there’s no real reason for my absence besides me burning out. I stopped playing Genshin for a while and didn’t really keep in touch with any content for it either. Don’t expect this to be really all that accurate with storyline (because I did sorta not pay too much attention during Sumeru’s story, I got tired of how long it was) but it’s taking place after the most recent lantern rite. I can’t guarantee I’ll stay consistent with a schedule, so honestly, expect more of me posting at random when I’m in the mood, lol.

Characters in my team: Aether, Kazuha, Albedo and Heizou

Content Includes: Maybe ooc characters bc I haven't written for genshin in a long time, no paimon bc idk how to write for her, Scaramouche/Wander mentioned to be in the teapot but not with the others, teapot layout is the one thats like...water and islands. forgot what its called.

Extra Headcanons:

They're kinda relevant for this, but both Traveler(Aether in this case) and Wanderer don't sleep. Wanderer because he's a puppet, Aether because...well he's not human. That's a headcanon thats lenghty, so i wont explain it here. Okay last thing, Aether doesn't speak in ig...full sentences. He skips words sometimes and breaks up the sentence. I don't think he's fluent in Teyvat's language, hence why Paimon speaks so much.

The 4 entered the SereniteaPot after a long and arduous day of commissions, quests, errands, etc. and removed most of their unnecessary accessories.

Heizou swiftly made his way over to the nearest couch and flopped down face-first, probably almost asleep already. “Im not the only one who’s completely dead after all of those cases, right?” Heizou’s muffled voice echoed from the pillows on the couch. Albedo smirked at Heizou’s display of exhaustion.

“Guess it’s time to sleep then already? We did eat while we were out, so I suppose we can go right to bed. It is late.” Kazuha turns and questions, hanging his haori(correct me pls if that’s the wrong thing) up near the door. He places his shoulder guard down on a shelf nearby as well, besides the numerous trinkets Aether has collected on his travels.

“I’m not completely drained but…I suppose we can. Aether, you’ll be resting tonight, right?” Albedo turns to Aether, who was about to walk right back out of the teapots mansion and probably train outside the whole night. Albedo shoots Aether a disappointed look, expecting him to turn back around immediately and follow them back in, but Aether continues to slowly leave the doorway.

“Aether.”

Aether gives Albedo a glance back, almost pleading to not have to ‘sleep’. Albedo knows full and well that Aether doesn’t really sleep, but has still yet to know exactly why. Either way, seeing him at least lay down for the night would be enough.

“…You know I won’t sleep. No point in laying down.” Aether tries to reason his way out of this, preferring to do something a bit more productive.

“Get back here, and come lay down. We’ll even push the couches together like have you have it set up in your room, if that makes you more comfortable.” Albedo nods towards Kazuha after this, and Kazuha goes to start moving the couch Heizou is on and another couch in the open living room.

Aether sighs, deciding not to fight this one, and comes back into the mansion. He leaves his shoes at the door where everyone else’s shoes are, and then comes to help Albedo move blankets and pillows in from Aether's room.

"Where would you even be this late in the teapot? I know you have a small forest somewhere on the islands here, but would you really just train there all night?" Albedo inquires, genuinely confused on where Aether would even go this late since the teapot matches Teyvat's time. Aether looks around, putting a few pillows under his arm and rubbing the back of his neck.

He shrugs. "Dunno...maybe find Wanderer. Train with him? Talk with him. He doesn't sleep either." Aether's taken out the braid he usually wears now, his earing, scarf and whatever else being set at the table in his room. Albedo shakes his head in sighs. Guess he has to talk to this 'Wanderer', who he has still yet to meet despite Aether mentioning him before, and get him to rest as well. They both return to the living room soon after this exchange.

Once everything is moved, the four change into clothing that’s a bit more comfortable, and slowly begin to lay down one by one. Aether grabs a few books, of course. If he’s going to lay here for hours while the others sleep, he has to be doing SOMETHING. Not lay there contemplating his existence.

There’s idle banter for a good thirty minutes or so, chatting about what they’ll do tomorrow, what they’d want for breakfast, anything really. Heizou’s the first to fall asleep, after he curls himself around Aether in an inescapable death grip to insure he won’t be able to leave in the middle of the night without waking anyone else. Kazuha falls asleep next in the middle of his speech, causing Albedo and Aether to chuckle and joke about it for a few minutes after. Albedo then falls asleep last, after wishing Aether a goodnight and almost saying ‘Sleep well’ despite knowing he won’t sleep at all.

Aether opens one of the many books he’s read before, in similar situations of the others forcing him to at least lay down with them. He won’t sleep, but it’s nice to have the comfort of people he trusts being beside him in a moment of repose such as this. They can’t hear Aether but he speaks anyways.

“Goodnight, sweet dreams.”

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1041: Whatever it Takes (Sonic)

10:32 p.m. at G.U.N. High Tech Secret Computer Room.......

Eggman: (Tries Typing in the Access Codes on G.U.N.'s Computer Before Letting Out an Annoyed Glare) ('Ugggh') Of all the lousy-This is the sixth time this heap of junk has kicked me out of the blasted sever! (Lays his Head on the Palm of his Hand) I knew G.U.N.'s security and access systems are a challenge to crack, but I didn't think it would get THIS frustrating......

Metal Sonic: ('Mechanical Scarp Noise')

Eggman: (Rolls his Eyes) Yes, I know we've been in here for the past hour or so, but until we find the necessary inputs we need to bring my little girl back to life, we are not leaving of this room! Now be more patient! I need a few seconds to think.

Metal turns way from his creator with arms crossed as the doctor himself begins take one deep breath to maintain his thought process.

Eggman: Calm yourself, Robotnik. You been in this kind of situation multiple times before in the past, this isn't any different. It's not like it could get any worse from he-

'A-HEM'

Eggman begins to get startled up from his seat and Metal starts getting into battle position as they turn to see Shadow the Hedgehog slowly walking out of the shadows.

Shadow: Doctor, Metal. Fancy seeing you two in here this evening.

Eggman: S-S-Shadow! Uhh....(Smiles Very Awkwardly) L-Long time no see! W-What brings you here on this.....fine evening?

Shadow: Well, I was going to clock out for the night, visiting my family and whatnot. That is......(Glares Narrowly at the Duo) Until I noticed two, very familiar trespassers infiltrating a highly classified computer room in the middle of the night. Care to explain why that's the case?

Eggman: .....Uhh....(Turns to Metal Sonic) We're here for......(Slowly Turns Back to Shadow With an Awkward Smile on his Face) Research purposes?

Metal Sonic: (Starta Nodding to this Statement)

Shadow: (Stares at Eggman and Metal For a Few Seconds Before Letting Out a Sigh) Okay. Let me rephrase that: either you tell you why you two are really here....(Creates a Green Bright Like Energy on the Palm of his Hand With a Menacing Glare in his Eyes) or I'll end your existence in the next three seconds. (Slowly Walks Towards the Duo) One......Two......-

Eggman: Alright, fine! I'll confess! The real reason why Metal and I are here is so we could find the exact coding, inputs and steps needed to restore back my daughter's physical form.

Shadow: You.....(Raises an Eyebrow as The Green Engery Disappears From his Hand) Have an actual daughter.

Eggman: Shocker, I know. But it's the truth nonetheless. Her name is Sage Robotnik. She's an A.I I created with the sole purpose to hack into the Starfall Island to find any secrets that lies within. As well as beating Sonic at his own game as per usual, but that's beside the point. Our....(Starts Scratching Behind his Head With a Bit of a Guilty Look on his Face) relationship hasn't gone off to a good start at first, but hopefully if the process comes out successful, then maybe.....I could do whatever I can to change all of that. May take a while, but-

Eggman starts noticing Shadow staring at him with narrow, doubtful look in his eyes.

Eggman: Wait, why are you staring at me? (Starts Glaring at Shadow) Are you actually going to believe that I'm making all of this up as I go along!?

Shadow: ('Sigh') Look, it's not that I DON'T want to believe you. (Crosses his Arms Together) But you do have a history of being dishonest.

Eggman: ('Scoffs') Oh please. Name one time!

Shadow: Well, for starters, you never bother to give me any details on what happened to me during the Ark. Let alone if I was truly who I said I was or not.

Eggman: I.....never had the chance to give you a thorough answer on the issues at hand. Far too busy.

Shadow: (Raises an Eyebrow) Trying to destroy me and my team?

Eggman: You kept getting in my way! Not as bad as Sonic, but you're a close second!

Shadow: (Rolls his Eyes) Right. Back on the topic of dishonesty, there were also times where you tricked Knuckles into working for you on numerous occasions.

Eggman: How else was I supposed to get the Master Emerald without him suspecting anything? And it's not my fault he kept being gullible.

Metal Sonic: ('Scrap Noise')

Eggman: (Turns Back to Metal) Oh come on. You're still gung-ho about that? It was a long time ago! Get over it!!

Metal Sonic: (Turns Away From the Doctor While Making More Scrap Noises)

Eggman: Don't you dare try and get smart with me, you bucket of boils. I'm STILL your creator!!

Metal Sonic: ('Scrap Noise')

Shadow: Using One of Metal's claws as a backscratcher without him noticing. That's low, even for you.

Eggman: (Turns Back to Shadow With a Sharp Glare) Stay out of this, Hedgehog or so help me-

'Beep Beep Beep'

'Beep Beep Beep'

Shadow: Hold that thought. (Press his Finger on One of the Ear Pieces He's Wearing) Shadow's speaking.

Omega: (Speaks From the Other Line of the Call) Shadow, my tracker reads that you are located inside the classified computer room. Are there any intruders spotted inside the facility?

Shadow: Wel-

Eggman: (In a Hushed Voice) Shadow wait!

Shadow slowly turns his head to the doctor to let him speak

Eggman: ('Sigh Heavily') Okay, look, I know my years of villainy and our countless banters between one another has already proven your suspension of me in more ways than none, but believe me when I say that this is something I DESPERATELY need to accomplish more than anything else right now! For the past few days, I have been feeling nothing but a deep amount of regret and guilt for the way I've mistreated my own daughter since the day escaped from that cursed cyberspace dimension. And I want nothing more than to start over and make things right with her and this computer in front of me is the only chance I have into making it a reality! So please, Shadow. For once......(A Tear Staets Falling Down From his Eyes) let me try and do something right for once in my excruciating life.

Shadow stares deep into the doctor's eyes and Metal's claw softly reaching out for his creator's shoulder as he barely let the words of his name come out from his mouth. Eggman has been known as lot of things to Shadow and most of his acquaintance over the years: evil, curel, calculus, egotisic, selfish, a sore loser, the list goes on. But he never thought would ever see him get so.... sincere and emotional over something he cares about until now, let alone an A.I. he has already considered as his own child. Before he could process this any further, he starts hearing Omega's voice again from his earpiece.

Omega: Shadow, do you still copy?

Shadow: (Place his Two Fingers Back on the Earpiece) Yeah, I'm still here. Sorry I haven't answered back to you earlier, I wanted to make sure there wasn't intruders present in the area. (Turns Back to Eggman Once More Before Letting Out a Sigh of his Own) And luckily for us, there seems to be no else one present in here except me. Tell Rouge I'll meet you two outside in a few.

Omega: Affirmative. Over and out.

Eggman: (Eyes Widened a Bit at Shadow Turning Off his Earpiece) You're.....actually not going to rat us out?

Shadow: (Shrugs) You said you wanted to look for the correct coding and inputs for your daughter's revival, right? Might as well make this opportunity count while you still have the chance. (Raises an Eyebrow) If you're clever enough to find them that is.

Eggman: ('Scoffs') Oh please. Do you have any idea who you're talking to right now? I am the most evilest scientist this world has privilege to offer! I can crack down anything- ('YAWN') In....a matter of seconds.

Shadow: .....Right. (Turns Around and Walk Away) Good luck with that then-

Eggman: Shadow!

Shadow: (Turns his Head Back to Eggman) Hm?

Eggman: (Gives One Sincere Nod to the Ultimate Lifeform) Thank you.

Shadow: (Stares at the Doctor For a Brief Second Before Nodding Back at Him) Have a Happy Holidays, Doctor. (Disappears in a Flashly Green Light)

Eggman: (Takes One Deep Breath) Alright, then. It seems we're wasting enough time as it is. (Turns Back to the Computer and Begins Typing) Let's get back work, Metal.

Metal Sonic: ('Scrap Noise')

The Next Morning, Eggman's Laboratory.......

?????'s P.O.V

????: (Slowly Opens her Eyes as She Wakes Up From What Felt Like Long Slumber) Nrgh.....Wha....(Turns and Looks Around to See a Room Full of Machines and Inventions) W-Where.....am I?

Eggman: (Walks Into the Room) Ah, it seems you're finally awake now, Sage.

Sage: F-Father? Is that really you?

Eggman: In the flesh. It took some time, but we've finally brought you back to your physical form.

Sage: Y....You have?

Eggman: (Moves a Nearby Mirror and Piece it in Front of Sage's Viewpoint) Take a look for yourself.

Sage turns her attention towards the mirror in front her. As she uses both of her hands to place and softly pats on both cheeks, her eyes slowly begins widens in genuine surprise at the sight of herself being real, no longer an A.I. she originally was beforehand.

Sage: Father....you.....(Turns Back to Eggman) truly went out of you way to do this for me?

Eggman: (Simply Nodded with a Small, Sincere Smile) That's right. I wouldn't be able keep moving with my life knowing that my own daughter isn't there to live with me.

Sage places her hand on her chest as heart begins to melt by her father's words in silence.

Eggman: Now, unfortunately, I have to limit the amount of abilities you had when you started out as an A.I. But I was able to bring back your flight ability.

Sage turns her body to edge of the chair she was sleeping on and hops off it before noticing her feet is hovering above the floor. It wasn't long for the awaken girl to her flight to the test by flying across the room causing her to start giggling a little after a few seconds or so later.

Eggman: Having fun up there, my dear?

Sage: Most certainly!~ I've never realize how exciting it would be to fly around in this exact- (Suddenly Begins to Gasps Loudly at the Blue Robotic Figure Walking into the Laboratory) Father! (Points at the Robot in Question) what who in the word is that?~

Metal Sonic: (Raised an Circuit Eyebrow at the Hovering Little Girl) ('Scrap Noise')

Eggman: That, my dear Sage, is one of my greatest creations known to men, Metal Sonic. Created solely to best that pesky blue hedgehog in every way possible with a little mix of mechanical figures of course.

Sage: (Flew Over to Wjere Metal is Standing and Examines Him) Such machinery......(Picks Up Metal's Hand) clever enchantments.......and an overall design that screams intimidation- ('Gasps') Wait. If he is deemed as one of your creations, then....does this .....(Eyes Begins to Sparkle With Hope) makes us siblings?~

Eggman: (Turns his Eyes Towards Metal For a Few Seconds Before Turning Back to Sage) Uhh.....(Smiles a Bit Awkwardly) Y-Yes! You are very much related in this household. In fact, since I've created Metal very much before you were even a thought means that he would be your strong, big brother.

Metal slowly turns his head to Eggman in a disbelief fashion.

Sage: Metal?

Metal turns back to Sage in question.

Sage: Is what father said is true? Are you.....(Eyes Begins to Widened in an Innocent, Hopeful Sense) really my older brother?

Metal turns back at Eggman who motions his hands while silently telling him to tell his daughter "Yes" before turning back to the curious girl, mentally sighing to himself to oblivion.

Metal Sonic: ('Scrap Noise')

Eggman: ........He says "yes" by the way.

Sage: (Let Out an Excited Squeal as She Happily Gives the Robotic Sonic Copy a Loving Hug) This is wonderful news~ I truly hope that our newly established relationship from here on out, will grow and develop ever fondly as the years go by.

Metal makes more scrap noises while slowly and gently Safe on the back as blush begins to appear on his metal cheeks.

Eggman: D'awwwwww~ Are those blushes I see, Metal?

Sage: ('Gasps') My goodness, they are. (Places Her Hand Onto Metal's Forehead Woth a Concern Look on her Face) You're not having a fever, are you?

Eggman: Oh no, robots don't have fevers, dear. He's just happy to have you as your little sister is all.

Metal: (Glares at Eggman While Making More Scrap Noises)

Eggman: (Glares Back at the Robot) Oh don't look at me like that. I know you're enjoying her company already! Anyways, my other creations, Orbot and Cubot, are still charging up at the moment. So you're gonna have to introduce yourself to them later.

Sage: (Let Out Yet Another Gasp as Her Eyes Starts Sparkle Again) More siblings!~

Eggman: (Chuckles Lightly) Yes, yes. ('YAWN') More....siblings.

Sage: (Notices a Small,, Holographic Chart Begins to Pop Up in the Viewpoint of One of her Eyes) Father, my reading are telling me that your exhaustion levels are in an all time high. (Frowns Worryingly) Have you've been getting enough rest as of late?

Eggman: ('Heh') I wish. I've been too busy bringing you back to the living that I hardly got any chance get some proper shut eye let alone ever setting foot on my own bedroom- (Suddenly Felt Something Pushing Him) 'Ack'- H-Hey!

Sage: (Pushes Her Father Out of the Laboratory, Much to Resistance) Appalling. This will not do at all.

Eggman: (Turns his Head at Sage With An Annoued Glare on his Face) Sage Ivo Robotnik, what on Earth do you think you are doing now, young lady!?

Sage: (Pouts as She Continues to Push Eggman) Returning you back to your sleeping area. While I very much appericate your efforts in bringing back to life in, you are in desperate need of a proper rest, mister.

Eggman: (Groans While Rolling his Eyes) Honestly, do you really think I don't know that already? At least let me make you and Metal breakfast first before anything else. You must be hungry.

Sage: (Suddenly Felt her Tummy Growling as She Places her Hand on It) Hm. It seems I am in need of a balance meal at the moment.....(Turns to Metal Behind Her) What about you, brother?

Metal: (Nodded in Agreement With his Thumb Up)

Sage: (Turns Back to her Father) Very well. We will let you make us breakfast for the time being. (Wiggles her Finger Up and Down at Eggman in a Motherly Like Fashion) After that, it's straight to bed with you, Father!

Eggman: ('Sigh') Yes, yes. I hear you loud and clear. Just don't worry about too much, okay?

Sage: (Smiles Softly as She Tilt her Head to the Side a Little) Only if you promise to take more care of yourself for now on, father. Your health is just as important as the both of us after all.

Metal: (Nodded in Agreement)

Eggman: (Slowly Starts to Smile Back his Newly Found Family in Front of Him) ('Hmph') Don't I know it.

@keyenuta

@cyber-wildcat

@ma-lemons

@albion-93