#probably not right away but like a hey his nephew is like the same age as me did that happen to him too thought that would occur later

[newtonsheffield]

Does Kate ever get jealous when women more of Anthonys age flirt with him? I can imagine that she is very secure in their love and she knows what she wants, but you wrote that Anthony worries a bit, that she is not ready for the things he is ready for, but is it also the other way round? That Kate worries, that anthony will get tired of waiting for her?

Oh absolutely.

Kate loves Anthony, she knows she wants to spend the rest of her life with Anthony. That’s what she wants. But she’s 22. She knows one day she wants to have a family, or she would if she was with the right person but it seems pretty set in stone now that she’s with Anthony. But sometimes she worries that Anthony’s ready for things she’s not. She sees how happy he is with his nephew and nieces and she loves that. She loves how happy he is, but it makes her chest ache sometimes.

“Do you want to have kids?”

Anthony drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, watching her carefully, “Um… I wasn’t sure until… I’m the only one of my older siblings that doesn’t have kids and I… felt like I sort of missed my chance probably. But now I… yeah I want to have kids. Do you want kids?”

She nodded slowly, “Yeah, one day I want kids. My kids would be cute, feels as though I should bless the world with them.”

Anthony smiled, leaning over to kiss her gently, “Your kids will be cute.”

It felt warm in her chest, that he wanted the same thing she did, but it made her nervous as well, that he would want it sooner than she did. That that would be what ruined them in the end. And it truly wasn’t that she didn’t trust Anthony, it wasn’t that. She knew there were men who thought it was good for their ego, to date younger women then cast them aside and tell them they were too young, too immature. That wasn’t Anthony. He made her feel so secure in who she was, in their relationship all the time. But still she wondered.

She wondered when she saw him with his nephew and nieces and she wondered when she saw other women batting their eyelashes at him. Not that she blamed them. He was handsome, made more handsome in her opinion by the salt and pepper patches at the temples of his hair, and the self assured smile he gave the journalist as she leaned into the microphone. It annoyed her, the way the woman was smiling at him, her hand on his bicep as though he wsn’t wearing a hat with Kate’s name splashed across the front, and his sneakers weren’t printed with her name: the first pair of men’s shoes they’d ever made in her line. And part of her wondered if he wouldn’t be happier, with someone he didn’t have to wait for. With someone he wouldn’t have to leave space for, because he was scared that they were too young.

“Enjoy the Australian open Anthony!” The woman said and Anthony waved as he stepped back, grinning at the camera. “ One last thing: Who are you tipping to win?”

“Who else? SharmaRama all the way!”

“And the men?”

“Oh! No bloody idea!”

“Hey you.” Anthony grinned at her as he caught her around the waist, kissing her cheek.

Kate nodded as they walked away, his arms still around her waist, back towards where her car was waiting for them, and she hated the jealousy that was still rippling through her.

“Everything okay?”

Kate nodded again, “Fine.”

Anthony eyes narrowed as the car pulled forward and he opened the door, sliding in behind her, “In my experience people only say they’re fine when they’re not. Want to talk about it?”

“Would I have to squeeze your bicep while we do?” She hated how childish it sounded, thrown at him. Something that wasn’t even his fault and she sighed as she blinked at him, “I’m sorry that was… dickish.”

Anthony took her hand, squeezing it gently, “I didn’t think that would bother you, I’m sorry.”

Kate rolled her eyes, “That didn’t bother me. You’re cute, and charming and you’re wearing my sneakers and I feel like I’m taking something from you because I’m not ready for everything you are.”

Anthony wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her tight against his chest, “I’m… not really following the train of thought but I’m sorry if you feel like I’m pressuring you but I… only want to do things you’re ready for. When I told you I knew I wanted kids now I meant because I met you and you’re the only person that I’ve ever seen myself having a family with. I am ready when you are and until then: I’m perfectly happy with our relationship.”

Kate relaxed against his chest, tucking her face against his neck, “I don’t think you’re pressuring me, I just… I love you and I’m really happy and I’m sorry I was a dick to you: You look very cute in your Kate Sharma tennis shoes.”

He kissed the top of her head, “I love you too: And seriously Nike needs to be making these in Men’s sizes for sale: I have had at least 4 men ask me if I’d sell mine.”

[howlingday]

on a scale of Gomez Addams to Vernon Dursley (for treatment of Harry not Dudley) where do you think Jaune's dad falls in terms of neglect?

Hm... That's a pretty good scale.

Gomez is especially attentive of his kids, and though his enthusiasm may get taken away when praising one of his kids, he will quickly shift gears to support his other child, though it may take some guidance from his wife, Morticia, like we've seen in the animated series. So, let's put him at... 10.

Vernon Dursley is... clearly at the bottom of the scale, even if his weight scale only shows three digits, considering he puts more attention and care to his biological son than to his adopted son/nephew. Dudley has his own room while Harry sleeps in a storage space under the stairs. To be honest, the only good Dursley in the house is Dudley, though he starts off as an entitled shit, he actually apologizes to Harry later on for how horribly he treated him (sure, I only know this because it's in a deleted scene, but eh). So yeah, 1.

Obviously, there are worse fathers in media, just like there are better fathers in media. Now, let's look at Jaune's dad and... Oh... Uh... It seems he's... misplaced... Not to worry, though! We can just look at what kind of person he was based on what his kids are like.

First off, we have Jaune's dad's "infamous" quote of "all you need is confidence". And I put infamous in quotations because people don't like that this was something he learned from his dad. But, to be honest, I think this is a great first step. Jaune's dad is clearly offering life advice for his son. It's not perfect advice, but it is good advice, especially for a lanky teenager like Jaune who only just decided to become a huntsman.

People will harp on Jaune's dad, saying that he should have trained his son to be a huntsman, but... I don't think Jaune wanted to be a huntsman until he was much older. Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and probably everyone else in the show already had training under their belts from an early age and chose to go to Beacon to continue their training so they can become huntresses. Jaune... didn't, if I'm assuming right. Jaune basically did the same thing as hopping on a bus for boot camp- Wait, no. No, it's more like he jumps into a platoon, SKIPPING boot camp so that he can get that OJT. Then again, there's probably a better analogy for this, but my point is that I don't blame Jaune's inexperience as much on his dad as I do on Jaune himself.

BUT there's also one scene that shows us what kind of parents Jaune's dad AND mom were like. Jaune says in V3 that when he left for Beacon, his parents told him "Hey, if this doesn't work out, you can always come home". Normally, this is common rhetoric for parents telling their kids that they can always fall back to their family whenever they fail. But Jaune interpreted this as "You are going to fail, and we'll see you when you do". Jaune believes his parents don't believe in him, which, if you consider they raised him, they probably have good evidence to believe this.

That said, let's look at how Jaune's sister turned out. Saphron, whom we meet in V6, is a married homemaker mom who opens her home to her brother and his many, many, many friends. That said, I want to take this time to say that if my sister dropped in on me with a dozen people looking to crash for the night, I'm... hesitant... to welcome anyone but her into my home. But Saphron, champion Arc that she is, welcomes everyone. Overall, Saphron seems happy, like, genuinely happy with her son and wife. She even goes along with Jaune's plan to steal the bullhead from Cordovin.

I'm probably speculating here, but I think there's two ways to look at this. You could either see this as "Mama and Papa Arc kicked out their daughter and she's much happier having left them" OR "Papa and Mama Arc raised their kids to rely on each other because family always helps family". Me, I prefer the ladder, and the second of the two options.

So on a scale between "maliciously neglectful papa" and "accidentally neglectful but still well-meaning papa", I would put Papa Arc higher on the scale simply for the fact that Jaune and Saphron don't really have anything to say about their parents being neglectful, intentionally harmful, or in any real negative light. But they still let Jaune run off to be a Huntsman with the family sword, so... 8/10. Good parents, but not perfect. He's no Bandit, that's for sure.

[dorcas0meadows0kisserrr]

To be a stupid kid

Summary: war takes kids and turns them into weapons. Time to learn how to be stupid and free.

Luna lovegood is the person to thank when you really think about this. During her stay at Malfoy manor the youngest Malfoy couldn’t bring him self to hurt her, they talked and talked and talked and Luna took it upon herself to help him and she claimed him as her cousin. Putting herself in harms way for him and in return he did the same, Draco became a “spy” at the age of 17 for the love of a cousin and a promise that his mother would be saved. He learned a lot from his cousin like understanding, empathy and freedom. Understanding wasn’t hard to learn and since empathy was basically the same thing he didn’t have problems with that too. Freedom was something new. He been told how to walk, talk, eat and even breathe since he could remember. His father had squeezed every imperfection from his son, making sure His heir was perfect. The freedom to show emotions and unique-ness wasn’t a luxury the Malfoys had. At first in his younger years he had fought back sometime slouching and not tucking in his shirt. But the punishment outweighed the luxury so he stopped. The short and tidy hair when first, it looked like a pearly white version of his ‘cool aunt’ ( what she called herself ). She was removed from the house of black when she chose love over family.

“Did you know you have a nephew?” She said in the softest tone imaginable. “No, auntie Andy……will we be introduced?” Tears came to my eyes and dropped into my tea. I don’t know why I started crying the world started to feel bigger. like it was growing, moving on and the small smile I wore started to grow with it. “Yes I suppose I don’t have the right to deny you, your family.” She looked at me smirking from the top of her teacup. like she understood why I started crying, like she understood the feeling of the world that was once on her shoulders weighing her down keeping her down….slipping away, and I wanted to hug her. “Auntie Andy?”…“Yes Draco?”…………“May I hug you?” The tears that came from her eyes felt weird to look at this is probably ‘the empathy’ luna talked about. She walked around her coffee table and wrapped her arms around me and I froze up. Feeling arms around me, supporting me made me feel small. She squeeze me and I squeezed her back burying my head in her shoulder ( which was quite awkward, considering our height difference). She let me cry and sniffle on her for hours. I felt like a child again….. it felt amazing to be a child again.

“Teddy!!! you come back here!!” I was chasing a toddler. A really fast toddler but still- my mind healer will be hearing about this. He was naked and how could you take off all your clothes but not climb up or down the stairs? Like what??? “TEDWARD!!” He started to climb down the stairs….what. the. fuck. You know whoever ruling this sad, stupid planet, you can just say you don’t like me. “ARRY!!” I practically tripped down the stairs to see my mess of a nephew hugging his godfather’s neck. Naked. God I love that stupid child. “Hey Draco, I’m sorry your mom said it was fine- umm you look- umm” I looked down at my self. Gryffindor red, soaked broomstick and snitch pj pants that clearly didn’t fit me by the way it was hanging from my waist. A not so plain white t-Shirt with the ‘drawings’ of Tedward because I let him have his crayons in the bath and baby powder that was visible because of it. Barefooted and holding teddy’s onesie and diaper and knowing my hair, I probably look like my other aunt. And I started laughing at myself. “Oh potter take that wicked beast.” I giggle out as teddy got let down to his feet and ran over to me. “Rak-o?” I kneel down and pick him up in all of his nakedness and kiss his forehead. “Harry?? mate what’s taking so long??? This place gives me the creeps.” Weasley walks into my room flanked by Granger and the Ginevra who meet my eye and laugh in my face. I hate the Ginevra it’s not a secret, but my cousin loves her so I have to stand her.“Find something funny Ginevra??” “That’s a stupid question to ask rak-o”

“DONT CALL ME THAT WEASEL!!!” I giggle out, my death glare dying as I try to keep a straight face. I hate the Ginevra. “Hello Draco.” Granger said with a small smile trying not to laugh too. “hi Granger, hi Weasley, fuck you weasel and give me a second Potter.” I turn on my heel and start back up the stairs and coos at the little trouble maker in my arms. Then a small pop sounds right next to me “Does master Draco want me to set up refreshments for our guests.” “Thank you twinkle but I’m just fixing up this beast, I won’t take too long.”

“Actually rak-o, I’m pretty thirsty so a drink would be lovely twinkle.” I could feel, hear and smell the stupid smirk of the evil witch of the east (or was it west-) doesn’t matter she is wicked and evil and I hate her. “Twinkle please don-“ pop, and she was gone. I reach the top and turned to mines and teddy’s quarter flipping off the Ginevra.

I came back out with a fully clothed teddy to see the group space out across my sitting room. Granger looking through my bookshelf with so much interest that I smile. Weasley and the Ginevra was sitting down drinking the lemonade twinkle set out laughing about something probably (something about me). Potter was looking at my pictures on my fireplace his face back to stony stoic-ness and I laughed. I waved off the group promising to curse their families if anything happened to my nephew as i gave my nephew one more kiss on the forehead granger asked. “Are you going back to Hogwarts??” I laughed. “Of course, I need my NEWTs.” Granger broke out in a triumphant smile. “Exactly what I was saying can you believe that Harry and Ron don’t want to?” “Hermione why do I ‘The Savior of the Wizarding World’ needs NEWTs?” “Because you hate getting special treatment cause of your name and a war you shouldn’t have even been a part of.” I said looking him in his eyes and holding out my nephew. “Exactly, thank you Draco.”

Granger walked out with her head high following the 2 Weasleys. “yeah, thank you Draco.” Potter said taking my nephew in his arms and walking after them

Should I continue? 

[x-xhiro]

I wonder if Aimeric had some jealousy of Laurent and how much did he know of Laurent's abuse they shared. Since the regent’s abuse of both Aimeric and Laurent had to overlap somewhat. The reason I think Aimeric had deluded himself with the regent’s lies and jealously is how he talks to Laurent near his end in PG. There was a weight of “he loves me, unlike you.” to what he said, before the shattering of delusion.

[dr3amscap3]

𝐒𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄┊𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐊𝐀 𝐊. 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐀 𝐊.

-Cheka K. to Leona K.

-Genre: Angst

-POV (Cheka's)

-Platonic

-Summary: Perhaps their relationship can never be fixed but... Cheka will always admire his dearest Unca. Cheka would always want to make his Unca happy and proud... even if... he has to say bye...

-Warning: Angst, Death, Implied Suicide, Mentions of Choking, Mentions of Starving Oneself, and Mentions of Cutting

-Note: Cheka is ten years old in this oneshot, the age when my dark thoughts started coming into play. 

-Note(2): This is not an x reader 

-Note(3): Leona, Ruggie, and Cheka’s relationships are merely platonic and familial

-Word Count: 1k+

Hey Unca...

I hope you're happier now! I hope everyone is happier now! After all... I won't be here to bother anyone anymore.

I'm annoying right? I'm sorry if I was too overbearing Unca... I'm so sorry!

But... now that I'll be gone, you'll be next in line! Isn't that great Unca?

Aren't you happy about that?

I hope you are... after all I'm doing this for you Unca!

But please... did I do a good job? Did I get good enough grades for you? Did I outshine Ruggie-san at least once?

I probably could never outshine Ruggie-san, after all... he's much better than me, right?

I try to hate you... but I can't... after all, you're my dearest Unca!

But please... did I... did I make you proud? At least once? If I did then I'm happy.

I couldn't wait to be king but to see you all alone... I realized your happiness matters more than mine...

No matter how much you push me away...

No matter how formal we both get with each other...

No matter how many times you tell me to leave you alone...

No matter how many times you aren't there for me but are there for him...

No matter how many times I try to outshine him but fail...

No matter how many times I cry but you aren't there...

No matter how many times I accomplish something and you don't even bat an eye...

No matter how many times you hurt me...

You're still my hero Unca...

Do you think... you could wave at me up in the sky?

Perhaps you could smile at me like you used to?

Even if it's not directed at me, I wish to see you smile, laugh, and show many other emotions...

But tell me... it would always be him, right?

No matter how hard I try...

No matter how much I hurt...

No matter how high my grades get...

It'll always be him, right?

If you had to pick who lives and who dies you would most definitely choose him, right?

I can't hate Ruggie-san...

After all... he's perfect...

I just- I just wish you would love me as you love him...

You treat like your own nephew or family of some sort, it's unfair!

Why... why can't you look at me like that?

Why can't you smile at me like that?

Why can't you care for me like that?

Just why... can't you love me anymore...

I did everything you asked for... I left you alone, didn't I...

So why? Why can't you love me?

Aren't I good enough for you?

Do I have to tear at my skin, do I have to choke myself till I break out into a coughing fit?

Do I need to starve myself till I see my ribcage peaking out?

Tell me what else do I need to do to get you to love me?

Do I...

Do I really have to kill myself for you to love me?

Do I really need to do that for your approval and your love?

If so well then here I am...

I'm a tad sad that I didn't get my wish for you to love me though Unca.

No matter how hard I prayed.

No matter how hard I bowed down and praised you.

No matter how much I loved you with all my heart.

No matter how much I cared for you!

It just wasn't good enough, wasn't it...

I wasn't good enough...

It was always Ruggie-san...

I hate how I can't hate you so bad!

I'm supposed to hate you!

Yet... why does it still hurt inside Unca?

Why does it hurt so much?

Why do I want to hate you so bad?

Why can't I hate you?

Why do I still love you no matter what you did to me?!

Why do I still look at you with warmth in my heart when you won't do the same?!

It's unfair, why are you unfair?!

Why am I so selfish?!

I didn't ask to be born.

I didn't ask to be loved by my parents.

I didn't ask to be adored by the servants of our palace.

I didn't ask to be seen as some sort of king to the people.

I didn't ask for everything to be given to me on a silver platter.

Yet... the one thing I did ask for was never given to me... I'm so selfish, aren't I?

If you decide to change after this... please... give Ruggie the love you didn't give me...

You best treat him with respect fit for royalty okay?

Treat him like your little brother, or your nephew, hell even your son will do.

Just... don't make him spiral and fall as you did me.

I'm not telling you it's your fault that I ended up like this...

I'm not telling you it was all on you...

I still remember those times when I was younger.

It was those times where I felt your love though you had a hard time showing it...

I remember that one time we went out to the mall together! You let me buy a ton of stuff that I adored! But now... you do that for Ruggie...

I remember going out and eating steak with you. But of course... Ruggie had to take my place.

Do you see him as family more than you do us?

Tell me... what did I need to do?

Well never mind that I suppose... after all, I won't be here to do it...

But please... whenever you look at the sky... smile and wave at me okay?

I want to see you live your best life, even if that means it's a life without me!

I want only the best for you Unca!

You deserve it after all!

If you ever feel bad about this, don't. I wish for you to laugh at my memory, I wish for you to laugh at how silly I was back then...

I always questioned why was I born.

I realized I was born to be happy.

But I can't be happy in this life, not when you are suffering.

So as my last apology...

I'm sorry for troubling you.

I just wanted to protect you... like the way, you protected me back then.

After all, we're family, right? That's what families do, they protect each other...

But Ruggie-san is your family now...

I don't want to die... but you've suffered so much because of me...

I want you to be happy Unca!

Because my Unca is the nicest person in the world...

Goodbye Unca...

All my love...  -Cheka Kingscholar

ANOTHER SELF-INDULGENT FIC, SEVENS!

Tags: @deimospheres​ @kitsuwolfy​

[biggest-stupidhead]

Bad Timing (Levi x reader) Part 7

Summary: How do you tell your friends that you’re falling for your big brother’s best friend? 

Word Count: 4.1K

__

Due to the small size of your town, you had to drive three full hours to a larger airport with flights that were going to New York, where Levi would board a plane that would take him across the ocean. To say that the car ride was awkward would be an understatement, at the last moment Kenny had decided that he wanted to see his nephew off, so you had to leave earlier than planned to pick him up. Luckily there was plenty of room in Erwin's old mini van for all of you. Your mom drove, Kenny sat in the passenger seat, Erwin and Levi sat in the middle row, leaving Hange and you crammed in the back with Levi's luggage.

Your mom and Kenny were getting along well as far as you could tell, talking about their jobs and holiday plans.

"Hey, why don't you join us on Christmas?" you couldn't help but gape in surprise at your mother's words. Kenny scoffed and shook his head, amused at her suggestion.

"That's kind of you but I wouldn't want to impose." the man said, shaking his head as he chuckled at your mother's words.

"No seriously, we have plenty of room and besides my brother is bringing one of his good friends." your mother shrugged, her eyes still trained on the road. You noticed that Levi and Erwin both had tensed in front of you, trying to seem uninterested in the conversation happening in the front of the car. Hange had both her ear buds in so she was completely oblivious to the conversation.

"Well, it would be rude of me to say no now wouldn't it?" Kenny smirked at your mom who only smirked and nodded in agreement.

"It would be pretty rude." she teased, Kenny smiled impishly at her before turning to look out at the passing scenery.

__

As expected the airport was bustling, families rushing into the building and cars lined bumper to bumper picking up people and dropping them off just the same. Business men in suits were everywhere, as were recreational travelers dressed in sweats and casual wear. Your mom parked the car and all of you helped Levi gather his bags. You watched as Levi tugged at the neckline of his black hoodie before slinging his carry on bag across his back. Erwin sat his large suit case down in front of Levi, who was dusting himself off. Once Levi was pleased with his appearance you all made your way into the airport, it wasn't long before you had weighed his luggage and were heading towards security. You came to a halt outside of security, stepping aside so you could say goodbyes without hindering other travelers. Your mom was first, she pulled out an envelope and handed it to Levi, a soft smile on her lips. Levi furrowed his brows and took the envelope to examine the contents.

"Think of it as an early birthday present from all of us." Your mom explained as he pulled the flap back his eyes widened and he quickly shoved the envelope back towards your mom.

"I can't accept this." he said as his face turned dark.

"Please, you don't have to spend it." your mom urged, pushing the envelope back to his chest. He rolled his eyes and slung the backpack off his back to push the money into the bag.

"Fine, thank you very much." he murmured as he heaved the bag back over his shoulder. Your mom smiled sweetly and pulled Levi into a hug, he wrapped his arm around her and allowed her to hold him. After your mom let go of him she patted his shoulder affectionately. Erwin was next, he shamelessly hugged Levi who awkwardly patted his broad shoulder, the hug wasn't long which wasn't surprising. As soon as the pair separated Hange jumped Levi and rocked him as she held him tightly. Finally it was your turn, just like all the other hugs Levi only wrapped one arm around you, and the embrace was brief. He didn't hug his uncle, only nodded tersely in his direction, Kenny returned the sentiment and then Levi grabbed his bag and stalked towards the long winding line to get through security.

"Have a safe trip Levi!" Hange yelled, waving enthusiastically after him.

"Don't forget to call!" your mom called, an affectionate smile on her face. Levi simply lifted his hand lazily to acknowledge the two as he got in line. As soon as you were sure that he was well on his way to reaching his flight in time your little group made your way back out to the parking lot to start the long drive home.

__

Traffic had been horrendous on the way back home, making the drive about an hour longer than it would have been. Your mom invited Kenny over for tea, and to your surprise he agreed. Erwin and Hange already had reservations at a local Italian restaurant, and you would rather be caught dead than spending the rest of your day with your mom and Levi's eccentric uncle. So you texted Jean.

"Want to do homework tonight?"

"Of course, name a time and place and I'll be there ;)"

You smiled at your phone as you typed out a quick reply.

"How about the Cover Cove around 5:00?"

"Great, I think that they have a live band playing tonight."

"Really? That sounds fun, is that going to bother you if we're trying to study?"

"No, I don't expect to do much studying anyway...I'll be too distracted by your beauty."

You rolled your eyes, he's always so cheesy. You chuckled and replied with a laughing emoji and a heart emoji. Not long after you sent Jean your reply your mom pulled into your driveway and parked the car. You all piled out of the car and into the house, your mom and Kenny settled into the kitchen while Erwin and Hange slunk off into Erwin's room to get ready for their date. You retreated into your own room to prepare your things for your outing this evening. You changed into a pair of mom jeans and a white chunky knit sweater. You packed your bag and checked the time, you had about thirty minutes before Jean would come pick you up. You wandered down the stairs to grab a snack, your mom and Kenny were still in the kitchen drinking tea, you'd only seen Kenny a handful of times. Whenever you had seen him he wore a scowl or a smug smirk, but this time he looked thoughtful, and intrigued.

"-so in order to stop the bleeding I had to stick my fingers in the wound." your mom was waving her hands with enthusiasm as she recalled the events of one of her favorite ER patients. A story that you knew well, a man came in with a gun wound, he'd been shot by his buddy on accident while they were out hunting. To stop the bleeding she had stuck her index finger and her middle fingers into the wound. At the time she had only been working at the hospital for about a week, she swears that this event paved the way to her becoming head ER nurse years later. You fixed yourself a simple sandwich and slowly began to eat it, only half listening to your mother and Kennys' conversation.

"Wait wait wait, so you're telling me that you stuck two fingers in that man's thigh?"

"Well yeah of course!" your mother scoffed into her tea cup, clearly pleased that she had captured Kenny's attention. You wondered what Kenny did for a living. Your eyes flickered to his hands, they were slender like Levi's, but they were rough with callouses. He was thin, but muscular, sharp features, cheekbones that could probably cut diamonds. If you were to see him from behind one might think that he was no older than thirty five. But the lines on his face gave away his true age, his eyes were outlined by crows feet and dark puffy bags. His beard was scraggly and reminded you of the way that the Amish men wore their beards. You were startled when your mother stood and disappeared down the hall, leaving you alone with Kenny.

"Take a picture it will last longer." Kenny drawled as he dunked his tea bag in and out of his cup.

"I'm good." you squeaked, a wave of embarrassment crashed over you, a bit ashamed at being caught. He made no move to continue the conversation but you were still to curious about why Levi despised him so much.

"Your mom makes a mean earl grey." Kenny's deep baritone filled the silence once again taking you by surprise.

"She does." you agreed, you glanced at the clock, only ten more minutes. Kenny watched you disappear up the stairs, an amused smirk spreading across his lips. He was no fool, he knew that you were apprehensive of him, most likely due to what your big brother and Levi had told you about him. And you would be right to be weary around the older man. When you returned down the stairs, your mother had already returned, she was showing Kenny a small container of screws. The screws were once in Erwin's knee, from when he had injured himself playing lacrosse back in middle school, that was a good story. You didn't want to interrupt them so you didn't say goodbye as you passed. Jean was just pulling up your driveway as you walked out the front door, loud music blaring out of his speakers. You jogged up to the passenger side and hopped in, he had turned down the music and twisted in his seat to face you. You tossed your bag into the back seat and turned to face him. Jean reached across the center counsel and cupped your cheek a fond smile on his lips.

"Hey." you giggled, a swarm of butterflies fluttering in your stomach when you noticed that he was staring at your lips.

"Hi." he whispered as he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours. You smiled into the kiss and he rubbed his thumb over your jawline. You brought your own hand up to run over the back of his neck, twisting in the seat to get a better angle in the kiss as you dipped your tongue into his mouth. Jean brushed his tongue along yours, you groaned into his mouth, another dopey smile passing over your features. Suddenly there was a loud thump on your window and you jumped away from Jean with a loud smack as you broke the kiss. You weren't surprised to see Hange with her face pressed against the window and her hands splayed out over the cool glass. The window was now fogged as she breathed heavily onto the glass and you slumped back into your seat, covering your face with a hand. Jean turned to face forward and placed both hands on his wheel in an attempt at innocence. Erwin hovered behind Hange, a frown on his face as he tugged on her shoulder to rip her away from the car. He brought two fingers to his eyes and then pointed them at you in an 'I'm watching you' gesture as he tugged Hange towards his mini van.

"Where are they going?" Jean asked as they walked off.

"Antonio's I think." you answered as you pulled your seat belt on.

"They're really dressed up." Jean noted as he watched Erwin adjust his tie as he held the car door open for Hange. Erwin wore a classy black suit with a black tie, Hange wore a deep purple silk dress that clung to her curves and ended around her mid thigh. You nodded as you watched Erwin shut the door and walk around the car to the drivers side.

"Sure are." you responded as you turned to smile at him. Jean hummed as he shifted the gear to drive and turned around after Erwin pulled out. Jean held his hand out for you which you gladly accepted. Luckily the ride wasn't too long, the town was dark except for the bright light emitting from the Cover Cove. The modest store was a secondhand book shop that doubled as a cafe. The small establishment happened to have a stage in the corner, which they used on the weekends, Fridays was slam poetry night, Saturdays was rock, and Sundays were usually jazz. Jean parked on the street and the two of you quickly gathered your things and hustled into the shop. You had to admit that you didn't come here often, so you were surprised to find out that the shop had managed to purchase the building next to them and knock out the wall to obtain more space. The book shelves that had previously occupied the majority of the space, were now all pushed to one side of the shop to your left. This opened the front of the shop up for seating, an assortment of antique tables and mismatch chairs gave the room a certain flair. The back of the shop was where you ordered drinks or food, a lone barista was manning the counter. You smiled when you recognized Marco, Jean squeezed your bicep as you weaved through the tables to reach the back to order.

"Hey guys how's it going?" Marco chirped as he pumped a syrup into someone's drink.

"Oh not too bad." Jean shrugged as he leaned against the counter, you copied him as you watched Marco finish the order he was working on.

"I didn't know you worked here." you stated with a smile as you watched Marco place the drink on the counter for the customer to retrieve.

"Yeah, it's nothing special I just work weekends." Marco gushed, a blush spreading up his neck and onto his freckled cheeks. Jean scoffed and shook his head at Marco's words.

"Oh come on nobody is crazy enough to only work weekends at a freakin book store." Jean smirked at Marco who rolled his eyes and turned to make another drink.

"At least I'll have some extra cash to spend over the summer." Marco jabbed, a playful smile on his face.

"He's right about that." you agreed with Marco and covered your mouth to hide the smile that was spreading over your face.

"Can't argue with that." Jean smiled at you and gently grabbed your wrist to pull your hand off your face. You looked down sheepishly as Jean rubbed his thumb over your pulse point on your wrist.

"Oh get a room you two." Marco scolded and made shooing motions towards you.

"Can it freckles." Jean chuckled, slipping his hand into your own. The two of you wandered to one the back tables, you draped your coat over the back of the seat and dropped your bag onto the ground. The sound of soft jazz music drifted through the air as the band of older gentlemen played on, the shop was mostly empty except for a few older people who had come to support the small band. Jean watched you pull out your laptop and begin to scroll through emails, he pretended to read his book for English. His eyes were trained on you as you chewed on your lip as you opened an assignment, he noticed how nice your hands looked as you typed, and how your jaw clenched and unclenched as you worked. You paused, lifting your gaze from your laptop and pursing your lips when you caught Jean staring.

"Getting anything done over there?" you mused as he looked down at his book, he shook his head and chuckled.

"No I can't say that I am." he smiled sheepishly as he drummed his fingers on the book.

"Shame." you shrugged and turned your attention back to your work with a smug smile, Jean gasped in mock hurt.

"You could at least give me a hand." Jean huffed as he waved his book in the air. You tilted your head in an attempt to read the cover. Their Eyes Were Watching God a great read, one of your favorites.

"Hm I dunno, if I do it's going to cost ya." you teased as you turned to work on your own homework once more.

"I'll do anything." Jean groaned, he stretched his leg out to brush against your own underneath the table. You kicked his leg in response as you continued to type, Jean sighed and slumped back in his seat. The two of you lingered in the shop until Marco began wiping down tables, sometime around nine o'clock in the evening. You left the shop, promising to come by more as you ducked out into the dark street. Jean and you playfully bumped your shoulders as you walked down the quiet street towards his car, snow crunching underfoot. He opened the door for you and you thanked him. He drove you back to your house, which was already dark, you assumed that your brother was still out with Hange and your mom was probably in bed. Jean parked his car and sighed as he turned to face you.

"Want to come in?" you asked, more out of courtesy than anything. Jean shook his head and tapped his hand against the steering wheel.

"I would but my mom is expecting me.." he blushed as he confessed, you smiled appreciating his honesty. You knew that he was usually embarrassed about his relationship with his mom.

"No that's totally fine, maybe some other time." you smiled as you leaned over to give him a peck on the lips. He smiled and slid his hand up the column of your throat as he kissed you deeper. You pulled back before it could get too spicy, a playful glint in your eye as Jean pouted.

"Another time." Jean agreed, shooting you a dazzling grin. You reached into the back seat for your bag before you opened the door and walked briskly to the house. Once you had entered safely Jean began to pull out, he honked his horn as he disappeared down the drive. You smiled after him and kicked off your shoes. You tiptoed through the house, the dated wood floors creaking under your weight as you crept up the stairs, pausing halfway up. You looked down at the dark living room, the moonlight seeping through the large windows and casting the room in a pale glow. As your eyes scanned over the space you remembered all of the memories that you had in this house, the people that you shared those memories with. But at the end of the day that was all they would be, memories. People change, they grow, that's what life is all about. Every person you meet will eventually slip away and before you know it they are a stranger.

Your stomach flipped when you imagined all the ways that Paris could change Levi. You had seen it before, one of your best friends spent two full months in Switzerland and Italy with her extended family. The girl that you knew, the girl pre Europe, had never tainted her body with alcohol or any other substance. Not that doing so was bad, it just wasn't the kind of person she was, never one to give into such temptations. When she returned at first glance you wouldn't notice the difference. She told stories of the people she had met and the fun day trips she had taken. While over seas she had pierced her bellybutton, it looked good. She had also gone to some parties with her cousins.

When she mentioned the parties it almost seemed as if she had slipped up, her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. Your friends begged for details, only being freshmen in high school you were all fresh to the party scene. She always came up with a way of changing the subject. You noticed that after the parties were mentioned she would slip into the background of your conversations, folding inward on herself. You hated it, she never did that before. You never found out why she avoided the topic, because only a few months after she returned you and the rest of your friends fully immersed yourselves in the party scene, and she did not follow.

You lost track of her after that year, she went off the grid and moved away, your friends joked that she went back to Italy. You clenched your fist around the banister, bringing you back to the present. That wouldn't happen to Levi, you wouldn't let it. Besides, you were probably just being overdramatic, it was only a month. You let out a shaky breath and continued your climb up the stairs, you felt like a ghost as you wandered down the hall to your door. Once you had reached your room, you slowly closed the door and dropped your bag. You curled your fingers around the hem of your sweater and pulled it over your head. Next you unbuttoned your jeans and shimmied out of them, you fell onto your bed and moaned into your pillow. You glanced at the alarm clock on your nightstand and frowned, it was nearing ten and there was still no sign of Erwin or Hange. Just as soon as the thought had crossed your mind you head the front door open followed by the sound of the couple kicking their shoes off and hanging up their coats. The floorboards creaked as they climbed the stairs, you waited for the sound of Erwin's squeaky door opening, but it didn't come.

"Have you heard from Levi yet?" Hange's voice was soft, almost concerned.

"Yeah actually, just as we were paying he texted me." Erwin's voice sounded heavy with exhaustion.

"That's good." Hange mumbled, you sat up in an attempt to hear more.

"Yeah, I hope that he is able to make a decision after this month." Erwin sighed, the floorboards creaked followed by a dull thump. You knew that Erwin was leaning against the wall, and Hange was probably shifting her weight like she does when she's nervous.

"Me too, I think that this trip will be really good for him." Hange affirmed, the rickety floors creaking loudly as she began to pace. You drug yourself to the edge of the bed, ready to get up and poke your head out the door to ask them what they were talking about. Just as your feet touched the cold ground Hange's pacing stopped.

"Look at me Hange. He will be fine." your brother's voice was firm.

"I know, I just..." Hange sniffled and your own eyes filled with tears.

"I just want to be there for him." she choked out, a tear rolled down your cheek, Hange never cried, especially not over Levi.

"So do I but this is the best way that we can be there for him at this time."Erwin reasoned, Hange sniffled and hiccuped a few times before you heard their footsteps retreat towards Erwin's room and you heard the sound of his door swinging open and then closed. Okay, maybe you weren't being dramatic. You stood up and staggered to your bag where your phone was, you pulled it out and unlocked it with shaky fingers. You tapped on your messages, ignoring Jean's good night text and Armin's asking for your weekly schedule for studying. Mikasa had sent you a recipe, Sasha and Connie had been sending you stupid tik toks all weekend. You typed in Levi's name, his contact popping up immediately. You hesitated, your thumb hovering over the picture of his grumpy face before you opened the message and stared at the blinking cursor. Great now what were you supposed to say.

I miss you

Don't change

How was the flight?

Forget me already?

Has it been a month yet?

You scrunched your nose in disgust as you ran through your options. All of them made you sound like a crazy bitch. You pinched the bridge of your nose and stared at the blank conversation. You usually deleted your messages, not that you had accumulated many messages with Levi anyway. How could you show Levi that you were thinking about him without it sounding too deep? A crude joke? Yes that would do, something to do with shit.

"Hope all this traveling doesn't throw off your bowel movements."

You cringed but still pressed send before you could overthink the message. You shut your phone off and slammed it onto the nightstand, your cheeks flaring with hot embarrassment. You made yourself busy by changing into an old hoodie and sliding underneath the covers. You heard your phone ding but made no move to see who texted you. Tomorrow was Monday and you needed to wake up early, he would have to wait until tomorrow, it was only fair. After all, he was making you wait a whole month. He could wait one night. With that you rolled over and snuggled into your covers, your eyes heavy with sleep which you welcomed gladly.

[beclynn-herondale]

Jace, Kit, and Mina shenanigans

Jace was visiting with Kit; Clary was spending time with her mother and Luke, as she always did when Jace went on his monthly visit to Kit. And they would tell each other all about their day when they went to bed together that night.

Jace would never have said it out loud but he wanted Kit to rely on him and need him, he wanted to be needed by him. He wanted Kit to trust him, but more than that he wanted Kit to know he really did care for him.

Tessa had also recently had her baby, Mina. She had said Jace should come by and meet her.

Tessa and Jem were good people, and Jace just hoped Kit wouldn't be like he was and push away from his found family, and hold them at a far distance. But he remembered people had to follow their own journey and learn things for themselves. He just wanted Kit to be happy. But Jace also knew, like him, Kit had some baggage and it made it difficult.

"Jace?" said Kit. They were sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea.

"Yeah. . .?" he said, realizing he hadn't been listening for the last few minutes.

"You didn't hear what I said, did you?" Kit sighed.

"I was zoning out thinking of interesting things," he teased.

"Probably not that interesting, considering it's you," Kit shot back playfully.

Jace grinned. This kid would be just fine, he thought.

"So," said Jace, "you're a big brother now."

"Yup. And I'll be great at it."

"There you go. There's the Herondale in you."

Kit stared at him with amusement, then said, "Tessa says you should hold Min Min."

"Min Min? Is that a  another nickname of hers?" If so Jace had to admit it was very cute.

"Yes. She has many nicknames," said Kit. "Because she is adorable."

"Kids and babies usually are."

Kit looked up. "You like kids, don't you?"

"They're alright."

Kit looked at him suspiciously. "Uh, huh." He then asked. "Well, are you and your hot fiancée Clary gonna have any?"

Jace choked on his tea. "What—what?" He thought he was probably flushing, as Clary always made him do even when she wasn't around. And Kit calling Clary that should be weird but he wasn't wrong, Clary was hot and his fiancée.

"Just saying, I'd make an amazing babysitter," Kit winked. "And I could teach your children all about memes and the future stuff, as well as turn them into my side. along with Mina. of course. They would be the best generation yet."

"Pffft," Jace let out.

It's true Jace and Clary had talked about having kids, but it was never a definite serious talk. Though Jace did want kids. "Why are you asking me this?"

"No reason."

"Uh, huh," he said. That was their thing, 'Uh, huh.'

Jem walked in then, holding who Jace assumed was Mina. "Hello, Jace," said Jem. "How are you?" He was smiling the warm smile that he he always had these days; Jace had thought it was the kind of smile that made you want to open up and trust. Jem was that kind of person who radiated kindness and warmth and goodness.

"I'm doing just fine," he said. "What about you?"

"I am amazing," he exclaimed. "Silly melon, is so beautiful and precious." Another cute nickname, he thought. "Would you like to hold her?" Jem asked.

"I. . .uh. . .sure," Jace said, hearing the unsureness his own voice, not knowing why it was there. Jem placed Mina in his arms; he couldn't help but remember holding Max for the first time, remembering that for the first time he had been absolutely terrified. Babies had always seemed so small and fragile to him, and at that time he had no idea how they worked. Of course, after Max Jace figured out that as he had said, they were tough. Max was not so little anymore, and now was on about killing all the demins, Jace was a very proud uncle. He looked down at Mina, she looked like Jem, he thought, but he could see Tessa as well. "Hello, Mina," he said.

The baby opened her eyes, looking up at Jace with an expression of curiosity. well, he assumed that's what it was. "curious are we?"

"She is," Kit put in. It was such a sibling thing, he thought.

Jem was watching the three of them with fondness, and a little sadness. Jace wondered if he was thinking of his parabatai Will Herondale; Jem had told Jace about him, and couldn't imagine not having Alec or being alive without Alec. It had made Jace feel a deep kind of sympathy for Jem.

Jace repositioned Mina in his arms so he could look her in the eyes. "So," he said. "Are you going to prank and trick your big brother?"

Kit stuck his tongue out at Jace, and Jace rewarded Kit by sticking his own tongue out right back at him.

Mina giggled, Jace felt his heart skip a beat. He'd made her giggle. It reminded Jace of hearing Max giggle for the first time, it had instantly defeated Jace, in a sense. Blueberry had had a place in Jace's heart from the beginning, Jace couldn't help but want to protect him, it had been the same with Rafe, and even young Emma and her braveness. And Jace thought it would probably be the same with Kit and Mina; he had a soft spot for kids. He had also realized that he had cared for Max, his little brother, the same. But that was a place that Jace tried not to venture to, as it only broke his heart all over again. Jace remembered how Izzy had told him that Max died clutching the toy soldier he'd given him all those years ago, it had shaken Jace. Max's death would always leave a missing piece in their family.

"I take that giggle as a yes," he said.

Jem laughed softly.

"Or," Kit said, "we might prank you endlessly and be chaotic rascals that haunt you."

"Bring it on, Kittiroo," Jace said, using the nickname he had for Kit. Knowing it was longer than his actual nickname but he gave a nickname to kids he liked. And Kit liked it, but would never admit it, ever.

"Whatever, Jacey Jace," he said.

They laughed.

——————

[ Two years later ]

Mina was now two, which meant her and her big brother Kit were up to no good when they came to visit or Jace went to visit them.

They both enjoyed playing tricks on Jace. And to think he made them cookies and tea. And played piano for them.

Jace was walking down one of the Institute corridors, looking through the open doors along their walls, trying to see if he could find the little trouble makers.

He was peering through one of the empty rooms when something came up behind him and said "Boo!"

He turned around, pretended to be scared as he saw it was little Mina. "Oh, you got me," he said.

She laughed. "I always get you."

He smiled at her. "Where's Kit?"

She shrugged.

"Little loyal one, you are," he said. "But if you tell me where he is, I'll give you a cookie."

Mina seemed to be considering this. "Come," she said.

Mina led him to another empty room, where they found Kit.

"Traitor!" he said.

"It's not her fault—" Jace began.

"Not Mina. You," Kit pointed. "I know you bribed her with cookies. You know we can't resist cookies."

"What can I say," said Jace. "I'm a master at bribery."

"Uh, huh," Kit said with a kind of sassy sarcasm. Kit also said 'Uh, huh.' in a way to say he is amused but very doubtful

"Hey, man. I can't help it, cookies are good," said Mina.

"It's not your fault, Min Min," said Kit. "It's the bad man's fault."

Jace gasped in pretend hurt. "The very implicaction of that is hurtful."

"Good," Kit said.

And Jace went over to lift the boy up. "You forget I'm bigger and stronger than you."

"No!" exclaimed Kit, but he was laughing, and Jace always liked to hear him laugh out loud.

"Fight him off, Kit," said Mina.

They ended up wrestling on the floor with Mina cheering for Kit like the loyal sister she was. Them when they were both tired they burst into laughter.

——————

Kit, Jace, and Mina were sitting on a couch while Jem talked about reincarnation; 2 old Mina wore a serious face for her age.

"You see this is why I believe in it so strongly," said Jem, beaming.

"Yes, I see," said Jace.

"It is interesting," Kit said.

Mina nodded.

"Just think about it," Jem said, "you come back in a different form or something new after you die."

Jace wasn't sure he wanted to do this again, and by the look on Kit's face it appeared he felt the same.

"So is that why I'm so exhausted?" asked Kit, "because I've lived so many lives? And keep doing this shit again?"

It was a fair question to ask, Jace thought.

"Kit, no," said Jem. "And don't say that word in front of Min Min."

"Alec says something like that to me all the time," Jace put in. "Except it's usually 'Jace no!'"

"Yeh, well, you're both chaotic dum dums," said Mina.

They all looked at her.

"Wat?" she said.

Jem seemed to be wearing a look of amused agreement.

She was two and yet so smart, and had so many words at times.

"I prefer the term not afraid to take chances," said Jace.

"It's a Herondale thing," put in Kit.

Jace grinned at him. "There you go, bud."

Mina rolled her eyes, she also had a lot of sass for her age. Jem stared at them with a sort of affectionate exasperation.

——————

Jace was sitting beside Kit while he showed him memes and what they meant. Mina came to sit down beside them.

"Jace," she said.

"Yeah, Mina?"

"So you're like my great kind of nephew, right?"

"Great great great or something, yeah."

"So than I am like your great something aunt?"

"Yeah. . ." This would never not be weird.

"Does that mean I get to boss you around?"

Jace didn't know what to say to this.

Kit looked up from his screen. "Wait, does that mean technically I'm your adoptive great something uncle, now?"

"I. . ." Jace had to admit he didn't know what to say to any of this. "Are you two trying to confuse me?" he asked.

They both grinned mischievously.

Jace sighed.

"Hey, dear Nephew," Kit said. "Make me some cookies."

"Dear Nephew," Mina added. "Get us tea."

"You two think you're hilarious."

"Wrong," said Kit, "we know we're hilarious."

"Yeah well," Jace said, pulling them both into the hug, "I'd like to see you get free from my hug."

"No!" They both exclaimed, then tried to get free which turned into laughter from them all.

——————

Jace heard his phone buzz. He looked at it and saw that it was a message from Kit, he'd sent Jace a meme. Jace didn't always understand them, but apparently they were like jokes. He replied with laughing emojis. 

He exited his messaging app and stared his phone background; it was a picture of Max, Rafe, Mina, and Kit in the art room with Clary, who was teaching them to paint. He smiled at it. It was odd to say, but they were his kids in a way and he felt this strong urge to protect them from the world that would try to shut out their light.

He remembered the first time Kit had seen he'd taken picture and used it as his phone background. Kit looked surprised, as if he couldn't think of why Jace would do that. Jace ruffled his hair and quoted one of his memes to him that day. Kit liked to communicate with memes, and so Jace tried his best. Kit had also called Jace a mom a few times, though he wasn't sure why.

His phone buzzed again. This time it was Emma, her message said, "We need to form the sword-blondes club *winking emoji*" Jace couldn't help but laugh, then replied, "The world would've be able to handle that."

He had so many kids and young people who were dear to him now. Sometimes he thought back to his old self, who didn't have much of anyone and who believed that love was weakness. But now, when he looked at these kids, he knew that was lie. Now, he knew he was strongest because of love. He barely remembered it, but thought about the time he first met Jem, he'd been Brother Zachariah then. He'd told him, 'We fight best when that which we love is on the line.' or something along those words. It made Jace smile, to think somehow all this connected, the universe was a strange thing.

He then looked down at the engagement ring on his left ring finger. At some point him and Clary would work toward building a family, and have kids of their own. It both excited and frightened Jace; he wanted to be a father, of course. But he didn't want to snap one day and see his father come out, he didn't want his children to ever have to see something like that. Clary told him he wouldn't be like that, and she was always right, usually. These kids in his life now though, he felt were proof that he could be a good father.

He opened his phone back up and texted Kit a meme.

He was rewarded with, "Well, I'll be damed. He's learning!"

Jace replied with, "Watch your language."

"You watch your own language, Mr. acts like my parent."

Jace laughed. Kids were so odd yet so precious, they were the future, he thought.

Tagging: especially @khaleesiofalicante because she is having Jace and Kit feels, and I think she'll appreciate this. @chibi-tsukiko @spotsandclawsthings @megs-readstoomuch @magnus-the-maqnificent @replayfootsteps @my-archerboy @jazzkaurtheglorious @simply-ellas-stuff @bookfast-at-tiffanys

[ptergwen]

you’ll still have me | p.p.

w/c: 2.4k

warnings: angst, mentions of death and a toxic living situation

summary: in a life filled with uncertainty, peter is your constant

a/n: the idea for this was sitting in my mind and writing it out made me feel better about some stuff? i hope it does the same for all of you <3

════*･ﾟ✲

you were only kids the first time you and peter met. it was the summer before fourth grade. you’d just moved in to his building because your parents wanted a fresh start. new neighborhood, new school, new family. the last one didn’t work out. they fought about the same old things in an unfamiliar apartment. you were really hoping something would change.

anything to make them go one night without a screaming match.

your mom and dad never had a great relationship, but they used to at least tolerate each other. or, they pretended to for you. you picked up on it as you got older. they also stopped hiding it as you got older. the place and people you used to call home became unlivable. you were tired of being forced to choose sides. you couldn’t take the tension between everyone.

so, you’d sit on the steps outside your apartment until the yelling stopped. sometimes, you cried. you usually brought headphones to drown them out. there were also the occasional times you roamed the hallways of your building. your parents never showed you around it like they said they would. you might as well have given yourself a tour.

may found you one day walking around her floor. she was never one to pry, but she couldn’t ignore a kid in distress. you were frowning at a wall when she came up to you. “hi, what’s your name?” she asked sweetly. you glanced over at her. “y/n.” “y/n, huh? i’m may.” there was a beat of silence that you didn’t fill. the fight your parents were having that day was worse than usual. it was about you.

“what are you doing up here all alone?” may furrowed her eyebrows, pushing her glasses up on her nose. tears filled your eyes before you could explain. her heart broke for you. she waited until you calmed down to ask what happened. you told her everything the best you could. she couldn’t let you go back home after knowing what was going on there. she invited you over to her apartment.

“you’re the same age as my nephew,” may told you on the way over with a small smile. you perked up a little. “i think you’ll like him.”

she knocked on peter’s door and said he had a guest. peter closed the book he was reading and told her to come in. when he saw you standing behind her, he gasped. a girl? in his room? he’d been shy about these types of things his whole life. may quietly filled him in on your situation, and his look of terror became one of empathy. he cleared his throat.

“do you like legos?”

-

the parker’s became part of your life after that day. may, ben, and peter. you met ben the next time may took you in. he was really funny and helped you and peter make ice cream sundaes. being with the three of them made you forget about your problems for a little while. they were the family you wished you could go home to.

peter eventually started inviting you over himself. you went to different schools, but you got out at the same time. he’d walk you up to your apartment. if the two of you heard fighting, he’d ask if you wanted to come upstairs. you didn’t even have to tell him yes.

may was right. you did like him. you became friends fast, and he was one of your first in the neighborhood. he had this lighthearted and happy kind of energy that rubbed off on you every time you came over. he’d cheer you up right away. you two laughed all afternoon long at whatever shows were playing on nickelodeon. peter made weird faces to get a smile out of you.

he really enjoyed spending all this time together. he didn’t see you as some random girl to feel bad for. you were his friend.

you got your own key to his apartment when you turned thirteen. he convinced may because you were “already over all the time. she basically lives here.” she couldn’t argue with that. plus, she loved you like her own. why shouldn’t you let yourself in?

-

ben’s passing changed everything.

you came over after the funeral. peter and may were still dressed in black. the air felt heavy. she kept on a brave face for him, even when you hugged her tight. you said how sorry you were, how incredible of a person her husband was. peter couldn’t do the same. he broke down the second you took him into your arms.

he hid his face in your neck, his tears dripping down your shirt. it was you who cried on his shoulder all these years. now, the roles were reversed. the sob he let out made you tear up yourself.

“he’s gone, y/n. he’s gone.”

there was nothing you could say. all you did was hold him close. you knew peter never had it easy. he lost his parents, then his uncle. it wasn’t fair. he had to grow up when he was little.

you both did.

-

high school was a blur. you barely spent time at home anymore, either busy with clubs or over at peter’s. you liked it that way. your parents were fighting with each other and now you. they were on you about never being there, saying you broke this family. you just took their shit, then let peter make you forget about it later.

peter turned from an awkward little boy to an awkward young man in front of your eyes. he learned to cover up his sweat stains with body spray. his voice dropped a bit. he’d actually managed to ask a girl out at one point. they went to homecoming together.

you helped him get ready. you found yourself having to choose support over jealousy. why you were jealous, you didn’t know. peter asked if you wanted to come, but you said your school was having a dance next week. that was a lie. it had already happened the day before.

you also found yourself relieved when he said there wasn’t going to be a second date. again, you had no idea where this was coming from.

it didn’t seem like it was only on your end. peter had started keeping an arm around your shoulders when you watched movies. he added your favorite snacks to the grocery list every week. he gave you his hoodies, and didn’t care if you took them home.

the gestures were sweet. sudden, but sweet. you appreciated him more than he probably knew. one day, it all just becomes too real.

-

“you know what i realized?” peter asks you, hanging upside down on the top of his bunk bed. you’re on the bottom. you poke his shoulder with a pencil. “don’t fall.” he rolls over with a huff, then hops onto the floor. he sits down perpendicular to you. smiling smugly, you close your notebook. “you know what i realized?” he asks again. “what?” peter turns his head to look at you.

“we’ve known each other for eight years, and we only hang out here.” you purse your lips. “so?” peter furrows an eyebrow with a curious smile. “isn’t it kind of weird? like, i never see you outside of this building.” you’d never thought about it before. now that you are, it does seem strange. “i guess, but we’ve never had anywhere else to go.” he looks you up and down. “not true.”

something tells you you’re not going to like what he says next. it’s getting too serious.

“i was thinking, maybe we could go for dinner?”

the corners of your mouth twitch into a frown. peter doesn’t realize. he keeps going on. “on a date, i mean. i saw this place the other day that you-“ you put up a hand to cut him off. “i can’t, peter.” he shrugs. “it doesn’t have to be today. whenever you’re free.” your throat feels tight. you start getting your things together. “no, i can’t go out with you. i... i’m sorry.”

you hurry to the door. peter shoots up from his bed. “it’s fine. we don’t have to, y/n. please stay.” a hot tear streams down your cheek before you can blink it back. you turn around and grab the handle. “i have to go.” “y/n-“

you’re out the door. he wants to go after you, but it doesn’t feel right. you need some time alone.

the second you get into your bedroom, you burst into tears. your breathing is heavy and fast. if only peter was here to hug you through it. but, that’s the whole reason you’re crying. you wish you would’ve said yes. you’d be trying each other’s food or holding hands down the street.

only, it’s not that easy. what you have going would never be the same. peter is the stability you’ve always longed for, the safe place you could always go to. you can’t lose that. even if things worked out between you two, you can’t risk it. you can’t lose him or may. a night out isn’t worth that. he’ll never be in your life the way you want him to, but at least you’ll still have him.

-

you haven’t been over to peter’s in weeks. you’ve thought about texting him, explaining why you said no. that never happened. you bump into may sometimes in the mailroom. she offers sad smiles, which you awkwardly return. peter must have told her.

there was one time he saw you wandering around his floor. it was like you were kids again, peter shy around a girl and you feeling lost without him. he tried to talk to you, but you were down the stairs before he could say hi.

he’s had enough. he needs to understand what he did. he needs to fix this. forget the crush, you’re one of his closest friends. he misses you.

-

you open your door after three knocks. you’re not sure who it could be. your parents aren’t exactly well liked around here, and you’d never invite someone over. peter is standing outside getting ready to knock again.

he lets his hand drop, clenching his jaw out of nerves. you only poke your head out. “um, hey.” his voice is soft, high. you squint at him in confusion. he takes that as his cue to keep talking. “i haven’t seen you in a while. thought i’d check in.” “yeah, i...” your eyes drop down to his feet. he’s shifting his weight. “i’ve been busy.” “everything okay over here?”

he thought maybe your parents got that divorce you were always suggesting. that would explain why you’ve been home more. you nod quickly. “it’s just me right now. i’ve been going to the library after school.” so, they didn’t. you’re just avoiding them and him. he tries not to sound hurt. “oh, okay. can i come in?”

peter can count on one hand the amount of times he’s been over. it was usually to pee or get a snack on your way up to his place. you’ve never spent much of your time here.

“uh, sure. they’ll be back soon, though.” you pull the door open fully, stepping aside so he can come in. you’re still not looking at him. “this won’t take long,” he tells you lowly.

you’re in your room. you on your bed, peter standing in front of you. you finally meet his eyes. they’re glossy. he wants to say something, blurt something out. you can tell. the longer you look at him, the closer he gets to coming out with it.

“i’m sorry, y/n. i put you in a weird place,” peter gets out, eyes pleading with you. you rub your arm distractedly. you don’t say anything. “i thought... i thought you liked me back.” shaking your head, you take in a breath. “it’s not about that, peter. i do.” “then what is it? what did i do?” he’s on the verge of tears. you can hear it in his voice, see it on his face. you have to look away again.

“nothing.” peter closes his eyes to keep the tears in. his lip quivers. “n- nothing? i don’t understand.” “what if...” you let out a shaky breath. “sit.” he takes the spot next to you. he’s not sure if you want him too close right now, so he leaves space between you two. “what if we do end up dating, and one day we break up?” you give him a knowing look. “i think that’s how relationships work,” he murmurs.

“but we’re different, peter. i’d... i’d have no where to go.” your voice gets quieter when you say the last part. he’s confused for a second, then he realizes what you’re talking about. he instantly grabs your hand. “you never have to worry about that. no matter what happens between us, you’ll still have me. may, too.” a hopeful smile pulls at your lips, but it doesn’t meet your eyes. you’re scared.

peter squeezes your hand once, then again when you turn away. he moves closer to you so your legs are touching. you need him. you drop his hand so you can wrap your arms around his neck. he holds you close, arms around you as tight as they can be.

“promise?” you whisper, your chin on his shoulder. he nods and pulls you into his chest. “i promise, y/n. i’m not going anywhere.”

-

four years later and he hasn’t broken it. you both stayed in the city for college, and now you’re moving in together. it’s your last year.

this wasn’t easy for you at first. you kept getting the urge to leave, to end things before they got messy. peter was patient. he reassured you whenever you had your doubts. he made sure to kiss you a little harder if you hadn’t seen each other for a while. he cuddled a little closer to you after the rare fights you had. you eventually started to believe it. peter loved you, and the bad days wouldn’t change that.

you’ve never felt more at home than in your cute little apartment on the upper east side. the two of you decorated it the way you’d imagined as kids when you played with barbies. only, your dream house was smaller. smaller, but definitely you and peter. may is your first guest. she brings you a cactus as a housewarming gift, which goes right by the front door. your friends and peter’s come over the next few weeks.

you don’t need to escape to peter’s place anymore, or spend every night listening to muffled yelling from your kitchen. you’re safe in his arms forever. he’s so happy he gets to hold you.

they say everyone needs a place to live, but love is what builds a home.

-

[storydays]

Legend of Korra X Male Reader

Hey guys! I’m loving all the likes you’re giving. I want to hear more of your questions and comments. Also I would really appreciate it if you would tag me and give me credit when you reblog my work. Thanks

(All credit for Legend of Korra goes to Nickelodeon and it’s creators ❤️)

Season 1, ep 5, p2

Kazan and Meelo yawned sleepily, full from dinner. "That was really good, (Y/N)." Pema complimented, rubbing her belly happily. "Glad you liked it Auntie." You then turned to your Aunt Rene who was sulking in the corner with a smug grin. "So, Auntie, thoughts?" you teased, making her start. "Listen little boy! Don't you dare give me attitude just because you're a better cook than me!" Everyone laughed at the banter between you two. "It's late, and the children are sleepy, why don't you guys sleep here for the night? Nagisa can sleep with Jinora and Ikki, and Kazan can bunk with Meelo." Pema suggested. 

"Yay! Sleepover!" cheered Ikki and Nagisa much to Jinora's annoyance. "Here, I'll help but the boys to sleep, Uncle."He smiled appreciatively at you, grabbing Meelo while you carried Kazan. "You did good tonight, nephew." Tenzin said, leading the way to the boys' room. "You heard from the radio?" you tilted your head, adjusting your grip on the young firebender. "No, I saw from the corner. You really are your parent's son."

You stared at his back in shock before smiling. "Heh, thanks Uncle."

*That night*

You inhaled the fresh air as you and Nevermore walked to the arena to get ready. But stop seeing Mako and Korra each facing different ways, and leaned against a pole, out of their sight line. "What kind of game are you playing?" asked the Firebender. "Um, pro-bending? We have a quarter final match." Korra stated like it was the most obvious thing. "No, I mean with Bolin. You got him all in a tizzy, and I know you're only using him to get back at me." Mako accused. 'Ooh bad move, Mako.'

"I am not. We're just having fun. What do you care, anyway?" Korra defended. "I'm looking out for my little brother. I don't want to see his heart get broken." 'That is such bull.' you laughed silently. Korra knew it was too, "Wait a second. You're not worried about him; you're jealous," Korra was smirking and you were too. "You do have feelings for me." Mako didn't miss a beat. "What? Jealous? Don't be ridiculous." 

"Admit it, you like me." Korra didn't realize she was playing with fire, quite literally. "No, I'm with Asami." "Yeah, but when you're with her, you're thinking about me, aren't you?" The Avatar sounded so smug right now, and you were silently rooting for her. "Get over yourself." Mako snapped. "I'm just being honest!" "You're crazy!" Mako denied. "You're a liar!" cried Korra.

That was when you decided to step in. You splashed the two with water you kept in your pocket, and sent your teammates a raised eye brow. "If you two hot heads are done, we do have a match to go to." You then walked away, your pony tail swinging behind you. You stopped the two from entering the room and to keep Bolin from getting him involved. 

"Listen you two, don't bring this energy around Bolin. And while you are out on that ring, keep your personal feelings out of it. We've come too far for you two to mess it up. Am I clear?" The younger teens looked at each other and sighed, when Nevermore snapped her jaws for good measure. "Yes, sir." "Good, I'll be here when the match is over." You walked in and over to the railing, waiting for the match to start. 

*15 minutes later*

"Eight teams have been eliminated, and eight advance into the quarter finals, which get underway tonight. The rookies are about to take on the former and longest running champs--the Boar-Q-Pines. Youth clashes with experience in a battle for the ages or rather of the ages. Korra dodges and--ooh slams right into her teammate! Down goes Mako, and Bolin and Korra." You face palm and growled as the second announcer said, "Round One goes to the Boar-Q-Pines." 

Your (e/c) eyes narrow, noting Mako was saying something to Korra in a very aggressive way. Poor Bolin looked so confused. The waterbender part of you wanted to switch out with Korra, but the airbender part of you, reminded your that this was how Korra and Mako were going to make up. Nevermore nuzzled your cheek making you chuckle and rub her head. "Thanks, girl."

"The Ferrets looking to mount some offense here in round 2. Bolin lets fly a flurry of attacks. He's a one man bending battalion." "Yes! Way to go, Bolin!" You cheered for the Earthbender. "The Ferrets having a tough time finding their rhythm tonight. But thanks to Bolin, they narrowly notch round two." 

Round 3 started and at this point the crowd noticed their was something wrong as well. "Not sure, what's eatin' them, but this is not the same team that took out the Rabbaroos." You winced in sympathy as the Avatar took Earth disk to the stomach. "Round 3 is a tie. We go to a tie breaker to decide the match." A referee tossed a blue and red coin into the air, and caught it, covering it up. 

He moved his hand to reveal the red side. "The Fire Ferrets win the coin toss. Which element do you choose?" Immediately the three tried to decide who would go to fight, until Bolin stepped up with the older Earthbender. "Looks like the Earthbenders will collide in the tie breaker face off. Bolin goes in for the grapple, Chang reverses." You grit your teeth as Bolin was flung into the air but cheered when he fired from mid air. 

"Bolin strikes from mid air, knocking Chang to the edge of the circle, and another strike from Bolin, knocking Chang into the drink!" "The Future Industries Fire Ferrets win their quarter final match!" You, Mako, and Korra sighed in relief as the announce continued talking. "Ooh, close one folks, youth trumps experience tonight." 

You met the trio at the edge and grinned at Bolin. "Good job, Bo! You were awesome out there!" You watched as Korra and Mako went their separate ways. You sighed, and walked over to Mako and whispered in his ear, "You better get your act right, Mako. You maybe my best friend, but I won't hesitate to kick your ass." He looked at you with wide eyes, knowing you were dead serious. "Hey, (Y/N), come with me! I need your help!" Bolin dragged you out the room, making you laugh. 

*Time skip*

You and Bolin walked up to where Korra could be hiding and you stopped seeing Korra and Mako kissing. 'Are they kidding me?!' "Wait, Bo, don't--" 

You were too late, as he stopped seeing the scene in front of you. You hid half your face in your hand, Nevermore trying to hide her head in your hair. It was silent until Bolin started crying and ran away. "Wait, Bolin, this isn't what you think!" He turned to Korra with a glare on his face. "Great! Look what you did." "You're blaming me?" demanded Korra. 

"You kissed me!" "You kissed me back!" Both gasped being splashed with freezing cold water, and turned to you. Nevermore's teeth were drawn back into a snarl, and you had a dangerous look on your face. "It doesn't matter. You are both at fault! Now what matters is how the hell you are going to fix it." You and Nevermore growled as Mako groaned and ran after his brother. You turned to the city view and didn't even look at the Water Tribe girl.

"Korra, I know you've been isolated all your life, and you probably thought you would get your happily ever after with Mako. But there's so many fish in the sea for you to explore with. Don't settle for the small fry." "Well played, Korra." she said, hugging herself. "Live and learn, Korra." you sighed, "Live and learn."

*The next morning.*

You followed Mako into the restaurant.  "Morning, Narook. Is my brother here?" The man behind the counter gestured behind you guys, and Mako waved in thanks. "Thanks." He walked over to Bolin and shook his shoulder. "Come on, wake up. I'm taking you home, bro." That cause Bolin to sniff and look up sadly. 

"Don't call me that. You're not my brother!" He drunkenly slapped Mako's hands away from him. "You're a brother-betrayer." He sobbed into his arms. "The only ones I can trust: are Pabu and (Y/N)! They love me!" "You're a mess, and we've got the biggest of our lives tonight. Let's go." Mako tried grabbing Bolin who screamed at him. "No! I'm not going anywhere with you traitor!" You sighed, pushing Mako and grinning at Bolin. 

"Come on, Bo. I need my favorite Earthbender to fight with me tonight!" He finally got up with his arm slung over your shoulder. "Only you Bolin, can drunk off Water Tribe Noodles." You laugh gently. "I told you dating a teammate was a bad idea." Mako sighed. "You're a bad idea!" You laugh at their antics, even if you were pissed at Mako. 

*That night* 

You finished braiding your hair so it hung down your back, and out of your face, as Korra walked into the room. She looked at Bolin slouching on a bench,and noticed you over at the mirror. You were lost in thought, but it was clear something was bothering you. You suddenly snapped out of it and stood up, putting your helmet on. "Let's go guys. And leave your personal feelings here." 

"You can't find a team more evenly matched. In age, size, and strength than the Fire Ferrets and the Buzzard Wasps. Believe me, I looked." he joked. "This should be a pulse-pounding semi-final, folks." The bell rang and the Buzzards fought first. "The Buzzard-Wasps open with a flawlessly executed combo. 2 of the Ferrets take an early visit to Zone 2, and Mako's knocked all the way back into Zone 3! The Ferrets have been struggling to stay alive since the opening bell. It seems Bolin and Mako are out of sync tonight. (Y/N) taking the brunt of the impact from the front lines." 

The crowd groaned with Bolin as he was hit in the gut, hard. "Ooh, that has got to sting." You heard retching and groaned, knowing it was Bolin. "And Bolin looses his noodles, literally." All the players seem to have froze with that disgusting scene. "Which reminds me, this match is brought to you by our sponsor, Flamey-O-Instant Noodles. 'Noodlest- Noodles in the United Republic.' " Soon Bolin was knocked back into Zone 3 with Mako, leaving you to get defend from Zone 1. 

You were suddenly knocked into Zone 3 by an Earth disk, while avoiding a flame burst. "The Buzzard Wasps fly deeper into Ferret Territory. And Mako plunges into the pool. Can the Fire Ferrets hold on?" You and Bolin looked at each other and continued to fight with all you got. "The Ferrets are backed to the edge now, and are saved by the bell! They had better pull themselves together, folks, for round two. Otherwise they can kiss their finals goodbye. "

"Round 2!"  You used water in a arch to knock two of the Buzzards back into Zone 2. "Oh, what a strong start from (Y/N)!" Mako groaned being knocked into Zone 2, and sent fire towards them, hitting Bolin in the process. He cried out, and turned onto his back to glare at Mako. "Hey, watch it!" He gasped being knocked into the water, from his distraction. "The Wasps take advantage of Mako's unforced error, and move forward." 

You and Mako spun your elements together and knocked the opposing  Water and Earth benders out and into the drink giving the round to you guys. Round 3 came and you looked between the boys. "Look, we've been working for a long time for this. Get your heads in the game guys. Please." You begged slightly; they knew what this tournament meant to you. "Let's get this over with." Mako sighed.

When the match started, Mako was already in the drink, and Bolin's shoulder was messed up,and then he was in the drink. "The Ferret's dream of making it to the finals rests on Councilman (Y/N)'s shoulders." You smirked to yourself, used your waterbending to get the team into a line of three, and knocked them down like dominoes. "It's the big kaboosh! What a knockout!" 

The crowd went wild and you could hear Mako and Bolin cheering for you.  "It didn't seem possible folks, but the Fire Ferrets are headed to the finals." You laughed, waving to the crowd, before walking away. You took your helmet off and groaned when Korra gave you a big hug. "Korra! Korra! I need my....lungs...to breathe." "Oh! Sorry!" she sheepishly let you go. "Sometimes, I forget about my own strength." You sent her a lopsided smile, "It's okay, Korra." Bolin and Mako walked up to you. 

"That was pretty much the coolest thing I've ever seen." "Thanks for not giving up on us; we never would've made this far without your level head. We owe you big time." You rolled your eyes, walking past them, taking your helmet off. The three looked at each other, uncertain. "(Y/N)--" "Look, I know things are confusing between the three of you, but this team means everything to me, and the last thing I need is for some petty love triangle is to mess it up." 

Your sudden attitude caught the other's off guard; you were usually so carefree and cool. You got ready to leave the room when your ex walked in, making a scene. "Ooh, ooh, you boys smell something in here?" Tahno pinched his nose before smirking. "Oh, wait I know what that is. Yeah, it's the scent of losers." "I hope we see you in the finals. Then we'll see who the real losers really are." Korra said back. 

"Yeah, I'm peeing my pants over here." Tahno said confidently before turning to you, with a very faint blush on his cheeks. "I'll win this match for you, (Y/N). Maybe we can go out to that Water Tribe restaurant you like so much." You turned to him with a bored look and said, "Gag me. We are not together anymore, Tahno, I just can't trust you." You brushed your bangs into your face and left without another word. 

You ran into Asami in the hallway. "Oh, hey Asami." she hugged you and took a step back, noting your mood. "Great job! What a comeback! I--Hey...what's the matter?" she asked, green eyes shining earnestly. "Nothing, why don't you go see you boyfriend." You began to walk away when she grabbed your arm. 

"Hey, you don't need to be strong around me, (Y/N), you've been there for me when I needed it. You can talk to me--" "No! I can't talk to anyone and especially not you because on of my main problems is I'm in love with you, and I just think you're wrong for Mako because he and Korra kissed and they belong together and I--" Asami cut you off by hugging you tightly, your arms tight around her waist. "(Y/N), I-I didn't know you felt that way." You took her hand in yours and kissed the top of it, locking eyes with her. 

"Asami..." you left it at that and walked away, leaving her to her thoughts. 

You ran to where you hid Neo, and hugged him with all your might, begging your tears not to fall, and while the polar bear dog didn't know what caused your pain, he simply nudged you with as much warmth as possible.  You took such good care of him, it hurt him to see you so upset.

You sniffed, and looked into Neo's blue eyes with a watery smile. 

"Let's go home, boy."

[not-all-dead]

angstpril day twenty: the silent treatment

CW: mentions of a breakup but that’s pretty much the worst of it

fic under the cut

November 3rd, 142

Lin,

Mom made me promise I’d write to you, so here’s me doing that. Grandma and Grandpa say hi, and they want you to visit soon. School’s boring as ever and I have no friends here which is just great. Thanks for that. At least they have good food here, the chef is pretty amazing. Still, I think I’m going to run away soon, just for the sake of it. Maybe I’ll find a family actually worth keeping. Anyway, I don’t miss you or mom, have fun arresting people or whatever.

Su

February 7th, 143

Lin,

Heard you’re chief now. Congrats I guess. Does mom finally pay attention to you? Who am I kidding, of course she doesn’t. Anyway, I left Grandma and Grandpa’s. I’m part of this cool travelling circus right now, but I think I’m going to try something new soon. It’s been fun though, lots of flying through the air above lava pits and other super dangerous things. I bet I’m having a better time than you are, stuck in the stupid city.

I call Grandma every week or two to keep her updated on what I’m doing, otherwise she’ll freak out and think I’m dead or something. She told me today that mom called her yesterday. Mom said she was going to Gaoling to drop off her things before travelling wherever just like I’m doing. Guess I have more in common with her than I thought. I also guess that means you’ve got the apartment to yourself now, must be nice.

How’s Tenzin? You two still madly in love? Actually, don’t tell me, I don’t really care. Not that you’re going to respond to this at all. Whatever. I’ve got a performance to get to, so bye.

Su

December 19th, 145

Lin,

I wish you’d write back. I’m much older now, and I’d be happy to talk things out with you if you’d respond. But I guess that’s something you have to want too, and clearly you still hate me, so I won’t count on it.

I know I haven’t written in a while. I was on a pirate ship for a while, learning to sail and such, and we didn’t dock often. Any paper we had on board was constantly damp, too, so I didn’t see the point. After that I live in a sandbender commune. It was really interesting to see how different people lived, especially different earthbenders. I tried learning to sandbend but it didn’t go so well.

But that’s all past now. I’m building a city now, a city entirely of metal. I’ve got this wonderful architect named Baatar helping me with it, and thank goodness I do. I honestly don’t know how I’d execute my plans without him. I think I might ask him to marry me. I mean, I really do like him, and the idea of a family sounds so nice. If I did I’d really like for you to be there.

I hope everything in the city is alright. Last time I spoke to mom, a couple years ago now, she said you were still going steady with Tenzin. I don’t know how you two have stayed together this long already, you always seemed so different from one another to me. I guess opposites really do attract, as they always say. I’ll write again soon.

Su

April 2nd, 146

Lin,

It would mean the world to me if you could make it. Please come if you can, I’d really like to see you again.

Su

March 27th, 147

Lin,

You have a nephew! I was bummed that you didn’t come to the wedding, but it’s alright. Maybe you’d like to come and meet Baatar Jr. sometime this year… we’d welcome you here in Zaofu if you did. We’re still working on building up the outer cities, but the central hub where our house is is fully operational. I’d love to show you how it all works, we have metalbender staff in training to operate practically every part of the city. It’s a busy time, with the new baby and all the construction.

Please tell me you and your airhead of a boyfriend are getting married soon. I mean, come on! It’s been ten years already, I don’t see how you can possibly still be “taking it slow”. You make no sense to me sometimes, Lin. But then again, I’m sure you feel the same about me.

Mom’s been visiting Zaofu pretty regularly. She’s coming in next week to meet Baatar Jr. for the first time. She still seems to be holding a grudge against me. You two really are cut from the same cloth, you know. I might try to talk things out with her when she comes this time, or at least set a time sometime soon for us to flush things over. It would be great if you’d come too so we could put all this family drama nonsense behind us.

Su

May 30th, 150

Lin,

I’m disappointed that you still refuse to answer. Honestly, mom and I have spent two years talking and figuring things out. We’re good now, and there were plenty of opportunities we gave you to join us. I’m sorry you’re still so bitter.

Baatar Jr. is three now, you’d know if you ever cared to visit. He hasn’t shown any signs of bending yet, but Baatar is a non-bender and I started bending late so that’s not too surprising. We’ve got another one on the way, due in a couple weeks actually. I think if it’s a boy we’ll name him Huan, and if it’s a girl probably Hei-Ran. Again, I wish you’d come and actually be a part of my kids’ lives, but you seem dead set against it.

Kya actually dropped by not too long ago. I hadn’t seen her in ages, so it was a nice surprise. She says her travels have been going well, and she’d visited practically every place on the planet! I loved my time travelling, but ultimately family life is what suited me best. She said she was heading back to Republic City soon, so maybe she’ll drop in on you, too. Anyway, hope the triads aren’t causing too too much havoc for you, Chief.

Su

January 16th, 151

Lin,

Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but I’ve given up. If you’re really that set on giving me the cold shoulder, so be it. I’ll stop writing at all.

Sorry you’re not mature enough to handle this like an adult.

If you were wondering, Huan is very healthy and strong. Baatar Jr. too. Baatar Sr. took ill a while back, but he’s alright now.

I don’t know why I’m telling you any of this when I know you don’t care. Well. Sorry I’m such a bother to you.

Su

August 4th, 156

Lin,

Mom told me what happened with you and Tenzin. He’s an asshole, good on you for wrecking the island. You were always too good for him anyway. I know I haven’t written in a long time, I just didn’t see the point if you kept ignoring me. Maybe now you’ll come and see your family, it might be nice after losing Tenzin.

You’ve got a niece, now, too. And four nephews, the youngest being the twins. They’re only just over a year old now, and Opal recently turned three. I tell them stories about their Aunt Lin, you know. The older boys would really like to meet you, and I’m sure Opal and the twins will too when they’re a little bit more grown up. I want to see you again too, Lin, and I wish you’d at least try to let go of the past. Even just a letter back would make my day.

Hope you’re holding up as Chief there, not too much trouble with the triads or whomever else is committing crime these days.

Su

November 7th, 158

Lin,

Baatar Jr. is now eleven, and seems to be quite the budding architect just like his father. Huan has taken up metalbending little sculptures, so for his eighth birthday he got a little studio just for his art. Opal is five now, and growing up fast. I’ve never seen a five year old read as well as she does. Wing and Wei are still just three, but they seem to enjoy throwing pebbles at one another. I think they’ll be strong benders when they're older.

Mom and I finally made up properly. It’s nice to see her with the kids. She said she wrote to you asking you to come and chat too, but you ignored her. No surprises there. I might stop writing again if you keep this up, so don’t act shocked.

Su

October 21st, 160

Lin,

Mom’s here for a few weeks. Opal turned seven this year, Baatar Jr. thirteen, Huan ten, and the twins five. Wing and Wei invented a game for themselves to help with their metalbending training, they call it “power disk”.

I’m not sure what else to say to you anymore. I’m not sure why I’m even writing this now, after eighteen years. Eighteen years, Lin, and you haven’t even bothered to write back. At least I’ve tried to reach out. But now, I’m done. For real this time. Write if you want, I don’t care. I’m not going to keep sending these anymore.

Su

December 6th, 170

Lin,

Are you alright?! Mom had to tell me about you losing your bending, and she only found out through Katara! I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like. All I can say is that it would undoubtedly be awful.

I miss you, you know. It’s been almost thirty years since we last spoke. I know mom misses you too, and my kids would really like to meet their Aunt. It makes me sad that you’re still so sour about what happened, even after so much time has passed. We’ve both grown and changed as people, and I don’t understand why you can’t see that. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe it’s only me who’s changed at all. Even so, I do miss you, and I wish you’d write. Or visit.

I hope you’re alright, Lin, I really do.

Su

[argylemnwrites]

Why Are We Still Waiting? - Chapter 3

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)

Book: The Royal Romance (It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment universe)

Word Count: ~4900

Rating: PG-13 (brief language)

Summary: A trip to meet the newest Beaumont isn’t off to the greatest start.

Author’s Note: So, since it has been ages since I updated this story, I feel like a quick recap is in order. Drake and Riley are in Cordonia to meet Savannah and Bertrand’s new baby girl, Caroline. They just met Liam’s new girlfriend, Iris, and her innocent questions about their postponed wedding made it clear that Drake is very frustrated by the fact they aren’t married yet. To catch up/jog your memory fully on this series, you can check out the It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment masterlist (link in bio).

“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Drake groaned as Riley reached forward to start scanning across the radio stations.

“What?” she asked. He noticed her give a tiny shrug out of the corner of his eye as she leaned back after settling on a Greek Top 40 station.

“I knew it. I swear you pick this one just to annoy me, Liu.” Drake had made the mistake of complaining about this particular station on one of their first trips back to Cordonia, right before she’d gone back to university. It was all over-produced and sugary, and the DJs were just fucking obnoxious. Of course, that last point probably didn’t actually bother Riley, since she couldn’t understand a word they said.

“Maybe I just like this station.” 

Drake glanced over and took in the giant shit-eating grin plastered across her face and just rolled his eyes. “Uh huh, sure. Let’s ignore the fact that this station plays a ton of songs in Greek.”

“I’m just trying to broaden my cultural horizons.”

“Says the woman who refused to watch Parasite because it has subtitles.’”

“If I wanted to read something, I would pick up a book,” she said, but she did lean forward again to flip over to a different station. 

“Thank you,” Drake said, clicking on the turn signal as he switched into the right lane.

“You make it too easy sometimes,” she said, Drake noticing that she shrugged a little out of the corner of his eye. “If you didn’t act like that station was pure torture, I probably wouldn’t enjoy it so much.”

All Drake could do was shake his head. “You know, some people might not be so open about liking something out of spite.”

“No, it’s not spite.” Drake glanced over and raised his eyebrows at that, so Riley elaborated. “Spite is mean-spirited. I know you like my teasing too much for it to be spite.”

“Really.” Drake deadpanned, although he wasn’t able to hold back his grin and fully play along.

“Uh huh. What other explanation is there for you hanging around me after all these years?”

“I can’t think of a single one,” he said, earning him a flick of her fingers against his shoulder.

“Well I guess I will have to keep teasing you then. Otherwise I might have to settle for a guy who would have made me get up before six this morning.”

Drake looked over at her at that. Even after years together, her ability to jump from intensely sarcastic to gently sincere in an instant still amazed him. Last night, Maxwell had called and offered to pick them up from the palace after dropping off Mom and Aunt Leona at the airport, but they had a very early departure time. Drake had turned him down, feeling like it would be a shitty move to force Riley to wake up early on vacation, particularly since she never complained about using her limited vacation days to visit his family. Yet here she was, appreciative of his gesture that cost him nothing.

“Maybe I just didn’t want to spend two hours in the car with Maxwell.”

She let out a laugh at that. “Well, at least I rank as better company in your book.”

“Always, Liu. Always.”

“Seriously though, thank you.”

“Of course.”

Her left hand settled on his shoulder and gave him a little squeeze at that, but she didn’t say anything else, just glanced out the window as Drake turned off the main road and onto the smaller one that led to the Beaumont’s estate. Within a few minutes, they were pulling onto the driveway. As they climbed out of the car, they heard an excited little voice calling from the direction of the estate’s entrance. 

“Uncle Drake!”

Drake closed the driver’s door and pivoted around quickly, crouching down and extending his arms. Bartie ran across the drive and threw his little arms around Drake’s neck, laughing as Drake scooped him up and hugged him tightly. 

“We saw your car diving! I wanted to go out. Say ‘hi’ like Mommy or Daddy. Uncle Maxwell said I had to stay inside. Had to stand still ‘til you stopped,” Bartie rambled off, barely taking time to take a breath. 

“Thought that a little toddler darting in front of the car might not be the best start to your visit,” added Maxwell, strolling over to their car. “Hey, little blossom,” he added as he hugged Riley.

“Oh, you don’t get to just ‘little blossom’ me after you convinced Liam to keep me away!” she chuckled as she gave him a playful shove. “What happened to me being a Beaumont and always welcome here?”

“He told you guys?” Maxwell asked, turning to glance at Drake.

“Of course he did!” Riley said, drawing Maxwell’s attention back to her. She laughed a bit and shook her head before walking around the car to Drake and Bartie. “Hey, Bartie! Wow, you’ve gotten so big!” Drake passed Bartie over to her, watching as she gave him a squeeze, but Bartie started squirming in her arms, clearly wanting to be released from the obligatory hugs.

Riley placed him down, and he turned right back to Drake, grabbing his hand and tugging on it. “Uncle Drake, come see my new playhouse!” he said, attempting to drag Drake along after him as he started moving back towards the estate.

“Hey, my favorite dude, do you remember why Aunt Riley and Uncle Drake are here?” Maxwell said, crouching in front of Bartie. 

Bartie kicked his foot against the driveway before he answered. “Everyone wants to see Caroline. But she’s boring. She doesn’t do anything!”

Drake was trying to figure out the best way to deal with his nephew’s clear jealousy, but Riley stepped forward and bent down next to Maxwell. “I would love to see your playhouse, Bartie.”

“What do you say?” added Maxwell. “Why don’t we show Aunt Riley while Uncle Drake goes to see your mom and dad and sister?”

Bartie was silent for a few moments, but then nodded, grabbing Riley and Maxwell’s hands and heading inside without a glance back. Maxwell chuckled, twisted around, and called out to Drake, “You remember where the nursery is, right?”

Drake nodded and raised a hand in acknowledgment, taking the time to pop the trunk and grab their luggage before venturing inside himself. He went straight upstairs, pausing only to place their bags in their usual room, before heading down the hall, turning to the left and entering the private quarters, making his way to the small room located all the way towards the end of the hallway, the last door on the right.

It seemed like just yesterday he was building a crib in there for Bartie when Savannah was moving in. The room looked much the same, the walls still a pale grey, the furniture all pure white. The layout hadn’t changed much, with the crib placed against the far wall beneath a painting of stars shining over a lake with a squid waving a tentacle in the air, the changing table right next to it, and the dresser next to the rocking chair in the corner. The only thing that looked different, as far as Drake could remember, was the sheet tucked around the crib mattress. Back when this had been Bartie’s room, the sheets were covered in a variety of zoo animals, the only splash of color in the otherwise greyscale nursery. Now, they were a black and white check, much more subdued.

Laying in the center of the crib, wrapped tightly in a light pink blanket, was a sleeping baby. Drake didn’t have a lot of experience with infants, but even he had heard you never wake a sleeping baby, so he stepped further into the room carefully, trying not to make a sound. When he reached the crib, he couldn’t help but stare. This was Caroline. His niece.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, just taking her in, but eventually Savannah’s voice caught his attention.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s a bit creepy to just sneak into someone’s home and watch their child sleep?”

Drake turned his head to look over his shoulder. His sister was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, an eyebrow cocked. “Hey, Sav. Maxwell sent me up here.”

“I should have known,” she said, walking over to join him by the crib, wrapping an arm around his waist as she gave him a half-hug. “I see you’ve met Caroline.”

“She’s beautiful,” Drake said, looking down again at the little baby in the crib, a few fine brown hairs covering her head. His niece. She was so tiny. It was kind of overwhelming, seeing her like this. When he’d met Bartie, it had been such a total shock that he even existed. Plus, he had been so much older than this. “Congratulations.”

“You can pick her up, you know.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to disturb her.”

Savannah let out a few little chuckles. “She is the one who disturbs everyone most of the time. Besides, she’s just about due for a feeding.”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, Drake. Just go wash your hands, and then you can hold her.”

And so a minute later, Drake found himself being handed his niece, so small and fragile-seeming. “Is this okay?” he asked, trying to make sure he walked the fine line between being gentle and holding her firmly as he tucked her against his chest.

“You aren’t going to hurt her!” Savannah laughed out.

“I just… I’ve never held a baby this little before. I don’t want to mess this up,” Drake said. Caroline felt so light in his arms. She was blinking, slowly becoming more alert after being shifted from her crib. Her bluish-grey eyes finally seemed to lock on his. “Hey, Caroline,” he said, “I’m your Uncle Drake.” But before he could think of anything else to say, she opened her mouth and let out a piercing wail.

Drake glanced over at Savannah. “What do I do?”

She laughed again. “God, what is Riley going to do with you when it’s your kid? She’s a baby, not an alien. She’s either hungry, sleepy, or has a dirty diaper.” But before she could poke fun at him any further, she reached over and shifted Caroline into her arms. “And since she’s hungry, I’m really the only one who can handle that.”

“Oh, do you want privacy or should I…”

Savannah shrugged. “I use a nursing blanket since Barthelemy walked in on me and made things real awkward.” And with that she settled onto the rocking chair, adjusting her top, positioning Caroline, then tugging a little cover over herself.

“What did Barthelemy do?” Drake asked as he moved to the side wall, leaning against it.

“Just acted real weird about the whole thing, talked to Bert about reminding me how a duchess should comport herself.”

“What a jackass.”

Savannah let out a sigh. “Bertrand was very apologetic when he relayed the message. But using a nursing blanket is not a big deal, and if it makes things easier for Bert with his dad…” She trailed off, staring down at Caroline, reaching under the nursing blanket to adjust something before she spoke again. “Having him around here has not exactly been some big happy family. I don’t know if his illness changed him, or if my memories of him were just fuzzy, but he’s an odd duck.”

Drake glanced over to the doorway. “Uhh, Sav. Not that I care, but the door is wide open and-”

She laughed and shook her head. “He’s at his rehab and physical therapy appointment this morning.”

“Ahh, gotcha. Any more talk of him trying to regain the title of duke?” Back when Barthelemy had returned to the estate, Sav had confided that it seemed like he was hinting that Bertrand should renounce his title and return it to his father. But since their wedding, it had seemed like most of that talk had died.

“No, he and Godfrey laid on the pressure after the honeymoon, but as soon as we announced the pregnancy, he backed off. His new mission seems to be to convince Liam that either Bartie or Caroline should be appointed as heir to the throne, which is crazy to think about, but it keeps him busy, so…” Savannah tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows, letting the thought just hang there in the room. 

Drake was bothered by the implications of that statement, but he knew that pressing Savannah on it would not really get him anywhere. As inappropriate and concerning as he found the implication that Savannah and Bertrand weren’t shutting Barthelemy down completely with that shit, he knew voicing his objections now would not solve anything. Discussing this all with Liam would make much more sense. So he just filed the statement away and moved to change the subject.

“Is it easier this time around, knowing what you are doing?”

Savannah smiled before glancing down at Caroline. “I think it’s more that I have a support system. And yes, I know it was my choice to not have one before,” she added before Drake could interject. “I guess in some ways at least I know what to expect, but Caroline is way more cranky than Bartie was at this age. Besides, I don’t think any parent ever really feels like they know what they are doing.”

“Nah, you seem to have it down.”

“It’s just a lot of trial and error. You’ll see when you guys have a baby.”

Drake ran his hand across his jaw, glancing down and watching his toes nudge into the baseboard. “I have a feeling that’s gonna be a while for us.”

“Oh come on! Don’t you want your kids to grow up with their cousins?”

Drake swallowed before taking a breath. “Of course I do.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

“Well, getting married to start.” Shit. “Not that I think people have to be married to raise a kid or-”

“Relax, Drake,” Savannah said, cutting off his apologetic ramble. “It’s not like Bartie was a planned pregnancy.”

“Neither was Caroline,” he thought, but kept his mouth shut, not wanting to risk offending his sister or make her feel like he was judging her and her family. 

“I know you have an old-fashioned streak-”

“Hey!” Drake interjected, but Savannah just kept on going.

“-but I think you guys should think about having kids soon. You were going to be married by now anyway! And isn’t that the modern, New York thing to do?”

Drake didn’t know where all this was coming from. Why she was so insistent about something that didn’t involve her. But man, he wished she would move on to any other topic of conversation. Because what could he say? That he was ready to be married with kids? That he would have no problem starting a family with Riley tomorrow? He couldn’t share that with his sister, at least not without sharing things about Riley he was pretty confident she would never want Savannah to know.

The fact that she had decided on a birth control option that would last for three years made it pretty clear where her head was at with the whole kid thing. She wasn’t really ready, not by a long shot. And until she was ready, there was really nothing he could do about it. Drake was just going to have to wait until she felt like the time was right, whenever that might be.

Maybe it was just that he was four years older than her. Maybe that’s why he felt so ready to take those next steps when she seemed so unbothered, so willing to just roll along. And to be fair, it’s not like they were ever going to be a couple like Hana and Catherine, who had timelines and life plans and five year goals. But deep down, Drake couldn’t help but wonder why Riley seemed so ambivalent about them getting married and starting a family. Was she unsure about something in their relationship, unsure about something with him?

It’s not that she didn’t want kids ever, as far as he knew. She’d mentioned wanting kids before. And they’d planned that first wedding without issue. But now it seemed like she was stuck. No rush to get married. Not thinking about having kids for years. And Drake didn’t know how to approach the whole topic without seeming like he was demanding things. Putting pressure on her. He was happy. They were happy. It was something his younger self would have never thought possible, and it should definitely be enough. But maybe he was selfish, because there were times where it just didn’t feel like enough.

Maybe it would be helpful to talk to someone about this, but that would feel like violating Riley’s trust. He knew Riley had her therapist she talked to, and he was sure their relationship was a topic of conversation there, but that was different. The therapist wasn’t someone who knew Drake, who was his friend or family. Anyone Drake would feel comfortable talking about this with knew Riley. Knew her well, quite frankly. 

So for now, he was just going to have to keep moving forward. Keep hoping that Riley would start to feel ready soon. And at the moment, that meant sidestepping his sister’s questions and prodding.

“Geez, Sav! We haven’t even been here for an hour, and you are laying it on really thick.”

“Sorry, sorry! I know it’s not my business! If it makes you feel better, it’s not just with you. Kiara also told me I needed to back off when I started asking her about when she and Oliver were going to have kids right after their wedding.”

“Wait, when did Kiara get married?”

“Oh, Drake! At least you have an excuse for not knowing all the news now that you live abroad.” she said, shaking her head. “They eloped maybe… four months ago?”

And then Savannah was off, filling Drake in on tons of gossip he didn’t give two shits about. But it made her happy, and it was a safe topic of conversation, so who was he to complain?

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

Riley sat crossed legged on the floor in Bartie’s room at a little table, Maxwell seated across from her. Meanwhile, Bartie was hard at work at his toy kitchen set, organizing pieces of plastic food on plates. He wanted to show off and make “lunch” for them. Riley supposed that this was probably a common way for a three and a half year old to want to play, not that she had any such memories from her own childhood. What wasn’t common, she was sure, was the formal table setting Bartie had carefully placed in front of each of them, the perfectly pressed white apron he’d asked Maxwell to help him tie on, or the fact that he was arranging his plastic lettuce, eggs, and meat on actual china.

“Looks excellent, my favorite dude,” said Maxwell as Bartie carefully carried over several plates to the table. “What’s on the menu?”

“Steak tartare with a fresh greens salad,” he said before turning and heading back towards his little kitchen.

“Wait, aren’t you going to join us?” asked Riley, trying to keep from bursting out in laughter at the thought of a preschooler preparing such a meal.

“Aunt Riley, no aprons at the table!” he said his eyes wide as he turned back to face her.

“Yeah, come on Aunt Riley, where are your manners?” Maxwell winked before twisting to look over at Bartie. “You need any help untying your apron there?”

“No, I can do it,” Bartie ground out, tugging on the ties without much luck.

“Okay, well I’m right here if you do need help,” Maxwell responded. Within five seconds, Bartie was back, standing right next to him.

“Thanks, Uncle Maxwell!” he said, happily pulling the apron off and jogging over to hang it up nicely once Maxwell had it untied.

“You’re working hard to maintain your title as best uncle.” Riley said.

“Every time you guys come to visit, he suddenly wants to go fishing and camping instead of having dance parties with me.”

Riley laughed at that. “We’re new and exciting, what can I say.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re the favorite aunt by default.”

“What does default mean?” asked Bartie, plopping down on the floor next to them.

“It means no other choices, dude.”

“Oh,” Bartie said, nodding before picking up his silverware, pretending to cut into the plastic in front of him with surprising coordination.

“So has Uncle Maxwell been hanging out with you a lot since your sister came home?”

Bartie shrugged. “I guess.”

“We’ve definitely been seeing some jealousy,” Maxwell said with a nod. “I kind of thought this might happen, so I made sure to clear my schedule for a handful of weeks around the due date.”

“That was thoughtful of you.”

Maxwell tilted his head to the side and smiled. “Hey, I’m favorite uncle for a reason.”

“Uncle Drake is my favorite,” said Bartie, causing Riley to burst out laughing.

“Dude, that wasn’t the deal! You’re gonna pay for this,” Maxwell said, leaning over and wiggling his fingers. “The squid’s about to attack.” With that, Maxwell started tickling Bartie, triggering wild giggles and Bartie rolling backwards on the floor.

“Bartie!” Bertrand’s voice cut across the room. Riley twisted over to find him standing in the hallway, his eyes scanning over the scene in front of him. “We don’t make our guests sit on the floor, do we?”

“No, Daddy.”

“Bertrand, it’s fine-” Riley started, but he held up a hand, cutting her off.

“What do we say, Bartie?”

��Sorry, Aunt Riley.”

All Riley could do was nod, accepting an apology from a toddler that felt entirely unnecessary.

“Good,” said Bertrand, “Now go wash your hands and get cleaned up for lunch.”

Bartie scampered out of the room, turning to his left in the hallway.

“I offered to play with him, Bertrand.”

“Well, he was told that you were coming to visit Caroline. He should have known better than to monopolize your time.”

Riley opened her mouth, ready to respond, but Maxwell grabbed her wrist and shook his head. 

“How are you, by the way? I apologize for not being there to greet you and Drake.”

“I’m good, Bertrand,” she said as she pushed herself up on her feet, walking over and giving him a loose hug. “Congrats, by the way.”

“Yes, thank you. Drake and Savannah have Caroline in the private lounge if you want to go meet her. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go check and make sure Bartie isn’t making a complete mess in the bathroom.”

And with that, Bertrand was off, following the path down the hallway that his son had just taken.

“Yikes,” said Riley as soon as he was out of earshot.

“Yeah, I know,” replied Maxwell, looping his arm around her shoulders and guiding her in the opposite direction. “That is another reason I made sure I didn’t have any need to be on set or in LA for any writers meetings for a few months.”

“He’s more of a tight ass than ever.”

“I think he’s very anxious because he missed this part of Bartie’s life. The amount of research he did and the number of parenting books he read is insane. But any time any little thing isn’t what he expects, he flips out.”

“What does Savannah think about that?” Riley asked, following Maxwell down the stairs.

“Either she’s too sleep deprived to notice, or she’s just pretending not to see it. I decided to give him two months to settle into things. If he’s still snapping at everyone then, well… I guess I’ll have to stage an intervention or something.”

“Wow. Well at least you’re here to look out for the kid.”

“Yup, figure I can keep things normal-ish for him. Though I will say between watching Bertrand spiral and hearing Caroline’s shrieks, any faint consideration I might have given to parenthood has gone straight out the window.”

Riley laughed, prompting Maxwell to keep going. “I’m serious! I know I told you I was pretty sure I was good being the fun uncle, but these past few weeks have really locked in that decision. Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but Bartie is right - Caroline is boring. And loud. And I am so glad she is not my responsibility.”

All Riley could do was laugh more. “Do you need me to make up an excuse for you so you don’t need to be in the same room with her?”

Maxwell nudged her with his shoulder. “Oh, laugh it up! I don’t have any issues with her. She just confirmed that fatherhood is not for me, no matter how cute she is when she isn’t screaming her head off.”

At that point, they entered the lounge, so Riley dropped any further teasing she had for Maxwell. “Hey, Savannah. Congrats!” she said, walking across the room and giving her a hug.

“Thank you, Riley. It’s so good to see you!” Savannah replied as they pulled apart. Riley moved to sit down next to Drake on the couch, who was cradling a baby against his shoulder.

“This must be Caroline,” she said, watching as Drake tapped his hand against her back lightly.

“Either that or I have a lot of explaining to do,” Drake said, glancing over at her. Riley just smiled and nudged him lightly with her elbow.

“Drake, why don’t you let Riley hold her?” Savannah asked. “She should get to meet her aunt, too.”

“Do you want to?” Drake asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Of course,” said Riley, reaching over and helping him peel the tiny little girl off his chest, nestling her into her own arms.

Caroline was awake, her eyes roving around as Riley shifted back onto the couch more fully to try and get comfortable. After a few seconds, they seemed to settle on Riley’s face. All she could really do was stare back, taking in this child, this baby girl who might not have been planned, but would certainly be loved by so many.

“Yeah, I know I’m a stranger right now. But in a couple of decades, I’ll be the one you come to when you want nightclub recommendations in New York City.”

“Hey, I want in on that invite,” said Maxwell as Savannah let out a few chuckles. Riley glanced over at Drake, expecting him to be rolling his eyes or shaking his head, but instead was caught off guard by the intensity of his gaze. He was staring at her holding Caroline with such passion, such longing, she felt almost exposed. All she could think to do was drop her eyes back to the baby, not wanting to dwell on what that meant at that moment.

Unfortunately, Savannah must have noticed Drake as well, because she said, “Oh, I see that look. ‘A while’ my ass. I bet you’ll be pregnant by the end of the year.”

Drake let out a sort of sputtering cough at his sister’s comment, but before he could say anything, could so much as get a word out, Riley felt her own mouth opening. Her own response spilled out so glibly, without a second of thought. It was almost like she heard someone else saying the words, even as she knew she was the one speaking.

“Don’t give him any ideas.”

She felt Drake stiffen beside her, saw Maxwell shifting in his seat, and heard Savannah mutter out a little apology, but all of that was just background noise as her brain screamed at her. How could she have been so fucking stupid? What possessed her to say that? Or at least to phrase it like that? There were ways to shut down Savannah’s prying without implying that Drake had baby fever and she wanted no part of it.

The uncomfortable silence in the room was broken as Bertrand and Bartie entered. “Lunch is ready in the dining room,” said Bertrand, gesturing to the door behind him. Bertrand then stepped over to Riley. “I can go put her down,” he said, gesturing at his daughter still in Riley’s arms.

“Oh, sure thing,” said Riley, passing him Caroline before standing up. Savannah, Maxwell, and Bartie had already left the room, but Drake was still seated, his eyes locked on his knee that was bouncing up and down.

“Drake, I-” she started as soon as Bertrand had stepped out, extending her hand to help him to his feet. But Drake ignored the gesture, pushing his hands into the cushions of the couch instead.

“I’m hungry. Let’s just go eat, Riley.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t-.”

“It’s fine, Riley, Really. We can talk later” He nodded at her and started walking towards the door, leaving Riley to follow after him. And more than the brush off, more than his refusal to hold her hand, the fact that he’d not called her ‘Liu’ let her know that she had made a huge fucking mess.

Perma: @walkerswhiskeygirl @octobereighth @kimmiedoo5 @mom2000aggie

TRR/TRH: @twinkleallnight @iaminlovewithtrr @mskaneko @axwalker @jovialyouthmusic @marshmallowsandfire @kingliam2019 @sirbeepsalot @texaskitten30 @princessleac1 @ladyangel70 @debramcg1106 @masterofbluff  

Drake/MC: @no-one-u-know  @iplaydrake

ICWAM: @thequeenofpixels @sunnyxdazed @sammie0220​

[briefinquiries]

Luke Alvez x Reader: Thanksgiving Dinner

Description: You invite Luke home for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: none

A/N: sorry i suck at updating! but here’s a fluffy thanksgiving fic.  i hate this holiday, but love luke so enjoy!!! (obviously this fic is pre Covid times, so keep ur distance and stay at home y’all)

“It’s just dinner, Luke! And my family really wants to meet you. Please?” You beg again, sitting up again to look into Luke’s eyes pleadingly. The two of you were cuddled up in Luke’s apartment watching a rerun of a show you’d already seen.  You had one of his throw blankets wrapped around you, but still shivered.  Luke always kept his apartment freezing.  Something to do with the fact that he was literally a human furnace.   

“Thanksgiving dinner is supposed to be a family thing,” Luke sighs. “I don’t want to impose.  Why can’t we just do dinner any other day?” He asks. You frown at him, and furrow your eyebrows, your signature sign of annoyance. 

You had only been dating Luke for about six months now, but Luke can read you like an open book.  He knows all of your little expressions and mannerisms.

“Because,” you groaned, like that’s the only explanation you need to give. Luke raises his eyebrows, so you continue.

“Because that’s the only time my whole family will be there and I want you to meet all of them,” you huffed, falling back against Luke’s headboard, a few inches between the two of you now. “I don’t understand why you won’t just come.” 

“Baby,” Luke chuckles, reaching over and pulling you back into his side, like you had been sitting just a moment ago. 

When your frown doesn’t go away, Luke sighs. “Okay.”

“Okay?” you ask. 

“Okay, I’ll do Thanksgiving.”

You smile smugly, and lean back into Luke’s side. “Thank you,” you murmured.  Luke gives your side a slight squeeze.

“You're lucky I like you so much,” Luke chuckles. 

...

Luke straightens his shirt in the mirror one more time, making sure his hair is intact and his shirt wasn’t too wrinkly. He really, really wants your family to like him, and if he doesn’t look perfect or say exactly the right thing, he knows he’ll blow it.

He’s gone with a dark blue button down, one of your favorites. He picked out his best pair of pants and even trimmed his beard so that it looked clean and presentable.

There’s a knock on the door as soon as he’s finished tucking his shirt into his pants, and he lets out a long breath before he goes to answer it. He checks his teeth in the mirror beside the coat closet before he opens the door, finding you waiting for him in the hallway.

You both just kind of stare at each other for a long moment.

You have on a white sweater and dark pants.  Your hair sits perfectly on top of your head in a big bun.

Luke breaks the silence first, reaching out to pull you into his chest.  He kisses you softly. “You look great,” he murmurs against your lips.

“So do you,” you whispered. “We’re gonna be late if we don’t get going now. Are you ready?” you asked, reaching for Luke’s hand when he nods. Luke allows you to lead him down the hall and to the elevator, and then out to his car.

The two of you pull up to your parents house an hour later, you’re quick to undo your seatbelt and climb out of the car. There are already several other cars in the driveway, and Luke tries to guess who might already be here as you walk him up to the front door.

There’s a wreath already hung on the door as you ring the doorbell. Luke squeezes your hand tight, making you turn around and look up at him in amusement.

“Are you nervous?” you ask, smirking.

Luke shrugs, “A little bit,” he says.

“They’re going to love you,” you assure him and then the door swings open. 

You whirl around, grinning at the little girl in the doorway. Luke recognizes her as one of your cousins from the countless pictures he’s been shown, but he isn’t sure which one she is.

“Hey bug,” you say excitedly, and the little girl jumps excitedly. She runs the few steps it takes to close the distance and jumps into your arms, hugging you tightly around your neck. Luke’s heart melts as he watches you twirl around the porch with her a bit, before putting her down and letting her run back inside. 

“That was Kate,” you tell him before taking his hand in yours.  Luke nods, already storing the information in his long term memory. 

You lead Luke inside, just in time to hear Kate announce to the whole house that you and your “cute boyfriend” were there.  Luke smiles at that and you look up at him with the widest crinkly-eyed grin, leading him around the corner to the kitchen.  

Luke was not prepared for the crowd of people gathered as soon as they turned the corner. 

There’s a male that looks just like you sitting on a stool at the bar, with a double version of himself sitting next to him.  Luke immediately recognizes them as your twin brothers.  He knew their names, but couldn't for the life of him, tell who was who.  Kate has found two other young kids, around the same age as her, and all three of them are clawing at the dress of a woman who Luke presumes is their mother.  

There’s an older woman stirring something in a pot on the stove, and another, younger woman sipping from a wine glass and holding a baby. In the attached living room three men sit on the couch, a football game on the flatscreen TV. 

Luke is a bit overwhelmed by the chaos of it all, but when you squeeze his hand a little bit tighter, he feels like he can breathe again.  You quietly start pointing out who is who before actually bringing him around the room.

He learns that your twin brothers were named Caleb and Elliot.  He also learns that Caleb has his hair parted down the middle of his head, whereas Elliot’s was just combed back.  

He learns that the woman stirring the pot on the stove was your mother, and the woman getting mauled by all the young kids was your Aunt Christine, and that her three kids were named Kate, Emily, and James. The woman nursing her glass of wine was your older sister, Caroline, and that the baby she was cradling was your three month old nephew.  Her husband was one of the three men sitting on the couch.  The other two being your uncle Mark and your grandfather.

“The one in the war?” 

You nod. 

Christine is the one that makes the obligatory new-comer to the family joke about there being a test later on who is who, and when your mother has finally put the turkey in the oven, she turns around to get a good look at Luke.

“So,” she begins, wiping her hands on a tea towel and untying her apron. “You’re the famous Luke that my baby talks endlessly about every time she calls home.” You throw her a look, one that clearly means stop- but Luke just laughs softly and squeezes your hand again.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Luke grins. 

“So Luke,” your sister pipes up. “What do you do?”

Luke hesitates.  His job was slightly unconventional, so he always just assumed you would have told them about it.  

“I work for the Bureau,” he states nonchalantly, but he notices the hush that falls over the room. 

“The FBI?” your sister asks. 

Luke bites his lip and nods. 

“Is that like the police?” one of the little kids asks. 

Luke nods, smiling, “Yeah, I work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit.”

There’s a blank silence- Luke interprets it as no one knows what the hell that meant. 

He clarifies.  

“I study criminal behavior to assist in investigations.”

The whole kitchen remains quiet. Luke feels his stomach drop, as he suddenly starts wondering if he said something wrong.  He notices you flinch, digging nails into the back of his hand until someone breaks the silence.

“Y/N,” says your grandfather from the couch, and everyone turns to look at him. “Is that boy a cop?”

“He’s not a cop,” you say. “He’s FBI.  There’s a difference.”

Luke turns to look at you, lips parted in surprise. Clearly he was missing something here, as the tension grew thicker. 

“You’re dating a cop?” He asks, standing right in front of the two of you now. 

Luke lets go of your hand and wipes it hastily on his pants. 

“He’s not a cop, he’s-”

“He’s a cop,” your grandfather sighs, he doesn’t seem mad, more disappointed. “After what your family has been through, I figured you’d know better.”

Luke looks between you and your grandfather uncomfortably before taking a step back towards the entryway of the kitchen. 

“I- uh-” Luke stammers.  “I didn’t mean to offend anyone-”

“You didn’t,” your mother pipes in finally.  “Dad- that’s enough.”

“Okay,” he says, putting his hands up in defense.  But the malice was still there.

Luke takes another step back.  “Maybe I should go- I don’t mean to impose.” He takes another few steps before turning around altogether. 

He hears you scoff harshly.  “Nice going.”

You chase after him, grabbing Luke’s hand and pull him straight out the front door. Luke stands off to the side of the yard, pinching harshly at his own nose.

You reach for Luke with an apologetic look on your face. Luke opens his mouth before you can, though, spitting out the words that are probably on everyone else’s mind right now.

“I should leave,” he says, taking a step back when you reach for him again. “They hate me. I knew I shouldn’t have come in the first place. I’ll call an Uber home, you can take the car.” he mutters, turning away and reaching into his pocket for his phone.

“Luke,” you argue, pulling his arm down. Luke groans, refusing to meet your gaze. 

“You’re not leaving,” you say. “They don’t hate you, not at all. They haven’t even gotten to know you yet, and they’re absolutely not going to hate you because of your job, of all things. My Grandfather is just a little crazy, but he’ll get over it, I swear,” you assure him.

“Why didn’t you tell them I was in the FBI in the first place, if you talk about me to your mom so much? Kind of a defining feature, I would think,” he grumbles, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Uh, it didn’t come up?” you offer. Luke rolls his eyes.

“Did it have to?” He asks, voice dripping with annoyance.

You finally sigh, rolling your eyes and running your hand through your hair. “Alright, my dad was a cop. Right here in Baltimore.  He died when I was thirteen. Shot in the line of duty. So we had to grow up without him. I didn’t tell them you were a cop because I knew that if I did my mom would wanna talk about my dad, and I didn’t want to talk about my dad.”

There’s a long, heavy silence before you sigh.  

“I’m sorry, I should’ve told her,” you admit, shoulders slumping slightly. “I didn’t think any of them would react like this. I guess it’s still a little raw.”

Luke takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, letting that all sink in. He can see why your family might be a little cautious. Because all that hurt that your family had to deal with must have really been awful.

“You never told me that.  I’m sorry that happened,” he says softly, reaching out to squeeze your hand. You look up at him hopefully, trying to lace your fingers together. 

“I promise, after like five minutes of getting to know you, they’re going to love you, just like I did, I promise.”

Your eyes widen at your sudden admission.  You look to Luke to see if he noticed your slip up.  His grin says it all.

“Love me, huh?” he asks slyly.  

You try to brush it off, but Luke’s not having it.  

He takes a step forward in the grass and gently touches your chin, he tilts it up so that you’re looking at him.  “I love you, too.” He says before pressing his soft lips to yours. 

When he pulls away, you bite back your smile.  “So you’ll try?” You ask. 

Luke nods his head and lets you tug him back inside the house.

“Luke,” your mother says softly and Luke freezes, looking up at her like a deer in the headlights. He can only imagine that she’s about to kindly ask him to leave.  “Oh, you poor thing, how rude you must think we are,” she says instead.  

Luke shakes his head.  “No ma’am,” he insists.  

“I’m not sure if Y/N has told you about her father, but he was a cop.  Sixteen years,” she stares off as if remembering him.  “He passed away in the line of duty. It was terrible- the kids having to grow up without their father.  And terrible for me to raise them without my husband.  I never wanted that for my kids.”

Luke’s chest tightens again. 

“But I’m so sorry about what my father said to you, and I want you to know that you are always welcome inside this house, because you obviously make my daughter very happy, and that makes me very happy,” she says, giving you a smile that looks so much like yours that it eases him just the same.

He releases the breath he was holding and lets himself smile, nodding quickly. “Thank you,” he says, giving your mother his most genuine smile.

“See? Told you she’d love you,” you say smugly.  

Luke chuckles softly.

During dinner, Luke works his charm and is able to wiggle his way into every family member's heart.  You marvel in awe as he’s able to carry on a conversation about football with your grandfather and uncle.  Luke knows a surprising amount about the Ravens- even though he’s a Patriots fan. After dinner, when they all gather in the living room to watch the game, Luke turns out to be as loud and passionate about football as the rest of the men, even with Kate seated on his thigh, because for some reason she will not let him put her down.

After dessert is over you and Luke finally start to say your goodbyes to everyone with promises to visit soon. 

By the time you get back to Luke’s apartment, you’re both too full and sleepy from the turkey to do much more than cuddle for a while.

“I told you my family would adore you,” you sigh.  “Even my grandfather warmed up to you by the end of the night. Everyone loves you. But I love you the most,” you say, clearly already drifting off to sleep.

Luke smiles to himself and presses a long kiss to the top of your head.

“I love you too,” he whispers softly, before letting himself drift off to sleep as well.

[atomicblasphemy]

Eda becomes some kind of flying taxi service

Amity: So I told Malphas he needed to have a talk with Gary about our coffee break space.

Emira: Mhmm.

Amity: I mean, for one, Gary never cleans after himself. Like, I once saw him leaving his mug dirty for over a week. A WEEK. It was disgusting. It was just sitting dare on the table for days. I didn’t want to clean it, I’m not a doormate. But it was dire and I had no choice. And don’t get me started on the fridge situation. My lunch has been getting smaller by the day and I can’t seem to figure out the culprit.

Emira: That’s nice, Mittens. Isn’t it nice, Edric?

Edric: What?

Amity: Will you guys pay attention? I need some advice on...

*Windows cracking”

Edric: What the...

Hooty: AMITY FELICITY BLIGHT! IT IS I, HOOTCIFER, HARBINGER OF THY DESTINY. COME WITH ME AND I SHALL REVEAL WHAT JOYS THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THEE.

Amity: I... What?

Hooty: DOTH THOU DARE DEFY FATE? *Swallows Amity*

Emira: ... What just happened? Wasn’t that Eda’s house demon? You know, the one we met before Grom?

Edric: I think it was. I’m not sure though, he sounded more... ominous...

SEVERAL EMOTIONAL MOMENTS LATER

Luz: It’s early... Do you really have to go already?

Amity: Yeah... I still have to finish homework, and I have work tomorrow. But I’ll come back here tomorrow... If you’re okay with it, that is...

Luz: YES! I mean... yeah, I’d love that...

Amity: Anyway... I guess I should get going, we’re not exactly neighbors after all. See you tomorrow then.

Luz: Wait, I have an idea. *Turns around* EDA!

Eda: *Not stopping her flight practice* What?

Luz: Do you think you could give Amity a lift back to her place?

Eda: Oh? Not walking your girlfriend home? Thought you’d be more chivalrous.

Luz: *Showing that Amity’s tomato like properties are infectious* EDAAA!

Eda: Sorry, sorry. But yeah, sure. *Picks up Amity and flies away at neckbreaking speeds. She soon slows down to a more reasonable pace* So... Amity, before I give you that whole “What are your intentions?” scare there’s something I’ve been itching to ask you. What made you chose to dye your hair of all colors, and how did Odd-alia react?

Amity: Luz... Me... Girlfriend...

Eda: Ugh... Don’t make me regret making harmless fun of young love, kiddo.

ONE AWKWARD TAXI EDA FLYING SESSION LATER.

Eda: *Placing Amity on the Blight Manor’s front porch and looking at the two bewildered faces watching her* Sup. *Turns to fly away* Oh right, I guess purple here is in not in the mental state to give any explanations.

Amity: Small ceremony... Human realm... Only friends and family... Boscha is not invited...

Emira: Are you... Edalyn Clawthorne?

Eda: Last I checked I was.

Emira: You look different.

Eda: Oh right... Look, it was a very eventful night so let me start with the simpler one. King, you remember him, right? Tiny, angry, looks like a cat, was the MC at the last Grom along with Goops.

Emira and Edirc: Yeah...?

Eda: He’s harnessing all the powers of yelling. I guess all children his age kinda do that but he went above and beyond and actually learned how to make things go boom with his voice alone, and that’s why both Luz and your sister are still alive. And now I’m realizing I should probably go hide all those Death Metal records I got in human realm. Can’t risk turning my son into a weapon of mass destruction. Not yet.

Edric: That’s... nice... I guess?

Emira: How about Mittens?

Eda: Right. She and Luz are an item now. It was adorable, I called her Luz’s girlfriend then I think it finally really hit her and that made her go all catatonic on me. Sorry about that.

Edric: WHAT?

Emira: Okay, okay... So came out with it? Ed and I have some scores to settle.

Eda: I... Both, I guess? I don’t know, it was sort of at the same time. But I don’t want to spoil it for when she recovers. So I guess us three are kinda family now, huh? Tangentially at least, like you’re my nephew and niece-in-law or something like that, I don’t know.

Eda: The important thing is: there’s a huge waterway under my house and I think it is actually part of my property. Now I need to figure out a way to find out how big that place actually is without letting town hall know so my taxes won’t go up. Can’t push my tax evasion skills. I mean, can you imagine it? The Owl Lady, the most successful outlaw in Boiling Isles history: arrested for fiscal crimes.

Emira: Okay... That’s... cool.

Edric: Yeah... Not to pry though, but what happened to you?

Eda: Oh... Me? I got very high. Not on purpose. Then I became a Harpy. Also not on purpose.

Emira: ... I’m sorry but I’m not following the cause and effect relation between those thing.

Eda: Neither am I. All I remember is: Hooty spiked some cookies; I revisited that time I gauged out my dad’s eye, also not on purpose; then when I push my ex away (You know, Raine Whispers, current head of the Bard Coven, lead a small revolutionary guerrilla, now under mind control. Oh, yeah, guess they’d make to sure to keep it under wraps, anyway...)

Eda: Then it got pretty weird. I got trapped by this tall hooded sun and moon figure and I’m not sure whether that was an actual memory (I did get arrested a few time after all) or if it was just a hallucinogenics induced manifestation of the subconscious trauma of being persecuted for years by the state. Anyone’s guess to which was it.

Eda: And then I became Icarus, fell into the sea, and became a piece of paper. Then I was at the beach, the piece of paper was also there, but that’s not important... I hope... Anyway, so, my curse was there too an for a moment there I thought we were gonna play some chess, but nah.

Eda: I did have an epiphany though. The sky changed colors and now I’m a Harpy. Gotta a lot of stuff to process right.

Edric: *Wide eyed and mouth agape* Mother of Titan...

Emira: *Same as her brother* Do you... need a hug or something?

Eda: Ehh... Don’t worry, I’ll get through. I mean, I’m a badass Harpy woman now, what else could I want? I appreciate the thought though. Anyway, I’ll get going, Luz has probably been stuck in the same place ever since I left. Was nice seeing you guys. *Turns around*

Edric: WAIT, EDA.

Eda: Yeah? What is it?

Edric: Can you take me flying a little bit like you did Mittens? Pretty please?

Emira: *Elbowing her brother* EDRIC!

Edric: What? There’s a tall and friendly winged lady standing in our front porch and calling us family...

Eda: Kinda family.

Edric: Kinda family. And we only went flying, on dad’s staff mind you, like twice. And I mean, look at her. That’s clearly a person with next to no regard for speed limits or any form of flying safety. *Turns to Eda* I mean that as the highest of compliments, by the way.

Eda: *Nodding and smiling* Well, I’m not one to brag... But you’re on point there.

Edric: *Turning back to Emira* See? It will be fun. *Turns back to Eda while making puppy eyes* So, pretty pretty please?

Eda: Eh... What the heck, why not? I do need to get a better hold of this flying thing after all. Fair warning though, I only had these for about an hour, I’m not taking responsibility for any loss of limb or life. *Picks Edric up and place him on one of her shoulders and turns to Emira.* You sure you don’t wanna come with? There’s plenty of room.

Emira: ... I never said I didn’t want to...

Eda: *Placing Emira on her other shoulder* Alritty then, make sure to hold on tight to my hair, just don’t fall into it. Can’t promise I’ll find you if you do. And up we go. *Takes off at neckbreaking speed*

Eda: So... I tried that to Mittens herself, but she was too lost in elation to form coherent sentences. What’s the deal with her hair color change? Why did she pick that specific shade of... pink? Lavender? Purple? Whatever, I was a tad curious about that choice coming from one of Odd-alia’s offspring. So either of you can shed some light on it for me?

Emira: Eh, what can I say? Our little Mittens is growing up, coming out of her shell. I mean, if you told me a month that she’d have a girlfriend by now I’d call it bullshit. Though I would have guessed Luz as being the most likely candidate. In any case, I’m pretty proud of the steps our baby sister is taking, not gonna lie.

Edric: Yeah... Same. But I can’t shake the feeling that it is at least in part an act of rebellion against mom. She did always have that weird fixation with Amity’s hair after all...

Eda: Hum, I see. This actually takes me to my follow up question. How did your mom react when she saw it?

Edric: *chuckling* Oh, I thought she’d have a stroke right then and there.

Emira: Yup. Never saw mom that mad. You’d think the two of us would be the ones to cause it but nope, Mittens beat us to it. Again, I’m a proud big sister.

Eda: Hehehe Sounds about right. You two are the troublemaking type then huh?

Edric: That’s a way of putting.

Emira: We like thinking of ourselves as practical entertainers however. We are in the Illusions track so it comes with the territory. Buuut...

Edric: We indulge in some prankery every now and then, and there’s no one better at it than us.

Eda: Is that so? Ever get in trouble for it?

Edric: Sometimes... When we (kind of accidentally) cause more property damage than intended because SOMEONE botched their end of the spell and caused Bump’s office to almost go up in flames.

Emira: Awww. Ed, I told you already. Don’t beat yourself over it. Accidents happen. You’ll do better next time.

Edric: HEY!

Emira: Anyway, Eda. Why were you asking about Mittens’ hair?

Eda: Oh... You guys are going to love this. I think. Anyway, did you know that me and your parents attended Hexside at the same time?

Edric: Yeah, I remember mom seeing one of your wanted posters a while back and calling you “Ewdalyn Clownthorne” or something like that.

Eda: Ah, haven’t heard that in a minute, Titan those were the day. Anyway, as you might have guessed by now me and your mother we... had a bit of a rivalry. Unfortunately, I couldn’t top the nickname she gave me, best I could do was Odd-alia. No offense, but Blight doesn’t give much to work with in terms of puns, can’t get funnier than that. Especially when thrown at her.

Emira: None taken. And yeah. I mean, it is fun when people call us stuff like “The Blights of Hexside”. But it is kinda sad to know we’ll never get a nickname as cool as Owl Lady or Lord Calamity.

Eda: Oh, my fame still precedes me huh? You know, I think the three of us will get along just fine.

Edric and Emira: Yup, we sure will.

Eda: Anyway, flattery aside... Part of the reason why I love poking your mom with a short stick was, other than how aggravated she’d get and how surprisingly good at paying in kind she was, the fact that she was in the Oracle track. You see, that made her a challenge. And given how she would actually prank me back (successfully, mind you, I have no shame in admitting that) I feel like like we actually a weird sort of friends, or at least we reached some kind of agreement that we were fair game for each other. And trust me, she was ruthless, and very good at escalating things.

Emira: Wow...

Edric: That sounds nothing like the mom we know. Other than the ruthless or the escalation part, that is still true.

Eda: Yeah, anyway. Part of our little game was keeping it hidden. Neither your dad or my sister actually ever realized what was going on until... well, I’ll get to that.

Eda: Anyway, so some lovely day I notice how weirdly obsessed with her hair Odd-alia was. This gives me some ideas, but I know I have make this the mother of pranks, so I decided to just keep a watch, to figure out what the best way to go about it would be. And I was also making those smaller pranks, something to throw her Oracle powers off-balance, you know?

Eda: Well... Back in the day your mother wasn’t monochromatic as she is nowadays. She’d circle through all colors you can think off on her accessories (which she used an ungodly amount, and no judgement it just never seems physically possible). But I noticed that there was one very specific color that she never got anywhere near her.

Edric and Emira: No way...

Eda: And as I said, she was weirdly obsessed with her hair... And as top student of the Potions track making hair dye was child’s play for me... So... do the math... And guess what very specific color was? I may be bad at color names, but I won’t ever, EVER, forget that particular shade.

Edric and Emira: No... freaking... way...

Eda: Yes... freaking... way... I mean, seriously, the first time I saw Amity’s new hair I had to do a double take. The resemblance was just too uncanny.

Emira: And what did she do?

Eda: Well... For a couple weeks there I thought I’d have to place a restriction order on her or something like that. Ultimately the two of us, along with Lilith and Alador (they were our attorneys, no they were not qualified for the role.) sitting across from each other in a very formal looking table, signing a contract. An actual freaking contract setting clear limits to our mutual pranks, like what was off limits like her hair or my then partner, how long was the maximum period a prank could last, so on. Surprisingly enough that was Al’s idea.

Eda: And let me tell you, that was probably the toughest negotiation I ever been a part of. Shame it was not long before I dropped out so never could really put it to use. You know, sometime I think this actually made Odd-alia realize she wanted to be a business woman. I mean, before that she’d go off about how she’d join the Emperor’s Coven all the damn time.

Edric: Wow...

Emira: I second that. Really, wish I had brought something I could take notes on. You completely blown anything we ever did out of the water.

Edric: No wonder she never told us that. You know what? I think I’m dying my hair that color first thing tomorrow.

Emira: Can we tell Amity this story?

Eda: Are you two actually thinking of antagonizing her? Are you crazy? First off, she’s your mother, she holds power over you. All you’d accomplish is getting grounded. Not to mention that she has decades of experience on you, even if she wasn’t your mom, she’d demolish the two of you. No offense, you’re still young, naive, you lack guidance in the ways of the pranksters.

Edric and Emira: *Dejectedly* Ohh... You’re right...

Eda: Hey... Don’t look so gloomy. I see a lot of potential in you, in both of you. *Sighs* I can’t believe I’m gonna take more kids under my wing... But.... Have you guys ever heard of the Bad Girl Coven Initiative? We annoy our foes into submission.

Edric and Emira: WE’RE LISTENING.

Eda: Heh... We’ll get along just fine indeed.

[ibijau]

“Stop borrowing flowers out of my garden to woo people who don’t even treat you right.” said by Jiang Cheng! Hm, could you make this mingcheng???

This one got away from me so it’s a tiny bit longer than the usual, oops?

The problem was that strictly speaking, it wasn’t a garden. It was just a patch of dirt on the side of a long abandoned construction project that had never been completed due to lack of funds, or embezzlement, or some other bullshit that Jiang Cheng had never cared enough about to try and find out.

It wasn’t a garden.

But Jiang Cheng had been planting flowers there, out of sheer boredom, because he lived right next door and missed the greeneries of his parents’ house. Their garden had always been gorgeous, perfectly maintained by his mother, an absolute work of art. It was the only place she seemed happy. It was the only thing Jiang Cheng missed about his old life. Those quiet moments when his mother, in a fit of good mood, took him around her garden, her one true love, and explained to him about the plants and how to best care for them. People in their circle would sometimes joke that Zu Ziyuan loved her garden more than her family.

Jiang Cheng had never found it funny. Perhaps because he knew what it was like to envy mulberry leaves for the tenderness with which Yu Ziyuan would remove caterpillars from them, when she could hardly be near her son without pushing him around.

For a while, Jiang Cheng had hated gardens. That wasn’t the whole reason why he’d moved to the city, but it had probably impacted his choice anyway. He’d wanted to get as far away from his parents’ life as he could.

But in the end, something must have run in his blood. After months of walking by that abandoned patch of dirt, Jiang Cheng had given in one day. He’d bought some bulbs and seeds, a beginner’s guide to gardening, and set out to work.

It had surprised him when flowers actually started growing. Jiang Cheng was used to failure, and his mother used to tell him he had no skill for gardening. No skill for anything really, but gardening in particular seemed to piss her off. 

But there were some wallflowers and geraniums to prove she’d been wrong about this.

About other things too, perhaps. For the time being, Jiang Cheng just clung to the gardening thing.

The entire first week after the flowers started growing, Jiang Cheng expected that whoever owned the plot of land would come to pour bleach on them. It was private property after all. But the plot appeared to be fully abandoned, and that meant Jiang Cheng was free to do as he pleased.

He got more flowers, making sure to pick varieties that were good for bees, because that would make his sister happy, if he ever got around to calling her. He also planted tomatoes, and after hesitation a few courgettes, because those grew like weeds and it wouldn’t matter if someone stole a few, or even all of them. It was the sort of things that’d make his brother happy, except he talked to him even less than to his sister, so Jiang Cheng wasn’t sure why that mattered.

What mattered was that the garden made him happy in a way he hadn’t been in a while. It gave him something to care about. To care for. Something to check on in the morning as he headed out to work, a place to spend a little time when he came home. It encouraged some of the neighbours to chat with him, when up until then they’d apparently half wondered if he was a serial killer with his constant angry face. The little old lady next door asked if she could borrow some of the vegetables growing, and gave him half the dish she made using them.

It felt like a homecooked meal, in a way the family gatherings he still occasionally attended never did.

“You should try planting daylilies,” she suggested. “Pretty and delicious, it’d be a win. My grandmother used to prepare them for us, I’m sure I can remember how to do it too.”

Jiang Cheng did as she asked, and sweet old madam Wen delivered on her promise when the flowers were ready. She invited Jiang Cheng to have lunch with him one Sunday, when her nephew and niece were there. It should have been awkward, but madam Wen was a cheerful old lady that managed to get all three of them chatting as if they’d always known each other.

Better than if they’d always known each other, in Jiang Cheng’s case.

He ended up trading phone numbers with both siblings. Not because he felt like flirting with either, as their aunt so clearly hoped for, but so he knew who to contact if something happened to the old lady. Wen Qing wasn’t very chatty, except to complain about their roommate from hell, but Wen Ning often asked for photos of the garden, and in exchange sent Jiang Cheng pictures of the dogs he got to see at the veterinary clinic where he worked.

For the first time in years, Jiang Cheng felt that things weren’t so bad.

So when one evening after work he dropped by his garden and saw a stranger in an expensive thought pacing by his courgettes, Jiang Cheng felt a familiar dread. If this was the plot’s owner, if he had come to ruin things…

Jiang Cheng rushed ahead, ready to plead his case.

Then stopped after a few steps when the man turned his way. He was handsome. Very handsome. The sort of handsome that belonged on the pages of a magazine, not in the middle of Jiang Cheng’s shitty illegal garden.

The man was also on the phone with someone, and apparently so deep in an argument that he didn’t even see Jiang Cheng just a few metres from him.

“You are the worst,” the man shouted at his phone, “and I swear I’m kicking you out this time. I will… no, don’t cry. Stop crying, it doesn’t work anymore! You…”

The handsome stranger started pacing nervously between the courgettes as whoever was on the other end of the conversation made their case.

“Listen, you are going to calm down, ok? I’m… hey, I’m bringing you flowers. How does that sound?”

He leaned down toward the daylilies, not yet picking one as he waited for the other person to reply.

“Of course real flowers. You… listen, I don’t have the energy for this. We’ll deal with it when I get home.”

The man hung up, and started tearing away Jiang Cheng’s flowers, roots and all, like a barbarian.

Jiang Cheng had always allowed everyone to take what they wanted or needed, but only if they showed some respect for his efforts.

“Stop borrowing flowers out of my garden to woo people who don’t even treat you right!” he barked, stomping toward the man.

The handsome stranger, startled, dropped the flowers.

“Your garden? What do you mean, your garden?”

“You think this got here on its own?” Jiang Cheng asked, gesturing at his garden. It wasn’t as beautiful as his mother’s, but it was his all the same and it loved his plants.

The man looked around with wide eyes, as if he hadn’t even noticed before where he was.

“Sorry, I thought they were just… wild flowers. Did you plant all of those?”

“Not the pumpkins, that’s the kids from down the streets who thought it’d be fun. And the herbs are madam Wen’s because she doesn’t like getting them from the store if she can get fresh ones. But the rest is mine.”

“Must have been a lot of work,” the man said with an admirative whistle. “I can make a cactus die of thirst, so I’m impressed, you must be really good. You’ve been at it for a while?”

“A couple months,” Jiang Cheng grumbled, refusing to let praise from a handsome man get to him. “I live next door and this place has been abandoned for ages apparently.”

“So it’s not your garden,” the stranger noted with a grin. “Well, if you’ve stolen the land, I feel less bad about stealing flowers. It’s not like you can call the cops on me.”

He bent down, ready to slaughter more flowers, so Jiang Cheng did the logical thing and pushed him to protect his daylilies. The handsome stranger fell in the dirt, which thankfully was dry and wouldn’t stain too badly. Jiang Cheng wasn’t sure he could afford to repay that suit.

“If you’re going to steal my flowers for your shitty manipulative wife, at least do it properly. Nobody wants a bouquet with roots.”

The man blinked a few times, a little disoriented after being pushed down. When he saw Jiang Cheng grab the torn daylilies and carefully cut the stems so he could replant the roots, the stranger laughed.

“You’re really passionate about this, uh,” he said, standing up and wiping the dirt from his suit. “That wasn’t my wife on the phone, by the way.”

“Your manipulative husband then,” Jiang Cheng retorted, cutting a few more flowers.

“Little brother,” the man corrected. “Apparently he got drunk last week, slept with my best friend, panicked, ghosted him, left town for five days to hide at his best friend’s house, and now he’s… ah, but you probably don’t care.”

Jiang Cheng shouldn’t care, no, but he couldn’t help laughing at the crazy story. It sounded like something right out of a shitty soap opera, or the kind of bullshit that Wei Wuxian used to pull all the time, back when he was still part of Jiang Cheng’s life.

“My brother’s the same,” Jiang Cheng said, handing out the small bouquet he’d managed to salvage. “Did you take those so he can go apologise to your friend?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure if he’s going to give them to Xichen or if he just wants to keep them to feel spoiled. I’m not sure I’ll give them to him, anyway. It’s not every day a handsome man gives me a bouquet, I’ll be tempted to keep it.”

Jiang Cheng shrugged and rolled his eyes, and absolutely did not blush like a schoolgirl being complimented by her crush.

“Just go give those to your brother. And learn to cut flowers properly, asshole.”

“If I drop by again, will you teach me?”

Jiang Cheng shrugged again and turned away, so it wouldn’t be too obvious just how red his face was. He’d have slapped himself if he could have. It was ridiculous to react so strongly. His only excuse was that the man was really, really gorgeous and had a really, really nice voice… and that it had been a long while since anyone had flirted with him, even this badly.

“Maybe I will, if I can find the time. My life’s not a fucking soap opera but I have my own stuff to do.”

“Fair enough. Well, I hope I’ll see you around. It was nice talking to you.”

Jiang Cheng shrugged, and refused to turn around to watch that too handsome man go, though he might have been slightly tempted.

He’d lost enough time to that asshole already, and the tomatoes weren’t going to water themselves.

[thelastspeecher]

Spirit Touched - Chapter 2: Nuktuk

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 4   Chapter 5   Chapter 6   AO3

I got impatient and posted the second chapter.  Here’s some more tiny Zuko for your soul.  And a chance encounter...

Again, this fic is inspired by @muffinlance‘s fic Salvage and fanart that @agent-jaselin did of it.

——————————————————————————————

              Zuko stood on the deck and breathed in deeply.  The salty ocean air filled his lungs, bringing up the memories of the years he’d spent at sea, making him forget for a moment the cursed situation he was now in.  He was forcibly reminded of his circumstances when he stepped forward and tripped over the still too long shirt he was wearing.

              “Don’t worry, little prince,” Panuk said, “we’re going ashore today to get you some clothing.”  Zuko got up into a sitting position.  He crossed his arms.

              “Great.  More people to see me in this state.”

              “Don’t worry, Nuktuk, no one’s going to think you’re anything but a regular toddler,” Toklo said, walking over to Zuko and picking him up.

              “Don’t pick me up without asking first- wait, what did you call me?”

              “Nuktuk.  Isn’t it cute?  It’s the name my parents almost gave me.”

              “Why are you calling me by a Water Tribe name?” Zuko sighed.  Toklo ruffled his hair, which had grown into a soft layer of black fuzz.

              “Because as far as anyone in this town is concerned, you’re Water Tribe,” Hakoda said, walking over.  “Specifically, a member of the Water Tribe named Nuktuk.”

              “Why?” Zuko asked.  To his chagrin, it came out as a whine, something that had been happening more and more often lately.

              “A toddler on a Water Tribe ship won’t attract attention if that toddler is Water Tribe.  It will attract attention if that toddler is Fire Nation,” Hakoda said.  He took Zuko from Toklo.  “You’ll be coming with me to get clothes.”

              “Why do I even need to come ashore?” Zuko muttered.

              “If I’m getting you clothes, I need to make sure they fit,” Hakoda said shortly, already marching off the ship, Zuko grumbling wordlessly in his arms.

----- 

              “He can wear that out,” the shopkeeper said to Hakoda.  The shopkeeper nodded at Zuko standing nearby in typical green and brown Earth Kingdom clothes.  “I saw what he was wearing when you brought him in.”

              “Yeah, Nuktuk here tossed all his clothes overboard when no one was watching him.”  Hakoda looked at Zuko.  “What was the reasoning you gave for that, again?”  Zuko crossed his arms and looked away, his mind racing.  What would a child say?

              “…I don’t know,” he finally mumbled, failing to come up with something. The shopkeeper chuckled.

              “What a classic kid response.  ‘I don’t know.’”

              Apparently, that was the right answer.

              “Thanks,” Hakoda said to the shopkeeper after he purchased Zuko’s new clothes.  “Come on, Nuktuk.”  Zuko followed Hakoda out of the store.  Hakoda looked down at Zuko thoughtfully.

              “…What?” Zuko asked.

              “When Sokka and Katara were your age, they liked riding on my shoulders,” Hakoda remarked.  Zuko scowled.

              “I’m sixteen.”

              “You’re four.”

              “Hmph.”  Zuko looked away.  “…Are you offering to let me ride on your shoulders?” he asked after a moment.

              “If you want,” Hakoda said with a shrug.  Zuko’s desire to maintain dignity and his childish urges battled.  The childish urges won out.

              “…Yes,” he said quietly.

              “All right.”  Hakoda lifted Zuko and placed him on his shoulders.  “Hold on.”  Zuko grabbed fistfuls of Hakoda’s shirt.  Hakoda began to walk.

              From his vantage point on Hakoda’s shoulders, Zuko could see more than he had since the spirits cursed him like this.  Actually, he could see more than he could even before he was cursed. It was refreshing to be able to see more than peoples’ legs.  They walked past a young woman outside a flower shop.

              “Sir?” the woman called.  Hakoda stopped and turned to look at her.  “Your son is very cute.”  Zuko turned red.  Hakoda chuckled.

              “Thanks.  All his mom.” The woman chuckled as well. Hakoda continued to walk.

              They spotted Kustaa just as he was leaving an apothecary.  Kustaa raised a silent eyebrow at the sight of Zuko on Hakoda’s shoulders.  Zuko blushed again.

              “Let me down,” he instructed Hakoda.  Hakoda didn’t do anything.  Zuko sighed. “Please.”

              “Well, since you said the magic word…”  Hakoda removed Zuko from his shoulders and set him on the ground.

              “That was a wise move,” Kustaa said.  “The town square is just over there, and you’d hate for anyone else on the crew to see you riding the Chief’s shoulders.”

              “Hey, Nuktuk!” Toklo’s voice called.  The men and Zuko looked over.  Toklo stood in the square, waving something Zuko immediately recognized. “I got you those fire flakes you like!” Before the words had even left Toklo’s mouth, Zuko was running over.  He bumped into someone, mumbled an apology, and kept running.  Once he got to Toklo, he jumped up, trying to get the fire flakes from him.  However, Toklo held them just out of reach.

              “Don’t run off like that,” Hakoda scolded as he finally caught up to Zuko. Zuko ignored him in favor of continuing his attempts to get the fire flakes.  Kustaa joined them as well.

              “We should leave,” Kustaa said softly to Hakoda.  “The men Zuko just bumped into were Fire Nation.  They were out of uniform, but it was obvious what they were.”

              “Thank you for letting me know,” Hakoda replied quietly.  He raised his voice.  “Toklo, stop playing keep away.  You and Kustaa take Nuktuk back to the ship.  I’ll wait for the others.”

              “Why?” Zuko asked.  He grabbed the fire flakes from Toklo and began to stuff them into his mouth happily.

              “You’re going to have to take a nap soon,” Hakoda reminded him.  Zuko scowled.  Kustaa took Zuko’s hand and led him out of the square.  Toklo trailed after them.  Hakoda looked around, but didn’t spot the men Zuko had run into. He let out a sigh of relief as he sat on a rock to wait for the rest of the crew.

              It’s a good thing Zuko didn’t attract any attention from the Fire Nation men. Who knows who they were, and what they would have done if they’d gotten a good look at him.    

-----           

              “You see, Lieutenant Jee, when we enter the village not wearing our uniforms, we are treated much better,” Iroh said as they exited the tea shop with bags of blends recommended by the owner.

              “Yes, you’re right,” Jee said with a slight nod.  Like the rest of the crew of the Wani, he was treating Iroh gently after the loss of Zuko.

              “Hey, Nuktuk!” a voice called.  Iroh and Jee looked over.  A young man, Water Tribe, judging by his appearance, stood in the town square with bags of food.  The man waved a container of something that every Fire Nation child would recognize. “I got you those fire flakes you like!”

              Promptly, a young boy, on the cusp of being called a child rather than a toddler, raced past Iroh and Jee, knocking into Iroh.  A man rushed after the boy, who was presumably Nuktuk. Another man stopped in front of Iroh and Jee and smiled apologetically.

              “Sorry that he ran into you.  My nephew can be excitable,” the man said.  Iroh chuckled.

              “No need to apologize!  My nephew was the same at that age,” he said jovially.  The man inclined his head slightly and joined the rest of his companions in the square.  All except Nuktuk were dressed in traditional Water Tribe attire.

              “Rare to see Water Tribe around here,” Jee said softly.  Iroh waved a hand.

              “Leave them be.  They’re clearly a family, probably refugees.  Look at them.”  The young man that had purchased fire flakes was holding them just out of reach of Nuktuk, making the boy jump for them.  Iroh smiled. “They aren’t doing any harm.”

              “Yes, sir,” Jee said.  Iroh watched Nuktuk thoughtfully.  “Sir?”

              “That young boy…he’s been touched by the spirits.”

              “How- how can you tell?”

              “It sticks out all over him,” Iroh said, as if that answer made complete sense.  He sighed. “It’s kind of the spirits to bless someone like him.”

              “…A war bastard half-breed?” Jee asked.  Even from this distance, it was obvious Nuktuk’s skin was too pale, his hair too dark, to be full Water Tribe.  Iroh frowned at Jee.

              “Yes.  But perhaps it would be better to use kinder words when talking about a child,” he said firmly.  Jee merely nodded in response.  “We should board.  We can’t keep Zhao waiting any longer.”  The two men walked away, Iroh glancing at Nuktuk every now and then, his heart heavy with memories of Zuko and Lu Ten.

----- 

              Hakoda knew a toddler bursting with energy when he saw one.  Usually, said toddler wouldn’t hesitate to expend that energy.  But most toddlers weren’t teenagers two weeks ago.

              “You look like you could use a chance to stretch your legs,” he remarked. Zuko, who had been fidgeting nonstop since breakfast, looked up.  Once again, he had been assigned to work on nets with Tuluk, as that was the easiest chore for the former teenager, current toddler.

              “I’m fine,” Zuko said.  He wiggled in his seat, seemingly without realizing it.  Tuluk poorly stifled a laugh.  Zuko scowled at him.  The trademark glare had been taking a gradual decline in efficacy for some time before the spirits intervened.  Now that Zuko was a child, the expression only made him cuter.

              “You’re more jittery than a polar bear-dog with new pups,” Hakoda said. Zuko wiggled again.  “Luckily, you can run off some of that energy when we dock.”

              “I’m not going ashore as a child again.  The first time was humiliating enough,” Zuko muttered to his feeble netting knots.  Hakoda sighed and sat next to him.

              “Your current rules include doing what is necessary for someone your age. It’s not healthy to force a four-year-old to sit still for hours on end.”

              “It’s a good thing I’m not being forced, then.”

              “Are you sure?” Hakoda asked.  Zuko eyed him.

              “No one told me to sit still.”

              “You did.”  Zuko dropped his netting and cocked his head curiously.  It was an expression to be expected from a toddler who didn’t understand how the world worked.  It was less expected from Zuko, whose youthful appearance masked sixteen years of experience.  “You’re forcing yourself to sit still.”

              “But-”

              “I admit, this is the first time I’ve seen a toddler task themselves with behaving so well,” Hakoda continued.  “What I said still applies, however.  Your body wants to run around, but you’re holding yourself in check.” Zuko picked up his netting again. He played with it.

              “There’s not much room for running around on a boat, anyways,” he mumbled.

              “Which is why you’re coming ashore.”  Zuko scowled.  “That’s an order.”

              “…Yes, Chief.”

              In Hakoda’s experience, a toddler forced to stay still for too long would release the pent-up energy in a potentially damaging way.  The likelihood of something breaking went up drastically if that toddler was a bender.  Hopefully, by letting Zuko run off the energy on land, they could avoid any firebending outbursts on their very flammable ship.

----- 

              A few hours later, the Akhlut docked.  Under normal circumstances, they would wait longer in between stopping at ports. But as Hakoda watched Zuko toddle down the gangplank, he couldn’t ignore how painfully abnormal the current circumstances were.

              “Are you coming?” Zuko asked once he was on solid ground.  Hakoda was once again reminded of his own children; that might as well have come from Katara when she was four.  He followed Zuko ashore.  Zuko crossed his arms.  “Now what?”

              “Now we find an open place where you can run around,” Hakoda said, heading for the beach.

              “How long am I expected to ‘run around’?”

              “Generally speaking, children your age only stop when they use up all their energy and literally collapse.”  Hakoda glanced at Zuko.  “Given your situation, however, I’ll be fine with leaving once I notice you slowing down.” Zuko nodded reluctantly.

              “Is anyone else coming?” he asked.

              “No.  We’re near General Fong’s base.  He’s not that pleased with us, so I’m keeping the number of crew who might be spotted by his men to a minimum.”

              “Not even Healer Kustaa?” Zuko asked.  Disappointment shone in his voice.

              “You’ll get to see him soon enough, don’t worry,” Hakoda replied. Zuko pouted.  They continued their walk in silence.

              They hadn’t been walking long when Hakoda began to pick up on the faint sound of children playing.  He looked at Zuko out of the corner of his eye.  Judging by how white his already pale skin had become, the firebender heard as well.  They turned a corner.

              “This looks like a good place,” Hakoda said.  They had arrived at a slightly secluded cove filled with young children and mothers.  The children, ranging from infants to a few years older than Zuko, chased each other across the sand, playing games Hakoda remembered from his own childhood.

              “Good?” Zuko hissed, clearly scandalized.  “There’s- there’s children here!”

              “Yes, and you are one of them.”  Hakoda put a hand on Zuko’s back.  He gently pushed the boy forward.  “Go play with your peers.”

              “They’re not my-”  A girl about Zuko’s age ran past, tapping Zuko on the shoulder.

              “Tag!” she shouted.  Zuko stared after her dumbly.

              “Aren’t you going to play tag?” Hakoda prompted.  Zuko looked down at his feet.  “Do you know what tag is?”

              “…No.”

              “It’s a chasing game.  Whoever is ‘it’ tries to touch someone.  If they touch someone, that new person is ‘it’.”

              “Oh.”  Zuko remained where he stood.  The girl that tagged him came back over.

              “Are you gonna play?” she asked.  Zuko opened and closed his mouth silently.

              “Yes, he will,” Hakoda interjected.  “But he’s a bit shy and he’s never played tag before.  Would you help him, please?”  The girl beamed, showing off a gap-toothed smile.

              “Yeah!”  She looked at Zuko.  “What’s your name?”

              “Nuktuk,” Zuko mumbled.  The girl giggled.

              “That’s a funny name.  C’mon, Nuktuk!”  She grabbed Zuko’s hand and pulled him away from Hakoda, towards the energetic children.

              Hakoda watched for a few minutes, ready to intervene if Zuko was too out of his element.  But as he’d seen happen before, Zuko slipped into childish behaviors easily.  Hakoda took a seat near the group of mothers keeping an eye their children, nodding politely at them before resuming watch of Zuko.

              Watching the former Fire Prince run with the other toddlers, the dull headache Hakoda had since that morning began to fade.  There was nothing to indicate that Zuko was different from his peers.  All Hakoda saw was a young boy enjoying himself.  The rare sight was enough to make him smile.

----- 

              Zuko played for much longer than Hakoda expected.  Most people had left the play area by the time the young firebender called it quits.  Hakoda quickly got rid of his smile as Zuko trod over, rubbing his eyes.

              “Done?” he asked.  Zuko let out a yawn and nodded.  “You looked like you had a good time out there.”

              “Yeah,” Zuko mumbled sleepily.

              “Maybe you should try to run around the deck every now and then?” Hakoda probed.  Zuko yawned again.  “It won’t be as fun as today, but it’s better than nothing.  And we can’t just land whenever you need to blow off some steam.” Zuko merely nodded.  “Would you like to ride on my shoulders back to the ship?”

              “Yes, please, sir,” Zuko said.  His voice was thick with sleep.  Hakoda lifted the tired toddler, gently placing him on his shoulders.  Zuko grabbed handfuls of his shirt and leaned against Hakoda’s neck and head.  Hakoda headed for the way they came.

              Quickly, Hakoda stopped trying to make conversation with Zuko during the walk back to the ship.  All questions received significantly delayed single word answers.  Just as he caught sight of the Akhlut, Zuko began to snore.  Hakoda chuckled.  His buoyant mood vanished, however, as he neared the ship.  Two Earth Kingdom soldiers stood by the gangplank, speaking with Bato.

              “Is there a problem?” Hakoda asked upon arrival.  The soldiers looked over at him, then at Zuko.  Hakoda raised an eyebrow.  “Well?”

              “We were wondering why your ship was docked and didn’t seem to be picking up supplies,” the shorter of the two soldiers said.

              “I was trying to explain to them that we didn’t need supplies,” Bato said. He frowned at the soldiers. “Which shouldn’t merit a visit from the Earth Kingdom Military.”

              “You’re near an important base.  We have to be careful with foreign ships,” the short soldier replied.

              “Our ship is clearly from the Water Tribe,” Bato snapped.

              “Fire Nation soldiers could have captured a Water Tribe ship,” the short soldier said with a shrug.

              “No self-respecting Fire Nation soldier would pretend to be Water Tribe,” Hakoda scoffed.  The four-year-old proof he was lying let out a loud snore.  Hakoda removed Zuko from his shoulders, carefully, so as to not wake him up.  “We had to stop so that Nuktuk could spend some time ashore.  It’s not good for someone his age to be at sea nonstop.”

              “Why do you have a half-breed child on your warship?” the taller soldier asked, speaking for the first time.  Hakoda stiffened.  Before he could respond, Bato came to “Nuktuk’s” defense.

              “Don’t call him that,” Bato said shortly.

              “He is, though.  Anyone with half a brain could tell he’s part Fire Nation,” the tall soldier argued back.

              “His parentage isn’t important,” Hakoda said, trying to keep a level tone. “Nuktuk is Water Tribe.”  The soldiers exchanged doubtful looks.  “To answer your question, he’s the lone survivor of his village.  We stumbled across him as we left the South Pole.”

              “Why haven’t you dropped him off somewhere?” the short soldier asked. “It’s not safe for a child to be aboard a warship.”

              “We haven’t had a chance to visit a Water Tribe village since we picked him up.”

              “The Earth Kingdom has plenty of orphanages,” the short soldier said.

              “We wouldn’t leave a Water Tribe child in an Earth Kingdom orphanage,” Bato said.  “He deserves to grow up among his people.”

              “Should’ve left him in the Fire Nation, then,” the tall soldier muttered. Bato glared.

              “Are you going to let us board our ship and leave?” Hakoda asked before things could continue to spiral.  “Nuktuk needs to be put to bed.”  The soldiers exchanged another look.

              “Fine,” the short one sighed.  The two soldiers walked away.  Once they were out of earshot, Bato turned to Hakoda.

              “What took you so long?”

              “He had more energy than I thought,” Hakoda replied.  Zuko shifted slightly in his arms.  “He really needed this.”

              “I can tell.”  Bato went up the gangplank, Hakoda close behind.  “Did the two of you enjoy yourselves?”

              “Him more than me.  Though it was entertaining to watch him learn common games.”

              “You found some children his age?” Bato asked.  Hakoda nodded.

              “Other than not knowing what tag was, he fit right in with them, too.”

              “Of course he didn’t know what tag was,” Bato muttered.  Hakoda snorted.  “What?”

              “I can see right through you, Bato.  You’re getting soft on Zuko, just like the rest of us.”

              “…Maybe I am,” Bato conceded.  “But if I am, it’s only because he reminds me of Sokka.”  Bato’s eyes widened.  “Oh!  Speaking of Sokka, apparently the Avatar’s sky bison passed over the base not long ago, likely on their way to the North Pole.”

              “Really?”

              “Yes.  The soldiers mentioned it while they were trying to strong-arm me.”

              “At least they didn’t stop.  I would hate to have missed them.”

              “I don’t know about that,” Bato said after a moment.  Hakoda eyed him.  “How do you think we’d explain ‘Nuktuk’ to them?”

              “The same way I explained it to the soldiers.”

              “Katara and Sokka would see right through it.”  Bato ruffled Zuko’s short, fuzzy hair.  “Kid doesn’t know how to act like he’s Water Tribe.  Or how to act like he’s a normal toddler.”

              “Fair enough.”  Hakoda and Bato came to a stop outside the infirmary.  “Who knows how Zuko would react to seeing them, anyways?”

              “Probably with his first temper tantrum.”

              “Ugh.  Don’t remind me he’s at that age,” Hakoda muttered.  Bato let out a bark of laughter.  “Tell the crew to cast off.”

              “You got it.”  Bato strolled away.  Hakoda ducked inside the infirmary.  Kustaa took the sleeping toddler from him.

              “You really tired him out,” Kustaa remarked.  “What did you do, practice hand-to-hand combat with him?”

              “No.  He just…ran around like a kid.”  Kustaa looked at him inquisitively.  “We found a group of children his age.  After they taught him how to play their games, he played with them.  It was like he was a normal toddler.”

              “Hmm.”  Kustaa set Zuko down in his pile of furs, then pulled out a scroll.  He scribbled something on it.  “I’m keeping a log of each time Zuko acts his current age.”

              “Do you think that might help return him to normal, or at least figure out how the spirits did this to him?”

              “It might,” Kustaa said with a shrug.  He put the scroll away.  “I’m trying to collect as much information as I can.  Some of it might be helpful, most of it probably won’t be.  But we’re in uncharted waters, Chief.  I can’t risk deciding a piece of information wasn’t relevant enough to be noted.  It might end up crucial.”  Kustaa gently tucked Zuko in, covering him with the blanket he’d worn around the ship before getting better clothes.  “Hopefully, we’ll come across a waterbending healer at some point.”  The healer looked up, meeting Hakoda’s eyes squarely.  “As far as I can tell, that’s the only way we might be able to return Zuko from a grumpy toddler to a grumpy teenager.”

              “That’s the only way?”

              “Well, there is the possibility that the spirits might decide to stop this test or punishment or whatever it is.  But that’s a very slim chance.”  Hakoda nodded.

              “I’d agree with that.  Tell him to find me when he wakes up.  I’ll give him a new task to do until dinner.”

              “Depending on how much you wore him out,” Kustaa said, “he might not wake up before then.  But if he does, I’ll send him your way.”

              Hakoda exited the infirmary, only to be promptly accosted by Toklo.

              “Chief, did Zuko really play with a bunch of other kids?” Toklo asked, starry-eyed.

              “Yes.”

              “Aw, man!  I wish I was there!  I bet it was adorable.”

              “…It was,” Hakoda said after a moment.  Toklo groaned loudly.  A weight settled in Hakoda’s stomach.  With the chaos of Zuko being touched by the spirits, Hakoda hadn’t had time to tell Toklo about his brother.  He hated to ruin Toklo’s good mood.  But he couldn’t delay it any longer.  “We need to talk,” he said softly, putting a hand on the young man’s shoulder.

              “We do?”

              “Yes.  Come with me.”

----- 

              Zuko sat next to the mast, his arms crossed, desperately trying to stay awake. He didn’t need to go to bed as early as the Chief kept forcing him to, and he was determined to prove it.  His eyes drooped closed.  When someone sat next to him, he snapped his eyes open again. He looked at the person joining him.

              “Oh.  Hello, Toklo.”  Toklo nodded. He was visibly shaken.  Zuko cocked his head, confused and concerned. “Are…are you all right?” he asked finally.

              “…No, little prince.  I’m not.”

              “Oh.”  Zuko placed his annoyingly minute hands in his lap and looked down at them. “Why?”  Maybe it had something to do with why Toklo didn’t join everyone else for dinner.  Toklo never passed up the chance to have Zuko sit in his lap while they ate.

              “Did you know?” Toklo asked quietly, drawing Zuko out of his thoughts.

              “Know what?”

              “About my brother.”

              “You have a brother?”

              “Yeah.  And he’s- he’s-”  Toklo’s face contorted.  “The Fire Nation captured him,” he said in a thick voice.  Zuko’s heart plummeted.  “They tortured him and then they- they killed him.”

              “I- I-”  Zuko was at a loss for words.  He looked around for some guidance.  Everyone on deck was determinedly not watching them.  He swallowed and put his hand over Toklo’s.  “I’m sorry.”  Toklo choked back a sob.  “Do you- do you want to go somewhere less out in the open?” he asked finally.  He couldn’t stand the idea of Toklo losing any dignity over this.  Toklo nodded and stood.  Zuko got up as well.  He took Toklo’s hand and led him belowdeck.

              Those on the deck waited a reasonable time before going down as well. The first to stumble across Toklo and Zuko was Panuk.  They were curled up in Toklo’s hammock, Toklo holding onto Zuko the same way Zuko had held Seal Jerky the first day of being spirit touched.

              “Should we move him?” Panuk asked Kustaa.

              “He’ll be fine for now.  The first time he gets up to pee, he’ll go to the infirmary,” Kustaa said with a shrug. Panuk looked at him.

              “The first time?”

              “Oh, he’s been waking me up at least twice each night so that I can take him to the latrine.”  Kustaa snorted softly.  “At least we don’t have to get dressed and then walk through the snow in the dark like back home.”

              “Yeah.”  Something contemplative flashed across Panuk’s face.  “Zuko wouldn’t be happy if he had to do that.”  He watched Zuko and Toklo sleeping.  Kustaa finally sighed.

              “I’m going to get one last thing to eat before bed.  Do you want anything?” he asked.  Panuk shook his head.  “All right.  Sleep well, kid.”

              “There’s an actual child on the ship, and you’re still going to call me ‘kid’?” Panuk asked.  Kustaa chuckled.

              “Look on the bright side.  At least you don’t have people mothering you like Zuko does.”

[kintatsujo]

LoZ AU- The Courage of Running Away PART SEVEN

#AU August

#LoZ AU: The Courage of Running Away

So Link is off with Uncle Torock’s caravan, which is made up of Gorons, Gerudo and giant turtles for beasts of burden:

[Image description: A sketch of a Goron, Tonbo’s cousin Taro, with some colors added for reference; he is a warm gray with a grayish blue rock shell, blue eyes and white hair that’s been pulled back.  He also has a tuft of chest hair and thick eyebrows.  A note beside him reads “Most of Tonbo’s relations have the exact same color scheme but Taro has white hair instead of pale blue.”  Underneath that sketch is a black and white sketch of a Gerudo woman leaning against a turtle like creature with tortoise legs, a helmeted head, and a long spiked tail.  The turtle is the size of a midsize car.  It is labeled “Tortapin” with the note “extremely mellow, eats sand and cacti, deals with most desert predators by hunkering down and taking a nap.”  End ID.]

NOT shown by the way is that since the caravan is setting out from the Ikana Canyon region there’s a bunch of stalfos and other undead everywhere that Uncle Torock and the rest of the caravan are nigh blase about.

One of the things is that Torock, being a Goron, doesn’t really mind the heat of the Gerudo Desert all that much.  He doesn’t really have a lot of experience seeing to the needs of a Hylian either, so he calls over the head of the Gerudo part of the caravan (Taro is more or less his right hand, she’s his left), and says “Hey, Gerudo and Hylians are both mostly human, right?”  

And after she, not really sure where this is going, confirms it, Torock goes “Good, my nephew wants us to get this kid across the desert, keep him from dying of dehydration or whatever it is the sun does to you guys.  Your daughter is about his age, right?”

So Link ends up more or less under the wing of these two:

[Image description: Two Gerudo women.  One is taller with light brown skin and dark red hair which is straighter up top and frizzy curly on the bottom half and her bangs, while the slightly shorter has darker skin and pink straight hair.  They are labeled Safee and Volta, and are both wearing loose light brown cloaks over more colorful loose clothers.  Safee, the taller, is in a purple top and wearing blue jewelry, while Volta is in blue with gold jewlery.  End ID.]

I tend to think that Volta’s father was probably Hylian?  But also Gerudo in this AU work slightly differently in that the disparity is one male born out of every hundred babies instead of every hundred years.  Because what the fuck, Nintendo.  (They probably do have the tradition of only having a king once every century but it’s more about being egalitarian than anything.)  Also I WAS spelling Safee’s name with a double “F” so if I switch back and forth don’t worry about it too much.

[Image description: Safee and Link are walking toward a Tortapin.  Safee asks, “You ever drive a Tortapin before, kiddo?”  Link answers “I lived in a SKY ABBEY for seventeen years.”  Safee purses her lips.  “So VERY NO,” she says.  She then puts a hand to her chin thoughtfully.  “Was THAT why that HYLIA PRIEST stormed off in a huff?”  Link looks away.  “Probably,” he says.  Safee pats him on the back.  “Well GOOD FOR YOU, little voe,” she tells him with a smile. “I don’t know the situation but Torock’s a GOOD JUDGE of CHARACTER so I trust that you were VERY BRAVE TO LEAVE.” End ID.]

I wanted to make sure SOMEONE told Link that, point blank.  He needs to hear it at least once, probably a few hundred times.  

The journey is probably fairly peaceful; they talk over fires at night, very occasionally deal with more ghosts and stalfos (because of course Gerudo Desert is slightly haunted), may or may not have a brief back and forth with different sorts of Lizalfos and/or Geru (the lizard people from Adventure of Link) on and off.  It’s not quite as calm as his time on Windfish Isle, but after his confrontation with Astramorus before setting out, Link needs it, even if he couldn’t have Tonbo and Marla along.

And Safee, Volta and Taro are still pretty decent folk to have on a trip when you need someone to point out that your dad had something deeply wrong with him.

[Image description: The caravan is moving steadily; tortapins with cargo and Gerudo riders, Gorons walking to the side.  One tortapin actually has three Goron children riding on a cargo pallet.  In the distance, a Molduga breaches, sand flying everywhere.  Link, watching from the back of a Tortapin with Volta as Safee drives and Taro walks to the side, says, “So that’s a Molduga.”  One of his companions answers, “Yup.  We should be safe enough up here on the dunes, though.”  Link, still watching, his arms crossed over his knees, says, “My FATHER wanted me to SWORDFIGHT one.”  His companions start in shock, then turn to stare at him uncomfortably.  Link frowns angrily, apparently not aware that they’re staring.  End ID.]