#roman deserves appreciation you cowards

[darknessisafriend]

You should kneel to your Empress Commodus x Reader

Here it is @beatlebabe1996 I hope you will enjoy it^^ 

Request:  Commodus' Empress is mixed race and she overhears people at the palace making remarks about her and her family even though without her, they wouldn't have trade or peaceful relations with a prominent tribe in Africa. Commodus hears it and defends her.

You had been the wife of Commodus and Empress for a few months now, and you were getting used to your life in Rome, far from your home and your people in Africa. It was different, the Roman society, senators were much different, often dangerous…but Commodus had very soon taught you all you had to know to survive in that rude world. And you knew from the start it wouldn’t be easy, even if you were hopeful. Commodus had fallen in love with you as you visited Rome and discussed with him the possibility of a partnership with his powerful Empire. Later, many had been against your union, an Emperor who doesn’t marry a roman woman of noble blood, it was unusual and disgraceful to the eyes of the senatorial elite.

Tonight, was one of the usual dinner nights were a few senators and nobles had been honored with an invitation to dine with the emperor. And of course you were there, you would never miss an occasion to support your husband and then Commodus got bored without your presence, licking the boots of senators and nobles to get their loyalty was mentally exhausting to him, he suffered enough from paranoia already. You wore a beautiful cobalt dress, your neck and ears ornated with golden jewels, and Commodus couldn’t take his eyes off you, even when you were not standing by his side, you felt him eyes on you, you were beautiful, he loved your chocolate skin and clear orbs, a goddess to his eyes. “I will be back in a minute, love. I am going to get fresh air.” You told him, briefly squeezing his arm, excusing yourself to the guests and heading to one of the balconies of the palace.

“Come on it’s a political choice obviously. The Emperor needs too much the resources of Africa, we need more grain, and lands. She doesn’t have the stand of an Empress; she has a just a pretty face he can exhibit to everyone and a body he can enjoy in his bed.” You suddenly heard a senator say to another guest, thinking they were out of earshot from you. You tried to hide your hurt and took a drink, still heading to the balcony and putting yourself in a corner where you could still hear them talk.

“Ah! Yeah, she is lucky to have this position. From a lost kingdom in Africa and a family so naïve to give us all their resources. How ungraceful…to mix her with roman blood…” another said with disdain. It hurt you more than you expected; you thought you would be used to roman arrogance, but you didn’t…even as empress they dared to speak bad of you.

Tears came into your eyes, threatening to come out, your vision becoming blurry, pained not to be appreciated at your true value, you did everything to fit among them…your grip on your cup of wine tightened, anger rising in your chest, you did everything they expected of you and more, and you were their empress! How dare they disrespect you, insult you, your family and kingdom!?

“Senators. You should think twice before speaking or keep your mouth shut. I feel deeply insulted.” You were startled by the voice of Commodus, strong, commanding…threatening. He stood in the middle of room, any trace of amusement gone; he looked at the two senators that had spoken ill of you, he had heard them, and he was furious.

“Your Highness?”

He instantly silenced him with a gesture from his hand “You deeply insulted me by disrespecting my wife, your empress. Have we not offered you hospitality, gifts and rewards for your good service? And this is how you repay your souverains?” You could feel the room getting cold, fear filling the guests, especially those two senators.

“Look at your emperor in the eyes if you are not a coward!” Commodus raised his voice as he noticed the senators had a hard time looking at him in the eyes and making them jump in fear.

“You deserve the worst punishment for your offense inside my house. However, the most wounded of us all will choose it. But first…” He extended his arm towards you to invite you to join him, his eyes softening as he looked at you, full of devotion. “You should kneel before her, because it is thanks to my wife and her kingdom that you can feed your wives and children. Rome owes her the food you are putting in your mouths. She is saving us from the famine.” he growled, his eyes filled with pure anger, romans were arrogant and thought of themselves as the best, clearly they had a few things to learn. And in fear but also shame, all the guests kneeled before you, you lifted your chin, tears disappearing from your eyes, thankful to Commodus for this intervention, this was how they should be with you, respectful and grateful.  

“The Senate will choose a fitting sentence.” You declared fiercely, democracy first, you would not lower yourself because of your emotions. You were the Empress, and you would show them. “Escort those senators to the entrance.” You ordered the guards who instantly obeyed, humiliating the senators even more, they shouldn’t have been so disrespectful.

“I shall have the Senate deal with their behavior tomorrow. If it was only up to me, I would have you exiled to the worse and most isolated parts of the Empire.” Commented Commodus, not even looking at them, he was disgusted by their behavior and even thought of having them executed. The room remained silent, people not knowing what to do…but suddenly Commodus made a gesture towards the musicians, indicating them to start playing again, everything was to go back as normal.

“Thank you.” You said in a murmur, looking up at your husband who gave you a small smile, he was upset about what happened.

“Anything for you Y/N. I would never accept my wife to be insulted.” He replied, offering you his arm and leading you to the balcony again, giving you two some intimacy. You looked at the gardens, lit by the moonlight, that view appeased you and the pale light on Commodus’ skin had always fascinated you. You looked at him as his put his hand on yours, his fingers gently caressing your skin; he always did that when he was upset, he wanted you to be safe, and happy…

“My love…” you murmured and came closer, burying your face in his neck, feeling his strong arms protectively wrap around you. “I’m happy with you. It’s all that matters to me. With the wellbeing of our people.” Just like him you had a strong sense of duty and devotion; you would do anything for them.

“I’m sorry Y/N. For the way they treat you. I shall make sure it doesn’t happen again.” He vowed, keeping his voice down and yet it radiated anger. “I will make it laws if necessary.”

You chuckled “I really appreciate Commodus. But I have to do this on my own, show that I am your equal and not hiding behind you. I’m not afraid of making heads fall.” You spoke with determination, making him smile, it was so you to say that and he loved that strong spirit of yours, he wouldn’t like to be your enemy, he knew you could be subtlety ferocious.

“Alright, I will let you do, my queen.” He cooed, kissing your forehead. But deep down, he was going to get rid of anyone who would speak ill of you, to his eyes it was a crime. And hurting his love was the worst crime that existed, he will all slay them down, he was the emperor, the judge on who could live and who deserved to die.

Commodus harem: @skaravile @lyoongx @weirdflecksbutok @charlie-sisters @stardancerluv @sgtsavoytruffle @ohcarlesmycarles @rajacero @niniitah-ah @morrisonmercurryphoenix @fly-like-a-phoenix @hopelessdisasterr @stellargirlie​ @rosebloodstuffandthangss​ @clowndaddyfleck​ @jaylovesbats @dreamingmaria​ @sagyunaro​ @just-a-fucking-comedy​ @spaceinvader​ @radio-hoo-ha @lady-carnivals-stuff @sierraclegane​ @legojorny @lemondedeniname​ @hvproductions​ @syvellsworld @papercut-paranoia​ @jokerflecker​ @beautifulyoungprospect​ @bring-your-holy-water @five-miles-over​ @yukis-writing​ @fawnsing @beatlebabe1996​

[iceshard1011]

Before the world fell at our feet

Ships: platonic Moxiety, pre-romantic Anxceit (but really it's up to interpretation)

Characters: Virgil, Patton, Janus, Logan is there briefly

Also on Ao3!

Fic below the cut.

Some convoluted exchange of 'Ding Dong Ditch' except they talk about their feelings and try to resolve inner turmoil and maybe reach some sort of reconciliation. Not too hastily, though. They still hate each other, of course. Of course.

The silence of the hallway shattered with a flurry of tentative knocks against dark-painted wood.

“You haven’t been answering your phone, kiddo,” called a soft, almost shy voice. “I was wondering if you were doing okay, since... you know, things have been... tough, lately.” The room inside stayed quiet, no matter how carefully he listened. “I was hoping... you could come out for some food? We could bake together, if you’d like. It’s...” He laughed. It was mirthless and sad. “It’s sure been a while since we got to do that, yeah?”

Silence. Not even rustling sheets or a frustrated sigh.

He leaned back, trying not to look too obviously hurt — as if Virgil could see through his door. The wood was slightly chipped. He wondered when that had happened. Recently? Or had it been there for longer than he wanted to know?

He rubbed the back of his neck, pondering. What could he do? Virgil clearly didn’t want to talk to him... and he couldn’t be blamed, really.

“I just... thought it might make you feel a little better,” he tried. Virgil might not even be in there — there was no proof he was even listening. It was stupid to be doing this.

“I’ve seen you’ve been hanging out with Roman a lot more recently,” he went on. “That’s…” Unexpected. “Good. It’s so good, kiddo. You both did so well talking to Nico. I know Roman appreciates what you did.”

He trailed a finger down a small jagged crack in the purple paint.

“I wish I could have seen it in person,” he murmured truthfully. Wish I could have been the one who caused it. Wish I could have been the one you risked everything for.

But no — that was bad. Bad and selfish, and he couldn’t be like that. Thomas was trying to fix that about him, but people didn’t change easily, especially after years of a practiced notion. Life just didn't work like that.

“I only heard about the way your eyeshadow changed colour from the others,” he continued softly. “I bet you were just the prettiest thing in the world.”

He half expected to hear a huff or the shuffle of material as Virgil tried to work off his embarrassment. He didn’t hear the slightest hint of movement.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and his voice broke. He clenched his fists, trying not to stain the floor with salty droplets. “I’m so... sorry, for everything, Virgil. For hurting you. For doing all the wrong things by you. For not being who you needed me to be, when you needed it the most.”

Against his will, his stinging eyes blurred further and spots on the carpet grew darker beneath him. “I’m sorry.”

He waited.

Nothing.

This was pointless. There was nothing on the other side of that door except silence and emptiness.

You told yourself not to get your hopes up, he thought, pulling back.

“I’ll... get out of your hair. I’m sorry for bothering you.”

The hallway remained still apart from the downtrodden shuffling footsteps slowly retreating.

Inside the bedroom, the embodiment of anxiety bit his lip so hard he tasted iron.

A few days later, Virgil crept out of his room for the first time in weeks, driven by his grumbling stomach and the ache in his chest. He rubbed the sleeves of his hoodie between his fingers in a repetitive, patterned motion. His breathing matched the movement. It became more forced as he descended the stairs. The kitchen was quiet, but not empty.

Virgil swallowed. No backing out now.

“Hey, Pat,” he said slowly. Patton looked up from where he was making pancakes at the stove. His face lit up, but from the way he wrung his hands together, Virgil could tell that he was restraining himself.

“Good morning, Virge,” he said. His voice was soft. It didn’t match the way his eyes shone with delight. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” said Virgil. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just... wanted to apologise.”

Patton’s eyes blew wide. “Um... For what?”

That caught Virgil off-guard. Why was Patton avoiding it? Usually he was open to anyone trying to talk about their thoughts. Had Virgil done something wrong? Had he made a mistake hiding from him? He shuffled in place.

“Don't make me, like... say it,” he grumbled.

Patton looked baffled, but pleasantly so. He smiled and shook his head. “Say what, kid — uh —”

“For ignoring you last night,” Virgil said, interrupting before Patton could stammer too much.

Patton blinked, tilting his head like a dog. “Last night...?”

Virgil frowned. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to —”

“Oh, no, of course not!” Patton said, shaking his head and raising his hands. “I just got a little confused! I’m more than happy to — Oh! Good morning, Logan!”

Virgil resisted the urge to glance over his shoulder. All he got from the others now, aside from Patton, was awkward silences and loaded glares. It was doubtful that his anxiety would take kindly to one of Logan's indifferent silences this early in the morning.

“Good morning.” Logan’s response was cold... but it was a response, at least. The logical side came into Virgil’s view as he moved into the kitchen and brewed himself a mug of coffee without another word.

Patton turned back to Virgil, hands outstretched. “Virgil —”

“It’s fine,” Virgil said. Patton’s face flashed with hurt, and Virgil’s chest tinged painfully. He met Patton’s gaze meaningfully. “Really.”

Patton noticeably relaxed. He smiled, and it looked natural, and continued to make breakfast. Virgil shuffled down on his seat, listening to Patton’s pitiful attempt to converse with Logan, and tried not to cringe.

Virgil stood in front of a closed bedroom door and hated the queasy feeling in his stomach.

“Look, if this is how you felt the other night, my bad. I feel awkward as fuck.” Virgil was too scared to pause. If he paused, there was no doubt he would start overthinking, and then he’d back out, and then maybe he’d regret it. Virgil was so sick of regretting things. “And uh. Just for the record, you got the cardigan wrong. Again. So maybe just… stop trying.”

He noticed with a jolt that he was digging his fingernails into his wrists. He pried his arms apart and forced the words through his throat. “You’ve already got Thomas and Patton backing you. You can stop acting like a cheesy cartoon villain and just start trying to get the rest of our good wishes.” He realised how wrong that felt to say, and moved to cover up: “Not mine, though. Sorry, not sorry. That’s not happening for a while. Ever, actually. Don’t hold your breath.”

Virgil grinded his teeth, trying not to wince at himself. “I still hate you, is my point. But you make Patton happy, and... I guess you look after Thomas, in your own way.”

He looked at the ground. He thought of comforting smiles that spread warmth across his chest like wildfire. He thought about his anxiety being unconsciously battled into submission each time he was welcomed into each room he crept carefully into.

He thought about calming tactics and kind eyes and gentle voices and grey turning into patched purple. “I’m... definitely in no position to judge someone for that sort of shit.”

Virgil shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He had a point. Get to the point.

“Look, my point is that — fuck you, fuck this whole situation. You’re still a pretentious asshole.” He frowned. “But... stop pretending to be someone you’re not. It’s getting tedious.”

As he talked, he wondered if he imagined the shuffle on the other side of the door, like someone trying to muffle noise. He pushed the thought away.

Get to the point, part of his mind urged again. Be brave. Be brave, damnit.

“Every one of Thomas’ sides deserves to be themselves without fear or judgement,” he said finally, spilling the words from his mouth like hot coffee he’d swallowed too fast. He took a breath, like it had taken energy to finally say it, and registered the deafening silence swirling heavily around him.

That’s all I got.

It didn’t feel like a microphone-dropping statement, or something that he thought the embodiment of deceit really wanted to hear. But he’d said it, and he’d meant it, and he thought that maybe that was enough.

He slipped away, fleeing back to his room, because he would never be anything more than a coward.

But if the next morning saw Virgil wandering downstairs to find Patton and Janus winding around each other as they made breakfast, he might've been rubbing at his cheeks to clear the exhaustion from his eyes, or perhaps cover up the smallest remnants of purple sparkles.

[firerose]

Angstpril day 28- The day her love died

also on ao3   

This is my last fic before I have to take a long writing break ( I have exams), So feedback would be very great :)

Hazel loved winning the war games. The Cohorts allies and enemies alike stood around her cheering and congratulating each other.

It made her happy to see them like this, so joyful after the giant war.

Dakota her Centurian colleague patted her back appreciatively.

“Good fighting out there Levesque.“, He complimented with pride in his voice.

Hazel could not suppress her smile.

Dakota was one of the Romans who took wargames a bit too seriously.

“ Thanks, you weren‘t bad either!“, She told him with a very stern tone.

Thomas rosewood, the Centurian of the first cohort walked up to them with a mocking grin.“You know you will never lose the wargames as long as Frank‘s Praetor right?“, He asked looking at Hazel with playful anger.

She felt her cheeks heating up.

She knew about the theories that the first and second cohort had made up to justify the many victories the fifth cohort won since they had started war games again. One of the popular ones was that they just lost because they did not want to hurt the Praetors girlfriend.“ My relationship with Frank has absolutely nothing to do with your fighting skills. Maybe Fortuna just isn‘t at your side for once.“, She explained reasonably.

Thoma‘s opened his mouths speechless at her words. He hadn‘t expected that she would use his godly mother against him.

Hazel felt satisfied and turned to look for her boyfriend.

Frank eyes wandered the crowd in search of Hazel. Reyna and Jason were busy with yet another talk about old times. Jason had come to Camp two days ago to talk about temple designs but he had most of the time just talked to his old friends especially Reyna.

He spotted Hazel walking towards him through the masses and quickened his steps.

He got slowed down a bit by all the people that wanted to talk to him but he did not mind.

Frank enjoyed giving them compliments or just having small talks with them.

That gave him the feeling that he was just another one of them and not one of their rulers. He suddenly felt a grasp on his arm.

When he turned his head he saw Alice a twelve-year-old shy member of the fifth cohort, smiling at him gratefully.“Thanks for training Praetor Zhang. It was a great help.“ She said softly and Frank felt moved.

“No problem and I already told you that you can call me Frank.“, He responded hoping that all of the younger demigods would learn that someday.

Alice wrapped one arm around him and leaned onto his chest but Frank did not complain. He had a soft spot for new Campers especially the ones who came with little confidence, like Alice.

“I‘m sorry it‘s just that you did so many impressing things! You are a great Praetor!“.Alice whispered and Frank felt thankfulness washing over him.“Sadly your Praetorship ends here.“, She told him with the same sweet voice.

Frank had barely time to process her words when he felt a sharp pain stabbing right into his chest.

He gasped in pain, his hand grasping the shaft of the dagger that had been pushed into his heart. Alice still held it with her small hand. He tried to back away, tried to breathe but all his body allowed was pain. He already felt his world fading and so his eyes met Hazels one last time. He did not want to leave her so soon. He had imagined a long happy life with her but as always fate was cruel.

The last thing he registered before darkness overtook him was Alice ripping out the dagger and Hazel screaming.

Hazel saw Frank fall, she saw the bloodred dagger in Alice's hand and yet she still did not want to believe it.

Alice had been her friend, almost like a little sister. She had come to Hazel with her doubts and Hazel had always cheered her up.

This girl could not have killed Frank, she could never hurt a fly.

There were shocked gasps around her as her friends had noticed what had happened.

“Nooo!“, Reyna yelled in fury and stormed towards Alice her weapon raised and Jason close behind her his blue eyes as hard as hers. Dozens of others followed their example and a terrible suspicion hit Hazel. What if this girl hadn‘t been who she claimed she was. What if this all had been a trick and the others had figured it out?

She looked at Frank‘s motionless body on the ground and the pain in her heart quickly turned to anger.

Whoever this girl was she was going to pay.

Hazel yelled out her despair and started running, ready to impale her boyfriends killer with her sword. Alice simply smiled at her attackers and with a wave of her hand they were all thrown back, crashing down on the hard ground.

The demigods who hadn‘t attacked stepped back in horror as they started to realize that the monster maybe was more than they could handle.

Hazel‘s whole body ached from the impact and when she tried to face her enemy again, a blinding white light forced her to close her eyes.

When she opened them again her mouth opened in horror. A woman had replaced Alice, a woman that Hazel knew and that she had hoped to never see again.

She had golden hair that was braided in an ancient Greek style, her black robes mirrored her dark eyes that were full of hate.

No, she could not be here, was trapped in her maze, she could not be here.

“Pasiphae?“, Hazel asked her voice trembling in fear as she, rose to her feet. Jason who got up next to her gave her a shocked glance.

“ Of course my dear you. Did you think I would stay in that hole you threw me in?“, The sorceress mocked amused.

Hazel felt tears forming in her eyes.

Yes, she had thought that had trapped Pasiphae forever, that she had kept her from harming anyone. She had wanted a peaceful life so much that she had not focussed on potential threats.

Now Frank had paid the price for her weakness, for her naivety.“You should have stayed there. I will send you back to the fields of punishment for what you did! Frank was a good, kind person and you murdered him like a coward!“, Reyna spat but Hazel stood close enough to see the girls shimmering eyes.

She had loved Frank too, not like a partner but like a brother.

Her words were meant for Pasiphae but Hazel felt them burning into her heart.

Frank had been a good person, that was why she had fallen in love with him and now he was gone. He would never kiss her again, would never smile at her again.

Her gaze wandered to him. His face was turned away from her and she felt the urge to turn him just to see his soft brown eyes.

Pasiphae gave Reyna a pitiful look.“ Don‘t be foolish. I‘m the most powerful with who walked this earth and you are just a pathetic child of a minor goddess.“, She tuned to Hazel the sadism in her eyes making Hazel‘s gut fill with dread,

“But murdering your sweet boyfriend was not that satisfying to me my dear. I have many cruel spells mind if I try them on your friend?“, She asked and her hand went up in flames.

Some of the Campers screamed, the younger ones clinging onto the older ones.

Hazel felt guilt as she saw them. Pasiphae was only here because of her, if any of them got hurt it was her fault.

“You will not hurt any of them !“, Hazel demanded as loud as she could. Pasiphae did not seem intimidated by her.“Well then have a good night daughter of Pluto. I will enjoy watching you suffer.“, Pasiphae mused and then disappeared in a blast of hot white flames.

The Campers were in too much shock to move but Hazel took her chance. She ran to Franks side and kneeled next to him. Her hands were shaking as she gently touched him. He was still warm, maybe just maybe there was still a chance.

“ Frank?“, She asked softly a part of her told her that it was pointless, that he was dead but the denial was a strong emotion.

She gripped his shoulders and turned him around so she could see his face. She was hoping for closed eyes, for a sign of his shallow breath.

Instead, she was greeted with two cold eyes whose light had died already.

Hazel flinched as if someone had hit her and that was how she felt.

“No…..No please…no.“ She muttered over and over again her throat filling with sobs.

She couldn‘t lose him. She had only known him for six months, they deserved more time.

„Come back to me Frank please come back.“, She pleaded and tears fell onto his face as she leaned over him. He did not react, of course, he only stared at her and the eyes that she had loved so much already haunted her.

“You can‘t die like this! After everything we went through…please you can‘t…….“ Hazel begged her sobs finally breaking out of her. She collapsed over Frank‘s body, corpse and buried her face into his chest like that would close the bloodied stab wound.

She suddenly felt arms wrapping around her and even though they were gentle she felt panic rising in her.

“NO, LET ME GO!“ She yelled as she was gently pulled away.

She pressed her lips on Frank‘s, a last desperate attempt to feel his warmth again but again there was nothing only darkness and she felt the dark rising inside her as well.

“It‘s okay Hazel I‘m here … it‘s okay.“, Jason told her softly while he slowly leaned her onto his chest for comfort. Reyna and Dakota joined him sitting down to tell Hazel soft words that they knew were not working.

Hazel did not resist anymore, she was too weak. She let herself sink against Jason closing her eyes to block out the cruel reality that she now lived in. Her heart was broken and in between all her grief, the sweetness that so many people loved was washed away by a deep hatred.

No one noticed that change until Hazel opened her eyes opened again hours later.

They looked empty, dead just like Frank‘s like he had taken Hazel‘s light to the underworld.

Dakota searched them for the sarcastic girl had joked with only hours ago but the longer he searched the more he realized that she was dead.

Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang both had lost their lives that night and when Hazel finally spoke again her tone was hard and her words were a desire for revenge.

"I will find Pasiphae and I will kill her.“

@chaos-company @qperseusjackson-jasongrace @emilydaughterofapollo @fictionalnormalcy

[hetacon]

Simple and Sweet

Word Count: 1,400

Pairings: Logicality, Background Prinxiety, Background Platonic LAMP

Warning: A little swearing

______________________________  

Summary: Logan stared up at the ceiling as if he was trying to seer a hole into it. He was currently trying to figure out how to ask Patton to the biggest staple of teenage life. Dear god.

Stupid prom.

Stupid high school.

______________________________  

Logan stared up at the ceiling as if he was trying to seer a hole into it. He was currently trying to figure out how to ask Patton to the biggest staple of teenage life. Dear god.

Stupid prom.

Stupid high school.

He figured he’d be the one asking, or at the very least, Patton would expect him to. So he had to figure it out.

Normally he would go to Roman for advice but currently, Roman was trying to handle his own proposal to Virgil. That idea was off the table, at least until after Roman had everything planned.

He thought for a moment about asking Virgil but.. No, the two of them are just as awkward. Neither of them would have a clue where to start, no matter how much they’d want to.

Sure, he could ask Roman’s brother or Janus but the two of them weren’t that close of friends, merely acquaintances. He wouldn’t exactly feel comfortable asking them to help him out of this mess of emotions.

The one person he’d trust most with the issue was Patton. He’d know what to do in a split second. But obviously you can see the problem with it.

So Logan was out of ideas again.

A whole week had passed and without a clear idea in mind, and the last chance for ticket purchases coming up, Logan was starting to get discouraged about this entire idea.

Maybe Patton didn’t want to go to prom. Maybe Logan didn’t really want to ask him. Maybe Patton would say no!!

Ok, that last one was nerves getting to him but he couldn’t very well help it. It shouldn’t be this difficult, Patton loved him, he knew Patton would appreciate any kind of offer even if it was bad or cheesy!

God, did Logan love his boyfriend, what did he do to deserve him?

Unfortunately, one of the things Logan didn’t love so much about Patton came back to light as Logan felt a hand cover his on the table. He felt Patton gently intertwine their fingers before kissing his temple.

“What’s wrong, Logie?”

Of all the things Logan disliked the most about Patton, it was how easily Patton could read him. He was basically an open book to his boyfriend when others could barely get a sentence out of it on a good day. But Patton just knew and boy did Logan hate it.

Logan heard his voice speak up though his mind was definitely elsewhere as he said,” Nothing’s wrong Patton, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Lo, your brow is furrowed and you have a frown on that handsome face of yours. That means something’s bothering you, you know I’m right.”

A sigh came from Logan before he leaned his head against Patton’s. “I’d prefer not to talk about it..” he finally admitted.

Logan saw Patton smile from the corner of his eye. “That’s ok, I’m right here for you anyways,” his boyfriend hummed out.

“I know.”

A few days had passed and still nothing. Logan was cursed, he concluded as the intercom crackled to life.

“Students, this is the last day to buy tickets for prom. If you plan to attend, this is the last day you can get them! Again, today is the last day to buy prom tickets!” the intercom system said, causing Logan to look up at it wearily.

He still had absolutely nothing and he hadn’t gotten tickets yet. This was going to be a disaster.

Should he take Patton or should he not? It’s not like he particularly wanted to go if Patton didn’t either, Patton was more sociable of the two if anything.

Should he buy tickets just in case? It might be a waste of nearly $300 but at the same time, he knew Patton would have fun. It was a memory they’d share, albeit fairly pricey.

Would he even be able to ask? He was already having such a hard time figuring out how to do it, who’s to say if he could even muster up the courage regardless of the method!

This was all a headache, Logan was at this point willing to go dig himself a hole and lie in it for a few hours or days or centuries.

Logan then noticed something off about their table.

“Hey, have you guys seen Patton?” he asked Roman and Virgil, only to frown as Roman snorted.

“You’re so out of it Specs, he came here to tell us he’d be a little bit because he had something to do! He even kissed you before he left, where are you?” Roman laughed out.

“I’m just distracted...”

“Clearly,” Roman mused. “What’s up?”

“I just... I can’t figure out how to ask Patton. I don’t know what to do and this is literally my last chance,” Logan said, burying his face in his hands.

“Speaking of, got anything to ask me about, Princey?” Virgil asked.

Logan looked up to watch this exchange. He was surprised Roman hadn’t done so already. Though Roman had bought the tickets by this point so he was automatically more prepared than Logan.

“Oh, was there? Could’ve sworn it was something important!” Roman hummed out, pretending to think for a moment.

“Shut up, you’re gonna ask me to prom by reciting some Shakespearean bullshit, I’m just wondering when it’s gonna be,” Virgil said with a raised eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

“You thought I’d offer to take you? And what if that wasn’t in my plans? I could’ve already asked someone for all you know,” Roman teased.

“As if you’d pass up a chance to take your hot boyfriend to prom. Unless you’re a coward,” Virgil suggested, smirking.

“You really think so little of me?”

“Oh absolutely, Princey~”

Roman chuckled. “Alright then let us right this wrong!” he exclaimed, taking a hold of Virgil’s hands. “Will you, Virgil Knight, my wonderful and magnificent stormcloud, go to prom with me?”

Virgil smiled fondly. “I don’t know, I’ll have to check my schedule~”

“You asshole!” Roman laughed, dipping Virgil down for a kiss, at which point Logan stopped watching.

Logan didn’t have to wait long for the situation to better itself as he saw Patton approaching him with a bright smile.

“You seem excited about something if I’m not mistaken,” Logan commented as Patton sat next to him.

“I am!” Patton said, beaming that much more.

“And why would that be?”

“Well... I know it’s the last day to buy tickets for prom so I saved up some money and just went to get them,” Patton started to explain, holding out two tickets for Logan to see. “And I wanted to ask you if you would like to go.”

Logan blinked for a moment, looking down at the tickets in Patton’s hand and then up at him.

“You’re asking me?”

Patton nodded. “I am indeed! Why? Something wrong with that?”

“No, I just... was planning on asking you, I figured you would’ve wanted me to,” Logan trailed off.

Logan should’ve felt dumb as soon as Patton started laughing but he was too stunned by the gesture of Patton being the one to ask that he could only stare in amazement.

“You really thought you had to ask me, Logie?”

“Yes, I suppose. It just seemed like it would’ve been appropriate for me to do so.”

“And why is that?”

Logan opened his mouth but then closed it, his brows furrowing.

Patton smiled once again. “C’mon Logan, I knew you’d get cold feet about it. And I was going to do something cheesy and gushy but remembered this was you we’re talking about. I know you like things simple and straight to the point so I decided you’d appreciate me just asking. I still haven’t gotten an answer though..” he commented nervously, the smile turning to a more anxious counterpart.

“Yes, I would love to go with you,” Logan finally replied. “Though I would’ve asked you, it was my intention to do so at some point.”

Patton let out a giggle and bumped Logan’s shoulder. “No you wouldn’t have!”

Logan sighed and smiled, kissing Patton’s forehead. “No I wouldn’t have.”

______________________________  

Taglist: @artissijam, @virgils-paranoia, @marshmallow-the-panda, @anotheregofanficblog

[theatresweetheart]

❝ if you wanna talk, i’m here. ❞ gimme that prinxeity

Summary: School can be rough, especially when one’s peers already see them as the “odd one out.” It only gets worse when Virgil’s headphones get snipped. After trying to stand up for himself and instead gets painted in the wrong light, the school calls his Dad—but Roman only gets one side of the story.  

Pairings: Parental/Familial Prinxiety. 

Warnings: Bullying mention, crying, brief mention of an anxiety attack, thoughts of being left, fear of parental rejection, brief mention of physical violence, brief mention of an absent parent, negative self-talk. (I think that’s it, but let me know if I missed anything!)

Word Count: 2849 words.

A/n: I have been yearning to write something like this for ages and I have finally gotten around to doing it. It was a fun little write that turned out a little longer than I anticipated, but I had fun nonetheless.

Enjoy!

                                          — — — — — —

“I can’t believe someone actually chose you.”

“I think it was more of a mistake. Not like he really knew you before he chose you.”

“You’re such a sourpuss. It’s like you never have anything nice to say. What happened that made you so miserable?”

Virgil had huddled down further into his jacket, the words stinging far more than he expected them to. The bus ride had been miserable and the day at school had been so much worse.

Some jerk had snipped the wire in his headphones while he was wearing them, thinking it would be so funny, which had then resulted in Virgil punching the kid in the jaw. Which then resulted in being sent to the principal’s office because the kid was a crybaby. Said principal didn’t even listen to a word he had to say, trying defend himself and explain the full story, but had instead only been lectured on what he had done wrong.

Then his Dad had been called and had been given the wrong half of the story. He was kind of surprised that the principal hadn’t asked his parent to come in. Maybe it was because it was the end of the day.

Virgil wasn’t worried about his Dad freaking out, he knew he would probably just get that disappointed look in his eyes that made Virgil’s stomach squirm in regret. So, he wouldn’t even acknowledge him.

“Physically violent and an orphan. Wow, I’m surprised anyone even gave you a second glance.”

“Weird eyes, bitter, resentful and a jerk. Huh. Who knew someone like you could be loved by someone as nice as your so-called ‘Dad’?”

Pulling his hood up higher over his head, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and stayed silent the entire bus ride home. Even with Patton trying to talk to him, get his mind off of everything that had happened that day.

“I’m sure your Dad won’t be too mad once he gets your side of the story,” Patton had tried to comfort him, “he seems pretty understanding and really, you were defending yourself.”

Virgil wasn’t so positive, but he did appreciate that Patton was trying. Even Logan had tried to say something encouraging, but Virgil had only turned away from him. His friends had shared a soft look. Virgil hadn’t given them a lot of details about the incident, but Patton had had an itching feeling that the kid Virgil had gone after, was the same kid that had been bullying him for ages.

Logan and Patton had both gotten off at their respective stop, but not before trying to at least make Virgil feel the least bit better.

“Thank guys, but it’s not necessary.”

“Virge, you know we love you. Just… everything’ll be alright, okay? We’ll see you on Monday. Right?”

“…yeah.”

Then the bus had pulled away and Virgil was one of the last three kids to be dropped off. He stayed hidden away in the back of the bus before it was finally his stop. The whole trip was absolutely miserable without music. He was just miserable in general. His knuckles hurt, his chest felt weighted and he felt guilt sinking into his stomach like a rock, making his unease ten times worse.

The tween stepped off the bus after giving the driver a quiet “thanks” before adjusting his bag and heading on his way.

As soon as he could see his house in the distance, he felt bile rise in the back of his throat. It was sour and bitter and Virgil had half a mind to bolt in the opposite direction. That way Roman wouldn’t have to be faced with his disappointment of a son.

No, you’re not running away like a coward. You’re not a baby. Go in there, ignore Dad like the big kid you are and leave it at that.

He fiddled with his hands, picking at the skin around his nails as he stepped up the stairs and onto the front porch. Dad’s truck was in the driveway, which meant Dad was home. Feeling sicker with every step he took, he opened the door and stepped inside.

The minute Roman heard the door open, he peeked around the corner of the kitchen from where he was finishing up with the dishes from lunch. Spotting the tween toeing off his shoes at the door, he wiped his hands off on the dishrag before heading into the mudroom.

“Hey bud, how was—”

Virgil’s shoulders tensed as soon as he heard his voice and it seemed the minute his shoes were off, he made a beeline straight for the stairwell. His hood was up and his head was ducked down.

“—school.”

Letting out a small sigh, Roman tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. He had a feeling this would happen, but he had expected at least a word or two from the kid before he bolted.

Roman knew he would need to talk to him, but he didn’t think it was going to be this difficult. He knew Virgil had a hard time opening up—the nice woman at the orphanage had told him that too; to be kind and patient and understanding. To let the tween come to him in his own time, but when he had gotten that call earlier, it already warranted that they would need to talk.

First, though, Roman needed to know the full story. The principal had only told him what Virgil had done and not what the other kid had done to deserve it. It wasn’t like Virgil to just act out like that. There had to be some sort of motivating force.

Though, he also knew he should give Virgil some space for a little bit. He’d give him an hour before going up to ask what’s going on.

So, he leaned down, tidied the shoe area before turning back around and finishing up with the dishes.

—

The hour had passed and there hadn’t been a sound from upstairs. Not a creak in the floorboard, opening or closing of a door, no angsty teen music blasting through the speaker to drown out the world.

It was starting to worry him, Roman wasn’t going to deny that.

Deciding that enough was enough, he slid the bookmark into place to mark the page before setting it down on the coffee table in front of him.

Turning the banister and heading up the stairs felt as though there was a weight on his chest. There had to be so much going through Virgil’s mind right now. What was he worried about? Roman had seen the kid go through some rough anxiety attacks on his own because he didn’t feel safe enough coming to him yet. It almost made Roman feel as though he had done something wrong as his father these past two years.

Oh God, had he done something to make Virgil feel unsafe when expressing his anxieties?‌ If he had, he needed to find a way to remedy that immediately. 

Roman refused to be the father that his kid was afraid of.

He was not going to be like his own father.

He stood outside Virgil’s door for half a moment, just listening. For anything really. Laboured breaths, sobs, choked noises, music.

It took a moment, but he could hear Virgil heaving quietly, as if he was stifling it.

Raising a hand, Roman knocked on the door gently enough not to startle the tween too much. “Virgil? Are you alright?”

The soft sounds stopped and Roman felt his stomach drop. His own anxiety spiked slightly at that. There was some quick shuffling from inside and he worried his lower lip. He wanted to open the door and make sure Virgil was alright, but he also didn’t want to invade his safe place without permission. The only time he had ever done that was when Virgil had woken up screaming in the middle of the night when Roman had first brought him in.

“I– I’m fine, Roman,” the choked voice came suddenly.

Immediately he knew something was very much not right. Virgil almost never called him by his name unless he was trying to distance himself. 

He was frightened that something was going to happen to him.

It was something he had done when Roman had first adopted him. Virgil had refused to call him “dad” to keep himself from getting attached just in case Roman decided to send him back.

(Which he would never do in the first place!)

“Virgil,” Roman started after a moment, trying to sort through everything that was going through his head. “Can I‌ come in?”

There was a long hesitation after he had asked that. The silence seemed heavy and uncomfortable but he needed to ask.

“It is more than okay if you say no,” he continued after a heartbeat, wanting to make sure that Virgil knew his opinion was very much important to him. “I will respect your decision. But I‌ just want to make sure you’re alright, okay?”

There was more shuffling from behind the door and Roman was more than ready to take his leave and wait until Virgil came to get him for help. Before he could do anything of the like however, there was the sound of the door unlocking and footsteps leading away from the door itself. Roman took that as permission to enter the room.

When he did, the blinds were drawn shut tightly so no light could come in from the outside. The nightlight he had bought for the kid was flicked on in the corner of the room. That only happened nowadays when Virgil wanted some semblance of comfort, since that nightlight had granted him many nights of comfort when he had first been brought into the home.

The next thing Roman noticed was Virgil himself, sitting curled up on his bed with his hood up and his face pressed into his arms. His shoulders were trembling with silent sobs.

His features softened further and stepped quietly into the room after gently shutting the door behind him.

Roman didn’t say anything until he was sat on the edge of the bed, just an arms length away from the tween keeping his knees tucked up close to his chest, as if to protect himself.

“I think I know what this is about,” he started softly, keeping his hands to himself, but leaning comfortably enough on the bed to show that he was there, so if Virgil eventually looked up he wouldn’t be startled by his parent’s proximity. He brought a leg up to lean on comfortably. “I’m not going to force you to say anything, but if you wanna talk, I’m here.”

Virgil sniffled, but didn’t seem to react to him more than that.

Roman took a breath. “I want to start this off by saying I’m not mad.”

That shocked the tween enough to actually look up at him, blinking tears from his multi-coloured eyes. He hiccuped softly, not bothering to wipe at the tear trails leaking down. “You– you’re not?”

Such a sad voice, it broke Roman’s heart is what it did. Virgil was so afraid of being punished, that having some sort of positive result come out of a situation like this was almost unheard of. “No,” he reassured him, keeping his eyes steady with Virgil’s and keeping his voice level and calm. “I’m not mad at you because I‌ feel like I‌ didn’t get the whole story from your principal when I‌ got that call.”

“You didn’t!” Virgil was very adamant about that, not wanting to be painted as the villain in this. He wasn’t a bad kid, he wasn’t! And he didn’t want Roman to think he was, because if his Dad believed it then that meant he wouldn’t be able to stay. And God, Virgil’s life had only gotten better since Roman had adopted him. “He didn’t tell you even half of it. It’s typical.” He scrubbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie, tilting his head away from the adult.

“Then why don’t you tell me what happened,”‌ Roman prompted him gently, giving a nod to show that he was really listening.

Virgil worried his lower lip before uncurling slightly. Just enough so that he was sitting cross-legged and actually facing Roman. However, his hood was still up and his hands were fiddling with the ends of his jacket sleeves and the loose threads there. He took a breath to steady his voice before sniffling again.

“There’s this kid, uh, he’s been…been bothering me for awhile now.” He quickly continued before Roman had the chance to say anything to that. “And today, I guess he just thought it’d be funny if he–” Virgil choked on a sob, trying to stifle it and Roman ached so badly to reach over and touch him, to offer physical comfort but he wouldn’t until Virgil was reaching out to him first. “He thought it’d be funny to cut the wires of my headphones while I‌ was wearing them and then I‌ just- I‌ just…”

His hands clenched slightly and Roman got the picture quite clearly.

“You reacted before you knew what you were doing,” Roman finished for him, clasping his hands together and ducking his head to try and meet Virgil’s eyes, but the tween was avoiding looking at him altogether.

“God, I’m—” he sucked in a sharp breath, nearly choking on it, “I’m sorry I’m such a screw up. You take me in an-and show me all this love and I just go and— and throw all that away. I’m such a failure.”

“Hey now,” Roman quickly cut that line of thought off immediately, sitting up a bit straighter at that. “You are not a screw up and you are not a failure.”

Virgil shook his head, seemingly too lost in his thoughts at this point to listen clearly. “…god knows why you ever wanted me.”

“I have always wanted you.” There was such a surprising firmness behind the statement that Virgil finally looked up at him. Roman moved a little bit closer to him, but not enough to encroach on his sacred space. “I have never once doubted that, do you understand me?” After a second, he got a tentative nod. “Punching some kid in the face may not have been your proudest moment, but that doesn’t make me want you any less. We all make mistakes Virgil, and that’s okay. You got emotional because what that kid did was downright horrendous and uncalled for. I’ve made mistakes, too. And I can promise you that they’re almost all worse than punching some punk jerk in the face.”

Virgil scrubbed his eyes at that. “What could you have possibly done that’s worse?”

Roman cracked a small grin at that. “My brother and I got into some dumb shenanigans when we were your age and older,” he told him. “Some of the things we did could have gotten us arrested if we had been caught. So you getting suspended from school for a couple days is okay.”

“You and Uncle Remus almost got arrested?”

“Could have,” Roman corrected, wanting to make sure that he drove home the fact that neither of them had ever been caught in the act. “Now, I’m not going to say that I’m okay with you punching other kids and getting suspended, nor will I‌ endorse that behaviour. But I want you to know that I’m not mad.”

Virgil’s expression crumpled further and before long, he was crawling forward and burying his face in Roman’s chest. The adult responded immediately by pulling the tween into his lap and holding him close. He pushed Virgil’s hood down before letting his fingers card through the dark brown hair and dyed tips in a repeated and hopefully soothing motion.

“You’re a good kid, Virgil,” Roman promised him, even as Virgil heaved in his arms, clinging to his father with all he had. “And I know that. This does not change a thing.”

That almost seemed to make the tween cry harder, so he spent about ten minutes just soothing the boy in his arms. Quietly rocking them back and forth in a gentle and loving motion. Giving Virgil that softness that he craved without truly ever asking for it straight out.

“...thanks, Dad.” Virgil’s voice was soft and hoarse and Roman may not have heard it if Virgil wasn’t pressed right up against him.

“Of course.” It was sentimental and meaningful, before; “am I the best dad or what?”

Virgil laughed wetly, pulling away and wiping at his eyes again. But they were drier this time. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

“What?” Roman gasped, feigning offense. “Well, would I‌ be the best dad if I took you out to get some more headphones?‌”

Pausing in his motions of swiping at his face to clear more of the wetness away, Virgil blinked to him in the darkness of the bedroom. “…maybe.”

Roman nodded his head toward the door. “Come on then. How about this; you clean yourself up and then we head out in about twenty minutes and get you a brand new pair, alright?”

Virgil offered the ghost of a smile. “Alright.”

[puckslibrary]

Hello hello! Today I’ll be reviewing Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes.

//Non Spoiler Summary//

Set in a world ruled by a roman inspired empire, An Ember in the Ashes follows two different main characters. When Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, she makes a deal with a group of rebels. In exchange for breaking her brother out of prison, she promises to go undercover as a spy at the empire’s most prestigious (and dangerous) military academy. There she crosses paths with Elias, the academy’s best soldier. Natural born enemies, the two soon realize that their interests may not be that different.

//SPOILER REVIEW//

Wow. I don't really know what I expected from this book, but I had such a hard time putting this down. The first person POV was a shock, but I feel that Tahir did a good job with that and it made Laia and Elias’ stories so much more personal. On top of that, I usually find multiple POV books a little hard to read, but I was equally as invested in both Laia and Elias’ stories. I am IN LOVE with the roman inspired school that is Blackcliff. It’s so incredibly ruthless and separate from the rest of this fantasy world. It genuinely sounds like hell to attend but part of me wishes I was a student there. Laia herself is a really interesting character, as I expected her to kind of be a stereotypical YA protagonist (basically, her mother). But honestly… she was a coward. Her family’s death and brother's arrest weren’t at all uncommon or special. As the book goes on you get to see her grow as a character, culminating in her putting aside any doubts in order to free Izzi and Elias. Until then, she was terrified the entire time. And she wanted to give up so many times. But she didn't. Her cowardice is what makes her such a great character, because it's so realistic. Alternatively, Elias is fearless. He’s got everything going for him, and he’s envied by so many. And yet, he doesn't want any of it because he sees through all the glamor (or maybe a better word is honor?) that comes from being a mask. Laia chose to do good due to her own guilt whereas Elias chose to do good because unlike everyone else, he couldn’t ignore the wrongness of the empire. It makes me wonder if he would've had Helene’s unquestioning loyalty had he been raised by his mother or grandfather. He was definitely my favorite character. this of course has nothing to do with the fact that I think he's hot Sabaa Tahir could’ve written the story from either one of their perspectives and still had a complete and compelling story, but I'm so glad she decided to write about two completely different and separate characters. They honestly didn't have nearly as much interaction as I expected them to, and it's insane how intertwined their lives are without either of them realizing. As for Helene, despite some of her beliefs and choices, I really liked her. In the same way Laia’s cowardice was a positive trait, Helene’s loyalty was a negative one. I loved her friendship with Elias and any scene between the two of them after their fight HURT to read. And just as I saw many parallels between Laia and Elias, I saw a few between Helene and Keenan (but I don’t really have the time to talk about them :/ ). Overall, this was a highly addictive book and I’m incredibly excited to follow these characters in the next few books. PS: 1) How is Laia’s name pronounced? Because I’ve been pronouncing it as lie-uh. 2) Zak deserved better. 3) All my homies hate Marcus ✌️

If you enjoyed this review I’d greatly appreciate it if you liked, reblogged, followed, ect. And feel free to leave me book recommendations! Wherever you are, stay classy, and have a lovely evening :)

[graveyardollie]

Dying Angel - Awakening Demon Chapter 3

Chapter 1 | 2

Ao3 link

Tw for the chapter: Suicidal thoughts, swearing, yelling/arguments, broken bones, losing control of yourself, self-loathing, self-hate (let me know if there is more)

Patton woke up in a strange mood. He had this weird feeling about their new friend. Not in a negative way, but still...something was off. No matter what, he had to make Virgil feel welcome like he deserves. After 5 more minutes of well-deserved sleep, Patton got up from his very comfortable bed and went towards the kitchen to make some breakfast. “Good morning Patton.” said Virgil from the other side of the counter. Patton screamed. “O-oh. Hi, there, kiddo! I’m terribly sorry. I just haven’t really expected someone up this early. My older brother over there will not get up until at least 1PM.”

Virgil smiled a little shy. “That’s okay, Patton. Maybe, I shouldn’t be so quiet after all. I just didn’t want to wake you up. I also tried to make breakfast as a thank you for your trouble in keeping me safe, but...well, as you can see, it didn’t go very well. I’m halfway into cleaning up.”

Patton looked around, a little confused. The kitchen seemed in excellent condition. “Halfway?” Virgil got a little blushy. “Yeah, I...also had to use a small part of the living room. I just couldn’t fit all of my needed stuff here, so..but I hope that’s...okay?”

Patton took a deep breath. Not because he was angry, but because he smelled something...being burned. The living room. He rushed there as fast as he could. Why was the oven in the living room?! How did he not hear all of this? And this smell...was he really sleeping that deep? Gosh, alright. He took the fire extinguisher and stopped the fire from spreading any further. Virgil followed Patton right after. He looked so...tired.

“I’m so sorry, Patton, I probably shouldn’t...I only made things worse, I-” Patton grabbed Virgil’s hands and squished them a little tighter. “It’s okay, Virgil. You did nothing wrong. I actually really appreciate that you’re trying to help us. Maybe the problem is not that you are trying to help, but how. Cooking clearly isn’t something you’re passionate about. Do you want to try something else, maybe?”

“Yeah...yeah, I’d like that.”

***

Roman had many nightmares that night.

He dreamed about being in the forest again.

The first time Roman went to the forest, it didn’t end well. Patton got severely, hurt and it was all Roman’s fault. But this time, no one knew where he was. Roman didn’t even leave a note. If he was going to die today, then so be it. At least, he won’t go down as a coward but as someone who tried to make this world a little better.

He came prepared. He had a gun and a ton of bullets in his bag. If someone is trying to take advantage of poor people who got so unlucky to be in this forest all by themselves...this will be this bastard’s last time doing so.

He searched for way too long now. No one cared that he was here. Why everything has to be always so brutal in his life? He sat under the tree and closed his eyes. He was so tired. He hasn’t slept at all, hasn’t eaten, and worst of all, he didn’t say goodbye to his little brother. Roman opened his eyes again and looked at the gun he was holding. Was his time coming? Was this really it? Maybe Patton was actually better off without him-

“Well, it would be a real shame losing such a well-looking man from this world~” Roman stood up and backed off. He pointed his gun towards a stranger. “Who the fuck are you?” Roman asked suspiciously.

“Oh, such a gentleman and such cruel words coming from his mouth...they do not fit you at all! But...if you insist. My name is Janus. And I’m here to change your life for the better.” Janus smiled reassuringly.

Roman looked at him, surprised. “How? By killing me like all of the other 30 people? I’m already on my way to do that, so you-”

“Demons forbid, no you silly. I’m talking about real help. You always wanted to be a hero, haven’t you? Your history is drawn all over your face...Your little brother, praised all the time, while you...scolded by your parents like some unworthy bastard. But you still love your brother, right? You want what is best for him...but now he’s a hero again. He will be praised by other people for saving some weird stranger. And you’ll never be anything more than a rat. In the shadows of others.”

Roman felt tears in his eyes. “W-what…”

“I know the truth may be hard to hear...but you are the one who showed it to me.”

“Am I that easy to figure out?”

“Well, those are your words, not mine, but you can put it that way, yes.”

Roman lowered his gun and looked down. “I’m such a mess. What am I even doing with my life…? It’s pointless. I will never be a hero.”

“But you can be a hero, Roman! Take my word for it. People will see you. They will praise you, fear you, and scream your name. Roman, Roman, Roman.’’ His name was coming from all the sides of the forest like a calming echo for his soul. No one will remember that little brother of yours. You will be able to come out of the shadows and be above others. All you need to do is to trust me and...take my hand.”

“All I wanted in my life is my brother to be happy and have a good life. I’m...not sure if I want Patton to be in my shadows. He deserves to be in the spotlight. I am not going to take that away from him.”

Janus looked at him with despise. “What a shame. And I thought I could do it the easy way.” He charged at Roman, and before Roman could even scream, everything turned into darkness.

--

Roman woke up all sweaty and disgusting. His breath was fast, and his eyes were full of tears. He checked his phone. 11AM. This was quite early for Roman, but he couldn’t imagine staying in this bed any longer. He needed to get up...and maybe shower.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Janus. The conversation between them felt way too real to be a dream. Although Roman was very creative, so maybe...hm. Why does it have to be so complicated?!

He got into the living room, where he noticed Patton and Virgil chatting and chuckling. They were so concentrated on what the other said that no one even saw Roman till 5 minutes later. Virgil noticed first. Patton soon after.

“Roman!” Patton got up and hugged his big brother lovingly. His hugs reminded Roman of their mother. She always had so much love and warmth to give. Sometimes he got afraid she wasn’t saving it for herself at all.

Maybe that’s why Roman always pushed Patton to think about himself too. And perhaps that’s why he is such a narcissist.

“Good morning, goofball. How was your night? Did you sleep well?”

“For once, I slept like a sheep. Not even a nuclear bomb could wake me.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. And the cloudy storm over there?” This nickname did not make Virgil happy.

“Why won’t you go ask him yourself while I’m going to make you something to eat? I’ll be right back!” He smiled at Virgil and proceeded to head to the kitchen.

“So…” Virgil started hesitantly. “How’s it go-”

“Oh, please. Save it. I’m not in the mood for acting like I have the strength to be friendly around you. Go be a fake bitch somewhere else.”

Virgil looked at him with disbelief. “Well, looks like I’m not the one being a bitch here.”

“Excuse me?”

Virgil stood up and got closer to Roman while pointing the finger at him. Roman scoffed. “You heard me. Remember, you’re the one who almost killed me. So I simply do not understand why you’re the angry one. You’re ruining the mood, and you make absolutely no damn sense. Patton is probably crying in the kitchen because of you.” Again, he didn’t even correctly wake up, and he already ruined everything. But, you know what? What does this idiot know about Roman? Nothing.

“You are a nobody in this house. I invited you. I can also throw you out...like trash.”

“Please do. Living on the streets would be so much better than living with you here.” Virgil shouldn’t be saying all of this. He was never so aggressive towards someone before. Something didn’t feel right. Virgil decided to step back a little. He sighed deeply. “Look, man, I’m sorry. I know, I got badly hurt, was unconscious for 5 days. Patton probably took more care of me than of you. You have all the right to feel bad. But please, don’t do this to Patton. I can leave if you want...Your brother is probably worried sick about both of us.” For a split second, Roman’s anger disappeared. He felt like himself again. Virgil had such a calming voice...then...Janus...he heard Janus’ voice in his head. “Take my hand.” He remembered everything turning into darkness.

“Shut the hell up. You don’t know anything. Not about Patton nor me. You’re just a meaningless pimp. A nobody.” Before Roman could think, he threw the first punch at Virgil. Where was all this anger coming from? It was almost like, he couldn’t control it...like he was losing himself. But Roman couldn’t stop. He just kept going.

When he came back to reality again, Patton was holding his hands tight. It hurt. “Patton…”

“I-I’m sorry.” He let go of Roman. Patton was shaking. Even Virgil looked worried about Roman. The anger left both of them, for now.

Roman’s hands were hurting. What happened? He looked around. The living room was a mess. Then Roman looked at Virgil. God, he was an even bigger mess. His hair was going in all directions. He had a pink eye and a broken nose.

But Roman wasn’t hurt at all. Virgil did nothing to him. All that was bruised was his knuckles and Roman’s giant ego.

“I’m sorry, I...I don’t know what has gotten into me. I…” Roman got up. He got a bit closer to Virgil, wanting to help. Still, Patton got quickly between them, more worried about Virgil’s safety than Roman’s. Roman got the message. He backed off.

“Roman, he has been here for a week, 5 days unconscious, so I wouldn’t even count those...Virgil got here because you hit him with a car! And you beat him as an apology? That is unacceptable.”

“Patton…”

“No!” Roman flinched. “You do NOT “Patton” me! Not this time. Virgil doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment! He’s here for almost a week now, and you did nothing to make up for what you did. You hit him with a car, then expect him to beg you for YOUR forgiveness? What is wrong with you? I’m going to the bathroom with him to make sure he doesn’t get an infection on his wounds. When we’re back...I want you to not be here. Come back home when you realize you did wrong. And when you’re ready to actually DO better.” Patton was crying while saying all of this. Roman was too. Virgil stood there terrified. Should he feel guilty? He didn’t do anything wrong...he was so confused. Why would Roman hate him so much? Could he possibly be…? No. Roman was a human being. 100%. Right…? But where was this hatred coming from then? Maybe he was just a particular human being. Very annoying as well. Still, Roman deserves a second chance. When he comes back, Virgil will try again. And again. And again. Because that’s what the proper angles do, right? They forgive...and then they get hurt every time they try to. God. What has he gotten himself into?

Chapter 4

[max-is-tired]

Magic Mirror (Mirror’s Magic) Chapter 1

Pairing: Romantic Royality

Characters: Patton Sanders, Roman Sanders, various OCs

Words: 5.002

Warnings: angst, blood, war, crying, magic, loneliness

Notes: Welp, here it comes! This is part of my fic for the TS Big Bang 2019! Or at least, it should have been -as I said, I haven’t quite managed to finish writing the whole thing, so I can’t post it all today. But I still wanted you guys to see it by the end of the month, so here we go, everyone hop on the angst train!! :D

Hit me up if you want to be added to the taglist and let me know if you liked this, reblogs, comments and asks are always very welcome and much appreciated! And if you would consider buying this broke college student a coffee (link in description) you’ll have my eternal gratitude and a thank-you ficlet of your choice, so there’s that.

(This story is heavily inspired by two Vocaloid songs. This chapter specifically is inspired by this cover of Rin’s Magical Mirror, by SirHamnet)

Commission me!!

Read on AO3

Go check @keuwibird‘s amazing art for this fic here!!!

First || Next

Sometimes, Patton finds himself dreaming of laughter and happiness, of sunny days and chirping birds. He dreams of a faraway land, untouched by war or famine, by misfortune or death.

He dreams and dreams and dreams, running through endless fields without a care in the world.

Those are the times when waking up hurts the most, when the memories fade away and all that remains is nothing but pain and an ache where his heart should be.

On days like those, it’s difficult to remain optimistic. Memories linger in the back of his mind, echoes of his old life filling the small wooden cottage he now calls his home.

On days like those, when Patton looks in the mirror, all he sees is a tired boy with blue, dull eyes staring back at him.

(Sometimes he wonders what his mother would say, if only she could see him now -his hair a mess, scrapes and dirt covering his body, his clothes reduced and nothing more than rags. She’d probably go full mother-hen on him, he muses with a small smile. Then he closes his eyes and shakes his head, locking those thoughts in some dark corner of his mind -he can’t think of her, of his family, of what he has lost and will never get back. If he does, he’s not sure he’ll be able to get back up again.)

Today, though, Patton can’t help but wish it was one of those days. He wishes his dreams could have been filled with bittersweet happiness, with long lost smiles, with the faces of those he had once loved most. Anything, but the memories of that cursed day.

An explosion, that’s how it starts.

Screams, yells, the clashing of swords and shields filling the halls of the castle, blood splattering to the ground as the enemy’s force advances inexorably.

“Mother! Father!” Patton screams, desperate, confused, afraid.

“Run, Patton! Quick, before they find you!”

And he does, heart thundering in his chest as he turns and bolts towards the secret passage behind the throne -he found it when he was five, when everything was well and war was something he only heard about in fairytales.

He runs without looking back, emerging in the forest behind his home and not stopping until he trips on a branch, tumbling to the ground with a startled shout.

Patton lays there for what feels like an eternity, staring at the sky as sobs rack through his body -searching for a reason, just one, for all this violence and hatred and blood plaguing his home and destroying everything in its path.

“Why?” he chokes out, tears rolling down his cheek.

The moon stares back at him, silent, and Patton feels something inside him break and crumble to a million pieces.

Patton shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut to stop the tears from escaping out. He can’t let himself fall down that rabbit hole, because he knows there’s a great chance he might do something stupid -like give in to despair and finally let himself rot away, all alone in that abandoned cottage in the middle of nowhere.

Taking in a steadying breath, Patton stands up and stretches his arms up, eyes sweeping on his surroundings.

He still remembers the state this cottage had been in when he’d first found it, crying and freezing in the middle of the night. Patton had basically passed out as soon as he had gotten inside, but once he’d woken up again, the light of the day had helped him better take in the place –it had been abandoned for a while already, clutter and dust filling the cottage and sending Patton into more than one sneezing fit.

He had spent the day cleaning and sweeping, trying to keep his mind off of everything –not that it had worked, in the end. Everything was still too fresh in his mind, the cries and blood and fire screaming endlessly in his head.

The first days had been… hard. After the first night, sleep had become its own hell. Between the nightmares, flashbacks, and loneliness, Patton had found himself hitting rock bottom hard and fast –sleep-deprivation and grief smashing and merging in his heart until all he could do was curl up on himself and let the tears fall.

Things had slowly gotten better though, mourning leaving the place to numbness, like a thick fog settling on his heart and never letting go. That had left too, with time –not completely, of course, he can still feel it creeping at the edge of his mind, but now it feels less like hopelessness and more like melancholy.

The cottage had become Patton’s home, the forest around him his entire world, the deer, squirrels and rabbits living in it his only companions. The war had kept raging in the distance, the only proof of its existence being the columns of smoke he would sometimes spot on the horizon or the occasional soldier passing through the woods –they somehow always missed the small cottage, blissfully unaware of the boy cowering inside of it with tears in his eyes and memories flashing in his head.

Almost a year has passed since the day Patton ran into the woods, and for the first time –despite the nightmares, despite the sadness and grief still dancing in his heart- there’s a tiny, sincere smile on his face as he lets the memories wash over him. Maybe, just maybe, he can finally start to move on.

Then, he lets his eyes sweep over the dusty mirror in the corner and lets out a shriek of surprise, ungracefully falling down the bed.

Patton blinks, eyes boring a hole through the wooden ceiling as he tries to make sense to what he’s just seen. He’s awake, right? He must still be dreaming, obviously, because Patton’s pretty sure that the boy who was staring back at him from the mirror a few seconds ago was, in fact, not him at all.

Patton frowns, pinching his arm and immediately after letting out a pained hiss. Nope, definitely not a dream. Then, what –or rather, who- did he just see, exactly?

Patton slowly gets up, nerves buzzing under his skin as he slowly approaches the mirror. Gulping, he moves to stand in front of it, eyes closed and heart beating wildly in his chest. He’s probably just being silly, he knows that. It was probably just a trick of the light, with the help of his still-half asleep brain. Now, he’s gonna open his eyes and all he’ll see will be his own reflection, same as every morning-

“So, are you ever going to show me those lovely eyes of yours?” comes a sudden voice from in front of him, drawing a surprised yelp out of Patton as he takes a few startled steps back. Eyes snapping open, Patton finds himself meeting the gaze of a boy who’s very much not him, white, red and golden robes flowing with a breeze he cannot feel as a pair of amused, forest green eyes stare back at him.

“There they are,” the boy chuckles, cocking his head to the side with a small smile, “I know I called them lovely mere seconds ago, but I have to admit that it doesn’t even come close to how breathtaking your eyes are. Only fitting for someone as stunningly beautiful as you, truly.”

Patton can distinctly feel his cheeks growing warmer by the second, wringing his hands in front of his chest as confusion, fear and a hint of curiosity clash and merge in his head.

“Who- Who are you?” he asks, his voice small and uncertain.

“You can call me Ro,” the boy says with a bow and a wink, the golden details of his robes catching on the sunlight coming from the open window, “I’m a magician, and wishes are my specialty. What about you, my dear?”

"I’m Prince P-” Patton starts, the familiar introduction already on the tip of his tongue, before catching himself, “ I’m Patton,” he finally says with a sad smile on his face, “just Patton. It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’ve never met a magician before.”

“Patton, mh?” the boy –Ro- hums, tentatively rolling the name on his tongue, “a name almost as gorgeous as you, my prince.”

That last part makes Patton look away, smile turning bitter on his lips despite the small blush still present on his cheeks. “I’m sorry, but… I’m not a prince. Not anymore, at least.”

“You sure about that?” Ro asks, a chuckle escaping his lips as Patton snaps his head towards him in surprise. “I told you, my job is to grant wishes. Just say the word, prince Patton, and everything you’ve ever wanted will be finally yours.”

“Wha- for real?!” Patton exclaims, excitement evident in his voice as he unconsciously leans towards the mirror. “You’re not lying?”

“Of course not, my dear,” Ro says with a grin, “after all, I’m a magician meant just for you.”

“For me…?” Patton whispers, slightly in awe, “but- why me? I’m just a prince without a kingdom, a coward who ran away and left everything behind, I’m sure there are so many other people in the world who could use a blessing like this far more than I ever could!”

Patton doesn’t notice it, but Ro flinches almost imperceptibly at his words, sadness and something else flashing in his gaze for a second before he conceals it behind a kind smile. “Trust me, Patton, there is no one else in this world who deserves it more than you.”

“Are- are you sure?”

“Positive, my heart,” Ro says, “now, Patton, tell me –what does your heart desire most?”

For a moment, Patton feels overwhelmed, a million possibilities stretching in front of him. What do you ask for when you can wish for every single thing your heart ever wanted?

Then, he thinks of war and blood, of sorrow and pain. He thinks of his family, his kingdom, of happiness and laughter echoing in the halls of the castle, and slowly places his hand on the mirror’s surface, gaze bordering on pleading as he looks up at the magician.

“What can I ask for?” he asks, a spark of something growing in his soul –it makes excitement flow through his veins and his heart beat wildly in his chest.

“I shall grant anything that you wish for-” Ro answers as he places his own hand in front of Patton’s, a charming smile on his face and eyes full of a million promises –for a single instant, just one, Patton can almost feel the ghost of a touch on the tip of his fingers, warmth traveling up from his palm to his chest-  “so won’t you chant for me from the other side of the mirror?”

Patton lets a grin stretch out on his face, eyes sparkling in barely concealed delight. He feels like somewhere far, far away from that little cottage in the woods, the wheels and gears of fate have just started turning.

“I think I know what my first wish will be!”

The spark in his soul is starting to feel a little bit like hope.

+++

“Can I wish for everything to go back the way it was before the war?”

“Well, there’s no limit to what you can ask, but-” Ro’s gaze turns hesitant, doubt flashing in his eyes as he turns his head to the side- “time is… tricky. It’s powerful, ancient, more than magic itself. Messing with it is dangerous, my heart. If I grant that kind of wish, you need to be aware –not even I can fully anticipate what the end result may come out to be.”

Patton’s smile dims but doesn’t disappear. “That’s alright,” he hums, nodding, “I can work with that.”

+++

“I wish for the war to stop.”

After Patton makes his first wish, Ro gives him a warning –he can fulfill it no problem, but it won’t be an immediate change. He’s a powerful magician, yes, but things like this don’t happen overnight.  To see the results, they need to be patient.

“That’s okay!” Patton says, smiling at the young magician. “If it means the war will end, then I’ll wait for as long as it takes.”

Ro nods, smiling in response, and waves his hands in the air, foreign words slipping out of his mouth as red sparks fly around him –Patton can almost feel the moment the magic happens, like a switch being turned as something new clicks into place in the fabric of the universe.

After that, they wait –but not for long.

The news arrives around a week later, in the form of a caravan passing through the woods, bringing to the people of the kingdom the joyous news of a peace treaty finally being signed between the two fighting forces. They don’t see Patton, as it always happens, but Patton sees and hears them, a grin stretching on his face as he sprints back into the cottage.

“Thank you thank you thank you!!” he yells as he hugs the mirror, tears streaming down his face –for the first time in a long while, they’re tears of joy, heart bursting with happiness in his chest as the realization that this awful nightmare is finally over dawns upon him.

“There’s no need to thank me, Patton,” Ro says, a soft smile on his face, “it’s your wish that did this.”

Patton sniffs, shaking his head. “But your magic is what made it possible in the first place! Without it, this might have never happened. I- goodness, I don’t think there are enough words to express how grateful I am, you- I’m-”

Tears blur Patton’s already foggy eyesight, the occasional sobs making it difficult for him to keep talking. Inside the mirror, Ro’s smile turns softer still, murmured words slipping from his lips as his magic takes the form of a gentle red wisp. With a wave of the magician’s hand, the wisp flies out of the mirror towards Patton’s face, softly caressing his cheeks.

Patton gasps at the sensation, letting out a startled laugh as he feels the magic tenderly wipe away the falling tears.

“Awwww!” he coos, watching the red wisp fly in the air around him and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. The magic feels playful as it glides around, wiggling as zipping through the air and messing Patton’s hair up. The boy lets out a giggle, tears forgotten as he spins around to follow its path.

“Your smile shines more brightly than a thousand suns, my prince,” Ro says, smile so soft and gaze so earnest it makes something warm spread in Patton’s chest. “Happiness looks amazing on you. I can only be humbled by having been able to bring something so beautiful to the world.”

“Oh, shut it, you flatterer,” Patton grins, gaze focusing on the red wisp of magic still flying through the air of the cottage as his cheeks burn a pretty shade of red.

“Is it flattery if I’m only saying the truth?”

The way Patton’s eyes widen and his cheeks bloom an even brighter shade of red makes Ro only want to compliment him more, a boisterous laugh escaping his mouth as he watches the boy sputter and wave his arms around in embarrassment.

 Distantly, he wonders how long has it been since someone told Patton how beautiful he is.

+++

“I wish for my parents to be alive and well.”

News of its beloved king and queen’s fates travels through the kingdom rather quickly, moving from village to village as the story of their imprisonment by enemy forces reaches even the farthest border in less than a week. The news of their freeing thanks to the treaty makes even the poorest farmer rejoice, making the realization finally sink in even for the most skeptical: the war has finally ended.

They’re free.

Festivities run rampant in the kingdom, people working on rebuilding what was destroyed and mourning what was lost. The royal family works hard to give its wounded kingdom and people what they need to put themselves back on their feet and finally start working towards recovery, but both the queen and king are also mourning the loss of their son, the prince, whose fate no one seems to know.

Their pain is short-lived, though. As soon as the news reaches his ears, Patton basically sprints out of the cottage and into the woods, jumping branches and zipping through the trees with the expertise only someone who has grown to know the forest like the back of their hand can have.

He doesn’t slow down even as he runs through the capital and people call for him with startled shouts and surprisingly delighted yells, his blonde hair and blue eyes impossible not to recognize. He doesn’t slow down as he passes through the gate of the royal castle, the guards too stunned to think of stopping him, or as he dashes through the familiar hallways of his old home, his quick steps and heavy breathing bouncing on its still crumbling walls as he makes his way towards where he hopes his parents will be.

Patton only stops when he not-so-gently barges into the throne room, where his parents and what remains of the royal council seem to be discussing something important –not that it matters too much, the king and queen immediately dropping everything as soon as their eyes land on Patton.

The prince stares at them, panting and sweating, before something between a sob and a wail leaves his lips and his legs push him forward once more.

His parents meet him in the middle, his mother enveloping him in a crushing hug as tears fall freely down both of their faces. Patton feels his father’s strong arms enveloping them both, his laugh resonating in the room as he lifts them both and starts spinning them around the room.

Patton’s delighted laugh mixes with his mother’s, happiness exploding in his chest like a million fireworks, and he wonders how will he ever be able to repay Ro for all he’s been doing for him.

(Over the throne room, hidden by the shadows of the crumbling ceiling, a familiar red wisp of magic zips through the air, watching over the reunited family.)

(Far away from the castle, inside a little cottage in the woods, Ro looks through the wisp at Patton’s smile and lets his own tug at his lips, in stark contrast with the fresh tears falling down his cheeks. Quiet happiness and raging sadness clash and collide in his chest, squeezing his heart like a million vines, and he gives himself a moment to just let himself feel, pain and guilt running rampant in his soul with the silence of the woods as his only companion. Then, he steels himself once again, wiping away the tears with the edge of his sleeves. After all, there’s still some work to do.)

+++

“I wish for our resources to be enough to feed our people and rebuild our kingdom, for sickness to not touch us, for famine to be far away from our land.”

Our land is strong and fertile, most say as the earth keeps giving and resources never dim.

It’s a miracle, the people whisper as the sick and frail all recover and get back on their feet.

It’s a blessing, the kingdom cries as what was destroyed gets rebuilt and all traces of the war slowly disappear.

No, Patton thinks as his home flourishes one again in front of his eyes, tears prickling at his eyes and a knowing smile on his lips, this is magic.

+++

During his first night back in the castle, after reuniting with his parents in the throne room, Patton tells them about his escape through the forest, about the little cottage in the woods and the year of loneliness he went through. He tells them about the woods that had grown to be his home, about the animals that had kept him company even in the darkest of nights, about the river flowing just a few feet behind the house and those little bushes who were incredibly difficult to find, but bore the sweetest of berries.

What he doesn’t tell them about, is the mysterious magician living inside the mirror, the young boy with twinkling green eyes and a dizzying smile who has given Patton so much and asked for nothing in return.

Not that he doesn’t want to! It’s just… he doesn’t even know how to start explaining everything and besides, his dad has never been too fond of magic and Patton doesn’t want to make him worry or worse, have a fight with him –not now that they’ve just reunited, not after a year believing he would never see his parents again.

So he keeps Ro’s existence to himself, holding this little secret tight to his chest as he tells them about the dusty, old mirror sitting in the corner of the cottage, about how he got attached to it and he would really like to have it with him, in his chambers at the castle.

His parents are more than a little confused by his request, if not somewhat suspicious. Patton doesn’t miss the wariness flashing in his father’s eyes, the way his expression turns into a pensive frown as he shares an uncertain glance with his wife. For a moment, he fears they’ll call out his bluff and demand an explanation, press and press until the truth comes out –he fears they’ll take the mirror away, forbid him from seeing Ro ever again.

But that doesn’t happen, the wariness replaced by soft sighs and a nod. They may not understand, but that mirror seems to be really important for their son –that’s a more than enough reason for them to grant his wish.

And so here he is, not even two months after his first wish has been granted, sitting in his room as he giggles at something Ro has said. They’re both happy, grins stretching on their faces as laughter fills the atmosphere around them.

There’s something burning in Patton’s chest, a feeling that sparked to life when he met those deep, green eyes for the first time and only grew with every grin, every laugh, every quiet moment shared in that little cottage in the woods.

It feels like amber flames licking at his soul, like warmth spreading through his body, like butterflies in his stomach and happiness in his heart.

It feels like love, and it makes Patton’s heart ache and yearn like nothing else.

+++

“Are you happy, Patton?” Ro asks sometime later, startling the prince out of his thoughts.

“Of course I am!” Patton says, clearly confused. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You looked… distant, for a second,” Ro explains, searching for the words to best describe what he means, “melancholic, I’d say.”

Patton blinks, taken aback. “Oh,” he says, because how do you respond to something like that when he hasn’t even noticed it himself?

“Is there…” Ro tentatively begins, hesitant in his question as he gives the other a questioning glance, “is there maybe another wish you want me to fulfill for you? You know I won’t mind, right? It’s the reason I came to you, after all.”

Patton thinks about the surge of warmth he feels every time he looks at Ro, about the dreams filling his nights and those wishes he hasn’t shared even with the boy he now calls his best friend. He thinks about the arms he wishes could surround him, about the hands he wishes he could hold and the smile he wishes he could kiss.

Then, he smiles, shaking his head.

“As long as you’re with me, there’s nothing else I could ever wish for.”

(Little does Patton know, that’s the moment Ro feels his heart shatter in his chest.)

+++

The last six months have felt like something straight out of a fairytale for Patton, like the ones his mother used to tell him when he was a kid, just before tucking him in bed and kissing his hair, before sleep overtook him and dreams filled his head.

Patton feels like he’s finally found he prince of his dreams –he sees him every time a pair of forest green eyes meet his gaze, every time white, red and golden robes glint behind the surface of the old mirror in the corner of his room, every time red wisps of magic fill the air and a dazzling grin makes his heart race in his chest.

But like every story his mother told him, even this one has to reach his ending.

And this time, there’s no happy ending in store for him.

+++

“… What?”

Ro gives him a sad smile, eyes melancholic as he repeats one more time those four cursed words.

“I have to go, Patton.”

“But… where? Why??” Patton asks, clearly taken aback, “when will you be back?”

Ro shakes his head, looking away. “I won’t, my prince.”

“No…” Patton whispers, before throwing himself toward the mirror and placing his hands on the glass, “no, please! You can’t leave just yet, not like this.”

“Patton, please-”

“No!” he yells, tears flowing down his cheeks, “I refuse to say goodbye- I won’t!”

Ro looks on the verge of tears, eyes wet and sad as he puts his hands in front of Patton’s –for a second, they’re back at the beginning, in that little cottage in the woods where Ro smiled at Patton and everything changed forever. For a second, they both find themselves wishing they could go back to that single, magical moment.

Sadly, this is one wish Ro cannot make come true.

“Please-” Patton begs, voice breaking as sobs rack through his body- “please, don’t leave my side.”

Ro shakes his head, his own tears falling down his cheeks as his smile turns downright heartbroken.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, leaning his forehead on the mirror, “I’m so sorry, Patton.”

“Why?” Patton asks, desperate.

“Because if I don’t, then it will all have been for nothing.” Ro answers, “because if I stay, I will only hurt you, and I can’t bear the mere thought of it.”

“You’re hurting me by going away!” Patton argues and yeah, maybe it’s petty and unfair and absolutely, utterly selfish, but he can barely bring himself to care. if it means Ro will stay, then he’s ready to do almost anything. “Please, I can’t- I can’t lose you. Please.”

He can see the resolve breaking in Ro’s eyes, the heartbroken expression taking over the magician’s face as he seems to be physically restraining himself from breaking down completely.

“Patton, if I stay, everything will go back to how it was before.” Ro finally reveals, gaze falling to his feet as his arms wrap around his waist in a desperate attempt to hold himself together. “All your wishes, all the good and happiness they brought… it’ll all disappear, forever. I can’t let that happen, Patton, I can’t be the cause of your despair. Not again.”

It’s Patton’s turn to fall silent now, tears still falling down his cheeks as he registers Ro’s words.

“What?” he whispers, taken aback. “Not again? You’ve never hurt me, Ro, what are you talking about?”

This time, Patton doesn’t miss the way Ro tenses at his words, arms tightening around his waist as he hunches on himself and shakes his head -as if trying to physically protect himself from something buried deep inside his mind.

Still confused, the prince stares as Ro takes in a few deep breaths, slowly straightening his back as he appears to steel himself –for what, Patton doesn’t know, and a little, frightened voice inside himself whispers that he really, really doesn’t want to find out.

“I was scared,” Ro finally whispers, eyes still fixed to the ground, “I was scared, alone, and so, so tired. Everything was crumbling, my life, my home… I just wanted it all to stop. When he arrived, he gave me someone to blame, someone to be angry at –and like a fool, I believed him.”

When Ro finally looks up, his eyes are red and puffy, fresh tears streaking down his cheeks. “I was selfish, I was greedy, and because of that I hurt you in ways I will never forgive myself for.” He lets out a melancholy chuckle, lips stretching into a bittersweet smile. “Everything that I gave, was only given to repay. You showed me a side of life I would have never dreamed to see –your kindness and love will always, always inspire me to do better, be better.”

With a wave of Ro’s hand, a familiar wisp of red magic leaves the mirror, flying to Patton’s face and tenderly wiping away his tears. “I will never forget your smile, your laugh, that twinkle in your eyes you get when something makes you happy. And I won’t forget your tears, your sorrow, even if they break my heart –so that I’ll never make the same mistakes again.” His expression morphs then, sadness momentarily leaving the place to tenderness as his gaze turns fonder still. “May I ask for one last promise, my heart?”

Patton wants to shake his head, vehemently say that no, he won’t promise anything because Ro can’t go, not yet, not now that all Patton wishes for is to have him by his side forever –as his consultant, as his best friend, as his soulmate.

And yet, he doesn’t, doing his best to keep his sobs at bay as he gives Ro a small, shaky nod.

“Keep me in your memories, my sunshine, and think of me, once in a while. But never with sadness or grief. Think of me as you would of an old friend, with fondness and maybe love, if you believe me worthy of it.”

Ro smiles, bowing at Patton as cracks start to appear on the surface of the mirror.

“I love you, prince Patton. Goodbye.”

Crash!

[davieslandon]

WHO: Landon and @amchopraofficial​ MENTIONED: @monroephile @lorencourtier @romanbeckett @theharrykingston @aaronhart93​ @zanebishara​ @timmyteehill​ DESCRIPTION: Landon texts Avery about being invited to their place and they end up taking the piss out of each other. Landon jokes about telling Monroe she loves her and Avery teases Landon about having a type.

BIG BRO So apparently I'm invited over?

LIL SIS yeah! mars misses elle and i want to introduce you to waffles

BIG BRO Great! so this isn't at all about what I texted Monroe? LIL SIS you and monroe were texting?? BITCH, i swear if you told her what i told you it's on sight BIG BRO ye of little trust I didn't say anything about what you told me i was just...teasing her a little LIL SIS

you're my brother am i MEANT to trust you?? BIG BRO Of course! Blind brotherly trust I'd never do anything to hurt you yadda yadda LIL SIS ... uh-huh... you're the epitome of trust all three feet of you and your hedgehog self 100% the definition of trust totally completely yep yep

BIG BRO i take it back i'm going to text her and tell her all about what you told me IN DETAIL right now that's what you get for making fun of my height AND calling me a hedgehog AT THE SAME TIME

LIL SIS BITCH!!!!! DON’T YOU DARE BIG BRO WATCH ME I’M DOING IT RIGHT NOW LIL SIS DON’T YOU DARE I’LL SICK WAFFLES ON YOU DON’T TEST ME, BOY BIG BRO OOOOOH I’M SO SCARED OF YOUR CAT

LIL SIS YA BETTER BE PUNK ASS LIL BITCH BIG BRO I WROTE THE MESSAGE AND I’M GOING TO SEND IT UNLESS YOU APOLOGISE FOR CALLING ME SHORT LIL SIS CAN’T APOLOGISE FOR SOMETHING FACTUAL BIG BRO 'Hi Monroe, I won't be able to come over today because my bitch lil sis is in love with your ass and I don't want Elle to have to see you two getting your shit together and FUCKING WHILE SHOUTING YOUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER I'm already traumatised from what I saw, don't need to traumatise my daughter as well' LIL SIS YOU FUCKING LITTLE SHIT DON’T YOU DARE SEND THAT I’LL BEAT YOUR ASS MYSELF DON’T YOU DARE BIG BRO I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY LIL SIS DON’T TEST ME BIG BRO SHOULD I ADD EVEN MORE TO THAT MESSAGE? LIL SIS DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE LANDON BIG BRO 'she's never been in love with anyone the way she is with you but she's a COWARD and won't tell you SO I'M TAKING THINGS INTO MY OWN HANDS' LIL SIS YA BETTER NOT TAKE THINGS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS BITCH DON’T YA DARE BIG BRO I HAVE TO IF ANYTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN because YOU WON'T DO IT LIL SIS I'M WORKING ON IT!!!!!!!!!!!! I TRIED THIS MORNING BIG BRO pffffftttttt LIL SIS BUT MARS WAS BEING CRABBY BIG BRO yeah, right LIL SIS IT'S TRUE!!!!!!!! BIG BRO and how did you try LET’S HEAR THIS the party was ALMOST A WEEK AGO are you telling me Mars has been crabby THIS WHOLE TIME?? LIL SIS ... i'm not sure i should give you the details of the first hour of trying to tell her... LISTEN BIG BRO .....really??? LIL SIS LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN BIG BRO ........REALLY???????? LIL SIS KINDA HARD TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" WHEN I'M BARELY ABLE TO SAY A COMPLETE SENTENCE THAT SOUNDS EVEN REMOTELY ENGLISH BIG BRO TOO MUCH INFORMATION I DID NOT WANT TO KNOW THAT LIL SIS THAT’S WHAT YOU GET BIG BRO I’M TRAUMATISED LIL SIS GOOD BIG BRO I ALREADY THREATENED TO SHARE EVERYTHING ABOUT HOOKING UP ON THE DANCE FLOOR TO MONROE YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT TOO?? LIL SIS JFSDLGHDFJGHDFJGHDFLJGHFDLG i’m good, thank you now don't you dare tell her or i swear BIG BRO TOO LATE LIL SIS LANDON BIG BRO SENT MY MESSAGE ALREADY OOPS LIL SIS LANDON I SWEAR TO GOD BITCH ASDKJFHSADKFJGHDFKJG I'M GONNA KILL YOU AND MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A BLOODY ACCIDENT HOW DARE YOU BIG BRO 😬 THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR NOT APOLOGISING LIL SIS FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU GO FUCK YOURSELF WITH A CACTUS THE FUCK, MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BIG BRO 😱 THAT’S JUST  RUDE I WILL GO FUCK MYSELF ACTUALLY I NEED IT BUT WITH SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE GENTLE THAN A CACTUS if you catch my drift 😏 LIL SIS a hedgehog? ya nasty BIG BRO YOU CAN'T CALL ME A HEDGEHOG THEN TELL ME TO FUCK A HEDGEHOG and you call me nasty?? LIL SIS I MEAN HEY, IT'S BASICALLY ANOTHER VERSION OF SAYING GO FUCK YOURSELF, I GUESS but you better not tell her that i love her or i s2g BIG BRO WELL FUCK YOU TOO ughh fine i guess i'll keep it to myself OR WILL I? LIL SIS i haven't found the right moment yet, okay??? i keep trying and failing and it's just??? becoming more difficult??? every time i try to tell her, something goes wrong. i just don't get it maybe i'm not meant to be with her? what am i doing wrong?? BIG BRO you might be the biggest coward i know but that doesn't mean you're not meant to be with her you know what you need? DATE NIGHT A romantic night with candles and a nice dinner and all that shit LIL SIS speak for yourself, mister 'i'm still in love with roman' bro, the only food i can cook that isn't automatically awful is breakfast food how can i make that "romantic"??? BIG BRO oh wow you actually WENT THERE you little bitch LIL SIS AM I WRONG??? BIG BRO DETAILS. I'll have you know I'm sort of seeing someone SO HA! also, heart shaped pancakes LIL SIS who sorta looks like an off-brand roman, but okie dokie this isn't valentine's day, landon BIG BRO 😱😱 TAKE IT BACK you're going to get me IN TROUBLE ASSHOLE do you want romantic or not???? LIL SIS NOT MY FAULT YOU HAVE A TYPE i just want to find a way to tell her and not have everything crumbling down every time i try maybe i should just give up maybe i'm not meant to be with her like that BIG BRO JUST BECAUSE THEY BOTH HAVE CURLY HAIR DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE A FUCKING TYPE you are depressing and an idiot maybe your first mistake was trying to tell her with a CHILD running around and causing distractions?? LIL SIS tall, curly brown hair, light eyes, cute smiles. i dunno man, how dramatic is ob!roman? shut UP hey, i've also tried telling her when it's just us two!!!! BIG BRO FUCK YOU 😒 AT LEAST I TELL PEOPLE WHEN I LIKE THEM LIL SIS  AGAIN, AM I WRONG?  FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF BIG BRO SO WHAT IF THEY LOOK A LITTLE SIMILAR? LOREN'S FRENCH....see??? different ok here's the plan even though you really don’t deserve my help I'll take Mars for the night, you prepare a nice romantic night, drink some wine and tell her then i'll bring back Mars and tell her myself when I realise you didn't do it which is why "new boy" is off-brand roman LIL SIS  OH, PISS OFF, YOU TWAT! BIG BRO STOP CALLING HIM NEW BOY HE HAS A NAME AND YOU KNOW IT What???? that's the thank you i get for my fantastic idea???? kids these days no appreciation whatsoever LIL SIS  oh, right, my fault sorry, ob!roman roman jr? am i close?? you are NOT going to tell her i love her BIG BRO ASSHOLE LIL SIS  that is meant to be between me and her, okay? BIG BRO BITCH LIL SIS  his name is asshole bitch?? that’s unique BIG BRO I HATE YOU SO MUCH LOREN his name's fucking LOREN LIL SIS feeling's mutual 😇 see, even their names sound sorta similar/kinda rhyme loren, roman say it out loud BIG BRO i CANNOT believe you LIL SIS  me??? BIG BRO YES YOU LIL SIS YOU'RE the one going after a guy similar to your ex!!!! hell, even /harry/ was almost similar to roman though that's more of a tad stretch but they’re there BIG BRO HOW IS IT MY FAULT IF THEY LOOK A LITTLE SIMILAR AND I HAPPEN TO LIKE HIM??? what. WHAT Harry and Roman DO NOT look alike LIL SIS brunets, light eyes, tall (at least, compared to you), cute smiles is harry naturally curly?? just wondering BIG BRO everyone's tall compared to me in your books 😒 ....no comment LIL SIS again, am i wrong?? LANDON, IS HARRY NATURALLY CURLY??? LANDON???? BITCH, ANSWER ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh my god holy fuck, he's naturally curly I KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!! BIG BRO I DON'T KNOW OKAY LIL SIS  👀 BIG BRO i might have seen some pictures of him with curly hair BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER LIL SIS uh-huh whatever you say, sonic BIG BRO IT DOESN'T LIL SIS WHATEVER YOU SAY, SONIC BIG BRO FUCK YOU FINE I HAVE A THING FOR CURLY HAIR  HAPPY NOW???!!! LIL SIS  NO THANKS, I'M GOOD oh, it's more than "curly hair", but A for effort, sweetie BIG BRO JUST TAKE IT  I’M NOT GIVING YOU MORE THAN THAT although it does help if they have a big dick I'll tell you that 😏 LIL SIS bitch, i don't like this "although" EW, STOP THAT i mean i already know ro does BUT I DON'T NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OB!ROMANS GROSS BIG BRO ......how do you know how big Ro's dick is? oh, it's very well-endowed I know from EXPERIENCE definitely not GROSS LIL SIS  gross, stop, stop talking about ob!roman #1 and ob!roman #2's dicks please don’t need that info don’t need that image #gross BIG BRO YOU DESERVE IT AFTER HOW MUCH SHIT YOU'VE BEEN GIVING ME are you sure you don't want to know about the very lovely sex we had a few days ago? also i haven't forgotten HOW DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG ROMAN’S DICK IS LIL SIS SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP bro, i've been working with him on Rocketman- he wears some VERY tight pants hard not to notice BIG BRO oh true but he gets hard while wearing VERY tight pants? that’s...uncomfortable  LIL SIS jaycee's sometimes there at practice and he's sometimes texting on his phone during breaks do the math BIG BRO OKAY I DON’T WANT TO KNOW  forget i asked LIL SIS good sonic :) BIG BRO fuck you again do me a favour don't go around telling Harry and Lo I've got a type pleaseeeeee LIL SIS again, not interested BIG BRO that would be AWKWARD and UNNECESSARY LIL SIS and don’t worry, i won’t

BIG BRO good LIL SIS  but i feel like SOMEBODY'S gonna notice at some point BIG BRO PFFFTTT no they won’t anyways  back to you and the romantic dinner you're going to plan LIL SIS you sure? oh my god BIG BRO I’M SURE  THANK YOU i have the perfect dish for you to cook

huh? huh?  LIL SIS ... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, i can order something from the cove instead? BIG BRO but but but THAT DISH IS PERFECT but yeah order something from the cove LIL SIS i am not going to have food tell monroe that i love her before telling her myself first that's what valentine's day is for BIG BRO you're obsessed with valentine's day LIL SIS better safe than sorry with the cove BIG BRO can't a person do something romantic without it being February 14th? good point so you’re doing it? romantic dinner? 

LIL SIS I'M JUST SAYING, with v-day, you sorta get some slack for being uber cheesy romantic i’m... going to try i don't think it's gonna work but i’m gonna try BIG BRO ok that's true but there's nothing wrong with being very romantic i like romance  don't tell anyone i said that i didn’t think i’d convince you i'm very impressed with myself YOU’LL BE FINE LIL SIS listen, i suck at being very romantic. ask all my exes really? i’m not surprised your type is a very romantic type I WILL NOT BE FINE BIG BRO i don't have to ask, i got that on my own when you dissed my pancake hearts idea what that i like romance? that's so not true YOU WILL

LIL SIS again, it's cheesy and works better for v-day the tall light eyed and curly brunets club says different, but okie doke YOU REALIZE I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL HER SINCE FUCKING NEW YEARS, RIGHT??? BIG BRO at least you have valentine's day covered already, YOU'RE WELCOME liking tall and curly guys doesn't automatically mean i like romance??? since New Years??? WHAT THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH YOU?????!!! LIL SIS ... you missed my fucking joke/word play and at this point, i'm not gonna explain it to you a lot, but that's for another day and you're not Tee BIG BRO please?? :pleading_face: thank god I'm not i can barely handle my own drama LIL SIS "your type is a very romantic type" romantic  ROMANtic finally get my drift? BIG BRO 😑 i’m not amused LIL SIS i swear, tee's about to become the richest man in kingsboro soon well considering you didn't get it the first time, neither am i now BIG BRO hahaha he totally is! lucky guy...or not, depending how you look at it that’s how UNAMUSING it was  LIL SIS eh, it's a win-lose situation? WELP, i, for one, am excited to meet ob!roman #3 in the future i'm sure he's a blast BIG BRO you never learn do you? LIL SIS now that's just rude BIG BRO YOU DON'T DESERVE TO HANG OUT WITH HIM LIL SIS FOR SPITTING OUT STRAIGHT FACTS?!!??!?! BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH WACK BIG BRO FUCK YOU....AGAIN HE'S NICE i really like him LIL SIS AGAIN, not interested, not your type either i’m sure he is OH, SHIT!!! THAT'S ANOTHER SIMILARITY!!!!!!!!!! okay, i'll stop now BIG BRO you're really not....too annoying for my tastes FUCK OFF should i have found an asshole so at least they're not similar in your eyes?? LIL SIS feeling's mutual, sonic sooooooooooo are you saying should you have gone for aaron?? possibly, yes BIG BRO that's...true but also disgusting Getting together with Aaron would be like fucking my brother no thank you what do you mean yes??? LIL SIS i do not need that image in my head, yikes it means that i am messing with you BIG BRO neither did i but you brought it up so now you deserve to have that image stuck in your head bitch LIL SIS shhhhhhhhhhhhhh, we speak no more of this slut BIG BRO are you slut shaming me? 😒 bitch i've slept with like 4 people in my life LIL SIS i'm shaming you and your incredibly non-diverse type ... OKAY, so maybe i'm the slut in this family BUT!!!!! i haven't been in a very long time but that's besodes the point *besides BIG BRO i know what i like and i'm not scared of getting it, that deserves a fucking award you are, glad we’re in agreement because you're in loooooooove LIL SIS yeesh, pardon me for keeping my options open 🙄 dfghdfjghdfjg i literally ended up ghosting one of my fuck buddies for roe tbh and that was even BEFORE i realized i had feelings for her ... holy fuck, i've been in love with since the day i met her basically BIG BRO that's lame what poor fuck buddy so basically you're finally admitting what i've always known? that you’re a loser LIL SIS yeaaaaaaaaaaah, not one of my best moments 😬  i feel so shitty about it, especially because i would like to have a strictly platonic friendship with him. i just... didn't really know how to tell him that while also trying to explain WHY i was ending it before fully knowing what it was i was feeling for roe[14:48] i actually saw him recently  first time in over a year YIKES on yikes oh, piss off, ya damn wanker BIG BRO yeah i'm sure he really got the impression you want to be friends when you ghosted him with no explanation :grimacing: oh fuck what is it with people we don't want to see coming back recently? well, it’s been a year so i’m sure he’s over it nope, i'm telling the truth LIL SIS LISTEN!!! i've never really been good talking about my feelings!!! it wasn't until monroe when i started to actually /try/. before, i typically would've ignore my problems and run away. which is shitty, i know that. but i'm trying so hard here[14:51] god, it was... something. that's for sure as long as luca and liza don't show back up, i'm good[14:52] whatever, sonic BIG BRO i know you're trying hard i’m proud of you ....just try a little harder so maybe you can actually be together? i’m begging here LIL SIS IT'S SO FUCKING HARD TO I START FEELING CONFIDENT ABOUT IT THEN BAM  SO MANY WHAT IFS BIG BRO maybe don't tell her face to face LIL SIS THEN THERE COMES ALL THE REASONS WHY WE SHOULD STILL TRY BIG BRO i know it sounds bad but what if you like...write her a letter or something LIL SIS THEN IT GETS SO COMPLICATED fuck, i don't know... what if she thinks that's not as genuine as telling her face to face? god, what if i've been seeing things that aren't there?? BIG BRO i don't know, i think it's still pretty romantic then again i was married to a writer so i kind of have to think that SHUT UP. you’re not trust me LIL SIS  this isn't going to work if it was, i would've already been with her at this point BIG BRO it's not working because you're too scared and you're messing up your own chances LIL SIS liza never thought that writing my feelings out in a letter was genuine god, monroe's gonna think the same i just know it BIG BRO liza can fuck off LIL SIS i don't think i can do this BIG BRO it's very genuine trust me LIL SIS i can't ruin what we already have i can’t lose her too BIG BRO you WON’T LIL SIS yes i will!!!! every time i try to be honest about my feelings, i lose them!!! miles, liza, luca, max; i was too scared to tell miles i was falling for him and i lost him. i tried to be honest with liza and luca and max, guess what? i still lost them i’m going to lose roe too BIG BRO she loves you too I JUST KNOW IT LIL SIS thta’s literally just how things are for me  BIG BRO you won't lose her LIL SIS she's my best fucking friend, lan i can't risk doing anything and losing her i can’t tell her i can’t risk it BIG BRO How did we go from romantic dinner to this? i’m going to come over there  and SMACK YOU LIL SIS that’s child abuse  i'm your BABY sister, remember? BIG BRO I DON’T GIVE FUCK LIL SIS  rude. but i truly wish i wasn't the way that i am. maybe things would be easier. maybe i'd already have her idk i love her and want her so much BIG BRO then you tell her before it’s too late I know what I’m talking about LIL SIS but literally everything about my past proves that i never get what i want and if i lose her i have no idea what i'm going to do with myself i'm still waiting for the inevitable day that i lose mars and won't have him in my life anymore i just can’t lose either of them BIG BRO You’re not going to lose anyone Look at it this way LIL SIS they both deserve so much better than me BIG BRO you’re annoying and i hate you but i’m still here So why would they leave? That’s not true You’re a wonderful mum to Mars LIL SIS i'm a stripper whose baby daddy is an "ex" drug dealer cps would have a field day knowing that fact alone mars and monroe are the most important people in my life and i'd lose my mind if i lost one of them; i can't imagine what would happen if i lost them both i'm so constantly scared all the time i'm so comfortable with her and have told her things i haven't even told you about but then i try to tell her that i love her and i just clam up BIG BRO It’s normal to be scared and I get why you’re so scared of telling her, I really do LIL SIS and then it becomes so conflicting because i can SEE us being able to work on things together and make us work and i WANT that so much BIG BRO

But I’m so sure she loves you too and I hate seeing you like this knowing everything could be so much better if you tell her LIL SIS  but then i'm also scared that in the end, despite all of our hard efforts, it still doesn't end up working in the end, because i'm just so use to that i love her i love her so much and would do anything for her and i want to tell her and i want to try to make us work she's already helped me and inspired me to become a better person than i was this time last year but i'm so use to everything eventually going to shit at the end and i just can't imagine my future without her so what happens if i do lose her? what do i do? BIG BRO YOU WON’T FUCKING LOSE HER I PROMISE YOU What if she’s feeling the same???? And that’s why she hasn’t told you??? Then what you just go around each other in circles for the rest of your lives until one of you gives up and finds someone else? LIL SIS she deserves someone better she's the most amazing person i've ever met i’m just me BIG BRO i’m going to kill you you’re infuriating I’m going to say this just once so listen well LIL SIS so i’ve been told BIG BRO YOU ARE AN AMAZING PERSON AND YOU DESERVE LOVE AND HAPPINESS AND IF SHE DOESNT SEE THAT THEN ITS HER LOSS LIL SIS do i??? i literally told you not too long ago that i literally ghosted someone whom i truly wanted to befriend over a year ago. i have constantly pushed away and hurt and lost so many people, including my high school best friend. including max. i've constantly made so many bad choices over the past six, almost seven years of my life and have hurt so many people. i can't hurt mars and monroe, too, and end up losing them as well BIG BRO You can’t base your whole life in bad choices you made in the past!! Do you have any idea how many fucked up things I did?!? Does that mean I don’t deserve to find love again? Don’t answer that.  we’re talking about you You deserve love!! LIL SIS i need to go buy some more groceries i’ll talk to you later BIG BRO You’re running away from me Fine 🙄 LIL SIS  landon i just it’s hard to believe that okay? after everything i've done and after hurting so many people, it's hard to believe that i deserve something as good as those two it just doesn't seem like something that should be a possibility for me BIG BRO yes i love her i love her and mars more than anything else that's why i'm so scared of losing them BIG BRO i think they’re worth the risk LIL SIS i know  i wish i could stop being so scared BIG BRO Can I just say though if you’re so scared of losing her ...maybe you two should stop FUCKING LIL SIS ... shut up

BIG BRO Nope 

LIL SIS  OKAY, i seriously need to go buy groceries, byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee BIG BRO Byeeeee

[manifestoonmoralmanlove]

Soulless Riffing: Brainless Ch.13

I got a supernatural action/romance book series as a gift that’s just riddled with stuff that I hate….and as a steampunk Victorian London action romance story filled with werewolves and vampires…it’s yeah gonna be easy to poke fun at.

I just want to say, it’s totally cool if you like this story or ones like it!  It’s certainly a better caliber than a lot of what I make fun of…however…I can’t help but want to make fun of it.

Over here for the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+8, 9, 10+11, and 12.

AAAAAAAA FUCK IT HERE GOES!

Chapter 13

You know? The only tolerable parts of this story are the plot and action.  I’m sorry to say that this chapter is like all action and plot but it’s still a clusterfuck made out of dogshit.

HERE GOES!

Doctor Deathbreath is happy Alexia’s power works.  He uses the zombie to rip the two apart.  Before he’s able to Lord Maccon stabs it with the glass she hid in her titties but it does nothing. With the two apart Lord Maccon starts changing back into a werewolf.

They’re all SURPRISED it happened so fast. The author is like “She told them it’d take an hour to transform him out so they must have assumed it would take that long to untransform.”

But like…excuse you book. All these scientists may be too dumb to lie, but after telling a woman they’re planning on killing her, they don’t think she’d lie to give herself an advantage?

So Genocidal Gary just sics a bunch of dudes on the werewolf and marches out of there with Alexia. Alexia has the brilliant idea to stab herself with the glass shard in the zombie, to leave a blood trail for Lord Maccon to follow.  She doesn’t YANNO try to stab the zombie some more, or cut a piece of him open and try to get at the gears in him, or even HANG ON TO THE GLASS SHARD. She just stabs herself.

(Alexia shrugging with the tagline “Guess I’ll die”)

She’s taken to a SCIENCE room.  In this room they have a bunch of scientist with Lord Akeldama hooked up to a machine that’s pumping his blood out into some rando in hopes it’ll make rando an extra good vampire cause Akeldama is extra old.

How could this experiment illuminate how to kill Vampires easier?

SHHH SHHH STOP THINKING SHHHHH SHHH SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

She SO BRAVELY calls them philistines for torturing her friend.

FUCKING PHILISTINES?

1.)   It’s impossible to use the insult without sounding like a pretentious toff.

2.)   It means someone who doesn’t appreciate culture and art.  So that’s the worse fucking thing you could think of? NOW REALLY? AUTHOR, USING THIS WORD ONLY MAKES YOU SEEM SMART TO OTHER DUMMIES! MY LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM TEACHES THIS WORD TO FUCKIN’ 12 YEAR OLDS YOU’RE NOT FUCKING SMART!

They talk some nonsense science and then Alexia really has her MOMENT! YANNO! SUCH A GOOD MOMENT!

She says it isn’t the vampires and werewolves that are the monsters, REAL MONSTERS ARE THE SCIENTISTS!

(Hugh Laurie(?) sighing, rolling his eyes, and tilting his head bag in an exaggerated UGH fashion.)

So Prejudiced Pete slaps her, and I TELL YOU WHAT, I THINK I WOULD TOO!  YOU SPEND ALL EVENING COMING UP WITH THAT ONE, HUH ALEXIA? GOOD FUCKING JOB!

Also you didn’t fucking earn this! The entire last chapter you just played grab ass.  In fact, you basically played grab ass this entire book. The last thing you were going to do to stop this genocide was consult with a guy YOU ALREADY CONSULTED with but you got derailed to TALK ABOUT HOW YOU’RE TRYING TO GRAB THAT ASS!

Now you wanna come in here with almost no work to discover/fight these fucking dimwits with a big self-righteous speech about how these painfully evil scientists turn out are painfully evil scientists?

GO FUCK YOURSELF!

So they shock the body full of vampire blood, and it starts to move. Okay sure. Sir. DumDum Stupidbega asks if the vampire has any blood left, and the other scientist is like

IDK

I don’t think these are fucking scientists, I think all these people are those fucking zombies.  I know they’re supposed to be so evil they kill on a whim, but they take all these great resources and just fucking piss them away.  

BUT LET ME GIVE YOU A WRITING FUCKING HOT TIP HERE:

VILLAINS ARE BEST AND SCARIEST IF THEY’RE ACTUALLY GOOD AT THE EVIL SHIT THEY DO!

Alexia is SURPRISINGLY still alive, so they strap her to a machine to drain all her blood, which is umm probably going to kill her.  They took an antidote and it poured down the drain, but it has miraculously spat back out the drain but also now it’s in a cute mug, and it’s warm, and it tastes like quality Earl Grey Tea.  So they take that mug of warm, revitalizing antidote and throw it against the wall.

EVERYONE IS THIS STORY IS SO FUCKING STUPID AND I’M DONE READY TO DIE!

Before they can start the machine a couple of dudes come in with a wrapped up body, and turns out one of those dudes is MacDougall.  MacDougall is again AGHAST at how they’re treating Alexia and tries to convince BloodHappy Moroniwitiz to try actual science but of course that’s poo-poo’d. They’re about to drain her blood, and MacDougall looks away.

SUDDENLY Alexia starts using a lot of words to describe him as fat and has the line, “Poor thing, … It must be hard to be so weak all the time.”

I know I have a wet spot for MacDougall but…I’m not sure why she wasn’t this upset when he let her get literally thrown to a wolf, or what she’s exactly expecting him to do?  Punch the bad guy and try to undo her restraints just for the 3 other scientists and zombie to drag him away?

I mean I can see her acting out in anger cause she’s frightened, that’s understandable. But like the text clearly wants us to paint this dude as bad for not first getting the shit kicked out of himself for it to not help at all.

Like author? Can we maybe paint this dude as bad because he’s sympathetic toward nazi stand-ins?  

I was hoping he was just a yandere, or kicked puppies. I can forgive myself for fucking one of those? But a centrist!? Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh.  

However just as they’re about to suck that sweet blood the door starts a pounding and it’s obviously Macaronawolf.

Scabby Prick Jizzums says the doors will hold even though it starts splintering right away. My boy, apparently the steel door meant for werewolves couldn’t hold him? BUT OK!

He bursts in, horribly maims the no-name scientists and begins to fight the zombie. NOW THAT’S A REAL MAN! I’M DEFINITELY WET AT THE IDEA OF MY FELLA RIPPING OPEN THE GUTS OF DICKISH BUT DEFENSELESS SCIENTISTS AND SMEARING THEIR HOT ENTRAILS ALL OVER THE FLOOR!

I don’t know about you folks out there but if I was given the choice between a man who lets you die, and a man who will kill you. I’d rather him puss out than fear AT ANY POINT that he may be violent toward me.

But perhaps….

(Natalie Wyn, perfection herself, saying in a mythical fashion, “I’m not like other girls.”)

Alexia shouts at MacDougall to free her during this, and it takes her saying it twice before he does so. So he’s a total coward, and not yanno briefly paralyzed with fear watching a wolf monster disembowel 3 people.

The fight is getting intense the body pumped full of Akeldama’s blood wakes up and attacks MacDougall.

I love how they strap down the vampire with no blood left but don’t strap down the newly born vampire. That seems good and smart and good.

Buttstank Demondip uses Alexia as a shield to escape and the zombie is about to choke out Maccon.  

All this action is not written well.

Lord Akeldama wakes up just in time in order to tell Alexia to wipe at the numbers on the zombie’s head. She’s able to get one of the Roman numerals so it STILL functions but barely, thus freeing Maczoom to eat Alexia. However she’s able to hug his neck and bring him back to his human state.

The two of them dramatically make-out for a bit.  Which like, is fine, but I can’t help feeling as if they didn’t earn this either.  I feel like this is much more cathartic when the two haven’t seen each other in a long-while and we’re both fighting and working a lot and FINALLY they get to see each other again and WOWZERS what a relief that is.  However they were making out just like what a half an hour ago?

Whatever.

Meanwhile MacDougall is fighting for his life against a vampire but yanno that’s fine.  He deserves it because he was paralyzed with fear for a moment.  So he can wait a moment while his crush makes out with a man who graphically murdered a bunch of people and it’s only luck that he didn’t do the same to him and her.

Eventually Lord Smackaroon punches the vampire out, and releases Akeldama from his restraints.  Akeldama makes a remark about how lucky Alexia is cause Maccon’s got that big old ding dong.  And honestly? With how lame this story is they should have just gone with the dumb as hell reference of, “MY! What a big Willy you have!”

Maccon offers for Akeldama to bite him since he needs his strength back….but like there’s literally 3 dead bodies on the floor, and the vampire that has HIS blood is flopped right over there.  But before we can come to an agreement, the zombie suddenly starts working again and starts to strangle Maccon.

The author even writes, “the automaton…was trying to fulfill the last order given to it: to kill Lord Maccon. This time, with the earl in human form, it stood a fairly good chance of succeeding.”

I’m sorry but this is really pathetic.  This is essential the author saying, “Okay I did wrap up most of this action and it’s very low stakes at this point BUT TENSION? HUH? YOU SHOULD FEEL TENSE!”

She really should have ended this chapter sooner on a better cliff-hanger. But WELP! 

Say something Nice Faps:

Fuck man I don’t have a lot to say here, this just sucks a big one.  I mean, it is a dramatic climax?