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darkcavewriting · 9 months ago

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Day 12

I woke up to Sara shaking my shoulder. I had crashed hard last night. She was already up and getting ready to head to work for the first time in over a week. I on the other hand needed to make the 30 minute drive back down to Cheney to my dorm at Eastern Washington and then see what sort of paperwork I needed to file and with whom.

“There is coffee in the pot for you, help yourself to anything you want for breakfast,” she said. “There is an extra key next to the coffee, go ahead and keep that so you can lock the door when you leave.”

“Do you want me to put it under the door mat or anything?” I asked.

“Nope, it is yours to keep in case you need to come back for anything, or if you just want to come up and visit before I likely take off to Portland.”

“Sounds good, thank you,” I said. “Have a good day at work, and I will let you know how everything goes with stuff at Eastern.”

“Sounds good, I will expect to hear from you tonight,” she said.

With that she headed out the front door, and I headed off to take a shower. Partially because I was dirty, and partially because I was hopeful that it would wake me up. I felt incredibly tired still, even though I easily got over nine hours of sleep last night. There was no way I should still feel as tired as I was after getting so much sleep.

The shower, coffee, and a frozen breakfast sandwich helped me to feel a bit more alive. Then it was time to get in my car and drive down to Cheney. I was hopeful that it would even start after sitting for as long as it had. It wasn’t exactly the most reliable some days. I didn’t want today to be one of the days that it caused me issues.

Heading out to the driveway with my bag, I tossed it in the back seat and got behind the wheel. The car managed to start on the second time. That was about normal for it. Getting on the road wasn’t something I wanted to do but it was something I clearly needed to do. I was still feeling rather nervous about everything back in Cheney. I didn’t know if I should be, but at this point I couldn’t help it. There was so much uncertainty right now for me I didn’t know what to expect once I got back there. I was hopeful that the university hadn’t made any sort of decision to kick me out of the dorms or anything. All of the bills had been paid so I didn’t think that would be an issue.

The drive back town to Cheney was a bit stressful for me. There was a good bit of wind and I struggled at times to keep my car in the lane. One issue with having a car that was so damn light. It wasn’t always the easiest to keep under control. Still, I made it back to Cheney in decent time, pulled my car into the lot by my dorm, and headed upstairs with my bag over my shoulder. I texted Sara to let her know that I made it back to my dorm safely. I still hadn’t heard from Grace or Elizabeth and at this point I wasn’t holding out a whole lot of hope that I would. I didn’t really care all that much either. I barely knew them, and with all that was going on with me right now, they weren’t exactly any sort of a priority either. I knew I needed to focus more on myself, on everything in Portland, and on my mental health, than I needed to on somebody new who would likely just be a distraction to me. I had been thinking on the drive yesterday that I would be better off putting any effort into anything into things with Eva, even if she was off in Minnesota. She at least knew me, knew my parents, and knew all of the situation. There wasn’t any of the getting to know each other nonsense with her, she already knew everything. I didn’t know if that was what I was going to do, but in my mind right now it seemed more practical than anything.

The elevator dropped me off down the hall from my room. There was an envelope taped to the door. I took it off, and unlocked my door and walked in. There was another envelope under the door as well. I tossed my bag on the bed and opened the letters. They were identical, which was going to save me a little time. The letter outlined what steps I needed to take in order to not have to attend classes this term. It appeared as though my RA had taken what I had told him and then alerted whatever department was in charge of all this. It looked like it was going to be a far easier process than I had anticipated. All I was going to need to do was go to both the housing department office, as well as admissions and present a copy of the death certificate, sign some papers, and I wouldn’t have to worry about anything for the term. It also stated that whatever fees I had already paid for classes would be refunded. Hard to go wrong with that.

Before I headed to those offices though, I knew I wanted some more coffee. I didn’t get much from Sara’s this morning. She didn’t leave a whole lot in the pot, and I didn’t want to bother to make more, knowing that I had more in my dorm waiting for me. I grabbed the carafe and wandered down the hall to the restroom to fill it with water. I had a few people give me strange looks as I walked past. Not being in the dorm the last week and a half it was obvious that nobody really knew who I was. It didn’t help that I didn’t make it to any of the get to know your neighbor events because I was either in Spokane or back in Portland. Maybe now that I was back I should make some sort of effort to try and get to know other people in my dorm, especially if I wasn’t going to be in any classes. Needless to say I was going to have a lot of time on my hands, so least I could do was try to be social with people.

With coffee made, and in my travel mug, I felt it was alright time to head down to the admissions office with the letter and a copy of the death certificates. The letter made it sound like I would need to go there first, and then show whatever documents I got from them to the housing office, and then I would be good to go for the term.

Walking across campus I was in a bit of a haze still. Coffee was at least tasting good. There was a couple people ahead of me at the admissions office so I waited in line sipping my coffee. When it was finally my turn at the front of the line I walked up to the counter and showed the man there the letter. He picked up his phone and called someone to come out and speak with me. He motioned for me to wait by a door 20 feet away. I headed over that way and waited. It took a couple minutes before a woman came out, greeted me, and motioned for me to follow her. I went back through the door behind her and followed her down a series of hallways to her office.

“So, Kenrick, I hear that you recently lost your parents,” she said.

“Yes, got the call the first full day I was here,” I said. “Right after I got back to my room from orientation.”

“That is terrible,” she said. “I am so sorry for your loss, I see you have the letter we dropped off at your dorm thanks to your RA.”

“Yes, I found two copies of it when I got back here this morning,” I said.

“Got back here?” she asked.

“Yes, I went home to Portland for the funeral and everything,” I said.

“Well, welcome back to Eastern,” she said. “Your RA told the housing department what was going on, who in turn alerted us, hence the letters, and you being here now.”

“Yes, I presumed that was what had happened,” I said. “Now before I left for Portland, my RA was saying something about being able to possibly not take classes this term due to the deaths?”

“Yes that is correct,” she said. “Do you have copies of the death certificates by chance?”

“Yes, of course,” I said as I handed them over.

“Do you mind if I go make copies of these?” she asked.

“No, not at all,” I said. “Do you need the originals?”

“Nope, a copy will be sufficient, back in a moment,” she said.

This was all going far easier than I had anticipated and that was about all I could hope for given how stressful this last week plus had been. I was unsure what I would do with all of my free time if I wasn’t taking classes. As I was thinking about all this, she walked back into her office.

“Here are the certificates,” she said. “Now, let me tell you how things will work.”

“How all what will work?” I asked.

“Well, everything really,” she replied. “I will submit the paperwork which will withdraw you from classes for this term, a refund check will be issued to you for all of your tuition, as well as a partial refund on your housing just to make sure that everything is okay with you financially.”

“Thank you, very much,” I said. “I really appreciate how easy all of this has been, what will I have to do come next term?”

“Next term you should be able to log in and sign up for classes same as you did for this term, there shouldn’t be any issues,” she said. “If there are though, come see me immediately alright?”

“Of course, thank you, I will be sure to do that,” I said. “Is there anything else that I need to do with any of this?”

“No, but I would recommend that you take advantage of the counseling services offered here given what you have been through,” she said.

“Thank you, I intend to,” I said. “I feel that will be quite helpful to me, or at least worth giving it a go.”

“Well, thank you for coming in so quickly, if there are any issues with anything at all, please reach out to me, here is my card,” she said as she handed me her business card.

“I will, thank you,” I said as I left her office and headed back outdoors.

Now that I didn’t have classes I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do with myself. I knew that was going to be a possible issue for me. Too much time on my hands, which, I didn’t know how bad of a thing that was going to be, but here I was. I headed back to my dorm, I didn’t have any better idea of anything to do, plus I could stand to unpack my bag from the trip home to Portland. It wasn’t something that had to be done but I knew it was something that I should do, if anything so I didn’t have to deal with it later. I was tired as hell, but relieved to have all of that taken care of. It was nice to know that I wasn’t going to have to worry about classes for this term. Of course that could make going into classes next term a bit more difficult but I would deal with that when the time came. Still a few months off.

Back in the dorm, taking care of all that, and knowing I was going to need to do laundry and any number of other things. I also called my grandparents, who were still at my home back in Portland. They were there trying to get stuff situated, cleaning out the kitchen, either tossing food out or sorting out what all they could take home back to Port Townsend. Not having any idea when my aunt would be moving there, presuming that she actually did. They were glad to hear that I was going to be able to take the term off. It looked like it was going to be a good thing for me being able to be able to try and focus on what happened and to feel better, instead of trying to focus on classes instead. I knew I would have a hell of a hard time focusing on much of anything and I sure as hell didn’t need to be starting off my university career doing horribly. I was just hopeful that the classes I wanted were going to be offered next term as well. If not, well, I would figure something out.

I did my best to relax in my room the rest of the morning. I didn’t have anything I needed to do, I didn’t feel like going and doing anything either. I knew I was going to have to go to the dining hall to get some food though at some point, as well as making it to a store to get some food and stuff for my room. I hadn’t had a chance to make it out to a store before everything happened. I should have hit a store in Spokane. There would have been more variety for places to go. Out here in Cheney it looked to be pretty limited. Who knows maybe I would make another drive back to Spokane today or tomorrow for stuff. All depended on how I felt I presumed.

When I finally decided to head down to go get lunch at the dining hall, I wandered down tot he elevator, pressed the down button and got on. The elevator stopped at the next floor down, and on got Grace and Elizabeth. I hadn’t heard from either of them since my first couple days back in Portland.

I felt rather awkward when they walked into the elevator. Not having heard from them, Grace specifically, since shortly after I arrived back in Portland, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of acknowledgment from them at all. That however wasn’t to be the case.

“Kenrick!” exclaimed Grace as she ran towards me in the back of the elevator as she gave me a big bug. “When did you get back in town?”

“A couple hours ago,” I said. “I had a meeting with someone in admissions right after I arrived back here, sorry for not letting you know I was back.”

“No need to apologize at all, I know how hectic everything has been for you since you got here,” said Grace. “I’m sorry I didn’t message you that much when you were back in Portland, I knew you were likely going to be super busy, and I didn’t want to come across as overwhelming or anything.”

“It’s alright,” I said as the elevator doors closed and we started to move down. “I honestly kind of presumed you just got bored and didn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

“I’m so sorry I made you feel that way,” said Grace. “That couldn’t be further than the truth, where are you headed now?”

“I was going to head to the dining hall to get some lunch, I haven’t eaten since early this morning at my aunts house in Spokane,” I said.

“That is where we are heading too,” said Elizabeth. “Want to eat with us?”

“Sure, that sounds nice,” I said.

We all walked together to the dining hall which wasn’t that far away from our dorm. There was a lot of choices for food, and we opted for the main dining hall instead of any of the smaller food court restaurants. All three of us got trays that were heaping with food. We made our way into the seating area and found a little alcove tucked away that didn’t have anybody else sitting in it, sat down in a booth and began to eat and talk.

“So, I won’t be taking any classes this term,” I said.

“You won’t?” asked Grace. “How can you do that?”

“Well, thanks to my RA I found out about it, and he put in paperwork on my behalf while I was away in Portland,” I said. “Basically due to the loss of my parents, it allows me to take the term off with no penalty, and allows me to stay in the dorms with no issues even without being in classes.”

“Well that sounds like a really good idea for you,” said Elizabeth. “I can’t imagine trying to take classes and just being able to focus on anything, this at least gives you a few months, through the end of the year to try and get yourself in a better place mentally before you have to worry about classes and stuff in January.”

“I agree, being able to have this sort of time off, the ability to take advantage of the counseling services here as well, should be beneficial to me,” I said. “Also I have no idea how many trips back home to Portland I am going to need to make to help deal with stuff either, so I have a feeling these next few months are going to be rather busy for me even without classes to attend.”

“If I can ask, what is happening with your parent’s stuff,” asked Grace.

“Well, most everything goes to me, a few things went to certain family members, but the house and such all go to me as part of a trust, which I can’t fully access till I am in my mid 30’s,” I said. “I won’t exactly have to worry about money though, at least when it comes to tuition and school expenses, but at some point I should probably try and find a job on campus or whatnot to just have some extra money.”

“It sounds like your parents had everything pretty planned out,” said Grace.

“They did, which was good, especially as large as the extended family is, but overall it all went well, or at least as well as it could have,” I said. “The part of the family that lives in Wales all made it over, as well as my parent’s other siblings and whatnot, even my ex-girlfriend made it out from Minnesota to attend.”

“You dated a girl in Minnesota?” asked Grace.

“No, no, she went to school with me in Portland, but she is going to school at the University of Minnesota, on a hockey scholarship, she and I played on the same line for a couple years on our high school hockey team, she won us the state championship with a hat trick in the state final,” I said.

“You played hockey?” the both asked at the same time.

“Yup, I was a left winger on my high school team, had pretty decent stats but didn’t get any college offers to play anywhere,” I said. “One school back east in New York said they would offer me a scholarship but I never heard a word from them.”

“You know Eastern has a club team right?” asked Elizabeth.

“They do?” I asked. “I didn’t know about that, it was never mentioned when I was here for the campus tour a couple years ago, where do they play?”

“Right there,” said Grace as she pointed out the window. “The University Recreation Center, it just was completed this last summer.”

“Interesting, and you say they have a club team?” I asked.

“Yes, and intramural hockey as well from what I have heard,” said Elizabeth.

“Well then, I guess I might need to try and see who I need to get in contact with to play,” I said. “Of course, all my gear is back in Portland.”

“Well, if you want to make a weekend trip to go pick it up, I don’t think we would mind going with you if you wanted,” said Grace.

“Oh yeah?” I asked. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that I feel, although, three of us in the car plus all my gear could be a tight fit.”

“I am sure we could make it work,” said Elizabeth. “We haven’t been to Portland before, or at least I haven’t, have you Grace?”

“I think when I was really young I had been there on the way somewhere else but I don’t remember any of it,” said Grace. “I would love to be able to go back and actually see things.”

“Well, I will see what works for me and if I do end up going back for that some weekend I will be sure to let you know to see if we can all go together,” I said.

We all finished eating, and headed back to the dorm. Grace said she had a class shortly, and Elizabeth said she had a couple later in the afternoon and evening. I told them I would be around, likely just in my room, as they got off the elevator at their floor.

Back in my room I didn’t know what to do. It was a bit of a strange situation like this. There was nothing I had to do, no classes, no deadlines, no practices to worry about, no nothing, and with that I didn’t know what to do with my time. Even in summer when I was off from school there were still things I had to worry about or do. Now, there was nothing and it wasn’t going to be easy for me. I had to make some sort of a plan and try and stick with it. I really hoped I didn’t end up getting a roommate at some point during the term, that would end up being a bit difficult on me I thought.

I ended up taking care of some of what I needed to do, laundry, calling the counseling center to schedule an appointment, and went to pick up my ticket to the football game this week. The Eagles were home to take on Western Washington University. In a couple weeks they were playing back in Portland against Portland State and I thought that weekend could be a good one to go back and pick up my hockey gear and maybe tie it in to going to the game as well. Still had some time to sort that out though. Hockey season was going to be starting soon in Spokane, so that was something else to be looking forward to. I didn’t know how often I was going to want to make that drive up to Spokane though for hockey, especially in the winter. That drive in the snow and possible ice, in the dark, did not seem like it would be that enjoyable. Also, if Aunt Sara ended up moving to Portland I couldn’t try and crash on the couch at her place after a game either, which would make things a bit easier.

Lots to consider that was for sure. I wondered what I should do here in the dorm. Now that I was back, and I hadn’t really met anyone, I wondered if it would be smart of me to keep my dorm room open at times to see if I could meet anyone else or not. It would be nice to know some more people in the dorm besides Grace and Elizabeth but at the same time, how many questions did I really want about where I had been and why I wasn’t taking classes and all that. There was a lot to consider. I knew that my position here in the dorm was unique because of that, and also because I had a room to myself when I wasn’t supposed to. I really hoped that I wouldn’t have anyone come join me in my dorm at the start of the next term after the new year, but there was no point in that now, it was still a few months away.

All I had to worry about now was sorting out what I was going to do with my days. There wasn’t a lot to do right now. I did call Aunt Sara and leave her a voice mail letting her know that I was not taking classes for the term, and for her to call me if she needed anything. There really wasn’t anything else I needed to do or anyone I needed to contact. I did feel I should probably let Eva know what was going on, especially since if I wasn’t in classes it meant I could probably try and catch a flight out to Minneapolis, or risk a road trip out there to visit her. A flight however seemed like a far safer bet for me. There was no way in hell that my car was going to make the trip from here to Minneapolis and back and not have some sort of catastrophic issue along the way.

I sent Eva an email. It was too much to text, and I didn’t feel like leaving a voice mail with her either. I had no idea what her schedule was and I didn’t want to risk her not picking up. I felt that if she wanted to talk after she got it, she could and likely would give me a call. I did miss her, a lot, and with seeing her back in Portland for the funeral, it made it all the more apparent to me how much I really did miss her. She meant so much to me, and made me so happy, I knew that neither of us wanted to break up but given our current school situations, it really did seem like the more practical choice, even though it was far from the happiest of choices for either of us. Who knows, in time maybe things would end up working out for us, there was ample time for that possibility. Right now though, we were close to 1,400 miles apart and that just wasn’t going to work well for us at all.

The rest of the day I spent in my room just lounging and hanging out. I didn’t particularly want to be around anyone else, and I had had so much social interaction the last week plus that I was really looking forward to some serious time on my own. I was used to having ample quiet time when I was living at home, and that was something that I had missed since coming up to Cheney. Everything had been so busy, all of the time, and it was honestly getting exhausting. I was hoping that a relaxing evening was going to help things for me but I honestly didn’t know.

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kamisathoes · 3 years ago

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ms. thena, just wanted to ask, which genshin impact characters would have the highest libido and the lowest libido? (also could I please be 🍓anon?)

ehe hi new anon !! of course you can be 🍓 <33 i'm so so sorry that this got lost in my drafts, my apologies !

warnings: alcohol mention (beidou and kaeya), slight torture/bullying (sara), fighting mentions (childe), pillow humping (mona), degradation and name calling (scara)

characters: albedo, ayato, beidou, childe, diluc, dottore, itto, kaeya, kujou sara, mona, rosaria, scaramouche, shenhe, signora, thoma.

minors and ageless blogs do not interact.

childe — a threat to society. will fuck as much as he fights, should you give him the chance. would probably fight you then fuck you, or vice versa. hell, it could even become an unending circle of fucking and sparring whenever he gets too worked up.

mona — definitely the horniest of all genshin women. don't be surprised to come home to her humping your pillow, and she will unashamedly beg you to help her cum as soon as she notices your silhouette in the doorway.

itto — you could literally say "boob" and he's want to fuck (/hj). will rearrange your insides every day of the week, multiple times a day if you'll let him. itto has insane stamina, so he'll take a while to exhaust.

diluc — i think that we need to bring back pussy drunk diluc who's more of a prude at first, not really caring much for sex until he gets a taste. after that, he grows insatiable, and would be content spending his days between your legs.

la signora — wants to keep you as her pet, will keep you under her desk, tongue lapping at her sweet cunt for an entire day if she wishes.

thoma — a busy man, but i think his sex drive will depend a lot on his partner. he's a giver and wants to please you in every way possible, so if you find yourself wanting him to play with your more often than not, he'll happily oblige.

rosaria — gets bored, gets horny. shifts at the cathedral often spiral into thoughts of all the ways that she can bend you, fold you, and get you to scream her name.

kaeya — has fucked you on almost every surface in the knight's headquarters, including on jean's desk. will grow whiny and needy after a few too many glasses of wine.

beidou — gets a little bit flirty while tipsy, and will be ready to tear your clothes off in public if she drinks too much. should her voyages ever take her away from you, the moment she's back she makes it clear that she's missed your body, your touch.

ayato — a prime example of a gentleman in the streets, and an all-out menace in the sheets. there's two ways i view him: either he sees sex as a much more intimate act, perhaps a way to truly appreciate his partner after work has been consuming an overwhelming amount of his time; or a perv who will get a hard-on at the mere thought of your tits.

shenhe — she's similar to diluc in that after sampling your pretty cunt, she won't stop thinking about it. i do, however, think she is somewhat more restrained out of fear that she'll hurt you. but reassure her enough, and she moves up a couple of spaces on this list.

kujou sara — not horny per se, but loves to break you. gets off on being just downright nasty to you and the way that you always crawl back and beg for more. wants to bully you almost all of the time, but cares a little bit less about getting herself off, just wants to torture you, really.

albedo — just below average, has other priorities (i.e. work and experiments) that he'll tend to get engrossed in, thus sometimes not getting any urges for a short period.

scaramouche — similar to sara, but instead he treats you like you're a burden to him. you're the dumb slut in this situation, too stupid to make yourself cum that you have to seek him out. (you will be treated with reassurance and uncharacteristic kindness afterwards, don't worry.)

dottore — this is a weird one, because i don't think he gets horny in the traditional way. he has more of an interest in how your body works, how it responds to him. he pretty much gets off by experimenting on you, using you as his personal doll to play with.

#☏ thena’s got mail !#•°. answered : 🍓 anon #ღ thena thirsts #genshin smut #genshin impact smut

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scuttle-buttle · 4 years ago

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What's One More?

WC: 3204

Rated: M

Tags: brief mentions of crime/mental illness/child abuse and neglect/substance addiction/theft, fluff, family dynamics, mentions of aging, mentions of difficult pregnancy, softness, anxiety attack

🧠

The harsh vibrating of a phone on the nightstand breaks your slumber. Still half asleep you toss your arm back to thump against your sleeping husband's side. With a groan he answers. You try to settle back into your pillow and the warmth of the blanket. Whoever has the balls to call at this hour has another thing coming - but later because your priority is going back to sleep.

He can't have been on the call more than fifteen seconds before he sits up in bed suddenly, turning on the bedside lamp; his movements grab your attention. You roll over. The light blinds you and you rub at your eyes to adjust. You can't make out what's being said. Looking at the clock to see that it's barely 4 am you know something bad has happened. Quietly you slip out from the covers.

Making your way down the hall you peek into your daughter's room, grateful that she's still fast asleep. Her soft snores punctuate the calm. Your nerves abate knowing she’s safe. By the time you get back to the bedroom Laszlo is up and getting dressed. "What's going on?"

He doesn't answer at first. You wait until he's finished buttoning his shirt to ask again. "Sara was called to consult on a triple homicide case - she's asked for me to come down to the police station. I don't know much yet, but it's something involving a young boy and she wants me to speak with him."

“Did he…?”

“No. He was not directly involved, that much we know.”

You nod, leaning against the door frame. This wasn't the first time that Laszlo had been called in by law enforcement and social services to assist with children and teens that needed psychological help. He had become more active around the time you graduated with your doctorate. After Sophia was born Laszlo helped fund an after school program for kids that focused on support for mental health and behavioral issues. He was so passionate about being able to help these kids. But it was never at this ungodly hour. "You'll call or something when you know what's up?" you ask through a yawn.

"Of course, Bärchen." He gives you a chaste peck. Gently he guides you back towards your bed and sits you down. "Go back to sleep, there's no need to worry. I love you." With that he left.

Your sleep is fitful with him gone. You worry over things that you aren't even aware of, over who is hurt, over how severe a situation it could be to have been called in the middle of the night, over the poor boy that needs Laszlo’s help. When your daughter tiptoes into the room around 6 you welcome her into the bed with open arms.

"Why are you up, baby bug?"

"Where's Papa?" She climbs up on his side of the bed and rubs his cold pillow. On her face is a deep frown.

"He had to go help some very important people early this morning. He'll be back to see you soon, I promise."

"I miss him. He always helps me with my shoes."

You can't help the smile that crosses your face. "I know, baby. But it's still early so let's take a nap before we have to get ready, hmm?" The two of you snuggle under the covers. With her curled into your side you do find rest, even for the short time before your alarm chimes.

The day moves sluggish as you wait for word from your husband. Little work was to be done today at the museum, so there wasn't much to keep your mind off the wondering. You considered calling. You considered texting. But you knew that when the time was right he would let you know. No news is good news, you think.

Finally the day came to a close. You picked up Sophia and stopped by the store on the way home to grab supplies for dinner. She insisted that she carry one of the bags inside - little miss independent that she was. “Careful not to drop it, okay? Use those muscles of yours to hold the bag tight.”

“Mama I know, I help Papa carry all the time,” she explains matter-of-factly.

The townhouse is quiet as you begin to unpack. You do a quick glance into the dining room and parlor to no avail. "Laz, honey? You home?" A few seconds later you hear movement from the stairs.

Your husband rounds the corner into the kitchen, swooping down to scoop your daughter into his left arm, peppering her face in exaggerated smooches. Her giggles light up the room from the dim atmosphere. He perches her on his hip. “How was your day my little dove?”

“So good Papa - I practiced my counting today at school. I can get the biggest in the class! Mommy said I must be the most smartest," she prattles on.

“Wunderbar!” he praises her before turning to you. “I didn't hear you come in." Laszlo kisses you.

Pinning him with a look you say "you also didn't call me today? You said you would and I've been worried all day."

Sophia crosses her arms and harrumphs from her father's hip; "me too Papa." He quirks an eyebrow at her before speaking.

"Yes… there is something I wished to speak with you on but didn't think it was suitable for the phone." You raise your own brows but continue to put away groceries. "I do not wish to discuss certain aspects of the case in present company-" he nods towards Sophia minutely "-but we do have a houseguest for the foreseeable future."

"Oh?" Your brows dip in confusion. This is not what you were expecting.

Laszlo peeks around the doorway and calls out "Stevie, would you come join us in the kitchen please."

Stevie? You don't know a Stevie...

A moment later a lanky boy with scruffy dark blond hair shuffles into the room. He can't be anymore than 15. His clothes are too big on him and his shoes are worn beyond belief; nevertheless he gives you a slight smile. “This is Stevie Taggert, he’s going to be staying here with us in the guest room for now.”

“Good evening Mrs. Kreizler,” the boy says nervously, his voice cracking.

You spare a look at your husband before turning to the teenager with a smile. “Ah, no need for that, kid. You can just call me by my name instead. And welcome to our home. You like spaghetti?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Awesome! And I’m certainly not old enough to be a ma’am,” you give him a wink. You set up a pot to boil the water for the pasta. Laszlo excused himself to spend some time with Sophia, leaving you and Stevie in the kitchen.

He clears his throat behind you. “Would um… is there anything I can do to help?”

"I would love that, thank you."

The two of you get to work on making dinner. Stevie doesn’t say too much, but he is very polite and does his best to be useful. Once the food is nearly finished your family has returned ready to eat. You send Stevie and Sophia to set the table.

“Should I be worried?” you ask Laszlo quietly, watching the doorway the two left through.

“I don’t think so. I just felt that I would rather he have a familiar face to adjust with instead of being placed in a group home like many end up.”

You study his face. “You’ve taken a liking to him haven’t you?”

“Well…" his face reddens at your question. "He reminds me a bit of myself when I was his age.” The conversation is cut short by the kids returning.

The rest of dinner and the evening goes smoothly. You make it a point to not bring up any questions that could trigger the teenager, especially before you’ve spoken with Laszlo about the situation at hand. When Stevie nearly eats his weight in pasta you say nothing, wondering how long it's been since he's had a good home cooked meal. He insists on helping clean up the dishes afterwards. Without even knowing what the boy has gone through your heart aches for him.

You set him up in the small renovated basement downstairs while Laszlo puts Sophia to bed. Handing him one of your husband’s old Harvard t-shirts to sleep in you tell him “I’m sorry you’ll be down here by yourself, but if you need us for anything don’t be afraid to come get us - no matter what time it is, okay? And if you get cold there’s an extra blanket right here for you. I know it's July but….” you shrug. “Tomorrow after I get home from work we can go to the store and get you some stuff to use, some more clothes, that kinda thing.”

“Yes ma’am.” At the teasing look you give him his ears burn red with his mumbled “right sorry.”

“Alright Stevie. We’ll see you in the morning, sleep well.”

Laszlo is in bed reading when you enter the room. Nothing is said as you ready yourself for bed. Slipping under the covers you face him. He sighs and closes his book.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call. I became caught up in the day and only arrived home with Stevie maybe half an hour before you did.” He sighs a second time. “Most of the case I cannot talk about, but what I can say is he was living with his mentally ill father, whom was also an addict. He missed the last few weeks of the school year and has been regularly stealing food to get by. He has no other family. I just… it didn’t feel right to let him process his experiences away from someone properly trained to deal with these sorts of things, in addition to how traumatic entering foster care at his age can be. I spoke with those in social services and was granted temporary custody until we find another more permanent solution.”

“Of course.”

He takes hold of your hand. “You aren’t upset with me?”

“I mean it would’ve been nice to have a bit more warning… but I get it. He can stay as long as he needs to. He’s a sweet kid,” you reassure him. “I told him that I would take him shopping after work tomorrow, so if you could pick up Soph from preschool that would be great.”

“Perhaps instead we can all go? I was thinking that I would bring him to the university with me so that he’s not alone all day. You could get her and then we could meet somewhere, get dinner afterwards?”

You lean closer to him to curl around his arm and rest your head on his shoulder. He always thought so much about others, especially children. Laszlo had such a heart of gold and it honestly left you in awe of just how much he was willing to give so that others could find peace and happiness. Like the older he got the more he had to give. The thought warms you. “How are you literally the best person I know? And to think you used to be so worried about being able to be a good father and now you’re the best of all of us.” He huffs a little as you nuzzle into his chest.

“I have you to thank for that, Bärchen.” He drops a kiss to your head. “But it’s getting late and I’ve been up all day. We should get some sleep.”

Soon after you're both dreaming.

___

Stevie had been with you for three weeks. It only took him a few days to start to settle in, and you discovered that he was quick with his wit and far smarter than he let on. He was a little bit of a sarcastic smart-ass at times, but all in good nature. He was endlessly entertaining. Laszlo sat down with him almost everyday to talk about what he was feeling, the things he experienced, and ways to deal with the loss of his family. Already you both saw improvement.

Even Sophia got on well with him. Most teenage boys wanted nothing to do with little kids, let alone a 4 year old that loved playing 'spaceship barbie'. But not Stevie. On his fifth day you'd found him sat on the floor playing with her and going along with her childlike imagination. When she insisted he play the barbie that needed saving he went along with it, high pitched voice and everything. He even encouraged her to pick up her toys before bed - a feat you and your husband struggled with at times. It struck you how much Stevie became a big brother of sorts to her.

Laszlo grew even more fond of the boy. He wasn't really one for TV, but every evening he sat and watched some show on Netflix about racing with the teen and didn't complain once. Laszlo had tried to explain the role of adrenaline in racing drivers as a psychological function, but Stevie just brushed it off and said it was the driving so fast that made it "cool".

The two did bond over an unlikely subject - punk rock. When you got home from work two weeks into his stay and heard the music blasting in the parlor you worried someone had broken in. Whipping into the room you saw Laszlo in his chair tapping his foot to the intense guitar and singing; Stevie nodded along to the music as he held an old album cover. It didn't take long for Sophia to start jumping along to the music too.

"What is this?" You yelled out over the bass - you couldn't recognize it and it clearly wasn't English.

"Die Toten Hosen, a band I listened to growing up in Germany. Stevie found the record and asked to listen."

"Listen? I think you mean blow out your eardrums!" Even with needing to shout to be heard you had to laugh at the situation. How your husband had a secret love for German punk you'll never know; yet you would never let him live it down.

And when Stevie came and woke you both up in tears three nights ago you made him hot chocolate while Laszlo sat down with him. He confessed that he had never been treated or cared for like he was in your home. How he wished he could stay because he felt wanted. Your heart broke for the boy. To be so young and so lost, craving someone to simply be there for him.

Yet everyday he grew more open. He broke out of his shell. He had goals and ambitions; he wanted to amount to something bigger than he had thought he ever could. It almost shocked you at how much fire was within him.

At how much he fit in with your little family.

At how it was like he was meant to be there.

___

Laszlo was oddly quiet when you got home. Sophia had run off to find Stevie, and you tracked your husband down to his office. He listened as you talked about your day for a good ten minutes; he said almost nothing the whole conversation.

You move closer to him. Placing the back of your hand to his forehead you check to see if he's feverish or sick. He didn't feel warm. "Laz, are you feeling okay?"

He gently pulls your hand down and leaves a kiss on your palm. "The department of social services called this morning to inquire about what we want to do with Stevie. This would be the third time they have asked."

He hadn't mentioned it to you at all that they were calling already. "Okay. What do you think we should do?" You pause for him to continue.

"I told them I would need to speak with you before any further decisions were made regarding him…" His fingers tap against the wood of his desk. "I'm not sure I have an answer for them. Nor for you." He swallows. "I'm afraid of what might become of him should he go into the system. Or that he will not get the support he needs given his past. Any option involving allowing him to stay for a bit longer is a commitment I won't make without your full support, of course. I could never ask that of you." As he speaks you can hear the frustration pouring from him, feel the irritation radiating through the room. "I refuse to give up on him- I- I just don't have the answers on what to do without them hounding me and he deserves better than this, dammit."

"He does… Do you remember on your 50th birthday, what you told me?" Laszlo looks up at you confused. "You said that you had wished you were ten years younger so you had the energy and time to do all of it again. That if you were younger we would've had a whole gaggle of kids - brothers and sisters for Sophia."

"Wishing I was younger doesn't make a difference in helping Stevie-"

"Laszlo - let's adopt him." Your words stop him in his tracks. You had decided not to have any more after your daughter was born. Laszlo was nearing 50 and the pregnancy had been hard on you. But regardless you knew that you both had the means and the love to give another child, probably five or ten more children if you really wanted to. So why not start with one that's already wormed his way in to the family? "I've seen how fond you are of him already. You've taken him under your wing as if he was your own. And how good he is with Sophia? Hell I couldn't ask for a better older sibling for her - and she loves him already. And honestly, Laz, I do too."

"You think we should adopt Stevie?"

"I think we should ask, yeah. He deserves a good home and a strong father figure that's going to put him first. He looks at you like you hung the stars, Laszlo. He needs us, and truthfully I think we need him. So yeah - what's one more added to this little shindig we've got going for us?"

"Have you-"

"-thought it through? Yes. Completely."

You can see the smile he fights to hold back. "We should call tomorrow and see what the protocol is for stating our intent to adopt and getting the paperwork."

"Um…" You shuffle your feet. Nose scrunched, you confess "I may have already called them. On the way from work I asked about what would need to be done if we wanted to pursue that route, but since they already know who we are from you working with them for years it can be fast tracked." You pull him out of his chair to stand before you. "All we have to do is say 'go'."

He has no hesitation.

"Go."

Laszlo doesn't hold back his smile or his laughter as he spins you around his office floor. You're certain your children downstairs can hear your giggles.

Tag list

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mimisempai · 4 years ago

Text

The evidences of our love are everywhere

Summary:

Thor is worried about his little brother's happiness and spies on Loki and Mobius in a more or less subtle way.

Tumblr request : Thor spying on Loki and Mobius.

As usual I got carried away and added most of my favorite tropes :p

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33254275

1643 words - Rating G

"I know it, that you are watching us Thor."

Thor wanted to protest at first, but even though he hadn't known Mobius long, he knew the man was perceptive and there was no point in trying to lie to him.

He sighed, "I admit it."

"I suspect you have no malicious intent," Mobius said kindly, "but I would like to know why."

Thor thought about what he would say in response.

He could see that his little brother was happy. That he had changed, or rather that he had become the best version of himself.

And this was partly thanks to Mobius, but he needed to see it with his own eyes. In their daily lives. So he had been watching for every moment he could spy on them during their stay in Asgard.

**********

One evening, he had overheard a scene he never thought he would see.

Mobius with a brush in his hand was sitting behind Loki and asked him softly, "Should I start brushing your hair?"

Loki nodded and closed his eyes, as if he already knew he was going to like it. Like it had become something familiar.

Mobius started at the bottom, taking care not to pull, then slowly worked his way up. After a while, Mobius' fingers replaced the brush and it was clear that Loki was enjoying it. He did not startle or protest. He turned his back to someone and let them touch him. This showed how much he trusted Mobius.

Not so long ago, such contact would have been unimaginable. If it was anyone else but Mobius, Thor thought, Loki would never have allowed it.

Thor could hardly tear himself away from the scene since he was so fascinated.

Mobius stopped and his hands slid over Loki's shoulders and Loki held his head back with a gentle smile on his face. Mobius leaned over and kissed him gently.

Thor thought it was time for him to retire.

**********

" Tell me candidly, is there anything in me, except my ugliness, which displeases you? Do you object to my birth, my temper, my manners?”

“No, truly,” replied the princess; “I like everything in you, except”—and she hesitated courteously—”except your appearance.”

Thor had just entered the living room of Loki and Mobius' suite and stopped in front of the incredible scene he had before his eyes.

Loki was lying on the couch, his head on Mobius' lap, Mobius had one hand in his hair and in the other hand a book that he was reading aloud.

Thor held his breath, because the two men had neither seen nor heard him.

Mobius continued reading.

“Then, madam, I need not lose my happiness; for if I have the gift of making clever whosoever I love best, you also are able to make the person you prefer as handsome as ever you please. Could you love me enough to do that?”

“I think I could,” said the princess, and her heart being greatly softened towards him, she wished that he might become the handsomest prince in all the world. No sooner had she done so than Riquet with the Tuft appeared in her eyes the most elegant young man she had ever seen.

Loki sneered, "Of course, to be happy, they both have to be beautiful and smart. I know it's a fairy tale and doesn't fit reality, but frankly, I'd never read that to my kids."

"Sweetheart," Mobius said softly while stroking Loki's hair soothingly before continuing, "Listen to the end, I think you'll enjoy it more."

Loki harrumphed, but remained silent as Mobius continued, " Some people have said that this was no fairy-gift, but that love created the change. They declare that the princess, when she thought over her lover’s perseverance, patience, good-humour, and discretion, and counted his numerous fine qualities of mind and disposition, saw no longer the deformity of his body or the plainness of his features. However this may be, it is certain that the princess married him; that either she retained her good sense, or he never felt the want of it; and he never again became ugly—or, at least, not in his wife’s eyes, so they both lived very happy until they died. Morality, all is beautiful in those whom we love, and those whom we love are witty and intelligent"

Loki turned on his back and looked at Mobius.

Thor stepped back into the doorway, he was no longer able to see but he heard Loki, "Mobius, it's kind of like the two of us in the end," he chuckled before continuing, "except that we're both princes. But what I mean is that you have seen beyond what I have shown the world."

Thor heard Mobius nod before answering, "And you, Loki, have opened my mind. So there is nothing to stop us from living very happy until we die."

The only thing Thor heard again before walking away was his little brother's undoubtedly happy laughter.

**********

Thor had not often had the opportunity to see Loki in his Jotun form. He knew that even after all this time it was still an extremely sensitive subject for his brother, so he was surprised to see him like this, sitting on the balcony railing of their suite, looking at the sky.

He was about to join him, when Mobius appeared next to him bringing what appeared to be some refreshments.

When Loki was aware of Mobius' presence, he began to revert to his Aesir form. But Mobius protested, "Loki, you know you don't have to hide from me, Sweetheart. If you want to take on that appearance, I have no problem with it."

And as Loki returned to his Jotun appearance, Mobius put down the tray and approached him, gently touching his face, as if he was used to doing it, knowing that if he lingered too long, the cold sensation would be too much.

Loki said in a voice Thor didn't know, "Do you really not mind touching me while I'm like this?"

Mobius shook his head and replied, "No, the only downside is that I can't touch you or kiss you like I want to, but otherwise I have no problem with this shape. I told you before, I love you, I love everything about you and it's part of you so I love this form too."

Then Mobius sat Loki down on a small bench that was on the balcony, put a pillow on Loki's lap, and lay down next to him resting his head on the pillow then said softly, "And you see, even when you are in this form, it is possible for us to be close."

As he walked away, Thor thought to himself that he would not soon forget his brother's amazed expression.

**********

The next time, Thor had first heard just laughter, as he went to knock on the door of Mobius and Loki's suite.

"No, Mobius! Stop it! You're scratching! I don't want you to kiss me if it scratches like that!"Then Thor heard Mobius reply in a sulky voice, which was quite rare, "Loki..."

"No, no, no your itchy skin will not come in contact with my delicate skin!"

He heard Mobius cough before he replied, "Then would you please shave me?"

Then the two men seemed to be gone, and Thor couldn't help but be curious and slowly opened the door. The living room was empty, but Thor heard voices that seemed to come from a small adjoining room. He knew he shouldn't, but he peeked through the half-open door anyway.

Mobius was sitting with a towel over his shoulders, shaving cream on his cheeks and chin. Loki had rolled up his sleeves, and was holding a razor. He leaned over to Mobius, and with a serious look on his face asked, "Do you trust me?"

Mobius answered firmly, looking him straight in the eye, "Intimately." before stretching his chin forward and closing his eyes.

Thor once again baffled, discreetly turned back and left their suite.

**********

"I'm sorry Mobius. Of course I had no malicious intent. I guess I just wanted to make sure that Loki was happy. It was something I didn't expect to see. I think I wanted to see it for myself, I'm sorry I was kind of a stalker, I-"

Mobius stopped him by putting a hand on his forearm, "It's okay Thor, you don't have to justify yourself. I know Loki's life, his whole life, so I understand perfectly well the need to reassure you, but I can promise you one thing, that I will always do everything to make him happy. That will always be my priority. Loki is the only family I have so I will always take care of him."

Thor nodded visibly moved as a voice echoed behind him, "You see, brother you don't have to worry. My happiness is truly real."

As if to prove what he had just said was true, Loki approached Mobius and put his arm around his waist before kissing him on the cheek.

"This man Thor, is the person who allowed me to change what I thought was my destiny, he saw the good in me, and in doing so I finally believed that I was capable of doing good."

Thor answered softly, "I always knew you were capable of doing good, little brother, but I'm glad you believe it now too."

Then he stepped forward and took the two men in a strong embrace before stepping back and adding, "Mobius, there was only one thing that was wrong with everything you told me before."

Mobius and Loki looked at him in surprise.

Thor added with a gentle smile, "You said Loki was your only family, but that's not true, it's not true anymore. Welcome to the family. We are your family and you are ours now."

_________

Series of Oneshot : Together, for all time, always

Fairy Tale used : Riquet and the tuft, oft underrated or shallowly interpreted. Shaving scene, inspired by Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle shaving scene in CSI

As always, bear with me as it is not beta'd and english is not my native language I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless🥰

#Established Relationship #tooth rotting fluff #lokius #lokius fic #loki #mobius m mobius #thor #Loki/Mobius M. Mobius #loki x mobius #moki #wowki

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izzabeean · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter 11 : Apprehensive

SUMMARY

You never thought it would be this hard to open up.

pairing : ushjima x f!reader / oikawa x f!reader / iwaizumi x f!reader

genre : angst + fluff

word count : 2,376

content : profanity

tags : alternate universe - college/university, post-break up, friends to lovers, pining, slow burn

a/n : Hello! Apologies for this late post. Everything has been a bit hectic lately and I’m struggling to keep up with work and my free time. I have started to slack a bit on my writing. It’s a bit on the shorter side but here is the next chapter!

Because I’m new to this and have bit more off than I can chew, I’ve noticed some timeline errors when writing this chapter. I couldn’t just let it go and had to go back to correct them.

For those who do not wish to re-read chapter 8 (I understand, it’s a hefty one), please note that at the beginning of the chapter, Y/N and Iwaizumi have a heart-to-heart. Originally it jumps to the same day, but that is an error on my part. The rest of the chapter actually takes place later in the week. So Y/N has spent almost a week at Oikawa’s apartment.

I appreciate you all for tagging along for this ride. I definitely have been aching to write about Hanamaki or Matsukawa, but will once this series has been completed! Thanks so much xx

masterlist

<< prev | ch . 11 | next >>

Walking into the empty corridor, you blink at the torn-up flooring exposing the bones of the apartment while noticing dust in the air from the sunlight trickling in through the living room window. Living here for almost four years gave you the alone time you needed. But now it felt foreign. The familiar serene getaway from the pressure of your parents breathing down your neck was now emanating dark energy. A place once full of bright memories seems to turn into the last place you wish to be.

“What is?” Iwaizumi exclaims, following behind you.

“It’s just weird,” you murmur, smiling up at Iwaizumi. “I haven’t seen it this empty since I moved in.”

That day didn’t feel too long ago.

As cliche as it sounds, it almost did feel like yesterday. Getting settled into the new space, unsure what to do with yourself in the silence of the apartment. But it wasn't long before you made friends with Oikawa who would come over to study together. He'd always bring snacks from your favorite dessert place and sometimes, if you could convince him, he would stay over to watch your favorite series. Yes, he would complain that he hated it, that it was slow, uninteresting and he's seen better. Then he would shut up and watch knowing that you enjoyed his company in the lonely apartment.

Your gaze shifts to the bedroom doorway. The last night you spent there, it was with Oikawa, but before that, it was always Ushijima. Not every single night, but when he did, you felt safe pressed up against his broad frame under the covers. Thinking about it now, it makes you regret that you didn't indulge in it more back then.

When you started seeing Ushijima, he became the priority. He would come over for study dates and you'd never have to ask twice to persuade him to watch television series or movies with you. Truthfully, you miss those days. Everything was so simple and new. It felt like a breath of fresh air that you were aching to find.

Yet here you are now just remembering what you wish to forget.

“Are you sure you don’t want to just move in with me?” Oikawa sniggers, analyzing the janky water-damaged walls that look like they could disintegrate at any moment.

"What? You finally have the balls to say this place isn’t good enough for you?" you mock, raising an eyebrow at him waiting for his answer.

"No, it's just…” he pauses before continuing, half-heartedly afraid he will offend you. “Old."

You roll your eyes. Yeah it's older than any twenty-something-year-old would want to live in, but you didn't care because of the location to the university and honestly, in your eyes, the apartment is quaint and homey.

“You always have something to say. Don't you, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi fumes, eyes sending daggers in Oikawa’s direction.

You couldn't help but let out a snicker that catches Iwaizumi's attention, shooting you a little smile. The natural draw your body has towards Iwaizumi is intoxicating. Your entire mind turns to putty when he looks at you like all your worries will just disappear upon his gaze. Maybe that's why you unconsciously kiss him the other night.

You don't want him to leave. You want him to stay. But how can you say that when you haven't known him for very long. The Iwaizumi now is so much different from the Iwaizumi in elementary school. Yet you wanted to get to know this person standing in front of you so much more and the limited time made your heartache all over again.

"Are you excited to move back in?" Iwaizumi asks, his eyes still locked on you.

“Yeah,” you utter, the sound of your heartbeat feels louder than your words. “I can’t wait to settle back in. I miss--”

Ding!

The sound reverberates from Iwaizumi's pocket.

“Shit, one second,” he exclaims, voice emitting a hint of embarrassment as he takes out his phone to read the text message he just received. “Fuck, I totally forgot. I'm supposed to meet up with some friends.”

“Oh,” you stammer. The words are laced with disappointment, but you remember you don't have Iwaizumi all to yourself. No, he isn't yours, unfortunately. And with that, you quickly switch forcing a smile to hide the gutted feeling encompassing your body. "It's fine!"

“I’m so sorry, I’ll catch up later. Just text me if you guys end up going somewhere else,” he calls out before rushing out the door.

The sound of the door shutting cues a rush of anguish flooding your chest as you wonder where he’s gone off to in such a hurry. He did say friends, but friends could mean anything including a girl.

Oikawa continues to walk around the apartment and you feel your face pale as you wonder what he's thinking if he knows who Iwaizumi's friends are.

Stop. You couldn't let yourself spiral into those thoughts. It wasn't like you to think this way, but you can't help yourself when you fear the same disappointment that surges you on the day you saw Ushijima and Sara together.

Fuck. At least insurance is giving you a bit of a break with the repair costs.

“Landlord says another week until repairs are done," you finally say, breaking the silence. "Then I can start moving my stuff back in.”

“Maybe don’t celebrate just yet, knowing your luck.” Oikawa taunts.

“Oh, is it because you’re going to miss me?” you scoff, attempting to make him squirm, but he plays right into your hands without hesitation.

“Yeah right, thought you said you were sick of me," he japes, taking a swing at the words that practically stung before.

“I guess you could say that...” you breathe.

Your words taste bitter with a drop of guilt as they leave your tongue. Perhaps you felt you owed a lot to Oikawa for basically saving your ass.

With the apartment.

With Ushijima.

You look at the bandage on his face and your eyes trail down to his bruised knuckles. Perhaps you wanted to do more than just buying him his favorite drink. Yet, you didn't even know where to start or what he would want to make things even.

“I-- I’m just joking, just to clarify. Of course, I’m not sick of you,” you sigh, reverting eye contact as you muster up the courage to express your thoughts. “I’m very happy to have you.”

I don’t know what I’m saying, you think while peering at the confusion spread on Oikawa's face. You don't normally open up to him about this kind of stuff and you feel your body burning under his gaze.

“Sorry this is a bit weird,” you exclaim as the nerves take over and you bite your tongue before you say anything else.

“No, no, I’m interested now,” Oikawa purrs.

“Well, maybe now I don’t want to tell you!”

"Of course you do," he persuades slyly grinning.

Normally the gesture makes you recoil as you witness his flirtatious nature that you've never succumbed to because that's just how Oikawa Tōru was. But instead, it just pushes the words out.

"Th-- thank you,” you say unable to even look up at him. “For everything. You’ve really been there for me when no one else has.”

At first, you think he's going to laugh in your face. In fact, you expected it so, but when you trail your eyes back to meet his, he sends you a small smile.

“That’s what friends are for, right?” Oikawa comforts.

With a deep breath, you stare into his chocolate brown eyes, drinking in his gaze and he’s giving you that look. It’s the same look he gave you last night when you were patching up his wounds. And it makes your heartthrob.

“You’re really something Tōru. No wonder all the girls fall for you,” you tease, in an attempt to push away the flush of embarrassment from his words.

“I wouldn’t say all,” Oikawa chuckles.

His voice is low and sultry, and you wonder what he means by that as contentment warmed you from within.

The exchange lingers but you clear your throat and turn away to walk around the apartment. The gesture causes Oikawa to shift his weight from side to side looking at your figure in the small space.

“I think I’ve seen more than enough,” you exhale taking one last glance out the living room window. “Shall we head out?”

“Sure.”

Oikawa walks down the short hallway, while you take a moment longer to soak up your apartment.

“See you soon,” you whisper before turning your back to leave.

Just as you close the door behind you to lock up, you hit your back into Oikawa’s frame who is standing firmly behind you.

“What’s wrong?” you ask, then peak behind his body to see Ushijima standing at the end of the hallway.“Wa-Wakkun… What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you,” he demands.

Although you can't get a good look at him in detail, you can see his face is bandaged up from Oikawa’s punch.

“I don’t--”

“And you think I’m going to let that happen?” Oikawa rages, placing his body in between you and Ushijima.

“Tōru, it’s okay,” you reiterate, touching his shoulder lightly to reassure it's not worth his energy.

“Or did you not understand anything from last night?” Oikawa continues ignoring your words and shaking your hand off his shoulder.

“Maybe we should ask Y/N instead of you making decisions for her,” Ushijima booms, remaining calm.

“Tōru, come on,” you sneer, grabbing his arm to pull him along, but he wiggles your hand off once again.

“I know for a fact she doesn’t want to talk to you," he sputters, eyes narrowing on Ushijima.

But your patience hit its limit. This time your anger couldn't be pushed down as your blood starts to boil. And you unleashed it in front of Oikawa, stepping in front of him shooting him a furious glare.

“Are you going to fucking listen or not?”

Your voice snaps him to his senses seeing your eyes glossed over but filled with rage.

“You don’t speak for me,” you thundered. “Let’s go.”

You grab his hand and yank him forward, walking by Ushijima ignoring him.

“Y/N, please,” Ushijima pleads.

Yet you don't turn back. You can't. It isn't in your best interest to talk it out or hear his point of view. This isn't something that can be fixed with words. He hurt you and you could not surrender what is left of your dignity. You had to move on, in your own way just as he's doing.

“Don’t fucking do that again,” you bark as you continue to drag Oikawa behind holding his hand tightly.

“That guy is basically stalking you,” Oikawa argues trying to keep up with your frantic strides.

“So what? I can handle it myself.”

“I was just trying to help--”

“And look what happened last time!”

Your legs come to a stop and you swallow thickly. Your voice erupts as your heart sinks at the realization of how angry and guilty you feel, of how mad you are at yourself for letting Oikawa get in the middle of your issues with Ushijima. The familiar sense of dread returns and the look from Oikawa’s shocked wide eyes make you regret your outburst.

“You got hurt because of me,” you manage to breathe, slowly sliding your hand out of his.

But before you let go, he grabs it tight then pulls you in close, your face enveloped into his chest and his chin resting on the top of your head. The sensation offsets your frustration and anger, you hadn't known it, but once you received the warm and comforting embrace you realize it’s what you really needed all this time.

“If we left at the beginning of the night, you would’ve been fine,” you gasp, trying to get the words out, but your voice breaks a little. Your chest feels tight like your heart is going to burst any moment now as it continues to descend deeper and deeper into dread.

Oikawa doesn’t say a word, afraid that he’ll ruin the moment if he does. His worry grows as he takes a deep breath in expecting you to smell like nicotine or ting of smoke, from the secret you have been keeping from him. But you have this indescribable scent that draws him in closer heating up his entire body as he presses yours into his. Not wanting to let go.

“But because I had to prove a point, we stayed,” you continue, and feel tears beginning to form, blurring your vision. “I’m the one at fault here.”

"No Y/N," Oikawa says trying to soothe you. He thinks he can forget the throbbing pain in his chest as he looks at you undone before him. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry for involving myself."

"It's okay," you say taking a sharp breath. He smells so good and his hug is doing wonders for your mental health but you pull away worried that you've overstayed your welcome.

“Why do you hate him so much anyway?” you sniffle, wiping the tears with your sleeve.

“Mmm don’t know…” he murmurs.“I just don’t like him.”

You frown at his reply. Does he really not have an actual explanation?

“Well that’s stupid,” you breathe, unsure if you actually believe it. “Did he steal a girl from you or something?”

“No!” he responds, quicker than he wishes he did. He remembers when you first mentioned Ushijima’s name, there was a sparkle in your eyes he’s never seen before. At that moment, he promised himself to not get in the way and remain neutral, but Oikawa was much pettier than that.

“Who was it?” you snort, only half sure he’ll actually tell you.

“No one,” he chuckles. “We don’t have the same type anyway.”

“Why? I’m not your type?”

Your voice is soft and innocent as he pauses to analyze whether you are being serious or not.

“Kidding! Obviously,” you snarl.

By now, there’s this ease of tension between the two of you as you lapse into silence. Nothing more needed to be said.

#haikyuu x reader #haikyu x reader #haikyuu angst #haikyuu fluff #oikawa x reader #oikawa x y/n #ushijima x reader #ushijima x y/n #iwaizumi x reader

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dimitrescus-bitch · 5 years ago

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Second (Laurel Lance x Reader)

You had always felt like you were second to somebody else your entire life. With your parents, your older brother had always been the favorite. With your siblings, it’d been the other one. Your big brother was closer with your younger sister and vice versa. Then you got older and you made a friend in Sara Lance. For once, you’d felt like maybe you weren’t somebody’s second choice. And then, Sara got pretty and popular. Oliver Queen started to give her attention and you faded into the background. And then, all of the sudden, both Oliver and Sara were gone.

It was the first time in a long time that you truly had nobody. You were grieving and you couldn’t bring yourself to be upset about the right things. Sara had, in a way, cheated on you by going onto that boat with Oliver. She hadn’t promised to only be yours, but she had made you feel special and let you make her feel loved. And with that suppressed anger and grief over your relationship, you befriended Laurel.

The two of you were there for each other. You fell for her and you fell hard. In your defense, you were young and she didn’t treat you like a second option. You were brought in, treated like you actually mattered. Laurel made sure that you were included, that you weren’t alone. And you could feel something between the two of you, which was when Tommy swooped in and stole Laurel’s heart.

Then, Oliver came back and the heart-shattering grief you’d felt turned to red hot anger. Laurel pulled you away before you could do anything. Laurel protected you and even though she found herself a boyfriend, she still made sure you were fine. Tommy and Oliver started spending more time together and Laurel kept you a little closer. You were with her, the night Tommy died and the nights after when the world was too much for her to handle on her own.

“Good morning,” Laurel said as she set a cup of coffee in front of you. She was dressed for work, but she didn’t seem in a hurry to go in. “I was thinking I could take you out for breakfast since I’m an awful cook?”

“I can make us pancakes Laurel,” you offered and she shook her head. “Why not?”

“Because it is your birthday silly.” The fact that Laurel had said that like it was the most obvious thing in the world struck a chord with you. Your birthday had never really been that big of a deal, even as a child. Sure, Laurel always made sure to do something with you, but now things were a bit different. You were living together, you were close friends, and sometimes the way that you’d look at each other, felt a lot more than friendly. “And you should relax today.”

“You didn’t take your birthday off,” you pointed out. “So, I think I can make us pancakes.”

“I wanna treat you today, please?” Laurel pouted and you couldn’t tell her no. “Today, you are my top priority, as long as you don’t mind coming into work with me briefly so I can sign off on something.”

“Gimme a second to shower?” you asked and Laurel nodded. You set your coffee down and ran to take a shower. You quickly got ready, finished your cup of coffee, and then let Laurel drive you to her office. You waited in the car for less than three minutes before she came back, panting. “Did you run?”

“I didn��t want to leave you waiting,” Laurel said with a smile that melted your heart a bit. It was weird, how much she cared about you sometimes. Well, she cared all the time, but there were times when you noticed a bit more. Laurel picked out a nice place for the two of you to eat breakfast. After, she took you to pick up a couple of things before you stopped at the movies and to see Felicity.

Felicity and you hadn’t really had a lot in common and you didn’t like her when you met, but eventually you got to know each other. Oliver moved on with Felicity and Laurel and you started to grow a bit closer, so things worked out. Felicity had actually reached out to you one night when you were playing a game online, starting a weekly tradition of the two of you playing games together a couple nights.

“You’re spoiling me,” you told Laurel as she drove you around a bit. “Why?”

“Because of the things you don’t remember,” Laurel said and you raised an eyebrow at her. “One night, when I was broken up about Tommy and your sister was on TV with her new show, you drank yourself practically to death and told me that you’d never find someone like me because I didn’t treat you like a second place prize.”

“You don’t, not even when other people should take your priority. You’ve always had time for me,” you said softly.

“You’re worth my time. I thought Oliver was my soulmate once, then I thought it was Tommy. After all that, I thought I’d die alone with a bottle of wine and some cats. Now, I think that maybe there’s somebody who is perfect for me and all it took was realizing what I’m worth.” The look that Laurel was giving you made your heart flutter. “I’ll admit that my mind didn’t immediately go to you as being the love of my life, but there’s no way that you could ever come second to anybody else in the world for me. You, Y/n, are my number one and I love you.”

#laurel lance x reader #laurel lance imagine #laurel lance imagines #laurel lance #arrowverse #arrowverse imagine #arrowverse imagines #arrowverse x reader #arrow imagine #arrow imagines #arrow x reader #arrow

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immortalcoelacanth · 4 years ago

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Between the Walls, Chapter 5: Turtles, Bees, and Hybrids in Between

*drags self out of hole and drops chapter*

God this was a struggle to write with school but here we are! Clocking in at either the second or third longest chapter I've ever written for a fic! Please forgive me if there's any spelling errors!

... I didn't help that every time I opened the doc I use to work on this it kept opening up to the chapter that involves Dream XD

Word count: 9016 (yes, you read that right)

Summary: Tubbo sets out to reunite with Tommy, Tommy makes a new friend, and a ghost unintentionally makes their reunion harder.

“Where did you take Tommy?!”

“Keep it down, kid, or else you’ll get in trouble!”

“I don’t care! Where is he?!”

For the past several days, Tubbo had been trying to figure out where Tommy had been exiled to. He had interrogated practically all the other borrowers who had been involved in kicking his friend, his brother, out of the only home he had ever known.

All the borrowers other than the one responsible for actually taking him to where he was exiled to, that is. Fortunately, finding the woman had not been all that hard since he knew the… wilder borrowers tended to stay near either the front gate or the market when they were trading items they had managed to scavenge. After asking around the market to see if anyone knew where she was, made tougher by the fact that he had no clue what her name was and only had a vague description of what she looked like, he had eventually been told that she was last spotted at the front gate.

Which led to the current predicament with Tubbo facing one of the borrowers responsible for his friend’s exile. His hands were planted on his hips as he glared the woman down, refusing to let her pass until she answered his question.

The woman placed her head in her hands and sighed loudly. “Listen, I can’t. I can’t tell you. I can’t take you to him. I can’t do any of those things since I’d get in so much trouble-”

“I. Don’t. Care.” Tubbo spat, the pure venom and anger in his voice causing the other borrower to recoil. “And I’ll do whatever I have to so I can see Tommy again! So, uh…”

The anger on his face faded, turning to sheepish embarrassment. “What’s your name?”

“Sara.”

“Alright, Sara,” The venom was back, albeit not as strong as it was before. “I won’t rest until I’m with Tommy again, so you had better tell me where he is! Or else!”

Even with his unusually angry demeanor, Tubbo doubted his threats would be taken all that seriously thanks to both his unfortunately short height and typically meek demeanor. He had never been all that good at standing up for himself and fighting back, Tommy had always been more confident and headstrong, willing to stick up for him no matter what.

He missed Tommy, so much.

It was like there was a piece of his heart missing. His very soul seemed to ache with each passing day and, even though some of the adults in Borrowton were a bit nicer to him, their warmth failed to chase away the cold feeling that had engulfed him. He needed Tommy, needed to see his best friend again and make sure he was okay, and he would do whatever was needed to accomplish this goal.

No matter how weak or scared he was.

“Alright, alright.” Sara sighed as she held her hands out. “How about this. I can’t take you directly to him, but I’ll drop you off nearby and point you in the direction you need to go. That sound good?”

Tubbo immediately nodded his head, his previously aggressive stance relaxing as relief flowed through him. “That would work! Can we leave now? Soon? By the end of today? When do you think-”

“Holy crap, one thing at a time.” The older borrower interrupted, looking more than a little annoyed at the sudden bombardment of questions. “Luckily for you I was gonna leave soon anyways. Just let me get all my supplies packed up and then we can go. You’ll probably want to get some stuff for yourself as well.”

Perhaps it was a bit naive of him to not question her further, drill her on why she had changed her mind so fast, but he was too caught up in his excitement to think about anything other than his reunion with Tommy. He quickly nodded once more, already thinking about what he would need to get from his… house.

Not a home, it was never a home.

“Then get outta here! I’ll meet you at the front gate.” Sara insisted as she shooed Tubbo away. “Scram before we both get in trouble!”

“Y-Yeah, and thank you!” The younger borrower called out as he quickly ran off, stumbling in his haste to reach his destination. He did his best to stick to some of the darker, more hidden paths so he could avoid encountering anyone else lest they see the hopeful look on his face.

Borrowton itself was not at that large, but it was tall. The settlement had originally been built underground before reaching upwards and connecting with a tree that grew above it. Roots had been carved to form staircases and ladders stretched down from the higher levels. There were also wood and rope pathways that connected each of the towering structures, allowing people to use them to easily cross over to other towers, or simply sit on them and rest while taking in the scenery.

He and Tommy had frequently sat up on these pathways, staring down at the ground that was so very, very far below them, or use it as a chance to annoy some of the borrowers who walked underneath them.

Fishing rods were perfect for stealing hats, and other interesting looking items.

Shorter, more typical houses also littered the ground. They were some of the oldest structures in the settlement, made long before some of the borrowers who founded this place decided to get a bit more creative and inventive with their building. And it was in one of these old, dilapidated houses that Tommy and Tubbo lived.

Well, it wasn’t really their house. It was more so a place that they had permission to live in, since no one else wanted to take them in or offer up their own place to stay. A blatant rejection by their community, but Tubbo had learned to stop caring about that a long time ago.

The second he reached his destination, he flung the door open, raced inside, and quickly closed it behind him.

“Okay, okay. Get the important stuff and don’t worry about the rest.” Tubbo mumbled as he quickly scanned the dark interior of his house. He didn’t bother to light any of the lamps and instead opted to grab a backpack and start filling it with supplies. Tools, food, some bottles of water, and building supplies were all quickly shoved into the bag, haste taking priority over organization.

Of course, with his speed and intense focus, the borrower was bound to slip up and make a mistake somewhere. This manifested in him accidentally smacking into one of the walls near the staircase that led up to the loft, knocking it loose and causing it to slide to the side-

Revealing their hidden stash of items.

Tubbo froze as he caught sight of the worn-down jukebox that had been shoved into the corner of the cramped space. The wood was chipped, he could recall the splinters he had to help get out of Tommy’s hands on multiple occasions, and the varnish had long since faded entirely.

And yet, even with all that damage it still sounded amazing.

He smiled gently as he reached out and carefully patted the top of the jukebox. This item had brought them both so many happy memories, moments of joy without having to worry about anything else. It was undoubtedly the most important item the duo had, a title shared only by the two discs that the borrowers had kept hidden from the community that had shunned them.

Such rare items that could only be found and never replicated were priceless and would have immediately been used to handle all sorts of vital trades with other settlements, but the duo did not care. The discs were theirs, and that was that. He knew for a fact that Tommy would never give them up, and he wouldn’t either.

Tubbo reached around the jukebox and carefully removed the thin, wooden container that had been hidden by its bulky frame. He quickly opened it to check and see if the items it contained were still okay. The two discs, Cat and Mellohi written on both of them to help identify which was which, immediately greeted his worried gaze. They were both perfectly fine, no scratches or blemishes to be seen, and the borrower let out a relieved sigh.

Even if he couldn’t bring the jukebox with him, at least he could give Tommy the discs once they were reunited.

The case was carefully added to the backpack, some items placed on top of it to hide it from sight, and Tubbo took one last look of the closest thing to a home he had ever known. From the low hanging ceiling and the loft that housed both of their beds, to the tiny kitchen Tommy had set on fire more than once, the house was just as worn down and broken as they were, but they had lived their best life regardless.

Discarded like the trash everyone thought they were, left in a rotting home and ignored, but he and Tommy had come out all the stronger in spite of it.

A quiet, near inaudible voice whispered that he should set the house ablaze, turn his past to ashes and rise out of the destruction that had caused, confident and victorious. To leave a remainder that they had failed to break him, break his spirit, but he quickly ignored it and instead shouldered his backpack.

No, it would be better to disappear without a trace and show them how insignificant they all were to him. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction in letting them know how badly they had all hurt him. How close they had gotten to their goal.

So, Tubbo turned and left his old house behind. The door was carefully shut and he patted it, knowing it would be the last time he saw this place. It was bittersweet, leaving like this, but he knew this was the right path forward.

He had to see Tommy again.

He would see Tommy again.

With that thought, that promise, in mind he quickly ducked back into the darker alleyways and slowly but surely made his way to the front gate. Occasionally he would have to stop and wait as other borrowers, and the occasional guard, passed him by, but he ultimately managed to reach his destination with little difficulty.

He immediately spotted Sara after making his way up the hill that connected the gate to the rest of Borrowton, having internally panicked the entire time about being seen. It looked like the guards were busy with something else, probably patrolling parts of the dark forest for any items dropped by mobs, which meant this was the perfect time for his departure from Borrowton.

Using up the last of his energy, he sprinted the rest of the way to the older borrower, dropping to his knees beside her as he took a moment to catch his breath. It was a moment that was quickly interrupted as Sara snagged the back of his shirt and dragged him towards the collection of shrubbery that surrounded the front gate, hiding it from sight.

And in turn hiding both Tubbo and the other borrower from the guards.

He let out a yelp as he was finally let go, dropping flat onto his back while Sara crossed her arms and tapped her foot in annoyance. He glanced up at her and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could start talking she turned around and disappeared into the foliage.

Taking that as his sign to follow her, he quickly pushed himself upright and raced through the last bits of greenery that helped hide Borrowton. Shoving through large leaves, and nearly getting smacked in the face by a twig, he burst into the warm sunlight that peeked between the trees.

It was weird seeing the sun, but it was even weirder seeing the large fox that must have been patiently waiting for them, bags full of supplies scattered around it. The life he lived was not a sheltered one, per say, but he rarely got the chance to leave Borrowton and really experience the world around him. He had always been good working with his hands, and the adults all told him that he would grow up to create things, to build and help their home. Whenever he asked about Tommy, about what his role would be, he had only ever seen disappointed frowns and the shaking of heads.

Like they had given up on him before trying, deciding he wasn’t worth whatever effort they were willing to give out.

“This is my fox.” Sara explained as she patted the animal’s flank, unintentionally snapping Tubbo out of his memory filled haze. “He’s gonna be our ticket to getting you to your friend, so you better be nice.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be extra nice!” He assured her as he got up and made his way over to the fox. Once he was close enough, he scratched behind the fox’s ears, grinning at the happy noises the animal made. A contemplative look crossed his face, and he decided to voice his question. “Does he have a name?” “No? He’s just a fox.” Sara stiffly replied as she started tying the bags to the fox’s sides, attaching them to the near invisible harness the animal was wearing. “And everyone knows he’s mine, so he doesn’t need a name.”

“Oh…” Tubbo mumbled, appearing downcast before perking up. “Can I give him a nickname, then? Something I can call him?”

Though she seemed incredibly confused by his question, she hesitantly nodded. “Yeah? I can’t really do anything to stop you.”

“I’ll call him Squeeks then!” Tubbo beamed. “Because he sounds all squeaky, but spelled differently! Uniquely!”

As if agreeing with Tubbo’s decision, the newly named Squeeks let out an excited squeal and bumped the young borrower. He laughed and continued to love on the energetic creature as Sara finished up their preparations.

Time seemed to both drag on and race by, and before Tubbo knew it the other borrower had finished packing up and was already climbing onto the fox, with him following behind a moment later. The fur beneath his hands was nice and fluffy, as soft as Squeeks was, and served to be the perfect distraction that stopped him from noticing the little whistle Sara let out.

“Time to go!”

That was the only warning he got as the fox started dashing between the trees and emerging into a large, open field. He winced and lifted a hand up to block the harsh rays coming from the sun. It was so… so bright out here! And all the blue-

“Is that an ocean?” Tubbo gasped, jaw dropping in surprise upon seeing the massive body of water that was apparently situated not that far from his old home. “We live near an ocean?!”

“Lived, in your case, and yeah.” Sara answered, quickly glancing back at the younger borrower before returning her eyes to the horizon. “Water and borrowers don’t really mix, so it’s more of a restricted area.”

“Well that’s a dumb rule.” He huffed. “How else are we supposed to get used to water if we aren’t around it? It just doesn’t make sense!”

“Rules don’t tend to make sense, and enjoy the scenery while you can since we gotta go pretty far inland.” The older borrower said before falling silent and focusing on making sure the fox was headed in the right direction. There were several times where Tubbo opened his mouth to speak, wanting to ask a question, but ultimately remained silent and instead opted to watch their slowly changing surroundings.

It gave him plenty of time to think, too. Think about where he was going and what he was going to do, and ask himself some questions that he knew would go unanswered.

Questions about humans.

What did a settlement of humans even look like? He had only heard about the occasional town, knew there was one close to Borrowton, but he had never been allowed to visit it. Too small and dangerous for borrowing, apparently. Would this place be like that one? Small and difficult to find a good hiding spot? What about the humans?

Would they be as cruel and cunning as he had been told, or would he find a human who was nice and wouldn’t kill him if he was spotted? He had so many questions, and the time for their answers would have to come much later…

“Here we are.”

The sound of Sara’s voice snapped Tubbo out of his thoughts and he straightened up, eyes landing on the collection of structures ahead. Some were made out of wood, others out of what appeared to be different kinds of stone, and there were sprawling wooden paths that stretched out in all sorts of directions.

It was… intimidating to say the least.

He had no idea how long it would take him to try and find Tommy. There were so many spaces a borrower could hide in. From the buildings themselves to the various trees and shrubs that could easily be used as a hiding spot, practically everywhere had the potential to house a borrower to some extent. And this was only a portion of what he would need to explore.

Tommy could be anywhere if he found him at all.

Tubbo nervously swallowed as he slid off of Squeeks, the fox immediately started nuzzling his back and nearly knocked the poor borrower over. He let out an awkward laugh, mood lightening just the slightest bit, and turned his attention to the affectionate animal.

“It was nice meeting you, Squeeks.” Tubbo said as he scratched at the fox’s ears and got that signature, laugh-like noise in response. He didn’t see how Sara’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, and it was only when she loudly cleared her throat that he looked up at her.

“And thank you for your help, Sara!” He hastily added. “I’m grateful, truly! I don’t know how I can repay you-”

“Don’t worry about that since this is the last time we’ll see one another.” She interrupted, her face rather blank and betraying none of her emotions. “So, forget about any of that and just live, alright kid?”

“Mhm!” Tubbo quickly nodded. While he wasn’t all that fond of leaving on such a note, debts were a powerful thing after all, he knew there was nothing he could say to change her mind. All he could hope was that working with her didn’t come back to bite him.

Maybe… maybe he and Tommy could stay here. There was always the chance that they could turn this place into their new home, a place they could live in without having to worry about being bothered by other borrowers. Of course, there was still the challenge of finding food, a good source of water, and actually building their home, but that was something they could work on over time.

Yes, that was it! He would build a temporary base, find Tommy, and then work on creating their own home!

With a plan in mind and hope filling his heart, Tubbo waved once more to Sara and set off on his mission. Dashing between the undergrowth and other forms of cover to keep himself from being seen by any humans, or dangerous animals, that might be nearby

Sara sighed softly to herself as she watched the younger borrower vanish from sight. It was so strange knowing that this was the second time she had done this, abandoning a child to some horribly doomed fate, but at least Tubbo had a better chance of surviving then Tommy did.

She let out a quiet snort and shook her head. It was highly unlikely he was still alive thanks to his temperament and what she knew of the Blood God. It wasn’t that she thought he was a bad person, but his habits and choices were… dangerous. It would have been all too easy for him to expose Borrowton to outsiders and humans. He never seriously considered what the consequences his actions would have when something went wrong, how selfish and immature he was.

He was nothing more than a threat to all the borrowers he interacted with, a threat to their way of life.

Good riddance.

xxxxxxxxxx

Warm sunlight shone down on the lonely cabin sitting in the middle of the empty tundra. The light brought with it an unusual warmth, making it the perfect day to spend some time outside gathering resources or fixing up the cabin.

Which was exactly what Technoblade had decided to do.

After repairing the damage that he had dealt to the porch, ignoring the borrower who had followed him outside and immediately started teasing him, the hybrid had decided to spend the rest of the day working on Carl’s stable. The least he could do was improve it so that way the horse would be comfortable in the harsh chill of the tundra.

Surprisingly enough, Tommy had trailed after him as he went from place to place using his own secret passages to keep up with the hybrid. It was fascinating being able to see the hidden doors that had previously gone unnoticed by him, and he was relieved to know that the property value of his home wouldn’t be going down.

Nothing was worse than having a bunch of holes in your house that made it look like it was infested by mice.

Still, the amount of ingenuity required to make something so simple yet complex, even if he had been taught how to do it before, was immense. Hell, if it wasn’t for naturally loud Tommy was, Techno doubted he would have ever found out about the borrower and all the passageways he had made. So, he ended paying more attention than he expected to Tommy when the borrower started making a pathway that connected to the top of Carl’s stable.

A bit unsurprising since he seemed to be very fond of the horse. He wasted no time in pointing out how much Carl seemed to like him, although Techno personally thought the horse was fairly apathetic towards Tommy’s attempts at friendship and only used it as a chance to get carrots from the borrower.

Carl was definitely the smartest being on the server, hands down.

Plus, he was immensely amused as he watched Tommy struggle to hold each carrot up, the vegetable practically the same size as the borrower. It was only through sheer stubbornness and willpower he was able to lift the thing in the first place.

And the occasional nudge from Techno that helped him keep his balance when he tipped back too far. Fences weren’t the safest of places to stand on, of course.

All in all, the day was turning out to be surprisingly productive and peaceful, even if he had to deal with listening to Tommy ramble on and on about whatever topic entered his mind. Techno was surprised to find himself actually listening more than he thought he would, occasionally chiming in with his own point or teasing the borrower. It was a welcome change after the excitement of freeing Carl.

A change that he knew wouldn’t last. Peace was an unfamiliar concept to his family, chaos was naturally drawn to them. Funnily enough, it was a trait that Tommy seemed to share. Speaking of the borrower…

“You’re just jealous that Carl thinks I’m better than you!” Tommy teased, smugly smirking at the hybrid, who just rolled his eyes and shook his head. “He knows how great I am!”

“I just think it’s pretty funny that you don’t realize your greatness,” Both the term and the heavy sarcastic tone had Tommy’s smile turning into a disgruntled frown, but Techno wasn’t done yet. “Is resulting in you getting exploited by a horse.”

“He’s not exploiting me!” The borrower objected. “We’re buddies! Best buddies! For someone who’s so smart with all his fancy words, you don’t seem to get it!”

“Oh, trust me, I get it completely.” Techno drawled, sparing a quick glance over at Carl. For as challenging as it was to pinpoint the horse’s emotions, he didn’t miss the cunning gleam in Carl’s eyes.

Suddenly, a screen popped up beside the hybrid. Tommy jumped back in alarm, nearly falling off the fence he was perched on. Fortunately, Carl quickly helped him resettle himself with a quick nudge and an exasperated sounding snort, as Techno turned his attention to the messages he had just received. Messages from Philza.

Shit.

He cursed under his breath as he began tapping away at the screen, ignoring the curious looks thrown his way by both the borrower and the horse. “Fuck, I forgot about Phil.”

“The fuck is Phil?” Tommy immediately asked, running along the stable’s fence as he tried to keep up with Techno’s strides. “And what’s with that screen thingy? You sending messages to any girls? Looking for any local hot women in the area?”

Naturally, his questions went unanswered as Techno continued mumbling to himself, something about bees and farms, leaving the borrower more than a little annoyed. Not wanting to be left behind, both literally and in terms of the conversation Techno was having with himself, he quickly came up with a plan to keep up. A plan that relied on a rapidly closing window of opportunity.

So, Tommy made his move.

He did not bother trying to get the hybrid’s attention and instead sprinted towards the end of the fence. The moment he reached the edge, he bent his knees and jumped.

For a moment, pure fear filled him as he lunged through the air, refusing to look downwards and instead remaining focused on grabbing onto the swaying braid in front of him. He could feel his heart pounding as he got closer, and closer, until-

His hands made contact with pink hair and he immediately held on as tight as he could. He crossed his ankles, locking his feet together, as he took a moment to catch his breath. He felt all sweaty and jittery, the lingering hints of adrenaline running through his veins. Once he finally felt calm enough to move, and his hands stopped shaking, he slowly started climbing up the long braid.

At this point, Techno had made his way into the cabin and was rummaging through the chests. He was completely unaware of the borrower climbing up his hair until he felt a particularly harsh tug at the back of his head followed by the sounds of Tommy cursing.

“What the fuck, man?! You nearly left me behind!” The borrower exclaimed as he heaved himself over the edge of Techno’s crown, flopping into the pink hair. He could still feel his heart racing from both the dangerous climb and the terrifying jump, but he also felt badass.

He knew of no other borrowers that could brag about such an achievement and, despite how out of breath he was, he found himself smiling as he lay sprawled out on top of the hybrid’s head.

“Sorry.” Techno said, sounding not at all apologetic as that screen appeared once more. “Figured you could use the exercise with those twiggy legs of yours-”

“And here he goes again! Big, scary Blade acting all mean and stuff! Gotta keep up that tough guy act!” Tommy grumbled while waving his hands in the air dramatically.

He heard Techno let out an amused snort at his antics, making a grin appear on the borrower’s face. There was something satisfying about seeing a positive reaction to his antics for once instead of being scolded or told off. For as dangerous as the hybrid could be, Tommy had developed some trust towards him.

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make Techno suffer for almost leaving him out in the cold. Revenge was in the cards, and he refused to miss this chance.

“... You know it’s okay to look up hot old men in your area too right-”

Tommy’s grin grew as he heard the strangled wheeze escape the hybrid, and he threw his head back and cackled. Flopping back into the soft, pink hair he rolled around as he laughed and nearly smacked into the crown surrounding him.

“You’re horrible, and your jokes are cringe.” Techno grumbled. “Phil is my-”

What words could properly describe the connection forged between them? A pact sealed in bloodshed, violence, and a level of comprehension that far exceeded anything he had ever known in his life.

The look of understanding in Philza’s eyes. A grounding voice, a source of stability in a crimson sea of death and loneliness.

A mentor, a savior, a-

“... Dad.” He finally settled on, figuring it would be the easiest way for Tommy to understand what he meant. “He’ll be here, soon.”

“What?!” The borrower squawked, his previous amusement fading and quickly being replaced with dread. He stood up, gripped the edge of the crown, and looked down into Techno’s face. “Y-You have to tell me these things! We’re roommates! And you have a dad?!”

“To be fair, he was supposed to visit a couple days ago, but then Carl happened.”

“That doesn’t explain anything!”

A brow was raised at the shout, Techno easily picking up on the anxiety that made the kid’s voice crack and left him trembling. It was bizarre seeing Tommy so openly terrified, and at the thought of meeting Philza no less.

Philza Minecraft, who had the unfortunate habit of picking up any homeless kid he found on the street and giving them the shelter and support they so desperately craved.

Even if he occasionally left for long periods of time...

His ears twitched, the distant sounds of Wilbur’s shouts and Phil’s pleas for him to calm down ringing in his head. He glanced upwards, eyes meeting the wide, terrified stare of the borrower, and felt the neutral look on his face soften. He didn’t like the idea of the kid being scared, in general and of Phil, and it just felt… wrong.

It felt wrong for Tommy to be afraid of anything. For his arrogance and loud nature to become so quiet and muffled. To see that spark in his eyes dull.

“There’s nothing you need to be worried about-”

“Easy for you to say!” Tommy interrupted with a scoff. “You’re you! You’re all tough and mehmehmeh look at all these swords and potions I’ve got! You don’t have to be worried! You don’t have to be scared! You…”

His words trailed off with a sigh and he braced himself against the edge of the crown, eyes shutting. “You don’t know what it’s like to have to be scared of everything.”

No, Techno didn’t know anything about what it must be like to live at such a diminutive size, although he was familiar with the fear and struggle of trying to survive.

Scorching hot air, bubbling lava. Frantic running and a gold sword clutched tightly in his hands-

Perhaps that familiarity was why he found himself speaking up, repeating the words that had been spoken to him years ago.

“I won’t let anything hurt you.”

The declaration that had slipped out of Techno left the duo frozen and silent, each contemplating the meaning behind his words. While the hybrid was mentally berating himself on making such a claim, not that he couldn’t easily fulfill it, the borrower’s eyes snapped open and he looked down, meeting Techno’s gaze once more. He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry, and spoke up.

“... Really?”

He hated it, hated how childish and weak he sounded, but at the same time he craved reassurance and wanted to know that he would be okay, that everything would turn out okay.

He just wanted to know that he’d be safe.

Techno nodded, unintentionally jostling the borrower around a bit as he struggled to figure out how exactly to word what he wanted to say. Eventually, he settled on a simple. “Yeah, really.”

A moment of silence passed, then two, and then-

“Okay,” Tommy relented, letting out a quiet sigh and nodding. “I trust you, Blade.”

“Wait over here for now. You’ll warm up to Phil pretty quick.” Techno suggested with a knowing tone in his voice as he plucked the borrower off the top of his head and carried him over to the table. Even as Tommy scampered across the surface to duck behind a book he had left out, fear and uncertainty clear in the kid’s eyes, he knew those feelings would vanish soon enough.

Phil had a way with people that he could never hope to comprehend, a skill that had come in handy when they had first met all those years ago in the scorching heat of the Nether. A skill that had equally come in handy when a grungy child carrying a broken guitar had been found rummaging through the trash.

Instinctively knowing how to soothe them and their worries, to calm their fears.

So, despite the anxious looks that were sent his way, he walked over to the front window and waited.

Tommy honestly had no idea what he expected Phil to look like. Techno had given him no information whatsoever, the prick, and the only thing he knew was that Phil was his dad, which meant they probably looked similar?

At least he now knew that he had gotten one of his first jokes about Techno right.

Simply put, it was only when he caught sight of the short, blond man entering the cabin that he realized Techno was adopted, or was most likely adopted. They didn’t seem to have anything in common based on their appearances, other than the fact that both of them looked to be fond of capes since Phil was wearing a long, black cape that stretched towards the floor.

Funnily enough, it was pretty stiff for a cape. There was none of the cool flowing he had grown used to seeing, but maybe that was because of the cold.

Anything would freeze out in the open tundra, including capes.

However, his assumption that Phil and Techno were both just cape obsessed fashionistas was quickly proven false when the newcomer’s cape moved. He heard something that sounded like the rustling of leaves on a windy day and watched in awe as the cape seemed to expand and open up, breaking into two separate parts-

Wings.

“You’ve got wings!” The borrower exclaimed, ducking out from behind his hiding spot and pointing at Phil. Both hybrids, assuming Phil was a hybrid of some sort, immediately turned to face him. He was more than used to Techno staring at him, all analytical and like he wanted to figure out everything about the borrower, but Phil was-

Different.

Where Techno’s eyes were cold and hard, Phil’s carried a warmth and softness within them. Even the smile on his face was gentle and, for some reason, helped soothe the lingering anxiety Tommy felt. It was a look he had seen addressed to many children back at Borrowton, but never to him. From that expression alone, he immediately knew one thing.

Phil wouldn’t hurt him.

“Hello there.” The winged hybrid greeted, taking a step closer to the table but still keeping his distance. “Didn’t know someone got a roommate-”

“Infestation.” Techno quickly corrected with a snort. “I didn’t put out an add or anything. Roommates suck.”

“Aw, it’s okay to feel lonely, Tech-”

Tommy watched as the duo started bantering back and forth, Phil continuing to tease Techno while the other hybrid responded in kind with his own barbs and jests. It was weird seeing him be so openly social, and for once in his life he found himself speechless.

That is, until Phil’s eyes landed on him yet again.

He didn’t stiffen up, nor did he try to hide from the winged man’s gaze. He instead held it and waited to see what would happen next, immediately being surprised when Phil sent him that same gentle smile from earlier.

“It’s nice to meet you, mate. I’m Philza, but you can call me Phil.”

“Tommy.” He mumbled, voice barely loud enough to be heard.

He felt so out of his depth in this new situation, everything was moving so fast and he had already possibly befriended someone else? The kind look in the winged hybrid’s eyes certainly made it seem like he cared, which would imply that friendship was not far off, right?

“So, is he joining us?” Phil asked, turning to Techno and in turn missing the confused look that crossed the borrower’s face.

“Joining? What’s going on?” Tommy piped up, his curiosity helping him find his voice. “You two going out somewhere?”

“Phil and I need to make some farms.” Techno explained. “A bee farm and a turtle farm, but we need to gather the resources first. I wasn’t planning on you tagging along, but you can if you don’t bother Phil.”

Asking Tommy to behave was out of the question, he understood how excited the kid could get and in turn how forgetful and unobservant he could become. The bare minimum he could hope for was for Tommy to reign in his excitement just enough to stop him from bugging Phil and distracting him.

Like he expected, Tommy’s eyes lit up in excitement and he eagerly nodded. “Fuck yeah! We headin’ out now? I can go grab my stuff-”

“The sooner you get ready, the better.” Techno interrupted as he shooed him away. “So, scram and get ready.”

As Tommy rushed into the nearby borrower hole that he had thankfully made the day prior, his excited rambling cutting off not long after he disappeared from sight, Techno pointedly ignored the smug look Phil sent his way.

“So, adoption-”

“Eugh, cringe.” Techno immediately interrupted, not wanting the conversation to progress any further. “Taking in an orphan? Providing emotional support? Couldn’t be me.”

“Nice to know what you think of me.” Phil quipped. He let out a laugh when he saw the concerned, almost horrified, look that crossed his adopted son’s face. “Relax! Relax, it’s just a joke, mate.”

His amusement faded and his smile took on a more concerned edge as he looked Techno over, eyes landing on the familiar blood red cape. “You’re more high strung than usual. Did something happen?”

“You mean aside from the nuisance that invaded my home?” Techno dryly retorted. “And I’m…”

Lie, lie, lie-

“... As good as I can be.” He answered, voice growing quieter. A quick inspection of his father had him noticing the dark shadows under Phil’s eyes and how dull his feathers were compared to their typical luster. “You?”

“Eh, I’m holding up.” Phil shrugged. “L’Manberg’s been busy, keeps me busy too.”

The look of disgust and annoyance that crossed Techno’s face got a laugh out of the other man. “You still got something in mind for them, mate?”

“A plan, and some trips to the Nether.”

“Nice, tell me if you need anymore help-”

One of Techno’s ears twitched and he glanced over at the borrower hole, a clear sign that their conversation was finished for now. Together, they both watched as the cover to the hole was moved and Tommy stumbled out of it, a bag now slung over his shoulders.

He looked… relatively unprepared compared to the two armor wearing and weapon carrying hybrids.

“Is that everything you need?” Phil asked, frowning slightly as he took in the simple bag Tommy was carrying. “No tools?”

“... I have my axe? My grappling hook?” The borrower hedged as he picked up a rather shoddy looking stone axe that had been attached to his belt. “Dunno what else I’d really need, old man.”

Already seeing Phil starting to get all concerned parent thanks to the look on his face combined with the fluffing up of his feathers, Techno decided to jump in and spare Tommy from the mother henning that was about to happen.

… He also stubbornly ignored the faint ache of his heart, unintentionally recalling how Wilbur had given Phil that title and teased him relentlessly with it.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got him covered.” He interjected while striding towards the chest at the edge of the room. “Armor’s still a struggle, but I finished something else up.”

“Armor?” Tommy visibly perked up and stared intensely at Techno’s back. “What armor?”

“Your hypothetical armor.”

The borrower’s jaw dropped while Phil looked more than a little interested, stepping forward and glancing at the chest that was being rummaged in. Techno ignored the both of them until he found what he had been searching for.

Straightening up and facing the duo, he presented the item he had been working on. “I was planning on giving this to you later, but now works too.”

It was a needle. A simple needle forged out of some dark metal that looked wickedly sharp to the touch. It was the perfect weapon for someone Tommy’s size, and the borrower carefully accepted it as it was passed to him. He could see his reflection staring back at him in the carefully polished metal.

Why…

“If you stab yourself I’m taking it back.”

“Wh-I won’t!” Tommy shouted, quickly looking up and glaring at Techno. “I know how to use this! We’ve been practicing-”

“And we’ll keep practicing until you stop tripping over your own feet.”

“Fuck off!”

The winged hybrid let out a contemplative hum as he inspected the weapon. “Why not try enchanting it as well? Fire aspect could be helpful.”

“I’m not giving him something that’ll let him burn down my house, Phil.”

“I bet he would’ve done that by now if he really wanted to.” Phil chuckled while shaking his head. “And you know what I mean. A bit of pain won’t scare everyone off, but some fire could help with that.”

The unspoken a needle can’t pierce through all armor and fire might deal more damage.

Techno remained silent as he thought the suggestion over before eventually nodding. “Alright, I’ll look into enchanting it once we get back. We’re far enough behind on those farms and we need to get them finished as soon as possible.”

“How about you go and get those turtle eggs while I take Tommy to find some bees?” Phil suggested, smiling to himself when he saw how excited the borrower looked. “Gives you a break and splits up the work so we can get it done faster.”

“You sure you can keep up in your old age?” Techno teased. “Make sure you don’t hurt your back.”

The wing that lightly smacked his side along with the exaggerated eye rolling made him feel both warm and cold. The familiarity of the gesture bringing back fond memories, and reminding him that those moments would stay memories no matter what.

That there would always be someone missing from their family, even with the husk that had been left behind.

He could see that lingering grief in Phil’s eyes, too, recalling times that had long since passed. An unspoken agreement passed between the duo, a promise that neither would mention the tragedy that had struck their family while Tommy was around.

Their grief was not something they wanted to share, nor did either of them want to dampen the excitement he clearly felt. So, Phil kept smiling as he replied.

“It’s been a bit, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

xxxxxxxxxx

“THIS IS FUCKING AMAZING!!!” Tommy shouted, his voice quickly lost to the wind whipping around him. He heard Phil chuckle above him, and the borrower’s smile grew.

After practically begging the winged hybrid to take him flying, Phil had agreed with some conditions. The first was that Tommy was to be on his best behavior, no trying to jump out of the man’s hands or anything crazy like that. The second was that he couldn’t distract the flying hybrid, but conversations and the occasional excited exclamation was okay. As for the third…

He had to stay warm.

Part of Phil’s cloak had been wrapped around the borrower, blocking out the glacial gale. Gloved hands carefully cupped Tommy close, keeping him tucked against the winged hybrid’s chest. It was surprisingly cozy, and more than once he had zoned out and found himself unintentionally cuddling up to the man carrying him, listening to the steady beating of the powerful wings that made him soar through the air.

He wasn’t as warm as Techno was, but he doubted anyone could match the amount of heat he seemed to give off.

He was more than a little surprised at how quickly he had come to trust Phil, especially in comparison to Techno. While it had taken him some time to warm up to the pig-like hybrid, an experience that he was certain had been mutual, with Phil there had been an almost instantaneous feeling of trust he felt towards the winged hybrid.

It was honestly terrifying when he actually thought about it, how willing he had been to literally put his life in the hands of someone he had met only minutes ago, but at the same time it felt…

Right.

Like a puzzle piece sliding into place, the same feeling he had felt when Techno protected him oh so long ago. It wasn’t something he could explain with words or rationalize in any way. It just… was what it was.

A feeling that left him more hopeful than he had felt in years.

The sensation of descent that left his legs tingling and his stomach flip-flopping was enough to shake Tommy out of his thoughts, and he looked over the edge of Phil’s hands to see the snow covered ground slowly approaching them. A couple careful flaps of those massive wings slowly lowered them until Phil’s feet were resting on the ground.

“We have to do that again!” Tommy said, looking up and sending Phil a wide, excited smile. “It was awesome! And fast! Way faster than I thought an old man would be-”

“Alright, alright, settle down.” The winged hybrid chuckled. “We can’t do that with the bees-”

“Fuck the bees! Them and their queen!”

“But, we can always go flying again later.” Phil continued, fighting to keep down the laugh that bubbled up at Tommy’s words. “Probably not today though. Farms need to be made and all.”

To the borrower’s surprise, instead of being put down on the ground like he assumed, Phil lifted him up to his shoulder. He hesitated for a moment before carefully climbing over and situated himself among the folds of clothes and the side of Phil’s neck.

The man wore layers, and Tommy instinctively wrapped the outermost one around himself, unconsciously letting out a soft sigh as the heat sank back into him. He missed how the wing behind him was raised up higher, blocking out more of the brisk winds.

Phil knew he’d get a cramp at some point, but the last thing he wanted was for the tiny kid to freeze. His clothes weren’t made for the cold, something he’d have to look into later, and it was obvious Tommy had lived somewhere much warmer before ending up in Techno’s cabin.

Yet again, the man found himself wondering what events had led to Tommy winding up in the tundra. Had he gotten lost? Been separated from his family somehow? He didn’t know how much Techno knew about the kid’s situation, and resolved to ask about it once they got back.

Fortunately, it didn’t take all that long before they stumbled on some bees that had been buzzing around in the near empty tundra as they struggled to find flowers. The occasional hive could be spotted between the spruce trees as well, making this the perfect spot to abduct some bees.

The next several minutes were filled with the sounds of cheerful conversation as Phil slowly gathered up the bees and collected their hives. Tommy spent most of his time asking the hybrid about his wings and flying, while the borrower answered several questions about his own people. The answers were never too detailed, of course, just generalized explanations that wouldn’t risk exposing the location of Borrowton.

Despite the conversation bordering on some rather heavy topics, such as Tommy’s obvious lack of home and the fact that he had never heard about hybrids before, weird since he had met two before he had encountered any humans, they were able to steer it away from any risky questions.

In no way did Tommy wish to discuss the pain he had endured back in Borrowton, nor did Phil want to go into the injustices and discrimination that hybrids faced on a daily basis. Both topics were better suited for conversations much later down the line.

Unfortunately, even with his efforts to avoid talking and thinking about his old home, and the best friend he had left behind, the subject reared its ugly head eventually.

Caused by none other than a bee, of course.

It had been an especially curious bee out of the bunch they had gathered so far that spotted the borrower tucked away under a layer of green fabric. His hair had probably caught its attention, the bright blond extra visible thanks to the green surrounding him. Tommy laughed as the bee drifted closer, nearly bumping into him as it tried to inspect him. It was so large, and absolutely covered in fuzz. There had always been something about seeing bees that never failed to cheer Tubbo up-

Tubbo...

A sharp, agonized noise escaped him. Guilt surged through him as he slowly leaned away from the bee, scooting backwards and taking shelter behind Phil’s neck. He felt the man stiffen up before shooing the bee away.

“Tommy, you alright?” Phil asked, voice quiet so he didn’t accidentally upset the borrower further. “Did something happen? Did you get stung?”

“... No, it’s fine.” Tommy replied, pressing the fabric wrapped around him to his face. He could feel the chill that the tears slowly streaming down his cheeks brought on, but he refused to acknowledge them. “M’fine.”

Sensing the sudden melancholy that had taken over the borrower, the winged hybrid decided it was time to leave the snowy tundra. Carefully holding the leads in his hand, he trudged through the snow as the bees buzzed around them. “Let’s get back to Techno and see how many turtles he’s got left.”

“Got left?” Tommy repeated, mood slightly lifting at the change in topic. “You mean hatched?”

“Not exactly, mate. You’ll see what I mean when we get back.” Phil said while gently smiling at him. It was a smile that was shakily returned with one of Tommy’s own before fading a moment later.

The trip back was far more silent than the flight had been with the borrower making no jokes, nor commenting on their surroundings, and Phil not pressing and asking what was wrong. At least he didn’t have to worry about being interrogated and being forced to explain his feelings.

Explain Tubbo…

Returning to the cabin and finding Technoblade patrolling the perimeter of the turtle farm was enough to make that smile return to Tommy’s face and, when the hybrid started freaking out after the tiny turtle disappeared in a pile of snow, the laughter he let out was almost enough to make him forget about the ache in his chest.

Almost enough to distract him from the feelings of guilt that would haunt him for the rest of the day.

Tubbo.

I’ll come get you soon.

I promise.

xxxxxxxxxx

“This should be the place.” Tubbo quietly mumbled to himself, carefully hidden from sight. So far, he had barely been able to explore much of the expansive… town? City?

Whatever this place was, with all its structures made out of strange materials, it was massive, incomprehensibly large, and it made him worry all the more about how hard it would be to find Tommy in this mess of a place. To make matters worse, multiple times he had been forced to hide as people made their way across the paths.

All heavily armored and carrying shields, swords, bows, or axes.

This place was dangerous, very dangerous, and the sooner he found Tommy and got out of here, the better. The risk of being found was way too high, and what would happen to them after they were found-

No, he wouldn’t think of such things. Wouldn’t dare to think about the fact that Tommy could be dead, dying all alone-

Despite his efforts, such thoughts consumed his waking mind and permeated his subconscious. Ever since Tommy had first been forced out of Borrowton, Tubbo had not slept. Sure, he napped occasionally, but every time he shut his eyes he could not stop himself from imagining what could happen to Tommy when he was out there, all alone. It ate at him, even when he was awake, and left him far less mindful of his surroundings than he normally was.

As such, he was completely unaware of the figure looming over him until it was too late. Distantly, he noticed something blocking out the sun, a shadow falling over him, and it took him a moment to realize that the shadow was not shaped like a cloud-

He whirled around, terror filling him as he saw a pair of grey hands reaching for him, sunlight somehow streaming through them and making them seem… ghostly, as if they were not really there. He quickly stepped backwards, tripping over his own feet, and dropped to the ground. He cringed as pain raced up his wrists from his hands making impact with the ground, but he ignored it and scuttled backwards.

Unfortunately, he was far too slow to escape or find any sort of shelter to escape the towering being that had cornered him. Just as those hands closed in around him, he heard a cheerful voice ring out above him.

“Hello, friend!”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Did Phil end up spending an unfortunately short amount of time with Tommy? Yes, but that's fine. He'll be spending plenty of time with another borrower in need of emotional support!

#my story #fanfiction #dream smp #dream smp fic #sleepy bois inc #sleepy bois inc fic #borrower au #dsmp tommy #dsmp tubbo #dsmp techno #dsmp philza #dsmp ghostbur #borrower!tommy #borrower!tubbo

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thinkingaboutyoungroyals · 4 years ago

Text

Falling For You But You Are Worlds Away: Chapter 4

AO3

Three months passed. The winter snow melted and made way for spring showers.

Simon was proud to say that he had managed to adjust to life in New York fairly well.

The first month was difficult, there was no doubt about that. He was constantly sad and missed his mother, Sara, Ayub, Rosh, and… Wilhelm. He mostly stayed home unless Ana or Tia Elena would drag him out. He hated the subway and how loud and tight it was. And he rarely talked to anyone at school unless he really had to and mostly stuck to Ana’s side during lunch and GSA meetings.

But, eventually, he got used to all of it.

His homesickness was often abated by speaking to his mother every week and messaging Sara, Ayub, and Rosh on Instagram almost everyday.

“How are you, mi amor?” his mother would ask.

“I’m fine, Mama,” he would reply.

“How’s school?” she would follow up.

And, then, Simon would tell her about his day, what he and his new friends have been up to, and toss something in about how much the subway sucks.

“Spoken like a true New Yorker,” Ana said when she heard him.

Simon also made a new Instagram so he could post photos of his adventures in New York (he had to abandon the old one – there were too many creeps sliding in his DMs and many of them made him sick to his stomach). After much urging from Ana, he finally joined the school’s Glee Club and met some nice people he could hang out with. And he and Darren from GSA had become very good friends.

It was obvious from the get-go that Darren had the biggest crush on Dominic, the GSA president, and was always flirting and trying to get the older boy to go out with him. Dominic always refused, stating school as the priority over dating. It never deterred Darren, though, as he kept trying. Simon both admired his persistence and found him kind of idiotic for going after someone who didn’t want to go out with him.

(“All in the name of love, baby,” Darren said in response to Simon’s blunt observation.)

And, speaking of dating, Simon was pretty proud of himself for actually managing to go on a date. Even though he said he wasn’t looking to date, at first, he found himself wanting to give it a shot. So, he said “yes” to the one boy from Glee Club who asked him out. He was nice and had a beautiful singing voice. It didn’t really go anywhere, though. Simon partly blamed it on the fact that the boy wasn’t really his type and partly because he really wasn’t over Wilhelm, yet.

But, it was progress… right?

And, today, he was making one more step towards it.

“I think you’re next,” piped Ana from the seat beside him. “You sure you want to do this?”

Simon swallowed the lump in his throat. “Y-Yeah,” he managed, a little nervous. “You said this will help.”

His cousin bit her lip and shrugged. “I mean, it’s a superstition… belief… thing. I don’t know if it works but people say it does.”

“No harm in trying.” Simon fiddled with the sleeves of his sweater. “Besides, it’s getting long anyway.”

“Hi,” said the kind-looking Asian woman. “It's your turn.”

Simon nodded as he stood up. He followed her until they reached an empty chair, which she swung towards him. He sat and she whirled it around to face the mirror.

“What would you like?” she asked as she fastened a long black cape over his body.

“Um… can you cut about… three inches?”

Her eyes widened. “Really? You have nice curly hair. Prettiest I’ve seen.”

He blushed. “Thanks. But, um, yes, just cut it, please.”

The hairdresser looked a little sad at the prospect of cutting Simon’s hair but she nodded and prepared her tools.

Simon took one last look at his hair – his curly mess of a hair that Wilhelm loved to playfully tug and run his fingers through.

It will be gone soon. And, maybe, along with it, his feelings for the Crown Prince of Sweden.

..........

Wilhelm was making no progress in moving on. Maybe because he didn’t really want to move on.

He had been regularly meeting with the school therapist. It helped his anxiety a little but it wasn’t like he could really talk about missing Simon, regretting his decisions, and how he wished (for the thousandth time) that he wasn’t a prince.

But, if there was anything he learned from being royal was that if you wanted something done, efficiently, you can either delegate or do it yourself. And since he could not delegate his search for Simon to others, he would do it himself.

The smell of hay and horses greeted Wilhelm as soon as he stepped into the stables. It didn’t bother him, he liked horses. They were nicer than people so he understood why Sara liked them so much.

One black horse tapped Wilhelm’s head as he passed and Wilhelm paused to rub its nose. The horse snorted, making Wilhelm chuckle before going on his way.

As expected, he found Sara in Rousseau’s stall, happily brushing him as she made small talk.

Wilhelm paused, unsure about continuing. She was still angry with him and he couldn’t blame her. But, three months had passed and he was desperate. He would face her wrath if it meant he could finally know where Simon was.

Clearing his throat, he stepped closer.

Sara turned her head and as soon as she saw him, her smile disappeared and her eyes narrowed.

“What are you doing her, Prince?” she practically hissed.

Wilhelm bit his lip. “I just… want to talk to you.”

Sara turned back to Rousseau. “I’m not telling you where my brother is.”

“Sara, please.”

She put away the brushes before turning to him. “Why should I do that for you?”

Wilhelm bit his lip, stumped. Sara’s gaze was piercing on him and if looks could kill, he had no doubt he was a goner.

“You’re not… doing it for me. Not really.”

She quirked an eyebrow.

Wilhelm took a deep breath and released a sigh. “I made a mistake,” he confessed. “What I did to Simon… it’s unforgivable. I shouldn’t have left him alone. I should have… done something different. But, it’s done and there’s nothing I can do anymore. That’s why I need to talk to him again. I need to make it up to him. I just… Sara, I just…” He bit his lip again. “I miss him… I miss, Simon. And, I know I don’t deserve him. But, I miss him.”

Sara continued to stare at him, her face unreadable. She wasn’t budging.

Wilhelm swallowed, not really wanting to resort to what he ended up saying next.

“And... You owe him… and me.”

Sara blinked. “What are you talking about?”

Wilhelm took another deep breath to strengthen his resolve. “I know that you knew that August leaked the video.”

He watched as her expression finally changed – from indifference to shock.

“He promised to help you apply for a grant but he didn’t. So, you told Felice what he did and she didn’t speak to you for a week. I know because she told me but begged me not to do anything. She cares about you. And I wouldn’t have anyway because you’re Simon’s sister and he loves you.”

It was Felice who helped Sara get the grant, gave her recommendations and everything.

“But, you never told Simon any of this. So, yes, you owe him and you owe me.”

She glared at him. “I don’t like you.”

“I know.” Wilhelm took a tentative step closer. “Please, Sara. I need to talk to him.”

She sighed. “Mama will be angry with me.”

“I won’t tell her that you told me.”

Sara pursed her lips as she looked at him, as if examining him for more lies. Then, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again to catch his gaze.

“Just so you know, I’m just telling you so that you’d leave me alone. And don’t you dare tell Simon about me and August. I… I’ll tell him, myself. Just not right now because he’s not here and I don’t want him to be angry with me while he’s so far away.”

Wilhelm held his breath, his heart beating as he waited in anticipation.

“He’s in New York. We have an aunt there. He’s living with her.”

New York. Simon was in New York. That was only eight hours away by plane. The Royal family had a private jet. Could he get away with borrowing it and leaving for a weekend? Surely, it wouldn’t hurt to just pop in, right? He could come up with some excuse to his mother. Hell, maybe she didn’t even have to know!

“Wilhelm.”

His mental plans were disrupted by Sara’s firm voice. He looked at her as she frowned at him.

“I know what you’re thinking. And you shouldn’t. Simon is okay there. He has friends. And he likes New York.”

The hope in Wilhelm began to wither.

“It’s not forever, you know,” said Sara. “He’ll be back.”

Wilhelm swallowed, fingers digging into his palm. “Does he hate me?”

To his surprise, Sara chuckled and shook her head. “I don’t think there’s anything you can do to make Simon hate you.” She stepped up to him and awkwardly patted his arm. “You don’t have to worry about that. Just… let him be, for now, okay?”

Wilhelm nodded. “Okay. Thank… Thank you, Sara. Thank you.”

She offered him a small smile. “Anything else?”

He shook his head then looked at Rousseau. “Need help?”

Her eyes widened at that. “A prince? Helping at the stables?”

He shrugged and walked over to Rousseau. “I know how to ride and I’ve helped take care of horses before.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, suspicious, before shrugging. She picked up the brush again and tossed it at him.

“Then, get to work, Prince.”

Wilhelm smiled. He and Sara barely talked before, even when he and Simon were… together. He felt a little awkward around her, sometimes. But, maybe they could be friends. After all, they were both missing Simon. That was one thing they had in common.

“I still don’t like you, though,” she said.

One step at a time.

........

Wilhelm kept his promise to Sara and resisted getting on his private plane and taking off for New York.

He lasted until June.

And, it wasn’t his fault, really.

He heard Madison and Felice talking about the latter visiting her in New York during workies.

So, Wilhelm had leaned over and asked, “Can I join you?”

Maddie blinked in confusion. “What?”

“Can I join you in New York?”

Maddie's brows furrowed. “Um… sure. But, why, though?”

Wilhelm grinned. “Simon is there. And I want to see him.”

#young royals #simon x wilhelm

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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years ago

Text

Survey #413

“i figured it out: the bigger the river, the bigger the drought”

When was the last time you felt like “getting into someone’s pants”? Years ago. What is your favorite energy drink, if you have a favorite at all? I don't enjoy energy drinks. Would you have kids with the last person you kissed? Neither of us want kids, so obviously no. Do you know someone who threatens to kill themselves? No. Would you ever completely dye your hair the color green? Noooo, that would look so awful on me. Have you ever been in a long-distance relationship before? Yep. What is your favorite food to eat around Christmas? Chocolate-covered peanuts. I have warm memories tied to snacking on those at a lights show one year. Do the people in your town speak like rednecks? Oh yeah. When was the last time you cried happy tears? I couldn't possibly tell you. How liberal are you? Considerably, but I'm not incredibly far into the spectrum, but I become more liberal as time goes on, I've found. Would you mind living near large predatory animals? Not really. So long as they're not coming into my house or anything. Have you ever experienced altitude sickness? No. Just ears popping. What’s your biggest priority right now? Reach a mental state where I can handle a job. If you’ve stayed overnight in a hospital, how did you entertain yourself? A loooot of reading... Are your hands unsteady? Very. I have bad tremors in my hands. Do you listen to a lot of mainstream music? Not at all. Do you think you’re pretty? No. Have you ever added someone you don’t know on Facebook? It's funny, the one instance where that's happened was with Jason, because I mistook him for a Jason I actually knew of and wanted to be friends with. I have friends on there I haven't met in person, I say I "know" them. Do you have dirty pictures in your phone? No. Have you ever looked up porn on the internet? No; I just don't get the appeal. Would you ever shoot someone right in the face? In a case of self-defense where I was clearly trying to be killed, that's right where I would aim. But otherwise, of course I wouldn't. Have you ever sold drugs? No. I'd prefer to stay outta jail. Did you ever try cutting yourself? Yes, and it does nothing but make the situation worse. Who’s the last guy you texted? My dad. Who do you know that wears the most make up? Probably my friend Summer, but I mean, she is a cosmetologist. Do any of your friends have kids? Lots do. Have you ever been tied up? No. How many times have you been cussed out? One. Are you anyone’s first love? I think. Have you ever had an out-of-body experience? No. Do you have more than one personality? No. Do you prefer gory horror films or the psychological ones? Psychological. Do you have a favorite YouTuber or do you not watch much YouTube? I survive off of YouTube, and Markiplier is *obviously* my favorite. Are you a good dancer? Even when I WAS a dancer, I don't think I was great, except in clogging. If you could find one long-lost friend of the past, who would it be? Megan. Was your sixth grade teacher a man or a woman? I had multiple instructors for different subjects. Have you ever had any teeth pulled? No. Do you wash your hair or your body first when taking a shower? Hair. Have you ever been to a nursing home? Yes. Have you ever lived in a house that has been broken into? No, but the Bloods gang tried to while my sister and her best friend were home alone in my childhood home. Thank the fucking Lord they couldn't manage. They just left a flag at our doorstep. If I remember the timeline correctly, that was the final straw for us moving. Is there someone in your life you don’t want in it? No. How many different people of the opposite sex have you cried over? Just one, in the romantic sense. I've cried over my dad when he left us too, though. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? Sara. Has anyone ever told you they were in love with you? Yes. Pretending to “never get the text” from someone who annoys you. Is that you? I've done it before, but I really don't get texts from anyone who annoys me. If your ex came up to you and asked you to take them back, what would you say? I know I say I shouldn't be in a relationship right now, but I know I still would with one, and if it was Jason, he'd have a LOT of proving himself to do before I take him back. Do you prefer boys to shave down there? I prefer men to do whatever the hell they want with their own bodies to feel comfortable and at home in it. How much does your mother know about your sex life (or lack thereof)? Not a lot, because I find the subject extremely uncomfortable to talk about. She knows my "idk if I'm *actually* a virgin" crisis I had, because I was so upset with not knowing and wanted her opinion, but that's just about it. Do you enjoy watching cooking shows? I mean I don't hate them, but I don't really watch TV. Do you worry about gaining weight? I'm terrified of the idea I might keep gaining weight. Have you ever seen the movie A Walk to Remember? Cliche or worth watching? Yes, and I think it's a wonderful movie. The book was excellent, too. What’s one event your town has that you don’t like to participate in? I don't participate in any event my town has organized. Are any of your siblings married? What are their spouses' names? There's Josh, Franky, and Nick. Do you like being home alone or does it freak you out? I like it for a while. I eventually get lonely, though. Did you lose friends when you started dating someone? No. Did you leave milk and cookies for Santa when you were little? Yeah. To who did you last give the finger to? Some driver being fucking stupid. Do you talk in your sleep? A lot. Do you have a good relationship with your parents? Yes. Have you ever been a featured member on any website? Yeah, a SH fansite. Do you feel that your previous relationships were a waste of time? Only one was. Do you prefer hot chocolate with or without marshmallows? Without. Which do you like better: Regular cakes or cookie cakes? Regular, for sure. I mean I like cookie cakes, they're just... kinda boring as "cakes." Have you ever been hit by the opposite sex? No. If your significant other cheated on you, would you take them back? Nnnnnope. What was the last song you listened to? A slowed version of "Daddy" by PSY. Shut up. What do you look for most in a friendship? I guess the #1 trait would be... uhhh... supportive, maybe. There's obviously much more to a good friendship than just that, though. If the Internet never existed, what do you think you'd be doing now? Reading. I think I'd be a much more avid reader without the Internet. Have you tried something new at a restaurant lately? No. If your skin could be any color of your choice, which would it be? Ugh, I'd love to have like, porcelain skin that has like no flaws to it. Do you know any German words? A decent amount, seeing as I took four semesters of the language. Vegetables: Better raw or cooked? Uhhh idk. I don't like enough vegetables. What is the cutest animal? Maybe I'm biased, but meerkats. Would you mind dating someone significantly shorter than you? No, and the idea that some people have actual cut-offs for how short their partner can be disgusts me. Who the fuck cares how tall someone is. It's not like they have any say WHATSOEVER in it. Have you ever swam in the Atlantic Ocean? Yes. The Pacific? No. Can you make yourself cry? No. Have you ever held a starfish? I know I haven't held a live one. Have you ever been ghosted before? No. Did you ever play Imvu? No. Did you ever get caught watching porn? No, considering I've never watched it. What's the worst feeling in the world? Heartbreak. Not being good enough to someone whose opinion you deeply cherish. What's the BEST feeling? Love bringing people together, hence why I love things like Pride parades and such. As well as when you accomplish something you've really worked hard for. Do you think weed culture is annoying? Some people can definitely take it too far to where it's like the only thing that matters to them. People who say weed isn't addicting have NOT met the people I know. I'm not against use of marijuana, but goddamn, a drug should not be your entire world. Have you ever stayed in a relationship even though you didn't love that person? No. If I'm not into you, I'm out. Do you ever listen to "lo-fi hip hop" on YouTube? No. What's the worst prank someone has ever done to you? I've never had a real prank pulled on me. What color hair did your first crush have? Brown. What type of shoes do you find the most comfortable? Nice sneakers. I really only wear flip flops, though. Do you know a lot of people who have the same middle name as you? Yes, considering it's ridiculously common. Do you like your middle name? I mean it's pretty, but waaaaay too unoriginal. Would you ever audition for American Idol? Nope. Have you ever visited your state's capitol building? No. Have you ever visited your nation's capitol building? No. Have you ever felt an earthquake? No. Have you made any huge mistakes? Yeah. Do you believe anyone is asexual? Um, yes???? Do you do all the chores yourself? No.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''my name is human'' by highly suspect

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lgcyonghwa · 5 years ago

Text

happy anniversary!

warning: this post is LONG AF! next year i am so not gonna do this - will make a graphic or something instead - because i legit typed for hours. don’t feel obligated to read the whole thing - feel free to scroll down to the sections where you are mentioned.

holy ravioli, i can’t believe legacy is turning one! the last year was chaotic for me real life wise and legacy provided a great place to escape and enjoy writing with my friends. i chatted with so many of you wonderful people and have no doubt i’ll be missing some on this list. if i happen to skip you by accident, just know i love you anyway.

both of my muses went through a lot. yonghwa i’ve had since the very beginning and his journey did turn out differently than i expected. i created him to be perfect on the outside, slowly rotting on the inside. he has a lot of insecurities that he refuse to acknowledge and a crippling greed for money...to the point i legit created a list of free stuff available at legacy and still track his earning. he ended up not deteriorating horribly as i expected due to having an overwhelmingly strong support system. dang it, y’all, i wanted to fuck up my character.

as for daehyung, he’s proven to be the ticking time bomb comedic relief asshole that everyone can’t help but respect for not having his ass kicked out of the company already love - he’ll continue to be a pest and harass people that he find fancy in. career wise, i am surprised he is doing so well despite hating the world and most of the people in it. guess deep down inside he actually cares about acting and finds joy in it. one day, hopefully, he’ll be singing his own ost.

i would like to thank our cute sara, who played yonghwa’s brother @lgcyoon and currently plays @lgcseojin and @lgchana~ sara was one of the first people i plotted with at legacy and i really enjoyed the friendship between seojin & yonghwa. seojin was an adorable tsundere pupper and yonghwa is over-affectionate and secretly appreciated. they had their ups and downs and in season 2 of the future dreams, that really came out. i am glad they were able to work through their issues and i think that is why their friendship feels so believable to him. seojin also had a part in daehyung’s life...can we get that communal shower yet, buddy? yoon, though you are too busy to play him now, will always be yonghwa’s doting older brother. i don’t think i’ll put up that wanted connection again because yoon is so perfect and yonghwa already latched onto him with both legs and arms.

second up, i gotta thank my girl gabby for always being there. @lgcparkdohyun and yonghwa’s brotherly bond is incredibly strong and in fact, one of my best plots to date. we’ve essentially plotted them out from diaper days and they are as close as two guys could be without screwing each other, really. we’ve also been here since the beginning together and high fives man, our boys technically both made it.

@lgcxcharlie is yonghwa’s supportive girlfriend and she is so adorable. a much needed ray of light in his life. funny thing is that they met a long time ago, via bread. did charlie know that she’ll end up getting a boyfriend out of her kind bread donation? see, this is what happens when you feed a hungry cat - he’ll keep following you for more. now you are just going to have to keep him~

for my beloved rose who plays @lgcjude, @lgcjina and @lgcwon, i love youuu. with them on tour together and sharing a room, i hope jude is not annoyed yet by the fact yonghwa keeps on climbing into his bed. as for jina - hello, fellow season one winner, high fives. they might have to keep some distance due to opposite gender, but at least they’ll always have that respect for each other. now won, sorry, the devil is never letting you gooooooo. he’ll continue to harass you for years to come.

@lgcseolmi + @lgcichika & @lgckit - my typo queen nam~ we haven’t known each other for very long but damn did you rise quickly on my favoritism list. i love you lots, even though you are a dork who can’t spell anything right! :3c we’ve threaded already with the girls and now i am waiting for the new baby boy!

my al is the best person for cat gifs ever. every so often, i’d get a cute gif and feel my happiness grow. in fact, like we talked before, you send me so many cat pics that i believe you are a cat and will treat you like one. pet pet pet pet! @lgcinsoo and @lgcyue are both great babies, but you know i have bias towards our insoo. he is such a kind, loving puppy and both of my characters appreciate him. one more obviously than the other.

em, how the hell do you post so fast even though you got three characters? also, how on the earth have we managed to talk so long without doing a single thread together? oh wait, shoot, it is me isn’t it? @lgcaaron is still waiting on his starter and my ass typed this long af thank you note instead of that hohoho-

i still have so many boys i want to interact with for the project origin group but those i’ve already had a chance to thread with, i’ve all loved. our @lgcxpv is a wild child but so precious in yonghwa’s eyes. we’ll always have their shower scene to reflect back on. also, your precious max is one of dae’s only semi-acknowledged friends. our @lgcxhaneul is the sweet mandu that will keep on getting squished by his loving hyung. we love @lgcseul who deserves all the hugs and @lgcminjun, who will definitely become one of yonghwa’s favorites. @lgcjiho & @lgcharu are both soft cute boys that i am still planning on hitting up more.

though we’ve only had one thread, i strangely really enjoyed the interaction between yonghwa and @lgceunho. i feel like they still have more to explore and hopefully will find themselves together in a future event!

also jia, we’ve been around since the very beginning too. i miss writing together. @lgchyunjin should come and love on yonghwa more. ; v ; we are the early day boys ya knowwwww. i enjoyed chatting with you on twitter, can always count on you to be around liking people’s posts to show support.

lately, i’ve also gotten to plot with @lgcsubin, who is a sensitive boy with depth. i love his character and i hope to write more with you, nic! also, thanks for being around and asking what’s wrong whenever people are upset. i think it is so precious.

stef, i am so glad you joined legacy and see, it is fun, right? daehyung will continue to bully @lgcxjunghwan but he does it in an affectionate way, alright? love to lulu ( @lgcminseok) & simone (@lgctee) for always being there to chat about stuff~

jen, thanks for teaching me how to gif. i’ve enjoyed our chats via discord and we should do it again sometimes KEKEKEKEKE @lgcxjinah and @lgcxjongsuk both have their places on my character’s heart - i love them both!

here, i just want to acknowledge some of the people that dropped but still had a huge impact on yonghwa’s life. i don’t know how many of y’all will remember them, but back in the day, yonghwa had a best friend called kiyoung and a crush on yujin. when those two dropped at the same time, oh, that was a huge blow. thank them both for being a part of his life. also, jane was a heavy loss for me because i adore her quirkiness. bobby come back, you can blame it all on me.

lastly, i want to thank all of the mods for their hard working maintaining the rp! thanks so much, legacy wouldn’t be fun without you!

for the head admins, i have a few extra blurbs because we’ve been together for a whole year. for our admin l, you’ve worked hard. it is not easy to run events and i feel like i’ve definitely pushed you with some difficult questions before. i am glad we are friends and get to chat often about random tidbits. i am also happy you are taking time for yourself and taking care of real life concerns. your wellness is always the priority! character wise, i have a feeling @lgcmiso and daehyung will actually get along well~

marie because i can’t even remember what is your official admin letter OTL i just remember you as the mother of merlin and writer of @lgcxking. it is not like i don’t like jin, but that king is the one i had the most threads with. i really love yonghwa and king interaction because in a place where everyone must be civil and friendly, their hate for each other is so damn refreshing. i still think five years from now on they’ll be friends, but not before trying to claw out each other’s eyeballs first over their smutty fanfics. sorry for keep harassing hyuncheol and calling him papi, please continue to feed me merlin content. he is the best boy.

FINALLY admin g our grace you are so awesome. i can always count on you to hear me bitch for the two minutes before my angy fade and for last minute cramming. on the week before date lottery is due and i am wailing pathetically for my points, grace is always here to pull through! @lgchanbyul and yonghwa as on screen couple is actually pretty adorbs. also @lgcjaesun, thanks for dealing with daehyung as a dorm mate. the devil is gone now but his influence will always be there

i have so many more people i want to mention but only so much time. just know i appreciate everyone. thanks for a great year, hopefully there’ll be many more!

#tried my best #did not tag everyone by all of their characters #i love everyone and happy 1 yr #lgc:anniversary

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crackimagines · 5 years ago

Note

I see that you also do Trails of Cold Steel, so I raise you this: Class VII meeting the cast of Fire Emblem: Three Houses

TOCS AU Masterlist Here

-----

Byleth and

Sara Valestein

(Byleth) “Name’s Byleth. I’m an instructor for Garreg Mach Monastery’s Officer Academy. Former merc.”

(Sara) “Well, well! Sara Valestein, instructor for Class VII of Thor’s Military Academy. Former Jaeger, or in your terms, former merc.”

(Byleth) “Hm. It seems we have a lot in common. You at least look like you can actually teach your class well, this Academy happily threw me into the deep end.”

(Sara) “Hah, that’s the only compliment I’ve ever gotten for teaching! My students just tell me I barely teach and I drink too much!”

(Byleth) “…Why are most of the female instructors I know alcoholics?”

(Sara) “Cause it tastes good! Plus there’s nothing like trying to teach the class on hangover!”

(Byleth) “…”

Ingrid, Annette, Ashe and

Elliot Craig, Fie Claussell, Laura S. Arseid

(Elliot) “Hey, my name’s Elliot! I hope we get along!”

(Fie) “Hey. I’m Fie.”

(Laura) “My name is Laura. It is a pleasure.”

(Ashe) “I’m Ashe, I hope we do as well, Elliot!”

(Annette) “Omigosh, you look so cute! I’m Annette!”

(Ingrid) “Ingrid. I must say you look quite powerful Laura! I would love to train with you, I’ve never seen someone use a sword that large before!”

(Laura) “It’s been a while since I’ve seen another girl take training as serious as I do, I’d love to train with you.”

(Annette) “You know Fie, you look too cute to not use makeup to your advantage! You’d be the talk of the school!”

(Fie) “I’m not really one to care for that kinda stuff. I like it simple, keeps it more efficient-”

(Annette) “But it’s so much fun!”

(Fie) “…Alright, I’ll put it this way, girl stuff isn’t my stuff. I grew up with mercs.”

(Annette) “That’s no excuse!”

(Fie) sigh

(Elliot) “I appreciate you being so friendly, Ashe. I have to admit, I was quite nervous when we first arrived here!”

(Ashe) “Of course! We won’t get new students if we’re all elitist about it. Plus, you seem like a nice enough person.”

(Elliot) “Hah, thanks! You as well! In fact, people have been comparing us. I’m…not sure why though.”

(Ashe) “I know right? I can’t put my finger on it…”

Lorenz, Leonie and

Machias Regnitz, Jusis Albarea

(Lorenz) “Ah, Jusis! I’ve heard from others that you come from a prestigious noble presence in your world! Would you care to dine from someone of the same presence of the Gol-”

(Leonie) “In short, that’s Lorenz, pretty chatty about his noble upbringing. I’m Leonie, good to meet you guys!”

(Lorenz) “What the?! HOW DARE YOU! A commoner should not care about these sorts of things to interrupt so rudely!”

(Machias) “Tch, no matter where ya go you manage to attract these guys like damn flies. It’s getting annoying.”

(Jusis) “For once, I agree.”

(Machias) “Did I ask you to?”

(Jusis) “Oh, can it. I don’t want to deal with this right now-”

(Machias) “How about YOU stop attracting these sortsa arrogant assholes!”

(Jusis) “What, so you’re blaming this on me?!”

(Leonie) “Sheesh, this is a lovely crowd, huh?”

Dorothea, Caspar, Petra and

Gaius Worzel, Alisa Reinford, Emma Milstein

(Dorothea) “Well now, aren’t you two pretty gals! And you’re not so bad looking yourself, Gaius!”

(Emma) “O-Oh dear. I think we have another Angie…”

(Caspar) “Scuse our rude friend here! That’s Dorothea, I’m Caspar, and that’s Petra!”

(Petra) “It is good to have….BE meeting you!”

(Alissa) “I’m Alissa.”

(Emma) “Emma, it’s good to meet you too!”

(Gaius) “Name’s Gaius, pleasure to meet all of you.”

(Petra) “Am I correct in the assuming of you are not from the other’s homes?”

(Gaius) “Yeah, I’m from the Nordic Highlands, another part of the country than the rest of my classmates. I’m assuming same thing goes for you?”

(Petra) “Correct. I am foreign as are you.”

(Gaius) “Glad to know someone else is in the same boat. That being said, their culture’s quite fascinating to learn, and they’re good people too.”

(Petra) “I can be saying the same of my class as well!”

(Caspar) “You free? You guys look like you can put up a good fight!”

(Alissa) “You sound like Laura. Well, I’m very good with a bow and-”

(Caspar) “Ah, a ranged user! So you’re a coward!”

(Alissa) “EXCUSE ME!? I ought to beat the sense into you to see who’s the REAL coward!”

(Emma) “Y-Yes, Dorothea?”

(Dorothea) “So, are you free? I’d love to sit down for a cup of tea!”

(Emma) “Oh, sure! I don’t min-…Oh dear, what did I agree to-”

(Dorothea) “A wonderful time, my dear!”

Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude and

Rean Schwarzer

(Claude) “So, you the rep of Class VII?”

(Rean) “Unofficially, but yes. I’m Rean, it’s a pleasure.”

(Claude) “Man, why do all of you guys have to be so stiff as house leaders?”

(Dimitri) “Because we’re all not as carefree as you, you know.”

(Edelgard) “Unlike you, I’m sure Rean has responsibilities.”

(Rean) “You’re being too kind. My instructor just kinda…throws it onto me honestly.”

(Claude) “Comes with the territory. All work and no play makes you a dull guy, ya know?”

(Rean) “Heh, I think you and Crow would get along fine. It seems like work isn’t on your list of priorities, but I bet you’re secretly a hard worker!”

(Edelgard) “I wish that were the case…”

(Dimitri) “Indeed…”

(Rean) “Yikes.”

(Claude) “Wow, way to hurt deep guys.”

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spampistefania · 5 years ago

Photo

stefania spampinato x sottovoce interview (part two)

I – We are here with the actress of The world’s most beautiful day. Who is your inspiration? An Italian actress or a foreign one?

S – Italian actresses... I love Monica Vitta, Anna Magnani. They bring so many emotions to me. A natural beauty. Recent foreign actresses, I really like Emma Stone and then obviously Meryl Streep.

I – And actors?

S – Leonardo Di Caprio, I think he is one of the best of our generation. Also Marlon Brando.

I – Let’s see some photos!

S – Colorful. I had fun, because when I was a kid I hated that they took photos of me. So I always cried. Here I had just stopped crying and I didn’t want to take the photo. It makes me laugh that I choose to do something where I need to be in front of cameras.

I – Another one...

S – This is mamma Lorenza, when she came to LA. We made an amazing trip, New York, LA, Las Vegas. She was there for 3 weeks.

I – What do you think about death? I mean, you had to deal with your mother’s death. Are you scared of death?

S – Yes...

I – Do you think about it?

S – Yes, I think about it and I hope that’s just the body that leaves. I hope someway the soul will stay there.

I – Another photo.

S – This is my first job in London. My first show as a dancer. London was an amazing experience. This is Jeff. I have a dog and her name is Jeff. This was my first job in India. He is a Bollywood actor whose name is Hrithik Roshan, and he is famous because he has 3 thumbs and it’s considered as a super special thing, a lucky thing.

I – Another one.

S – This is from when I did the audition to when the news came out, 2 weeks had passed and I didn’t talk to anyone, because I was scared to spoil it but I didn’t want to lie to my family and friends, so I didn’t talk to anyone until it was official.

S – This was from another trip in India. I have been in India 6 times. I really love that country.

S – This is a thing I do on Instagram and it’s called “100 ways to save the planet” and I talk about changing from plastic toothbrush to bamboo toothbrush.

S – This is another trip in Thailand, I took the rock climbing license and while I was climbing I took a photo.

S – This is one of the backstage photos of Alessandro Siani’s movie, with the kids Leone Riva e Sara Ciocca. He is 4yrs old. 3 unforgettable months.

I – What is your relationship with photos?

S – Not really good, I don’t really like them. I didn’t want to take them when I was a kid.

I – Why?

S – There is this friend who says that every photo steals from you soul. If you take lots of photos of yourself it’s not good. You see yourself always differently.

I – So you would never do a calendar?

S – Never say never. But it’s not my priority. I won’t say never because everytime I say never, I always end up making that choice.

I – So “never, always” are adverbs that you don’t use?

S – I don’t use day, I say maybe.

I – The song Stefania choose and why?

S – “La donna riccia “ di Domenico Modugno.

I – Why this one?

S – Because I knew I would cry, so I said let’s pick something joyful.

I – Do you cry a lot?

S – Mamma mia, yes. A lot.

I - When you listen to a song, your mind, your heart where do they go?

S – For me, music is therapeutic. I listen to music when I have heavy days, or I have to release stress I sing out loud, or I dance. When I’m alone, I dance with a glass of wine. When I dance at home I don’t care about anyone, I don’t have to be good at it. Music it’s always there

I – (Phone rings, the pshycologist) Let’s hear about a dream of Stefania.

S – It hasn’t been happening for a year, but a recurring dream I had some years ago was the one where I was followed by some people, with bad intentions and when they reached me and I had a gun but I couldn’t shoot.

P – It’s a typical dream of women. Maybe because women are more afraid of being attacked than men, but also because women are not aware of some aggressive components of their person. Being chased has two psychic components: the part that runs away and the one that chases. What chases us is the thing that scare us, so they are some aspects that we don’t accept. They are some aspect of personality that we deny. And you can’t shoot them because these things don’t’ have to be killed, but we have to “meet” them and control them. (sorry it was hard to translate)

I – Goodnight (to the psychologist). Stefania, do you accept yourself? Do you like everything about you?

S – No, absolutely not.

I – Do you question yourself?

S – Yes, everyday. As the doctor was saying, we have to face our “shadows” and try to make them part of ourselves, and accept them instead of rejecting them. I’d like to be more in touch with my femininity, my sensuality, but instead I hide it a lot.

I – What do you mean with sensuality?

S – I was born in a conservative city, so sensuality wasn’t something you could have showed openly. Dancing was a way to express that part of myself. So it was a journey to accept that there was that part of me. And I’m very protective of that part, I don’t let everyone see it.

I – Thank you for coming to Sottovoce. We always end the show like this. You make a question and give yourself an answer.

S – The famous one. A thing I miss doing, it’s like when we are kids, we go to our mom and she gave us the answer. I’d like to see me as a kid who ask to the adult me “Are we gonna make it?” and I would like to answer with confidence: “Yes, we’re gonna make it because we have a fire inside us”.

I – What do you mean by fire?

S – The Etna’s fire. So strength, toughness, melancholy resiliency...

I – Thank you!

this interview aired on 05.11.2019.

special thanks to paola, the italian queen, for translating it. :)

#stefania spampinato #carina deluca #stefania spampinato gifs #greys anatomy #stefania spampinato interview #station 19 #acting

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ucflibrary · 5 years ago

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This unusual summer semester has ended and we’re prepping for fall. It’s only a few short weeks until the 2020-2021 academic year begins. It’s certainly going to be an interesting semester. Please remember to follow the Armour Up, Knights campaign to help keep the UCF community safe. Wear your mask, wash your hands, and try to keep 6 feet between yourself and others. By supporting each other, we can come through this stronger on the other side.

Libraries staff has pulled together a few suggestions that cover a whole range of areas including college success, cultural appropriation, investing, and football. Click on the link below to see the full list, descriptions, and catalog links for the featured Back-so-School titles suggested by UCF Library employees.

Welcome to the 2020-21 academic year!

100 Books to Think About by Cynthia M. Kisby College is a place to develop and employ thinking skills to achieve whatever we most desire in life. This book is a starting point to understand how the mind actually works. Written for UCF students by a UCF faculty librarian, this book summarizes expert advice on how to use thinking to take care of our mind, gift, body, people, and world. Although presented as a personally annotated bibliography, this is not a story book. Feel free to skip around to whatever chapter interests you at the moment. Best of all, this online book is a totally free gift to you from the UCF Libraries’ Showcase of Text, Archives, Research & Scholarship (STARS). Suggested by Cynthia Kisby, Administration

College Students: mental health and coping strategies edited by Mery V. Landow College students are subject to a massive input of stresses which require successful and ever-changing coping strategies. These stresses include inside and outside pressures by the world to succeed, financial worries, concerns about uncertain futures, social problems and opportunities since college is often the meeting place for future mates, and homework and tests in multiple and complex subjects requiring preparation and focus with often conflicting priorities. Unsuccessful coping often results in anxiety, heavy drinking, depression and a host of other mental health problems. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

Go See the Principal: true tales from the school trenches by Gerry Brooks Gerry Brooks is an elementary school principal turned YouTube celebrity who entertains K-12 teachers, administrators, and parents across the country. He tells jokes with the kind of mocking humor that gets a laugh, yet can be safely shared in school. After all, even great schools have bad days -- when lesson plans fall through, disgruntled parents complain, kids throw temper tantrums because they have to use the same spoon for their applesauce and mashed potatoes, and of course, dealing with...The Horror! The Horror!...dreaded assessments. Suggested by Katie Kirwan, Acquisition & Collection Services

Happy Teachers Change the World: a guide for cultivating mindfulness in education by Thich Nhat Hanh and Katherine Weare the first official, authoritative manual of the Thich Nhat Hanh/Plum Village approach to mindfulness in education. Spanning the whole range of schools and grade levels, from preschool through higher education, these techniques are grounded in the everyday world of schools, colleges, and universities. Beginning firmly with teachers and all those working with students, including administrators, counselors, and other personnel, the Plum Village approach stresses that educators must first establish their own mindfulness practice since everything they do in the classroom will be based on that foundation. The book includes easy-to-follow, step-by-step techniques perfected by educators to teach themselves and to apply to their work with students and colleagues, along with inspirational stories of the ways in which teachers have made mindfulness practice alive and relevant for themselves and their students across the school and out into the community Suggested by Megan Haught, Student Learning & Engagement/Research & Information Services

Inseparable: how family and sacrifice forged a path to the NFL by Shaquem Griffin & Shaquill Griffin with Mark Schlabach Much more than a sports memoir, Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin share the previously untold details of the powerful and inspiring story behind the modern NFL’s first one-handed player, and his twin brother’s unrelenting devotion, sacrifice, and love. It’s the story of Shaquem’s understanding of God’s purpose for his life—to inspire others to stop being afraid and to stop making excuses—and his family’s unwavering support in spite of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The Griffins’ unlikely underdog story has already captured the imagination of millions of football fans and physically challenged people around the world. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisition & Collection Services

Sold My Soul for a Student Loan: higher education and the political economy of the future by Daniel T. Kirsch American higher education boasts one of the most impressive legacies in the world, but the price of admission for many is now endless debt. As this book shows, increasing educational indebtedness undermines the real value of higher education in our democracy. To help readers understand this dilemma, the book examines how student debt became commonplace and what the long-term effects of such an ongoing reality might be. This work examines this vitally important issue from an unprecedented diversity of perspectives, focusing on the fact that student debt is hindering the ability of millions of people to enter the job market, the housing market, the consumer economy, and the political process. Perhaps most importantly, it explores the new relationship debtor-citizens have to the government as a result of debt, and how that impacts democracy for a new generation. Taken together, these qualitative and quantitative approaches paint a clear picture of the consequences of student debt for America and its citizens, both now and in the future. Suggested by Megan Haught, Student Learning & Engagement/Research & Information Services

Spillover: animal infections and the next human pandemic by David Quammen This work examines the emergence and causes of new diseases all over the world, describing a process called "spillover" where illness originates in wild animals before being passed to humans and discusses the potential for the next huge pandemic. The emergence of strange new diseases is a frightening problem that seems to be getting worse. In this age of speedy travel, it threatens a worldwide pandemic. The author tracks this subject around the world. He recounts adventures in the field, netting bats in China, trapping monkeys in Bangladesh, stalking gorillas in the Congo, with the world's leading disease scientists. He takes the reader along on this quest to learn how, where from, and why these diseases emerge, and he asks the terrifying question: What might the next big one be? Suggested by Megan Haught, Student Learning & Engagement/Research & Information Services

Success in College: from C's in high school to A's in college by Peter F. Burns Peter F. Burns also gives an insider's perspective to the academic semester, in-class behavior, and how and when to approach professors. Perhaps most importantly, there is invaluable advice about the attitude and work ethic that are essential to the development of outstanding college students. Burns uses his own college experiences, as well as the experiences of other students and professors and research findings, to supplement the material given. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: the only way to guarantee your fair share of stock market returns by John C. Bogle The classic guide to getting smart about the market. Legendary mutual fund pioneer John C. Bogle reveals his key to getting more out of investing: low-cost index funds. This tenth anniversary edition includes updated data and new information but maintains the same long-term perspective as in its predecessor. Bogle has also added two new chapters designed to provide further guidance to investors: one on asset allocation, the other on retirement investing. Suggested by Peter Spyers-Duran, Cataloging

White Negroes: when cornrows were in vogue ... and other thoughts on cultural appropriation by Lauren Michele Jackson This book provides a cultural, political, and social survey through the most American of pastimes that continues to thrive today. It is a crucial account of the people, stories, and culture that create the hilarious, crazy wonder that is life in the 21st century. It is also a wake up call. This book documents how this very old tradition shapes our society in the present in the hopes that we can imagine something better. It will transform what readers think they know about race and culture in the new millennium and open the door to a new present and future unburdened by crimes of the past. Suggested by Megan Haught, Student Learning & Engagement/Research & Information Services

#UCF #ucflibrary #featured bookshelf #back to school #reading #tbr #booklr

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raywritesthings · 5 years ago

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In the Dead of Night 7/9

My Writing Fandom: Arrow Characters: Laurel Lance, Oliver Queen, Nyssa al Ghul, Malcolm Merlyn, Thea Queen, Tommy Merlyn, John Diggle, Sara Lance, Maseo Yamshiro Pairing: Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen (Eventual) Summary: Oliver Queen returns to Starling City after five years away, three years after Sara Lance was found and rescued by her mother. More troubling to him is Laurel’s abrupt and unexplained absence from the city for the same length of time that her sister’s been home. Three years into the past, Dinah Lance makes a terrible choice. *Can be read on my AO3 or FFN (links to both accounts are in bio)*

Present day

Laurel could feel nothing but shock for a moment. Ra’s was dead. Oliver had killed him. He had come to free her, and now was dying in her arms.

She ripped the covering from her head, pressing it to the wound that still bled. “No, no, no. Please, Ollie, you can’t go yet. Not yet,” she commanded. Her voice was steady, and there were no tears. She’d trained herself long ago not to shed them.

Her free hand traced along scars she’d never seen before, scars that had shocked even her when he had first removed his coat and shirt. What had he been through all this time, and why had it led him here to die?

There was a terrible scream in a voice she thought she had to be dreaming to hear. But Thea Queen burst through the ranks of silent League observers, throwing herself down by her brother’s other side.

“Ollie! No, no, Ollie!”

Laurel’s eyes caught additional movement as others hurried in. Tommy, his father dressed in a League uniform save the head covering, and a stranger with a gun.

“Laurel, oh my God, Laurel.” Tommy looked on her like she was a ghost. “What- What are you doing here? What the hell is going on?”

Behind him, she could spot another lurking, and Laurel’s eyes widened. Sara. What did she think she was doing here, after all these years? Did she even realize she was trying to hide behind the others now, and how futile that was?

The stranger holstered his sidearm and stepped forward. Laurel withdrew her knife. He held up both hands.

“Easy! I’m his bodyguard. I have some field medicine training.”

Warily, she lowered the knife and allowed him closer. He listened at Oliver’s mouth and checked his wrist.

“Breathing and we got a faint pulse. If I can stitch him up, we might get him to a hospital or a doctor of some kind down there.”

“He won’t last down the mountain. There’s only one thing that can save him,” Mr. Merlyn argued. “The Pit.”

“What Pit?” Thea practically wailed.

“The Lazarus Pit,” Laurel said. “How do you know about it?”

“Because he is Taer Saher,” Nyssa pronounced with venom. She was standing just by Laurel’s shoulder. “The Magician.”

Laurel’s eyes widened. The one Ra’s had once allowed to go free. She had known him all this time? What could have ever brought Mr. Merlyn to train with the League?

“Hello, Nyssa. You’ve grown since we last met. My condolences for your recent loss.”

“You cared nothing for my father. And here you return along with this- this usurper—”

“Careful how you speak of the new Ra’s al Ghul,” Mr. Merlyn warned, his tone going cold. “He won the challenge. Now it is the League’s responsibility to see him healed.”

Everything Nyssa had said about the Magician told Laurel she should not trust Tommy’s father any longer. But Oliver needed the Pit before it was too late and they lost his soul. She stood, hefting his limp form into her arms with only a little difficulty. She had plenty of strength, but he had clearly built up his own muscle since she had seen him last.

Laurel turned away from Nyssa’s betrayed look. “Sarab, inform the Priestess to prepare the Pit.”

Oliver’s old friend from Hong Kong nodded and departed from the main hall. Laurel began to walk after him, Thea and Tommy both tagging along at her sides while Oliver’s bodyguard stuck close behind. She could hear the rustle of Malcolm’s uniform nearby as well, and a final set of footsteps further back. Sara, again. Laurel grit her teeth and kept walking.

“I don’t understand. How is a Pit supposed to help Ollie?” Thea asked, her voice wavering badly.

“Nanda Parbat sits on the site of the Lazarus Pit, the waters of which have mystical properties. It can heal the worst of wounds,” Mr. Merlyn explained. “Your brother will be fine, Thea.”

“And what then?” The bodyguard asked.

“Laurel,” Tommy said, softer than the others. “Are you — you haven’t said much.”

“Our first priority is to keep Oliver alive,” she stated simply. It felt bizarre to watch Tommy Merlyn walk the halls of Nanda Parbat. She wondered if this was some fever dream, some last gasp of hope for a rescue that had turned nightmarish with Oliver’s injury.

The Priestess was ready when they arrived. Laurel checked a final time; Oliver was still breathing, and, though it was far too slow, a heartbeat was present. She bent over and lowered him into the waters.

“Whoa, whoa, he’s gonna drown!” Tommy exclaimed. His father held him back.

The Priestess paced along the other side of the Pit, murmuring her Arabic chants under her breath. After a tense few minutes, Oliver’s head broke the surface of the water as he coughed and gasped for air.

Laurel hauled him around by the shoulders, helping him to find the edge of the Pit so he could pull himself up onto the stone. Sarab approached with a towel.

“What’s going on?” Oliver rasped.

“You won, I think,” his bodyguard told him. “They let us use this hot spring to heal you.”

Oliver shivered in the cool air of the cavern. He wrapped the towel around himself tighter, but one hand snuck out to cup Laurel’s cheek. For some reason, she did not resist.

“Laurel.” There was far too much to decipher in his eyes. Too much she didn’t know how to feel about. He seemed to realize he wasn’t going to receive a response from her, and his eyes drifted over the rest of the group. He grimaced. “Tommy. Thea.”

“You have got so much explaining to do,” Thea informed him. Then she approached and hugged him. “I thought you were dead.”

“I’m sorry. You weren’t supposed to see that.”

“Like how we weren’t supposed to know you’re the Hood?” Tommy asked. Oliver tensed and looked up at him. “My dad told us.”

Oliver looked Mr. Merlyn up and down, taking in the League uniform, and he stood, moving Thea behind him. “You?”

“I’m afraid so, Oliver. Believe me, I was just as surprised as you are to realize the truth. But now there are decisions that have to be made,” Mr. Merlyn stated. “You have earned the right of becoming Ra’s al Ghul. I imagine that interferes with certain plans of yours.”

No one looked more surprised by this outcome than Oliver. Whatever had caused him to launch this challenge in the first place, he clearly hadn’t thought through all the unintended consequences. And Laurel knew she didn’t understand enough about the events that had led to so many from her old life turning up here to be of much use. Not yet, anyway.

“You’ll need to change before the ceremony,” she said. Laurel stood to leave, and Oliver was quick to follow her lead, Thea remaining plastered to his side.

The rest of the group parted as she walked through them to get to the corridors. Sara had kept her gaze lowered, and a fissure of irritation was starting to build in Laurel. She tried to focus on other things while she led them to an unoccupied room.

Oliver stood to become the new Ra’s, bypassing Nyssa’s inheritance. That wasn’t what anyone wanted, though, as far as she could tell. He could abdicate in favor of Nyssa — but then what did the Magician seem to have planned? Why did he and Oliver appear to have a history that went beyond their families knowing each other? And what had Tommy meant when he had called Oliver a Hood?

They all entered, and Laurel nodded over to a partition that Oliver could stand behind to change. Tommy led Thea over to sit on the bed. Mr. Merlyn hovered nearby with the bodyguard covering him, and Sara stood far back against a wall. The silence was tense and no one seemed to know how to break it.

Sarab arrived with ceremonial garb befitting the Demon Head and presented it. Oliver reached out, but stopped, staring at the man.

“Maseo?”

“Maseo is dead. My name is Sarab, and I have pledged my service to Ra’s.”

“Right.” Oliver looked from him to her, uncertainty in his eyes. Laurel stared back blankly. She had never known Sarab’s former name, even if she’d been aware of his connection to Oliver.

“Anybody else we know in the murder squad?” Tommy asked snidely.

Sarab faced her. “Blackbird, you should change your uniform for the ceremony as well.”

Laurel looked down at herself and noticed the blood staining the front of her uniform for the first time. She had lost her head covering somewhere along the way as well, and her hair, normally tied back, was escaping to fall down her back. In any case, it was far from the League’s standards.

“Of course.” She turned and made for the door.

“Laurel,” said Oliver, and she stopped and looked back. “Gather anything you need to take with you.”

She was really leaving. Or she would be. It was so close it seemed unreal, but her freedom had seemingly arrived. So much else with it, too.

She had never thought of much beyond her freedom. Where she would go, who would be in her life. The idea that those she’d known were aware of everything that had happened...why had they even come?

Her room was occupied when she entered it. Nyssa stood at the window.

“So. This is to be goodbye.”

“You hoped this day would come. You said so yourself,” Laurel reminded her. She walked to the side of her bed and picked up her jacket where it lay folded on the pillow. Nyssa must have gotten it out for her.

“Yes, once I succeeded my father.” Nyssa turned around to face her. “Your rescuer takes the Magician as his counsel.”

“I’m not sure what’s going on there.” Things had seemed uncomfortable between Oliver and Mr. Merlyn, but their families were old friends. They probably were talking over their options right now.

“Oliver can’t stay and be Ra’s. He has a family.” A family that had to be beside themselves seeing as how he’d nearly thrown his life away for her.

Nyssa approached her. “Then this goodbye will be a permanent one.”

“What do you mean?”

“If Oliver abdicates as you say, he will have to choose a successor. The Magician knows this.”

Laurel stared hard at her friend’s solemn expression. “Nyssa...what will happen to you?”

“What happens to any heir during regime change, I’m afraid.” Her friend and mentor’s look hardened. “Not that I will make it easy.”

---

Two years ago

As a year went by she was no longer the newest addition to the League. She had to wonder what made people so eager to join of their own will, but she kept those thoughts to herself. She was expected like the others to begin training the recruits, and was assigned a man renamed Sarab.

She led him to one of the many training rooms with its two racks of weapons, and like Nyssa had done, gestured to the one nearest to him.

“You will select a weapon, and then we will put your mastery of it to the test.” She walked to her own rack, then turned to see that their newest recruit had not moved. He was staring at her quizzically. “Sarab.”

“I know your face.”

She froze. “Excuse me?”

Sarab glanced around the room, then said in a hushed voice, “Your face. I have seen it. Before I came here, my wife and I knew a young man in Hong Kong. American, like you. He carried your picture.”

Her breath caught in her throat. Ollie. He was alive.

The instant after that realization came both a towering rage and a wave of relief that fought each other. He had lived, but he was why she was here. Not directly, no. But then, was blaming him absolving her family of their own crime?

Nyssa entered the room, and she shoved the mess of emotion Sarab’s words had caused her aside.

“Your weapon, Sarab.”

In her room that night, she tried to parse out her feelings. Anger, grief, hurt, concern, so many things she wasn’t used to processing so intensely. But Oliver had always done that to her.

She wanted to hate him, and a part of her did. All of this had happened because of his selfish decisions. But was it right to blame someone for the totally unforeseen and unintentional? Much as he’d wronged her, she doubted he would have ever wanted something like this to happen.

And what had to be happening to him? If Sarab had known him before fleeing to the League, what could have been so terrible in Hong Kong? If it was anything like this, she couldn’t remain that angry with him. No one deserved this kind of life, especially when they hadn’t chosen it.

He still carried her picture. Three years and he still had it. He didn’t have the right to have it, considering what he’d been doing when she gave it to him, but—

Did that mean he was sorry? Did that mean somehow he still…?

No. It was foolish to even let her mind go there. Oliver was God knew where if he was even still alive since Sarab saw him, and she was trapped with the League. The wonderful life she’d once envisioned for them had always been an impossible dream. Happy endings didn’t exist, not for the kind of person she had become.

At night she had dreams of trailing a target and striking the killing blow, only to turn them over and see Oliver’s lifeless face gazing unseeing up at her. Other times, the light would just be fading from his eyes as he whispered, “Who are you?”

She wasn’t sure she knew anymore.

---

Malcolm knew he had a very brief window of opportunity. Circumstances were changing. Just when his end goal had started to come within reach, he found himself presented with more than he could have ever dreamed of. But only if he could make the deal.

“Oliver, let’s talk.”

His rival from Christmas looked over the partition at him. “Okay. Why did you use the League uniform to become the Dark Archer?”

“Because I needed a way to confront the Hood. To make certain he wasn’t interfering with my plans.”

“Plans?” Tommy gave a humorless laugh. “Why do you have plans? What the hell is going on with either of you?”

Malcolm barely refrained from rolling his eyes at his son. He’d always known Tommy was weak, and that he clearly didn’t understand the situation was no surprise. “This doesn’t concern you, Tommy.”

“Uh, I think it does,” Thea Queen countered. Malcolm sighed. “Can we just back up for a minute? You joined a crazy league of killers when all of us were kids, Oliver came back from his island and decided he wanted to be a cray killer for some reason—”

“The Hood isn’t just about killing,” John Diggle spoke up.

The girl threw her hands up in the air. “Then what is it?”

“Robert’s legacy,” Malcolm said. He caught Oliver’s eye as the younger man emerged in the lush robes he’d been provided. “He did tell you the truth before he died.”

“Yes,” Oliver admitted.

“What truth?” Tommy asked.

“Our fathers weren’t the men we thought they were, Tommy. You can see that for yourself,” Oliver answered, never taking his eyes from Malcolm. “What my father didn’t get to tell me was who was in charge, and of what. Why did you write the list?”

Malcolm shook his head. “The list was an old idea, abandoned before you even set sail on that yacht. I’ve had much bigger plans for our city in the works.”

“Whatever it is, we’re not letting it happen,” John Diggle said, his hand hovering over his firearm.

“Then perhaps we can come to an arrangement. Oliver, you find yourself at the head of an enterprise you have no interest in running. Managing a business like this is my strength.”

Oliver studied him for a long moment. “You want to be the next Ra’s al Ghul.”

“What? Dad, no.” Tommy stood up. “Come on.”

“Don’t interfere, Tommy.”

“But you’re sick or not well or- or something!” His son gestured around the room. “Why would you want this?”

“Because with the League, I have the power to change the world. To make it a better place.” He looked into his son’s eyes. “The place your mother would have wanted.”

Tommy fell silent.

“Why should Ollie give it to you?”

He hadn’t forgotten Sara Lance’s presence, but he’d wondered if the young woman was even paying attention what with the conflict between her and her sister clearly weighing on her mind.

“Because if he does...I will ensure Walter’s safe return to his family.”

Oliver’s eyes narrowed, but Thea stood up, her fists clenched. “It was you? You had him abducted?”

“It was the only way to ensure your mother’s cooperation.”

“Cooperation in what?” Oliver demanded, though his voice was hardly louder than a murmur.

“An Undertaking.” He allowed himself to pace the room. “One that Robert hoped to stop all those years ago. The measures I have had to take in regards to your family have been regrettable — but it can all end here, if you give me the title of Ra’s.”

“Better idea,” said the bodyguard. “I shoot you here and we end your Undertaking ourselves.”

He smirked. “The men watching Walter were given specific instructions about what to do should I not contact them within a certain length of time upon leaving for this trip. I am the only one who can call them off. Kill me here, and he’ll be dead before you touch back down in the states.”

“Dad, listen to yourself!” Tommy begged. “This is blackmail!”

“No, it’s just good business.” His eyes never strayed from Oliver. “Do we have a deal?”

The door opened, revealing the man called Sarab once more. “The ceremony is ready, Ra’s.”

The group was shown back to the main hall, not that Malcolm needed a guide. Tommy was staying about as far away from him as possible, but what was important was Oliver. He could see the gears turning, contemplating his options. But there was only one option for someone like him. That was the problem when you allowed yourself to care about people; they became liabilities.

Oliver was led up to the dais and given the ring that signified the holder of the title of Ra’s al Ghul. The Priestess retreated, and Oliver turned to face the room. All members of the League kneeled in recognition of their new leader. As he was technically one of them no longer — for the moment — Malcolm remained standing. He wasn’t about to show weakness to his rival at this crucial point.

Near the back of the room, Malcolm noticed the arrival of Laurel Lance and Nyssa, who joined in the kneeling.

“Thank you,” Oliver said to the room. Malcolm tried not to sigh; the young man was in over his head. He was doing Oliver a favor taking this out of his hands. “My first act as Ra’s al Ghul is to call on the Blackbird.”

Laurel Lance stood and walked to the front of the room, removing her head covering in one motion. Gone were most of the traces of her innocent youth; he could see that clearly from where he stood. The planes of her face were sharper, thinner though not quite to the point of being sickly. Her eyes spoke of weariness, the kind that was set deep in a person. Malcolm had little doubt she would have lasted here much longer. Nanda Parbat was not for those who wished no longer to live.

She stepped onto the dais and kneeled in front of Oliver.

“What is your will, Ra’s?”

“You have served the League well these last three years. But I see your contract with the previous Demon Head as void upon his death. Therefore, I release you from your obligation to the League of Assassins.”

A shaky breath left her, and Laurel Lance rose onto her feet. And then, in an unexpected, almost jerky movement, she stepped forward and hugged him.

No one looked more surprised by it than Oliver, who took a moment to return it. Then his look changed. Malcolm caught the slightest movement of her lips by his ear. What was she planning?

Laurel Lance released Oliver and backed off of the dais. She remained standing there amongst the other League members rather than off to the side with her old friends and sister. Interesting.

Oliver kept his eyes locked with hers for a moment and then looked to the back of the room again. “Nyssa, come forward.”

Malcolm raised both eyebrows as the former Heir to the Demon approached, eyeing Oliver warily. She stepped onto the dais and bowed her head but did not kneel.

“You have served the League well, acting as trainer and second in command,” Oliver began. “And for that, I release you from its service.”

Nyssa’s head snapped up. “What?” She looked around at Laurel Lance, whose gaze was on the stone floor.

Using Oliver to get her friend to safety. Clever, he had to give her that.

“You would dare—”

“It is my will as Ra’s, Nyssa. You are dismissed from Nanda Parbat.”

Nyssa got up, eyes flashing, and stormed from the room. She never had learned to temper her passions. He would have had to teach her a lesson about that were she still in the service of the League. It would have been a good show of strength to any members who were not familiar with his time as one of the Horsemen of Ra’s. A pity, but Miss Lance had always been the clever one in Tommy’s social circle.

Oliver let out a breath and looked around the room again. His eyes landed on Malcolm.

“With that concluded, I choose to renounce my claim to the title of Ra’s al Ghul. I nominate the Magician in my place.”

All eyes turned to him. Malcolm allowed himself a smirk as he walked up onto the dais. Oliver had already removed the ring and set it in his palm.

“I am honored, Oliver. You will see Walter very soon,” he added in an undertone. Malcolm turned to face the crowd of assassins who still remained kneeling and then the small group by the wall.

Tommy was shaking his head slowly, like he was choosing to believe none of this was real. Were he stronger, Malcolm might ask him to remain and be his right hand the way Nyssa had been for her father. But Tommy was hardly a worthy heir to Merlyn Global, let alone the League of Assassins.

“Sarab,” he pronounced. “Escort the outsiders from the premises.”

His new subordinate moved to do just that, and Malcolm smiled. After years of planning, his vision for Starling City would not come to fruition.

But he had even bigger plans for the world.

#lauriver #laurel x oliver #laurel lance #oliver queen #arrow #green arrow #black canary #my writing #blackbird

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punkscowardschampions · 5 years ago

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Chloé & James

Chloé: What the fuck is wrong with you, James? James: typically you'd happily answer that for me Chloé: I'm not in a joking mood now Chloé: thanks to you James: neither am I, coincidentally Chloé: really Chloé: well you seem happy to make a joke out of me James: you don't have the slightest knowledge of what does or doesn't make me happy, Chloé Chloé: frankly, James, I don't care either Chloé: but if you're going to make ME look as stupid as you clearly are Chloé: then we have a problem James: would you care to share with me what you're talking about though? James: I'd like to know the scale of the problem at the very least Chloé: the problem is, dear husband of mine, you getting caught leaving here without me and with some random whore instead James: okay Chloé: is that all you have to say for yourself Chloé: I don't think so James: essentially, yes Chloé: how could you Chloé: do you have any idea how ridiculous I feel Chloé: I would NEVER do that to you Chloé: in front of your friends James: I didn't do it deliberately James: you weren't supposed to find out & neither were they Chloé: unbelievable Chloé: what the HELL am I meant to say to Sara? James: what did you say last time when it was Zara instead? Chloé: absolutely nothing about this is funny Chloé: you're going to have to grovel so hard when you get here Chloé: she's about ready to say something to you herself James: it wasn't meant to be amusing, the point is you'll think of something, you always do James: if everything else fails, unfriend her like you have so many others Chloé: you'd like that Chloé: ruin my social life Chloé: this is the first time we've been to anything proper in AGES James: your social life is far down enough on the list of my priorities to not be relevant to me whatsoever Chloé: you want me to be stuck at home with nothing to do but raise your children James: I'd like for you to contribute towards raising our children, yes Chloé: oh that's right, try to turn it around on me Chloé: you YOU fucked up here James: I shouldn't have let any of your friends see us, but I hardly consider it a fuck up James: if anything it's a chance to do things differently, be honest with everyone Chloé: excuse me? James: why can't we finally stop pretending that everything is fine? Chloé: oh yes, let's just tell EVERYONE are business, air everything in public Chloé: don't be so ridiculous James: I didn't say public James: friends, family Chloé: stop talking nonsense Chloé: what do you want, group therapy? Chloé: no one wants to hear about your problems, James James: you know I want to leave Chloé: clearly but you got caught Chloé: come face up to it like a man James: face up to what? James: you're not upset for any genuine reason Chloé: don't you dare tell me I've no right to be upset James: that isn't what I said James: you're upset because you care about what Sara thinks, not because you care about me or our family or anything real Chloé: care about you??? Chloé: you are something else Chloé: you're going to humiliate me and ask for that Chloé: what part of you should be back here on your knees do you not get James: I've given up asking for anything James: you're drunk, it's making this more of an argument than it needs to be Chloé: fuck you Chloé: i'm here, alone Chloé: because you openly left to go fuck someone else Chloé: I am your WIFE Chloé: you don't just get to do that James: you haven't spoken to me since before I dropped the girls off James: I got the impression that you were enjoying being here alone, with your friends Chloé: oh yes, I really want to be the only one here alone Chloé: that doesn't look tragic at all James: you aren't the only one here alone & I'm allowed to have friends Chloé: I'm the only one here with a partner who's being stranded and left in the dirt actually, yes Chloé: and you weren't going nowhere with any fucking friend so don't even try that Chloé: Sara saw her James: because of course you've never slept with any of your friends Chloé: I don't even have any male friends Chloé: accusing me of things won't make what you did any less obvious James: I fully admit it was obvious James: as I've explained, I want things to be different Chloé: well they aren't Chloé: and you don't get to implement changes just because you feel like it James: they could be Chloé: they won't be James: Chloé Chloé: Get back here now James: & if I don't Chloé: did I say that was an option? James: talk to me, I'm trying to talk to you Chloé: I don't want to talk Chloé: I need to go home now, thanks to you James: well, I don't want to come back, give me an actual reason why I should Chloé: you know why, I don't need to spell this out to you James: the girls aren't there, so between me & you, what possible reasons are there? Chloé: if you don't come back for me right now, you know I will make your life a living hell James: it already is Chloé: you know I have the power to make it worse James: yes, but will you when you won't even admit to anyone that anything is wrong? Chloé: if you force my hand Chloé: by openly cheating on me, or whatever you think you're trying to do here Chloé: I'll have no choice James: nothing I've ever done has been a secret from you Chloé: You aren't this stupid Chloé: you know what you have to do, how you have to be James: perhaps I'm this tired Chloé: we're all tired, James Chloé: grow up James: please just give me a discussion James: instead of whatever this is Chloé: there is nothing to discuss Chloé: get here now, take me home James: we can't keep doing this, you know that Chloé: doing what? Chloé: you, ruining everything Chloé: I wish you'd stop but doubt it James: it's not just me James: I wish you'd stop too Chloé: I've not done anything to you Chloé: have you seen me fucking anyone else in front of you today Chloé: no James: that isn't what I'm referring to or what I've done James: you didn't see me, I wouldn't do that Chloé: it's the same fucking thing Chloé: in fact, I would rather Chloé: if that meant you didn't do it in front of everyone else Chloé: all my friends James: I haven't done anything, getting in a car with someone could be explained away a million different ways Chloé: no it cannot Chloé: everyone knows what that means Chloé: you do not turn up to an event with your wife and leave with someone else Chloé: don't insult my intelligence James: then let me tell the truth James: tell me I can go & get the girls & take them to my parents' place with me & we'll go from there James: it's one honest conversation Chloé: what are you talking about Chloé: absolutely not James: please Chloé: you're drunk James: no, I'm not Chloé: why the hell would you think I would ever agree to that James: because this isn't working Chloé: so you need to fix it James: taking you home so you can pretend this never happened isn't a solution Chloé: it's a start James: for god's sake Chloé: just do it and stop whining Chloé: for god's sake me, who do you think you are James: your husband, as you keep reminding me now that you'd like me to do something Chloé: we got married James: I do have some recollection of that, yes James: despite the state I was in Chloé: it was horrible James: I know, I'm sorry Chloé: you aren't sorry Chloé: not sorry enough James: I am, for that, you didn't deserve the wreck I was on that day Chloé: I looked disgusting James: no you didn't Chloé: yes I did Chloé: and no one made any good speeches or danced and the photos are awful James: your mum made a nice speech Chloé: Jay ruined her dress, and kept crying Chloé: I only get to do it once and it was that shit James: she was a baby, crying & being sick is what they do Chloé: she was 2 Chloé: that's not a baby James: it's not an adult either James: you can't hold her responsible Chloé: whatever Chloé: where the hell are you James: I don't think she was 2, I'm sure she was younger Chloé: well I was 16 when I had her and we couldn't get married 'til we were at least 18 so you do the maths Chloé: and you didn't answer my question James: I suppose you must be right Chloé: I know i'm right it happened to me you idiot Chloé: where are you James: on my way Chloé: hurry up James: please don't start, Chloé Chloé: like I said, it's Sara you need to worry about James: oh I remember her having a tantrum about her hair James: did we go to someone else's wedding when she was a baby? Chloé: Why is this relevant? Chloé: I don't bloody know James: I'm just trying to account for the gaps & mix ups in my memory Chloé: Brilliant James: I'm sorry, okay? I'll say it for back then as many times as you want Chloé: As if you're any better now James: I can take care of them now James: I'm not high any more Chloé: what about me James: I'm coming to take you home Chloé: you don't care about me James: yes I do, a part of me will always care about you Chloé: you only care about them James: I love them, of course I care Chloé: you're just not Chloé: you don't do any of this right James: neither of us do James: I told you, it doesn't work Chloé: you need to try harder with me Chloé: make more effort James: I make every effort Chloé: psh Chloé: you do not Chloé: when's the last time we fucked James: you know when James: & why Chloé: exactly Chloé: it's not good enough Chloé: it isn't right James: it wouldn't be right for me to sleep with you James: I can't Chloé: you can sleep with literally everyone else James: you're not like everyone else Chloé: why James: I don't want to do this James: you know you don't treat me like they do, or make me feel good ever Chloé: 'cos you treat me so nice James: I'm no better & that's exactly why we shouldn't be together Chloé: well we are James: until Sara opens her big mouth at least Chloé: what? James: you were the one who told me she saw me Chloé: that doesn't mean we're not together Chloé: it means you cheated Chloé: again James: if she decides to tell everyone, we won't be together Chloé: she wouldn't do that James: what makes you so sure? Chloé: she's my friend Chloé: and it's not her place James: she's one of those friends then, who knows her place James: that makes sense Chloé: you think anyone is going to end our marriage Chloé: don't be ridiculous James: if only Chloé: excuse me James: it's a clear sentiment, perhaps I should've slept with Sara if it meant she would Chloé: Sara would never sleep with you James: but you've said the same about some of your friends who have Chloé: you are disgusting James: undeniably James: I've made a lot of mistakes & yet, as angry as you are, today wasn't one Chloé: why are you telling me this Chloé: I could sit here and list off all the people I've slept with but I'm not going to James: because you think I haven't tried James: I stopped when you gave me the news about being pregnant with Matty & it made no difference whatsoever James: the problem isn't who we sleep with, it's us Chloé: you didn't want her James: don't say that to me as if it has any relevance James: it didn't want either of them with you under both sets of circumstances, it's not equal to wishing they didn't exist Chloé: that's nice isn't it James: we shouldn't have brought another child into this, I can admit that Chloé: you can play doting dad all you want but that's what it comes down to James: I'm not going to apologise for wanting things to be different James: for all of us Chloé: want all you like Chloé: this is real life Chloé: for fuck's sake James: yes, their real lives James: you can't tell me you think any of what's happening is okay for them Chloé: there's nothing wrong with their lives James: Chloé Chloé: what? James: it isn't true Chloé: yes it is Chloé: stop being dramatic Chloé: you're seriously drunk James: stop lying Chloé: I'm not the liar James: what have I lied about? Chloé: everything James: I'm here James: are you going to help me find you or is this part of the suffering as well? Chloé: take a wild guess James: well, do you at least have a car waiting? I gave mine to her Chloé: you better be joking James: what's funny about that? Chloé: why would you do that Chloé: have to do everything myself because you wanna play gentleman to some random bitch Chloé: fine James: so she could get home, obviously James: it's fine I'll order another now Chloé: that's not your concern when you aren't going with James: they're my concerns, not yours Chloé: who is she James: no Chloé: what do you mean, no Chloé: tell me James: we're not talking about her, no Chloé: why the hell not James: because I gave her my car in order to avoid her running into you, or Sara Chloé: I'll find out James: you won't Chloé: we'll see James: it's not one of your friends who I wanted you to find out about James: there's no games this time, it's not about you Chloé: what is it then James: it's her Chloé: i'll find out and put a stop to whatever you think this is James: like you said, this is real life James: you have before but it hasn't actually stopped anything Chloé: you're still here Chloé: with me James: but I still want her James: I'll still like her Chloé: shut up James: okay Chloé: I don't care what you want or what you like Chloé: got it James: I've always understood that, however stupid you may take me to be Chloé: Then we understand each other James: can you please get in the car? Chloé: i'm saying goodbye Chloé: i have manners James: fine Chloé: you can wait five minutes James: you were desperate to leave not even five minutes ago Chloé: you can wait Chloé: that's important James: we understand each other, remember, I know what you're doing Chloé: maybe you'll start to talk some sense James: however long you make me wait, I won't be blindly agreeing with the nonsense you're prone to saying when you're this drunk Chloé: I'm not even James: finish your goodbyes so we can go Chloé: don't tell me what to do Chloé: asshole James: I'm sorry but this is unbearable Chloé: how do you think i felt when you left me James: I honestly didn't think you would feel anything Chloé: you never think about my feelings Chloé: that's why Chloé: just yourself James: I don't know how you feel, I haven't for a long time James: you refuse to communicate properly with me Chloé: pretend you care Chloé: pretend you ever have James: I do care, I told you, you're the mother of my children Chloé: then do what I want James: what do you want? James: you asked me to come back, I'm here Chloé: whoever you're seeing, stop Chloé: focus on me Chloé: your wife Chloé: make me happy James: I did stop, it didn't make you any happier James: you didn't even notice Chloé: you need to do nice things for me James: I look after the children so you don't have to, work so you don't have to James: I'm friends with who you tell me to be, I wear what you tell me to Chloé: you should just be those things Chloé: that's not trying, that's the minimum, you could be anyone from here James: then find someone who's willing to try harder for you Chloé: it's that easy Chloé: fucking hell James: of course not, but it doesn't have to be this hard either Chloé: just stop talking Chloé: you have no idea James: or you can talk to me, that's something we've never tried

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