#the scarring is a gift from his sister when she tried to hug him but like as a dragon

[moeblob]

I am... so tired after work today. Have a very lazy bust up of an OC while I try to recover energy.

[idk-im-just-here-now]

A little gift for @ihavewritersblockbutinreallife cause I saw their request to put a creepy twist on their oc, Frightclaw!

Bonus lil mini-fic under the cut (Spoilers for the Frightclaw series!) Hope you like it!

Raph understood it first.

The dragon mutant they had rescued from the arena that day, the one who'd had her wings severed, fought for anfld against them and snapped the Shredder's neck, was not the same dragon they knew.

That was not Frightclaw.

It started when they got back, when Frightclaw woke up for the first time since the incident. When Raph had woken up and rushed her in a hug.

Frightclaw hadn't responded the way she normally did. Normally, she would have wrapped her arms around the turtle tightly and rested her head atop theirs. He half expected warm wings to fold around him.

This time, the dragon mutant simply stared down, curiously tilting her head and staring almost blankly with eerie neon green eyes. Shivers of some uneasy feeling ran cold down Raph’s spine, and he had quickly excused himself.

He had not tried to hug her again after that. But she seemingly relearning, and the others got hugs from her without issue. Maybe he'd been seeing things, or she'd still been too groggy to process.

Then, more little things began cropping up. Raph started counting, keeping a list, because something about Frughtclaw suddenly sent his senses ringing into small alarm bells and the urge to stay away from her.

The first thing was when she spoke. Her voice was quiet, soft, almost like that of a terrified child. Often, she simply did not speak. Frightclaw was many things, but shy and silent was not her style.

The next thing was that her glowing scales almost always seemed to be at maximum brightness, or shifted randomly to completely dark when startled. Frightclaw usually could manage her glow, and if did fluctuate with her emotions, but it never sparked out as much as it did now.

Raph had never seen all of her scales go completely dark. For certain one no longer could glow, but she had never once dimmed them completely around them.

The next thing that really made his shell itch with uneasiness was when Frightclaw began walking on all fours more often. She only did that when she was defensive or fighting, not naturally.

Even the limp from her injuries had a wrongness to it that Raph couldn't place.

And she was always watching now. Watching with those eerily bright neon green eyes, always latching onto him or his brothers with such calculation and careful observance that is made Raph feel like running away whenever the dragon's gaze landed on him.

Raph didn't run from problems. But this made him feel inexplicably chilled, how strange his sister acted now.

Mikey noticed at one point as well, and the younger turtle had come to him one day saying that Frightclaw's staring was making him, and he quoted, "feel totally spooked out, bro!"

The real kicker for Raph had come when Frightclaw's bandages had finally come off.

He knew that day that this was not his sister.

Because Frightclaw did not bleed green.

He'd seen her blood in the arena.

It had been red, leaking into the sand and feeding the dry ground with tastes of flesh it could not keep.

Frightclaw did not have green blood.

Nor were her eyes supposed to be black and green. Her eyes were white and green.

They didn't glow like that.

She started wandering the Lair at night, which seemed to be the clincher for Donnie, as he'd apparently been disrupted doing his work by catching a glimpse of the dragon mutant’s glow from the corner of his eye, scared to death until he saw it vanish from the garage doorway.

When asked, she simply said she was exploring. Always in that soft, timid voice that felt so wrong.

Raph noticed when she started wearing the cloak too. When she grew fins running her the length of her back. When he'd found remnants of her horns lying outside the Lair entrance. When she grew glowing antennae and extra glowing scales.

He saw as the eerie green of her scars seemed to grow more grotesque and deep. Carrying a light as she wandered through their home, feeling less like a comforting presence and more like a creature hunting for prey.

Raph didn't leave his room until everyone else was soundly awake anymore.

Until the night he did, and the night he finally solidified that the Frightclaw they'd brought home was not theirs.

He'd gone out for water, using his stealth to move around, when something sounded from the living room.

Every instinct the turtle had was screeching at him not to investigate, to get his water and move as quickly as possible out of the way of the dragon as possible.

But green and blue glows drew his attention, and Raph made the stupid choice to investigate.

What he saw was not what he expected.

Frightclaw standing at her full height in front of the TV, carrying that same light that always stalked his nightmares now. She was growling, lashing a thicker tail and the antennae twitching.

She turned her gaze to the side, eyes reflecting some light he could not place, the neon green sending chills down his spine.

Chills turned to a rush of freezing adrenaline as the dragon snapped her head toward something in the Lair - toward him.

And Raph saw the shadow with glowing green eyes, blinking and smiling at him dripping the neon green into some unknown abyss he would never see.

Frightclaw- no, that wasn't Frightclaw - dropped down on all fours, tilting her head and rattling the webbed spines on her back as she approached.

And Raph ran. For the rest of the night, claws were heard clicking quietly outside his door, the glowing leaking in under his doorframe. Soft growling was heard behind the door, and Raph had to force himself to keep breathing evenly to try and convince it that he was asleep.

The next morning, Leo had pulled him aside, telling him he'd seen what had happened.

Barely a minute later, Not-Frightclaw had come up to him with water, saying he'd forgotten it last night, all with that same blank look on her face. Memory of the green eyed shadow made him pause before taking it from her.

That was not his sister.

That was not Frightclaw.

Raph knew for sure now.

[melonminnie]

HI HI ‼️<3

can i pls request an oscar x female reader where all oscar family loves her ,

it can be kinda of part two of mabel's past life friend request

so she could have been oscar's playmate so the empress [mabel mother] loved her and always loved to spoil her and play dolls with her [reader couldn't quite understand the concept of dolls and thought it was a waste of time but she loved the empress so she played with her either way] while esteban got attached to her with time and saw her as his daughter so like the empress he loved spoiling her and after he knew her parents's motive and put them in jail he made sure that a good noble family adopt her while the duchess [oscar mother] met her accidentally and grew fond of her , i read a chapter of the novel because oscar looked so beautiful in the art and he said that she hates ignorant people and the reader is quite responsible for her age so she praises oscar for his choice of future wife lmao . but then she grows to love her like her daughter [when she knew about her parents she was about to go to esteban to ask him to execute them but she stopped herself lmao] .and then mabel was born and the empress died and that was the first time reader cried bcs she lost her mother figure and the first person to give her parental love so she decided to protect mabel until her death bcs she was the only thing left from the empress . and lastly is mabel that was so happy to find her dear friend that she loved so much but lost due to an illness and in this life her friend is completely healthy ‼️[minus the scars that she had, who dared to hurt her dear sister figure‼️] maybe even in their first life reader had abusive parents so mabel got sad bcs can't her friend have a nice family for once‼️so when she realizes her brother love her friend she decides to get them together and then she can have reader as her sister in law ‼️<3AND THAT'S ALL ‼️‼️<33BYE BYE ‼️<3

Strawberry shortcake (Oscar x fem! Reader)

-accidentally posted this so I had to copy the request and write it IM SO SORRY the empresses name is sianna or cianna if you translate it genuinely don’t know how the former empress and Oscar act so sorry

“Y/n come here,” Sianna spoke softly, trying to coax the young girl to sit closer to her.

It had only been a few weeks sense esteban had announced you’d be staying with them temporarily.The empress would call you into her room every day.

Of course she knew it was going to be hard to get you to have your guard down. That’s why she tried though.

The older woman never gave up after she spoke, she kept on coaxing the younger girl to move closer to her, after a while of sianna practically pleading with y/n, the girl agreed and sat next to the empress.

Sianna watched with soft eyes as her lips perked up into a smile, the pink hair turned her attention and quickly grabbed a small box with a ribbon covering it, it was a present placing it In between y/ns hands.

"Open it," she stated the obvious with her sole attention on the child. Sienna's smile only widened once the gift was opened, and Y/N stared at the gift in confusion. It was a doll, yes, and a very expensive and pretty one.

Yet the child couldn't comprehend why she needed it. She lifted her gaze and stared into the woman's eyes. "Don't you like it?" She questioned, worry laced in her voice, She'd never had a daughter nor a child; yes, she had Oscar, but he wasn't really her son, yet she still considered him her son.

"No, I do like it." y/n answered, The situation was awkward; the girl clearly didn't know how to play with a doll, yet she'd try, of course.

The girl quickly got up and hugged the empress out of worry that she didn't enjoy it. "Thank you!" Y/n buried her face deeper into the woman's dress, and Sianna laughed and hugged the girl back. Sure, their first meeting was embarrassing, but she would've been okay with it.

“Y/n!” The door suddenly opened, revealing the crown prince whom had grown attached to his new or only playmate.

A few months had passed sense the girl had been in the castle, There was still anger in the community due to her parents and punishments they’d thought was suitable.

Due to that not a lot of people would want to adopt the young girl from her background, Esteban growing a liking to the girl knew he couldn’t just let her go.

For a few months it was frustrating, nobody was willing enough to help the desperate emperor.Kindness only goes so far.

Oscar turned his head and scanned the room, “What!, your all here” he cried after noticing, he moved his body and sat directly in-front of his playmate.

The silver haired boy picked up the toys on the floor and started playing with them.While the two were occupied Esteban voiced his worries to his wife.

It was out of pure luck that the emperor was the one who was taking care of you, anyone else you would’ve ended up in an orphanage by now.

“I’m sure you’ll resolve it sooner” Sienna smiled.

A few weeks had passed at this point, it had now pasted the third month of a criminals daughter staying with them, that day it was marked the day that Esteban could finally rest.

All the issues were solved, it was declared that they used their own child as a pawn and that she had no part in it, with that came the millions of nobles now stepping up to take care of the girl now.

Esteban looked threw the letters one by one, yes it was annoying him that they’d all decided to accept the proposal now. In fact Esteban almost made the decision of announcing you as his own but he decided not too due to multiple reasons.

The emperor looked threw the acceptance papers one by one, it was only right that you’d be placed with a presentable family, maybe even one of high status If he was lucky enough.Esteban sighed in relief when he got to that one acceptance letter he’d needed. He’d place you with the viscount for now.

On one faithful day, Oscar had decided he’d wanted to have a picnic with you of some sort, and so he did the only problem was that it was a surprise.

The prince was so excited he’d quickly taken you away to hang out with him with knowing how’d you’d react.

But of course things didn’t go his plan, he soon stopped in his tracks and stared at the former empress, or rather his mother.

It was known to everyone how scared he was of her for obvious reasons, yet you couldn’t comprehend why?.

As much as you wanted to stay with her and form some sort of relationship, Oscars feelings were more important to you, so instead of him dragging you you were the one dragging him instead.

“Oscar is something wrong?” After the two of you ended up in a secluded area it was time for the question. “You don’t look too good do you wanna go back?”.

The silver haired boy seemed to go back to reality at the sound of the girls voice, “No! I didn’t show you the surprise come on” Oscar grabbed y/ns hand yet again and dragged her to his surprise.

“Interesting..” the former empress mumbled, her mind still to the interaction that just happened.

After that interaction Oscar was more protective when th e two of you were together, “Oscar what’s wrong your acting weird!” The girl pointed out.

“Am not it just to protect you y/n!” He announced, “from what?” The girl questioned his motives, “From you know!”

“Oscar of you don’t tell me I won’t know what’s bothering you” y/n responded, the princes eyes soften before he stared at the ground, “you wouldn’t understand if I told you” he pouted.

“I can try!” She pried into him, “you know how you met my mom last wee-”

“What about me?” The said woman responded from behind her son, her green eyes sharp as ever staring daggers at the two children. “Duchess..” Oscar responded the atmosphere becoming gloomy.

“I was just asking him about you!” Y/n defended, “Is that so?” It was clear the duchess didn’t believe a word, “Yes! I must say your very incredible from what I’ve heard” the girl praised.

Somehow the atmosphere brightened, though it wasn’t able to be shown at her expressions, yet it was clear. Pacifica turned her attention to Oscar before replying.

“You’ve chosen a great wife I must say”

“!?” The boys face changed color into a bright red. “She’s not my wife though” he tried clearing up the misunderstanding, “she will be though no?”.

Pacifica soon found out about the recent incident, She wasn’t surprised nonetheless, yet for some reason it made her burn with anger.

She resolved her thinking with just going to Esteban for the issue and if he didn’t agree she’d easily pay someone to assistant the parents.

But she held herself from doing so, knowing if she did she’d quickly spark another issue within the community.

A few years had passed at this point, y/n remained one of the closest people to the imperial family, it was known across the entire nation.

“Oscar” the girl cried as she ran up to hug the boy, it had only been a few hours sense the empress’s death was announced, it was safe to say that the entire country was in shambles.

For the first time the silver haired boy didn’t speak when you called his name, as grief struck him too all he can do was cry with you.

Oscar knew that you’d never stop crying after you found out, but he still wanted you to meet his sister in hopes that you feel somewhat better.

After finally convincing you, Oscar quickly pulled you to Mabel’s room, “Cmon look at her y/n!” The silver head spoked urging you to take a look. “What if she cries when she looks at me?” The girl objected.

“Y/n your not ugly for her to cry when looking at you” he urged yet again pulling you closer to the crib, y/ns hands hit the crib Oscar next to her, “see isn’t she so cute?” He laughed.

Mabel’s eyes met Oscar’s friends eyes, “!!” The pink head lifted her arms and kept on wriggling them, “She looks like sienna..” y/n replied, her body leaning forward.

“Mabel is really pretty!” She announced, “See I told you!” Oscar added.

“Oscar” the girl turned her body towards the boy, “Sense this is the last thing that the empress left I wanna protect!” She declared.

“I wanna protect her till I die”

There was a long silence hung in the room, “who am I to deny you?” He answered with a smile on his face.

In Mabel’s little mind, she knew the moment she stared at the girls eyes that this was the same person she’d met in her previous life.

So the moment the person in-front of her declared that they want to protect her, she’d knew that she’d do the same in a heart beat.

Because she couldn’t protect modern life y/n, she’d protect historic life y/n with her entire soul.

Mable slightly appreciated being a baby, she’d found out about your entire past purely by listening on the maids, she was slightly sad that you’d still had cruel good for nothing parents.

And sense she’d have nothing to do, she’d have her entire attention on the two of you, which is how she found out about her older brothers liking to her.

So the pink head put into her mind that she’d make you become her sister in law living with her forever and ever!!.

The plan had started when she was still young but she decided to put it in full commence action when she was 9. (If I’m not wrong Oscar would be 15 ?)

“Aidan come on!” The girl urged as she pulled onto the black head boys hand, she’d let him know about her little scheme and essentially forced him to do it with her.

“What are you getting out of this?” The boy asked irritated, “A sister in law duh!”

Requested by @lind-55 tysm for requesting!! <3

[casspurrjoybell-17]

HEART'S FATE - CHAPTER 42

*Warning: Adult Content*    

"Let's see... Try these." 

Noah Hunter pulls a t-shirt from a neat pile and a button-down from the rack in his closet, which is organized by color and holds them out to his brother. 

Martin Hunter accepts the garments reluctantly and set them aside while he removes the thin shirt he'd slept in. 

As he pulls it over his head, he hear an intake of breath and looks up to find Noah staring at his torso.

Martin looks down at himself and grimaces.

He'd been mauled by the wolves of Elena's brother's pack when they'd tried to take their parent's territory and Martin still has scars. 

Unlike Noah, Martin is blessed with quick healing, though not as much as their sister, Freya and Alpha Dane. 

Martin’s wounds heal faster than usual but not perfectly. 

Ambrose Thorne saved his life but even his gift hadn't erased all traces of the injuries. 

He'd gotten used to the marks and his new mate, Skylar West hadn't mentioned them, so Martin had thought perhaps they weren't very noticeable.

Noah's look of horror tells him he was wrong.

He turns aside, though his back isn't any better than his front and pulls on the t-shirt and buttons-down, leaving the over shirt open.

Recovering himself, Noah clears his throat and turns back to his closet. 

"And um... trousers. How about these?"

He turns and hands his brother a pair of stylish jeans. 

Martin takes them wordlessly and pulls them on. 

They're a little short in the leg but fit well enough.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

Noah rests a hand on Martin’s shoulder. 

"Martin... it's not a favor. You're my brother."

Grateful that Skylar chose to wait in the hall, Martin takes a breath and forces himself to speak. 

"Actually... I have a favor to ask you."

"Anything."

Martin laughs. 

"Don't agree yet. It's a doozy, as Mom would say."

Noah shakes his head and repeats himself firmly. 

"Anything."

Martin clears his throat. 

"I'd like... I'd like to name you and Ambrose as the children's legal guardians. In my will, I mean. Just in case."

Noah blinks in surprise and then, to Martin’s mild alarm, his eyes fill with tears and he pulls his brother into a hug.

Martin clears his throat again. 

"There's no need for that," he says. "Because you're gonna be fine, Martin. But... we'd be honored, anyway. Just in case."

Martin nods against his brother’s shoulder, his throat too tight to speak. 

Noah releases him and gives him a moment to collect himself before they rejoin Skylar in the hall. 

Then, feeling like he’s entering a monster's lair, Martin descends the stairs.

The door to the sitting room is shut and Martin pauses in front of it. 

His heart flutters like a panicked bird in his chest and Skylar rests his hand on his back. 

Martin leans into him and takes a deep breath.

"Okay?" Skylar asks.

Martin gives a slight nod, straightens his spine and enters the room.

Dane sits in the center of a large sofa, his mere presence occupying the entire space, while Ambrose lounges by the mantlepiece, insouciant as bored nobility.

Elena sits apart in a chair, ignoring the two men as she checks her makeup in a small mirror.

She looks up when they enter. 

Martin feels her eyes rake over him like a physical touch and fails to suppress a shudder. 

She looks unimpressed. 

“Martin.” 

“Elena.” 

Martin gives his ex-wife a stiff nod and takes a seat on the settee beside Skylar, acutely conscious of the eyes that follow him.

"How are the children?"

Martin frown. 

"They're none of your concern."

She lifts a thin shoulder and waves a manicured hand, a hand that shakes a little and tucks the mirror back in her purse. 

"Fine. Pleasantries aside, how are you? And no, I'm not asking because I care."

There's a brittle edge to her tone and Martin finally allows himself to take in her appearance more thoroughly.

Her hair, makeup and clothes are flawless, as usual. 

Her lustrous red tresses look straight from the salon, her outfit probably costs more than every piece of clothing Martin owns combined and her makeup looks ready for a magazine cover shoot. 

Beneath this veneer, however, is a different story.

Like him, Elena appears to have lost weight and her skin, which he remembers as a healthy, light bronze, looks sallow despite her makeup and oddly thin, as if it's too tightly stretched across the bones of her face. 

She fidgets and jiggles her leg, telling habits Martin can't recall his stone cold mate ever exhibiting before. 

She looks more like an addict in need of a hit or a smoker in the throes of withdrawal, than the steel-willed woman he remembers.

"I think you know how I am," Martin says, finally answering her question and meeting her honey-gold eyes, which he had once found so startlingly beautiful and which now spark nightmare memories. 

"Why are you here?"

"Because I want something, of course," she says simply and arches a brow at Ambrose. 

He draws a slow breath through his long, thin nose and narrows his eyes at her.

"Loathe as I am to admit it, she's telling the truth," he says.

"Of course I'm telling the truth," she snaps, huffing and crossing her arms. 

"I'm no fool. I know what I'm up against. So, your turn, how have you been this past year? Thriving and living your best life without me? I think not. In fact, let me guess, you can't sleep, you barely eat and you haven't Shifted in a year."

Martin stares at her. 

If he lies, Ambrose will know it, if he tells the truth, everyone will know it.

"Close enough," he whispers.

Elena sneers. 

"Try 'spot on.' Do you know how I know? Because I'm the same," she laughs bitterly and shoots a venomous glance at Dane. "If only you'd stuck to tradition, for once and killed me, as you had every right to do, none of this would have happened."

"Not too late to fix past mistakes," he says, returning her glare. 

“No, it isn't," she agrees with a sneer, though she breaks eye contact first. "But we both know you won't. You're far too noble for that. Instead, you'll let your brother suffer a slow, painful death, wasting away, day by day, until his heart finally gives out and fails."

Dane's gaze shifts to Ambrose. 

"Is that true?" he asks. 

Ambrose runs a hand through his long auburn curls and casts me an apologetic look. 

"She believes it to be."

"I'm asking you," Dane growls. "You're the healer here. Is Martin sick?" 

Ambrose sighs. 

"I don't know. All I can say is I've noticed a decline. Although..." his gaze shifts to Skylar. "In the past few months, I thought I saw improvement." 

"There is improvement," Martin insists. "If I was tired and stressed, it was only because I had too much on my plate and..." 

Martin glances at Dane and winces.

"And because I didn't ask for help. Sky helped me see I didn't have to do everything alone. He helped me see I wasn't..." 

"Worthless? Irredeemable? Pathetic?" Elena suggests, a cruel quirk to her lips, and shakes her head. "You were always a slut for punishment."

Martin’s vision darkens at the edges and he’s aware of several people rising to their feet. 

Martin holds out his hand to stay the imminent slaughter and forces himself to speak. 

"I was naïve, stupid and desperate for love," he rasps. "You were a spider on the hunt for prey and I fell into your web. But that's all over now. You have no right coming here and saying we're still bound somehow. I have a new mate. You and I are done." 

"Believe me," she sneers, "I wish that were so. I've tried to move on as well. I thought finding a new mate would solve the problem, so I reconnected with an old flame. We bonded, but something prevented the true mate-bond from taking hold. I thought it might be because he wants children and I have no desire to be a mother again. So I played that old card and told him Nico and Rio were his. We'd fucked enough for it to be true. Then you had to go and ruin things with that test. I thought you'd be glad to have fewer mouths to feed." 

She huffs and crosses her arms and I stare at her for a handful of seconds as my brain struggles to comprehend the incomprehensible. 

She waves her hand dismissively. 

"Never mind. I'd been looking for an opportunity to take them, since you wouldn't give them up willingly, when by pure chance I ran into Miguel, almost literally. I'd have thought you'd at least teach the children how to cross a street. At any rate, once I got him talking, he confirmed a few things for me and now I believe I understand. It's your Wolf that won't let go, that still clings to the rotting strands connecting us like the tendons of a severed limb." 

"Impossible." 

Martin shakes his head. 

"The last thing I ever wanted was to see you again." 

"Well, what is it then?" Elena demands. "Tell me, Martin. Why can't you sleep? Why do you torment yourself? Why do you deny yourself even the most basic pleasures? Why can't you Shift and why won't you let anyone help you? Why did you suffer alone for so long when..."

"Because I should have DIED." 

In the ringing silence, Martin struggles to catch his breath, aware of every eye on him. 

Gasping, he glares at Elena and forces himself to continue in a more level tone.

"Because I deserved to die for what I did. That's why."

She smiles sharply. 

"And there it is."

Dane looks stricken. 

"Martin... Is that true? Is that really what you believe?" 

When he can't bring himself to answer, Dane glances at Ambrose, who stands with his fingers pressed to his lips. 

Ambrose nods once, indicating Martin haven't lied. 

Dane leans towards his brother but Martin shakes his head and keeps his eyes on his former mate. 

"It doesn't matter what I believe. I didn't die. I was spared. And so were you." 

Elena nods. 

"And that is the problem. 'Till death do us part' really is the way with Wolves. Living Mates separate so infrequently, we may be the only pair alive to have done so. We haven't done so cleanly, anyway and whatever thin strands still bind us, they are poison. You will never forgive me, I will never respect you. We need to sever these putrescent ties for both our sakes or we shall both perish." 

She draws a deep breath and sits back in her chair. 

"Martin Hunter, I have never and will never, love you. I don't even love our children. In fact, I think I am incapable of love and I have stopped blaming myself for that. However, I have an objective interest in my offspring and for their sake, if for nothing else, I would prefer they not be orphaned. I believe we have that in common, at least." 

Rubbing his hands over his face, Martin releases his breath in a long sigh. 

"What do you propose?" 

"I believe we need to perform a separation ritual," she says. "Sever the bond properly. Give our Wolves the closure that yours, at least, seems to need." 

"What ritual?" Dane asks.

Elena shrugs. 

"Nothing complicated. A simple ritual of Parting should do."

"What's that?" Skylar asks.

As he speaks, Martin becomes aware that he's holding his hand and that he has his fingers locked in what must be a painful grip. 

Loosening his hold on him, Martin takes another breath.

"It's something we do when a Wolf leaves the Pack. Usually to join an unrelated Pack, one outside the family. We did it for Travis when he left to live with Chiaki. It helps the Wolf bond with a new Pack and helps prevent the worst of homesickness. It's done when a Wolf dies, too. It's like a formal goodbye."

"Ah, I see. Can we do it now?"

"It's best done at the new moon," Martin says.

"Which was two days ago."

"The full moon will do just as well," Elena says, studying her nails.

Martin glances at Skylar. 

"I think we might have... a prior engagement."

"This is him then?" she asks, jutting her chin at Sky. "Your new 'mate'?"

For the first time in this strange conversation, Martin is able to give a firm, definitive answer. 

"Yes. He is." 

Elena's lip draws back in a sneer. 

"Hmm. You always were a weak-willed little bitch. I should have known what you really wanted was a cock up your ass." 

Before Martin can reply, he startles as the sleeves of Ambrose's shirt vanish in a burst of smokeless fire, leaving nothing but a fine gray ash on his bare arms. 

"Ah, beg pardon," he says, dusting himself off. "I was just wondering if it was possible to selectively incinerate a person's tongue. Got a bit excited there." 

At Martin’s side, Skylar tilts his head at Elena, studying her with a perplexed expression. 

"I don't know what you mean," he says. "Martin is the most resilient person I've ever met. And I don't know what cocks have to do with anything but in our last coupling, it was I who had...”

Martin nudges him sharply in the ribs. 

As charming as Skylar’s unfiltered style can be, the last thing Martin needs is his family imagining that while...

Dane's slightly unfocused look tells Martin it's too late and he clears his throat loudly to bring the attention back to himself and the present.

"All that aside. You followed us to the coast once already to threaten poor Dr. Howard. If you truly think this ritual is the answer to our problems, then you can follow us there again because that's where we'll be at the full moon."

Martin glances around the room, conscious of Skylar's hand in his as he meets Dane and Noah's eyes in turn. 

Just about every painful secret he has, has been laid bare, might as well drop another bomb while he’s at it.

"Besides. A parting ritual might not be such a bad idea," Martin Hunter says. "Depending on how things go in the meantime, you might not be the only one saying goodbye."

[calswildflcwer]

Hurt And Afraid

Pairing : Carlos x fem!oc.

Warnings : PTSD, drowning, mentions of being attacked.

Plot : The story of how Nova received her scar and a rather scary nightmare.

Pronouns used : he/him for Carlos, she/her Nova.

Note : All oc’s belong to me, please do not copy or steal any of my oc’s details. Thanks.

Info : Info about Nova here! Also, Carlos will probably be ooc but it’s a fic so that much is obvious I guess.

Word count : 1.6k words.

OC taglist : @pochi-moochika @fairchildflag

OC Masterlist here!

Nova paced the room, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. She’d been doing this since she’d arrived home from school at 3:15, it was currently about to hit 5pm. She knew her mother would give her a huge telling off once she was home from work.

Carlos sat on her bed, watching her helplessly. He had tried doing everything within his power to calm her down, even using his gift to shift into her just to make her laugh- which usually worked a treat, he loved seeing her laugh. He eyed her, “Look, maybe it won’t be as bad as you think.” Carlos told her for the 50th time in the past hour.

“Carlos, I skipped classes to go to the nurse’s office, I didn’t tell Noemi where I was for the whole duration of that and then I sprinted home just so she wouldn’t have to see my face like this. The school will have notified my parents somehow of my absence, or worse, they’ll give a ‘your child was sent to the nurse's office today’ slip to Noemi to bring home.” She reminded him.

He sighed, running a hand down his face as he ruffled his hair slightly, “I still can’t believe he did that to you.” Carlos groaned.

“I can’t believe you nearly killed him, you could’ve been suspended!” Nova exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air to emphasise the seriousness of what he did.

“It would’ve been worth it.” Carlos shrugged, nonchalantly.

Nova shook her head, a fond smile on her face as she stared at her best friend of eight years. Her eyes soon drifted to glance out of her bedroom window, “they’re back.” She told him.

She glanced over her shoulder, staring at the door, her left eye was covered by her red hair as she waited for her mother to fling the door open.

It didn’t take long. The door was thrown open and in walked her… sister?

“Where were you today, Nova?! I was worried sick!” The smaller girl whispered as she threw her arms around her sister.

Nova took in her scent of sunflowers as she slowly wrapped her arms around her sister's frame, “I’m fine, Noemi. There was just a problem at school, that’s all.” She reassured the brunette as she pulled out of the hug.

“What happened?” Noemi questioned.

“That’s what I’d like to know too.” Nova heard from behind her, she quickly whipped her head around at the voice, her hair flying away from her face momentarily- only realising what had happened when she heard Noemi gasp loudly.

Nova turned to Carlos, giving him a hopeful look. He watched her before nodding and standing up, “Hey, Noemi. I heard Cami say he was gonna be at the flower garden before tía Julieta makes dinner, shall we go and join him?” He asked, placing a hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

“C-camilo? Are you sure?” She asked, hesitantly turning her attention away from Nova. The older girl soon felt a pair of hands on her cheeks, inspecting her face.

“Yeah, he likes to go there to relax and watch the butterflies.” Carlos responded, guiding her out of the room.

He glanced over his shoulder and watched Nova’s face distort in discomfort before he followed Noemi down the stairs and out of the door.

Nova stared at her mother, “who did this to you?” Her mother asked her.

“Just some boy from school. I missed classes because I was in the nurse's office.” She let Sofia know.

“I want a name, Novalee.” Sofia responded, sternly.

Nova gulped, using her full name, she knew her mother wasn’t messing around, “Lukas, Lukas Gonzalez.” Nova sighed, pulling her face from her mother’s grip.

“The farmer’s son?” She asked. Nova nodded. “I’m going down there to have a word, meanwhile, your father will take you to Julieta’s stall so it can heal properly.” She told her, turning on her heel and leaving the room.

Nova stared after her, throwing her head back and letting out a groan before sprinting after her, “Mamá, don’t! You’ll make it worse, plus, Carlos already stuck up for me!” Nova pleaded, staring at her mother.

“Novalee, you are eleven years old and a boy has seriously harmed you with what I can only assume was a knife. I’m not letting this go unpunished.” Sofia told her.

“He hasn’t gone unpunished, Carlos dealt with it!” Nova exclaimed. “Please mami, don’t go there with all guns blazing.” She pleaded, grabbing her mother’s arm gently.

Sofia sighed, staring at her daughter, “okay, fine. Let’s just get you to Julieta’s stall.”

“She won’t be there now, mamá. Plus, I kinda like the thought of the scar.” Nova shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips.

Sofia eyed her daughter, shaking her head before groaning, “Fine, come on, we need to get some ice on that and hope it doesn’t get worse- if it does, you’ll be seeing Julieta immediately.” She let her know as the pair of them began walking back towards their home.

The pair arrived home and Nova was immediately handed some ice as she sat down on the couch beside her father, “rough day, kiddo?” The older man asked, looking up from his newspaper and seeing his middle child with ice covering half of her face.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Nova mumbled, letting a small smile show from behind the ice as she rested her head on her fathers shoulder and began to read the newspaper with him.

Later that night, the twins lay in their bunk bed. Nova held tightly to a stuffed leopard that her father had bought her for her third birthday, she held the leopard close to her chest as she closed her eyes, trying her hardest to drift off to sleep.

“What happened for Lukas to slice you?” Noemi asked from beneath her.

Nova’s eyes flickered open once more before she opened her mouth to speak, “We were having a fight,” Nova told her sister, “he pulled his penknife out and decided to take a swing at me.” Nova let her know.

“What were you fighting about?” Noemi questioned.

“Uh, he said some shit about Carlos,” Nova shrugged, “I wasn’t gonna stand for it so I threw a punch.”

“You really like him, huh?” Noemi asked, cocking a brow.

Nova sighed, hiding the smile on her face with the leopard even though she knew her sister couldn’t see her, “What about you and Camilo, huh? I saw the way your eyes lit up when Carlos mentioned he’d be at the flower garden.” Nova responded. A soft squeal came from the bunk beneath her, causing a satisfied smile to cross Nova’s face as a soft chuckle left the redhead's mouth.

“I don’t know what it is about him, Nova. He just… he brings me so much happiness and joy. He’s cute and talented and just adorable. I mean, how couldn’t you like him?” Noemi gushed.

Nova rolled her eyes adoringly before a smile settled on her face, “Don’t worry, Noe, I’m sure he feels the same about you. How could he not? You’re adorable.” Nova told the slightly younger girl.

Noemi shook her head, a smile adorning her features as she rolled onto her side, “Goodnight, Nova.” She told the older girl, quickly drifting into a deep sleep.

Nova yawned slightly, “Goodnight.” She whispered as she began tossing and turning, trying her best to find a comfortable position to sleep in.

“Nova! Novalee!” Nova heard her mamá’s frantic calls of her name.

“Mamá! Papá!” Nova called out, trying her best to stay on the surface of the water.

“Nova! Where are you?!” Her father’s worried voice rang out.

Nova tried to scream out, tried to call out to them but water began to fill her lungs. Panic quickly set in within the young girl as she fought for air, trying her best to make it back to the surface of the river. Her arms flailed frantically, her eyes closing momentarily as she felt her small body hit the riverbed at the bottom.

Nova awoke in a sweat, throwing her body up into a sitting position as her blankets fell from her body, tears slipped down her face and her breathing was heavy.

She slowly reached out for her stuffed leopard, grabbing it within her clammy palms as she slowly made her way down the ladders of her bed. She stared at her sister momentarily before carefully climbing into the younger girl’s bed, Noemi’s eyes flickered open at the newfound weight on her bed. “Another nightmare?” The brunette asked as she pushed herself up and rubbed at her eyes.

“Mmhmm.” Nova nodded sleepily as she curled up beside her sister.

Noemi immediately wrapped her arms around the slightly older girl and began to comb her fingers through the redhead’s sweat covered hair, “It’s okay, No. Everything’s okay. You’re not at that river anymore, you’re safe. I promise. I’m not gonna let anything like that happen to you ever again.” Noemi spoke the words she had reassured the fear stricken older girl with so many times in her life since the incident.

Nova’s breathing began to calm down as she held onto her sister, as if she may disappear at any time. Noemi let out a soft sigh, kissing the older girl’s forehead as she watched her slowly drift into a more comfortable sleep.

Noemi slowly laid her head on the pillow, letting sleep take over her entire being once again as she held her sister close, making sure the older girl was safe from any and all harm.

Holaaaaa! Hi! Helloooo! So, idk how many of y’all will be interested in my oc fics but I wanted to start publishing them so here’s the first one with my Encanto oc! 🤪 So here’s a little insight to how Nova received her scar and what happened to her when she was around five years old. Please do lemme know what y’all think tho angels! 😘 Stay hydrated, make sure you’ve eaten today, remember you’re loved more than you’ll ever know and stay safe. Mwaaaah! 💖

[triggerthreestrikes]

The battle of Dusal was fierce, the 118th legion of the GAR was engaged in fierce battle with the crumbling defenses of the separatist forces. CT-223164, or “Trigger.” As he was called, was leading an offensive on the droid controlled fortress, where separatist leaders were holed up. The clone commander ran forward, his DC-15 spraying it’s heroic blue fire to cover the girl in front of him. Jedi Padawan Huxian Sul-Tai. A young Mirialan girl, by the year of 3 ABG (After battle of Geonosis) she’d become a formidable warrior, and a close little sister to all of the 118th. Her Green lightsaber was something the troopers considered a beacon to rally to. A shining light in the darkness of battle and a beacon to rally to. She would defend them all with her life, and they would do the same for her. As the defenses crumbled further, Huxian received the order from her master; Stay outside the fortress. He and the rest of the 118th. Would apprehend the separatists.

As She finished her holo call, Trigger approached his commander. “Good job out there vod” “I couldn’t have done it without you.” “Bantha scat, you were great! Saved Scratch when he took a bolt. Earlier.” Trigger gestured to a wounded trooper, who’s teal accented armor had a hole through the shoulder, who gave a friendly wave to the Jedi learner. “Oh! Almost forgot! Troopers! Gather round!” He yelled. The troopers outside gathered around her as Trigger pulled a box from a pocket in his Kama, and handed it to her. “Happy birthday commander!” The troopers said in unison. Huxian took the box and opened it slowly, placing a hand over her mouth as she saw what was inside. Slowly she pulled a medallion of the symbol of the Jedi order from the box, carved from Mirialan Ice, a crystal that grew in the caves of her homeworld. It’s brilliant teal color not unlike the color that accented the troopers’ armor “Commander…Trigger…where did you get this?” “The boys and I scraped together some credits for you. The war ought to be ending soon, and we thought we’d give you a little gift for your birthday. Don’t think you Jedi get many.” The Jedi Palawan rushed forward, wrapping the clone commander in a bear hug; Doing the same for every trooper that surrounded her. “Thank you!” She squealed, hopping up and down. “Thank you all so much! I’ll have to show Master Testal when he gets back!” Huxian left to the edge of the encampment as the troopers returned to their posts. Feeling his communicator vibrate, The commander took to the center of the camp. The transmission was from the chancellor himself, Much to Trigger’s confusion. Had the seppies surrendered? Answering the call, he was surprised to find the Chancellor’s face heavily scarred. Just as he was about to ask about the reason for the transmission, The Chancellor’s voice came through in a raspy, gravelly tone. “Commander Trigger. The time has come. Execute order, 66.” Just as soon as his confusion set in, a sudden clarity came to him. And a repeated command. A horrible command that he would never follow even if it meant his death: Kill the Jedi. “It will be done my lord.” His mouth seemingly moved on it’s own. Slowly he set aside his communicator, Turning to the edge of the encampment where Huxian stood, Back to her troopers in full and complete trust. His brothers all turned, slowly their blaster’s raised to aim at her. No, no no! What are we doing?! Trigger thought to himself. His own DC-15 shakily raising to aim at her. Stop! We can’t! No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t lower his blaster. Good soldiers follow orders. A voice in his head stated firmly. No! Not this one! The Jedi have betrayed the republic. Good soldiers follow orders. Huxian clutched at her chest, clearly feeling the shift in her clone’s thoughts. Run! Trigger thought to himself. His own voice in his head growing ever quieter. Any resistance he tried became less and less effective. “Trigger! Something’s wrong!” Huxian Cried out suddenly. She was scared, more so than on any battlefield. “Trigger?” She asked, confused. She was facing them now, seeing her beloved troopers aiming their blasters at her, all dead silent. “What’s going on? Are you all okay?” She asked nervously, approaching the clones. Suddenly, unable to resist any longer, One of the Troopers, Cipher Ct-223765, Fired the first shot, missing her. The rest of the troopers, Trigger CT-223164 Included, followed suit. Huxian pulled her lightsaber, beginning to deflect the laser bolts flying her direction. Confusion and horror plastered on her face. “Trigger! Please!” She shouted. Tears began to stream down her face as she continued to deflect their shots, unable to reflect them at the troopers. For 30 agonizing seconds, Trigger could do nothing but be a prisoner in his own body as he watched his little vod exhaust herself. One bolt slipped through her guard, grazing her right side. Crying out in pain, The padawan raised her saber again, attempting to retreat before another last caught her in the stomach. Dropping her saber she collapsed.

With her guard broken, two more bolts ripped through her stomach as she fell onto her back. The troopers rushed to her, checking for life. One of the troopers looked over her, and nodded his head. As the other troopers returned to the encampment, awaiting further orders, CT-223164 approached Huxian’s corpse. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks wet with tears. Suddenly, her hand reached out and grabbed his. “I’m….sorry…” She choked out, as the light left her emerald eyes. Somewhere deep inside the clone commander, he was too.

[redorich]

to those who carried on

A fic for @petrichormeraki​ and their Hermit!Tommy AU.

-------

The hermits know Tommy as a quiet young man who is very sad and contemplative. The more time they spend with him (against his will, but they know he needs the company) the more they learn of the little details. His favorite block is cobblestone, he likes building towers, and apparently his favorite woman is the Queen. They don’t ask why he wears a smiley mask even though he never seems happy. They don’t ask why he hides important things in his ender chest. They don’t ask why he wears a shattered compass on a chain about his neck.

(Once, he died in lava and lost his absolute mind. He was so upset about the compass that he didn’t even mention the stack and a half of diamond ore he had on him. Xisuma ended up manually rolling back the server just so Tommy could have it back.)

As time goes on, the tremors in Tommy's hands grow lesser. His dull blond hair seems a bit brighter, his bruises fade quicker, he doesn’t look quite so skinny-- he spends his time serenely building, resource gathering instead of running and fighting. He has a sense of humor under all that trauma, which the hermits unfortunately find out after another massive-scale prank war thought to be instigated by Grian actually turns out to be Tommy's fault.

Tommy starts swearing more. Doc gets the stink eye from Stress for this, but Doc insists he’s never once sworn around the young man. (That’s an absolute lie, but it wasn’t anything Tommy hadn’t heard before. Tommy thinks Doc is remarkably unoriginal in his cursing. He does take note of the German ones, though.)

Inviting Tommy to PvP minigames can be touchy, they learn. He likes to fight, but he fights like an animal with nothing to lose. Grian once chanted, “It stays in the pit!” and everyone present had to spend the next five minutes wrangling Tommy’s soul back into his body from wherever it’d floated off to.

Tommy likes to glide with his elytra. He claims he’s never had one before, but he flies like such a natural that a few people have their doubts. On a dark desert night, with dark blue eyes watching the night sky, he confides to Cub that it reminds him of the way his dad used to fly. He hates rockets, though. He does not confide to Cub that it reminds him of what his brother did to his best friend. He says enough that Cub can guess, though.

Scar gets fed up with Tommy’s creeper holes and makes Tommy help him fix them. At first, Tommy has no clue why Scar is breaking out things like coarse dirt and birch leaves and making the ground all fancy, but he’s not afraid of a little hard work and Scar makes it fun. He learns a lot about terraforming that day, and awkwardly comes back a few days later asking if Scar needs any more help terraforming. Tommy still hasn’t built a real base, not by Hermitcraft standards, but the small hill he’s built his dirt hut near now has a very beautiful, if amateurish, waterfall. He doesn’t tell Scar about this, but Scar finds out anyway. Tommy wakes up one morning to find that someone has left a shulker box in his house. Instead of iron-gripped paranoia, he just feels wonder that someone would give him a gift-- to the hermits, a single shulker box is nothing. To Tommy, it’s everything.

The shulker box contains coarse dirt, birch leaves, and a silk touch shovel.

Tommy helps Xisuma mine a giant hole in the ground near bedrock, because he realizes that he’s never thanked the admin for getting him his compass back. Well, that and the fact that instamining with a haste two beacon and an efficiency five pickaxe is a novelty. Xisuma lets him keep the cobble, since everyone knows it’s Tommy’s favorite block, but also insists he keep some of the other blocks like andesite and diorite. He pats Tommy on the head and tells him to talk to Bdubs about building a house some time. Tommy nods. He's taken aback by how tall Xisuma is, completely contrasting his mild nature. He reminds Tommy of Wilbur, on one of his good days before... Before. Not Ghostbur, though-- the admin is much too alive.

Tommy waits too long, so eventually Bdubs comes to him. The man is silly and outrageous, playing everything for laughs and unexpectedly tender. Bdubs plays up how beautiful he thinks Tommy’s hideous dirt shack is, then offers to help him build a house that’s better. For Tommy, building a house means settling down, accepting that this is his home now. Bdubs doesn’t know this. Tommy builds cobblestone dicks while Bdubs tries to lecture him about depth and block variation. Nothing gets done and Bdubs feels like he might have failed, but come next week Bdubs is flying over the area and sees the dicks are gone; so is the dirt house. In its place is a spruce-and-cobble cottage nestled near the tiny waterfall. Off to the side, he’s made a cozy doghouse for his fox, Theo. Bdubs doesn’t know how close that fox came to being named Fundy.

He spars with False, and she very pointedly does not mention how his stances are uniquely suited to a piglin. There’s only one renowned fighter who’s a piglin, after all. It's Tommy’s story to tell, if he ever does, why he’s seen enough of the legendary Technoblade’s fights to pick up on his stances, yet he’s not experienced enough to know that they don’t suit him. Instead, False gives him different stances suited more for tall, skinny people like the two of them. She’s got blond hair and blue eyes just like him. (Not that she’d know. She’s never seen his eyes, hidden behind his mask as they are.) Every now and then, he imagines her as an older sister, and the one time he says so, she smiles. When Tommy’s at home, looking at his own distorted reflection in his waterfall (he’s improved it since he built it), he muses that their eyes aren’t the same, their hair colors are subtly off. It’s close enough, he thinks.

Stress dies from fall damage and Tommy goes out of his way to pick up her stuff, because the hermits do these things out of the kindness of their hearts. The thought never even crosses their minds to steal. It crosses his mind. He doesn’t do it. Stealing from Stress would be like stealing from Niki.

He shows up at Cleo’s base unannounced and demands to see the “cool shit”. He is appropriately enthused by the giant armor-stand-bugs. She tries teaching him her armor stand magic, but it doesn’t really sink in. It’s okay, she assures him, most people don’t have the knack for it. He does, however, learn that buttons make excellent decorations. He also learns how to braid hair, bribed by ice cream. He is terrible at it, to the point where Joe has to come by to help the two untangle her hair so Tommy can start again. Watching the two bicker over capitalism and six million armor stands and a whole host of other inside jokes he doesn’t get, he thinks he’s starting to understand what friendship is supposed to be like. Joe and Cleo don’t see him clutching his compass. He and Tubbo weren’t too far off from this, given their circumstances. Maybe...

Maybe Tubbo can be forgiven.

Tommy makes minigames of his own, ones that don’t just kill you and steal your stuff. He builds things that are pretty instead of just functional, brews potions with Stress and only calls them drugs once (again, upsetting her is like upsetting Niki. Best not done), and sets up chicken bombs above people’s bases instead of just lavacasting them. (As Grian saw the hundreds of chickens slowly raining down upon his mansion, he got such a peculiar look on his face that Tommy feared he’d fucked up. The shorter, stronger (much stronger oh god why is he so strong despite being so small) man nearly crushed Tommy’s lungs in a hug, proclaiming how proud he was of Tommy. Tommy was proud of himself for not accidentally murdering Grian out of reflex. Was this what healing was like?)

Yes. It is what healing is like. Tommy knows this because that wound gets ripped open again. Tango shows him how to build the most obnoxious redstone-powered noise machine the two can think of. Tango digs a small pit, and asks Tommy to throw down his axe. Suddenly, Tommy’s in Logstedshire again; it’s not Tango asking, it’s Dream. His hands don’t shake when he tosses his axe into the pit, followed by his sword and his armor. It isn't until he’s placed the TNT down that Tango grabs his wrist and asks him what he’s doing. Tommy’s eyes clear enough that he can see past the blond hair and freckles. Tango isn’t green, he’s red. He's shorter than Dream, and his worried eyes are unhidden. Tommy shudders, then tells Tango everything.

Tango has no pity for Tommy, just understanding and sympathy. He doesn’t push Tommy to talk about it, but when Tommy’s done telling his story, Impulse and Zedaph show up. They all pretend that Tommy’s voice isn’t hoarse, that they all didn’t conveniently happen to look away when Tommy took off his mask just long enough to wipe his eyes. The men bake a cake together, fool around with honey blocks, and don’t talk about it.

Tommy knows very little about redstone, considers himself more of a builder and a fighter than an engineer. Still, Mumbo’s living base is inspiring, and Tommy often hangs around the man’s industrial district just to watch Mumbo work. Mumbo knows that Tommy hasn’t purchased a day pass, but it’s nice having someone around to talk to while he works. It’s not like Tommy is stealing anything. (Tommy totally steals from Mumbo’s industrial district storage system. The man’s farms are so efficient that he doesn’t even notice, so Tommy assumes it’s fine. What Mumbo doesn’t know won’t hurt him.)

Lava still isn’t his favorite thing in the world. He stays far away from it, instead of imagining what it would be like to hurtle towards it. Ren doesn’t really notice this, but he does notice that Tommy doesn’t seem to like his mustafarian base. On a spur-of-the-moment whim, Ren whips up some absurd plotline in which he is a lone weary traveller seeking refuge at Tommy’s base from strange alien overlords. The two have fun together, and the young man cracks more absurd jokes about it than the hermits have ever seen him do. When Ren leaves a week later to return to his own base, Tommy keeps being absurd, if a bit more subdued without someone to play off of. He builds a shrine to the “prime log”, which grows more elaborate each day. Beef and xB pretend to be his acolytes, despite having no clue what a “twitch prime” is.

They can’t see his face, but the smile in his voice is a far cry from the despondency he once wore like a heavy cloak. He is so much more animated and alive, full of motivation. He builds an entire island in three days, and hand-delivers an invitation to each and every hermit for his beach party. Everyone shows up, even those with packed schedules (Iskall) and those with introverted tendencies (Etho). Tommy is nearly moved to tears when they show up in groups of twos and threes, as though he hadn’t expected anyone to come. There aren’t enough chairs for everyone, but there is more than enough cake to go around. Tango brings drinks, Impulse brings meat to barbecue, and Zedaph makes an elaborate jump-powered grill. Keralis brings way too much confetti and several handfuls of cheap, obnoxious party noisemakers. Stress brings Tommy a crown made out of alliums. It shines far less than his brother’s gold crown, and it’ll die in a few days, but he wears it all night and keeps it in his ender chest until it withers away.

He spends five days teaching himself to make flower crowns. Even his best attempt is awful, nowhere near as pretty as the crowns Stress makes, but when he gives it to her, she takes off the one she was wearing and wears his until it falls apart.

He dies fighting a creeper on Grian’s behalf, and doesn’t even panic, because he trusts that however many times he dies, no matter how stupid or ignominious or revolutionary or important, Xisuma will always let him respawn.

He spends a grand total of nine diamonds to buy a single plot of land in the shopping district. He builds a cute little bench facing the sunset, with warmly glowing street lights on either side and a small garden. At the end of the bench he places a jukebox, and buys every single disc that Beef’s music shop sells, including Pigstep. He sits on the bench while Mellohi plays and watches the tiny silhouettes of his friends flying in the evening sky. Tommy looks alone on that bench, even if he seems happy, so sometimes other people stop by to sit with him. Scar declares the bench area a public park, since everyone likes it so much, and refunds Tommy his nine diamonds straight from the throne.

[cripple-cat]

Axton Headcanons Because I Feel Like It

he tried to be a good husband for sarah he really did, but they probably werent really compatible no matter how hard he tried

hes a rule breaker with creative solutions and a crippling inability to do nothing even when its necessary

now given that he cant just sit by and do nothing pandora is PERFECT for him

always something to do, always people to save, always corporations to fight

and with the space he gets with the crimson raiders that he could never get in the dahl military he can finally process all the shit hes been through and done

he has the space to grow and he knows he should, so he CHOOSES to, he CHOOSES to better himself

and not in the way of following more rules, but maybe he learns to paint, maybe he learns different forms of mathematics, maybe he asks maya or zer0 or gaige what their lives were like on other worlds so he can have more compassion for people he meets

he is almost definitely in love with his turret thats not a question

he talks to her when hes cleaning her or fixing her

he talks about what they did together that day and what theyll do the next

its very domestic and kind of sweet but its also deeply uncomfortable to the other vault hunters because they cant tell how deep that runs

zer0 and lilith have money on him fucking his turret

everyone else put in money against that because its a disturbing thought to most, even on pandora

zer0 walked in on him crying over her once, it wasnt even really about anything, he was just struck with grief

they sat next to him with his head in his hands and gave him an awkwardly positioned side hug

they got much closer to each other after that

eventually he opened up to them enough that when they inevitably asked questions about his scars he answered honestly

he talked about his history of finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, of his habit of getting himself caught in tight spaces, the way he takes bullets for other people when he can, his occasional relapses of self harm

sometimes he visits tina when he doesnt trust himself because he knows he would never do anything that could hurt her and she cares about him enough that his death would cut her deep

he visits more after roland dies than he did before, because he doesnt want her to be alone and feel alone

sometimes hell bring zer0 and gaige and a board game and theyll play for hours

he catches himself staring at zer0 a lot, he finds he hardly ever flirts with them anymore, he thinks about all the gifts hes given them at random, and realizes he might be in love again

he never says anything, he doesnt want to ruin it, and hes not sure hes ready

zer0 notices and doesnt say anything about it, but they grab his hand one day, out of the blue, flash a heart across their visor, and hand him the smoothest rock theyve ever seen on pandora

he doesnt know what it really means but he knows enough about zer0 to know it means SOMETHING

they unofficially court for a good long time before anyone else really even notices somethings changed

the first one to notice is gaige since she and axton are ✨besties✨ and she fakes offense at not being told and then just teases him endlessly about how disgustingly cute it is

he tells her to shut up but he smiles the whole time

sometimes hell come up behind her and put his chin on the top of her head, particularly in a situation where it would embarrass her

he sort of sees her as a very close friend and sort of sees her as a little sister and hes very soft about it

when he realized krieg was always nervous around her he started watching real close

he had never seen such dad like behavior from any pandoran before but he immediately recognized it for what it was

he saw it with tina too, and anyone young they came across

he came to the conclusion on his own that whoever krieg was before was a very good and kind and loving dad, and one day he took that conclusion and went to give his psycho friend a hug

it wasnt well received because he forgot to make himself known and forgot to ask if he could and he earned himself a broken arm but he wasnt mad about it

he definitely learned his lesson though and only ever approached from the side krieg could see on

he never really had to forge a connection with salvador like he did with the others, salvador just liked him immediately

their jokes bounced off each other and their serious moments worked in harmony

they werent really best friends but they were close, and then they started working closer together and talking to each other more and sharing experiences and practically became brothers

he writes intentionally shitty poetry on his downtime

sometimes zer0 joins him on the rooftops of sanctuary and they make bad poems together

he likes to study zer0s hands, hes always been a "hands-on" guy, haha

he likes the way their fingers flex and how thick they are and how long their hands are and the way their wrist bends

it was at first very alarming to them that he wanted to look so closely but he never pressured them into removing their suit just so he could see their hands

he always asked if he could play around with their hands before doing it, too

they like watching the sunset together, and sometimes the sunrise, and its the quiet moments like those that help him remember what hes got and how much he loves what he has

hes finally got friends and family that love him and like him and work with him willingly and spend their time off with him by choice

he learns, here on pandora, in the dingy flying city of sanctuary, what it really means to be loved

hes never been happier

[misschifuyu]

General relationship headcanons with Inui and Hakkai

requested

characters: inui seishu + hakkai shiba

genre: fluff

warnings: none

Inui

inui is someone who is very careful when it comes to expressing his feelings. he much prefers to keep a neutral stance whenever speaking to those he cares most about, simply because it helps him not develop too strong of a bond with the other person. he's afraid to follow the path of koko, so he's especially careful when it comes to love

so it came as quite the shock when you came into his life. no doubt, he found you attractive at first glance, but even after just a few words exchanged here and there, he had started to wonder - and, frankly, worry - why he wanted to continue listening to you, to get to know you better

as he started to connect the dots, he quickly recalled just how his friend would act with his sister. and it frightened him.

he was falling and he had nothing to grab onto, to stop himself from sinking into the one emotion he had been running away from - love

when you confessed, since he most definitely not put himself in that situation seeing as he was trying to control his growing affection towards you, he would be left absolutely stunned. of course, he reciprocated your words, but it would take him a few minutes to explain to you that he was scared of a relationship

but, don't worry. you understood him, and were willing to take things as slow as he needed. after all, there was no need to rush into everything all at once

give him a few weeks, let's say two. during this time, he would visit you much more often, hold your hand when he knew no prying eyes were around and, all around, start warming up to you. of course, he knew you well enough by that point, but it still took him a little to get used to the whole relationship status

he will, undoubtedly, come to koko whenever he had any doubts. he wants to improve himself for you, trying his best to become the partner you deserve. his friend may be not always be of the best help, but anything was better than nothing

once he has fallen into a comfortable state around you, you will quickly notice what he had been deprived of all these years. he turns into a very affection person whenever he's around you, mostly when you're either at his house or yours. expect to be followed around quietly by this softie

hugs from behind are his personal favourite. feeling you so close to him, your arms holding onto his as he bring you into his chest and rests his head on yours. it's very comforting for him, so expect him to do so quite often. he may be silent as he does so, but the way his heartbeat will slow down will be enough to tell you that he feels safe with you

play with his hair whenever the two of you are cuddling, trust me. your fingers running through his soft locks will be enough to send him off into a good, hour-long nap, no questions ask. he's a pretty deep sleeper, so you can tie his hair up into a bun. he will be oblivious to it all until he walks past a mirror upon waking up, groggy eyes fixating on the little mass of hair on the top of his head

one thing that will truly make his heart flutter is whenever you pepper his face with kisses. although he may not mention it, he's a little insecure about his scar. but this will quickly change when you tell him how all his features are absolutely beautiful, placing little, butterfly kisses on his soft skin as he lays on your lap, facing you from below

you truly are his source of comfort, of love. he won't brag about you, but by the way his lips would turn up into a smile when he knows he'll see you after a meeting is more than enough to let the other members of the gang know just how much he loves you

a closeted lover boy, let's say

he will, on occasions, turn up at your house during the late hours of the evening with a a flower or two he picked up on his way to your place, or even a box of your favourite snacks. anything that reminds him of you, really. and if you gift him something, you best believe he will treasure it as though his life depended on it

one thing that you hadn't expected from him was his liking towards taking pictures. he's always been fond of snapping pictures of sceneries here and there, and he just so happens to have one of these polaroid cameras

your wall - and his, for that matter - will be filled with selfies, random pictures of him you'd take and some of yourself that he'd keep on his bedside table. he deemed it a way to remind him of how much the two of you have been through and the importance you held in his life

of course, his phone wallpaper is a picture of the two of you when you went to a summer fair, where he most definitely didn't spend the best part of half his change on trying to win you a prize that had caught your eye

afterwards, you had insisted on trying to win him something too; however, he had assured you that there was no need, he was more than content with seeing you get a prize instead

inui will be very cautious when it comes to your involvement with anything related to the gang. if you happen to be also member, he will stick by your side just as much as he does with koko, and will not hesitate to throw himself into a dangerous situation if you were ever at a disadvantage

he's a little reckless when it comes to this. he acts without thinking when it comes to your safety, so more often than not, others will have to get involved if things get ugly. he may not look like much of a threat, but he will completely change his demeanour whenever those he loved were involved

he just can't afford to lose another person again. having found someone he could fully trust in, and show love to, he isn't about to let some punk take it all away from him. so he will put his own life on the line

but it's mutual, between the two of you. undoubtedly made for each other, it would take some doing from the enemy to actually knock one of you out. truly a couple that any gangster would wish for, that is an indisputable fact

Hakkai

the baby of the shibas. he may act all tough and strong when with toman, but it's a given fact that he has a very soft, vulnerable side. it's really what comes with such a conflictive childhood; but he will constantly try to put all of that behind him, building himself up to stand up to those who looked down upon him

this strategy of his, however, won't be very effective when he was introduced to you. a close friend of mitsuya's, he had thought the two of you might get along quite well. right off the bat, hakkai had to take a few seconds before actually coming to the decision of what to say to you upon first seeing you

he couldn't exactly tell you how attractive you were on the first day, now could he?

as the two of you would get to know you better - fulfilling mitsuya's expectations - he would start to notice that he looked forward to seeing you each time there was a meeting. this would lead to a timid suggestion of hanging out either before or after the next meeting, receiving a content response from your behalf

his crush will go anything but unnoticed by his sister. yuzuha will quickly notice how he would come home a little quiet, lost in his thoughts although not in a gloomy state. he actually seemed to be a little happier now

she would be the one to push him to confess to you, after having heard his considerably long rant about you that he accidentally came out with whilst he was talking to her. she was over the moon to hear that her little brother was finally crushing on someone, and would walk him through all the key points to not scare you off or come off as weird when he told you about his feelings

luckily enough, her strategies proved to be successful, and before he could even register it in his mind, hakkai had achieved a relationship with the one that had been flooding his thoughts for a good few months now

although he may not be entirely experienced in the whole dating area, he will be anything but shy when trying his best to be the perfect boyfriend. he may not show much pda, mainly because he still tries to upkeep his strong persona even around you, but his lingering will not go unnoticed by the other members. wherever you were, hakkai was never too behind

he just loves being around you, to be able to call you his partner. you're like a little - since this guy is ridiculously tall - beam of light that he wished he could keep by his side at all times. behind closed doors he will be much more affectionate, to the point you would actually wonder if this was the same person you would attend toman meetings with

being the soft giant he is, he absolutely loves engulfing you in his arms. spooning you, hugs from behind, laying you on his chest, you name it. he can be awfully cheesy at times, too, so expect to be showered with the most sappy comments ever. you're convinced he keeps a list of them.

"you wanna know what's the best thing in my life? it's the first word of this sentence"

"hakkai...you realise that just works better written down, right?"

definitely an avid enthusiast of making you think over why you were with him in the first place. of course, you loved him and everything that came with the youngest shiba, but sometimes you truly wondered where he got his personality from

speaking of family, meeting his siblings will be an experience in itself, to say the least. yuzuha will be ever so welcoming when you first went over to their house, offering you food and sitting you down to get to know you better. she knew you were a perfect match for her brother, and she's delighted to have you as a sister-in-law

now...taiju may be a little different. just by appearance, he's quite intimidating. you did know about him, but you had never actually spoken to him in the entirety of your life. hakkai will stand nearby when you eventually meet him, just in case something got out of hand.

however, surprisingly enough, the eldest sibling gave you a friendly pat on your shoulder, thanking you for finally giving his brother a chance at a relationship. the way it came off sounded like he believed hakkai to be almost unlovable, but you supposed it was pretty good coming from such a scary individual

needless to say, your boyfriend had a few things to murmur about when his brother left. you reassure him that it was alright, though. truthfully, you had expected it to go another way even

dates with hakkai will be quite an often occurrence. apart from his duties in toman, he doesn't have much to do. he attends online school, so as soon as he slaps his laptop closed, he's usually on his way over to your house. he will always take you out on a ride on his motorbike, around the busy city filled with people and commotion

you want to go out for lunch? he knows the best places. want to go shopping? the guy brought his wallet for a reason. he's such a sucker for you that he will drive across the city for even the smallest thing for you, he didn't mind. if it meant he could see that smile of yours, he's absolutely willing to do anything

he's also a perfect shopping partner. he hangs out with mitsuya a lot, so he's picked up on some knowledge on fashion and is more than happy to help you pick out outfits. he will always offer to carry your bags, too. truly the perfect boyfriend, wouldn't you agree?

just be sure to shower him in love and kisses once you get back home. he will happily receive each and every one with a wide smile, lifting you up into his arms as he tells you, once more, how much he loves you

some may say the two of you are too soft and sappy for a couple involved in the gangster world, but neither of you could care less. not everyone could say they fought alongside their partner that they would, afterwards, spend quality time with, no matter how bruised up you were

you always had a laugh after a fight with other gangs; both of you would always mock the rivals, saying how they never really stood a chance in the first place

the two of you are like a pair of old women when it came to judging people neither of you liked; if anyone happened to listen in, they would automatically think you were simply best friends by the way you would speak

needless to say, hakkai will be both an amazing boyfriend as much as a friend, and you can always count on him if you're ever in need of a mood booster, because he will rush over to your place as fast as he can

[manjiroro]

Hello 💚

Can you please do Peh-yan, Chifuyu,Draken,and Mikey with a Neiru Aonuma reader?

She is calm and quiet and the president of a large company despite still being a child, and also has a Similar background, they had a little sister(a twin) and the little sister stabbed her in the back and jumped of a bridge after

This is a reference photo of the scar afterwards

If it’s a sensitive topic I totally understand!

s/o who is like Neiru Aonuma

characters: peh-yan, chifuyu, draken, mikey

content: fluff, gender neutral reader

hello thank you for requesting~! ok, ive actually not watched this anime yet, so im basing her character off your description and research, im so sorry if its ooc !!

i apologise for any mistakes made and i hope you enjoy~~

p e h y a n

whenever peh yan was around you, he felt calmer

he's generally a loud, extroverted person but with your calm, introverted personality, he feels more at ease with you

when the both of you first met, he was interested in you because of how you always seemed so calm even in his presence

usually, people would try to avoid him but you didn’t mind being around him and he really liked that

so he wanted to get to know you better, but your introverted personality meant you needed more time to warm up to him

he was super patient and he tried his best to get your trust although he stumbled along the way

you guys eventually became friends and soon afterwards, he confessed

to which he wasn’t expecting you to accept so you can imagine how happy he was when you agreed to being his s/o

eventually as you start getting more comfortable with him, you opened up about your past and the incident that happened between you and your sister

peh yan is gonna be so caring towards you

although he may not be the best with showing his affections and concerns, you can tell that he was trying

he'll show up with gifts whenever he meets you

he'll also crack a few jokes here and there which always manage to make you laugh

as long as you're happy, he's happy

when it comes to physical affection, he wasn't sure if you're 100% comfortable with him

seeing as how you were so reserved and you needed time to open up to him

he knows he isn’t the smartest and he’s afraid he would misinterpret thing because of that, so he would rather avoid it completely

he'll only initiate physical affection when you give him the okay

but even then, he'll only limit it to hand holding and hugging, he's just very considerate and wants to make sure that you're comfortable

he's amazed that you're such a hard worker and how determined you can be

he just can't relate, so seeing you doing your work so diligently makes him stare at you

the bonus is that you looked like an angel when focused on work

he'll be the type to sit beside or opposite from you to keep you company while you work

he'll either be staring at you or sleeping

but you enjoy his company regardless

he sometimes worries if he's being too overwhelming for you, being too loud or the way he speaks is too direct etc

but you're always there to reassure him that it was alright and that you love his extroverted personality

he just wants you to be safe, happy and comfortable around him and to do that, he'll do anything <3

c h i f u y u

chifuyu is also extroverted but he knows how to tone down when he’s with you

he reads a lot of shojo mangas so when he sees you, an introverted, quiet girl, he thinks your very cute

he did try to get to know you better but he had so much trouble doing so because of your lack of trust in him

but chifuyu didn’t give up, he would continuously try to chat with you even if he only receives one word responses

after a while, he knew you were getting comfortable when you started giving him longer responses and asking him questions about himself

after being friends, he waited like a few months before confessing to you

he didn’t want to overwhelm you, so he allowed you to get used to him first before confessing

he was ecstatic when you said yes

a few months into the relationship, you would tell him about your past and your sister

chifuyu is gonna be shocked when he first hears the news but he’ll then bring you into a hug to comfort you, whispering reassurance to you

so expect lots of cuddles whenever yall hang out, he’ll unconsciously rub your back while at it

chifuyu tries to take things slow, he’s using all his will power to stop himself from kissing you every time

he knows you’re gonna need time to get used to being in a relationship, so he doesn’t want to rush into things 

so he’ll ask for your permission first before trying to initiate anything

because you’re the complete opposite of him, conversations with him are usually him talking while you listened

but the both of you don’t mind it though, you enjoyed listening to him and he enjoys talking to someone who would actually listen to everything he says even if it’s complete nonsense

he likes watching you work

he’s well aware of how determined you are so he likes watching your eyebrows furrow in concentration, he thinks it’s cute

he’ll usually ask for study sessions because of this

he’ll get too distracted from staring at your face so much so he forgets to do his work

but because you’re so determined, you tend to overwork yourself

so to overcome this, chifuyu would make you sit on his lap and hug you from behind so as to distract you from doing your work

he knows you cannot deny his affections, so you’ll give in and cuddle him back

chifuyu will give the whole world to you if he could and he wants to be there for you constantly <3

d r a k e n

you and draken are somewhat similar, the both of you have a calm attitude but the difference is that he’s much more extroverted than you

 but because of his calm attitude, he knew what to do and how to get you closer to him

he met you when you were walking around in the shopping district, looking lost. so he decided to go up to you to help you

but the moment he asked you, you froze up in fear

you didn’t like talking to strangers and accompanied with him being tall and looking intimidating, you couldn’t help but to stand rooted to the ground

he then had to ask you again if you needed help, and that’s when you had caught his attention

he often sees you at the shopping district, so he’ll take that as an opportunity to talk to you

thank god that he’s a very patient person because it took him a whole month to get you to even speak to him

you were cautious of him, but you realised that he was very persistent and that he had good intentions, so you decided to respond to him after a while but you were still a bit weary of him

from there, the both of you started getting closer to each other

yall started dating because he confessed first. he was actually aware that you liked him first but he decided to be the one to confess first because he thought that you might feel shy if you did it

there’s gonna be quite a lot of comfortable silence between the both of you

like you would be doing your own stuff and he’ll do his or maybe the both of you would sit together in comfortable silence

when you tell him about your sister, he’ll give you a comforting smile and reassure you

he understands your feelings and he’ll be there to listen to your story while holding you to comfort you

he’ll always be there to listen to your problems and afterwards, he’ll bring you out on a walk to clear your mind

draken isn’t the most affectionate guy so he won’t initiate any kind of physical affection unless he really wants it or if you asked

he knows you’re a hard worker so whenever you’re doing work, it motivates him to do work also

so the both of you would be diligently doing work together

but if he’s done and sees you still working, he’ll go get some food or drinks for you 

he wants to make sure that you’re getting your basic needs even when you’re working so hard

it’s his way of showing how much he cares for you <3

m i k e y

he’s introverted too so the both of you probably knew each other from a mutual friend

but he’ll definitely make the first move to talk to you because he feels that you’re an interesting person just by looking at your face

but you didn’t respond to his questions which makes him go ???

so he persisted, but he doesn’t know what to say to you after his attempts, so he’ll try to befriend you by offering you food

there was once, he was walking until he stumbled upon a group of guys pestering you, but because you didn’t say anything to them, they got mad and started threatening you

mikey immediately went up to them and beat them up, which made you start trusting him

so from then on, when mikey talks to you, you would respond him

mikey would be the one to confess but he would’ve done it on accident, he would’ve blurted it out when hanging out with you at sometime 

mikey would talk about his day and what happened at toman meetings while you sat there, listening to him attentively

he doesn’t mind you not talking, he enjoys your company in general

but he will ask you questions like ‘how was your day’, ‘what did you do today’ and ‘what did you eat for breakfast today’

he does it to check up on you and also because he likes hearing your voice while he lays on your lap

when you trust him fully, you told him about what happened to you and your sister

mikey would be the type to bring you out to keep your mind off of the stress you had from that incident

of course, he’ll be there to listen to your problems too

he’ll cuddle you while doing so

mikey can be quite affectionate sometimes so he’ll usually be the one to initiate any physical affection

he knows that he’s already gained your trust and that you’re comfortable around him 

when you’re doing work, he’ll most probably leave you alone but would come offer you snacks from time to time

but it’s when you start overworking yourself, he’ll come in to get you to stop

he really loves your determination but he thinks you can take it too far sometimes

so when that happens, he’ll probably come lay on your lap or hug you while mumbling that he wants to sleep while cuddling with you

but you’ll keep telling him that you’re not tired and that you really have to finish your work

but he’s gonna keep pestering you until you give in to him

and when you lay in bed with his arms around you, you immediately fell asleep

mikey would smile to himself, thinking about how you said you weren’t tired, he’ll then stare at your cute sleeping face as he slowly dozes off <3

❥ masterlist

[elizabethemerald]

Fall Anniversary at the Soltryce Academy

Caleb walked into his classroom at the Soltryce Academy with the immediate instinct that something was wrong. He had been teaching Transmutation theory and application in this same class room for the past twenty years, so anything that seemed different set off alarms in his head. 

He mentally checked the wards on the class room and found them intact. There were a few students in their seats, a few more filtering into the lecture hall, by the second. None of them seemed alarmed. Whatever was different today did not appear to be an immediate threat. 

Still just to be safe he subtly cast Detect Magic as he set his bag down and took off his coat. Immediately a few points were highlighted in his mind. Of course his own magical items, the amber around his neck and the amulet beside it, the ring on his finger, the chalk he had enchanted to help him lecture. Nothing off there. 

There were a few points of magic around the rest of the room, each quickly analyzed and dismissed. Transmutation magic on a small pile of coins near the wall, a low level student’s practice project. Abjuration magic in the wards along the walls. Divination magic in a button, another spying device Astrid had tried to sneak into his class room to keep him from teaching against the school’s policies. 

It was the illusion spells that caught his attention. A few of the students were covered in the same, linked illusion. Their appearance normal enough to blend in, but also entirely too normal for a real student. And there, a student he didn’t recognize even with his keen mind, covered in an illusion spell. Several other magical objects of varying power, hidden under the spell. The Vestige appeared to be within its pocket dimension, so at least they hadn’t brought a weapon onto campus. 

After setting down his things and greeting his class he squeezed past a few of the students to grab Astrid’s enchanted button. He quickly dispelled it and slipped it into an envelope to return to her later. As he returned to the front he gave the cat sitting on his desk a brief scratch. 

“Hello Jester.” He said. Of course he didn’t need Detect Magic telling him of the cat’s aura of Transmutation to know his friend. She was bright blue after all and staring at him far more smugly than even a magic fey cat would. 

“Now class, I know we were discussing transmutation principles as applied to effecting the elements around you, but I am afraid that lesson will have to be postponed. It would seem that it is the anniversary of the Mighty Nein getting together and they have decided to invite themselves to my class.”

There was a muttering around the class room as the students looked at each other, before one of them near the front stood up, the illusion dropping off her form as she did so. 

“I told you he wouldn’t fall for it!” Veth said in her high voice, She looked mostly unchanged from when they first brought her back to her proper body. A few more laugh lines, but nothing more to show the passing two decades. “Lebby, is an amazing wizard, he wouldn’t fall for something simple like that. You students better appreciate the skill of your teacher.”

Caleb smiled fondly as Veth walked up to the front to give him a hug. Interspersed through the seats a few more illusion spells dropped. A half elven man walked up from the front row and kissed him on the cheek. Essek’s own illusion lasting even as he dismissed the Seeming on Kingsley and Yasha. 

“How did they rope you into this?” Caleb whispered to Essek. 

“Oh you know I can’t resist a practical joke.” Essek maintained his deadpan delivery for only a few seconds before a small smile graced his lips. Caleb knew quite well that Essek looked as ageless as ever, under his illusion. His elven blood would keep him looking much the same for the next few centuries. Caleb returned the kiss, to the muttering of his students. They weren’t ever a 100% sure who Caleb’s rotating cast of elven boyfriends were, and Caleb was more than happy to keep them in the dark. 

“Well you can’t fault us for trying!” Kingsley said. They were wearing a scandalously low cut shirt, a pair of plain black pants, and a pair of thigh high boots. His purple hair was fading to a less vibrant shade just a bit near his ears and he had a larger collection of scars, as one would expect from years of piracy and being a bloodhunter. They were also wearing their sword much to Caleb’s disapproval, which was apparently not magical. 

“You can’t expect me to hide this glorious look without magic though can you?” He said, sliding his hands down to his hips then back up his torso. Then he grabbed Caleb’s chin and kissed him full on the mouth, with tongue for several seconds, while his students lost their collective minds. Caleb smiled against Kingsley’s lips right before the tiefling stepped back. He was sure the rumor mill of the school would go wild about that for a few weeks. He wished he could see the look on Master Beck’s face when the news came across her desk. “Here’s to another twenty years, magic man.”

Yasha and Caduceus walked up next, each giving Caleb a tight hug. These two showed their age the least of the non elven members of the Nine. Cad could have been just stepping out of the temple doors in the Blooming Grove, saying that he had only three cups, if it weren’t for the increased presence of lichens and mosses of all kinds on his clothes and armor. Caleb was fairly certain there was an actual bird’s nest in his pink hair. Yasha of course looked as badass and muscular as she had when they first found her. Her hair was completely white, done up in an ornate braid. Home life seemed to suit her well, she looked genuinely happy and relaxed like she certainly hadn’t when they had first gotten together. 

Fjord’s spell dropped as well. The half orc’s hair had large stripes of gray in it, he had crows feet at the corners of his eyes, and his salt and pepper beard had significantly more salt to it now. He still looked good, life at sea, despite its hardships, keeping him fit. He laughed at something over Caleb’s shoulder as he approached and he found himself lifted bodily into the air by a pair of muscular blue arms. 

Jester having dropped her polymorph spun him around briefly in the hug before setting him back on his feet. She would never fail to look divine. Her horns now curling in on themselves, almost like her mother’s had when they first met her. Her hair is pulled back into a pony tail, poofing out behind her head from the salt air. Her sailing days were certainly not hurting her in anyway. Her smile was still just as wide, her eyes just as sharp, and her arms just as strong, if not more so. 

“Happy anniversary Caleb! Twenty years ago you were a stinky wizard. Now you are here teaching!” Jester’s happiness in her voice carried to every corner of the lecture hall. 

“What happened to our plan of drinks in Nicodranas this evening?”

“I just couldn’t wait Cay-leb.” She pouted. “Fjord and I got into port early, and I was so bored.”

Caleb smiled at her, then looked around at the rest of the Nein, pretending to count. 

“We appear to be one short. Where is my sister? Couldn’t drag her away from the Cobalt training pit? Or did she get lost in a book like some kind of nerd?” Caleb said with a smirk.

“Mother fucker!” 

He looked up towards the voice above him, just in time to watch Beauregard drop from the ceiling, to land on his desk with a perfect three point landing. She hopped off the desk and punched his arm, before also grabbing him in a tight hug. 

“I am not a nerd, Widogast!” She snapped, a wide grin on her face. 

“Beauregard, please do not land on my desk. It was a gift and I don’t think it could bare too many impacts like that.” He stopped to look up at the vaulted ceilings of the class room. “Also, how did you get up there?”

If she had been invisible she would have tripped the wards on the class room. And if she had gone in the brief break between classes one of the early students would have noticed her and caused a stir. 

Beau took her turn to smirk. 

“I have been waiting up there for four hours so we could surprise you. It’s surprisingly comfortable. I could have gone another couple of hours without breaking a sweat.” She paused to flex, causing several students, and Yasha to blush at her muscles. 

Beauregard’s monk training meant that she looked like she hadn’t aged a day since Aeor. And she could still easily out fight everyone else in the room if she wanted to. She was also the one member of the Nein that Caleb saw the most frequently. Their work to root out corruption among the Cerberus Assembly, and other bodies of power in the Empire often kept them up together late into the night, until Yasha would intervene and throw her wife over her shoulder to carry her to bed. 

“Can I finish the lesson, or should we depart immediately?” Caleb asked, already guessing the answer. 

“Cayyyllleeeb.” Jester groaned, pulling at her face. “I’m sooooo bored. I want to drink and party already!”

Caleb turned back to his class of students. He was sure most of them had heard rumors about Professor Widogast and the wild adventures he got up to with the Mighty Nein back when they first got together. He wasn’t sure how much they actually believed, but he was sure that even the most widely blown out of proportion tale didn’t even begin to cover the truth of what they had done together. 

“In honor of the anniversary of this group of arschlochs finding each other, consider this to be a free day. Keep up on your readings, and if you have any questions I will be at my regular office hours tomorrow morning.” 

The students immediately started buzzing as they stood and packed. No doubt during tomorrow’s class he would have to field a whole host of questions about the Nein, and that was just the way he liked it. The day after the anniversary was the one day he would talk about what his family had done. As the class filtered out, with many a lingering glance thrown at the colorful group at the front, Caleb turned to Essek, setting the envelope with Astrid’s button in it on the table top to deal with later. 

“Would you like to teleport us to the beach, or shall I?”

Essek put up both hands. 

“I already used my spell slots getting us all back together again. You can bring us to the coast.” Essek said, his smile a mix between smug and fond. 

Caleb rolled his eyes before pulling him into a soft kiss. Then he turned to address the rest of the Nein. The family he had made for himself. 

“Are we ready?” After a series of nods, he pulled an ancient clay turtle from his pocket and gave it a squeeze. “Then let’s go!”

And they were off, to a night of drinks and celebration and stories told, and memories shared. And of course many toasts, “To another twenty years.”

[bloodycassian]

LEATHERBOUND - Reader x Cassian - (I think I missed this request but I think someone req’d something similar) Reader is a librarian in Illyria when Cassian comes in asking for help finding something.

Cassian's favorite time of year in Illyria was the winter days where the sun was out. The winds were harsh enough to stun his wings, but the rays from the sun were warm enough for a perfect contrast. Not letting him freeze, but not letting him get too hot either. 

The muddiness also became packed ice instead of the mess it had been over the summer. It was still messy in the more trafficked areas, but not nearly as bad. He couldn't hide the joy that rept into his heart at the sight of so many Illyrians taking joy in the season. Small winged children threw snowballs at passerbys from a ledge. A broad winged male scared them off with a flyover. Cassian entered the small shop, the smell of dust and worn carpet whirled around him. It was comforting in a strange way. It reminded him of being a child. Innocent and curiously exploring different shops at his home.

The bell above rang in a dull tone. He looked up and saw the shotty repair job on the ringer. Not exactly as it had been when he was a child, it seemed. "Stay right there!" You called from the back, putting away the stack of books you held. They clattered into the bin loudly. The sound of rustling made him curious.

"I'm just here for-" He called, starting to step further into the room. The books lined the short walls, and the stacks in the middle looked percaiously stacked. They were organized, but the bottom of the stack seemed stained. He doubted the resources for another bookcase were available. 

"I know, just dont move. I just cleaned the carpet." You brought a towel from the front desk over and placed it beside the small outcropping of hard wood you had laid out for anyone first entering the store. "This is the last building in Illyria with carpets. I'd like to keep it that way." You said when the dark haired male gave you a pinched look. He bent and began taking off his boots. Boots that looked far too new for the likes of an Illyrian. 

Watching him do so, you noticed the two Siphons on his hands. Then the one on his knee. Your head went fuzzy. What had you done to deserve a visit from the Lord of Bloodshed? He noticed your stare and gave you a wolfish smile. You didn't flinch away from it. The wind howled at the gaps in the stone, and you cleared your throat.

"So what do you need?" You asked, crossing your hands behind your back. Ready to be of service. Hopefully he wouldn't demand too much of your small store.

"You said you knew. So you tell me." He said with a sly smile. You stammered, sweat slicking your palms. "I didnt mean- We have several ah..." You looked away, at the different categories of spellbooks and history of Prythian. Shame fell in your gut at the bottom layers of books that made the stack in the middle of the room.

"I'm looking for a cookbook. One with Illyrian recipes." He stepped to the carpet, his dark socks immaculate against the worn pattern. 

"Is the high lord a fan of home made treats?" You laughed at the odd request. Then covered your mouth, the embarrassment turned your ears red. "I'm sorry-" "No, its fine." Cassian chuckled, pulling a book off a shelf. It was of the first war, and was bound in dark leather. "He does. But the book isn't for him. The high ladies sister, actually." 

The one of hellfire and stone or the one that seemed to be a ghost? You dared not question him. "A solstice gift?" You asked, showing him over to the small cooking section you had obtained over centuries. They weren't of much use in Illyria, but the few travelers found them fascinating. 

"Yes, she's had a rough year." His voice was somber, but the hope still lingered in his eyes.

You let the words sink in. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, his presence was warm and welcoming, actually. As if he was putting off a vibe of 'I'm safe.' You handed him a complete cookbook full of basic recipes and baking. The cover was so worn the title was unreadable. Dark spots stained the inner pages, you knew because you'd borrowed the book several times. "We all have." He flicked through it for a moment, smiling. His teeth were immaculate, and a bit extra pointy on his canines. The sight of them sent a thrill through you.

"I recommend the sweet dough. It's spice free, the only thing you need for it is pine needles and sap." You flicked the pages to one you had bookmarked. The opposite side was full of different types of cakes to make with minimal ingredients. 

"I'm too familiar with it." He laughed, shaking his head. Some fond memories from long ago lingered there. He could recall the scent of the bread with full accuracy. The way it the needles would char on top of the dough if there were too many. 

"How much do I owe you?" He pinned the leather under his arm and pulled a satchel from his pocket. Your heart raced at the glimpse of so many gold coins there. 

"Ah- it'll be Twenty silvers." You said, embarrassment coating your tongue. He didnt even look like he was carrying and silver. He eyed you speculatively. "Twenty silvers for a full book?" He asked. You nodded, trying not to wring your hands. He fished a gold coin from the pouch and held it out to you. "Let me get you some change... it may take a second." You fumbled to the desk where you kept your coin inside a spellbound box. 

"Dont worry about it. I'll be back another time." He called, setting the book on the floor to pull on his shoes. "Lord Cas-" You began to protest.

"Just Cassian." He corrected, grunting as he pulled on the boots. "Call it a tab." He winked and eyed the ripped, hole filled curtains of the front window. How they swayed in the breeze that drifted in from the rocks. 

"I'll be seeing you." His eyes scanned you, and you nodded. "Be seeing you." You said back, your mouth dry. He was intimidating in the ways you'd never thought of. Not in a scary way, but in a sly way that made your heart race. The bell over his head dinged hollowly as he exited, shoving the book into his backpack. You tried not to stare as he left. 

+ The Solstice party was a success as it normally was. Nesta kept to herself in the corner with Amren while everyone else exchanged gifts. Elain's eyes lit up at the book, and she hugged Cassian with heart. "I'll be making you something tomorrow." She promised. Cassian felt the flicker of cold over him and shot Az a look. They glowered at one another. 

Rhys leveled a look at both of them that got them to straighten up. Feyre handed out mugs of hot cider. Mor brought around a bottle of liquor to mix with it. The night was warm with friends and joy. Besides the cold corner where Nesta sat. Cassian did his best to ignore it. As did everyone else. 

He was nearly the last to leave. The cider had effected him more than he thought. But it warmed his insides against the cold wind of Velaris. He wrapped his wings around himself to shield from the cold. He thought of the librarian who had given him the book. His mind drifted to the rest of that day, how Devlon had even seemed cheerful. 

He wondered if you were doing anything, if you had any family celebrating with you. If you had a mate that spoiled you. His heart kicked up at the thought of it. He hadn't noticed a ring...or any tattoos to signify a mating bond. He couldn't recall much else. He had been stunned by the beauty and simplicity of you and your shop. He couldnt remember if you had wings. 

The frustration ate at him. He had to know more. He needed to know if you had a good solstice. He made a plan. "It would be good karma" He told himself, entering one of the several shops on the way to the townhome. His excitement made it nearly impossible to sleep that night. + "Happy solstice." A voice called from the front door. You hadn't heard the bell chime. 

You rushed to the front, making sure that the carpet hadn't been ruined. The curtains whipped from the wind outside. The enormous Illyrian shut the door with a firm gentleness that made your heart race. His hands wrapped around a small wooden box. Well, it was small in his hands. 

"It's the day after solstice. Happy late solstice." You corrected, striding over to him and giving him a look about the shoes. They looked incredibly clean. "You still need to take them off." 

"I know. You need to open this first." He forced the box upon you and stooped to begin unlacing the boots.  "What-"

"Just open it." He stood and followed you to the counter. Heat flooded your cheeks, you hadn't gotten him anything. Not that you could afford it, or even knew what he would want. "Why did you get this?" You asked, trying to hide the tension in your voice.

"So you dont have to cook that sweetbread again." He said with a grin, staring at you. At how your hands delicately removed the lid from the box. Then at your stunned reaction at the waft of spices that spilled from the box. "Cassian-" You breathed, utterly speechless. 

"I have a request too...So you can't say its too much. It's for me too." He went to the shelf where he'd gotten the cookbook for Elain. "Make us these, and we'll call it even."

"Cassian... I'm not a cook. I dont bake." You laughed when he pointed at the spice cakes in the book. "Maybe ask the sister-" You pushed the box toward him, the heaviness of it screamed 'expensive' to you. Guilt marred the joy of receiving the gift.

He pushed it firmly back to you, locking eyes. He noted the way you tensed at that stare. He eased, trying to ignore the scent mixing with the smell of leather and spice. "I want you to make it, using these." He patted the top of the box. 

You debated with yourself. The male carried around more gold than you'd ever seen. And he wasn't worried about it. You figured if it was a gift then he genuinely wanted you to have it. You sighed and took the box, placing it under the shelf beside your bag. Your wings pinched at the movement. 

You ignored how his eyes lingered on your scarred members. You were used to it from some males, but never one as important and high ranking as him. He shook himself and refocused, pulling himself out of the rage he was feeling at the sight of your ruined wings. 

"Any other requests?" You sighed, feigning annoyance. His toothy grin made your stomach do flips. 

[thedragonnerd]

Rayaari headcanon - growing up in the foster system AU

(inspired by this lovely anon)

Raya is placed in a group home when she is five. She can't really remember her parents, or anything about the accident that led to her being placed at the orphanage, but she carries the scars on her face for the rest of her life - reminders of how her life changed so dramatically at such a young age.

She also can't actually remember meeting Namaari. Later, when she searches her memories, they are always simply 'Raya-and-Namaari', a rambunctious duo who do everything together.

Namaari lost part of her left arm in an accident, and carrying such serious scars at a young age is perhaps why they feel they are kindred spirits. However it happens, they are inseparable from the moment they are both placed at the orphanage. And if any of the other children try to tease either of them about their respective scars, the other will happily begin an argument, resulting in actual fist fights so often that they receive endless 'time out's from their carers.

Whenever Raya suffers from a nightmare, Namaari will shuffle out of bed, crawling instead under the covers beside Raya and whispering a quiet 'there, there' as she pats Raya's shoulder.

No child in the orphanage has many personal belongings, or a sense of 'owning' much. Therefore, at any available opportunity, there is jealous hoarding whenever books, toys or sweet treats are gifted. Raya will secretly save her sweets however, and happily share with Namaari, since she knows how much her friend loves sugary food.

When they are seven, they braid together bracelets out of string, and tie them around each other's wrist. 'Friends forever?' Raya asks, and Namaari solemnly shakes her hand. They agree to never remove the bracelets, as a sign of their vow of friendship.

When they are eight, they are moved to a foster home in order to have better care. Virana is a strict parental figure, but she loves all of the children in her home fiercely, no matter where they have come from, and how long they stay with her. Namaari and Raya never even considered there would be a possibility that they would be separated, so they go to their new home happily enough. Virana already has a couple of older children living with her, including a teenager called Sisu, who at first Raya assumes is a Cool Older Teen, but in the end is a dork who loves playing make-believe with them.

Raya has her very first real birthday party at Virana's house, celebrating her ninth birthday in style. She receives a beautiful dragon pendant from Namaari, who had dragged Virana around several stores before finding the perfect gift, and Raya wears it with pride. It's the first time she owns anything that is not just sentimental in value, but actually cost something significant.

A couple of months later, Raya is adopted. Her adoptive parents seem like nice people, especially Benja, her potential new father figure, and so at first she is excited. They bring her presents and seem happy to spend time with her, listening to whatever she wants to talk to them about, and showing her pictures of a boy called Boun who is apparently their biological son.

But when it comes time to actually join her adoptive parents, she has to be dragged out of the house almost kicking and screaming when it hits her that she will truly be separated from Namaari.

Virana holds onto Namaari's hand tightly as Raya gets loaded into the car. As it begins to pull away, Raya's tearful small face peering through the rear window, Namaari breaks free, running after the car desperately until it pulls into the distance.

Benja feels awful as he hears Raya's sobs from the backseat of the car; he had discussed with his wife about adopting two children, but they truly can only support one, considering they have another very young child at home already.

Raya is determined to hate her new house, and her new 'parents', angry at how they've brought her to a city miles away from Namaari. But they are genuinely good people who want to create a place for her in the family, and over the months she softens towards them.

A year later, she is forced to untie the friendship bracelet Namaari had made for her, as it is becoming too tight around her wrist thanks to a recent growth spurt. Benja finds her crying over the bracelet in the bathroom. 'Come with me, Dewdrop,' he says, gathering her up. They find an extra piece of ribbon to tie at both ends of the string braid, making a bracelet that can now be adjusted as Raya grows. Afterwards, Raya says 'I love you' to Benja for the first time.

Over the years, Raya tries to find Namaari again. But Namaari had no surname that she knew, and Raya cannot recall Virana's last name either. Her parents only dealt with the agency, so even with them all trying, their searches come up empty. Raya feels more despondent each time they fail to find Namaari, and at some point says to her family that perhaps she should give up looking, considering it always ends in heartbreak.

As he grows up, Boun sees how difficult this perpetual failure is for his older sister, and unbeknownst to Raya, continues his searching online, scouring social media platforms endlessly.

Two days before her nineteenth birthday, Raya receives a text from Boun asking her to meet him for coffee. When she arrives at the cafe, he meets her at the entrance, and before she can ask him what is going on, he points to a table in the far corner of the room, and then slips out the door behind her.

Sat in the corner is a beautiful young woman, with stylish and shiny dark hair, and a metallic-looking prosthetic arm resting on the tabletop. As Raya approaches, the woman tucks her hair behind her ear nervously, and Raya can see a slightly frayed braided piece of string wrapped around the woman's finger as a ring, in sharp contrast to the beautifully designed earrings being worn.

''Maari?' she asks, hardly daring to believe. Namaari's head shoots up, and their gaze meets for the first time in almost a decade. 'Raya?' she asks in return, and then they are hugging tightly.

[incorrectzukka]

A:TLA Soulmarks AU 5

- zuko is a tapestry of gray marks. everyone he has ever loved has betrayed him.

- he has a dragon mask for his mother on his right shoulder, and a flame for his father on his left. he doesn’t know how he got them. most parents fondly cherish their memories of their marks appearing on their children, but zuko wonders if his parents even know he has them.

- the one mark he remembers from his childhood is a bolt of lighting surrounded by blue flames: at the centre of his small torso. he feels it burn when his little sister, three weeks old, bubbling in the royal nanny’s arms, sneezes when he touches her nose.

- zuko, who has so much love to give. zuko, who loves so deeply even his marks form a triangle around his heart. zuko, who is ten years old and has no idea what his mark looks like because not one of them have shown it to him.

- his father burns half his face off. his father sends him on what his uncle calls a hopeless quest. the mark doesn’t fade, because his father hasn’t betrayed him. zuko knows this. his father has taught him a lesson. he knows this. the mark is not gray.

- his mother leaves him, but the mark isn’t gray. she is coming back. it isn’t a betrayal, because she loves him and she will come back. the mark will not go gray.

- eventually, they do. zuko doesn’t know when they go gray, because he refuses to look at his marks anymore. he’s practicing his bending (never good enough) in the higher temperatures of some Earth Kingdom port they’re docked at, when his uncle points it out.

- he huffs and moves into his next stance with ease, but the fire at the end of his fist burns a little hotter. he searches for something in himself: anger, apathy, sadness, acceptance. all he feels is shame.

- he spares a moment to wonder why azula’s mark is as blue as ever, and he thinks of his sister, poisoned by their father. he wonders if he has a mark on azula, and if it went gray when he left Caldera.

- his uncle is the one who shows him what his mark looks like. they’re standing on the deck of the ship and iroh lifts his sleeve to show him a patch of angry skin, shot through with a gold slit. it looks like his left eye.

- he laughs, but nothing is funny. his mark of love is the ugliest part of him, because loving zuko is not a gift: it’s a curse. the laugh sounds wet, even to his own ears.

- “it means those who love you... they love you even knowing what you think are your deepest flaws,” his wise uncle says and zuko thinks it sounds overly valorous even for him. zuko doesn’t have flaws. his father made it abundantly clear that zuko was the flaw.

- he feels the burn of a mark at the meeting point of his two collarbones. when he pulls his collar down, it shows a jasmine plant growing out of flames. he doesn’t need his uncle’s wisdom to know what it means: inner peace. strength through chaos.

- after he betrays his uncle, he has nightmares of the scar on his face turning an ashen gray. he wonders if he has ruined the only mark that belongs to him in the world with his selfishness.

- the mark is not gray. his scar looks almost a part of iroh’s skin. he cannot take his eyes off it, scared that it is a dream. his uncle never lost faith in him.

- zuko has resigned himself to carrying his uncle’s mark on himself as the only proof of his love. he only wonders why azula’s mark hasn’t faded yet: she tried to kill him enough. never would he have expected five other people to carry it.

- his mark fits like a puzzle on each one of them. after their experience with the dragons, aang lifts his right arm, streaked with colour over his arrows: katara’s droplet on the back of his hand, toph’s ring around the wrist, suki’s fan on his bicep, sokka’s weapons on the back of his arm, and zuko’s scar. zuko’s horrible, ugly, scar, the reminder that he was never wanted. zuko’s scar on his forearm, fitting in the middle of all those other beautiful marks. he blinks the tears away.

- he takes off his shirt to find a blue arrow swiping from under his left armpit and pointing to his heart.

- toph asks him to spar the next day, and she seems to be winning. she sends out a rock that catches him in the right side, but the pain is punctuated by a cold burn. he knows there will be light green seismic rings surrounding that bruise for a while.

- what he couldn’t have bet on knowing was toph’s hand pushing him up onto his knees, or the way she lifted the hem of her pant and demanded to know what the complete band of five marks around her ankle looked like. his scar almost blends in with aang’s arrow, and he has never been more glad that toph is blind except then.

- after they break in and out of a goddamn prison, sokka sits next to him in the airship. he takes zuko’s hand and places it on his left bicep, where his scar wraps around it, horrifyingly disfigured. he wants to apologize for it, but he looks at sokka’s smile and he doesn’t.

- instead, he asks how he completed sokka’s set, and listens to him explain the zig zag of marks across both his arms: suki’s fan on his left wrist, toph’s rings on his right forearm, zuko’s scar on his left bicep and aang’s arrow on his right shoulder. katara’s mark is the apex of the pattern- high up on his collarbone.

- zuko lifts his shirt to show sokka the crossed sword and boomerang he felt form on his right pectoral, above toph’s rings.

- sokka gasps at suki’s golden fan, framed under aang’s arrow on his other side. he calls suki over, and zuko is infinitely glad no one mentions how odd his marks are: not on arms or backs as most are. no, all on his torso, like a freak.

- suki regards him calmly, before turning he right wrist to show him his scar. “this doesn’t mean i forgive you for burning my village,” she says, but sits down with them and jokes about how all the boys were on her right side, and all the girls were on her left.

- zuko knows where katara’s mark will turn up. by know the pattern is crystal clear: the space on his midriff, just above azula’s mark and caught between toph’s rings and suki’s fan. it forms as soon as he decides that he will help her avenge her mother.

- after it is all done, katara regards him with cool eyes and pulls away from the hug. she twists to her right, showing the entirety of shoulder covered in his scar. he sees the symmetry it forms, sokka’s mark on the back of her neck, aang’s arrow on her forehead, toph’s rings around her neck, suki’s fan on her other shoulder.

- he wonders if they all felt as unbalanced as he did without the set of five, and he decides he doesn’t care. six people. six people in the world love him, and that is enough.

- he never worries about azula’s mark going gray because she burns it off him herself with her lightening. he does worry about the small remorse he feels looking at his scarred skin after the battle.

Other parts: 1: Sokka and Katara | 2: Aang | 3: Suki | 4: Toph | 5: Zuko Extras: Ty Lee, Mai and Azula | Ozai

[justasillybear]

Is that a Dog?

It all started, as did many of the things that went wrong in Percy’s life, by not asking the right questions.

In his defence, it hadn’t seemed necessary to ask Grover anything other than “Can I have one” when his best friend and roommate had pulled out some freshly baked brownies from the oven.

First mistake.

The second mistake was sneaking two more brownies while Grover hadn’t been looking.

It could be said, as Percy would later point out, that Grover was the one responsible for everything that happened after that. Months later Percy would look back on that moment and realise Grover hadn’t even attempted to warn him that there was weed in the brownies. Then he’d shake his head and think wow Grover really screwed me over. But that was months away.

In the present, Percy felt like he was floating, everything felt bright and new, and Grover was driving him to go get a milkshake. How could he be mad at Grover when he was the reason Percy felt so at peace? He could hear Grover’s Michael Franti CD playing, and his soft voice singing along, not quite drowned out by the loud honks of irate drivers stuck like them in New York traffic. If he were in a clearer state of mind, Percy would likely have realised that Grover had also eaten one of the brownies and shouldn’t have really been driving. But he wasn’t, instead he let his eyes drift out the window up towards the perfectly blue sky. So blue it almost looked like the ocean and Percy wondered if he just reached up would he fall in and-

What?

Holy. Shit.

“A puppy!” Percy screeched, starting out of the window and at the car a few places ahead of them to the left. He turned to Grover and pointed to the little golden retriever that was poking its head out of a car window. It’s tongue was hanging out of its mouth and Percy felt his heart clench at the sight. He hadn’t known it before, but now he realised that was what he’d been missing in his life.

“Nice spot, what a cute dog.” Grover approved, peering over, his eyes looking slightly red and heavy-lidded.

“He looks... Like he gives good hugs”. Percy mused. He desperately wanted to test out his theory. Percy sent up a quick prayer asking for help, and was elated to find the traffic moving. He waited with bated breath while their lane moved forward until they were parked next to the dog. “Fuck yes!” he virtually screamed. Today was the best day!

“He's so tiny?” Percy mused, eyes continuing to stare dreamily over and then… the puppy looked at him and BARKED. And Percy just knew he was calling out to him. Asking to be petted.

Percy unbuckled his seat belt and rolled down the window, decidedly ignoring Grover’s confused exclamations. “He wants to be petted!” Percy offered as he reached out to touch soft golden fur. The dog yipped happily in response, pushing his small wet nose into the offered hand. Percy could feel his eyes growing misty again. He loved dogs so much. He’d always wanted one growing up, but Gabe had never allowed it. His mum had felt bad about it, getting him a fish instead which he’d loved - but it wasn’t the same. Don’t get him wrong, fish were awesome and that gift had been one of the reasons he was now studying marine biology. But… no fish had ever given him this moment. The moment where they look at you with adoration in their eyes and promise to love you forever. Percy hoped the puppy knew that Percy felt the same way.

“Um, Luke. A stranger is petting your dog.”

Percy looked up from the deep blue eyes of his new ride-or-die bestie and saw a blond girl who looked to be around his age staring at him like he was crazy (which Percy thought was a little rude.)

“Is he your dog?” Percy questioned, reluctantly removing his hand away realising that he should probably have asked the owner’s permission before sticking the upper half of his body out of the car to pet their dog. Even a dog as friendly as this, with beautiful and kind blue eyes.

“No. He’s-“

“Mine.” A deep voice cut in, pulling Percy’s attention to the driver seat of the car, where a young man with bright blue eyes, soft golden hair, and a truly wicked smirk was staring at him. The guy looked around 19 with a gnarly looking scar trailing down from his eye to his chin. Which … Damn! The scar should have detracted from how unfairly attractive he was, but instead, it made Percy want to lean over and touch it. He wondered how it would feel. If it would be rough?

Focus Percy!

“Wow, Annabeth, you didn’t say he was cute”. Percy felt his cheeks flush, and he could hear himself spluttering out nonsense for a good few moments, searching for an appropriate response.

The guy kind of looked like his dog, which was weird. What was even weirder was that the realisation made Percy want to reach out and pet his hair too, to see if it was just as soft as his dogs.

“Uuuh, noo..what, not? I’m not… you’re the one that’s. I don’t – cute! Grover. This guy thinks I’m cute?” Percy managed eventually, much to the growing amusement of the man in question. He quickly averted his eyes, turning to Grover who stared back giggling softly. Traitor.

“Percy, you’re very cute. Now you need to sit back down. We could move at any moment.”  Grover managed between breathy giggles. He didn’t sound very concerned, so Percy decided it was safe to ignore his warning for now. If Percy had to choose between personal safety and the opportunity to spend time with a cute dog and an equally cute owner, well, safety didn’t stand a chance.

“Okay, Grover,” Percy said in a peaceful tone, turning back around to once again pet the head of the puppy, “but I’m in the middle of something very important right now.” At this Grover’s laughter got louder.

“You!” Percy pointed at the driver, “Have a nice face. And smile. And eyes. Grover and I are going to get milkshakes, would you and your puppy like to join us? We could hold hands and talk about your dog and how all three of you are rocking the blond blue eyes thing-”

“Percy the traffic is moving…” Grover butted in.

“Grover, a moment!” Percy begged, yelping when Grover started to inch the car forwards with the traffic, Percy’s torso still half out of the car. Luck seemed to be on his side today however as the other lane was also moving slowly alongside them, so Percy decided to just continue to pet the dog's head. He shot a quick glare at Grover for good measure though.

“Hey idiot, you need to listen to him and get in the car. What if traffic picks up?” the girl warned, mumbling to herself about high idiots.

“Percy is it?” the driver asked, drawing Percy’s attention away from Grover and back to his unfairly handsome face. Percy could feel a grin stretching across his lips.

“How’d you know my name?” he wonders, feeling pleased. He liked the way his name sounded coming from the older guy, all deep and slow like he was savouring each syllable. The guy laughed at the question.

“Your boyfriend there’s said it a few times.” He explained, and Percy nodded vigorously in understanding, and then begun to shake his head equally as energetically. “Grover? No! He’s like… a brother. Definitely not my boyfriend.” Percy explained forcefully, He really didn’t want the hot guy to get the wrong idea. Grover was his best friend, but he’d rather jump into the harbour than date him.

“Why the harbour?” the guy asked through chuckles. Percy hoped he’d keep laughing, the sound was making his head feel as light as the brownies had.

“Did I say that out loud?”

“Yup, green eyes, you did. And I’m sorry, I’d love to hang out more, but I need to drop my sister off at her girlfriends.” He said, pointing a finger at the girl in the backseat. Percy turned to look at her with sad eyes. The girl with golden curls looked like she couldn’t decide if she should smile or scowl. He was disappointed to note her eyes were more grey than blue.

“Oh, that’s sad.” Percy pouted, retreating back slightly into Grover’s car. Before he was fully in, the guy reached out a hand to stop him. He had nice hands, they were large and calloused, and Percy wanted to hold one.

“Wait. Um, maybe I could give you my number, so I know you got home alright? My name's Luke Castellan. C-A-S-T-E-L-L-A-N. We could get that milkshake another… less traffic-bound time?” Luke asked, looking nervous for the first time, making Percy grin. He quickly whipped out his phone and typed in Luke’s details.

“yes! .” He cheered, once to Luke, and then once again to the dog who was still nuzzling his hand. “So, I’ll see you both soon?”

“I’ll hold you to that, Percy.” Luke teased and Percy felt himself nodding.

“Promise,” Percy said firmly, sliding back into the car to Grover's relief. He waved at Luke once the window was rolled up, pleased to see the guy was still staring over at him. He looked like he was saying sometimes but Percy couldn’t tell what. Whatever it was, it made the girl in the backseat lean forward and smack his shoulder. Luke waved one final time before turning his eyes back to the road. His face looked bright and carefree, and Percy wanted to look at him forever. Then the traffic moved and Luke, and his puppy, were gone.

Percy tried not to feel too sad, but he wished he’d taken a picture.

“Only Percy-fucking-Jackson could get a guy’s number after molesting his dog while high in traffic.” Grover giggled, and Percy allowed himself to be dragged away from his thoughts.

“What can I say. I’m irresistible”. He stated, smirking over at his best friend. Grover just continued to giggle. Laying back in his seat he looked back up to the perfect blue sky and thought of Luke's eyes. Luke Castellan, Luke Castellan, Luke-

Maybe he wouldn’t blame Grover after all.

[tchallasbabymama]

All For Us Chapter 5

Hey y’all, hope you enjoy the chapter a day early! Check out my masterlist to catch up on this story or read my other ones. And, as always, reblogs and comments are more than welcome 🥰

Word Count: 5,471

CW: Mention of self-harm

Erik fidgeted in his chair as he waited for his family to walk through the door. He had seen each of them individually at least once, Shuri being the only one who never came back, but something about seeing them all together had him on edge. His right leg couldn’t stop bouncing, and he tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair impatiently. 

“Don’t worry, the Udakus are never on time,” Naomi reassured him as he looked to the clock for the second time in the last minute. Their appointment started five minutes ago.

“They run on CP time, huh?” he joked, trying to distract himself from his nerves. 

“CP time?”

“Colored people time...the name’s dated as hell, but basically Black people ain’t ever on time.”

“That is true of Wakanda as well,” she laughed. “Time is more of a suggestion here.”

“I can fuck with it,” he chuckled but was cut short by the thumping in his chest as the door opened, and T’Challa walked in, holding the door for the rest of the family.

“Your highnesses,” Naomi saluted them. “Please, come in and make yourselves comfortable.”

Naomi had arranged the chairs in her office so that the six of them sat in a circle. Mira sat between Erik and Ramonda, and Shuri chose the seat closest to Naomi. T’Challa sat between his mother and sister and threw a smile Erik’s way.

“Thank you all for coming here today. It is imperative that Erik has a healthy support system when he leaves here, and I just wanted to make sure we are all on the same page. I know you have each met with him individually, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get it all out there and move forward as a unit. Now, I know we all want what’s best for Erik-”

Shuri scoffed, and Naomi turned to her.

“Princess, I heard you still have some reservations about him. Why?”

“He killed my brother,” she seethed.

“Shuri, I am right here,” T’Challa said, exasperated at her unwillingness to see past her anger.

“By the grace of Bast!”

“Shuri,” Ramonda chided.

“Queen Mother, if you don’t mind, I think this is a conversation that needs to happen between these two.”

Ramonda nodded and gestured for Shuri to continue.

“You’re only here because Nakia snatched a heart-shaped herb before he burnt the rest of them to the ground. It’s taken this long for them to even start growing again. All he does is destroy, and I don’t want him here. It’s bad enough you made me heal him, but now I have to look at him every day and pretend to like him, too?”

“You don’t have to like him, Shuri, but he is family-”

“That didn’t mean anything when he threw you over the falls or when he almost killed me, so why should it matter now?”

“Because I’m not that same person anymore,” Erik jumped in.

“Oh, sure. You’re just magically better all of a sudden,” she rolled her eyes and turned back to her brother. “How am I supposed to sleep at night knowing he’s in the palace?”

“Princess Shuri, Erik has been working very hard to overcome his anger and his past traumas. So much so that I see no need to extend his stay past what we originally agreed on.”

“Wait, really?” Erik’s face brightened, and he turned in his seat to look at Naomi.

“Yes. You have shown remarkable improvement, Erik.”

“You mean he can come home soon?” Queen Mother asked, prompting Erik and Shuri to feel very different ways about her use of the word “home.” Erik missed having one, and Shuri hated having him in hers.

“Yes, ma’am, he’ll be out of here in two weeks.”

Mira couldn’t contain her smile as she reached for his hand. They locked eyes, and yet again, the look in his eyes needed no words. They were glassy as they swelled with tears, and a couple fell while Naomi handed him the tissue box.

“What’s wrong, dear?” Ramonda asked.

“My bad,” he sniffled as he dried his tears. “I just really want to see Cupcake.”

“She wants to see you, too. I told her you were sick and had to get better before she could, but she’s been asking me about you damn near every second.”

“And me, as well. She is excited to meet you, cousin,” T’Challa chimed in. “‘Do you think daddy will like this?’, ‘When is he coming home?’, ‘Is daddy still sick?’, ‘Can you tell daddy I love him?’”

“Or my personal favorite, ‘Can we bring some to daddy?’ after dinner last night,” Ramonda added.

“She’s still a daddy’s girl, through and through,” Mira said with a sarcastic eye-roll, making Naomi chuckle.

“Yes, mine is the same way. It is quite frustrating,” she joked. “Now, I think it would be beneficial for us to go around the room and get it all out on the table. Princess Shuri already went, unless you have more to say…”

“No.”

“Ok, then King T’Challa, how about you go next?”

He nodded and looked to his cousin.

“I do not think I have said this to you yet, but I am genuinely sorry, Erik-”

“Stop, you didn’t do anything.”

“I know, but I needed to say it. I am also sorry I disobeyed your wishes; that was something I should not have done.”

“I’ll say,” Shuri mumbled under her breath.

“But I am glad that I did. Otherwise, we would not get to see this other side of you.”

“Thanks, man. I was in a bad place, obviously, and, uh...I don’t know, I just felt like a failure...I felt like I had nothing to live for anymore...my pride was hurt.”

Mira slowly pulled her hand back and placed it in her lap, and Erik could feel the tension brewing beneath the surface.

“Anything else, my king?”

“Just that I hope we can move past all of this and build a relationship. You are my cousin, and I am determined to love you whether you want me to or not.”

Erik and Mira both smirked at the king. They were thankful for the kindhearted man and his insistence on cleaning up the bad blood in his family. 

“Queen Mother, do you have anything you would like to share?”

“Yes, actually,” she reached into her bag and pulled out something that had been gift-wrapped. She handed it to Erik, and he looked at her in confusion. “Go ahead, open it.”

Everyone looked on with intrigue as he ripped at the paper, revealing a gold picture frame. Erik flipped the frame over and a lump formed in his throat.

“This is from a gala for the Pan African Council in 1991. It was one of the two times I met him.”

Drops of water splashed on the picture of N’Jobu, and Erik looked up for a leak in the ceiling before he realized the tears were flowing from his eyes. He grabbed another tissue and passed the box around when he realized the others were getting misty-eyed as well. Even Shuri. 

“I, uh...I don’t know what to say...thank you, Auntie,” he croaked as he got up and pulled her into a hug. Mira took the opportunity to take a look at the picture. They had the same look in their eyes, but feature-wise, Erik had to have taken after his mother. There was no doubt about it though, those deep brown puppy dog Udaku eyes were front and center.

Erik sat down, and she handed the photo back to him.

“May I see?” T’Challa asked, and Erik passed it to him, watching as Shuri took a look over his shoulder to see it too. Her face softened a little more, and Erik could swear she saw a hint of sadness there. He passed it back, and Erik simply stared at the photo, fingers lightly caressing the fame.

“Alright, lastly, we have Mira. Anything to add?”

“Not really,” she shook her head.

“Well, then may I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Earlier, you seemed upset when Erik mentioned not having anything to live for. Care to expand on that?”

“Not really.”

“Mira...you know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then how did you mean it, Erik? You said you have nothing to live for, yet your daughter and I were sitting at home waiting for you.”

“I wasn’t in my right mind, Mira. All that mattered was the mission. I lost myself to it. Actually, I lost myself a long time ago, but at the time, nothing could’ve pulled me back...not even you or Imani.”

“What if it happens again. Not for this, but for something else? What if you start working again and go back to your old ways? What then?”

“I won’t.”

“How am I supposed to trust that, Erik?”

“Mira, I’d like to jump in if you don’t mind.”

Mira shook her head and gestured for Naomi to continue.

“I understand your hesitance, but I assure you, I have the utmost faith that Erik has changed. His behaviors were tied to his trauma, and we have been able to work through his feelings of grief, anger, guilt, and self-loathing.”

“Self-loathing?” Queen Mother asked.

“Erik, would you care to…”

“Yeah, sure,” he cleared his throat. “I, uh, sort of hated myself for a long time. Everybody I loved died, and I had some sort of...what did you call it?”

“Survivor’s remorse.”

“Yeah, survivor’s remorse. I felt guilty for not dying.”

Mira looked up at him and her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to keep the tears at bay.

“Then I felt guilty for all the shit I did to survive, and how violent I became...then the self-hate kicked in when I realized how good I was at it.” His fingers ran over the scars on his forearm, and he took a deep breath. “These aren’t trophies. They’re my sins.”

The room fell silent.

“How many?” Shuri asked tentatively.

“You don’t wanna know.”

“I do,” Mira chimed in. “I’ve tried counting them, but you’re such a light sleeper it’s impossible. I can guess though...I got to five hundred once before you woke up one morning.”

“I don’t want you to look at me differently-”

“Erik, you don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to, but nobody here will look at you any differently if you do. Right?”

Everyone agreed, even Shuri. 

Erik took a deep breath and hung his head before speaking, “Three thousand and nine scars...three thousand and nine people are dead because of me.”

“You’re not that person anymore, Erik,” Naomi reminded him.

“Yeah, but what if I am?”

“You’re not,” Mira reached for his hand again.

“How do you know?”

“Cousin, I can guarantee you that even in the short time we have known each other, you have changed.”

“Erik, you should trust yourself more. You’ve been given the tools you need; you just have to use them.”

He nodded slowly, taking in Naomi’s wise words.

“It also helps if you’re surrounded by people who love and support you.” She turned to Shuri, “Princess, let us work through your feelings.”

“I already said what I needed to say. I don’t trust him...but I’m not saying it’ll be like that forever. Just for now, I still don’t.”

“And why is that?”

“Have you ever had someone try to kill you?”

“No, I can’t say that I have.”

“You never forget the look in their eyes.”

“I understand you, sister. It is not an easy thing to get past...however, it is possible. Look at him now. Do you see those same eyes?”

Erik looked at Shuri, and her stone face softened a little but still stayed pretty wooden.

“No.”

“Look, I get it...I’m your T’Chaka, but I don’t wanna be that person anymore. Not to Mira, not to Imani, not to y’all-”

“Don’t forget yourself. You’re doing this for you, too,” Mira chimed in, and Erik nodded.

“We are still working on self-love, but I feel that the next two weeks will be fruitful,” Naomi said, closing her notebook. “Is there anything else you all need to get off your chests?”

“I have one more thing,” Mira said as she sat up in her chair and turned her body to face Erik.

“I never told you what happened after you left,” she said, trying to keep it together. “I, um...I got depressed again, like when Imani was born. It wasn’t pretty, but I made sure she was good. I couldn’t eat. All I wanted to do was sleep. It got so bad I had to quit my job and go live with Stefan and Havana. I know that’s what you suggested in the first place, but I thought I could handle it on my own. I’m basically a stay-at-home mom now; I take care of the kids while Stef and Ana are at work...cooking and cleaning, and all that jazz. I never thought I would like that life, but it’s nice, and it’s a good way to repay them for letting us stay there. You wouldn’t believe how big SJ is now, and they have a new baby Daveed...things are different now, but it’s nice.”

“Have you...are you seeing anybody?”

“No, but I tried dating...didn’t work out.”

Erik tried and failed to hide the smirk on his face.

“I can’t say I’m sorry about that, but I am sorry about what I put you through, Mira. I shouldn’t have left you two.”

“I know you know that now; I just wish you knew it then.”

He pulled her hand to his lips for a kiss, and she let him.

“Are we still separated?”

Both Ramonda and T’Challa’s eyebrows raised. Neither of them was aware that the two had been having marital problems. T’Challa never even thought to ask.

“Erik, I need to tell you something…”

His breath hitched in his throat.

“I’m not saying it’s what I want now...but I was going to serve you with divorce papers. I had them drawn up and everything. They just needed your signature, but I couldn’t bring myself to give them to you. I was going to give them to you when you came back...if you came back.”

“And now?”

“Now...I don’t know, Erik. I think I have to get to know this new you to decide.”

“That’s fair.” He said to the ground before lifting his head and looking Mira in her eyes. “I’m gonna make you want to marry me all over again, though. Watch.”

--------

“If you don’t sit still, you’re going just like this,” Mira fussed as she tried to braid Imani’s hair. 

“No, I’ll stop!” Imani tried her best not to move, but the pillow she was sitting on was starting to get uncomfortable, and she was getting antsy. Every second that passed brought her one step closer to meeting her daddy, and she couldn’t wait. All she had to do was get through the school day. 

Mira smirked and tilted Imani’s head to the side to start on the last braid right as Shuri walked into the living room and plopped in the chair across from them. 

“Rough night?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

Over the past two weeks, Shuri had been slowly opening up to the idea of Erik living in the palace, but when she closed her eyes at night, she just kept seeing him lurking over her bed, ready to strike. 

“Something on your mind?” Mira asked through gritted teeth that held a tiny black rubber band.

“No, just...apprehensive.”

“About Erik?” Mira mouthed to her so Imani couldn’t hear. Shuri nodded and sunk deeper into the chair with a sigh. Mira finished up Imani’s last braid and put a couple of beads on the end before kissing the top of her head. “Ok, you’re done. Can you go get dressed?”

“Ok, mommy!” Imani took off, but before Mira could tell her to slow down, T’Challa came around the corner and scooped her up, planting a kiss on her cheek. Imani’s giggles erupted throughout the expansive living area and forced Shuri to crack a smile.

“Why are you running in my palace?” he playfully chastised her.

“I’m happy I get to meet my daddy. If I put my school clothes on fast, it’ll happen faster!”

“Well, let’s make it even faster then!” T’Challa took off with her down the hall, leaving Shuri and Mira in the living room laughing at his shenanigans.

“When is he gonna have one of his own?”

Shuri’s eyes rolled all the way to the back of her head. “As soon as he stops chasing after a woman who wants to live on the other side of the planet.”

“Nakia still giving him the runaround?”

“Girl, you don’t know the half of it,” Shuri complained. “Maybe you or Erik can talk some sense into him.”

“Maybe...you seem to be warming up to the idea of him lately. How are you feeling?”

Shuri sighed and sat forward in her chair, resting her elbows on her thighs. “I won’t lie and say I’m thrilled, but I understand him better now, and I trust my brother’s judgment. And mama’s. And yours...I want him to be in Imani’s life, but it is just hard to forget his face in that moment, you know?”

Mira nodded, “I don’t, but I do.”

“Maybe seeing him in a new light with you and Imani will help,” Shuri shrugged.

“I hope so.”

“Me, too.” 

Just then, T’Challa re-entered the room, “The princess is having trouble deciding which outfit to wear.”

“That’s my queue,” Mira got up from the couch and washed off her greasy hands before strolling down the hallway to help out her little fashionista. She and T’Challa had already laid out three outfit choices, so it just came down to which one she thought her daddy would like best.

“I want to look nice to meet him, but I don’t know which one looks better.”

“Can I give a suggestion?”

“Mhm,” Imani nodded with her brows creased as she thought really hard over which outfit to pick.

“How about the gold sandals from Lala with this two-piece? Yellow looks good on you, and the sandals match your backpack. You’ll look like a little ray of sunshine.”

“Hmmm...Ok!”

“Glad I could help,” Mira chuckled.

“I’ll wear my yellow outfit if you wear your blue one just like it.”

“It’s a deal,” Mira threw over her shoulder as she left the room to go change. When she entered the living room, her cousins and Auntie all smiled at the two of them. Imani’s yellow Ankara print tube top and harem pants matched perfectly with Mira’s blue ones. The only difference was Mira had on some crisp white sneakers and big gold Fulani earrings. 

Mira walked Imani to school the same way she did every day, but this time her head was in the clouds. Even Imani was quiet on the way, the butterflies in both of their stomachs working overtime. When they reached the classroom, Imani turned to her mom, looking at her face that surprised Mira.

“What’s wrong, baby?” She crouched down to her level.

“What if daddy doesn’t like me?” she poked her lip out, and Mira knew she had to act fast before it started quivering, and the tears started falling.

“Like you? He loves you more than anything in this world!” she said excitedly while tickling Imani’s ribs and making her laugh. “He loves you just as much as I do, baby girl.”

“He does?”

“Of course, you’re his Cupcake.”

“Cupcake?”

“Mhm, that’s what he used to call you because you’re so sweet.” Mira pretended to gobble up Imani’s fingers, making her giggles chase away any doubts she had about her father. “Now, you  ready for school?”

“Yes, ma’am,” she said excitedly.

“Alright, I’ll see you at 2. Be good.” Mira kissed Imani’s cheek and stood back up to her full height.

“I will, mommy. Sala kakuhle!” she waved goodbye and ran to go play with her friends while Mira sent the teacher a smile before heading back to the palace. 

When Mira was nervous, she liked to busy her hands with something, so she took some time to anxiously clean and organize her already clean quarters. She would have to sit in on another council meeting shortly, and although she wasn’t looking forward to having all that attention on her again, she was determined to go in there with her head held high.

Just as she started scrubbing the sink, her alarm went off telling her it was time for the meeting. She washed her hands and squeezed lemon juice on them to get rid of the bleach smell before leaving her quarters and traveling to the business side of the palace. When Mira entered the throne room, she slid into the empty seat between Ramonda and Shuri just as T’Challa started speaking.

“As you all know, Erik will be discharged from Ithemba Center today at noon, and we have the press conference scheduled at five. He has already been briefed on it, and while he is still apprehensive about addressing the nation, I have worked with him over the last week and it seems as though he will be fine. Any questions regarding the press conference?” The council members shook their heads and T’Challa continued, “Now, I have spoken to each of you about his community service, and have finally decided on the order. I would like him to start with the Jabari as a member of their fire and rescue team, then transfer to mining vibranium before moving to border patrols. Then he will work at the River tribe’s animal sanctuary, and he’ll end his service by working as janitorial staff in the market. The order is subject to change if necessary.”

“My king, are we sure we can trust him in the Mining and Border provinces?” Tendayi, the River tribe elder spoke out, making Dama and W’Dani nod along.

“Yes, I have faith in him. Any other questions?”

Mira tentatively raised her hand, not sure if she was allowed to talk or not. T’Challa nodded her way, and she cleared her throat before speaking, “I was wondering if we could move with him? He’s been away from Imani so long and once he comes back, I don’t want to disrupt her life any more than it’s already been disrupted.”

“That is understandable. Housing for the three of you will be provided in each province.”

“Thank you,” she turned to the elders, “and I don’t want to be a freeloader, so if there’s anywhere I can help out just let me know.”

“Mira, of course you and Imani are welcome to stay with us, but if you really want something to do we can find a job for you, too.” Ife stated as the other council members nodded along in agreement. 

“I’d like that. I need something to do,” she chuckled. “Thank you.”

“We will work something out,” Dama winked her way.

“We will miss the two of you around the palace, but I think that is a great idea. You will be provided with transportation to get Imani to school.”

“Thank you,” Mira smiled.

“You are welcome. Now, is there anything else?” T’Challa was met with silence as he checked the time on his beads and looked back at Mira. “Good, it is about time we go bring him home.”

Mira’s heart thumped in her chest as she nodded.

“Meeting adjourned.”

The council members filed out of the room, sending well-wishes to Mira as they went. 

--------

Erik happily signed his discharge paperwork, but his internal celebration was cut short by a knock at his door. He half expected it to be Mira, but he looked up and saw Naomi in his doorway. 

“How are you feeling today?”

“Excited and nervous.”

“I bet,” she chuckled. “Remember what we talked about, and you will be fine.”

Erik nodded and took a deep breath.

“Ready to go? I will walk you out.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Erik took a deep breath and they walked through the facility in silence before they reached the lobby. There stood T’Challa and Mira with huge smiles on their faces that infected Erik as soon as he saw them. Mira pulled him into a hug and held him tight as she rocked him from side to side.

“I’m so proud of you, Erik.”

“As am I, cousin.”

Mira let Erik go and he dapped T’Challa up, pulling him into a hug next.

“Thanks. Both of you...I couldn’t have done all this without you.”

Mira wiped a stray tear from her eye and looped her arm around his. “Let’s go home.”

“Home, huh? I like the sound of that,” he mused.

The three of them made their way back to the palace where they were greeted by a tearful Ramonda and a still apprehensive Shuri. She sent him a small smile, though, and that was enough for him. The family sat around the kitchen table talking and laughing as if it had always been that way, and Erik found their familiarity to be a comfort he hadn’t felt in a long time. Ramonda constantly pushed food in Erik’s direction, and even though he had a late breakfast he just couldn’t say no. He stuffed his face full of eggah and freshly squeezed mango juice until he had his fill and sat back in his chair with his hands resting on his full stomach.

“I’m ready for a nap. Where am I staying?”

“This week you will be in the palace, as well as during your time working for the Merchant tribe-”

“You’re gonna hate it…” Mira sang under her breath with a wry laugh, making T’Challa smirk.

“But, other than that, you will be staying with the various tribes during your volunteer time.”

“What exactly am I supposed to be doing?” he sent a suspicious look Mira’s way.

“We can discuss that later. For now, let us get you settled in.”

Erik nodded and followed behind Mira and T’Challa as they walked through the winding palace hallways. They took him to his living quarters, and he was pleasantly surprised to see that he would still be living with Mira and Imani.

“I didn’t know if you’d want me with you or not.”

“Oh, you’re sleeping in the guest room...but I wanted you close for Imani.”

“Fair enough,” Erik nodded and walked around the space, checking it out.

“I will leave you two alone to get settled in,” T’Challa turned and left the space.

Mira looked at her beads. “You might want to go ahead and get ready, we’ll be leaving in thirty minutes.

“Leaving?”

“Mhm, we have to pick up Imani from school.”

“W-we do?”

“Yeah...are you ok?”

“Nah. What if she doesn’t like me?”

Mira bursted out laughing and caught him off-guard. “She asked me the same thing this morning.”

Erik just smiled and shook his head. He had nothing to worry about.

“Just like her daddy, huh?”

“Just like him,” she smiled back.

“I guess I should get ready, then. I want to make a good first impression.”

“Erik, you’ll be fine…I promise. She already loves you.”

He stood and kissed her forehead before turning and walking towards the bathroom, pulling his shirt over his head. Mira tried to avert her eyes, but his rippling back muscles called to her. Her face felt hot, and she bolted out of the room, hoping he didn’t notice how flustered he made her.

He did.

A little while later, Erik emerged from the bathroom very well moisturized and followed by a cloud of steam. He stood there for a few minutes in his towel, staring at the clothes in his huge closet, not knowing what to put on his body.

“Mira!” he called to her in the other room. She playfully rolled her eyes and headed his way, already knowing what he wanted. Like father, like daughter.

“You rang?” she stood in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, trying like hell to keep her eyes above his collarbone. 

“I don’t know what to wear.”

“Wakandan or American?”

“Uh, American, I guess.”

“Do you want to match Imani?”

His face lit up, and she took it for a yes, pulling out a pastel yellow t-shirt and a pair of jeans with matching sneakers. 

“This outfit with gold accessories.”

“Thanks,” he grinned at her, and Mira tried not to get lost in his dimples. She was failing miserably, so she left him to his own devices. She missed the satisfied smirk on his face.

--------

Erik could feel the eyes on him as he walked through the city with Mira and T’Challa. Some were cold, but most were simply confused by his presence. 

“Ignore them,” Mira whispered up to him, and he nodded, taking a deep breath. He wasn’t going to let anything ruin this moment. 

They arrived at the elementary school and Mira went in to get Imani while the two men waited outside. As soon as Imani saw her mother, she jumped down and ran over to her.

“Hey baby girl, how was your day?”

“Good! I made a new friend,” she said proudly.

“You did? I’ll have to meet them sometime soon. Right now we have to go see daddy,” Mira’s eyes flashed with mischief and Imani’s joy radiated throughout the room. “Ready?”

Imani was so happy she could barely speak, so she just nodded her head. Mira waved goodbye to the teacher, and the two of them traveled back down the hallway hand in hand.

Erik’s fingers tapped his thigh in rapid succession and he chewed on his bottom lip.

“I can hear you overthinking, cousin.”

Erik started pacing back and forth and was about to open his mouth to say something when the doors to the school swished open. T’Challa held his hand up and started recording with his beads.

“Daddy!” Imani saw Erik and dropped her backpack as she ran to him. For a moment, he was frozen in time, but as she got closer he snapped out of it and crouched down for her to run into his arms.

“Hey, Cupcake,” his voice cracked as he held her tight. Her little arms wrapped around his neck like she never wanted to let him go, and he couldn’t help the tears that streamed from his eyes. Mira and T’Challa tried their best to hold it together, but neither could blink the tears away.

“What’s wrong?” Imani heard him sniffle and pulled back to look at his face.

“Nothing, baby, I’m just happy to see you.” He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer to Bast to thank her for letting him live another day to see his daughter once more.

The four of them walked back to the palace with Imani talking Erik’s ear off the whole way as he carried her on his hip. The first thing she did when they got there was to show him her dolls, all of which were fully decked out in the most beautiful doll-sized finery T’Challa could get his hands on. Erik took in the sparkly purple walls and the finger paints by an easel in the corner of the room. Her canopy bed was the main attraction, though, and made her feel the princess she was.

“Damn, T did all this?” Erik asked as Mira entered the room behind him.

“Yep,” she laughed. “He’d do anything for that little girl.”

“Remind me to thank him later…” he trailed off as his eyes caught sight of an enormous, stuffed jaguar by the window seat. A goofy smile took over his face, and Mira couldn’t help but swoon. Over the past few weeks of her getting to see Erik at Ithemba, she could tell his spirit was lighter. However, it wasn’t until the three of them were sitting in Imani’s room playing with her dolls that she thought Erik actually looked happy. And not just happy, but happier than she had ever seen him. His smiles actually reached his eyes for the first time since before he left for Wakanda, and she loved to watch the two of them interact with each other. Erik was a gentle giant when it came to his baby girl, and all his fierceness flew out the window when Imani started popping butterfly clips in his locs. 

Erik noticed Mira was lost in her thoughts, so he reached over and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it and looked into her eyes, once again conveying his soul with a single look. 

He was home for good this time. Next Chapter

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