#the way they make him so weathered in the early issues and allow him to show his age and his hair is kinda falling all over the place and

[somewherefornow]

JIM GORDON in THE JOKER (2021)

[akutasoda]

in the morning light [genshin ver]

synopsis - what it's like sharing a bed with them

includes - diluc, kaeya, albedo, beidou, baizhu, alhaitham, kaveh, neuvillette, wriothesley

warnings - gn!reader, fluff, still have no clue what im doing, might be ooc, wc - 2.2k

a/n: can you tell im bored? anyway how is everyone?

diluc ragnvindr ★↷

↪to absolutely nobody's suprise, he didn't actually get much sleep. most would assume that the reason for this would be running angels share or the dawnery and such, but it was mainly because he acted as the 'darknight hero'.

↪he always encouraged you to go to bed and not wait up for him because he never knew how long he would take. however, diluc couldn't get mad at you for staying up as he found it endearing that you were so insistent on doing so.

↪diluc does have a rather important public image to uphold and so he tries his best to maintain a night and morning routine, but sometimes the night one does go a miss. it's simple yet very effective for him - you know he gets the absolute worst bed hair known to man.

↪the neatest bed you've ever seen, it's always pristine whether he made it or not. has no issues compromising for what you'd like either, he'd even assist you in making the bed to your liking rather than his.

↪initially, he prefers to have his own side to the bed - mainly because he gets up early and goes to bed late so he doesn't want to disturb you. but over time he gets a tad bit too comfy and prefers to have you swamped in his embrace.

↪a light sleeper and not that much of a mover, he either stays completely still or occasionally shuffles around. although when he does shuffle, his hair can tickle you and accidentally wake you if you're a light sleeper yourself.

↪unfortunately, diluc sometimes can wake up rather abruptly due to some certain nightmares, but he always tries not too wake you.

↪human heater. most summers are spent with the bedding completey stripped away because he gives off a lot of body heat, so cuddles are rare unless you don't mind feeling like you're being cooked alive.

kaeya alberich ★↷

↪has the best routines you've ever seen, that is if he bothers to do them. he's very vigilant when doing his morning routine but sometimes he comes home from angels share a bit too tipsy to do his night routine.

↪as mentioned, he spends quite a few nights down at angels share and so he either comes home late, assisted by an annoyed diluc, or you have to go fetch him. admittedly he has gotten better since you've been around though.

↪most days he does get up fairly early, but on his day's off he's not budging. good luck getting up yourself because you're not leaving until he decides he wants to get up - which he will then proceed to wake you up.

↪the messiest bed, sure he makes it occasionally but sometimes he just can't be asked. uses way too many pillows and blankets but is very accommodating to your needs and wants.

↪a complete opposite to his brother, but he is practically a human freezer. unfortunately kaeya is quite cold to the touch so if winter comes around he always puts more blankets and duvets on the bed just so he can still cuddle you without you complaining that he's going to give you frostbite. he also can give you quite the wake up in the morning by how cold he is.

↪can be unconsciously really clingy in his sleep, im talking having some part of him touching you at any time - full on cuddles, holding hands, or even simply intertwining his legs with yours. he claims it helps him sleep better, especially when the nightmares come calling.

↪only downside, is that he can be extremely obnoxious. he moves around so much and unfortunately that can wake you aswell, especially when he ends up upside down and spread out across the bed and such. also can be quite the snorer if he allows himself to fully relax around you.

albedo ★↷

↪admittedly, he spends many nights up at camp in dragonspine and he understands that the freezing weather isn't for everyone - so he doesn't blame you for staying in mondstadt. but sometimes he knows you'd probably prefer for him to be back in mondstadt with you.

↪but if you choose to stay with him in dragonspine, he decides to upgrade the usual camp cot that he uses. he might not be able to feel the cold but you certainly would and the very last thing he'd want, is for you to catch a cold or worse. although there is a nice feeling of finally returning home to you.

↪albedo does have a simple nightly routine that he follows and same goes for his morning routine - although admittedly he can get a bit too carried away with his research and completely miss his routines or sleep in general.

↪he practically stays still entirely while he sleeps, it's almost scary as sometimes you forget he's there. he also doesn't really understand if you want to cuddle while you sleep but he'll indulge you.

beidou ★↷

↪she either goes to bed alongside you or later at night, normally she only comes to bed late if she stays up celebrating with the crew or is on some kind of voyage. most nights she does want to go to bed with you.

↪keeps any routine, morning or night, to a simple yet effective routine. yes she wants to keep up a good appearance but sometimes she just doesn't have the time and so she always goes for the same quick routine.

↪due to her bed being on her ship, she has the bare minimum as beidou doesn't really see a point in going all out. however, again, very willing to let you do whatever you want to the bed as you are sleeping in it aswell and she doesn't mind one bit.

↪can be somewhat clingy in her sleep, she loves holding you close and you can't exactly overpower her grip - it worsens when she does have a bit too much to drink when celebrating as she practically drapes her entire body over yours at all times.

↪a mix between a light sleeper and heavy, normally she's quite light but sometimes she gets a bit too tired.but either way beidou does shuffle around alot, most nights she ends up completely spread out across the entire bed.

baizhu ★↷

↪the doctor spends alot of time managing the pharmacy and other affairs and so even he would admit that he doesn't get as much sleep as he needs, especially when he can get easily fatigued. changsheng gets better sleep than he does.

↪normally by the time the day draws to a close, he's pretty exhausted and so he tries to go to sleep at a reasonable time after. he has somewhat of a nightly routine but it mainly focuses on managing his condition. same goes for the morning.

↪his bed is surprisingly really comfy, even changshengs is. he would prefer if you only messed with your side of the bed because he can be a bit particulate but if you really wanted to, he'd let you.

↪sometimes his condition can give him a rather uncomfortable night's sleep but he tries his best to not let it affect you. but otherwise he can become an extremely heavy sleeper because sleeping is one of the only times where he can truly rest.

↪very rarely his condition may get a bit too much and so he does have to isolate himself until it subsides. although now that you're in his life, he realises how lonely it can get without you.

↪he likes to keep contact to a minimum, perhaps holding hands or having your legs interwined. maybe further down the line, he'd be more inclined to indulge in cuddles if you preferred.

neuvillette ★↷

↪he wakes up quite early and never really wakes you, but if you need to get up he will get you up. however, on an extremely rare day off, he stays in bed with you a bit longer and subconsciously pulls you closer.

alhaitham ★↷

↪sometimes the scribe stays up late, sometimes he doesn't. staying up late could be due to akadeymia work or because he's busy reading up on his own interests. although he only really goes to bed early if you are.

↪his routines are basic but they cover the essentials, he spends more time on his nightly routine because he's normally more rushed in the morning.

↪his bed is rather basic, only really contains the essentials. he doesn't care what you do to make yourself comfortable, as long as you don't do anything stupid than he entertains you.

↪very prone to late night reading, most of the time he sits beside you completely emersed in his reading. alot of the time he does fall asleep in the middle of reading.

↪isn't one for physical contact but eventually might cave to your demands if you really want him to, although when he does you're convinced he enjoys it more than you do. although he does barely move in the night.

↪normally wakes up quite early, with some quite bad bed hair, but he normally leaves you to sleep unless he knows you have somewhere to be. although on his day's off, he indulges himself in your sleepy presence and he brings you closer and falls back asleep with you in his arms.

kaveh ★↷

↪it's no suprise that the architect can sometimes pull all nighters when he gets a well paid commission, much to your dismay. although most nights he does join you when you go to bed or earlier than you but he prefers you fi be there aswell.

↪his bed is extremely comfy and very well organised, most of the time. sometimes when he's pulled a few all nighters he can forget to sort his bed but most of the time he does.

↪his routines are also dependent on his sleep deprived state. if he's pulling all nighters, then his routine is very simple or virtually nonexistent, otherwise his routines can be quite extensive.

↪clingy. on purpose. he doesn't mind whether he's the big spoon or the small spoon, as long as he's cuddling you he's fine. in the morning when he's not fully awake, he can whine if you try and pry yourself away from him before he's ready to get up - he doesn't ever really need to get up super early.

↪a mix between a heavy sleeper and a light sleeper, can also shuffle around a tad but not much of an issue as long as you aren't an extremely light sleeper.

↪when you first stayed the night at neuvillette's, you wondered why on tevyat was his bed so big. it seemed almost comical for one person but you didn't exactly complain as it was extremely comfy.

↪however, further down the line, as he started to really trust you, you realised that it was because he preferred to sleep in somewhat of a dragon form as he claimed it was much more comfortable. and it certainly was for you, he was surprisingly comfy to sleep on.

↪if he has the time, he enjoys taking his time with a nightly routine and he enjoys doing it alongside you, should you also have one. again, same goes for his morning routine - although that one is always much shorter as he is needed quite early.

↪as mentioned, when he gets much more comfortable with you, he sleeps in a semi dragon form. however he's much more likely to fidget and shuffle around in such form, mainly his tail which sometimes wakes you up.

↪however, when he sleeps as is, he doesn't move at all. neuvillette does enjoy cuddling in both forms though, at first he didn't exactly understand why but he quickly grew accustomed to it and came to enjoy it much more than he thought.

wriothesley ★↷

↪alot of the time, he returns late at night. he doesn't exactly find spending the night at the fortress ideal, sometimes he does have to however, and so he doesn't mind traveling back late, although sometimes he wishes he could come back a tad bit earlier.

↪normally, he doesn't have an efficient amount of time to have an extensive night routine but he does in the morning if he wakes early enough. especially because he also falls victim to bed hair.

↪his bed is normally quite basic yet comfy. so he actually enjoyed it when you started changing things to your liking as it gave a bit of character.

↪clingy, on purpose. he always claims that he doesn't get to see you much since he's at the fortress all day and so he refuses to let you go. he always gathers you unti his embrace and when he knows you're safe in his arms, he can relax.

↪always extremely reluctant in the morning, he doesn't want to leave the comfort of the room and so when he has an extremely rare day off, he refuses to let you go and indulges in your presence much longer - all with a smug smile when you try and leave.

↪extremely light sleeper and sometimes does like to shuffle around, and of course you unfortunately will move around with him as his grip refuses to let up.

taglist - @little-miss-chaoss, @frankiesteinn

[prettyboykatsuki]

ROTTEN FRUIT, CHERISHED SWORD | TARTAGLIA / AJAX

✮ tags ; fem!reader, dead dove: do not eat, yandere!childe, genshin canon adjacent, stalking, force, mild depictions of violence / physical struggle, mild injury, delusion, obsession, forced intimacy (one instance, not nsfw just kissing), choking, blood (reader bites), small age gap, power imbalance / power struggle, reader is a street orphan + member of the fatui 18+

✮ wc ; 6.3k 

✮ a/n ; thank you to the beloved @bitchkiss for commissioning this from me and allowing me to post!! had a lot of fun with writing it. i have a few left of my first round but i hope to open them again soon.

✮synopsis ; childe can’t tolerate the fact you’ve left. he has no intentions of letting things stay that way.

It’s the most intimate moment you’ve shared together. Childe recognizes this with a bitter sense of irony. The soft spritz of oil from a ripe orange stains his fingers, noiseless and fragrant as it tickles the back of his throat.

You’re formal to the very end. You’re standing across from him, between you his desk (though it feels like miles) with your badge sat on the glazed cherry wood. Spick and span, so shiny it borders dazzling even though you’ve been wearing since you started so many years ago. Like you’ve taken care of it with honor, even though it’s not much more than a carved hunk of metal. 

You bow your head first, then give the Fatui salute in a well-practiced steady motion. Childe keeps peeling the orange. Childe looks down at the desk and stares indignantly at your badge. 6 years together, and you’re leaving him. 

He clenches his jaw, and he can feel some of the blood in his veins make his nerves throb. 

“Thank you for everything, Captain,” Your voice is smooth as you speak, not a hint of devastation in it “From today on, I will no longer be serving the Fatui Harbingers.” 

He finishes peeling his orange and discards the peel in a nearby bin, before sitting on the edge of his desk. He blinks, feeds himself a slice of fruit, chews and swallows before talking. He’s worked hard. It calms his nerves to go through each gesture slowly. He shouldn’t ruin it like this, even though the anger building inside him stokes every time you talk. 

“Pierro has approved your dismissal?” 

“Yes, Captain. Due to my great contribution to the Fatui and my involvement in the early seize of Snezhnaya, I’ve been permitted permission to depart.”  You repeat, still not lifting your eyes to look directly at him. You’re focused on his steel-toed boots, a mark of your life as a soldier “I’ll be issued a new identity and sent somewhere overseas.” 

“And what do you plan on doing once you leave?” 

“I’m hoping to look for my master.” 

“You mean the man who taught you the sword?” 

“Yes, Sir,” You reply, voice softening. How agitating it is you hold so much affection for that worthless old man “I owe him a great deal. I’d like to contribute something of my savings towards his living expenses,” 

“Well aren’t you loyal? I commend your efforts to be searching for him so many years later. Any leads?” 

“No Captain, none,” You say, and then another wave of emotion passes through you “But if my memory serves me, he’d be living somewhere in the jungles of Sumeru.” 

“What an odd change of pace,” 

“He never liked the cold in Snezhnaya.”

Childe gives you a tight lipped smile that you don’t catch since you’re still looking down. He sighs, words muffled as he eats another slice and clicks his teeth. 

“Still so impersonal with me,” He chastises, pushing his bottom lip out in a frustrated pout “After all we’ve been through together. Lift your chin up, at least?” 

This is the only thing that gets you to look at him. You do as he asks without hesitation - not out of submission but loyalty. Your smile is small, humble, thankful. Childe feels strange looking at it. Your usual coolness fades, tapers itself into a warm and graceful set of features. It’s worn. 

Your joy is weathered and battered, bruised by countless atrocities.

 In more ways than one, it’s the thing Childe loves most about you. 

Childe knows the details of how you’re stained. Like a toddlers plush toy that goes everywhere with them, it is easy to tell that something has happened to you. But, to be loved is to be changed, isn’t it? There’s nothing wrong with being different. So long as it’s him making you different. So long as he’s the one who orchestrates it, enough to bend but never enough to break. Childe knows you. It’s the job of a captain to train his soldiers. It makes his feelings towards you more potent, how well you can endure even the worst of it. You’re not timid, not fearful.

 Your eyes are as crystal clear with honesty as they were the day you met. 

Even bruised, even anguished, even tortured - there is something about you—so stark in your earnesty. You remind Childe of the fireflies he’d seen in the lands of Sumeru some time ago. To keep you in a tight glass, sealed off from flying far from his reach. The brightness that seems to surround you makes him reach for you even in the bitter dark. He’d never want to suffocate you so he pokes holes in the lids. Lets you breathe, lets you see the world outside of glass. 

If a firefly spends enough time in captivity, glass walls can become religion. A widely accepted belief, indoctrinated certainly. There’s something to see but nowhere to go. That’s always what he wanted you to believe. 

Had it all been for nothing in the end? The thought is sour, makes his mouth tighten like he’s swallowed rotten fruit. 

“Sorry, Sir. Force of habit. I really am very grateful to have met you. You’ve saved my life more times than I can count.” 

“And yet you abandon me like this. I’m really hurt, you know? Didn’t what we had mean something to you?” 

You crack a pleasant smile - it’s a rare right, and it’s always genuine. You’re usually icier than the blizzards in Snezhnaya, the same neutral expression has stayed on your face for as long as he’s known you. You’ve been like that since you were 17. Back then you were much more hardened. He doesn’t blame you. A street urchin, robbing and stealing for food and shelter. Childe knows the story like the back of his hand. 

When you met for the first time - your hair was cut short and your clothes were so baggy. It was impossible to tell back that you were a person, no less a woman - you felt like one entangled body of anger. 

The Tsaritsa would’ve killed you had you not shown such great prowess. Underneath all the filth was a vision. A vision of Anemo, and incredible precision in wielding the ways of wind. 

You’d gained useful skills during your time on the streets. But you were unpolished and violent. The Fatui watched you like a storm cloud lingering over the horizon. A typhoon waiting to swallow the world the minute you had the chance.

Back then, Childe wasn’t fascinated with you in the way he is now.  You were just a brat he had to train. Pierro had put you into his possession on the basis of Childe’s cruelty. It was an endurance test and Childe had always believed you would fail. He’d put you through countless trials, each one more merciless than the last. Your expression never faltered, never changed, never suffered.

The first time Childe noticed you was after the death of your comrade. You were 18 then and it was the first time you’d ever lost someone you’d been attached to. The expression you wore - rough, hard, emotionless, crumbled into pieces in front of him. You cried at a shallow grave, the first and last time he’d ever seen such an expression in his life. Back then, he only comforted you out of curiosity. What exactly would you do? 

But you braved your face. Despite all he’d put you through, you bore no resentment towards him at all. You’d wiped the tears off of your expression and looked at him solemnly. Silent but thankful and terribly honest. 

It’s that honesty that drew him towards you. 

You were angry, sure - but your righteousness made you different. Unlike the many street rats lurking in the Fatui, driven by money or greed - you were driven by simple things. You hated owing favors. You could be polished into something beautiful. Something interesting, more so than the rest of Fatui goons that flitted around him like gnats.  

He’d spent the last 6 years doing just that. Not always intentionally, but always careful. 

You’ve grown into something beautiful - poised while being unruly. A mortal paradox that he’s grown to be more fascinated by each passing year. He’s taken time to know the things that make you tick. 

Yet you're leaving. He didn’t chain you by the neck fast enough in his attempts to be careful and now you’ve taken your own leash and walked right out of his grip. A shame. Childe is really so hurt by such a thing. 

He doesn’t let it show on his face of course. You’ll be remorseful if you see him, but the pity won’t soothe his feelings this time. He has to remain calm so he puts on this delightful act to hide the hurt.

“I suppose you do mean a lot to me, Captain. In a different way.” 

“Well,” He steps towards you, but you don’t back away. The proximity, strangely, doesn’t bother you. You are only this permissive towards him, and he counts it as a minor celestial blessing. He doesn’t know if you trust him that much or if you are simply naive. Maybe both. Maybe neither 

“What way is that, pray tell? Maybe it will soothe my sorrows.” 

“Well, you’re the only person I truly knew and admired. If that counts for anything,” You flush when you tell him this “My master was a great man but all things considered he was more like a father. But I really think very highly of you and your abilities, Sir.” 

“What a nice girl you’ve become.” He says back, just to see the startled flush on your features “Isn’t that something?” 

You make a face at him, displeased. It almost distracts him from how irritated he feels when he remembers why you started with this conversation in the first place. 

“You talk about me like I’m a kid,” You show him just the slightest bit of attitude. It’s a step in the right direction, sends a chill up Childe’s back that he doesn’t dislike in the slightest “I’m all grown up alright? Don’t look down on me.” 

He gasps in faux offense “I would never. It’s strange, you know? You’ve changed a lot. I don’t hate it though,” He gives you a once over - hands you a slice of orange. You lean down and grab it with your teeth, chewing and swallowing. 

It’s those little acts of naivety that draw him to you most. 

“When are you meant to depart, my dear subordinate?” 

“Probably within the week,” Your voice is just a touch somber. “After I’ve got everything moved, this may very well be the last time we see each other.” 

“It’s a shame then, really. I would’ve preferred being your comrade for much longer than this.” 

“We’ll always be comrades, Captain.” You salute him one more time, this time with a smile “I’ll never be able to forget you.” 

“You’d better not.” He says with a deep sigh, making you laugh. 

Yes, it’s not as if Childe was ever really going to let you. 

__

You disappear from his sight in an instant. 

The first few weeks after your absence, Childe buries himself in his work. Pierro praises him for his sudden loyalty to the harbingers - but carrying orders is the only way he can work out his frustration without taking it out on civilians.

He plans from the day you leave to find you eventually. But he knows from the start it’ll be no easy feat. The nature of the business is that relocations are hard to come by and top-secret. If someone is to relocate and change their identity, no one in the Fatui knows where they end up. The only person who’s informed about the drop off locations is Pierro, and it’s not like he’s going to hand that information to Childe regardless. 

But that’s different from knowing exactly where you’ve relocated. You’re a smart girl - too clever and too familiar with the Fatui to let them handle something of such importance. Your agreement was this: new money, new documents, new identity - but re-establishing your life would be completely and totally up to you. It makes sense. You’ve gained an incredulous amount of enemies in your time working in Childe’s care - and the matter of relocation is a delicate one. Most of the Fatui are deeply hated across Teyvat. 

You’d have to relocate somewhere small where you can make use of your skills or survive on your own. If Childe knows you at all, you would’ve chosen the latter. A self-sustained life where you don’t have to depend on anyone unnecessarily suits you well. After all the blood and gore you bore witness too, isolation was like a second skin. 

From the minute you disappear from his line of vision - Childe thinks about finding you. He thinks about what he’ll have to do to make it reality, and what will happen when he does. The  minute you’re within his reach, he won’t be foolish enough to let you go again. 

There won’t be any concerns about morals or abuse of power - this time, Childe will possess you completely. 

Pierro tells Childe: There's a recruitment mission, it will take up to a year and you’ll be traveling all over the world to carry out various orders. 

It’s bait. Pierro just wants Childe to get his hands dirty, and he knows that the 11th won’t be able to resist the temptation of finding you. Childe agrees despite knowing this. There is no order he can’t fulfill, no thing he can’t commit too - if it means there’s any chance to find you again. 

If it’s for you, he can do anything. 

___ 

For months, Childe soaks his hands in blood trying to find you. 

Cheap intel is easy to come by but reliable intel is not.

His first mission in Mondstat. A small nation and one of peace - it’s difficult to stir up any trouble there when Diluc is around. Childe does his best to steer clear of him, since there’s no group the Dark Knight detests so much as the Fatui. 

Recruitment in a small, quiet nation happens in slums. Orphanages are prime for this endeavor. A proxy pays a fee for adoption prices and word of the Fatui spreads through the darker corners of the city. Once the word of their presence spreads far enough, another message follows. The Fatui will pay greatly for intel. They’re looking for a woman in her early 20’s. If the information proves reliable, you’ll be paid a hefty sum. 

Mondstadt, the city of peace, lives up to its name. The Fatui occupation of the slums doesn’t disrupt anything in the local government. It’s inline with Pierros orders. There’s something important about the city according to the Tsaritsa. 

Of course - none of this is especially important to Childe. Once his role has been fulfilled, every minute is spent chasing leads and following trails to whichever path leads to you. It’s a compulsion. Each time he receives a knock on his office door, he feels his pulse rise all the way into his throat. He knows objectively that most leads are worthless - that people are simply trying to squeeze money from the Fatui in order to survive. 

The piercing, celestial anger doesn’t settle with all the objectivity in the world. No amount of searching seems to lead back to you and his patience is already dangerously thin. 

Of course Childe knew embarking on this endeavor would not be fruitful all at once.

Your speciality had been stealth from the beginning. If anyone knew how to disappear into thin air - Childe would first think of you. It doesn’t soothe him. Knowing it will be difficult to find you, and knowing especially that you don’t want to be found - none of it soothes the bone deep ache for you. Each night he carves the desire out of him, it won’t help him in his journey to carry. 

But each morning, there’s a bruising sensation in his ribs that reminds him of the wound process. Each night he bore the injury of loss and there is nowhere for him to find evidence of it happening. Only the aftermath, and more pitiful breadcrumbs that he tries to trace back to you.

Childe chases the tail light of a firefly across every corner of Mondstadt. He turns over each chipped brick of dilapidated buildings, hunts down every one who even knows your name or any of your features. He rifles through cheap shot intel and thins out the swarm of greedy idiots through beatings.

Among the cheap dirty tricks, he finds one lead. From a child, no less - a boy who isn’t any older than 13.

 In his office, two Fatui drag in a pair of siblings.  

“I know who you’re looking for,” He says, slow and careful - on guard. There’s a little girl trembling behind him, shaking like a leaf. A big brother, through and through “I have proof.” 

Childe takes interest immediately. This little boy reminds him of you, crystal clear eyes. Truthful. Childe leans on the edge of his desk. 

“Proof? What, like a picture?” 

“N-no,” He swallows. He reaches for something inside of his cloak, and the guards immediately stand to attention. Childe puts his hand up telling them to stand down. When there’s no longer any threat, the boy pulls something out of his pocket. A piece of paper with something drawn on it, and a coin within it. 

Ah. The paper bears your signature, and the coin is yours too. To be more clear, it’s a coin relocated agents are permitted to carry once they depart. It’s a signature of honorable dismissal, and a promise from the Tsartisa guaranteeing your protection in case of more Fatui encroachment on the land. There’s an honor system. It’s rare that dismissal even happens given the nature of the organization. Agents with outstanding records get three total. 

Childe can hardly believe it. But he does, because it’s you - and it’s something you would do. It’s not like a 13 year old boy would be able to coerce it out of you. It’s yours. You gave it to him. 

Childe grips the coin into his hand. There’s a lingering presence. He closes his fist around the metal, paper crumpling underneath before kissing his closed fist. 

“When,” He takes in a sharp breath “When did you receive this?” 

“A few weeks ago,” He replies, visibly relaxed now that Childe seems to recognize its legitimacy  “She s-stayed with me and my sister for a while. And protected us. Nobody messes with us anymore. She s-said that if the Fatui come, to give them this and they won’t bother us.” 

“And you’re trading it in for money, you precocious brat?” Childe says with no real malice in his voice. The kid stiffens, but he can only laugh in reply “Well, I’ll respect the young lady's wishes. I like kids, after all.” 

Childe makes eye contact with his underlings, and they salute him. 

“Give them as much money as they ask for. And issue them another coin, but make sure it’s one of mine. I’ll be keeping this one,” 

They speak in tandem “Yes, Captain.” 

“You should be very grateful, kid.” Childe says, reaching his hand out. He’s in a good mood, hands patting the heads of both kids. 

“You’ve experienced something truly invaluable, and it’s brought you great fortune. Go give prayer to your Archon for the blessing” 

__ 

He traces your steps back to Liyue. He only knows this after interrogating those kids for a long while. Liyue is the easiest route to Sumeru, so Childe mostly works on a hunch. 

He likes Liyue. It’s easy enough to recruit there since the Fatui already have a foot in the door, and beyond that - the citizens are warm if you’re respectful. 

“Excuse me, maam,” Childe waves a hand at the woman working at the fruit stand near the harbor. An older woman and Liyue local, with gray hair and warm eyes “Would it be alright if I asked you some questions?” 

The woman pauses from her task, squinting her eyes momentarily before humming. 

“Sure, sonny, I don’t see why not,” She replies, continuing on with her work “Are you a foreigner?” 

“Yes, ma’am I am. And I’m looking for someone who I heard passed through here recently.” 

“Oh? Who’re you looking for?” 

“A young lady. Early 20’s. A bit rough and about ye high,” He says, vaguely gesturing to your height. He gives a little bit more detail on your features and the woman listens to him carefully before her eyes widen with realization “Sound familiar?” 

“Oh, her!” The woman smiles, sitting behind her set up with a knife in hand. She grabs a melon from her stall, balancing it on a cutting board. She wets her knife with water and wipes it, the reflective metal shining in Childe’s eyes as it goes through the fruit in one solid push. “Yes. She stayed here for weeks, though I don’t have any idea where. She came in every morning to buy something from me.” 

“Could you tell me a little more about it?” Childe urges, trying to mask the desperation to know in his voice. The old lady hums pleasantly “Anything about her or where she might be headed?” 

“Well, she said something about Sumeru,” The old lady relays, cutting the melon into thin slices - ripe and sweet “She had thought about visiting Fontaine, but decided on just Sumeru for now. Said she was looking for her Father. How do you know that young lady, might I ask?” 

“A friend from childhood,” Childe relays, a half truth and lie of omission. He dawns an expression of embarrassment and sincerity.  “I’ve been looking for her all of my life.” 

“Well, aren’t you quite the romantic? Was she your first love, dear boy?”

“Yes. Something like that. I had heard she was in Mondstat and then she came here, but it seems like I keep missing her. And I don’t want to lose sight of her again, after all we’ve been through.” 

The old woman's features soften, as she holds out a piece of fruit for Childe to take. He accepts, taking it graciously and with a soft word of thanks. 

“To be young again would be a gift indeed,” She sighs wistfully “I admire your tenacious spirit. I’m sure you get  a little closer to finding her each time you search. If it’s meant to be, I’m sure you will.” 

Childe takes a bite of melon. It’s rich, mostly sweet and the slightest bit sour. The juice dribbles down his chin, and coats his mouth with the not-quite satisfaction. Sweet, but not sweet enough. Close but not close enough. 

“Did she mention anything else?” He asks, wondering for more details “Or leave anything behind?” 

“You sound like you miss her,” She says brightly before shaking her “Forgive my memory. The only thing I can remember was that she was preparing to settle down. She took seeds and supplies with her. After that, I didn’t see her again.” 

“How unfortunate. But if she plans to be in Sumeru, then it seems like I have to go find her there,” 

“You won’t be staying here long then, young man?”

Childe reaches the last of his slice, wiping his mouth with the back of a gloved hand. 

“I don’t think so. But I’ll return someday. And if I find her, well,” He gives her a smile, picking a peach off of the stand and dropping a bag of Mora on the table “I’ll make sure we both come and thank you.” 

__ 

Sumeru is Snezhnaya’s opposite. 

In composition, in sight, in taste and in sound. The sweltering heat of the jungle, the plush of green, the wildlife that lays among the thickets. In all the ways that Snezhnaya is cold and precise, Sumeru is warm and bleeding. Each corner of the great nation bleeds into self. Culture bleeds into art and art bleeds into politics and everything is threaded together like vines of ivy through metal grates.

They are foreign lands to Childe. He’s spent his time across the world in other nations, but not Sumeru. The other Harbingers occupied it for years before Childe had the chance - and he does his very best to not trifle into Dottore’s territory. 

(There is memory of another harbinger, like the faintest whisper of a ghost.)

But he can’t be sure of that. All he knows is that it’s his first time spending any time there for longer than a few days. It’s his first time there on a mission, to spend time among its people and make deals with the other mercenaries that roam both the desert and forest. 

The Fatui are not particularly fond of the Eremites. Unlike other groups, there is no easy way to subordinate them. There are more intricate hierarchies and laws among them, laws of survival that do not cross over well to the Fatui. The Eremites have an honor system that many Fatui find foreign.

 It’s not impossible to find common ground - but it’s difficult. If they are to stumble upon the wrong group of Eremites, they could very well end up in a losing battle. Sand is much like snow. If you don’t tread carefully, if you aren’t prepared - one step could leave you buried beneath soil before you could think twice. 

There is one thing that both Eremite and Fatui bastards share completely, and that is greed for power and wealth. 

Recruitment in the Sumeru region is difficult. But any information can be found if your pockets are heavy enough. They’re an efficient bunch since they don’t require much training. 

Childe will have to look at his own books later. How much time, money, manpower he’s allocated in his relentless search for you. How many mountains he’s climbed, how many fights he’s gotten into, how much trouble it’s been. Mora is nothing, but altogether - your disappearance has cost a hefty price. 

Still, you were telling the truth - as was the Eremite who found your new location, and the woman in Liyue who sold you fruit and the orphan boy who held your signature. 

A trail of your very own light, the feeling of a cool breeze - everything that Childe has worked for has ultimately led him back to you in the bleedings lands of Sumeru. 

A few weeks ago, he received new intel from an Eremite he’d recruited at the beginning of their stay. A 17-yr boy with a gift for the sword that had no particular loyalty to any other group of Eremites. A capable loner. Childe’s mission was simple - 

(“There’s a woman you must find. 

If you find her, I’ll give you anything you please.”) 

Like a miracle, in 3 weeks time - the same recruit had returned to Tartaglia’s door with a photo of you. 

(“You…you found her.” Childe mutters. He’s overwhelmed with too many emotions for anyone to show on his face. “Where?” 

“In the jungle.” The boy says, voice cool and neutral “It looks like she built a shelter for herself and stays there. She wasn’t anywhere near the city,” 

“No wonder it’s been so difficult to find you.” Childe mutters to himself before looking back up again “Can you lead me there?”

The boy rifles in his bag for something. A parchment paper that unravels to be a map with a line drawn on it. 

“I thought this would be easier.” 

Childe holds the paper in utter disbelief, staring at the line draw. A path forward to you.) 

Last night, he departed alone into the jungles and followed the path carefully. The map was well marked with rest points and stops, and it wasn’t difficult to trek it once he was outside of the city. He’d gone alone with nothing but the clothes on his back. Eager and impatient, restless to find an oasis in the desert that has been draining the life out of him since he’d arrived. 

Childe finds you at dawn. The sun has to rise completely but the world is lit, soft blue encasing it like a blanket. Off the beaten path is a cottage - a shelter built from jungle wood with a small animal coop and a garden. There’s a single light on in the kitchen, and enough windows for him to see what’s inside. 

Many things overwhelm him once he catches the light on your face. You must’ve been awake for a while, because there’s no sleep left on your expression. Nothing but clarity, brightness, familiarity that Childe must’ve been searching for months now, maybe half a year. 

The world feels like it’s stopped moving for him to take a step forward. It’s dark enough that a firefly draws past him, and Childe feels his body move nearly against his will. 

He walks through the mud, through the dirt and grass - following the path to your door until he’s towering in front of it. He stands at the wood for a long, long while - in silent contemplation, before a sick sense of joy flutters through him. 

A sense of sickness that parades around in his mind. Almost childlike. It’s been a long game of hide and seek, but Childe has finally found you. 

He knocks on the door, lets each hit ring before he stops. And he waits. 

You open the door without questioning it. Perhaps there’s someone from in town who visits you often enough that you don’t think to question it. Either way, you open it.

And when your eyes land on Childe’s expression, everything shifts. 

He can practically feel the immediate apprehension. The confusion that you can’t make sense of, the feeling of bitter dread. Childe knows you like the back of your hand. Knows every little detail of your discomfort. You’re more confused than you are concerned for now, and your eyes are brilliantly honest like they’ve been from the start. 

He’s giddy. The pure sense of euphoria is entangled so deeply with months worth or frustration, and he’s wound so tight he can’t help but grin down at you. You blink at him. 

“Captain?” 

“Comrade,” He says, voice a touch light “How have you been?” 

He doesn’t offer you any more explanation than that. You stare at him and he stares back, greedily at the sight of you. He’s missed you, really - missed everything about you so much it feels like some part of him is ticking, preparing to detonate. You step back and Childe nearly steps with you. 

He’s worried it will scare you off, so he refrains. 

“What are you doing here, Captain?” 

“Well,” He says first, contemplative “It’s a long story. Could I come in first?” 

“Oh, of course,” You reply, because you presume it’s something important. You trust him enough to let him “Please, come in.” 

So he invites himself in. You direct him to a small dining table with two wooden chairs. There’s sliced Zaytun peaches sitting on a ceramic plate. You pour Childe a glass of water hospitably, before sitting across from him with a look of concern. It’s easy to tell what you’re thinking - that there must’ve been some reason for him to come find you and that it must be important. You’re waiting for him to tell you that and soothe his nerves. 

But being with you now, he finds he harbors no such desire. He eats a peach off of the plate in front of him. They’re sweet to the point it makes his teeth hurt. 

He gives you a stare as you look back at him, and the two of you sit in uncomfortable silence. 

“I’m glad I finally found you,” He says conversationally, looking down at his hands as he speaks “You didn’t make it easy, you know?” 

“...You were looking for me?” 

“Looked all across Teyvat for clues. I expected that, though. You were always good at disappearing when no one was around to see, comrade and I admired that about you,” Childe says with a sigh, shaking his head “I was very devastated to see you leave,” 

“So you went searching for me? Why?” 

He laughs hard as you ask him that, he almost can’t help it. 

“Well, that’s the thing,” He says, taking another piece of fruit. Relishing the sweetness, almost as warming as the sudden proximity between you two “After all the years I’d spent crafting you into an excellent soldier, I thought it’d be a shame to let you disappear,” 

He looks at you. Watches as your face changes. 

“All those times I’d saved you, been a mentor towards you, taught and trained you. I’ve watched over you for so long and cared for you so fondly, and you disappeared just like that. I try not to be too bothered by things,” Childe laments, leaning back in the wood chair “I’m a patient man, for the most part. I’m an older brother, so I’ve always tried to be responsible. But there are some things I like to keep for myself,” 

“...Captain, what are you talking about?” 

Childe stands to his feet and walks over to you. The feeling of fear starts to build in you, mild but present in your vague tremble. You falter. He can tell from the way you stand. You must feel that something is wrong and your eyes show your distrust. Childe can’t stop peering into them, can’t stop searching for your every feeling wishing to pull them out of you and examine them.  

He pulls away the chair behind you, letting it fall to the floor. He backs into you slowly, into the wall behind you where you stand underneath him. You’re afraid - tense, but not unwilling to fight. 

“Did you think,” He whispers, voice filled with satisfaction “That every time I saved you was a coincidence?” 

He stares down at you. Your eyes widen. 

“I was just so fascinated. You can be really innocent sometimes, it's just adorable. But you’re also extremely direct and brutal. Naive but also completely trusting. I’ve never met a ruthless mercenary who was so forgiving.” Childe reaches for a piece of your hair, bringing it so carefully to his lips “I’ve come to love that about you. I just wanted to see if you could really endure all that. And you did beautifully. Really.” 

“What the fuck are you saying?” 

“When Valentin and Ilya died, you came back so crushed but your eyes,” Childe says, peering into them - hand reaching up to your cheek. You try to push him back. He feels the force in it - but he’s stronger than you by a lot where it matters “These eyes stayed the same. Clear and bright. A gaze that only spoke truth. It was mesmerizing. I’ve always been fond of beautiful things.” He says wistfully. 

You push back. Your strong enough that Childe can feel the weight of you movements as you try to get away from him. You think of many clever moves, like going underneath him. You’re quick but he’s quicker. He pins you against the wall, cages you in with his body - his legs locks yours so you can’t use your knees. He traps you, just like he always wanted too. 

It feels better than he could’ve pictured. 

“I didn’t plan for them to die so brutally,” Childe begins, his voice against your ear. He can feel how your heart races through your skin, the painful pulse of each of your nerves as anger torrents inside of you. “I knew they were underskilled. I thought they’d only come back injured, but I was wrong. Torn to bits right in front of you. When you came back I thought you were completely broken but,” 

He looks down at you, and you look up. There is burning, violent hatred in your unchanging gaze. He smiles at you affectionately, and it jars you enough that your own face changes in response.

“You looked at me with this same expression. Melancholy but crystal clear. You can’t help it can you? Not in the slightest. Time and time again, you came back and suffered tremendously but  that never changed about you,” Childe whispers against your skin. Lets his lips brush against your neck, and your bare shoulder. He feels your body move hard trying to get him off of you, but you remain in place “One day, you’d get exhausted. And when that happened, I would help you. Take you into my own care. You could do whatever you wanted as long as you were with me. That was the vague inclination” 

“You sick bastard.” 

“But you ran,” Childe says. He releases you momentarily, trades his body in for a hand around your throat. You claw at him but the pain is easy to endure. “All that effort, and you decided to disappear. I was so annoyed with that, you know? I love you after all. Enough to empty every well of resources to find you. I searched for you in every corner I could look.” 

With gloved hands, Childe hooks one of his thumbs into your mouth before hooking the other one - prying your jaw open completely. It shocks you enough to render you helpless - motionless as your hand rests on his forearm. When your mouth is open, he uses one hand to keep it that way. His gloved fingers violate your mouth, thumb brushing over the ridges in your teeth. He grabs your tongue with his thumb and forefinger, pressing it slightly like he’s reprimanding you. It’s warm and hot, making a chill run up his spine. 

“But I won’t make that mistake again. From here and now, I’ll make sure you never leave my side. And with you next to me,” He presses his lips to your cheek while your mouth is pried open. He can feel your teeth dig into the sliver of skin exposed from his glove, biting hard enough that it punctures and bleeds. Childe is unfazed by it, almost a little fond at how hard he can feel your canines digging into his leather gloves “From now on, everything you do should be with me at the forefront. I’m being a little selfish, but it should be alright, yes? You’ve been under my command for a longer time, so you’re used to it.” 

“Captain,” Your words are muffled by his fingers in his mouth, a touch sad - a touch betrayed, but not terrified. Angry like you want to kill him. To rip him apart with your teeth but too confused to do so much as move. Not scared of him despite everything that he’s just admitted. And your eyes, of course, remain unchanged “You fucking bastard. You rotten fucking bastard, they were—” 

He pulls his fingers away from your mouth, cupping your face in his hands instead. Your reaction is refreshing. 

“Kiss me, won’t you?” 

Your response is to bite but Childe catches your mouth anyway. He holds your chin and keeps you under him and kisses you hard. He lets his hands circle around your waist, completely ignoring all the attempts you make to run. He kisses you, and your mouth tastes like blood. His blood, mixed with the faint taste of peach. Iron and sugar, perfectly entangled in the soft, warm heat of your mouth. You kiss like a dream. 

Your cold stoicism melts under the weight of your shock, and you’re so startled you give in only slightly. Childe kisses you in apology. Childe kisses you because he loves how dreadful you find it. Because no matter how much it disgusts or sickens you, he can’t help but be addicted to the feeling of your lips and skin. He’s sure the coming months will make this newly explored affection a most miserable vice. 

He wraps around a hand around your throat again, teeth nipping along your cheek before kissing the indentation of his own canine. His other hand clamps around your wrists, pinning them above your head as he cages you in once again. 

“I’m not an opponent you will ever be able to best unless the Archon’s themselves come to kill me,” He whispers, faint and loving as he makes sure to look you in the eyes.  “So stand down, soldier - and let your Captain lead you to paradise.” 

[roseluxxx]

GHOSTIN

Miguel O’Hara x Reader

warnings: cursing, hispanics, part 1

word count: 1.1k

summary: sent to a town to finish a report, the ghost he’s living with decides.. maybe he should stay

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes. The last truck is finally ready to move with all the latest equipment needed for this study; it cannot be procrastinated any longer, O’Hara.”

“Ay dios mío.” the scientist ran his fingers through his hair, eyes wide at the news that the “months away” move to a reclusive house in a far away “no-name” town was tomorrow.

This was technically his fault as his reluctance to complete the report on “Gene Growth Combined Experiment 4 (chemical X42): A conclusion on the development of the embryo.” as the full title stated, finally caught up to him.

He had just been busy developing the Spider-Anthropoid’s final stages; an equally important trial study to him, but not so much to Alchemax.

“You have a month at most, I will try to advocate for an extended stay but it’s in your best interest to finish this conclusion report swiftly. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Wonderful. Now get out of my office O’Hara, the driver will take you to your place and pick you up nice and early tomorrow. Be ready.”

Miguel fought back his taunting remark and left the cold, heartless office.

His work was important. If successful it would create the first human-spider hybrid combination and create an endless amount of possibilities. Ideally to improve the state of the common person, but he wasn’t naive enough to not think it wouldn’t be used for military advances.

“What time tomorrow?”

“9am sharp. Won’t be me though, my friend Gus will he here.” The driver glacéd in the rear view mirror as he pulled up to the window filled penthouse Miguel had the luxury to live in.

“None of my business, sir, but a word from my eavesdropping on the men who I chauffeured earlier.. apparently your new short term living space comes with a rumored “ghost friend”.”

Miguel scoffed, grabbing his coat and laying a few bucks in the drivers’ outstretched hand as he opened the car door, “If it’s none of your business then stay out of it,” he exited the car, “but thanks, chismoso.”

The next morning Miguel snatched the suitcases he packed, shut his blinds and locked his door, making his way to the waiting Taxi.

“Be ‘bout a 20 minute drive to the airport, sir, including traffic.”

He grunted in response, looking out the window as he half listened to the clearly extroverted mans’ essay on his new city’s attractions.

“Yep. But I did hear about that ghost in your house. Good luck with that.”

Miguel’s ears perked up. Ghost? All this talk about this damn ghost was getting him annoyed. Even if there’s such a thing as ther paranormal, he won’t be bothering them and subsequently they don’t have to bother him. Easy.

The yellow cab pulled up to the front of the airport, crowded as usual, and the broad man reluctantly gripped his belongings, giving the world another sigh before preparing himself for a 2 hour flight.

The keys were old, silver, the three individual ones clinging against each other as Miguel pulled them out of the mailbox, a letter falling to the ground.

To Current Renters,

Please note that this property is built on a solid foundation and the doors are properly built into the door frame.

A house is built with consideration to weather events so a very slight creak/sway is expected and not worrying.

It prevents the house from being too stiff and allows for a longer lifespan.

The windows may also be slightly loose within the window frame so feel free to lock them if the draft becomes too much.

No need to report noises either as the walls may run a little thin and animal calls can sound like humans if you are listening through a surface like a wall.

All this to say do not call us to report noises, wind, or creaking in the house.

Sincerely,

(for real.. do not contact us with these issues)

The Owner - Stephen Vincent

He opened the door on his second try, figuring the other keys lead to some kind of garage or safe. The door swung open with a small groan, almost apprehensive with his arrival.

The house itself was comfortable. A glass sliding door across the living space connected to large windows showcasing the beauty forests have to offer; a patio sitting beyond the door.

The kitchen was adorned with dark gray marble tops and a gray and white overall aesthetic for the counters and appliances. It was simple, classy, exactly what his boss thought would allow his mind to stay focused on his task.

Speaking of, the office space had been pre-turned into a small research center complete with the necessary chemicals, equipment, and state of the art technology. If he hadn’t known better he would’ve thought he had a whole mother experiment to conduct while he only needed to draw the conclusions in a consiste report.

That would be left for later, though. He entered what seemed to be his room. Comfortable. A light grey and white with a calming blue pop of color in the decor. Good enough.

Once his luggage had been felt with, he returned to the kitchen to find his fridge already stocked. Perfect.

He began a simple meal of blanco arroz con pollo frito when you saw him. Another one. Only one this time though. He should be easy enough.

You moved closer, getting a better look at this intruder. Immediately you noticed he was handsome, worth a second glance at least. He was toned beyond anyone who had set foot here before, a calm, concentrated expression settling on his face as he seasoned his chicken.

Miguel was dealing with the hot stove, his loungewear on that had just enough coverage to keep him warm when he stopped abruptly, feeling a chill run down his arm.

He dismissed it quickly. It was a new house to him and the air outside cooled drastically at night, a soft draft probably crept in. Big deal.

You decided rather quickly to let him stay for a bit. He was charming, exactly your type if you were honest with yourself which, ofcourse, you’d rather not be when said man barged into your home unannounced.

“You hold my interest,” you peaked at a blue ALCHEMAX security card, seeing the name Miguel O’Hara and the same man that was humming softly as he finished frying his dinner smiling up at you, “I’ll be watching, Miguel O’Hara.”

Thank you for reading! Reposts are extremely appreciated!❣️

A/N: Feel free to send in a request! (taking new ones for a short period of time)

This is part 1 to my new GHOSTIN series! Feel free to comment if you’d like to be added to the tag list!

Like my work? Check out my masterlist!

Also the warnings were a joke (Hispanics)

dont take it up the ahh🥱

[cult-of-the-eye]

Jon angst!! He gets a therapist. It makes him worse.

tw: grief, unhealthy coping mechanisms, scars

“So how have you been?”

The question is a completely anticipated one. Jon enjoys the structure of the sessions. The chairs are always facing each other and slightly uncomfortable, the sun is streaming through the window overlooking the car park and she always asks Jon how he’s been. And he always provides the same answer. 

“Alright.”

“Yeah?”

His hands smooth over the scar on his thumb. Soothing circles over what was far from a comforting experience. 

“It’s been…difficult.”

“In what way?”

Many. He wants to say. Abruptness and off-putting behaviours are out of place at a therapist’s office. She’s trying to help you, Martin would coax him through his thoughts like a feral cat out of an alley. 

“I guess, I just-”

She nodded. It wasn’t tea and soft looks but it would have to do.

“I was in the supermarket and I thought I heard Tim’s voice. I left things…badly and it was completely my fault, but I…I don’t know. I just really believed it was him.”

“That must’ve been tough.”

Such a cliche, therapist thing to say. They can’t empathise so they just provide sympathetic looks and synonyms for difficult. Martin’s not exactly here to stop him from hating her in his mind. 

“What did you do?”

Jon took a second to remember. The whole scene felt like thinking through fog. Pulling his memories out of his brain with a pitchfork. How he felt stayed with him. It wasn’t too different to how he currently felt. 

“I…froze. It was like…it was like all the bones in my body were…calling out for something.”

“Yeah?”

“But I knew I couldn’t reach it, so I froze. I think, my body made the decision for me.” 

“It sounds like your fight or flight response kicked in. It’s a way, as you’ve put it so well, of your body taking care of you.”

His body had weathered damage after after. It bore scars of worse and better times and Jon could barely stand to look at it some days. See the way they curved around him, more gentle than any hand had in a while. It disgusted him. 

“Maybe.”

“You’re allowed to disagree with me, Jon. This is an open space. You can share how you feel with no repercussions.”

“It isn’t quite an open space when you don’t know anything about me.”

Martin would be so disappointed in him. But Martin wasn’t here. 

“Did I say something to upset you?”

Jon groaned in frustration. His hand ground into his thumb, in dizzyingly strong patterns. 

“You didn’t say anything to frustrate me. I just- I need to have something and I can’t get it back.”

“That makes sense, Jon. I understand your reaction.”

He nodded, curtly. A small jolt of the head. Barely passing for an acknowledgement. 

“What is it that you can’t have?”

Sasha. Tim. Martin.

“Sleep. No chronic pain. A good cup of tea.”

“Would that make you feel better?”

-

It was that question that played and replayed through his head. He walked to the tube, tossing it around in his head like one of those tennis balls that Tim always had. The effectiveness of this therapy couldn’t be discerned so soon, as Georgie was quick to remind him. But this was the first time something could be accused of sticking. 

The tube was packed. That’s why he got off early. Sensory issues had been playing up all day, he had felt it from the moment he woke up. Walking was clearly the best option, here. And if he stopped for a couple of minutes to catch his breath, who would blame him? His cane could immediately clear up any suspicion around that. The house in front of him hadn’t had people in it for 6 months and 11 days exactly. No one would even notice how scheduled these rest breaks had become. 

She was right. A good night’s sleep and some paracetamol wouldn’t make him feel better. 

Getting them back, however, would. 

[roe-and-memory]

Cal headcanons maybe??? :3333

ANON, WE’RE BEST FRIENDS NOW. THANK YOU

cal is my boy, my son, my shining star, my silly, and many more.. allow us to fucking ruin his life (the favourite character treatment, if you will)

i hope u enjoy these 💥🔥

- hes deaf! this is my favourite hc ever i came up with it myself. hes Deaf and uses hearing aids - this was caused by the crash his parents died in (as he was in the vehicle with them if it wasnt obvious)

- he was 13 when his parents died

- he grew up watching his uncle race. he was a STAPLE in the dinoco pit box and when he was 11 or 12 he was strips crew chief for a race (strip won it too)

- strip taught him how to drive in one of the fields at their house - he mowed a track around it with a tractor, made cal get in the drivers seat, and told him to just Drive. (he was taught using Lynda’s old derby car because as strip expected, the very traumatized 14 year old he put behind the wheel DID in fact crash into the corn stalks and strip had to chase after him and pull him out of the car)

- he is probably the most careful driver you will ever meet. its the trauma, dare i say, but the probability of him crashing is much less than the Other Two. bobby and lightning poke fun at him for being so careful behind the wheel because “he doesnt have fun”, and whenever he gets serious behind the wheel they both giggle and quietly make fun of him (its like when you turn on the light in the car and your dad yells at you, white knuckling the steering wheel staring straight ahead and u dont understand why its so serious)

- cal’s the oldest of the three as well, hes a little less than a year older than lightning, so they’d both be the same age for like a 4 month period, bobby is the youngest and gets relentlessly bullied for it.

- i dont think cal ever learnt extensive sign language after the accident. his aunt and uncle didnt know it, and they were cautious of the situation so they found ways to communicate that they could all understand - he only learnt it after meeting red, because he was curious, and it wasn’t that hard.. plus it was a bonus that he could say things to lmq and bobby that they didn’t understand

- hes the only member of the trio with a consistent brain cell. hes the Reason, but hes also silly as hell which puts him barely a brain cell level higher than his friends

- he doesnt trust other people driving him places, he will ALWAYS volunteer to drive

- cal has a lot of his old, early racing days/pre-racing days memories on one of those old, handheld film cameras. he records a lot of stuff on it when theyre all running around the infield being silly

- his silly ass is so socially awkward its AWFUL. hes great in front of cameras but as soon as someone normal asks him a question or starts a conversation hes like. erm. Um. sure? (it was not a yes or no question)

- adhd

- hearing issues also comes with auditory processing issues, he’ll ask someone to repeat themselves and then realize halfway through their repetition what they said and be like OH YEAH TOTALLY!

- after the accident he went through a phase of being Terrified that strip and lynda were trying to replace his parents. he acted out, he hated every minute of their care and affection for a while, and finally he couldnt handle Not telling them why he was acting the way he was. they were both forgiving of course, they told him they understood he was scared and this was all New and they would NEVER try to replace his parents. that Helped.

- cal is short for calamari, full name calamari weather's (roe)

- hes blonde! he and strip are both blonde - and people HAVE mistaken strip for his dad instead of his uncle, but in reality cal just looks a Lot like his mother (who was strips sister)

- adding onto above: cal being upset makes strip think of his Sister and it fucking tears him apart every time. that kid looks so much like his mother its awful.

- when he was finally old enough to drink, he won the race, got to hold the champagne bottle and pop it open but it was so horribly hot outside that he fainted while on top of the car in victory lane, fell off, shattered the champagne bottle and smelt like berries for almost a week because it WOULDNT GET OUT OF HIS HAIR. he scraped up his elbows and tore the back of his t-shirt but there was nothing worse than smelling like alcohol for six days.

- he has a baby face and its his worst enemy.

- when he was a kid and a teenager he was obsessed with picking up small animals he found in the forest behind strip and lyndas house, and hes GOOD AT IT TOO. he once brought in a whole opossum into the house shortly after the accident, totally out of it on pain medications, and told his aunt and uncle that he wanted to keep this cat he saved from the garbage can down the side of the house. they were more shocked he got outside? how did he even..?

- he also picked up a habit of eating random berries he found in the woods? hes regretted it on multiple occasions and lynda has continuously told him to stop, but what made him really stop was accidentally grabbing blueberries that just so happened to be surrounded by poison ivy. he had it up and down his arms and all over his hands for three weeks.

- boy loves bugs, every bug ever he could identify and pick up with no issue whatsoever

- he had a marine biology phase and still LOVES the aquarium

- escape artist essentially

THIS IS SO MANY thats enough for now.. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED i love him so much. i hope none of this comes off as me woobifying him because i will lose my mind 💀

[mylostloversbookmarks]

One of these Nights

Chpt 3 of Life In The Fast Lane - A Frankie Morales series.

Characters - Frankie Morales x Reader, Benny Miller.

Summary - You meet Frankie at Benny's house and the three of you hang out when they work on your car, the chemistry between you and Frankie is building and things start to heat up.

Word Count - 7.5K

Warnings/Tags - 18+ only Minors dni. Typical canon language, Swearing, Fluffy!Frankie, Flirty!Frankie, Confident!Frankie, use of pet names, mentions slight spice but nothing too explicit. Written in reader’s POV.

A/N - I really don't know how I feel about this chapter. Tbh im not 100% happy with it, but I worked on it for ages so thought I would post it anyway! So on this one especially feedback is appreciated I want to hear your thoughts! <3

Feedback, Reblogs and comments are always appreciated!

June 25th, 2016

"I will see you soon, then." You confirmed with him, not caring if you sounded desperate or overeager.

"Tan pronto Cariño" he promises; his voice is deep and gruff but melts over you like warm honey. You find yourself twirling your hair between your index finger and thumb, lost in the moment as you let his words linger on the phone line.

Realising the two of you have gone quiet, save for the breathing on the other end of the phone, neither of you wanting the conversation to end.

"Adiós Frankie," you all but purr into the phone's receiver. The only thought allowing you to end the call is that you are going to be seeing him face-to-face in a little more than an hour.

Throwing your phone onto the bed, As you sit at your dressing table, you take in your familiar surroundings. The late morning sun casts a warm glow into your bedroom, highlighting the cluttered yet cosy atmosphere of the room. The walls are painted a soothing shade of seafoam green and adorned with a few pieces of art that you've collected over the years.

The table in front of you is a vintage piece you scored at a thrift store; its surface is slightly worn from years of use by previous owners, but you thought it added to the piece, so you decided to leave it as it was and not repaint it.

On it sits an array of skincare products, makeup, and jewellery, all neatly arranged in their designated spots. You take a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the lavender candle burning on the table, before reaching for your moisturiser.

As you apply it, you can feel its silky texture melt into your skin, leaving it feeling supple and hydrated. Next comes the sunscreen, a crucial step in your skincare routine, especially in the hot and humid Florida weather. You massage it into your skin, making sure to cover every inch of your face and neck.

You glance at the clock on your nightstand, its sleek design contrasting with the vintage charm of the rest of the room. The minute hand ticks steadily, reminding you that time is running out. You pick up the pace, opening your makeup bag and taking out the products you need.

As you apply your makeup, you can't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. There's something about the repetitive motion of brushing on a light layer of foundation, powder, and blush that calms you.

You admire the way the orangey-pink blush complements your skin tone, making you look more awake and refreshed, hiding the restlessness of last night's failed attempt at sleep. You finish off your makeup with a few swipes of mascara, a quick fill-in of your eyebrows, and a layer of your favourite mango-flavoured lip balm.

You stand up from the vanity and dress quickly in the outfit you thanked your past self for having the sense to lay out the night before. You get dressed while planning out your journey. You figure it's early enough for traffic not to be an issue, so once you finish lacing up your white sneakers, you bring up Google Maps on your phone again and check the route to Benny's house.

It tells you that your destination is only a fifteen-minute drive across town, but you wanted to give yourself a buffer so you weren't late. After all, Benny was giving up his Saturday to fix your truck, and the last thing you want to do is take up more of his time than you already do.

Grabbing your denim jacket and car keys from the hall table, you lock the door behind you and head to your car. Clambering into the driver's seat, you turn the key in the ignition, and the beast roars to life. Ejecting the Eagles greatest hits CD and sliding the Hotel California album into the CD player, you put the car in drive and back out of your driveway.

The familiar tunes fill the car, and you sing along to the lyrics. A few of the songs make you think of Frankie, and you laugh at how big of a crush you have on him. It's become a habit of yours to listen to music while driving, and it always helps you relax and clear your mind.

You decide you really shouldn't show up empty-handed, and you want to give them a small token as a thank you for even just the offer of fixing your car. You have enough time to spare, so you flick the indicator on to turn right into the convenience store and pull into a parking space just in front of the entrance.

You grab your bag from the passenger seat and lock the car behind you. The heat hits you like a tonne of bricks, the sun is high in the sky, and there is not a single cloud in sight. You walk towards the store, the pavement feeling hot under your feet through your sneakers.

The entrance door of the convenience store is propped open, and a cool gust of air conditioning hits you as you walk in. The bright fluorescent lights overhead temporarily blind you as your eyes adjust. You head straight to the beer aisle, the cold air from the refrigerators cooling your flushed skin. You run your fingers over the bottles, selecting a crate of ice-cold Budweiser.

As you walk towards the checkout counter, you pass a small display of flowers, sad and wilted from the heat, and a rack of greeting cards. You scan through the cards quickly, your index and middle fingers moving over the cards one by one until you come across one with a drawing of a screw. The pun drawn on the card reads:

"I'd be so (screwed) without you!"

It makes you laugh, and you figure it's the best you're going to get, and given the nature of the DIY job Benny and you assume Frankie are about to embark on, you feel it's fitting.

Heading to the checkout, you greet the cashier with a polite smile, pay your total, and head back out into the blistering heat of the mid-summer afternoon.

Once you are back in the car, you carefully place the beer box on the passenger seat, making sure it's secure, before tossing your bag onto the floor. You rummage through the cluttered glove compartment, searching for a pen.

After a few moments of digging, you finally find one buried underneath a pile of papers. You take a deep breath and write a short note thanking Benny and Frankie for their help, signing it with your name.

"Thank you both so much for being such kind and considerate humans! Sorry about the card; it's the best I could find!"

The rest of the drive itself is uneventful, with only a few cars on the road, and you arrive at the address that Frankie gave you in no time. You turn onto a quiet street lined with tall trees, their leaves rustling in the light breeze. You slow to a crawl, turning the music down so you can see better, scanning the house numbers until you spot the one you're looking for.

As you pull up outside what you believe to be Benny's place, you take a moment to look around. The house is a large, two-story structure, painted a warm shade of yellow, with a well-manicured lawn and a long driveway leading up to the garage. Frankie's truck is parked in the driveway, confirming that you've arrived at the right place.

You take a deep breath, feeling yet another wave of nervousness wash over you. Meeting new people has always been a bit daunting for you, but you remind yourself that Benny is Frankie's friend and that he's doing you a favour. You turn off the car engine and step out, taking a moment to adjust your outfit and smooth down your hair.

You walk up to the front door, feeling a bit awkward as you ring the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door opens, revealing a tall, friendly-looking man in his late thirties. He smiles warmly at you, introducing himself as Benny, and invites you inside.

As you step inside, your eyes are immediately drawn to the tasteful decorations and modern furniture that adorn the interior of the house, which is just as impressive as the outside. Benny leads you to the living room, where Frankie is already waiting for you, a big grin spreading across his face as you enter the room.

He stands up from the couch and closes the distance between you in just two long strides. For a moment, he pauses, as if contemplating what to do next, but the hesitation disappears in an instant.

Frankie opens his arms and pulls you into the warmest, tightest bear hug you have ever received. You feel like he might crush you, but you don't mind at all. You wrap your arms around his waist and squeeze him back, feeling a sense of comfort and safety in his embrace.

The smell of him envelopes your senses—warm vanilla and cinnamon, and the mouthwatering scent of fresh sweat. It was so masculine but so homely and soft at the same time.

"It's good to see you again, Hermosa," he husks into your ear as he releases you from his hold.

You do your best to hide the shiver of pleasure that runs through you at the sound of his deep, gravelly voice.

"It's great to see you too, Frankie." "I can't thank you enough for this, really," you beam at him, feeling relieved that the introductions are over and you can relax a bit.

You don't really know what to do with yourself now that he has released you from his embrace. Standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room as the two men watch you, one is looking on with friendly curiosity. The other is roaming your figure as if he could devour you where you stand, regardless of who is present.

"That's a really pretty dress," Frankie murmurs, his eyes dark and his expression making your mouth go dry.

It causes a hot flush of blood to rush from your chest up your neck, colour your face deep red, and cause your eyes to drop to the floor. You hear one of them chuckle under their breath, and you're not sure which one it was. 

When you look up from the floor, Benny claps a hand on Frankie's shoulder and gives it a squeeze.

"Well, shall we have a look at your car, Y/N?" He suggested it, his lips drawn up into a friendly smile, a thick eyebrow arched in question.

"Yes, that sounds good, but before we do, I've got you guys something." You hesitated. Not wanting it to seem like anything more than what it was—a box of beer. You let out a breathy laugh as you looked on at their raised eyebrows before continuing, "It's nothing really; it's just a small thank you that I don't want getting warm in my car. I'll go grab it, and then we can get started!" You smile at them before making your way out of the living room and down the hall to the front door. Running a hand through your hair, you laugh again as you take in their confused expressions as they both follow you out to the driveway.

"Oh, I should probably move my truck so you can pull into the garage!" Frankie realises this as he notes your car parked on the curb just at the entrance to the driveway.

"Sure, no problem; I'll let you swing her out; you take my spot?" You proposed.

Frankie nods at you with a wide grin stretching across his face and allowing the dimple on his cheek to show. Benny chuckles and shakes his head, amused by your easy banter with each other.

Making your way to your car, unlocking it, and pulling the door open, you're greeted by a wave of heat that has accrued in the small space during the short time you've been in the house. You hop into the driver's seat and cringe internally at the loud roar the engine makes as you turn the key in the ignition.

As you pull onto the long, paved driveway, Benny stands just a foot in front of the moving vehicle. Walking backwards, he waves you forward, and once he is happy with the placement, he holds his hand palm forward, signalling you to stop. 

You can't stop the laugh that escapes you when you glance out of the window to see Benny's face pinched up as if he were in pain as he assesses the sounds coming from your car.

You put the car in park, turn the stiff window roller as hard as you can to crack the window a little, and climb out of the driver's seat, standing with your hand still holding onto the door.

"Is it bad that it made that noise before the accident?" You say this to Frankie as he walks up to stand beside you, taking the car door from your hand and gesturing for you to move out of the way so he can close the door for you.

As you make your way to the passenger side of your car, you grab the box of beer, resting it on your hip as you reach over to grab the card. You smile to yourself, feeling grateful for these two men who have come to your rescue. You may have only just met them, but already they feel like old friends. You feel at ease around them, and all of the nerves are beginning to melt away. Walking to meet Benny where he stood at the front of the car, shifting the beer box from your hip and holding it out to him.

"It's just a small thank you for sacrificing your Saturday to fix my dinosaur." You let out a breathy laugh, a little embarrassed at the state your car was in even before the accident. His eyes go wide, and he just stares at you open-mouthed. You begin to worry that you have offended him.

"I, um, I know it's not much, and of course I'm going to pay you! I just wanted...um, I'm sorry if you don't drink alcohol; I didn't think...I could get you something else." You stammer out, anxiety building in your chest.

You look over at Frankie, searching his face for any sign of annoyance or anger, but there is none to be found. He had his hand covering his mouth, trying and failing to hide his laughter as he took in his friend's expression. He quickly gives up and lets out a loud belly laugh.

"No, no, don't worry, I drink alright; I'm just surprised, is all! This is very kind, Y/N; you didn't have to go to all this trouble!" Benny reassures you with a laugh of his own.

Finally regaining control of his face, he drapes an arm around your shoulder loosely, standing side by side with you, watching Frankie try to regain his own composure.

"I haven't seen you that shocked in a long time, Ben." He chuckles breathlessly, placing a large hand on his soft belly.

"Alright, alright, enough laughing at my expense. "I like her fish," he says with a wag of his thick eyebrows.

You go crimson once more and try to hide your face, dropping your eyes to the floor as you giggle. Benny drops his arm from your shoulder as he dodges the bound-up rag Frankie has thrown in his direction.

"Hey! Watch the goods!" Gesturing to the precious cargo that is now safely housed under his left arm "I'll go throw these in the cooler; thanks again, Y/N!" he says gratefully.

He shoots you a goofy smile, and it reminds you of what Frankie had said to you on the phone earlier that morning: "He's like the human version of a golden retriever," and before you have time to stop it, a loud giggle is bursting past your lips.

You threw your hand up to cover the sound, but Frankie was already watching you. He raises an eyebrow, imploring you to explain your outburst.

"Something funny, Hermosa?" He grins at you, mischief dancing in his dark brown eyes.

"I was just remembering what you told me about Benny earlier." You chuckle, unconsciously closing the distance between you.

"Ah yes, I must remember to tell him about the tennis balls." He smirks down at you playfully, making you gasp incredulously.

"You wouldn't dare." You feign offence, and he takes it as a challenge.

"Oh, you bet I will." He winks at you, his dimple on full display as he reaches up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?" you whisper through another laugh as you fight the urge to lean into his touch.

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?" you whisper through another laugh as you fight the urge to lean into his touch.

"Podra decirte lo mismo cariño," he husks, closing what little distance was left between you, your chests almost touching. The air around you turns to electricity; you can almost feel it sparking brightly as Frankie's gaze lingers on your face, his eyes dropping to your lips.

His hand comes up to stroke your cheek, and this time you don't stop yourself from leaning your face into his warm palm. His eyes are locked on yours, and your brain is screaming for him to kiss you. You have to make a conscious effort not to leap at him.

Just as he leans in towards you, Benny rounds the corner, and you both jump back instinctively, like two kids with their hands caught in the cookie jar. You glance at Frankie once more, and you're glad to see you aren't the only one looking flustered.

His face is beating red, and he is breathing heavier than before. It makes you grin to see him like this, all boyish charm and chagrin. Benny stops and looks first at you, then at Frankie, and back again, a knowing look spreading across his face.

"Sorry for interrupting the lovebirds, but we've got work to do." He chuckles, smirking at his friend and shooting a wink in your direction. As he walks past the two of you, Frankie nudges him with his shoulder, and the two start into a playful scrap, laughing loudly as you watch on, enjoying their easy banter.

The men return to their earlier assessments of your car, with Benny looking under the hood and Frankie lying on a creeper looking at the underside of the vehicle. You are perched on the side of the massive toolbox Benny had rolled out, filled with an impressive array of sockets and other tools you couldn't name.

You listened as they exchanged words like "injector seals" and "coolant leak," not really having a clue as to what they were talking about but happy to watch them at work. Frankie pushes the creeper out from under the car, the wheels rolling roughly against the cement flooring of the spacious garage.

"Okay, so it looks like it's pretty minor stuff needing repaired underneath. Benny, what's the damage like under the hood?" Frankie inquires as he rubs the dark, slippery grease that has made its way up his forarm on the faded old bandana he has tucked into the beltloop of his tan cargos.

Frankie joins Benny, and after listening and nodding intently to his friends' assessments, the two set to work on taking the parts that need mending or replacing out of the engine bay, speaking in "car and driver" lingo that goes over your head.

You can't help but steal glances at Frankie, his concentration focused on the task at hand, and you feel a flood of heat prickle over your skin at the way the muscles in his broad back flex and ripple under his shirt as he manuvers around the engine.

The sight of him covered in oily grime and the thin sheen of sweat covering any skin that was visible tightened the muscles low in your stomach. Suddenly, he looks up and catches you staring.

You freeze, caught in the act and feeling exposed under his intense gaze. For a moment, you feel embarrassed, but then he breaks into a grin and winks at you, making your heart skip.

"See something you like, Hermosa?" He teases, his voice low and playful. You feel your face flush even deeper as you try to stammer out a response, but no words come out.

Frankie chuckles, and the sound sends shivers tingling down your spine. "Relax, I'm just playing with you," he says, and you breathe a sigh of relief.

"Alright, I think we have everything we need to get this fixed up," Benny announced cheerfully.

"It should only take us a couple of hours," Frankie said confidently, and Benny nodded in agreement.

You stand in front of the pair, feeling a little useless. You don't really know anything about the inner workings of cars, only being able to do the basics like changing a flat tyre or filling up your washer fluid. You had watched as your dad worked on his car when you were younger but never really paid that much attention; usually you were talking his ear off about the latest school project or an album you had found that was new to you but well familiar to him.

"I don't think I'm going to be much help with this. But I can walk down to the store, and I could make sandwiches for lunch if you guys are hungry." You offer meekly, feeling bad for just standing there as they do the dirty work.

"That's really nice of you to offer, but you don't." Frankie begins but is cut off midsentence.

"No, she's right," Benny interjects, grinning at you. "We need our strength for the rest of the job; I might not make it through." He places the back of his hand against his forehead, pretending to faint.

"Really Ben?" Frankie sighs, throwing Benny an exasperated look. "What I was trying to say before I was rudely interrupted is, you don't need to make us lunch; I'm sure we can manage without." He rolls his eyes at his friend while shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, Hermosa, this one has no manners." Frankie apologises on Benny's behalf while playfully punching him in the bicep.

"No, honestly, it is the least I can do after you both gave up your Saturday for this heap of shit. I'll be back soon." You laugh along with them, gesturing to your car, which is now in pieces, placed into organised piles along the driveway. You head out of the open garage and sneak a quick look over your shoulder to see that Frankie is watching as you leave. You throw him a shy wave as you exit the driveway.

You can feel the sun beating down on your skin as you make your way down the road, and you can't help but think about Frankie. Your mind is filled with images of him covered in grease, his muscles flexing as he works on your car. You can't believe how attracted you are to him, and you can't shake the feeling that he feels the same way about you. If his flirting is anything to go by.

As you walk, you notice that this is a quiet side of town you rarely visit, and you're quite taken by its lazy charm. The storefronts are all old-fashioned, with large wooden signs hanging above the doors. You pass a few cafes and a bakery, all smelling of freshly baked bread and sweet pastries.

You make your way to the small grocery store at the end of the street and begin to pick out ingredients for sandwiches. As you walk up and down the aisles, you can't help but feel a sense of contentment. The world seems to be moving a little slower here, and it's a nice change of pace from the usual bustle of downtown. You finish up in the store and head back to Benny's with a spring in your step.

You can't quite explain how you're feeling, but it's like Frankie brings you out of yourself without even trying; you don't feel the need to change yourself or try to impress him; after all, he had seen how much of a dorky clutz you could be yesterday, so all hope of a cool and collected facade was well and truly gone.

You make your way back down the drive, the ingredients for lunch in a brown paper bag that you have nestled in the crook of your arm. When you arrive, Benny is still under the hood of your car, and Frankie is leaning his weight on his forearm resting on the propped-up bonnet next to him. They both look up as you approach, and Frankie straightens to take the bag from you.

"Thanks, Hermosa," he says with a smile. "You really didn't have to do this."

"I know," you say with a grin, "but I wanted to."

You watched for a few minutes as they set to work on the car once again, taking in the way they moved around each other. There's an obvious sense of familiarity between them—a closeness that only comes from years of friendship. You can't help but feel a little envious of their bond.

Lunch came together quickly, and you were happy to note that Benny kept his kitchen almost exactly the same way you kept your own at home. The chopping boards rested against the wall beside the cooker, and the knives rested in the knife block beside them.

Bringing the sandwiches out on a wooden chopping board, you set them on the toolbox and head to the back yard to grab three ice-cold beers from the cooler. You crack two open and hand one to Benny and the other to Frankie.

As he takes it from you, his large hand covers yours and lingers there. When you meet his eyes, he is smiling boyishly at you, his eyes crinkling at the sides, making your heart swell.

"Thank you, it looks delicious," he hums cheekily, his dark caramel eyes never leaving yours.

"You're welcome, good-looking," you stammer out breathlessly.

"Damn Y/N, this is a fucking good sandwich," Benny mumbles around a mouthful of deli meat. His cheeks puff out like a chipmonk as he closes his eyes to fully enjoy it.

"Are you gonna eat that or get it pregnant?" You laugh at him, and the loudest laugh bursts from beside you.

Frankie has beer dribbling down his chin as he doubles over, hands on his knees, one still holding the neck of his beer bottle. You have to resist the urge to lean down and lick it from his chin.

The boys eat lunch quickly, horsing down the sandwitches quicker than you thought possible. You're only through the first half of yours, and they're finishing off the chips you had set out with them.

"That really was delicious; thanks again, Y/N." Frankie purrs from his spot beside you, wiping the whiskers of his moustache as he stands to finish the work on your car. Leaving you giggling.

As the afternoon wears on, you reclaim your seat on the toolbox just outside the garage entrance and lean back against the pannels of the house, closing your eyes and enjoying the warmth as the sun beats down on your skin, warming you from the inside out, and the sound of tools clanking against metal and the radio playing 70s classic rock fills the air. It's a familiar and comforting sound, one that reminds you of lazy summer afternoons spent tinkering on cars with your dad.

You blink and open your eyes in confusion as the light dissapears, and you are met with Frankie standing in front of you, blocking the sun's glare, watching you with an intrigued expression.

"That's us all finished up, Hermosa, but would you come with me for a sec?" He asks nervously, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck.

"Oh, okay, yeah sure," You smile up at him, trying to hide the disappointment in your voice, not wanting the afternoon to end.

Frankie gestures down the drive, and you fall in step beside him. His hands are shoved into the front pockets of his cargo pants, and something in his demeanour has changed; he is less confident, and in all honesty, you think he might be a little anxious.

You take a deep breath and mentally prepare yourself for the inevitable conversation that is about to take place. You were used to this, and it's why you don't date anymore. The "I'm not looking for anything serious",  "I'm not ready for a relationship," or, god forbid, the "It's not you, it's me" excuses drained you. You thought you and Frankie had a real connection, and today only solidified that thought, but you must have read it wrong. Deciding that it would save you both the awkwardness of the conversation, you stopped at the driver's door of his car.

"Look, Frankie I think I know what you're going to say, and honestly, it's fine. I had fun hanging out today, and I understand if you don't want to see me again; it's not as if this was a date." You tried to make light of it, but it came out sounding wrong, even sad.

"Oh god, no, no, that's not… I didn't mean." He takes a breath as he tries to search your eyes, only to find them glued to the floor. He places his index finger and thumb under your chin, forcing you to look at him before wetting his lips and continuing

"I'm sorry, Cariño, I didn't think how this would look; I just wanted a bit of privacy, that's all." "Benny's a nosey shit," he laughs low in his chest, his thumb pointing over his shoulder in his friend's direction.

"So you weren't about to tell me "This was fun and all, but"?" You question him in surprise.

"God, no, you think I would throw a chance like this away? Now it's my turn to be offended?" He chokes out, his hand resting over his heart in feigned offence.

"Well, I apologise; I'm not used to dealing with such a gentleman." You giggle, unable to contain the butterflies threatening to brim over.

"I accept your apology, mi señora, and as a token of my own apology, I got you these." He grins down at you. Opening the door of the truck, he reaches over to the passenger seat and retrieves a bouquet of flowers.

Frankie hands them to you, looking a little bashful, as you bring the flowers to your nose, inhaling their sweet scent deeply and committing it to your memory. They were stunning: bright yellow sunflowers framed with vibrant blue cornflowers with a foilage you had never seen before intricately woven through.

These were not the sad convenience store flowers you had seen on your journey this morning; these were hand-cut and arranged. He had gone to the trouble of going to an actual florist to get flowers for you. The thoughtfulness of the gesture made you want to cry; you can't remember the last time someone thought this much of you to go out of their way to do something so sweet.

"They are so beautiful, Frankie; no one has ever bought me flowers before, except my dad." This is the sweetest thing; thank you so, so much," you admit, trying your best to control the emotion in your voice.

"I'm glad you like them. I didn't know what flowers you liked, so I picked the sunflowers because they made me think of you." He admitted, shrugging his large shoulders sheepishly, "I also wanted to ask if you would like to have dinner with me?" He asks, his eyes intently watching you.

"I would like that very much." You beamed up at him, your nose falling back to the flowers once more. They smelled sweet and earthy at the same time, and you found yourself wishing you could bottle them up forever.

"What kind of food do you like?" Frankie asked, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

"I like everything, to be honest, but I really love Italian food!" you answer him with matched enthusiasm.

"Oh, that's perfect; there's a new Italian place down town; I think it's called the Chubby Cherub or something? We could try it if you'd like." Frankie inquired eagerly.

"I have actually been meaning to try that place; I've heard good things!" You gushed back.

"Perfect; it's a date," he murmurs with a lopsided smirk.

The two of you make your way back to the garage, where Benny is placing the remaining tools back in their original places. He beams as he watches you and Frankie amble down the long driveway, lost in conversation. It's been too long since he has seen Frankie so confident and comfortable around anyone but the guys.

"That's her all fixed up, Y/N; I would say good as new, but I honestly don't think that's possible at this point." Benny laughs as you approach him.

"Honestly Benny I can't thank you enough. You too, Frankie. I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for you two!" You exclaimed before continuing, "How much do I owe you?"

You had pulled out of your little 'emergency' fund to pay for the repairs, but not sure how much you would need, you brought $300 with you, hoping that it would cover the cost of the labour and parts.

"Nah, you don't owe me anything; it's on the house," Benny states nonchalantly, dismissing your question with a wave of his hand.

You stare at him blankly; there is no way that you are leaving without paying him for the work. He and Frankie have spent all day on your car; it is late afternoon at this stage.

"No, no way, Benny, I'm paying you for this; I don't care what you say! You have spent all day working on it, and I can't let you—" You stammer, words coming out in an anxious rush, but he cuts you off before you can ramble further.

"Listen, I have spent a beautiful sunny Saturday doing what I enjoy, with good company and good tunes, and you even brought beer and made lunch, so we're even! I'm not taking your money!" He insists in a serious tone, leaving no room for argument.

You sigh heavily and turn to Frankie for help. "Can you please convince him to take my money? " You beg, sighing loudly in exasperation.

"I have to say, I agree with Ben here, Hermosa." He laughs, his hands coming up to rest on his narrow hips. "I'm afraid you're outnumbered on this one. Plus, they were really great sandwiches.

You can't help the laugh that escapes yyou,and you let out a quite grown laugh whilst rubbing your forehead, trying to comprehend their genorosity. Why were they being so nice? They barely knew you, and you know that work like this would cost you a couple hundred if you took it to a body shop.

Eventually you admit defeat as Benny walks over and drapes his arm loosely over your shoulder, just as he had earlier, with a smug grin and a "You're not going to win this battle, you know that right?"

You suggest that if the three of you hang out again, the beers are on you to even out the playing field, and he reluctantly agrees, as Frankie watches on, enjoying how easily you have gelled with his best friend.

The three of you sat in the backyard, enjoying a cold beer, as the sun started to dip below the horizon. It was much more pleasant sitting here on the little deck, covered by shade from a tall dogwood tree whose branches loomed over the fence and swayed slightly with the gentle breeze. The air is warm, and the soft glow of string lights above adds to the relaxed atmosphere. You lean back in your chair and take a sip of your beer, feeling content.

"So, Y/N," Benny says, breaking the comfortable silence, "tell us a little bit about yourself." "Are you from Florida?"

"No, I'm from Columbus, Ohio, originally, but I moved here for work, and I didn't have much of a reason to go back home, so I just decided to stay." You tell them honestly.

Frankie was listening intently, his elbows resting on his knees as he was unconsciously leaning towards you. He was absentmindedly peeling the label of the beer bottle, lost in thought.

Benny nods, taking a swig of his beer. "What about your family? Are you close with them?"

You hesitate for a moment before answering, "That's kind of why I didn't have a reason to go home; I actually don't have much family left. My parents passed away a few years ago, and I don't have any siblings. But I have a few close friends who feel like family to me."

There's a moment of quiet before Frankie speaks up. "That must have been really hard; I'm sorry you had to go through that." His voice was low and thick with sincerity.

Benny continued his questioning: "What did you do for work? What do you like to do in your free time? Until Frankie interupted him.

"Okay, I think that's enough questions for one night, Ben." He laughs, flicking the brim of his friend's cap. "I think we should probably get going if we want to get a table Y or N," he urges.

"Yeah, you're probably right. It was great to meet you, Benny. Thank you so much again for fixing my little rust bucket. I promise not to run into any more trucks." You chuckle and shoot a wink in Frankie's direction, making him grin.

"The pleasure was all mine, sunshine!" He beams at you, thowing his arms around you in a bear hug. He really is just a big puppy dog; his smile was infectious, and as you hugged him back, you felt a bit nostalgic for the brotherly bond you never had but hoped that you could have it with Benny.

After the boys say their goodbyes, Frankie follows you back to your house in the truck, so you can leave your car behind. You climb out of the car and walk to the end of your short driveway, where he is waiting. He rolls his window down as you come to a stop at his driver's side door.

"I'm just going to quickly freshen up a bit; you're more than welcome to come in while you wait." You smile at him sweetly.

"Uh, yeah, sure," he murmurs as he turns the ignition off and unbuckles his seatbelt. You step back as he steps out of the truck and comes to stand beside you.

You nervously run your hand through your hair as the realisation hits that Frankie is going to be in your house. Pushing that thought to the back of your mind, you glance up to find him watching you intently. You both share a nervous giggle and head towards the front door.

You push the key into the lock with shaking fingers, wondering why you are suddenly so nervous. You have spent the entire day with this man, but now that you no longer have Benny as a buffer, the electricity returns in full force.

It sends sparks across your skin at his close proximity; you can feel the heat rolling down his chest as he stands just behind you. You open the door and flick on the lamp on the side table, gesturing for him to come inside.

You walk further down the hall, flipping lights on as you go, and you notice that Frankie is not following you; instead, he is lingering in the hallway by the front door. His hand coming up to take home at the back of his neck—you noticed throughout the day that it's something he does when he's nervous, and it's endearing.

"You don't have to wait in the hallway, you know; make yourself at home; I'll be right back." You encourage him as you head through the kitchen and down the hall to your bedroom.

You head into your bathroom and stand in front of the sink, taking in your reflection for the first time since you left the house this morning. You were thankful that your makeup seemed to be holding up. You quickly top up your powder, brush your teeth, and reapply your lip balm before heading back into your bedroom.

You decide to ditch the sneakers and opt for a cute pair of sky blue high-heeled sandals. They take your outfit up a level, and you figure they are more appropriate for the restaurant you are heading to.

Tearing a brush through your hair and giving yourself a last once-over in the full-length mirror, you head back down the hallway in search of Frankie. You find him perched on one of the benches at your dining room table, in the corner of the kitchen, running his large hand back and forth along the smooth oak table top.

As your eyes land on him, you watch as his gaze starts at your feet, slowly raking up your body until he meets your eyes. His expression is dark and hungry. You both stare at each other in silence, and the electricity is back crackling like a live wire in the space between your bodies, and you know Frankie feels it by the way his grip on the table tightens, knuckles turning bone white as he fights to keep himself in place.

He stands from his seat at the table, slowly closing the distance between you. He reaches up and strokes from your temple to your jaw, allowing his touch to linger there.

"I love that dress baby, and those are some very pretty shoes." He growls, and his voice and gaze set a fire low in your belly; the flames lick wildly up your limbs, making you lightheaded. Were you even breathing right now?

Right now, you couldn't care less about the restaurant, about the fact you had just met this man, or about the preconception that sex on the first date—or in this case, before the first date—was frowned upon. Your mind was racing; all you wanted, no, needed, was for Frankie to rip your dress off, bend you over that table, and make you his.

"Are you ready, Hermosa?" He husks quitely, pulling you from your lewd thoughts.

"What?" You all but gasp in response, embarrassed by your breathlessness. You hadn't even heard what he had said; you need to get a grip on yourself.

"I asked if you were ready to go." He chuckles quietly; he's standing so close that you can feel it vibrating through his chest.

"Um yes, yes, I'm ready to go. Sorry." You say it through a breathy laugh of your own.

You and Frankie hop into his truck, headed to the cosy Italian restaurant down town. As he starts the car, you notice the music playing in the background and lean forward to turn the dial up.

His phone is connected to the Bluetooth, and from the speakers croons the voice of Don Henley. The song that is playing in contrast to your close encounter in your kitchen makes you blush a deep crimson.

"One of these nights,

One of these crazy old nights,

We're gonna find out, pretty mama,

What turns on your lights,"

As you drive through the quiet streets, you catch Frankie stealing glances at you every now and then, his dark eyes darting away whenever you meet his gaze. You can feel the tension building between you two, and he can feel it too.

"I'm really glad you said yes to dinner," he says, his voice low and husky, a small smile playing on his lips.

You feel a shiver run down your spine at the sound of his voice: "I'm really glad you asked me to join you." You purred back at him, matching his smile.

As you approach a red light, Frankie reaches over to your lap and takes your hand, his fingers intertwining with yours. You feel a jolt of electricity run through your body at his touch, and you can't help but lean in a little closer.

"I've been wanting to do that all day," he murmurs, his voice barely above a whisper.

You feel your cheeks flush with heat as you turn to face him. His caramel eyes are intense as they lock onto yours. You can feel the chemistry between you two building, and you know that this dinner is going to be a night to remember.

[warmothered]

what does a day in ashe's life look like ? is there any routine ? or maybe more vaguely , how does she spend her free time !

» — >  ⌜ OOC PROMPTS & ASKS⌟ , always accepting

— @windchaser

i think it depends on the day but there are some things she probably has to do daily when it comes to her duties and stuff. as warmother she leads her people into battle, but ashe is also their leader and ruler in general. this means she has to make decisions concerning stuff from protecting those of her people who aren't fighters to ensuring there's food for everyone or settling disputes between the different tribes that joined the avarosans.

i imagine daily, or almost every day, ashe would have to set apart some amount of time to basically hold court. tryndamere's short story shows him doing so in her absence, but yeah, basically to listen to any petitioners and decide how to best settle the problems they bring to her. in case she can't do it for whatever reason, that's a daily duty that falls to tryndamere, as the only other person she'd entrust with the power to make decisions in her stead.

hers is a really large tribe, by now; sejuani says at its peak she led thousands in the winter's claw, and the avarosans are in even greater numbers. ashe can't oversee everything personally, but i also think she's the type to be meticulous and want to ensure everything is running smoothly from up close, so i do think she'd make it a habit to meet with those in charge of different areas to hear about any progress or concern. for example, if there's someone in charge of supplies, she'll talk to them frequently to know what's working and what isn't. this way, if there are issues, she can deal with solving them as soon as possible.

so a lot of her time is occupied with leading and all that it entails, mostly the administrative part of things. i think she always wakes up early and starts to work early, and i think there's an established hour she'd open the hall to petitioners and an established time to stop. i also think ashe frequently joins the hunting parties. food is essential to survival, and as warmother she is expected to feed her people. the avarosans also cultivate the land, but hunting would nevertheless be an important source of food — and the one ashe herself is more apt to help with.

when it comes to free time, it varies. it's said vikings enjoyed board games and something akin to chess, and the freljord being so based on them, i like the idea they'd have board games too (also seems. to make sense with having to entertain themselves while staying inside when the weather keeps them inside). additionally, i'd assume oral tradition is pretty strong — most notably with the notai and their music and stories, but to some extent prevalent in other tribes as a way to pass down knowledge and keep stories and traditions alive in a people that was mostly nomadic or semi nomadic and wouldn't be carrying books around; and i say that because i think be it in song or tale, ashe would enjoy listening to storytellers or bards or whatever it is they'd be called.

alternatively, i think she'd also enjoy telling stories. warmother or not i can easily picture her with a bunch of kids from the tribe telling them the stories her tribe used to tell (or even! stories about them! i'm sure people would ask for tales of grena's deeds, but i'm also sure ashe would tell about any significant deeds from anyone she grew up around and keep their memory alive in that way as well). this is just a sidenote but i also just think she'd be good with kids.

when it's possible, she also enjoys being outdoors. sailing down rivers, swimming if the temperatures allow, staying outside to stargaze... not that the telling stories part of things wouldn't also be enjoyed outdoors because i think it would. oh and she'd also enjoy the occasional drink and drinking game. 'tis the way it is.

[neoninky]

TWST Fanfic: 'Her Lost Voice' - Ch. 4

Chapter 4: If Only

It had been about three days since Elise suddenly disappeared. A series of events had happened but once the twins reached the surface...everything seemed weirdly peaceful from what they could tell. Jade silently swam between the wooden pillars of the pier where they first found Elise after her encounter with Rielle. Floyd was checking along the waterways inside the city walls. Everything seemed exactly the same: the same boats, the same faces coming and going, but the prince was nowhere in sight. The twins reconvened by a small forest of seaweed just off the coast where Elise was quietly hiding. Azul didn't want her tagging along with the twins at first, for safety purposes, but she insisted. Adamantly. Azul was a fast learner and if the past couple of days taught him anything it was to not get in the way of a woman on a mission. 

"Anything, Floyd?"

"Nah... No one seems worried about Octi-chan at all. They kept talking like she was still around. It's weird."

Elise's eyes dropped to the sand that her front tentacles seemed to be nervously playing with. Jade watched her for a moment before turning to his twin, "I think we need to get closer to the villa itself. Miss Elise, is there a waterway or something hidden to help us perhaps?"

Elise's brow furrowed as she pondered before her eyes lit up. She nodded and pointed towards a large wall surrounding the villa. Part of it did touch the water and had metal grates that allowed the water to flow in underneath. Elise knew of one spot where the grate was loose, an exit route she had used many times in her younger days. Jade pushed the metal open no problem. The only issue was the twins' leaner bodies could fit but Elise's bulky tentacles would probably get her stuck. 

"Stay here, Octi-chan. We'll be right back, promise." Floyd nuzzled Elise's cheek affectionately as he purred. She didn't like it but the princess knew she was in no position to argue. Elise watched the brother slink in and hunkered down among the rocks, ready to wait for a long while. Jade and Floyd carefully rose up out of the water just enough so only their eyes and ears were exposed. They were close to the shore just out front. No one was around thankfully but it did seem like there was some flurry of activity going on inside. Floyd nudged Jade and pointed to a dock down the shoreline. On top of it was an older gentleman speaking to the red-headed prince and young woman that looked eerily like Elise. The twins quickly and quietly swam over and hide underneath just in time to catch part of the conversation.

"-will be back soon, I'm sure," it was the girl speaking, "Elise used to always run off and go exploring, remember Gerald?" her vapid-sounding voice held the same urgency as someone talking about the weather. 

"Yes I certainly do, Miss Emily, but your sister isn't a child anymore. What will your father say once he finds out?" The older servant shifted nervously above making the wooden planks creak. 

Elise's sister didn't seem concerned in the slightest, "Oh Father has been informed already but he's been so busy that I don't think he even noticed to be quite honest with you. From what Rielle told me, it sounds like Elise may have just left for her internship early!"

Jade and Floyd looked at each other in confusion. Were all royal families this nonchalant about their younger siblings just suddenly disappearing...? Prince Rielle just stood nervously next to Emily who linked her arm with his before softly giggling.

"As I said, I'm sure Elise is just fine. She'll be back in no time. But since I'm here, I might as well take a small vacation. And Rielle, you must stay as well. I insist! It's been so long!"

The twins couldn't see his face but they could practically hear the lovesick flush in his voice, "Y-Yes, of course, I will! I'd love nothing else more than to be here with you, Emily!" 

Floyd gagged like he was about to vomit into the water below as the three figures walked towards the shore. Jade quickly grabbed a pebble from the water and used his tail to chuck it at the back of Rielle's head, making him yelp. 

"Is something wrong, Rielle?" The elder Princess Coralette asked sweetly. Rielle turned to see a familiar tail in the water zip back under the pier and he suddenly felt nauseous. 

"Uhh...yes. Yes! I'm perfectly fine, Emily. Go inside without me, I just need a bit more air and then I'll be right behind you." 

The princess simply smiled before talking excitedly with Gerald about how good it felt to be back in town. Gerald seemed to forget his worries as he echoed just how much Emily had been missed and how the servants had been working all morning to prepare for her arrival. Rielle waited until the two humans were out of earshot before calling down towards the water.

"Jade...? Floyd??"

The two eels peered up at him from the shadows, their yellow eyes glowing. Jade held a stoic yet pleasant expression while his brother didn't look too impressed or happy with him at all, making the prince feel nervous. 

"Hello, Prince Rielle. You seem well..." Jade's calm, velvet tone seemed to be hiding a dagger's point. 

"Jade, do you know where Princess Elise is?" Rielle whispered anxiously, "I kept returning to the docks hoping to find her b-but-" 

"She's with us, fish prince." Floyd quipped, "How hard were you lookin'? You seem distracted..." 

Rielle's face flushed in a self-conscious shade of pink as Jade chuckled. 

"Now, now Floyd. Go easy on the prince. After all, this was exactly what he wanted. We should be happy for him, isn't that right, Prince Rielle?" the knife's point in Jade's voice was more apparent now.

"I didn't want this!" Rielle's voice cracked, "At least not for Elise!"

"Then why did you call her out then, stupid?" Floyd was as blunt as ever. Rielle would be offended if not for the fact that he felt extremely stupid...

"I...I thought Emily was the one here...hey wait a minute! If you guys knew it wasn't her, then why didn't you tell me?!"

The twins shared a look before shrugging sarcastically. Floyd grinned up at the flustered prince, showing his teeth, "That's not our problem, fish prince! You wanted to make the deal with Azul and you were the one in such a hurry! You shoulda scoped out the surface better before rushing up here like an idiot~"

"But now you got what you wanted, yes? You're human and your Emily is here now. How lucky for you." Jade wasn't helping ease Rielle's guilt at all and he knew it.

"W-What will happen to Princess Elise then?"

"We're taking care of her," Floyd snapped, feeling protective all of a sudden, "If you're so worried then maybe you shoulda thought of that before letting her kiss you and smashing her heart to bits, Fish Brain. What did you even tell that other princess when she asked about her sister?!"

Rielle nearly choked on his own oxygen. Floyd might as well had come up there and punched him in the face. Jade raised a brow at his brother. It wasn't unusual for Floyd to be so brash with his thoughts and feelings but he seemed to be extra heated today for some reason...some reason regarding 'smashing one's heart to bits'. Jade sighed and thought to himself, Ah...so that's it then.

"Floyd, that's enough."

Floyd growled and sunk back into the water before swimming back to where Elise was waiting. Jade sighed and returned to the conversation with Rielle, "Rielle...tell me what happened exactly on that day. Every detail you can remember. It may help us help Miss Elise. And what did you tell her sister and the others?" 

Rielle gulped and told Jade everything that he could possibly remember. It wasn't much to go on frankly. As for the aftermath...

"I just told them that...that she left! What was I supposed to tell them? I don't think Emily would have believed me if I told her that her sister turned into a mermaid and fell into the ocean!"

Well, Jade supposed he had a point. That couldn't really be helped. Jade pondered over each detail and paired it with the theory Luna presented the other day: Azul's magic that bound the prince and allowed him to become human permanently became twisted once he broke Elise's heart and now it seemed bound to her like a curse. Jade then asked Rielle about his relationship with Emily.

"We...we met twelve years ago. She, Elise, and their mother were on a large ship on open water. They were having some sort of celebration when a terrible storm hit and capsized their ship. I managed to save Emily and take her to shore...I couldn't find her mother though. No matter how I looked, she was lost."

"And Miss Elise? You rescued her as well?"

The prince blinked as if trying to piece something together in his head, "Elise? She made it to the shore as well but...no, no I didn't help her. I found Emily in the water and took her to the nearest shore. By the time I got there, Elise was washed up further down the shore all alone."   Jade narrowed his eyes as he processed this information, "So that's how you and Emily met...and you and Miss Elise? What exactly is your connection to her then?"

Rielle suddenly looked very guilty, "Well I did meet her later when I came back to the surface to check on Emily. She was very curious and seemed taken with me right away. Emily had told her about a mysterious boy that had rescued her from the shipwreck and the sisters just assumed I was also the one that rescued Elise as well. But it's just not true...I didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise though. Emily was so kind and so grateful. I had come back a few times just to see her. More often than not, Princess Elise was usually there too but sometimes it was just Elise and not Emily. They look so much alike sometimes, I wasn't sure which sister I was speaking to."

"I see..." So that's how it is, Jade thought to himself, Miss Elise fell for the prince but he was too kind to tell her that the reason he kept coming back was to see her sister, not her...

Jade felt a bit of pity creep into his heart for Elise's sake. For some reason or another, this sister of hers seemed to completely overshadow her whether she was present or not. That was much was obvious just from the general reaction from the townspeople and the servants. They were probably worried before but now that Emily was here, reassuring everyone that Elise was fine wherever she was...did the people just assume that Emily was Elise like Rielle had and the servants that did know Elise personally just accepted her words blindly? How careless could these humans be? 

"Jade...could you please tell Princess Elise how sorry I am? Please do that for me, Jade." Rielle in all of his folly did look genuinely remorseful. 

Jade gave the prince a blank look as if sizing him up before sinking back into the water below.

-

Jade feared the worst once he returned to his brother and Elise. Floyd looked aggravated, arms folded, but had his tail wrapped gently around the princess who currently had her arms around it as if it were a security blanket. Her face was turned away from Jade. 

"Miss Elise...?"

The octopus princess slowly turned to face Jade, ink-filled tears running down her face. Jade gave his twin a sharp look which only made Floyd roll his eyes.

"What?! Octi-chan deserves to know the truth! Those stupid land dwellers are as brainless as that dumb fish prince."

"Floyd. Would it kill you to use even an ounce of restraint and not throw your personal feelings in others' faces?"

Elise flinched at the sharpness in Jade's tone. It almost sounded like someone else's voice. Floyd just growled and yanked his tail away from Elise so he could smack it on the ground, kicking up sand and pebbles, "Huhhh?! The hell are you sayin', Jade?!"

Jade crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at his angry twin, "I understand you're upset but so is Miss Elise. This could have been avoided if you had just thought for two seconds instead of running your mouth because of your own frustrations. Especially with Luna-" 

Floyd's temper snapped as he took a swipe at Jade's head with his heavy tail. Jade dodged and then grabbed it, looking more upset, "Stop it, Floyd. You could have hit, Miss Elise-"

"I wouldn't hurt, Octi-chan! You just keep runnin' your mouth about shit you don't understand, Jade! You have the emotional range of an iceberg-" 

The brothers seemed to be getting more and more aggressive until they felt two tentacles wrapping around their middles, trapping their arms, and pulling them apart. The brothers turned to find a still teary-eyed Elise glaring at them both. A third tentacle quickly scribbled the words 'STOP IT!' in the sand between them. The twins' tempers deflated as their ear fins drooped in shame. 

"I apologize for our embarrassing behavior, Miss Elise..."

"Sorry, Octi-chan...I'm just pissed cuz of those dummies up top."

Elise gestured to the two of them, signaling them to apologize to each other as well. The brothers hesitated with disgruntled eye contact. That is until Elise's tentacles started to squeeze both of them tightly. Floyd suddenly realized that being squeezed like this wasn't nearly as much fun as doing it to someone else.

"AHH ok ok! Jade, I'm sorry for being a jerk! Geez!" Floyd choked and tried to wriggle free to no avail.

"Y-Yes, I too am sorry, Floyd." Jade grunted.

Elise gave the brothers a sweet smile after releasing them. The twins suddenly felt the same, new level of respect for her that Azul had swiftly gained over the past few days. Elise sighed releasing another tiny ink cloud but didn't bother waving it away. Instead, she just let it float away and dissipate with a sad look in her eyes as she looked up at the water's surface. Perhaps...this was exactly what she deserved. For assuming and rushing into some romantic fantasy, completely blinded by her own feelings. Why would anyone - Rielle, her blood family, the servants that basically raised them - choose her when they could have Emily? Lovely, bubbly, charming Emily...

"Octi-chan?"

Elise snapped back to the present as Floyd and Jade hovered close to her, observing her face with worried looks. 

"We really upset you, huh?" Floyd pouted like a kicked puppy. 

The princess gave the boys a smile before running her fingers through Floyd's silky hair, playing with it as if she were petting a big lovable animal. Floyd's spirits immediately brightened and he giggled as his tail wagged happily behind him. Jade smiled at the scene. Sure his brother could be a huge pain in the ass but he was always happy if and when Floyd was happy. He just wished he could be this way all the time. Elise turned to Jade and placed a gentle hand on his cheek, startling him for a split second before he slipped back into his usual gentlemanly grin. 

"Oya...I'm fine, Miss Elise. I promise," he responded to the questioning look in her bright eyes, "We should head back. Azul is waiting for us after all."

The brothers each took one of Elise's hands and swam back home with her floating between them. 

"I still think that Fish Brain made the wrong choice...eh forget it, Octi-chan deserves way better," Floyd huffed, making Elise quietly giggle to herself.

-

Mama Ashengrotto had some late-night work to catch up on and let the group of teenagers stay after hours to regroup. Cowrie had stayed behind as well at her boss' insistence. Plus Mama Ashengrotto made them snacks so who was she to refuse?

Azul felt his brow twitch as he listened to everything Jade and Floyd had to say. His feelings were very much the same as he looked over at the princess who looked absolutely spent as Cowrie shared some sort of kelp biscuit with her. Surely this had to be some cruel joke...? Azul was no stranger to the more calloused nature of people whether they lived above or below the sea but surely this couldn't be. Seeing the look on Azul's face, Cowrie swallowed the biscuit clump in her mouth and chimed in.

"They're telling the truth. Ellie's sister is dumber than a bag of sea slugs," She said blatantly ignoring the glare Elise was giving her, "Everyone seems to be head over tails for her though in one way or another...I don't get it." 

"Same...though it sounds like she and that stupid prince deserve each other," Floyd huffed before snatching a biscuit for himself. 

"You sure she isn't using magic on these people, Ellie?" 

Elise rolled her eyes and shook her head. Emily was charming but never had the same knack for magic that she or her brother did. The most her sister could muster was changing the color of her dresses or shoes. Honestly, it was probably a good thing Elise couldn't speak, or else she'd be tempted to rant about just how annoying it was. Azul took the cue from Elise's annoyed expression to move the conversation along. 

"Well regardless, I am a man of my word so our objective is still the same. With that said...it's going to take some time. Probably more time than we have before the next semester starts which make the logistics of this endeavor problematic."

Somehow Elise had completely forgotten about school and her eyes went wide as she started down another whirlpool of panic. Cowrie, on the other hand, didn't look bothered whatsoever.

"Eh? What are you freaking out for, Ellie??"

Elise's face turned into a frustrated scowl. Azul had more blank parchment and an inkwell for her at the ready. Cowrie watched Elise furiously scribble out some words, reading along. Something about how Cowrie was the next Cerulamare Prefect, taking Elise's place. Oh yeah, that.

"Yeah, I'm taking your spot. So?"

Did you complete the proper paperwork with the Headmistress??

Cowrie groaned. As much as she adored Elise, she hated it when she went into 'perfectionist Mom' mode, "Yes. I did it like a month ago..."

Did you pick a Vice Prefect and contact them? Get your Prefect uniform properly tailored? Set up room arrangements for the new first years? 

"Yes, Mom. I did all of that already. Stop worrying," Cowrie casually took a bite out of another snack and kept talking with her mouth half full, "Oh...I'm prolly gunna change some stuff too. Just sayin'."

Elise's eyes couldn't be any wider. Even her tentacles looked distressed. 

"Calm down, Ellie. You and Luna are fourth years now. You passed the torch to me. So it's finally my time to mold Cerulamare and make it even better. Especially for other mermaid students like myself. If the other prissy fishies don't like it, they can leave~"

Elise rubbed her temples as her tentacle dipped itself into the ink to scribble some more: Just promise me you'll stop fighting that barracuda mermaid...as the prefect you're supposed to be an EXAMPLE.

Cowrie snorted, "I will make no such promises. I still have beef with her since she went after Luna last year. Besides, am I really the one you should be telling this? Where do you think Luna got that fang pendant from?" 

The twins couldn't help but snicker at the mental image of the elegant Luna Cerith going toe-to-toe with another mermaid in a brawl. Elise shook her head at the younger mermaid but Cowrie just gave her an impish grin.

"Sure, sure, Ellie. You act all straight-laced but did you forget that time you had Luna and me torture Zehn Cavalier? Or the time that you basically organized a whole money laundering scheme right under the headmistress' nose just to help these guys win against Royal Sword? Pretty sneaky for a pretty, pretty princeesssssss~" Cowrie poked at Elise's cheek with the tip of her tail, grinning like a fool the entire time. Elise tried her best to look put out but she couldn't hide the smug grin pulling at her lips. Ok so Cowrie had a point and boy did she know it. Her tail swished mischievously behind her as she giggled. Speaking of school...

"Had I known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have left my spell notes and potion supply at the Octavinelle dorm," Azul grumbled, "I could make more progress with those things definitely. But sneaking a human princess turned mermaid onto an all-boys campus is not an easy feat..."

Elise thought for a moment before another idea sparked in her mind. She wrote the words 'school calendar' on the parchment and shoved it over to both Azul and Cowrie. Azul wasn't sure what she was getting at but Cowrie's face immediately lit up with an excited, "Oh!" Before the boys could ask any questions, the small eelmaid quickly reached for her satchel and grabbed two items: a strange stone key and a beat-up journal. 

"Ellie, you're so smart!" Cowrie flipped the journal open to a calendar for the following month, "Sacred Crown starts back the same time as Night Raven which is in two weeks buuuut a month after that, Sacred Crown is having an open campus event where your school will be invited to come visit us again and we'll host you on the island like you guys did for us last time. I don't know all the details of the event just yet but that means the Night Raven campus will be mostly empty for at least a week if not longer, right?"

He did recall receiving an early announcement from Riddle and Crowley about this but didn't think much of it. However, these sneaky girls had a point...with most of the students and faculty off-campus, and the surrounding waterscape of Octavinelle being difficult to navigate for most regular persons anyway, Azul could definitely solve this whole dilemma in peace! There was only one last problem.

"A brilliant idea. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a bit longer to really get anywhere. Also, there's a question of how to get Miss Elise on Night Raven's campus. It's not like just anyone can waltz in there..." Jade mused.

Cowrie grinned and picked up the key, "Not necessarily, Jay Jay. Everyone is still on summer break as we speak, yeah? Why wait?"

-

Boys would have to admit that these girls were in a whole nother league after this night. But first, they had found themselves and Elise in the alleyway behind the Leviathan Club, following Cowrie's lead. She didn't bother wasting time on an explanation. Cowrie took the odd key, pressed it against the wall, and turned it. After a moment a shine of light cut through the stone wall and opened an odd mirror-like door. Azul nearly lost his jaw.

"I-Is that a portal key?! Where did you get that??" his glasses fell askew on his face.

Cowrie just smiled and grabbed Elise's hand, "Follow me and I'll tell ya~"

The girls dipped into the strange liquidy surface and disappeared. Floyd didn't hesitate to follow especially since he had never seen a portal key in action before. Jade and Azul figured they had nothing to lose and followed after them before the gateway closed. The large underwater grotto that waited for them on the other side was huge and well lit with bioluminescent anemone-like lights. They looked awfully familiar, actually...wait a minute. Azul headed for the grotto's entrance and poked his head out into the open seascape, recognizing it immediately. 

"Cowrie, you made a portal into the Octavinelle dorm?! When, how, why- how long have you been infiltrating our dorm?!" Azul was on the verge of spitting ink himself. 

The younger Cerith sister just shrugged, "I found this grotto when I took my first swim around your dorm. You guys weren't using it so it seemed like the best hiding spot for whatever I might need it for." 

Azul couldn't argue with that no matter how much he wanted to. This specific grotto was on the far edge of the large, aquarium-like area surrounding the dorm and Mostro Lounge and no one else in the dorm knew about it aside from him and the twins. Either way, Azul couldn't stay angry. He had that look on his face. That smile he held whenever he felt that everything was coming together. 

"Ahh, you clever, clever girls. You must tell me how you pulled this off." Azul smirked at Cowrie as she swam around the cave, pulling more items from her satchel and placing them on ledges and in little nooks here and there.

"It wasn't me. It was Luna. She makes portal keys in order to escape from home for a short bit when she needs to. She made this one for me so we would have a safe place to hide things we don't want Papa to find." 

As she said this, Floyd noticed all the items around the cave. Old photos, little trinkets, even old toys and mementos that looked they came from the sisters' childhood. His eyes widened when something familiar and gold caught his eye. 

"This a secret hideaway for all of our important items that we wanna keep safe..." Cowrie watched as Floyd swam over to the gold eel necklace that he had given Luna to at the first festival they spent together. It was propped up against the photo of the girls dressed in Octavinelle uniforms with him and Jade standing on either side of the sisters. 'Important things'...somehow those words clicked something in Floyd's brain. As far as he could tell, this was the only piece of jewelry in the whole cave. Could it mean...? Cowrie smiled a bit to herself when she saw Floyd's tail start to wag. Luna would be pissed at her later but oh well. 

"Ellie can hide here! No one will know she's here except us. She'll be totally safe and Azuzu can help her without having to worry about her not being close by!" the younger mermaid seemed awfully proud of herself. 

Elise looked around the grotto, there were a few small openings where light could drift in but otherwise, it seemed pretty secure. The outside entrance seemed to be hidden behind several coral reefs as well so no one would be able to find it unless they were actually looking for it. It looked like Cowrie even set up a bed inside one of the larger nooks. And it was right in the boys' backyard, not out in the actual sea full of dangers. It was honestly quite perfect. The princess smiled and nodded in approval. 

"And the best part? If we need to go back to the Coral Sea, you just use the key the same way. Boom. Luna can always make another one if we need it. We just need...this!" Cowrie grabbed a loose rock from the grotto floor and stuffed it in the satchel, "Luna's not just any old siren, she's practically mastered the spell to attach portal magic to an anchor artifact...or ya know, 'key'. As long as she has material from the destination point, Luna can make a portal key to just about anywhere!" The pride in Cowrie's voice was obvious.  

Azul made a mental note to have a sit down with the Cerith sisters and see about starting a very lucrative partnership of some sort in the future. Especially if their roster of talents kept unfolding like this. He then noticed how dim the light was getting outside. It was getting late. 

"Why don't we stay here tonight? It'll give me time to take stock of my resources and as you said before, there's no one else here so we have the whole place to ourselves." 

Cowrie immediately let out an excited cheer and left the grotto first, followed by Jade to make sure she didn't get lost. Floyd took another look at the necklace before taking it with him as he followed the other eels. Azul turned back to Elise who settled on a large flat stone pedestal that was in the very center of the grotto. She was was looking all around at all the odds and ends the Cerith sisters had hidden away in this makeshift vault. The fading light mixed with the glow within the cave left an almost heavenly sheen over her hair and deep black and blue octopus body. Of course, he knew she was a human. Yes, she was a human...that just happened to be temporarily trapped inside a very beautiful octopus mermaid body. And yet, Elise seemed like both of and neither of those things all at once.  If Azul had anything to say before, the words evaporated at the very sight of her, sitting there poised and curious like some entirely new creature Azul had never witnessed before. It wasn't until he noticed Elise staring upwards toward the opening in the tall ceiling of the grotto, towards the water's distant surface with an unspoken longing did Azul become embarrassingly self-aware of the situation. This poor girl was in a situation and here he was, her only hope of getting back to normal, just staring at her up and down like an eerie specimen collector. Azul cleared his throat after giving his own head a smack.

"I do apologize, Your Highness. I don't have any spare dry land potions on me. I'll be sure to make one for you tonight so you don't have to stay all alone in this dreary cave all the time." 

Elise looked Azul up and down before pushing off of the large stone and floating down in front of him. He felt his body go rigid when her bright eyes kept traveling up and down his form. She tilted her head and gave him a questioning look as she gestured to him. He felt lost.

"Is...is something the matter?"

Elise gently poked at his legs with one of her tentacles before pointing to her own octopus legs with the same curious look in her eyes.

"Oh. You're wondering why I'm still in my human form, is that it?" Azul asked tentatively, feeling a bit embarrassed. The princess nodded. Azul hated this question and felt a deep churn in his gut every time someone brought it up. But with that expectant gaze bearing down on him like that...ugh...

"I'm not fond of my mermaid form. Staying like this is more comfortable. Besides, it's...it's a terrible form, really. Just trust me on this, Your Highness."

Elise raised a skeptical brow before scribbling something in the sand. It was a drawing of an octopus with a question mark next to it. Azul frowned. Of course, she'd figure it out after seeing his parents. It was pretty obvious. But why was this so embarrassing?!

"Y-Yes. I am an octopus too...an ugly, stupid, awful octopus," Azul's insecurity reared its ugly face as the words tumbled out of his mouth out of habit. 

The princess gave him a playful look before pouting and pointing to herself. When Azul didn't respond right away, she covered her face with her hands and peeked with one sad eye through two of her fingers. The boy immediately realized the unintentional insult he had dished out and felt like an absolute fool. 

"N-No! I don't think that you're those things! Not at all, Your Highness! You're very intelligent and the most attractive female I've ever seen! Just because I am those...things..."

Azul felt his face flood with heat when he realized exactly what he had said and that Elise was smiling and giggling girlishly at him. And she had paused his rambling by pressing a finger to his lips. He could practically hear her laugh ring through him even though he knew that it wasn't possible. The princess' smile remained as she shook her head and wrote more words in the sand with her other hand.

You are not those things either.

I want to see you someday.

She removed her finger from his lips and gave him another genuine smile. Azul was at a loss for a long moment before he cleared his throat, "You are...very kind, Your Highness. Too kind, actually. If you'll excuse me, I need to...uh...check my inventory. I'll leave you to rest."

Even underwater, Azul nearly tripped on his way out of the grotto. 

-

Floyd took a moment to return to his and Jade's room alone while his brother showed Cowrie around the dorm proper, taking advantage of the fact that no other students were there right now. He found a candy stash that he had left behind and some more comfortable clothes that he quickly changed into. Floyd eyed the necklace he took from the grotto and put it around his neck before tucking it into his shirt for safekeeping. After digging around in his drawers to see what else he may have forgotten about, he found his other cellphone. The non-waterproof one he used while he was home during breaks. He saw a few missed messages from his schoolmates but nothing that really interested him. He skipped over them and pulled up the old messages he got from Luna before she disappeared. 

They were sweet little tokens of affection exchanged between the two of them. Flirting. Pet names. Photos. Ugh, did Luna send him fantastic photos of herself? He immediately flicked over to the photo album where most of the pictures were of her. Her by herself, wearing a new outfit. Her and Cowrie taking selfies on their campus. Her alone in her room...Floyd had an entire album of just these kinds of pictures of Luna, each more flirtatious than the last. The eel groaned to himself as he looked over each and every single one, remembering when the gorgeous siren was way more present in his everyday life, always calling to him, sweetening him up effortlessly. He then realized that all of these pictures were of her in her human form. She never sent pictures of herself while she was at home in the Coral Sea. Now he knew why...

Floyd understood her situation. He too grew up in a mafia family atmosphere and he was very well aware of how things usually went down in such circles. Especially with women. Floyd wasn't nearly as dumb as many people thought he was. He could absolutely understand Luna's motivations and obligations...but damn did he HATE it! The boy turned the candy in his mouth to dust with one chomp and he growled out his frustration. It wasn't fair! This gorgeous, sexy, amazingly enticing, not to mention very interesting girl shows up on his radar out of nowhere and makes him feel better than literally anyone else in his whole life ever has, and now she has to kick him to the curb because her step-dad is a dick?! Actually no, scratch that. It was even worse: because her step-dad was his dad's biggest rival AND a huge dick?! It made Floyd want to break something. Granted, Floyd was pretty strong and attractive enough right? He could definitely get a number of other female eels easily...buuut that wasn't the problem. 

'You miss her don't you?'

Jade wasn't even in the room and yet Floyd could hear his brother mocking him clear as crystal! Floyd snarled into his pillow, kicking his feet on the mattress like an irritated child. 

OK FINE YES! He missed her! He missed Luna so...so so SO much! Her kisses, her touches, the smooth feeling of her skin and soft curves pressed up against him, that flirty giggle that nearly brought him to his knees every single time! Great Seven, he could still hear her dulcet voice whisper into his ear...

'Floyd, honey~'

It killed him every time. It didn't matter how upset or bored or sad the boy was, one 'Floyd honey' from Luna and he was down for the count. It worked like a charm without fail. He couldn't take it anymore. Floyd was so heated in every sense of the word that he had to go for a swim to clear his head. While he was gone, Jade returned to their shared room and frown when he saw it was empty. Cowrie poked her head in and immediately saw the stark differences between the two halves of the room. 

"Lemme guess...this side," she pointed to the very tidy and organized half, "is yours?"

Jade chuckled as he sat on his bed, "Indeed." He didn't even have to invite the small female in. She just pranced right in and started looking around. Jade grinned to himself, looking her form up and down in the baggy t-shirt dress and dark leggings she was wearing in her human state. She was undeniably...cute. Maybe something even more? He thought he had been caught when Cowrie suddenly spun around and looked him right in the eyes.

"So why were you and Floy Floy having lunch with those snooty girls earlier? You guys didn't look like you were having much fun..."

Jade had completely forgotten about them, to be honest, but chuckled dryly at the memory, "Ah...they were just some girls our parents wanted us to meet." 

"Ahh. You're courting." Cowrie tilted her head to the side with an unreadable expression, "You guys are at that age now, huh..."

Somehow the term 'courting' sounded so hollow to Jade. It wasn't the idea that he was against, just the selection being pushed upon him. He looked at Cowrie, remembering the kiss, and he felt compelled. Jade was curious, intrigued even. This very bold, honest, and feminine little creature didn't seem to stop keeping him on his toes. At home, he knew of the dangers but here? Here, it was only them. Just their little group. No crime bosses to cast shadows over them. No dangers so...Jade decided that he wanted to see where this went. 

"Cowrie...," Jade extended his hand to her, inviting her to sit on the bed with him. She slowly accepted his hand only to squeak when Jade suddenly pulled her onto his lap, smiling down at her the entire time. 

"J-Jay Jay! What are you doing all of a sudden?!"

What's this? Was the younger female flustered by him? Oh, that only made him purr as he chuckled and nuzzled his face into her soft hair, "Oh? Do you not like me anymore, Cowrie?"

"I already told you how I felt!" Cowrie pouted and turned her pink face away from him, "You're the one who isn't being clear!" 

Hmm, she had a point. This only made the boy smile into her hair as he gently wrapped his arm around her small waist. She smelled like lavender and her flustered voice was so cute. When she suddenly pushed away from Jade, he halted at the stern look in her blue eyes. 

"Don't toy around with me, Jay Jay...if you wanna act like this, then do it because you mean it." 

Ooh, she was serious. It made a jolt of electricity run up his spine, being commanded by her in this way. This fearless little eelmaid, refusing to be bullied or even teased by him or anyone really. Do it because he meant it? Did he or was he just letting off steam? The real question was...did he want to have these private moments of affection with anyone else?

Jade felt his brain start to swim the longer he held Cowrie's gaze. His thoughts became more scattered and hazy the longer she stared him down, testing his resolve. If Jade was being honest with himself then...well his desires at least were clear. 

"Cowrie," her name came out of Jade's mouth like a shaky sigh, "...I want you to stay close to me. I can't explain why just yet, but I just...feel better with you around. This right now feels nice. The kiss you gave me...it felt really nice." Jade silently hoped that maybe the room was dark enough that Cowrie wouldn't see the humiliating dusting of pink on his face. The usually calm, cool, and collected twin was really feeling out of his depth right now and it was starting to show. 

The younger Cerith sister's eyes softened as she leaned in ever so slightly, "And what about later? When we're back home...and separated?"

"Stay with me."

His words shocked both of them. Jade heard them come out in his voice but he still can't believe he said them. But he most certainly did. And he liked it. So Jade Leech just went with it. 

"Stay with me, close by me," Jade felt a shy grin tug at his lips as Cowrie's baby blues widened up at him, "As long as you're with me, you won't get hurt. If you get tired of me or want to leave then I'll let you go without any trouble. But I promise that you won't be in any danger as long as we're together." 

"I don't want you or your family to get hurt either..."

Jade grinned and nuzzled his face into the girl's soft, sweet-smelling neck, "Nothing bad will happen, I promise." 

He felt Cowrie's petite body relax against his own with a soft sigh just before feeling her small hand bring his face back to hers. She pressed another kiss to his lips before he could change his mind and it felt even better than the first one. Jade could really get used to this. He started to kiss her back right as the bedroom door flew open with a loud bang, making him and Cowrie both jolt and fall back onto his bed as he instinctually held her tighter as she now lay on top of him. Floyd glowered at the sight of his brother and Cowrie, evidently, being all lovey-dovey together in their room. On one hand, Floyd was happy for Jade because he knew this is what Jade wanted - even if Jade just now figured it out for himself. On the other hand, Floyd was not in the mood to be happy when his twin got to be together with his girl when Floyd had to be alone and miserable while his girl was probably getting hit on by some rich old dudes as they speak. So Jade wasn't at all surprised when Floyd swaggered over to his side of the room with a grumpy expression on his face just before sitting on the floor right up against Jade's bed and laying his head on the edge, pouting up at the couple. 

"Oooiiiii Jaaaade...you're being greedy!"

Jade felt his protective male instincts go into overdrive as he quietly snarled and held Cowrie to his chest. As twins, he and Floyd had shared just about everything their entire lives. But he was not about to share Cowrie with anyone like that. "Your side of the room is over there, Floyd."

Floyd didn't budge but instead growled back, "It's not faaaaiiiir! You have Cowrie-chan to be all cuddly with and I'm stuck out in the cold! ...scoot over so I can at least get some cuddles too, Jade!"

Cowrie sighed as she felt the testosterone between the two flare up, "Jay Jay...Floy Floy's just sad and lonely. He isn't trying to mate me or anything." 

"Not unless you're into that kinda thing, Cowrie-chan~" Floyd teased and wiggled his eyebrows just before getting whack upside the head by the girl. He was joking which Cowrie knew but he definitely was not helping the situation.

"Hush, pervert," Cowrie saw the obstinate look on Jade's face and nuzzled her cheek against his just before leaving little kitten nips and kisses along his jaw while purring out his pet name, "Jay Jay~"

Floyd was a smidge jealous only because, sure, he and Luna have shared many, many normal kisses and far more intimate gestures as well but what Cowrie was doing right now was the classic courtship move all female eels did: shower your man with little love bites and affection in front another male? Bam. You're out of luck, sir, she is his. It was a definite power move, one that he wanted Luna to perform on him all day, every day, in front of every other guy on the planet. 

Jade's roughness melted as he looked to Cowrie being all sweet on him and then at Floyd. Without another word, Jade scooted over so Floyd could climb on the bed with them. The bed squeaked under the even more monstrously tall twin's weight as he tried to shift onto his side while tucking in his long legs. Once Floyd was settled, Cowrie gave Jade one more kiss before giving his brother some affection and attention. Jade was way more relaxed but his arm stayed wrapped around the smaller girl's waist as he continued to nuzzle his face into her hair. Cowrie started to play with Floyd's hair to help him relax. He immediately leaned into the touch and shut his eyes. 

"I think Luna misses you too, Floy Floy."

Floyd didn't move but made some  noise that sounded like an exhausted growl, "She's got a weird way of showing it..." 

He opened his eyes slightly when he felt Cowrie gently pull the necklace out from his shirt. She looked at the pendant and then back to him, "Luna never saves the gifts guys give her. This is the only one she wanted me to keep safe for her. She used to wear it at school all the time...but she stopped wearing it once we came home because she knew Papa would  be suspicious." 

Floyd let out a big frustrated sigh. His stubbornness only went so far in most cases and he was absolutely burned out on this particular one, "Then what do I doooo...?"

"What do you like about my sister?"

"She's hot. Gives good kisses. She's really nice and makes me feel good. I like to squeeze her b-" Floyd received a more aggressive bop on the head from Cowrie but he was so tired, it barely phased him. 

"Floy Floy, if you really want to win Luna over, once and for all, there's gotta be more to it than all that..." Cowrie sighed, "Especially with Luna. She's used to guys - young, old, doesn't matter - being handsy and creepy with her all the time just because she's a sexy siren and they treat her like a piece of meat to gnaw on. They don't actually care anything about her. You wanna be another one of those guys?"

Floyd didn't like hearing that. He snarled and started chewing on Jade's poor bedpost out of irritation. Jade had given up on scolding him for doing this ages ago. After getting it out of his system, Floyd spat out some pieces of wood before frowning at Cowrie.

"I'm not some sleazy creeper! I just think Luna's hot...gorgeous...beautiful...she never talks to me like I'm stupid or gets mad at me over pointless things. She's not boring so I never get tired of talking to her or  being around her....but now I can't do either of those things!!" Floyd's eyes burned with pending frustration tears. Cowrie sighed and tucked her head under Jade's chin as she pondered what she could possibly do for Floyd.

Suddenly...an idea. A very dangerous, risky idea. Knowing these boys, they'd be totally down with it though.

"Floy Floy. I know what to do...buuuut you have to do EXACTLY what I say and not get us caught. Ok?"

The twins' ears perked up and as they both listened with full attention.

"The Siren's Cove has a big night coming up. There's supposed to be lots of VIPs coming in and Papa wants Luna to perform center stage to rake in the money. I'm going to sneak you two in with me and you, Floy Floy, I'm going to sneak you into Luna's dressing room."

-

Azul took another sip of coffee as he poured over his notes and more tomes. He would occasionally stop to scribble more notes on scratch paper but he couldn't help but feel a bit distracted. Also irritated! Where were Jade and Floyd?! Azul shook it from his mind. The twins had taken a long journey today so they were probably tired. That was totally understandable. The octopus boy soon found his writing was no longer making sense to his tired, distracted brain and resigned to take a break with a sigh. Just in time for his phone to ring and shock him awake. The second wave of terror came as he saw his mother's name light up the screen...he had forgotten to tell his mother that he wasn't coming home. He quickly fumbled his phone, answering it with an embarrassing voice crack, "Mother! Hello!"

"Calm down, Azul, you're not in trouble...not this time anyway. Just remember to tell your mother when you and your friends are taking off, hmm?"

"Yes Mother, I'm sorry it's just...uh...just...Her Highness...she needs me and...things..." Words. Words were needed but alas Azul was only met with failure and the sound of his mother's laughter.

"Sweetness, you sound a mess. I had my suspicions but goodness me. It's all happening so quickly." He could feel his mother's smug grin from the other side of the phone. 

"Mother, I have no idea what you're talking about..." 

"Azul, darling. You're a perfectly healthy octopus merman at the end of your teen years. It's only natural that you'd be feeling urges and be smitten with such a lovely female octopus mermaid, especially one right in front of you-"

Azul nearly broke his phone in half with the death grip he suddenly had, "Mother, I will see you tomorrow! Iloveyougoodnight!!" 

He slammed his phone down on his desk after quickly hanging up and took a deep breath. Nope. No. His mother was just being a mother. This was a situation in which he was obligated to help a sweet, lovely girl whom he has unintentionally wronged. That was all! Azul Ashengrotto was a gentleman and a professional! He was also...his brain was about to spiral down another track of insecurity and self-loathing until the same brain reminded him of the princess' kindness. And her apparent desire to see the real him someday...

Azul suddenly rose from his seat and headed towards the dorm kitchens to get more coffee which was clearly the only anchor to reason and the only way to combat this sleep-deprived madness. 

Tagging: @iscarlettappel @aiimee9 @foxwitchaine @1ndigowitch @nuitthegoddess @wysteriadelights @espada188 @victoria1676 @feldya @zstargalaxy @if you wanna be tagged - lemme know in my inbox!

[thewolfisawake]

True Name: Cèilidh Seanachaidh Raghnaid Ìomharach

Personality:

Ceilidh is considered unusual for a fae, which has led to jokes of her heritage. And she is the type that is like ‘probably’ in response with a deadpan that kills the joke. She is unusually honest and seemingly reluctant to be articulate despite having the knowledge to do so. She is aware she is easy to be ignored and makes herself right at home in the background. Because she often isn’t speaking, words flow around her and she makes note of them.

Background:

Ceilidh’s family could hardly be considered gentry but they have their place in the court. This all comes from her father, who served the previous king. Because of the tediousness and question of the necessity of recordkeeping, no one really noticed him unless he asked for clarification of anything said. Which wasn’t often. Ceilidh’s early memories were of the scent of ink and gossip of the day. 

Her father took great pride in their work and wanted to maintain the ‘pristine’ condition of the records. Which he found possible with an apprentice, that apprentice being Ceilidh. She found no issue with this idea. However she did find his maintenance inefficient so they often debated the upkeep outside of court. However within, they were the side characters to the drama that unfurls with the Seelie.

Of course, her own life isn’t without its drama.Without a child, the status and the name given, Ìomharach, would disappear. However no one would want to court someone so green and he was terrified of leaving the realm to seduce anyone. So he enlisted the help of his sister, whom was known to be gutsy and also wanted to keep the benefit of his position. She was successful in becoming pregnant however the sire was a fairly clever one and had gotten her word to allow the child to visit him yearly. But on the other hand, it was allowed for her to choose when. And telling Ceilidh’s father about this and details about the sire, he helped her decide the perfect timing. 

Ceilidh would attend with her father for his normal duties. However when the weather shifted to winter, she would remain back while he went to the summer palace. In reality, after he left, Ceilidh would leave the Seelie to meet with her sire. As a child she thought it was punishment since it WAS amongst the mortals, in winter no less. She disliked it as the man would be lethargic quite often and the times he was more active, he tended to ask her silly or difficult to comprehend things. But it was nearly before she left one winter that he asked her if she would be willing to attend a party with him. 

Finding it odd yet intrigued of what an oaf such as himself might do, she asked what she would have to do. He replied to come visit during the spring. Ceilidh asked if this was his way of trying to get extra time with her. He replied that he’d be willing to waive that winter’s period if it meant she would attend. Getting out of at least a whole winter for one week? Ceilidh took up the deal, which she couldn’t report to her parents, and returned.

At their appointed meeting point, Ceilidh swore that this couldn’t be the same man. He held a vigor as bright as his fiery hair. Strength and charm that she dismissed as empty talk when she had visited. Her time was a joyous affair as she danced with mortals and saw he was very good at it. Under the stars Ceilidh’s curiosity got the better of her and asked why he was like this? The answer was that it was simply within his nature. Like a fae who mimicked a certain aspect of nature. The man went on to say that despite her obvious disdain, he did enjoy his days with her and that he had come to the conclusion with her mother for this arrangement. Since he might not always be around and he preferred she always had a place to go. 

The end of their time, the man told her she had no obligation to come back. However, she would need to be fairly honest since he wouldn’t be able to scold her about such things. And that even if she didn’t return again, that she would be blessed with happiness and that she would be his Hester, his star. And she left, being caught by her parents. And upon learning of the revocation of having to visit him, her father was ecstatic.

That was until after the next winter that Ceilidh’s fluidity with speech diminished. It was thought that she was fooling around but finding she really couldn’t, she had to recount her last time with that man. Upon hearing it, a horror reached her father that the ‘fool’ had gotten Ceilidh’s word to essentially be honest if she didn’t come back. And knowing that if given the option, her father wouldn’t have her go, it made her have to be honest since she didn’t visit. Fixing the issue should’ve been solvable if she was dragged back to him. However, the man was gone with only keepsakes for Ceilidh left behind. 

While it can be seen as a curse, Ceilidh finds it a funny last joke from her sire. No, that’s not quite right, her birth father had left for her. It is a fond memory to her. What her father and all of those at the court don’t know is that she already fixed this problem. She continues it for her own amusement and to keep her from trouble from within the ranks. Ceilidh took over for her father a few decades before the current king and continues to serve the crown, albeit with her own diligence rather than her father’s ambitiousness. 

[finlayheartonfilm]

ROADKILL - The Shoot:

Weeks of pre-production were finally out the way, it was shoot time. Beforehand thought, some last-minute fires to put out! Our original make-up artist dropped out a couple days before, which started the mad dash rush race to try to get a replacement. Luckily, India got back to us very quickly and agreed to join the set. Myself and Alfie had a brief meeting with them, and we had the last of out crew confirmed.

Ahead of us - three shoot days, intimidating but exciting! We started, of course, on Friday....

A natrual side effect of making films is, of course - dealing with issues that arise. So, despite the many, many hours of preparation that had gone into our first shoot day, I was very aware that something Could go wrong.

Everything went wrong.

That's dramatic. We faced, a lot, of challenges in the very early of the shoot, we turned up to a lovely, sunny day. The area was lovely and the pathways seemed clear. Things seemed to be going perfectly. Then, the children arrived. Despite my checking of some nearby, local facebook pages, turned out that a local school had planned a field trip out that day, right on the spot we were going to film. This, was issue number one. Luckily, myself, Gus, and Alfie had recced the location the day before, so we had some ideas for backups. We started to move, and the sky started to rain.

Again, I had done some due diligence, as recently as that morning the weather was a 40% chance of a drizzle. This rain, was not a drizzle. It started POURING with rain, we rushed to cover the equipment up with our tarp and hand out the many umbrellas to cover folks from the torrential downpour. Suddenly, despite what had felt like weeks of really meticulous planning, all of the crew (and cast!) were sitting outside, shivering in the rain. Honestly, I was pretty disheartened. On the first day, our AD was one Becca Chapman, who I have to give massive, massive props to. Alongside Alfie they both convinced me to not call the shoot off. With the rain and the cold I was worried for the cast and the crew, and I didn't see it letting up. They convinced me to leave it for an extra twenty or so minutes. Which, with the break of the clouds, was a fantastic decision. As if from the heavens themselves, a crack of sunlight came down. Now, we could shoot.

The rest of the shoot was characterised by shooting a couple shots, it starting to rain again, waiting, sky clearing, shooting more. Well not ideal conditions, I can genuinely say the whole crew was absolutely DELIGHTFUL to work with. I'm getting slightly ahead of myself here, but working over the three days with them was a genuine pleasure in every regard. Eventually, working past the storm, we managed to get what we needed - and moved on to the evening shoot.

Which, was a lot smoother! Not having to deal with what felt like targeted acts of god allowed the evening shoot to be a real joy. We'd test shot in Alfie's flat before which really let us figure out any potential issues ahead of time. Duncan blacked out the bathroom, him and Gus lit it, and we got to filming. The real major challenge of this shoot was the kill scene. Hayley had built an incredible fake shovel out of foam, but with only one set of costume, we needed to NAIL the kill shot. We actually tested it on myself! Which I'll upload as a separate post to not distract too much from this one. Anyway, after a few test, and with Saoirse standing nearby, we cleared the room. In the next room over we all stood, watching the monitor, INCREDIBLY nervous. Actors walked in, Jorgie grabbed the shovel, and slammed Lewis over the head. From the footage I've seen so far, and the reaction to the monitor video, it looked fantastic! Potentially in my mind the hardest shot nailed, the crew and cast went home. Myself, Gus, and Alfie filmed a couple extra shots very late in the day of Jorgie's fall. I actually stood in for her, which means you'll see me in the final film! After a very long day, we had a break for planning, and then Sunday.

Sunday and Monday's shoots were extremely similar. Rebecca, the woman from the Facebook post had offered us her house to film in. Producer wise, there were a couple major issues. Mainly, the dogs. Rebecca and her family owned two small, well-trained, and polite dogs. Both of which ended up being a non-issue come filming time! Rebecca and her husband agreed to hang around on set to look after the dogs, which ended up as a massive help. Their son, Conel, also agreed to be on set as a 2nd AC. While he hadn’t had too much experience filming before, Gus and Joseph did a great job talking him through clapperboarding. Beyond that, it was smooth sailing! We ran over one shoot but besides that no real issue. At least from a producer view, everyone worked really smoothly and effectively. Moving of equipment was handled by myself and some other members of the crew, we used Duncan (our gaffers) car which was a massive win to have on set. The footage looks amazing, and I’m excited to see the final product.

[showerbong]

At least Seth offers me a cigarette when we finally pop out the door just like I knew he would. He's the kind of person who seems to get self-conscious of his own vices and needs to drag others into the mire to justify himself. Also, he believes in chivalry, has mommy issues, and clings to a vaguely-defined ethical code likely born out of a strict, non-denominational Christian upbringing. He's from one of the Carolinas. I can never remember which one.

I smoke the Lucky Strike first so as not to reveal to Seth that I have weed, and to get as agitated as possible by the upper before allowing myself the ultimate blissful release of the downer. Edging like this is basically the entire Catholic ideology. The more miserable you make yourself while you're alive the harder you'll jizz yourself for Jesus when you finally croak. All Sunday school did for me was turn me into a bisexual with a bad attitude and a compulsion to continually up the ante in order to enjoy anything. Bong Hits for the Lord.

If I was writing a sexy murder mystery for moms who lunch instead of a deceptively simple campus novel for Ivy League rejects, now would be the perfect time to drop in a line like " 'The French call it petit mort...' Estelle thought, fingering the stem of her wine class and staring into her own tiny reflection in the liquid's burgundy surface. 'Little death." In the story, Estelle is a travel/lifestyle/true crime writer in her early 20s who works for The Cut and is staying in a stone villa in Croatia while she investigates the mysterious death of a young TikTok star after a cliff-jumping-gone-wrong incident in Dubrovnik was caught on Live.

"I'm trying to capture the real interiority of young people, you know? But like, in a sincere way. I just think it's important to like push the canon to a place where real normal guys feel safe being in touch with their inner selves. It's so hard to do it but like Hull said in class, I think I'll get there. I'm so glad that Hull has this faith in the project. He really has an insane knowledge of human behavior. Any time anyone talks in class I bet he's psychoanalyzing them in real time."

Seth's continuing to talking at me about Modern American Realism and employing free indirect discourse more for the next workshop installment of his novella. He's also writing a campus novel. And for the record, I've been working on mine for twice as long. For some reason Prof Hull keeps saying Seth's novella is like so class-conscious. Usually when my installments get discussed in class the feedback is always fluffed up by personal anecdotes and seems to revolve around my unreliable narrator's juvenility.

I just think it's funny how up until last semester Seth was a libertarian, and also, he's never actually had a job before this part-time academic writing TA gig, meanwhile I have been getting wage-thefted at dead end jobs ad infinitum since 2009. I think he was 8 years old at the time.

I need to get the fuck out of here! No one will take me seriously! I'm gonna text Connor a long barrage of messages about Seth while I'm standing here right in front of him. He won't even notice, though. I'm always underestimated!

Me: bestie we have to get the fuck out of Mass this weather is SHIT s*th is bouncing ideas for his novella off of me outside College Hall rn im not saying he plagiarized me but i just think its funny how he graduated from undergrad like two years ago and now suddenly HES writing a CAMPUS NOVEL??? and Hull is EATING IT UP meanwhile anything i turn in is like somehow so vile and amateurish?? 😭 its as if i was turning in pages from feminazi mein kampf to these people like i can't 😭😭

Connor's probably at work right now at the cafe but he always can FEEL when I'm tweaking like this. Seth's still going, on his second Lucky Strike. The beautiful part is that Connor used to be in this PhD program with me, so he always knows who I'm talking about but never has to deal with these people anymore. Connor's way smarter than I am, though, and dipped out of the program before things got too rancid. I, on the other hand, have always fallen particularly victim to the sunk cost fallacy. The Irish Catholicism makes me entirely incapable of cutting my losses, or even realizing that I should have cut my losses, until it's far too late.

Thank God Connor's online. I hope he's sitting on the work toilet shitting on company time.

Connor: AHHHHH wait bestie... he's single white femaling yhou like he's trying to slowly take over your life and become you and then he'll run you over with his Beamer in a campus parking lot what the FUCK?? like, a campus novel from what PERSPECTIVE???

Me: UGH i KNOW its like .. set in one of those big southern schools and its about an artsy straight guy who becomes best friends with a gay closeted gay lacrosse player Connor: WAIT ARE YOU SERIOUS A GAY LAX BRO FROM SETH??? AHHHHH wait also Me: I know it's like he's single white femaling both of us... Connor: yes its completely foul outside we should see if we can snag a disgusting little last-minute room on the vegas strip next weekend i switched shifts the other day with my coworker so now im working 8 days in a row but then i have that whole weekend off.. i feel like circus circus might have something flea-infested we could book and like fly spirit airlines out there and then we can bank on getting sloppy and finding some coked-up tech guys to buy us shots and give us casino chips i feel like we could do it for like, $250 Me: OMFG Wait hold on yes wait im gonna smoke this joint and then go look at this on my computer... i am so broke but actually like would be so down to do this for real

[thebandcampdiaries]

Keyton's "Moving Forward Towards the End": An emotional and earnest outlook at the end of a relationship.

October 2023 - Keyton is an artist from North Alabama with a special focus on melodic rock. His most recent studio single, "Moving Forward Towards the End", is a testament to his blend of gritty sonics and introspective lyricism. This song showcases his insightful approach to songwriting and his ability to collaborate with others so that the sum of the parts elevates the music to new heights.

One of the defining features of Keyton's music is its diversity, and "Moving Forward Towards the End" is no exception. The track incorporates elements of emo, punk, alternative rock, and early 2000s indie. This seamless array of influences works well with Keyton's "heart on a sleeve" lyrics and spontaneous vocal delivery. The track was co-written with Canadian singer-songwriter Billy the Kid (A.K.A. Billy Pettinger,) whose unique perspective adds a layer of depth to the song. In addition, "Moving Forward Towards the End" also benefits from the extraordinary drumming skills of Atom Willard. 

If you have been following punk or the alternative music scene over the past 20 years, you might have heard his name pop up alongside some of the true luminaries in the scene. Known as one of the best drummers in rock, Atom's skills have graced bands like Angels & Airwaves, The Offspring, and Against Me! And, most recently, Alkaline Trio. It's always a treat to hear his drumming, and this song is no exception. What makes it even more remarkable is that the drummer has fully recovered from a recent motorcycle accident that gave him quite a scare. 

The lyrics of "Moving Forward Towards the End" offer a profound exploration of doubt and uncertainty in the dynamics of a relationship. Whether it's with friends or loved ones, the song delves into the universal struggle of truly understanding someone and their motives. The line, "For a moment, we were infinite, but I don't think this is how the story ends," serves as a poignant reminder of the fleeting nature of human connections. It's a reflection on the good times shared but also an acknowledgement that we don't know where the road ahead might take us in this life.

Keyton's vocals on this track are spot-on for mood and intensity. His melodic tone beautifully conveys the depth of the song. The harmonies (featuring Billy The Kid) are perfectly layered and add an extra set of dynamics to the music. Speaking of dynamics, the guitars in "Moving Forward Towards the End" provide a brilliant balance of melody and energy.

The sound is bright, smooth, and intelligible, avoiding excessive distortion but staying more in overdriven territory. This approach allows listeners to appreciate the intricacies of the chord shapes and individual notes rather than drowning them in a sea of fuzziness. Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely no issue with distorted guitars, and there is a place for them on a lot of fantastic records. That said, this particular musical setting really called for a more understated guitar sound, and the guitars on "Moving Forward Towards the End" definitely did the trick.

The production of the song helps it maintain a natural vibe, enhancing the value of the remarkable performances by each artist involved. 

Billy the Kid, who co-wrote the song, also contributes great background vocals, complementing Keyton's lead vocals beautifully. Atom Willard's solid drum track is the rhythmic backbone of the song, adding a compelling pulse to the music. His powerful and precise drumming adds an electrifying dimension to the song, driving it forward with intensity and finesse. The way he is so restrained and follows the song structure without overplaying is a masterclass in drum arrangement. Less is more, kids!

Jack Lawrence, known for his work with Jack White's Dead Weather and The Raconteurs, provides a killer bass track that offers a sturdy foundation without overshadowing the guitar and vocals. The bass is full and slightly crunchy, with enough attack to cut through the guitars without overpowering the song's low end.

Keyton's "Moving Forward Towards the End" is a little alt-rock/emo gem that strikes a chord for its refreshing simplicity and directness. However, the "simplicity" I just mentioned is deceptive because it's so plain to see that a lot of work went into this track. Perhaps the best word to use is "understated." The music serves the feeling of the lyrics and helps tell the story in such a way that only seasoned musicians can do with such a high degree of audible confidence in their creative choices. In other words, there's a strong sense that every little thing is deliberate and thought-out here - from the sound of the guitars to the arrangements, adlibs and well-placed vocal harmonies.

This song comes at exactly the right time in an era of new Blink-182 music and big festivals focusing on the early 2000s sounds.

Find out more about Keyton, and check out "Moving Forward Towards The End" on Bandcamp, Spotify and other digital streaming services. You'll also find the song on our playlist!

[theorist-influencer-untitled]

4.3.23 Monday

8:40 am

Early in the am this plastics chestnut Uncle Jun is blaming me that Neko and her 3 babies here are not eating...He told me that why I made it 3 times a day or why did I give food to them during lunch time yesterday... Hmm...

I posted here that before uncle DD and aunt Karen went away,yesterday... Uncle DD told me that Uncle Jun told him, that I'm gonna be in-charge on feeding them at lunch time yesterday.... I told uncle DD that huh? He told me that they will eat only twice... But uncle DD told me, I don't know he just said that after receiving the 1k... I just said ohkay... And uncle DD added coz they are still puppies they need to eat 3 to 4 times a day... And parvo season I added for their health...

Uncle Jun is seems moving but without a heart... I showed him the zonrox and lysol here,I said these are the cleaning materials for the kennel or cage brought by uncle DD and aunt Karen... Just get it here Uncle Jun but then he didn't answer... He is killing indirectly.... What do you think,angels is the best way to put a remedy on everyone here???

My crazy biological mother and funny as well texted me early in the am to register my sim... I told her, I already register my sim last year around December... I told her, she is carrying a monkey on TV....hahah

Whew! 9 am

If ever there will be parvo on the babies of Neko... 70% they got it on the clinic of Lil Pet owned by Doc Gerald... I'm not blaming Doc Gerald coz the parvo virus is microscopic... But it is having a 70% of getting that from his clinic,that I agreed on uncle Jun about this issue...

The right thing to do is to clean the vet's clinic after each patient's visit... Coz parvo can exist...

The original vet of John was Heidi and they always disinfect... But something happened to our relationship coz of the owner of the clinic she's been attending..

According to uncle DD, Doc Gerald was the one who advice him to use clorox and lysol to clean the kennel here,including our living room... But the real thing I updated him about the particular cleaning solution for parvo and one of these is this, it is on sale I told him...

Coz the Zonrox it didn't reach to kill the parvo virus...

Another thing it was good that after I brought Pink for confinement the weather became super,super,super hot aside from summer and it helped to kill this killer parvo virus but I also disinfect using clorox, purely... But the heat of summer can surely kill the parvo virus here...

Thank God John is having his protection 100% and not allowing him to be near on Pink while I took care of her,here...

11:27 noon

Pink is dead already, I think it is Kuya Arman who texted me..

I want uncle Jun be dead for being plastics... Uncle Jun is commenting, I was so shocked why did you bring Pink in the clinic... He is making-up story that it wasn't our fault that John accidentally went to Neko... But I saw him, he did it intentionally...

I want Uncle Jun be dead and on Uncle DD I'm just being fair on the story...

Uncle Jun is after on the money...

I want Uncle Jun be dead soon, for everything to be over angels...

Kuya Arman texted me...

11:48 am

Thank God I got the 1 year package of data...Dasca cable is on down system again...

1:24 pm

I don't know what to do but John will take his update shots soon... But definitely I like Heidi but me and her boss had an argument...If Heidi only knew that at the beginning there were so many guys that influencing me to transfer and leave Heidi or switch to an another upper vets... But I told them me and John we are ohkay having Doc Heidi coz she is passionate and a friend and a real humble doctor with heart.

I called him Heidi coz we became friends in a way... I saw her sincerity on me but I've learned something in life and it is a secret...

And for sure I'm not gonna bring John on Lil pet coz the first time and the 2nd time I went there, I have nothing against on Doc Gerald but I had have this weird uncomfortable feeling on them and on Kuya Arman... But nothing in particular...

1:32 pm

Uncle Jun went out to drive for Georgia'Z forest.

3:49 pm

Uncle Jun is here now....

4:24 pm

Done, weird movie... It is about revenge and weird ritual... Weird!

4:52 pm

I still have the windblow trap and waiting for fundings separately from their Dog's issue... (Uncle DD & Aunt Karen )

Coz another week again but not my ideal life so flat... Uncle DD is not on air now, I wonder why... Some fundings were just sent to him or handled by Uncle DD from my Aunt Teresa...

I still wanna leave the hometown...

9:47 pm

Theory:

Be a friend...It is ohkay to be a friend but being interfering behind that they don't ask my permission, it is foul...

11:21 pm

This Uncle DD is weird lately... He is giving hints that he will kill me angels... In a way a nice in-front but dark inside... He called me awhile ago coz I texted Aunt Karen about the situation of the puppies...That I'm concern that we can be in prison but they are the people should go in on prison coz of possible negative situation of the dogs,if they are really having parvo....

This is the Philippines law on Dog's Welfare...

I already removed the for sale sign outside as "help-sale" campaign for "Rotsky" coz Uncle Jun told me that the babies didn't eat this morning as well as Neko...

Then, as I observed their plate were still full.... I became sad and panicky... I checked their plate again this dinner, still the same they didn't eat... This behaviour started yesterday lunch... But their behaviour is kinda sad and not that energetic compared from the past days... Uncle Jun told me, you shouldn't give food at lunch time on them, why you did it yesterday???

Remember,angels yesterday Uncle DD told me that Uncle Jun said that I should give food at lunch time...

Then, I sent some R.A law about dog's welfare here on Aunt Karen and Uncle DD, that if ever the symptoms of parvo will push through to the point that the dogs here will vomit and poops blood and if we can't manage them, the parvo is airborne and will be start of parvo here in this village...

I sent that on them the tagalog version above the R.A Dog's Act Welfare here in the Philippines..

I told Uncle DD that I will help and search for the number and place of government assistance on dog financial needs,just like on human if someone gave birth to triplets or quadruplets the government will give assistance...

Uncle DD somehow got mad at me that I'm threatening them on this prison thingy... I told him I'm not threatening them but sharing a poster act law in the Philippines Constitution about Dog's Welfare Act... It is something serious.

[grocery-x]

Why Does A Newborn Usually Scream At Midnight?

Why Does A Newborn Usually Scream At Midnight?

New parents may feel both worried and angered by their baby’s cries in the middle of the night. But it’s important to remember that crying is a major way that infants communicate their needs and wants. This article will go through some of the most common causes of midnight screams in infants, as well as provide suggestions on how to react to and soothe them.

Babies sometimes wake up in the early hours of the morning wailing because they need to eat. Babies, especially in their first few months of life, have an insatiable appetite despite their little stomachs. Because they are so hungry, they may wake you up during the middle of the night. A regular eating schedule, including meals throughout the day and at night, may help with this problem. You may also try giving your infant a little meal just before bedtime to make sure they’re full and ready to sleep.

Another common reason of nighttime crying in a newborn is the baby’s discomfort. This may be due to a number of factors, including a dirty diaper, too-tight clothes, or even just the weather. Check your baby’s diaper often, and change it if there is any evidence of soiling. Get your kid some comfy clothes that allow air to circulate and keep the house at a temperature that’s just appropriate for him or her. Find the perfect swaddle and sleeper for your baby by trying out a few different options.

Another possible cause of nighttime crying is teething. Babies may cry because the process of tooth development might be uncomfortable. When babies are teething, they may be in pain, which may cause them to drool and cry. If your baby is in pain, you may try massaging their gums with a clean finger or giving them a cool teething ring to chew on. That should help them relax a bit.

Babies that cry all through the night could be having trouble getting to sleep. Some infants may have trouble settling into a consistent sleep schedule or may be experiencing sleep disruptions like night terrors or nightmares. A consistent bedtime routine, including soothing activities like a warm bath, a good book, or some soft music might help you go to sleep and stay asleep. Consider utilising white noise or a nightlight to create a relaxing environment for your youngster.

Sometimes, a baby’s nightly screams might indicate that something is wrong. Having trouble sleeping is a typical complaint among people who are sick with anything from the common cold to ear infections and fevers. If your newborn shows signs of illness, including a high fever or difficulty breathing, you should get medical help right once.

A baby screaming through the night might be a sign that he or she is close to achieving a developmental milestone. Babies’ sleep patterns might be disrupted when they learn new skills like rolling over and crawling. Babies may become more active as a result of learning these new abilities. It’s important to be patient and give your child extra love and comfort during this time.

There are many possible reasons for infants’ nocturnal crying, and it is important to try to identify the underlying issue so that the appropriate degree of support and care may be provided. Remember that crying is a normal and necessary part of a baby’s development and way of communication. Talk to your doctor if you’re worried about your child’s health or the frequency of his or her crying fits.

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[petnews2day]

From a grieving dog to inside cats — your pet queries answered

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/pet-news/dog-news/from-a-grieving-dog-to-inside-cats-your-pet-queries-answered/

From a grieving dog to inside cats — your pet queries answered

HE is on a mission to help our pets  . . . and is here to answer YOUR questions.

Sean, who is the head vet at tailored pet food firm tails.com, has helped with owners’ queries for ten years.

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Sean helps out with a grieving King Charles spanielCredit: Getty

5

Sean McCormack, head vet at tails.com, promises he can ‘help keep pets happy and healthy’Credit: Doug Seeburg – The Sun

He says: “If your pet is acting funny or is under the weather, or you want to know about nutrition or exercise, just ask.

“I can help keep pets happy and healthy.”

Q) OUR King Charles Alfie is pining for his sister who passed away suddenly.

Is there anything we can do for him?

Andy Derry, Cannock, Staffs

Sean says: I’m afraid time is the best healer here. I’m often surprised when asked if pets grieve. They do, just like us.

But we don’t know what exactly they are going through and also can’t explain to them why their companion has died.

One of the best ways to help Alfie move on and enjoy life again is to ensure he has plenty of time with friends — other dogs to go for walks with.

You might consider another companion too, and that’s fine.

You’re not replacing his sister, but I recognise this isn’t easy for everyone and that’s also fine.

Q) MY parents have just adopted a cat, Crunch, and we have been really debating on whether to keep him inside.

What do you recommend?

Sophie Jones, Exeter

Sean says: This is a tricky one. It’s a balance between the mental stimulation benefits of allowing Crunch a free life to come and go as he pleases outdoors.

But lots of that can be provided indoors and with an outdoor enclosure or “catio”.

We’re seeing a move away from free roaming outdoor cats in the UK and it’s almost the norm in the US.

The benefits to cats are that they avoid road vehicle collisions, injuries from fighting, certain diseases and parasites, as well as having less of an effect on our struggling native wildlife — many species of which can’t cope with the density of pet cats we have roaming our gardens, parks and countryside.

Q) I’M thinking of building a pond in my garden for some goldfish.

I’ve had mine in an aquarium inside. Can I transfer them outside and what do you recommend for the transition?

Ben Frank, Burnley

Sean says: I’m glad you’re thinking this way Ben, as goldfish are really not that suitable for an indoor aquarium unless it is very large and very well filtered.

They are much better off in a pond where they can grow to their full size and live more naturally.

Make it as big as you can afford, make sure to include plenty of plants for cover.

And use a trip-line or netting to protect it from your local heron who may pay a visit for a fish supper.

It’s best not to put them out now, but wait until early summer. That gives you plenty of time to get digging.

Q) MY labrador shakes whenever he hears loud noises and, if he’s not on the lead, he runs in terror.

What can I do as it’s so upsetting?

Andy Brown, Wigan

Sean says: Sorry to hear that Andy.

It sounds like he’s had some bad experiences with loud noises or at least worked himself up a lot over them.

We used to think you could train a dog not to be scared, but actually anxiety and fear are a natural emotion.

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to just train that response out of your Labrador, but what you can do is try two very effective techniques.

5

Tails.com provides tailor-made nutritional food for pets

They take some time and consistency to slowly build your dog’s confidence around loud noises.

They’re called desensitisation and response substitution.

Read up on them online and do consider enlisting the help of a professional behaviourist to help set you tasks, as some of the issues may relate to how you are reacting when it happens too.

Star of the week

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Anca the smartly dressed rescue dog is our star of the weekCredit:

ANCA the rescue dog has swapped the streets of Romania for the title of Britain’s most paw-fessional office pooch.

The two-year-old pup keeps her owner Ellie Patterson company when working from home.

Ellie, 31, of Aberdeen, who entered her into a national competition run by furniture-work.co.uk, said: “She works hard Monday to Friday in her office supporting me.

Her tasks include napping, demanding attention and stealing sandwiches.

“Anca is due her two-year appraisal in November and is on her best behaviour in the hope of a gravy bone increase.”

WIN: Gift bundle

LET PetSafe sort your pup’s Christmas gift with a brilliant bundle of interactive gifts.

The brand is offering one lucky reader the chance to win seven pawfect presents, including a tug toy, ball launcher, puzzle feeder and chew toys – plus a Christmas tree decoration.

For a chance to win, send an email headed PETSAFE to sundaypets@the-sun.co.uk. See petsafe.com/uk. T&Cs apply.

A cat a day keeps the doctor away

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Owning a cat is good for your health, a study shows

CATS are good for your health, a new survey has revealed.

The poll of more than 10,000 cat owners showed that 21 per cent own a cat to help them feel less stressed, while 67 per cent say their pet gives them something to get up for in the morning.

And 87 per cent spend every day stroking or sitting with them which has been scientifically proven to lower owners’ blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Many said their cats helped their family learn life lessons, with studies showing that pet ownership improves health and social behaviour in children.

The Cats And Their Stats 2022 survey was carried out by Cats Protection.

Mike Elliot, director of operations at the charity, said: “It’s no surprise that cats continue to be important companions for people, bringing associated benefits for everyone.

“As the UK’s leading cat rehoming charity, we’re proud to create strong companion animal bonds that are more important than ever in times of uncertainty.

“To achieve this, we carefully match cats and new owners by considering everyone’s needs.

“We stay in touch post-adoption, offering support, and love receiving updates.”

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