#this is happening only four days after my brother moved out of state

[heybaetae]

.

[nerdieforpedro]

Watch me and Touch it Querida

Santiago "Pope" Garcia x plus size female reader

Fanfiction is 18+ MDNI

Main Masterlist / Santiago Garcia Masterlist / Oscar Isaac Masterlist

Word Count: 4.4k

Summary: You have a crush on your long time friend Santiago. After the events of Columbia, he stays in your spare bedroom. You two make good roommates. Pope decides to ask you a question that you thought was just a throwaway. Turns out he was serious.

Warnings: Teasing, Hair worship (is this a thing? I guess it is now 👀), oral sex (female receiving), fingering (female receiving), unprotected P in V (wrap them thangs up), cockwarming, aftercare, bad jokes throughout (another Nerdie staple)

Notes: My first Santiago smut! I think I captured his essence. Maybe, Ya'll will have to let me know. Also, I apologize to anyone who actually plays guitar, I just looked up what Google said were the four basic chords.

The first clue should have been that he asked to stay with you. He had three other men, his brothers, that he could have stayed with. Especially since they don't talk about whatever happened last month. Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia is a flirt of a man, has been since you’ve known him. You pay him no mind, his little compliments don’t phase you - much. He would call and text you in between deployments and later when he was out of the military. He’d also call when he was in the States or overseas consulting. Just checking in on you, he would normally lead with asking about how you were doing. Your mind constantly told you it’s the kind of thing he would do with  the guys except they likely have private jokes. Your heart tells you it might be more, but your mind usually wins with reasoning.

Him moving in went fine. Pope didn’t have much with him. A few duffle bags and a backpack. He took up your second bedroom and things were easy. Just fine. They guys joked that you two should have been roommates years ago since you got along so well. They’re not wrong, you just still need him to move out. Which is impossible to ask considering one of his friends just died on their trip, none of them will say how and even though they all still get along, neither Frankie, Will or Benny will let Pope stay with them. Suspicion is high that there’s some lingering resentment there, but it’s not your place to ask. You weren’t there. You don’t know and you’re not going to.

You haven’t seen any odd habits so far. He cleans up after himself, cooks every once in a while. No women have been in your guest room that you know of and you never want to know if they have. The conversations flow easily and he plays his guitar sometimes, letting you sit on his bed next to him while he plays different chords. Strong hands alternate between picking at the strings and strumming them, Santi softly hums a tune you’re not familiar with.  There was a Die Hard marathon you both watched together the other day. No red flags….which should have been red flag two for you.

He’s your friend. Almost a brother to you. You can’t be looking at how his polo shirts cinch around his waist and slight tummy or how they’re struggling with every thread on those biceps of his. The man has a million watt smile with curls to match, a dangerous five o’clock shadow, plush lips and warm chocolate eyes that focus on you when you speak. When he calls your name, you always exhale, it sounds perfect out of his mouth. Your thoughts haven’t even broached his thighs or that perfect curve he calls an ass when he asks you out of the blue. You’re minding your own business on the couch reading a book. Lying to yourself that you’re going to do less screen time this year.

“You think I should grow it out? I’ve always shaved it.” How long had he been thinking about this? Wait…shave what? Not his head right?! Not those curls. Curls that you’d snuck your hands in only a handful of times copying a noogie that Benny would do and only when the others were around. So silky with a touch of gray….He had asked a question. About his hair, shaving it…

“Santiago. Please don’t shave your head.” You pleaded, harder than you meant it to come out, but you were serious. It warranted your book closing and to look up at him. Why did he have to stand in front of you like that? Sure most people do that, but it’s not okay when he does it. You’re aware of this and the fact that you still haven’t told this man to move in with one of his brothers means you’re the  third red flag. At some point, you became okay with the idea of throwing away your friendship with Santiago. Oolging him when he’s not aware and looking forward when he’s away for a few days so you can think more about his merits and assets. Possibly with a few handheld aides.

He laughed at you and sat down on the couch. “No tonta (silly). Grow a beard. My facial hair grows pretty fast anyway. What do you think? You like facial hair on your men angel?” His shoulder nudged your arm. You chuckled at the thought that he joked about you having men. Pfft. Shaking your head, you playfully swatted his cheek, his rough stubble grazing your fingers. You made sure your hand came down to your knee, the desire to keep in on his face was too strong in the moment. 

“I think you could pull off a beard. You already have stubble half the time. Just don’t let it look raggedy Santi.” You smiled, trying to picture it. The most facial hair you’d seen him with was a mustache in pictures before Delta Force and he looked like a porn star. Hell he looked like one now. You need to stay focused, you’re having a conversation. If he did have one of those nice, maintained beards though…he might turn into an evil villain. They usually had some cool beards before getting thwarted by heroes. His grin at your very apparent compliment and distraction makes you lose the little focus you did have.

“Glad you believe in me. You didn’t answer my other question though.” Squinting your eyes, you’re confused for maybe the third time tonight. “Do you like facial hair on men or do you like them clean shaven?” He leaned in, very clearly expecting an answer. 

Frazzled, your answer matched your current state of mind, “I mean, more hair is always better than less hair. I love some friction, you know I’m used to it because of my thighs but that’s…it’s gotta be a different kinda of sensation when someone's doing it right and has a solid beard…” His wide eyes told you that you’d said too much. Way too much. You stood up and mumbled goodnight, cursing yourself and hoping that maybe he had another overseas contract soon. He grabbed your wrist  and stood with you.

“Is that what you like angel? Something for a different type of friction? Good to know. I take it you haven’t had that from what you said though. Sweet dreams cariño (dear).” Santiago said as he released your wrist. He knew damn well you weren’t going to sleep tonight and you didn’t. The next few days, he didn’t mention it and when you two met up with the guys and their girlfriends, he didn’t mention anything then either. By next week, you were sure it had blown over and he left saying he was going to be gone for two months. That was plenty of time to forget your mistake right?

The time came and went fast. Santiago was back…with a damn beard. It was black with gray strands at its edges. Letting his lips peek out from the oval of hair that formed around them. You looked, then turned and snuck another look. Angry that you did. Maybe he would shave once he got settled in. He greeted you with a hug, nuzzling his nose and jaw on your neck as he embraced you. You wanted to slap him for testing you, but maybe he didn’t remember, you also wanted to touch his face and kiss him to feel the hair on your face. Gazing up at him, his curls had grown out a bit more as well, more pronounced and larger. Pope said he was going to go take a shower and frankly, you felt you could use one too. Get these ideas out of your head. 

The first week is fine. A good amount of time spent with the guys both at bars, their places and in your apartment. The second week however was the kicker - Santiago had gotten some beard oil that smelled of cedar, jasmine and a hint of vanilla. You were thankful that Will wanted Santi to tag along with him this week for more motivational speaking engagements. Pope was out of the house and away from you smelling that damn delicious. 

As it was past 9pm on a Thursday, you were already in your oversized sleep shirt and panties. Not sexy at all. Not that you needed to be, you’re dancing around in your apartment. It’s something you haven’t done too much except when Santi’s out of town. It helped calm you and you could focus on the music and not your various worries, especially your thoughts about your roommate. 

Santiago unlocked the door to your apartment. He walked in and saw you in the living room. Swinging your hips, arms above your head. What should come on next but “Worth the Wait” by Kali Uchis & Omar Apollo. You’re singing along and moving with the music, it wouldn’t hurt to dance with you right? It’s not like he hasn’t danced with you around your home before, though that was usually to some boy bands that you would play because you knew he hated them. He took hold of your hands and interlocked his fingers with yours, his gaze on your surprised face as you stopped moving, but he brought one of your hands down and patted your hip to encourage you to continue to dance. The song is slow and the content is rather sensual. “Keep dancing cariño. With me.” Is the only thing he said as you two moved, your chests mere inches away from each other. He released your hands and placed them on your hips and yours immediately went to his beard. You figured if he’s going to dance with you like this, you may as well touch it. He let out a deep chuckle, leaning forward. Santi pressed his warm chest against yours, he spoke in your ear, “You like it, touch is querida (sweetheart)? I grew it just for you.” 

Your breath hitched when he said your name in your ear and his hands that had been on your hips, roamed your back. “Y-You did Santi? You didn’t have to…I..” His large hand ran up your neck and cupped the back of your head as he sang along to Kali’s next song “All Mine.” Your hands fell to his sides, pressing into his skin, kneading it. It would be embarrassing how moist your panties had become and that your nipples were hard as little pebbles if you didn’t feel the need to jump this man, but dancing is sweet and nice.

We’ll figure it out as we go, just you and me

But we won’t leave each other alone, that’s all mine

All me, all me All mine, All mine, all mio, mio, mi

All mine, all mine, all mio, mio, mi

Both of you continued to rock side to side until the song ended and Santiago stood to his full height. You wondered if maybe you’d gotten too lost in the music and had imagined everything. You hadn’t let go of him yet, if you weren’t hallucinating then that meant this just happened and maybe you could act on what you’d been feeling. “Santiago. What you just sung, did you mean it?” Your eyes scanned his face, you wouldn’t be distracted this time. He had essentially used a song to confess his feelings to you, but it needed to be said outside of a song. Pope took hold of your chin and smiled. 

“Yes I meant it. I know how you’ve been undressing me the entire time I’ve been here angel. I’m not an idiot. At least in that department. I’ll say I’m not great at long term relationships so we’ll take it how it goes, sí (yes)?” He offered. That was all you needed to cup his face, place your fingers in his beard and pull him in for a frantic kiss. He appeared surprised which made you grin as he parted his lips for you, quickly recovering and wrapping his arms around you pulling you toward him as you let him in, his tongue exploring your mouth. The groan you released was loud as you pressed your thighs together, feeling the wetness spread. You pulled out of the kiss and pulled him toward your bedroom. “Cariño, you sure?” He asked with slightly red lips. You answered by  pushing him onto the bed, hands on your hips, you scanned his body. He didn’t need to ask and you weren’t going to answer such a silly question. You smacked your lips at the tent in those damn cargo pants he always wore.

“Too many clothes Garcia. Take them off.” Your hands went to your hips. “Now.” Santiago hadn’t seen this side of you and was enjoying it. He was normally one to take charge in the bedroom. He removed his shirt, exposing his taut muscles that flexed as he fiddled with his belt and removed his boxers and pants in one drop. He kicked off his socks as he sat on the side of bed with his arms out. You stepped up to him but didn’t embrace him. Instead, you just dropped your soaked panties as they hit the floor, heavy with your own wetness. Santi looked down and muttered a soft, “fuck,” next you removed your shirt. Your curves on full display as he attempted to place his hands on your hips but you stopped him. “Up on the bed. I’m due some friction since you keep teasing it with me.” 

“¡Joder! (Fuck) , this is what you like huh? Being in charge? I’ll play along this time.” He slid back toward the top of the bed where you were expecting him in the middle.

“That’s where I’m supposed to be Santi. Move back down.” You motioned as the bed dipped, you crawled next to him and looked down at him. He smirked, damn grin. You wanted to pink he cheek, both sets. 

“No. If you’re going to take charge then you need the right seat angel.” He wiggled his eyebrows as you scratched your chin for a moment. It clicked, he wanted you to…no one’s ever asked that. Pope didn’t give you a choice about settling on his face gently. He turned on his side to grab your knees and pulled you over his shoulders, his breath on your slick inner thighs. “Look at you. You’ll drench me won’t you angel?” He turned his head to the side and rubbed his beard on your thigh, you brought your legs closer together and reached down, taking a handful of his curls while calling his name. 

“Dammit, you know how many nights I’ve thought about this, your curls and this beard? Don’t ever mention cutting your hair again unless I say so.” You growled, his nose tipped upward touching your clit momentarily before he drew back. “Fuck..you damn tease Santiago…” His hands roamed from your knees to your thighs and then your large ass, giving it a squeeze. It made you buck your hips and drop them, making your slick lips come into contact with his beard. Your yelp was sharp and followed by multiple curses as you heard Garcia laugh into your core. It didn’t matter now if he laughed, you were here, sitting on this man’s face. You dropped your hips to stifle him, calling his name as you sat. The sweet grate of his beard against your thighs and mound had you dripping.

Santiago had never seen you so feral. He was throbbing as he watched you cry out his name and felt his cock twitch when you pulled on his hair. He knew he had an effect on you but didn’t expect this. This was so much better than he could have imagined. Now that he could barely breathe, he opened his mouth, kissing your entrance before rolling his tongue around your tight hole. He estimated that he’d definitely need you come at least twice to accommodate him. He then had it pass your entrance to explore within you and he felt your strong pulses. He smirked again, hearing you scream as he went deeper before truly starting. He alternated hollowing out his cheeks to suck what felt like your uterus out of you and having his tongue press against your soft core. He was concerned for a moment that you may pull out a chunk of his hair, the way you were using his head to steady yourself as you grinded into his face. When he was pulling his tongue back to suck again, you screamed his name again and gushed, soaking his face, beard and neck. He drank as if he'd come in from a desert and you were the first source of water he’d come across. When your body relaxed, you fell forward and he slid from under you to lay next to you. Your face was sweaty and some of your hair was sticking to your forehead, one of your hands weakly came up to your face in an attempt to hide it but he grabbed it and kissed it gently.

“You asked me to strip so no hiding hermosa (gorgeous). You had your beloved friction?” He teased and you smiled, shaking your head. He didn’t forget that you said that. He remembers all the wrong things. He set your hand down on the bed and rubbed your back, “Ready for more? I’m going to need at least two more from you.” He explained and your eyes went wide. 

“I might have one…and that’s being generous of me. Why two?” You managed to prop yourself on your elbows but were still on your stomach. His hand continued to rub your back and slowly went to your ass, then a finger slipped into your sensitive sex, making you gasp. “Y-You need to warn someone when you do that…”

“That’s why, you’re a little too tight.” He kissed your shoulder and licked your ear, “those boys you’ve dealt with and your toys don’t prepare you for me querida.” His finger pumped slowly and as it reached deeper he added a second one, making you lift your right knee to allow yourself to open more. The squelching noises coming from your cunt had you whine as you gaze up at Santiago who was watching you, his gaze heavy. “I wonder which chord your pussy plays to angel?” He licked his lips and nibbled on your ear again before speaking again, “Em?” His fingers pumped into your straight, “how about C?” He curved his fingers slightly and your hips snapped, you opened your legs even wider as you began to wiggle against the mattress. 

Santiago stopped his fingers for a moment and flipped you on your back before adding a third finger and curling his fingers even more, “How about G?” His eyes were dancing, watching you pant from just his hand. You’re saying his name, but babbling angrily at him. He finds it adorable that you still have it in you to be angry. You could hold a grudge. He’ll fuck it right out of you. His free hand roams your wide stomach as you pull on the sheets around you and your legs continue to part for him, feet planted into the mattress as you move your hips with his fingers. He leans over you and kisses you gently to which you release the sheets and grab his head, digging into his curls again, biting his bottom lip. He draws back deciding to finish you. He wants to watch you as you climax this time, “let me give you chord D cariño.” Santiago crosses two of his fingers over each other, bends them slightly, hitting your spongy sensitive tissue. Your hands let go of his hair and grasp his forearms, digging your nails into them and you groan with your second climax, it feels stronger than the first as your back arches. He revels in watching your mouth wide open spilling with his name repeatedly, even the pain from your nails is welcome. He’s not normally into it being a bit rough, but he senses that you might not be aware of what you’re doing. He wouldn’t mention it now. Something else to tease you with later. 

Slowly you feel his fingers leave your drenched cunt, you feel like you’re floating but exhausted. Your eyes flutter, but you watch as he licks his fingers, hearing him moan as he does. It had your core stirring again. Having him take you apart, break you even though you planned to be much more assertive, initially you weren’t happy about it, but he’d done nothing except pleasure you since you’d ask him to strip. “S-Santi, do you want me to…” Your eyes trailed down to his swollen and dripping cock which looked thicker than any you’d had, even your dildos. You were understanding more why he made sure to prepare you first. 

“Not tonight. I bet you’re still pissed at me for teasing you. I know you hold onto a grudge like a dog with a bone, angel. You'll be a little less mad after I finish with you.” He rubbed his beard against your soft stomach before settling between your legs, “Ah! Damn it, I need a condom. I’ll have to go to my room, I have some-” His face went from smoldering to panicked, then to confusion as you reached down and gently gripped the head of his dick.

“I have an IUD Santiago. I’m not mad but, you’re not taking your cock out of me until it’s soft. I will be livid if you do.” His eyes were wide as your knees parted further and you brought his head to your entrance. He placed his hand over yours and moved it gingerly. You watched as he looked up at you.

“I didn’t realize you were such a dangerous woman. As my angel wants.” Santiago slid into your wet cunt halfway, watching you to see if you had any discomfort. It was slight, only from the stretch, he was so girthy. You growled at him.

“You’re not all the way in are you? I’m fine. Just move, Please Santi…” That famous grin spread over his face as he pushed forward until his hips were flush with yours. “Yes…that’s it…fuck it’s so much. This was in those damn pants? It isn’t enough that  you have that ass?” You managed a small giggle, reaching your hands to cup his face. “Fuck me while you kiss me with this beard you sexy bastard.”

“You’re so damn kinky cariño. I love it and you, too.” His lips crashed into yours as he started his pace, not bothering with slow as he drew back and gave deep thrusts that kept hitting your cervix. Moans between the two of you had your lips swollen as you kept needing to either bite, suck or release cries. His hands moved from your stomach to your knees, bending your legs back and tipping your hips upward slightly, hitting an entirely different angle. Santiago was up on his knees and had moved out of your reach so you placed your hands over his that were on the back of your knees. Between him rutting into you and the bending you were doing to try and touch any part of him, your insides were quivering again. You were close again already. 

“S-Santi..It’s…” You stuttered, in between your whines. He nodded as he felt you starting to clamp around him, he felt his balls tightening. Dropping one of your knees, he wrapped an arm around your back to bring you close to him, one hand went to his soft curls, now drenched with sweat and the other held the back of his neck as your thumb ran across his temple and grazed his beard. With a few more pumps, Santiago spilled into you, groaning into a rough kiss with you, his teeth nearly colliding with yours if you hadn’t had your tongue run along them. The sensation of him filling your core, had your third orgasm begin. Pope slowly dragged his softening cock along your walls to extend it, he kissed trailed down your neck. When both of your bodies stopped moving, Santi gave it a minute and went to pull out to which you wrapped your legs around him. 

“Not yet. Just inside, a little longer Santi.” You cooed, kissing his shoulder. He nodded and held you, as the both of you soaked in each other’s warmth. When you removed your arms from him, he took that to mean that he could move which he did. He went to your bathroom as you tried to sit up. He looked back to you and quickly motioned for you to stay on the bed. He returned with a warm washcloth after whipping himself off and opened your legs. The cool air had you let out a quiet sigh. 

“Careful, you keep sounding like that, I may have you ride my face again angel.” You laughed knowing you didn’t have the strength to do so no matter how tempting it sounded. He carefully wiped, making you flinch as your cunt was swollen and sensitive. Once he finished, he helped you sit up and helped you to the bathroom. After the clean up was done, you both returned to bed, getting under the sheets, you laid next to Santi  and twirled a finger in his curls. “Ven aquí (come here) cariño. You enjoy yourself?” He pulled your upper body onto his chest, preferring to be face to face with you.

“I did. I’m going to be sore for a few days, but it’s worth it.” A soft smile graces your face as does Santi’s. You peck his lips and lay your head on his chest. His laugh vibrates throughout his chest. His hands are once again on your back, stroking it. It’s relaxing. 

“Good to know I’m worth it angel. I was starting to think all your staring had you rethinking my beard.” You poked out your bottom lip and pinched his bicep. His hands grabbed your hips and jiggled the extra flesh you had on them. 

“You could have just asked you damn tease.” 

“Nah. I had to make you work for it a bit. I’m not an easy man cariño.” He kissed your forehead as his hands traveled back up to your back. 

“You’re near impossible is what you are, Santiago. You’re lucky I love you.”

“Yeah, that I do know querida. I love you too.” A comfortable silence fell over the two of you in each other’s arms, fully exposed to each other finally. 

Music from the fic:

Santi's Peaches 🍑: @for-a-longlongtime @legendary-pink-dot @maggiemayhemnj @morallyinept @megamindsecretlair @pedritapascal @rhoorl @dameron-grant-spector @pamasaur @sin-djarin @i-own-loki @soft-persephone @soft-girl-musings @readingiskeepingmegoing @saturn-rings-writes @yorksgirl @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @musings-of-a-rose @heareball @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @magpiepills @trulybetty @wannab-urs @pedroshotwifey @missladym1981 @agentjackdaniels

[xetswan]

The Switch of Daylight-

Heartbreak and Wolves

(Alice? x Reader x Jasper?)

[two] [three] [four]

At the end of the school day, I watched as Edward takes Bella’s hand, guiding her to the woods. I knew he felt me there, watching him. I felt his relief as I didn’t go to stop it from happening. I should’ve but a part of me was extremely hopeful that Bella being upset would truly stop him.

Boy was I wrong.

I felt a gust of wind from behind me, my bedroom window open.

I slowly walk into my room, all there was, was a letter on the ground.

Not even the decency of saying goodbye in person. I get a handwritten letter.

I stare at it but I don’t go to it. I don’t move my legs to grab it. Instead I let it sit there. I turn out of the room and into the living room.

My body was hard as a rock.

Fragile like porcelain glass. It stayed still.

I knew what the letter meant. They were gone.

They left and I didn’t even knew what that meant for us.

Any of us.

I then realized that Bella was all alone in the woods. I quickly snapped out of my mood and ran out of the door.

I heard Charlie’s cop car speeding down the road so I rushed into the trees.

Listening for my sister. Once I locked into her whimpers of cries, tripping down to the ground I sped up.

Rushing to her.

How could he leave alone like this?

How could they do this to her?

“Bella…” I whisper out, hearing her but not seeing her. I start to freak out, not realizing she was behind a tree on the ground.

“Bella.” I fall down beside her.

“He left!” She hyperventilated. I grab her, and she clings onto me.

“They left.” She cries out, I stay silent, rubbing her back. Letting her cry it out. We sat together on the dirt ground.

After moments that felt like minutes, that I knew have been hours she finally sits up and looks at me.

“You knew?” She hiccuped and my eyebrows lifted a tiny bit.

“You knew didn’t you?” She pushes off of me, falling backwards. “I didn’t-“

“Don’t lie to me, [Name], you knew.” She states, not asking anymore.

“No, I mean yes. I did, but listen.” I stick my hands out trying to reason with her but she shut me out.

“Why didn’t you tell me? We- I could’ve stopped them. We could’ve changed their minds.” Her eyes start to water once again, I didn’t even know that someone could cry this much.

“Bella I tried.” I frown.

“Not hard enough, we could’ve done it somehow!” She argued. I just stared at her.

“We could’ve- we could’ve…”

“No, Bella.” I go to touch her but she pushes away from me. My hand freezes in the air.

“Go away.”

She lays down, I shake my head.

“I’m staying with you.” I sit still. “[Name], please.” She mumbles, getting onto her side and staying there.

“I can’t just leave you in the woods Bella.” I sigh.

“Just leave, [Name]! Please, go!” She screams, sitting up for a moment only to fall back down.

It reminds me of when we were kids and she pushed me away unintentionally. Being an older sister I guess it’s normal to push away the younger one.

Yelling at me to get out of her room, that I’m ruining her life by trying to hang out with her and her friends.

The flashbacks of us being little girls.

Then those flashbacks of my lives before rush into my mind. Always having older siblings, being brothers or sisters. Them shouting at me to go away. I stare at her, she doesn’t look up at me and as instinct I go away.

Not to the house but just away.

I go to the stores down by the reservation. Just wanting a minute to myself.

Not remembering the fact that my dad thinks I’m at home sick right now.

My mind getting flooded with all the memories I have of my past lives. My head starting to pound. I sit down on a bench outside of a library. I hold my head, remembering too many things at once.

Seeing the Cullin’s faces too many times.

Over and over again.

My child from one of my past lives.

My deaths over and over again.

My families as they mourned over my body.

Alice and Jasper that somehow got to me right before I died.

Or were almost there but it was too late.

Feeling the fear that inducted inside of me every single time my fate had came.

I should be dead right now.

I am dead right now but for some reason I still am living.

I hated the feeling of not feeling my heart beat or not having the warmth of living.

My lungs filling with air.

Instead I have cold dead silence.

It doesn’t even feel right panicking because my heart doesn’t quicken in pace.

It stays still. I grab onto my chest and I want to just grab at my heart.

“[Name].” A voice shocks me out of my phase.

“Hm?” I glance upward to see a man in a uniform. He looked familiar.

“You gave your dad a spook. Same with your sister. Can you come with me?” He lends a hand but instead of taking I just nod and stand up.

“Sorry, I needed fresh air.” I chuckled. “And for my sister, I haven’t seen her.” I lie. He nods.

“Ah, understandable. Well to me at least. I’m sure your dad is going to have a lecture waiting for you two at home.” He warns me, I smile at him, following him to his car.

“Hey, this is Erin, I’ve found the younger Swan sister.” He calls over the radio. I get into the backseat and he rushes to the drivers seat.

“Bella hasn’t been found?” I sit up straighter. “Yeah, I’m sure she’s just like you and needed some fresh air.” He assures me.

Pulling into my house’s driveway I see my dad on the porch sitting down. I get out of the car quickly right as someone opens the door.

“[Name], why weren’t you at the house?” He stands up, immediately bringing me into his arms.

“I’m sorry, I forgot to leave a note.” I apologize, he squeezes onto me just like he did when I came home from being missing.

I felt my shoulder go wet and I realized he was crying. Or trying not to cry.

“It’s like you girls love giving me heart attacks.” He sniffs. He wipes his tears before letting go of me.

Staring at him like this reminds me of how Alice and Jasper were just asking me to fake my own death.

Him reacting to us just going missing I could never do that to him.

“I’m sorry. Have you guys found Bella?” I ask quietly. “Not yet.” He clears his throat, standing up straighter.

Then at the edge of the woods, Sam Uley comes out carrying Bella. Sam, I haven’t seen him since I was a kid. I had the biggest crush on him when I was younger.

“It’s Sam Uley. He found her.” Billy speaks up.

Charlie bolts over to them, I’ve never seen him move this fast. He wraps his arms around Bella, lifting her from the attractive man.

“Thank you, Sam. Thank God.” I hear my dad say, Billy comes over to me and I give a small smile.

Charlie carries my sister into the house.

Harry and Billy give Sam and nod. He does the same thing and goes to back away.

I went to follow after him but Billy grabs onto my wrist.

Before I acknowledge Billy, I watch Jacob come into view of everything and he wants to chase after my dad and sister but he knows that it’s not time yet.

Charlie just got her in his arms.

I then watch him awkwardly make eye contact with Sam in passing, quickly looking away as fast as he looked at him.

“He knows. About you. He doesn’t like it.” Billy speaks up as he knew I was going to go after Sam, he shakes his head. I frown, glancing over at the man.

“But I- Please.” I pleaded with him. Billy sighs. “I can’t stop you.” He lets me go and I run after the bigger man.

“Sam! Sammy!” I call, now jogging up to him and I caught up.

“Go away, [Name].” He grunts.

“That’s no way to greet an old friend.” I lightheartedly joke. We were now away from everyone. No one could hear us.

“[Name]-“

“How come you know what I am?” I cut him off. His body freezes in place.

“You can’t smell me?” He questions me and I sniff the air, looking around.

“I smell wet dog but what does that have to do with anything?” I fold my arms.

“You really are clueless? The Cullin’s didn’t tell you anything about us?” He asks as if that’s going to make me know anything.

“Us?” I stammer, confused as ever.

“Werewolves?” He says. I furrow my brows and go to laugh.

“Werewolves?” I repeat him in disbelief.

“You can’t believe werewolves are real being what you are?” He rebuttals in a disgusted way.

“I can’t even believe what I am is real.” I sadly say, watching his face drop a little bit.

“You didn’t want to become what you are?” He tilts his head.

“Who does?” I strain out a laugh. “I didn’t have a choice. It was either this or death.” I inform him. He doesn’t say anything.

“You believe it should’ve been death. I understand.” I smile sadly.

“No, it’s not that.” He lets out a breath.

“I just wish this didn’t happen to you out of all people.” He steps closer to me, touching my shoulder, he jolts from how cold I am but he keeps it there.

“Sorry I didn’t come see you sooner.” He sincerely says. My eyes brighten, staring back into his own orbs. “I was in transitioning.” He explains.

“I forgive you-“ “[Name]!” Billy yells after me. I glance back.

“Can we talk another time?” I ask him, he was staring back at Billy and then at me. “I… don’t know about that.” He hesitantly responds.

“Please.” Wind blows past us and his scent hits me strongly. I didn’t even really notice it until he pointed it out. It really smells like a wet dog.

“Tomorrow night, come to the rez.” He takes his hand off my shoulder and then I notice the warmth that I felt went away. Now I’m back to the coldness.

“Okay, I’ll be there around 8:30.” I tell him as he starts jogging, kicking off into a run.

I go back to my house, Jacob comes up to me.

“Where did you two go?” He nudges me. “I uh, I needed some air.” I felt dazed.

“I’ll talk to you later.” I gently patted his arm, walking off into the house.

“[Name], can you get her dressed into something comfortable?” He asks, I nod, going upstairs to Bella’s room.

She was laying down staring at the window across from her bed.

“Let’s get you dressed in something not covered in dirt.” I tell her, going into her dresser and pulling out a sweater and leggings.

“Why didn’t you go with them?” Her voice rasps out. I take a breath in.

“I couldn’t leave you or dad.” I tell honestly. Shutting her door, I threw the clothes down next to her and I help her sit up.

“My body feels like collapsing.” She whispers.

“I’m here to catch you.” I say back.

Masterlist: A&J

Two and three are shorter than I’d like but the rest shouldn’t be. Heheh Sam is a fine man😻 love square???? LMAO

[cyn-write]

The Little Cecelia - Chapter 2: Summer’s End

Summery - Every 100 years, the spirit of the Great Seven and their Rival return. Sometimes, they attempt to right the wrongs of the past, get revenge, or relive the same story, but it all is the same - only one spirit gets their Happily Ever After. Azul has always had a fascination with the human world, which only intensified once he met a human girl, Grace Trien. His desires to become a Great Mage of both Land and Sea and to explore the human world and all its wonders with the Tweels and Grace by his side, but Prince Rielle is willing to do what ever it takes to stop the little Cecelia from getting his Happy Ending.

Chapter 2 - Azul and Grace make a promise; Rielle reveals his true motives

Prev - Master List

Pairing - Azul Ashengrotto x F!Oc (Grace Trein)

Tags/Warning - Friends to Lovers; Bullying; Self-deprecating (Azul); Grace is Trein's daughter; Rielle is awful; Octomer discrimination

Notes - I have been working on this for a very long time, and I hope you enjoy it! Grace Trein is based off my Oc Grace Wilde so if you want to learn more about her click the link, but you can replace her name when reading if you want to read it as Yuu or another name. This is only the second chapter of 11, so if you enjoy this and want to be tagged or have questions, please let me know! This is also on Ao3 if you want to follow it over there. Comments, likes, and Reblogs are appreciated!

After that faithful day, Azul and the tweels decided to make the grotto their new home, only making occasional visits to Alentica (Azul still feared what Rielle would do if he saw him there). The grotto had everything they needed and easy access to Grace, their new friend. She visited them every afternoon after “lessons” with a basket of food, books, and interesting contraptions. Over the hot, summer months, the four played in the waters and lounged in the comfort of their cave. As they played and relaxed, Azul and the Tweels learned much about human culture and Grace’s home, and she learned much about theirs.

Grace was the only daughter of the Lord Mouz Trein, Head of the Trein Family. Her Mama passed from a strange disease, which led to her Papa moving the family to their summer home in an attempt to “start fresh.” Her Papa worked a lot and paid her and her three brothers little mind after his wife’s death, but that meant it was easy for Grace to sneak away from the Villa and down to the beach as long as she did her work. Azul and the tweels often helped her with her work and learned alongside her.

The summer was like a dream.

But all good things come to an end.

One day, when the air was starting to turn nippy, Azul and the twins waited for Grace in the cave. She was late, which was odd for the punctual girl. Eventually, a little after the sun became visible from the cave, Grace arrived with head held low and basket drooping in her arms.

“Shrimpy!” Floyd exclaimed and swam towards her (He gave her that affectionate nickname since she often wore pink dresses and bows that were reminiscent of shrimp). His smile quickly turned to a frown when he saw her red-rimmed eyes, “Shrimpy? What’s wrong?”

Azul and Jade swam towards her, joining Floyd in concern. Azul crawled up to the beach and used his tentacles to walk around like legs. He held out his hand in concern and saw the tears brimming her eyes, “What happened? Did your brothers hurt you? Were the maids mean to you again?”

Grace looked at her friends, and the tears started to spill, “P-Papa *hic* Papa’s sending me away. H-he’s making me go to boarding school-“ she stated to cry, dropping her basket and hugging Azul tightly.

“T-they’re sending you away?” Azul felt like his nightmares were coming true. His friend was leaving him. “W-why?”

“Yeah Shrimpy? Why is your Papa sending you away?” Floyd asked as he crawled onto the beach with Jade.

Grace kept hugging Azul while Jade and Floyd hugged her legs, “H-he said *hic* p-proper young girls go to B-boarding schools to become *hic* young Ladies.” She let go of Azul and brushed away her tears with her eyes, “He said since Mom c-can’t teach me about being a lady. I have to learn from school…”

“I thought you got lessons here? What have we been helping you with?” Jade asked, letting go of her legs.

“That was just summer school. He said my lessons have-have prepared me for real school… but-but it is not lol bad, he said I’ll be back next summer!” She tried to smile through the tears as she spoke.

“When do you leave?” Azul asked, holding back his own tears to the best of his ability.

Grace was silent. She looked down at her skirt and started to fidget. She could not look into any of their eyes as she said, “T-the carriage leaves tomorrow morning…”

All were silent for a moment, processing what that statement meant.

Azul was the first to speak, “tomorrow morning? T-this is the last time we’ll see you…”

That made her turn to Azul, putting her hands onto his shoulders and looking him in the eyes, “Not the last time, Papa promised I’ll be back next summer,” She said in a comforting voice, “and he said I only have to go until I turn 18! He said that once I’m 18, I can be introduced to proper society and can assist him with his duties until I take over the household!” She tired to cheer up her friends, “That means I can stay here forever after I finish school!”

“How long until you’re 18?” Jade asked.

“7 more summers,” She held up her fingers and smiled, “And while I’m gone, I can learn more about human society and bring you guys cool stuff! Like books and coins and instruments, anything I can find!”

Azul looked over Grace. She was putting on a strong face for them. He could see the tears shining in corners of her eyes, the forced smile, and the was she seemed to shiver constantly. She was scared.

He put his hands over Grace’s and nodded, “Promise you’ll come back?”

Grace nodded, “I promise, as long as you don’t forget me?”

Azul nodded, and Floyd spoke, “We wouldn’t forget our Shrimpy!”

Grace then removed her hands and went to her basket, “I have presents for you! So you definitely won’t forget me,” she took out 3 objects, a rectangle in cloth, a circle in cloth, and a small bag. She handed each of them to her friends. Jade got the rectangle, Floyd the circle, and Azul the bag. Before she could say anything, Floyd ripped off the cloth, “They are trinkets to remember me by.”

Floyd held a golden compact. He opened it and looked into the mirror, “Ohhh! Shiny!”

“I knew you would like something shiny, and that is the shiniest thing in my room! If you look on the outside, there are little gems that make up the constellation of Ursa Major and Minor!” She pointed out to Floyd, who ran his claws over them with excitement. He then tackled Grace into a hug.

“Thank you!!” He said eagerly as Grace hugged him back. Jade opened his next, and it was a leather storybook in a chest. The cover was green with gold lettering, which read, ‘Tales of the Twelve Kingdoms.’

“It’s a storybook my Papa gave me for 8th birthday,” She let go of Floyd and knelt next to Jade, opening the book and pointing to the little notes she left in the edges of the pages, “I wrote notes on my favorite stories, and you can add ones to yours and we can talk about them when I get back.” She said.

Jade smiled, “Thank you, Grace, I can’t wait to read them.” He said softly and hugged her. Jade enjoyed discussing land history with Grace, and she enjoyed his observations and questions. The gift made perfect sense in Azul’s mind. When Jade released her, she went over to Azul and nodded for him to open the gift.

Azul opened the bag and saw the bracelet she wore on the day they met. He ran his fingers over the jewels and the words, as he did on the day they met. “Your bracelet…”

Grace took it and then fixed it to his wrist. It had to go on the end loop to fit around his chubby wrist, and it was a little tight, but it fit. “Yeah, so I can be with you all day. And if you have to deal with bullies again, or if you're sad, I can be there, even if it is just in spirit.”

Azul felt a tear spill. He hated crying in front of Grace, but he couldn’t help it. He hugged her tightly, and she returned the tight embrace.

Then Azul got an idea. He let her go and said “w-wait here,” before returning to the water and swimming back into the grotto.

He had cleaned up the old grotto considerably and organized almost all the trinkets with the tweels. But he kept his favorite trinkets in a chest next to his new octopot. He opened the chest and removed the shell necklaces he found his first day in the Grotto and a brown spellbook he had been studying. He quickly swam back to see Grace sharing some snacks it’s the tweels. She had her usual smile on her face again, and Azul did his best to memorize it.

They noticed him resurface and watched him as he crawled onto the beach. Grace was sitting on a picnic blanket and Azul sat next to her. He held out the shell necklace with his hands and said “I-I think I have a way to stay in contact despite the distance…” He opened the spellbook with one of his tentacles and flipped to a certain spell he underlined. “H-Hold out your hands”

Grace nodded and did as she was told. He placed the shell necklace in her hands then he held out his wrist with the bracelet next to them. She held the shell delicately in the same manner he held her bracelet the first time they met.

He had been studying the spell for a while, but now it was time to put it into practice, “For this to work, y-you need to repeat after me, okay?”

Grace nodded, “Okay.”

The twins watched with curious eyes as Azul began the spell, “Aruba-sprula Winds of the deepest sea,”

“Aruba-sprula winds of the deepest sea,”

“Verossa Mecora connected these shall be,” purple smoke emulated from the shell and bracelet and swirled around their outstretched limbs.

“Verossa Mecora connected these shall be.” Grace starred at their hands in awe. She was magicless (another trait her brothers used to poke fun at her), but magic fascinated her.

The purple smoke entered into the objects, causing them to glow. That signaled the end of the spell. The group stayed quiet for a moment before Azul spoke up, “If you ever want to talk to us, just say Verossa Mecora and have your hand on the shell and it will work as a communicator between us.”

Grace gingerly held the necklace to her chest. “Azul, I-I can’t thank you enough,” She held it towards him and asked, “Can you help me put it on?”

Azul nodded, finding words hard currently, and took the necklace. She turned around and held up her hair. He was shaking as he put the necklace around her pretty pale neck. All three of his hearts raced as he did so, causing his cheeks to turn blue.

The twins kept silent but gave him the ‘oh we are going to tease you later’ look, which made him even more flustered.

With the necklace around her neck, Grace turned back around with the biggest smile. “Now we definitely won’t lose touch.” She hugged Azul again and said, “Thank you, you’re the best friends I could ever ask for.”

Azul hugged her back, his grip tight around her waist. The twins joined into the hug as well. Eventually, they returned to normal, enjoying what little time they had left together.

None of them wanted the night to end, but when sunset came and Grace had to leave. The goodbyes were hard.

“Shrimpy don’t go! You can stay with us! Please!” Floyd said as he squeezed Grace.

“I would if I could, but Papa says I have to,” Grace squeezed him back before pulling away, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back next summer! And I’ll bring so many new shinnies!”

“Hmm…” Floyd let go and said “fine… but when you come back, I am going to squeeze the lights out of ya to make up for lost time!”

“I can’t wait!” Grace let Floyd go and turned to his brother.

Jade was next, and his hug, while not as tight as Floyd’s, it still held the same sentiment, “Be careful, and promise to bring back lots more books.”

Grace giggled and said, “I promise, you better bring some good books too! We can swap and talk all about our favorites!”

Jade nodded and gave her a final squeeze before releasing her.

Finally, it was Azul’s turn. They were dangerously close to the entrance of the cave, but Azul wanted to be with her as long as he could. She held her arms open to Azul, and they embraced with some of his tentacles wrapped around her as well, while others helped him stay up.

“I wish I could go with you…” Azul whispered to her.

“I wish you could too… all of you…” Grace said. She squeezed him once before leaning back, “maybe one day, we'll find a way. Then, I can introduce you to my dad and Eli, and Anthony and Danny too, I guess.”

Azul nodded and then looked down at himself, “I would like that… One day, we can go and explore the human world together.” ‘One day, I will be strong enough to stay with you...’

Grace giggled again and said, “Yeah, then you could show me your world!” The shell necklace was hugged between their chest, “I promise to talk to you every day before bed! And when I come back next summer, I will be a young lady and show you all of the amazing things we talk about!”

Azul felt his hearts swell as he looked into her enchanting green eyes, “And I promise to become a great mage! And a gentleman! A-and when you come back, I will show you all the magic I learned! I will be a brand-new Azul!”

Grace brushed a hand along the long strand of hair and said, “I know you will, but promise not to change to much, I like the Azul right in front of me too.”

His blush intensified and he pulled her close again, nestling his head into her hair. He wanted to remember this moment eternally. “It’s a deal… I’ll miss you so much.”

“Me too Azul,” She hugged him so tight her hands almost touched behind his back. “Me too…”

“GRACE!” A woman’s voice called, “GRACE! YOUR FATHER WANTS YOU AT DINNER!”

The embrace ended and Grace looked around the corner to the beach, “I have to go… Goodbye friends…” She said and ran around the corner.

“Goodbye Grace…” Azul said softly.

The tweels exchanged knowing glances and snickered, “She is really something, huh Zul?” Floyd said.

“She certainly is..” Azul peeked around the corner and watched as her pink bow grew smaller and smaller into the distance.

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

It has been two days since Grace left and she kept to her promise, so he vowed to keep his.

He swore to become a great mage and gentleman, so he decided to return to Alentica to go to school again, as much as it scared him.

The tweels had gone to see their parents who lived just outside Alentica so Azul was alone as he stealthily swam home. He managed to stay out of sight and was coming up with excuses to give to his mother as to explain his prolonged absence, but it was apparently unneeded.

It was gone. Everything was just gone.

Azul’s hearts sunk to the deepest part of the sea. His childhood home and his mother’s restaurant were desolate.

“W-what happened?” He swam up to where the hosts podium use to stand and saw just sand, there was nothing left. Everything was gone. “Mom? MOM? DAD? W-WHERE ARE YOU?”

Azul’s cries vibrated through the empty dining hall. He swam all through the kitchen and dining area before zooming upstairs to his home. He threw open the door and saw nothing. The furniture was gone, all the pots and pans nowhere to be seen, and all that’s left is a single picture. Azul zoomed around, calling out for his Mom, Step-dad, anyone! But no one answered. Azul went back to the living room and picked up the picture, it was a baby picture of him, his mom, and his step-dad. They were posing in front of the restaurant on the opening day. He couldn’t be more than a few months old in the picture, but his parents looked so happy.

Azul sunk down to the floor and clutched the picture close to his chest as he wailed. They were gone. They left him. He was…alone.

A few moments later, Azul saw a shadow swim over him and laugh.

“Funny, your mom made the same face when she was thrown out of Alentica without you.” Rielle smirked as he swam around Azul, “She cried and cried asking where her little fry was, but no one knew, so they just told her you were eaten by sharks.”

Azul looked up at the red-haired prince with his shiny green tail. “Why? What happened to her? Where’s my MOM?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear? Not long after you disappeared to the shore, King Tremor exiled all Octomers from the city of Alentica. Which, ya know, included your mom and her business. We gave your Step-father a chance to stay if he left her, but he went on about how she was his soulmate and wouldn’t leave her due to some silly, inhumane law yada yada. So he went with her. Sad to see a good lawyer leave, but as dad says, it must be done.” Rielle explained with a smile.

“W-why? Why did you exile all Cecelia? What have we done to-“

“Have you forgotten the curse?” Rielle circled closer to Azul, “The curse of the Sea Witch? Of all the Seven? Every 100 years, the spirits of the Sea Witch and the Mermaid Princess would return and bring about change. Whether is be vengeance for their past or righting the wrongs of their predecessor, only one of the returning souls will get their happily ever after. And seeing as I am the Mermaid Princess’ descendent, it is likely I have her soul, while the Sea Witch was a Octomer, so to protect the kingdom, and me, father decided to get rid of the problems before it starts and send them all far, far away.” Rielle gestured his hand away from him as he spoke.

Azul felt anger boil up inside his stomach and he glared at the prince, “Y-you monster. Why? Why Me? Why all of this? I have done nothing to you-“

“Oh yes you have!” Rielle got close to Azul and swam into him, making Azul back up. “You are my nemesis, my fated enemy, the one who can take away my happy ending, unless I take it away from you first.” A pale finger pokes Azul in the chest as he says, “The only Octmer child born in Alentica around the same time as me is you. You have to be the Sea Witch Spirit. You always got the best grades without even trying, magic comes easy to you, and you’re just so… pathetic. You have to be the Sea Witch. Which means you’re. My. Villain.”

Rielle backed away from Azul and smiled, “And, I’m the hero, and heroes always win. So, swim back to wherever you came from, curl up into you’re octopot, and never swim a tentacle into Alentica. Again.” Rielle started to swim away, but Azul had enough. One of his tentacle’s grabbed Rielle’s tail and slammed him into the ground.

Azul’s eyes were filled to the brim with rage, “You messed with the wrong Cecelia. One day. I will be on top. I will be the one making the rules. And I will take away. Every. Single. Thing. You hold dear.”

Rielle just laughed and jerked his tail away, “Azul, you don’t get it do you.” He leaned in and said, “I am a prince. You are nothing. Smarts and what every else you have will never be enough. I will be a King. And you,” he laughed, “You will be lucky to lick the sand off my fin.”

Rielle swam away calling, “See ya in the boneyard, Octo-twerp.”

Azul lifted his fist into the air and called out, “I-I’ll win! One day, I will have everything and you will have nothing! I-I will be more powerful than you! On land and sea! And when you come crawlin, begging me for help. I will laugh in your face! You’ll SEE!” He looked out the window and glared at Alentica, the city that spited him and that he will crush under his tentacles, “You’ll see.”

That night Azul swore he would conquer land and sea. He would be so powerful that no one could make him feel weak and useless ever again.

He would get his happily ever after no matter the cost.

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

Tag List: @twistedcece @thisisafish123 @coffee-or-hot-cocoa

Note: Please Like, Reblog, and Follow for more! If you are interested in seeing more or want to get tagged, please let me know! Comments, likes, and Reblogs are appreciated! (Do not Steal)

[the-avengers-ate-my-tongue]

State Of Disgrace (smut)

Summary: Being a Roy is harder than it looks.

Shipp: Kendall Roy x Cousin!Reader, Roman Roy x Cousin!Reader

Words: 2699k

Disclaimer: SMUT! it's not really proofread, I have to say, but I kinda like the way it came out.

I was five and he was six. We rode on horses made of sticks. He wore black and I wore white, he would always win the fight. 

I used to shoot him down.

Being a child was easy enough. Being a Roy child, however, was a bit more capricious than a regular household.

My mother died in childbirth. She was a lovely woman by the eyes of friends, a gold digger by the malicious judgements of others. Nevertheless, for me, she was nothing but a stranger. My father was Alistair Roy, the youngest brother of my uncle Logan, who tragically also died of extreme sadness due the loss of my mother. 

Some called it depression. I used to call it his swan song.

I moved in with Logan Roy at the raw age of two. Before that, I'd never even met him. My father, before his tragic passing, was just like uncle Ewan, you see. He avoided any further familiar contact with the capitalist monster and ruler of the empire of disgrace Waystar was to them. 

Uncle Logan was not a warm man. His wife, Caroline, was even worse. So, every warmth needed by a two year old was entirely given by my older cousins — whom I had also never met before — and Roman.

Roman and I had the same age, me being just a couple of months older. We grew instantly attached  hip to hip, so much everyone else started to call us "the twins". It was not, however, a praise title, but a Shakespearean war name, for ever since we'd got enough motor skills, we began to explore the vast world that extended to the huge grounds of our mansion. Then Siobhan came, a needy, smiley little girl that resembled her father so much. Connor and Kendall were excited with their new sister; I feared the small ounces of attention I gained daily would be threatened by her charming toothless smile and spikey gingerish hair. And Roman, as much as he was also happy with the new sister, shared the same inconscient dread, the crumbs he used to get from his mother as the youngest slowly fading away. That's when we got more and more agitated, gaining a few more reprimands as soon as another nanny would quit. 

I particularly remember a day where Roman and I distracted the nannies for one minute, fleeing to the pool area. It was a windy day; the crystal water trembled and rippled, the soft movements catching my clueless attention like Narcissus was caught by his reflection. However, instead of languishing away, I came too close, my balance still in development. 

The water received me with the cut of a thousand blades, cold as the feeling of danger that felt like a punch in my stomach. Roman's screams rang in my ears and, after almost half a minute submerged, it began to resemble a sorrowful howl, like a wolf pup. I was four, too young to fully comprehend what was happening, too old to suppress the memory of peace that instilled in my heart. I was no longer the sad little orphan, the spare suitcase that couldn't find its place.

Roman's howls were gone. In an instant, I would lose my sight as well. The deep, vast blue of the pool water and the tiles, the reflection of light on the surface above me were the only things I could see. My lungs, a few moments ago burning up with the invasion of that intruder substance, were now obsolete and dispensable. My body felt feeble and, for a moment, I was only pure conscience. 

It was right at that moment that Roman's face came to my mind. How could I ever leave him? We were parts of the same molding, made of the same matter. How could I allow him to carry the guilt of my accidental death for the rest of his life? 

That was not my call, though. I couldn't swim. If it wasn't for Connor, who was bringing some girl over to the infamous little pool house and heard Roman's cries for help, I would be dead and buried. I can still remember the feeling of the water being launched out of my lungs through my sore throat, the desperate sound of coughing and the tears that stained Roman's face while he stared at me still in panic with the prospect of losing me. That's precisely when I just knew we belonged together, as kindred souls, platonic or not.

Unfortunately, I would also find out later in life I would do anything in my power to feel that kind of lugubrious peace again. Furthermore, that state of disgrace would also bring me closer to another one of my cousins. 

Seasons came and changed the time. When I grew up, I called him mine.

He would always laugh and say

"Remember when we used to play?"

Restless adolescence. I began sipping on drinks when uncle Logan or Caroline weren't paying enough attention, developing quite a taste for neat whiskey. At thirteen, I drank (and cursed) like a middle aged sailor. At fifteen, all the alcohol was locked up and the waiters were instructed to keep an eye on me at parties. 

It was also the age of fickle flings and steamy makeouts with any boy who gave me enough attention — or enough booze. Never been much of a fan of stimulants, but the barbiturates… They were my bestest friends, knocking me out sometimes for a whole day, making the world seem distorted and distant from my usual cold reality. There was no one left to acknowledge my problems; Connor had moved out, Kendall was at Harvard and Logan had sent Roman to a military boarding school to try and cut a bit of our almost symbiotic connection. Shiv was penetrating the fearsome gates of puberty, so no one was able to keep a two minute conversation with her anymore. The nannies or maids weren't paid enough to care, and Logan's corporative minions only extended their attention when I used business vocabulary. Once I realized that, I began to read every piece of news, fully understand what meant to rule a media conglomerate and excerpts about corporate business. It was brain porn to me. Knowledge was as addictive as the drugs and booze, and I was a junkie craving attention like a moth to a flame.

Caroline left, leaving Shiv and I as the only girls in the house. I chose to take a step to the spotlight, being able to impress whoever tried to sink in deeper with my knowledge and grownup words. She's so mature for her age. So clever. So smart. She's got class conscience. Little Y/n Roy is all grown up! Logan noticed my sudden interest and stimulated as much as he could without showing any favoritism on my behalf, bringing me to Waystar with him sometimes, allowing Gerri to guide me on whatever I wanted to know and understand when it came to business. That actually brought me closer to the blonde, austere woman; I sought a motherly figure to tend to my emotional needs like a junkie with a needle. 

I was also surprisingly good at corporative game. It was like playing poker, the one who pretends the best gets to count the cards and win. Board vision. I began to, as my Sherlock Holmes books expertly instructed, actually observe more than just see. 

A peck with the teeth in the nails. A quick lick or bite on the bottom lip. Dilated pupils, nostrils flaring. Avoiding eye contact. All signs of discomfort or vice versa became crystal clear to me, showing up like Christmas lights. That also taught me to be an even better player, and I became a virtuoso of deceit. The difficulty of interaction I had with people I hated had faded completely and now, at sixteen years old, I felt absolutely nothing but a huge void that came with being in control of all my feelings. Sentiments made me weak, I had learned. It clouds the judgment and proliferates like maggots on rotting flesh. If one loses control over it, it's gone. 

That should also include vices, so I mannered my consumption, elaborating some sort of twisted diet with small albeit enough doses. Being in control  was exhilarating, and I felt as if I was at the top of the world. Drinks? Only in parties of sorts and reunions, and a single glass. Drugs? Just to keep me concentrated or calm, nothing more. Uncle Logan began to see my improvement, and a conversation about business school had been approached. 

After a while, however, it started to get a bit dull, always knowing the right thing to say or what everyone wanted to hear. Defiance and rebellion were in my veins. Uncle Ewan told my dad he wasn't going to marry my mom; uncle Logan, so I've heard, forbid him to bring her into family gatherings. Many scenes were detailed crudely by the press over the years, painting my parents as the villains of a dynasty and uncle Logan as some sort of Zeus almighty. For weeks, I expected the perfect opportunity for misbehaving. Nothing serious enough to reach my uncle's ears, but to, at the very least, assure my conscience I was still the same Y/n Roy, daughter of Alistair and Giorgiana Roy. I was in paradise craving the forbidden fruit without even knowing how it would manifest.

Until Kendall came back from Harvard for Thanksgiving holidays. 

He looked different then, somehow cooler, more confident and laid-back than he usually was. It was kind of comic how attractive Kendall could be when he wasn't looking like he had a pine tree up his ass. After dinner, I managed to suggest an innocent gathering in my bedroom to talk about college and news from the world outside the golden cage we were usually trapped into. 

"Hey, you should try this" he suddenly pulls a small bag of cocaine from his pocket, waving it in front of my eyes like a plate of meat to a starving dog. "Seriously, this is the shit."

I laughed in contained mockery, knowing that, if Kendall somehow felt diminished, he would slip through my fingers like sand. Instead, I watch him prepare some lines to blow using one of my school notebooks as support. Two lines after and I can no longer see the greenish of his irises, black englobing everything. If possible, he looks even more confident, this sort of bellicosity making him even more appealing to me. 

I switch my crossed legs from position. His now dark eyes accompany the movement, narrowing. I'm wearing a short skirt, and the way I move my legs makes me look like I'm recreating that one famous scene from Basic Instinct. 

He stares in silence for a few seconds, studying my face, seeming to be gathering the guts to do something. 

"Do you like what you see?" I suddenly ask, new acquired courage, one of my hands traveling through my dressed body. Kendall shuts his eyes, taking a deep breath trying to restrain himself. I wait for no response, pulling one of his hands and placing it right on one of my breasts, the warmth of his touch allowing a small sigh to escape my lips.

"Y/n… what uh… what game are you playing here?" He tries to organize his thoughts, but I purr like a kitten as if that simple touch of his feels like the grasp of a flame in the coldest winter. "Oh, fuck… don't… don't do that, come on."

"Don't act like you don't want it to happen. I don't see you removing your hand" I crawl in his direction, stopping from inches of his mouth. "I want you, Ken."

"Y/n, this isn't right, I mean, I'm fucking older than you, we're cousins…"

"So? So what? Come on, Ken. Don't you ever get tired of being a fucking model to this family? Daddy's little toy soldier?" I jolted forward, sitting on his lap. He doesn't stop me. "I fucking want you. How many were brave enough to say that to your face?"

I lick my lips as I rub my hips against his and a low grunt echoes on his throat. He looks almost helpless; it's pathetic. I can feel his dick getting hard underneath the dark denim pants, and that gives me some sort of enigmatic power, like I'm a form of Venus. Kendall's hands lift my skirt, moist visible in my underwear, almost staining his pants. 

"Fuck, Y/n… how are you so wet already?" He pushes my panties aside, losing his patience and ripping it apart, making me giggle. I start humping against his pants while kissing his jawline, touching his lips with mine for the first time. He tasted like minties, cigarettes and a bit of the whiskey we drank after dinner. After that, he finally decided to let go; his tongue invaded my mouth with passion, and he made me lay down on the floor, towering over me. I pulled his shirt, throwing it across the room, sucking the sensitive spot on his neck that caused him to let out some sexy moans with his deep voice. My cunt was pulsing to the point it started to actually hurt a bit.

"I need you, Ken." I said, starting to unbutton his jeans. 

"What a greedy little thing you are" he pulls my hands away, trapping them on the floor above my head by my wrists. With the free hand, he took his dick off his pants, the tip glowing with precum. 

He finally rested between my legs, the feeling of his head against my entrance making me a bit nervous for the first time that night. I got even more wet just with the expectation, and just when I was about to rush him, he entered me without a warning, a loud moan escaping my lips. My nails carved the skin of his hand, and he hastily quieted down my whimpers with a sloppy kiss, letting go of my arms and allowing me to wrap them around him.

"You okay?" He questioned, his gorgeous green eyes looking so sweet, so concerned, that I actually felt slightly guilty of using him to achieve my own whims. With a smile, I nod, and he moves painfully slow inside me, my breathing intensifying. It hurt at the beginning, but soon, the pain started to give in, and my hips began to synchronize with his own movements like an intricate dance, sweat accumulating on my forehead. My whole skin felt hot, feverish, and my hands grabbed Kendall's ass to pull him closer, my legs wrapped around his lower back.

His breathing changed, and he squeezed my skin so rough I was sure it would leave bruises tomorrow. 

"Y/n… fuck, wait… I'm gonna…" his body began to tremble as he fastened his movements, and a louder grunt came out of him while he poured himself inside me, leaning his forehead against mine. 

Our breaths mixed up, sweat dripping out, and a now pleasant and new pain between my legs. He laid on top of me until he became too heavy to endure, rolling his body sideways afterwards, laying on the cool marbled floor. I turn down on my stomach to face him, the cold white marble alleviating the pressure on my low abdomen. He looks herculean with his hair all messed up, face glistening with small drops of sweat and a peaceful manner in his eyes, eyes no longer darkened by the drugs, but clearer like leaves on springtime. 

We kissed a few more times, talked about trivialities, and he left soon after, placing a kiss on my shoulder, too hasty to record and too soft to ignore.

The matter was hardly discussed afterwards, and I never mentioned he was my first, not even when it happened again, and again. For many years, I told no one, the secret feeling like a little barb around my lower abdomen every time I saw him. 

Until I felt safe enough to share it with Roman. But that's a story for another time. 

[normal-sea-urchin]

Casey Jones Fucking Dies: Chapter 3

i have already started on chapter 4, W my brain for actually giving me the motivation and focus to do this. also @builtlikeastickofcelery

It had been about four weeks since the... incident. Raphael was sitting in the kitchen in the lair, drinking coffee. It was around 2 A.M. and his brothers and father had yet to wake up; so he sat at the table staring at his reflection in the dark coffee. In all honesty, he was doing more thinking than drinking. He was thinking about how April had been friends with Casey. Casey who he had killed. He was thinking about how he could never tell his family. How disappointed and disgusted they would be.

"Is something troubling you my son?" the turtle's father asked, walking out of the shadows, startling Raph.

"Aah! Uh, no Sensei, I'm okay." Raph replied, lying through his teeth, hoping the eyebags on his face wouldn't rat him out. He hadn't been getting great sleep after the whole situation with that Casey Jones kid. Even if he tried, his nightmares wouldn't let him sleep uninterrupted for very long.

"Are you sure, my son?" the rat questioned, glancing down at Raph's eyebags. 

Crap. Looks like there really wasn't any hiding his lack of sleep. "Well Sensei, I guess..." Raph trailed off, trying to piece together a lie that would sound convincing to Splinter. "I guess I just feel bad for April, she's taken this death so hard." Raph lied.

"Hmmm," his father hummed, "so that is what ails you. Do not worry Raphael, April is very strong. It will take time for her to come to terms with her friend's death, but she will push through."

"Mm, thanks Sensei." Raph said, taking that speech as his cue to leave.

                _______________________

And while April mourning her friend definitely made Raph feel guiltier, he had noticed some other strange happenings in this four week period. Nothing super weird, at first it was just his action figures falling over, or a particularly cold gust of wind blowing past him during patrol.

Raphael's things started to simply, go missing as well. A sai couldn't be found right before training sessions, or his drumsticks got misplaced. Nothing too bizarre, but misplacing things was a bit out of character for the red-masked turtle. Maybe it was all a prank by Mikey, the big question was how he got into Raph's room. 

Either way, pick your poison. It wasn't too much of an inconvenience. Until the occurrences got more...peculiar. It wasn't until one day while he and his brothers were walking through the sewers, setting up security cameras for Donnie.

It was all going well, nothing weird, nothing strange. Raph was setting up a camera in one of the sewer tunnels. Further down the tunnel was his younger brother, Mikey. The red-masked turtle was attaching one of Donnie's security cams to the mossy walls of the sewer, setting it up in the corner. After turning it on he turned behind him to grab another from the bag Donnie gave them. 

The only problem was the fact that the bag wasn't behind him anymore. He looked over towards Mikey who was still fidgeting with the camera from before, but it also didn't look like he had the bag. He turned to his left, down a different sewer tunnel, where he found the brown satchel. 

"Huh, weird." the turtle muttered to himself. he found it a bit strange that the bag had moved seemingly on its own, but then again, he'd been having strange things happen for the past few weeks. He walked over to pick up the bag, but for whatever reason, he decided to look up at the tunnel before reaching for the satchel. The tunnel seemed much, much, longer than it should. He couldn't seem to pull his vision away from the end of the tunnel, or at least where the end should be. In its place seemed to be a white haze, with a bit of a green glow surrounding it.

It was during this state of paralysis that the turtle heard something calling him, if you could call it that. Whatever was calling him wasn't exactly a voice, but something wanted him to walk down the tunnel, past the bag full of cameras that he was looking for only a minute ago. His legs began to move on their own, which could now be considered a habit of theirs. He put one foot in front of the other, walking deeper into the tunnel, following the sense calling him there.

"Uhhh? Brochacho?" Mikey interrupted, shocking Raph out of his state. Raph snapped his neck around to face his younger brother, now back in control of his mind and body. "You ok man? You seem kinda out of it dude." Mikey remarked. 

"Ugh, I'm fine, Mikey!" Raph lashed out, trying to cover the slight fear in his voice from the previous experience. "Let's just put the rest of these cameras up." he growled. As he turned around to pick up the bag he glanced up to get a second look at the sewer tunnel. Now, instead of the white haze with a greenish glow, there was the usual darkness. He grabbed the bag the turned back to face his younger brother, speed-walking out of the tunnel and past his younger brother.

                 _______________________

After that experience, Raph decided to stick around his brothers more often, hoping that would prevent anything like that from happening again. He hoped that they wouldn't notice, ever since the teenager was found dead how he lashed out less, how he tried to pull his punches, how he went out of his way to be mean less. But with all the time he now spent around them, he began to figured they would eventually notice. Unfortunately for raph, not every waking moment could be spent with his brothers.

But it was just a shower, nothing too bad could happen a shower, as long as he kept it short, right? 'Just keep it short' he reminded himself stepping into the shower. But when he turned the warm water on, all his worries were washed down the drain along with the water. Guess showers really are good for your mental health, or whatever is it that Donnie was saying earlier that day.

It was so warm in the shower that Raph figured that staying in it for a bit longer couldn't end too badly, nothing had happened so far. He felt the warm water run down his shell. Yeah, he could stay here a bit longer. This train of thought repeated for quite a while until Leo yelled from the other side of the door that Raph was hogging all the warm water and needed to get out of the shower. Raph begrudgingly turned off the warm water and stepped out of the shower. The cold hit him like a brick. He turned to the mirror, which was now covered in condensation. Donnie always got mad when there was condensation on the mirror after one of his brothers took a shower. Something about the water causing mold. Not wanting Donnie to yell at him, Raph took a towel and wiped the water away. After clearing most of the condensation off the mirror he was greeted with his face...and-

There was a second face. Staring back at him.

Chapter 1/Chapter 2/Masterpost/Next

[sailorsplatoon]

so how would four's family react to her and acht dating

Oh this is going to force me to decide what Four’s family looks like. After giving it some thought (daydreaming about it while brushing my teeth), I’ve concluded that they are an only child, but have an absurd amount of cousins that they see almost every day and are very close with. They were raised by their two moms who had a tough time trying to be good parents and really stressed out about it. They really just want for Four to have a happy and successful life.

I imagine Four’s family would be very worried and suspicious at first but, upon seeing how happy Four is with Acht, would be alright with it.

It would be difficult for Four to initially explain that their partner is sanitized and the whole tartar scenario, and even more difficult to explain how they themself were greyscaled. Especially since they’d have to bring up being a part of the New Squidbeak Splatoon which, while their family knew about it, they showed clearly that they didn’t support it. They thought it was too dangerous and this would prove them right.

At first their family is worried about them because they were mind controlled by an AI. They forbid them from doing any other agent work, which Four is extremely upset about. Their family also soon becomes worried about their relationship with Acht for fear that it is just a trauma response when Four was in a vulnerable state and needed someone to latch on to. At first they don’t really trust Acht simply because they want to protect Four (they’ve been through enough already and don’t need any relationship drama).

Eventually, Four suffers from a severe bout of flashbacks about being greyscaled (which happens fairly frequently for them). Their family sees how well Acht is able to comfort them through it and they realize just how much Acht has helped Four. Four is genuinely happy with Acht, and their family only sees that now.

Their family begins to grow closer with Acht, and eventually they grow worried for them as well, now understanding what they went through with the sanitization.

After growing closer with Acht and understanding the situation Four and Acht are in, they allow Four to return to agent work (though the never stopped, they just didn’t tell them). Essentially Four’s family becomes extremely over protective of the both of them.

But I can’t talk about Four’s family without at least mention Acht’s, which leads me to Paul. Acht is not mentally healthy at all (obviously), so they will often just avoid something that they know will cause them a lot of emotions that they don’t want to feel. Seeking out Paul was out of the question for them, until Four insisted on it. Acht had met their family, now they wanted to meet Acht’s. While they were reluctant at first, Acht eventually got excited to finally see their brother again.

Maybe someday I’ll write out a full scene for an Acht and Paul reunion, but to sum it up there was a lot of tears and a lot of hugging. Paul is so happy that Four pushed Acht to find him. Paul and Four quickly became best friends.

Acht and Paul were raised by their dad and are both very close with him. He was extremely disorganized, which led to Acht having to take on most of the chores and responsibilities around the house from a young age, but he cared deeply for the both of them and showed it as often as he could. Him and Paul were the first things Acht remembered after starting to heal from the sanitization.

It took some time for Acht to find their dad because Paul hadn’t been searching either. Shortly after Acht was reported missing, he ran away from home hoping that maybe he could find them in Inkopolis and couldn’t bring himself to see his dad again after leaving. The two looked for him extensively (with the help of Four of course) and eventually found that he had been living in Splatsville for a few months now. He thought that maybe if he followed the trend of kids moving to Splatsville, he’d find his children. Yet another tearful reunion ensued. Acht and Paul’s dad immidetly took a liking to Agent 4. They did help bring his children back after all.

Ohhhh wow I wrote way more for this than I had initially intended to, it just sort of happened. If you actually read all of this then thank you for listening to my rambling about these goofballs.

This ask was a fun one! I hadn’t really thought about it before, so it really got my creativity going! (Though I did already have some on Acht’s family. I’ll just casually slide this in right here.) Thank you so much for the ask!

[fangirlfrom-hell]

Can I Do an Experiment? || Jay Halstead x sister || Hailey Upton x Halstead Sister

*re-posting this because I'm stupid and accidentaly delated my blog 🫠

This might be based on true events. I wrote this at work, because I finished early, didn't have anything to do and was about to fall asleep on the desk.

It had been a tiring week of lack of sleep, but the Intelligence unit had finally closed the case they had been working on. Hank Voight dismissed his detectives to a very deserved rest.

What Jay wished the most in that moment was to get home and lay on his bed to sleep until the next day, but he couldn't, he had to pick up his little sister from Severide's home, where they took care of her while he was working.

"I really want you to come home with me, but I won't judge you if you rather go to you place. I gotta pick Becca and take her home with me". He said to his girlfriend when they headed to the 21st parking lot.

"Not a problem", Hailey stated while jumping inside of the truck.

Jay's eyes were closing out of tiredness, and if it wouldn't have been for the voice of his little sister at the back of the car, he might have fallen asleep on the road. Honestly, he couldn't understand anything of what she was saying, his mind was somewhere else. From time to time, Hailey, leaning on the door with her eyes shut, would express a "wow!" or a "really?", only pretending to be paying attention to the girl's stories.

"We're home", Jay said as a victory and opened the door. He stretched himself as soon as he got inside of the apartment.

Becca, full of energy, ran directly to throw herself on the sofa. "Are you hungry?" Her brother asked, leaning towards her.

"No, I already had breakfast".

'`Good", Jay said, taking off his shoes and finally getting comfortable.

Hailey came out of the bathroom wearing sweats and a baggy shirt from Jay's wardrobe, "did you miss us, kiddo?"

"Always", she smiled. "What are we doing today?"

"Rest", Jay answered before she could even finish the question. "We are going to rest".

"Boo, boring!" She signed two thumbs down.

"We're going to sleep, alright? We are exhausted", Jay explained. "Hey, call me if you need anything, my door's gonna be open".

"Fine".

"See you later, Beccs", Hailey kissed her hair.

Only after 15 minutes, Bacca was already bored. She turned on the TV, but didn't find any good cartoons to watch; she peeked into a coloring book, but didn't find a good drawing to work on. She had so much energy that she couldn't just remain sitting down, for some strange reason, that usually happened whenever the firefighters took care of her.

Finally, she thought about something fun to do.

"Jay", the detective heard his name.

"Hmmm", he expressed without even opening his eyes, he was already dreaming.

Can I do an experiment?

"Yeah, sure", he managed to say, not even knowing what he was answering, and then fell asleep.

"Jay! Jay!" Hailey moved him by the shoulder, but he barely woke up.

The detective was annoyed "what!?"

"Do you smell that?"

He opened his eyes, without separating his head from the pillow, and proceeded to sniff.

"Fire?" He finally looked at his girlfriend.

Both detectives stood up immediately and rushed to the living room where they found Becca in front of four metallic bowls filled with water and a piece of paper on each. Three of the papers were on fire, the flames were very high and when they arrived at the scene, she was lighting up the last one. Becca was expectant watching the papers get consumed, fire reflected on her eyes, her gaze steady.

"What the heck?" Her brother rushed to turn the fire off, while Hailey separated her little sister in law from the danger.

"Noooooooo!" She saddened.

"Becca, are you alright? what were you thinking?" Hailey was still disturbed, checking if the girl was hurt.

"Jay said I could make an experiment"

"What was it about? Burning the house with all of us inside?" He said in a scolding tone.

"Uh, no '', the girl answered, not really understanding why they were doing such a scandal. "I wanted to see which of the papers burned first: the red one, the blue one, the green one or the yellow one".

Both Hailey and Jay stared at each other with a question mark on their faces.

"My bet was on the blue one, but now we'll never know".

Jay groaned as he took his hands to his face.

[hooked-on-elvis]

"IF I CAN DREAM" SONG | REMEMBERING MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. ON HIS BIRTHDAY 🤍

TODAY IS MARTIN LUTHER KING'S 95TH BIRTHDAY. PHOTO: 1964.

☆ Born on January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia † Died on April 4th, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days ago, I don't remember how, I ended up for about an hour or so, probably more, reading a few of Martin Luther King's speeches. I prefer reading factual documental writings (newspapers and articles about the world's history, even poetry) out loud, in a way to better understand and feel, using intonation, the words. As you can imagine, I got very emotional that day and today I am now in the same solemn mood.

If you at least once have heard or read to the 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' Martin Luther King's speech, you feel your heart sink from the words Dr. King spoke by end of it. I'm gonna share an excerpt from that one speech [I hope you all can read it], which is gonna remind you what happened to Dr. King the very next day those touching, meaningful and resonant words were addressed to the population in Memphis, Tennessee. Take your time to reflect and permit yourself feeling inspired by Dr. King's words.

As the article goes on, I'll share how the mood around the filming set of 'Live A Little, Love a Little', the movie Elvis was filming, when they heard the news about Dr King was murder, and what Elvis did with that feeling.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, "Are you Martin Luther King?" And I was looking down writing, and I said, "Yes." And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that's punctured, your drowned in your own blood -- that's the end of you. It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had merely sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I've forgotten what those telegrams said. I'd received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I've forgotten what that letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I'll never forget it. It said simply, "Dear Dr. King, I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School." And she said, "While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I'm a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I'm simply writing you to say that I'm so happy that you didn't sneeze." (...) If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been in Memphis to see a community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze.* And they were telling me --. Now, it doesn't matter, now. It really doesn't matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us. The pilot said over the public address system, "We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with on the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the plane protected and guarded all night." And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!! — Excerpt from "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. (April 3rd, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee) | source: americanrhetoric.com READ/LISTEN THE FULL SPEECH HERE

* [1958] KNIFE ATTACK: On September 20, 1958, King was signing copies of his book 'Stride Toward Freedom', in Blumstein's department store in Harlem when Izola Curry — a mentally ill black woman who thought that King was conspiring against her with communists — stabbed him in the chest with a letter opener, which nearly impinged on the aorta. Thankfully, Dr. King survived that attempt of murder. That is the incident Dr. King refers to in his 'Mountaintop' speech from 1968.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gladly, from that one attack Dr. King survived.

He could've let that 1958 incident take the best of him. He could've chose a safe life if he led fear win him over. But he said himself why he didn't on the 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' speech:

"Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will." — Martin Luther King Jr.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's recall that after that 1958 near-death incident, as before that too, King was arrested many times, he was put down and lashed out by people who wanted him to remain in silence. But he chose to fear not.

PHOTO 1: King was arrested in 1963 for protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham. His 13th arrest out of 29. (29!) | PHOTO 2: Copy of King’s letter from Birmingham jail (Samford University Special Collections) Martin Luther King.

Excerpt from King's 1963 letter:

"…I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection." Excerpted from Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963). READ THE FULL LETTER HERE [via University of Pennsylvania]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Martin Luther King never failed to give us the right questions to ponder.

As this humble post comes to an end, let's read a few other of Dr. King's inspiring words as spoke in his most famous and praised speech, the one who Elvis Presley sang about in 1968, the same year Dr. King was murder.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. [...] This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling disco rds of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. On August 8th, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.: "I HAVE A DREAM" SPEECH. READ/LISTEN FULL SPEECH HERE.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I should mention the following story because it is part of how a tribute song to Martin Luther King's life and efforts to make the world a better place, came to be.

A young Southerner, who's been commonly, unfairly, called racist over the years after his passing, fell in deep grief hearing the news about Dr. King's assassination.

On April 4th, 1968, the day Dr. King was shot dead while he was standing by the window on his hotel suite, just like the rest of the world, when Elvis Presley heard the news, he grieved.

Presley was filming 'Live a Little, Love a Little' on the day that Dr. King died. He and everybody on the crew heard the news with sorrow. Elvis was heartbroken, as the rest of the world (at least the human portion of society). It's said by different people that were there with him on set how sad and deeply bothered by that Elvis was.

His leading lady for this movie, Michele Carey, shared her accounts on how Elvis reacted to the sorrowful news.

Actors Michele Carey and Elvis Presley. Scene and photo shoot for 'Live a Little, Love a Little' (1968).

Michele Carey played the guitar but the piano was her favorite! In this scene, she's actually strumming those first few chords of the song. The guitar in the scene belonged to Elvis. He often played it while singing songs on the set. He was preparing for an upcoming Christmas special that later turned into the well-known 68 Comeback TV show. At the end of this scene, one of the last filmed, just 10 days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Elvis signed the guitar and gave it to Michele as a gift of appreciation for what she did to console him on the day of MLK's funeral. We have covered that fateful day when the cast and crew learned he had been shot and killed in Memphis. Production of the film had been temporarily suspended over the weekend. On the day of the funeral which was televised, the cast gathered around one TV in the studio. As Elvis and cast members watched in silence, and as Elvis and others wept openly...Michele sat at a box piano and began playing softly. Within minutes, Elvis sat beside her and as she played the Beatles song All We Need Is Love, Elvis and cast members sang the lyrics. They sang the song over and over for nearly 20 minutes, hugging and crying with one another. As violent as 1968 had been, the assassinations of MLK and RFK, the Vietnam War, the clashing of protesters and police, at least for one short period on April 9th of that year, a small group of people came together in song to show their love and respect. — Published on Michele Carey Facebook fanpage, on October 12, 2023

During 'Live a Little, Love a Little' production, Elvis was preparing for his '68 Comeback Special and, it turns out, they included a song called 'If I Can Dream' on the setlist, a song written by Walter Earl Brown, recorded by Presley in June 1968, just two months after Dr. King's assassination, and also a short time after Robert Kennedy's assassination.

The song was composed, inspired by this feeling of sorrow but also gratitude and, above all, hope. The song was soulfully performed by Elvis, and until today its one of the most important and touching recognized performance of his music career.

The song was sang soulfully because Elvis meant every single word in it. One of Elvis' certainties about life was that we must live in equality.

“Everybody comes from the same source. If you hate another human being, you’re hating part of yourself.” — Elvis Presley

Today, o Martin Luther King's day, on his birthday, we remember his life with gratitude for all the good he had done for the world, for bringing awareness that changes needed to be done, for inspiring people to get together, to live in equality, peace and union.

Most importantly, today we remember the fight isn't over.

King was a vital force, a powerful asset to the Civil Rights Movement, but as much as his dedication came to blossom in positive sociological changes while he had us walking at lengthen steps towards a better world for all of us to live together in peace, it doesn't make his murder any less painful as we remember him with a great sorrow, yet hearts filled with gratitude, today. His assassination, and many things following it, even in this modern world, remind us the world isn't the place Dr. King dreamed about just yet. Not all of us, certainly, will have to give our lives to help others in need, but even so we shouldn't be afraid to do what's right whenever we need to.

Dr. King made us reflect upon when, on both his letter from 1963 and the 'I've Seen the Mountaintop' 1968 speech, his inspired words recalled us about the Good Samaritan parable, about doing what we can with what we have, and also brought questions to our mind about how damaging it can be living in denial, for that's worse than acting against the ones in need, because those acting in denial are majority.

Are we gonna be the ones to walk on by and turn our faces the other way, letting be somebody else's problem as we leave a brother or sister left to their own devices? Are gonna be the ones who'll be moderate? Who'll see injustice right before our eyes and choose ignorance, social irresponsibility, selfishness? Dr. King certainly expect us not to. Let's be the ones that, even against all odds, even when there's nobody looking or when we find ourselves without great resources, let's be the ones who will stop and reach out our hands to the ones in need. Be kind and supportive.

So let's keep honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.' memory — and many others who came before and after him, who died or spent their whole lives trying to make the world a safer and fair place for all human kind.

Towards Martin Luther King's dreamland we shall march.

Happy birthday, Martin Luther King Jr. ♥

May your righteous, courageous soul, rest in peace.

[roseofdarknessblog]

Humanity's strongest, loveliest, and tiniest (Levi Ackerman x Reader) » Part III

Word count: 5 502

Disclaimer: english is not my first language, I apologize in advance for any mistakes 

Part I / Part II 

Humanity's strongest, loveliest, and tiniest (Part III)

„And what about the names, grumpy face? Did you talk about them yet?“ Hange asked teasingly, grinning at Levi from across the table.

The last few months went by at the speed of light. And brought many big changes – for you, for Levi, and the people closest to you. By this time there was no way to hide your pregnancy from the rest of the Scouts. You were just mere weeks from finally giving birth and ending the nightmare called pregnancy.

„That’s none of your business, Four-eyes.“

„Hey, no need to be rude to auntie Hange.“

You laughed at Levi as he rolled his eyes at her, sipping his tea. „We have a few options, but nothing’s set in stone. We’ll decide when the baby comes,“ you said, smiling at your best friend. Her excitement grew each day.

„And that will be very soon,“ she reminded you, finishing her third cup of tea.

The biggest change in your life was moving away from the HQ. Erwin pulled some strings and got you and Levi a beautiful cottage just outside Trost. You loved the new place, it was quiet and almost too perfect to be true. And it was all yours to furnish, decorate and prepare for when the baby makes its arrival.

„I just need to make it through your next expedition. Giving birth alone is definitely not what I want.“ You noticed Levi tensing up a little on the chair next to you. Leaving for expeditions became the hardest thing for him because the sudden distance separating the two of you made him extremely anxious.

Erwin wasn’t necessarily happy when you broke the big news to him. However only because you were one of his most loyal soldiers. But since you and Levi agreed, that you would retreat from your duties as a Scout, he had to manage somehow. You still helped Hange when it came to the newest recruits or you did some paperwork, but only for a couple more weeks.

Then complications hit and you ended up on bedrest for many weeks to come.

It all happened while Levi was away for another expedition. The poor man almost had a stroke when he came back and found you in such a poor state. But you handled everything with grace and slowly got better. Levi was very protective over you, even more than ever before. He never let you do anything around the house when he was home. Not even plant some flowers in the garden when spring time came around. He let you pick out the ones you wanted and the rest was up to him.

„I’ll stay behind if you want,“ offered Moblit, gently rubbing your back.

„Hange needs you more than I do, you know that.“

„She’ll manage,“ he said, smiling lovingly at your best friend.

Your brother was over the moon when you told him about the pregnancy. He didn’t suspect anything so the big news took him completely by surprise. And since then he wanted to be by your side 24/7 and help with everything. So when it wasn’t Levi, nervously looking over your shoulder and watching your every step, it was Moblit.

Those two could get on your every nerve with their overprotective nature. But they meant it well and did everything to keep you safe and comfortable. And you loved them for all of that. More than words could ever describe.

„No, you all need to go. I and the baby will be fine, and wait for you.“

„Just like every other time,“ said Hange reassuringly, looking straight at your husband.

She was the one, who kept an eye on him during work days. You asked her to do it because you worried about Levi a lot. He could easily lose track of time when working, even more, when his head was full of worries. It helped him unwind, which didn’t make any sense to you. Writing mission reports and stuff like that sounded like one of the world's most boring punishments.

„It’s getting late,“ Levi mumbled after finishing his tea. You invited Hange and Moblit over for dinner because you missed the times all of you ate together and got to catch up on different things.

„We should head back,“ said Moblit immediately, not even trying to protest. Arguing with grumpy Levi was pointless. „I still have some work to finish, anyway.“ He looked over at Hange and motioned her to get up.  

You could feel that something was troubling your husband, but since he, Hange, and Moblit came from the HQ together, there wasn’t time for a private talk. That’s why you didn’t protest when he ushered both of them out the door.

„Leave that, I'll clean up in a bit,“ he said, coming back to the kitchen where you started washing the dishes. „You need to rest.“

„I’m fine, darling. You can help me clean up, and then we’ll go to bed.“

„I’ll clean up while you go to bed now, and wait for me there.“ You rolled your eyes at him, a smile making its way to your lips. He loved bothering you with his stubbornness. But only to the point where you still found it funny.

Arguing was the last thing that you and Levi wanted, so he surrendered and let you help him. But only with drying washed plates, glasses, cups, and cutlery. And all of that while you were sitting down on the chair he pulled up to the kitchen counter for you. However, you loved watching Levi when he was doing any type of housework. Sometimes you even joked that being a stay-at-home husband and father would suit him.

Going to bed became your favorite time of the day. But only because of what was happening right before going to sleep. The actual act of sleeping became almost impossible in the last few weeks, you could never get comfortable, not to mention the frequent need to visit the bathroom even during the night. And since Levi had always been a light sleeper, he woke up pretty frequently.

„Need any help in there?“ you shouted after Levi, while he was still in the bathroom. You tried to make yourself comfortable in bed, which was near impossible. Not even a bunch of pillows could help. „You’re taking forever.“

His head popped out from the slightly ajar door, smirking in your direction. Wet strands of dark hair still clung to his forehead. „Are you getting sleepy? All of a sudden?“

„Yeah, very funny,“ you mocked him, battling with the last two pillows you were trying to fold under your head and neck.

„I’ll be right there, just a minute.“

„Okay, I’ll count to sixty then.“

You really did, loud and clear so Levi could hear you. It took him forty-eight seconds until he left the bathroom and climbed into bed next to you, kissing your cheek right away. He tried to make himself comfortable amongst your pillow fort, mumbling under his breath and gently pushing them out of the way.

„Those pillows are gonna kill me one day.“

„Awww, don’t be mad. You know I need them.“

„They don’t even help you just take up a bunch of space.“

He was adorable when it came to a lot of things about your pregnancy. You never thought he would be like this. Humanity’s strongest soldier became a different person during the last couple of months. He was changing right before your eyes and becoming a man, who would soon be an amazing father to your little one.

Caring for you became his priority, even more than ever before. He always made sure you were feeling safe and loved. Especially in the hardest moment your pregnancy prepared for you. Some of them were really challenging and you could hardly think about carrying on. But Levi was always there, right by your side. Holding you close and reassuring you, that everything will turn out fine.

„That dinner was really nice, I miss both of them a lot,“ you said, reaching for his hand.

„They miss you too. And it’s not just them, many Scouts miss seeing you around. I guess that’s what you get when you always smile and want to help everyone.“

„I don’t mind being known like the always smiling one. You frown more than enough for the both of us, darling.“

„If you keep making fun of me, the baby will turn out the same. Scowling at you from the moment they open their eyes.“

„Would that make you happy?“ you teased him. A little smirk made its way to his lips.

You started to notice it pretty early in your pregnancy. The fact, that Levi started smiling more often. Not in public, of course. But when the two of you were alone. There were even times when you caught him just silently watching you do something while the corners of his mouth were ever so slightly turned upwards.

You never said that to him, but seeing him like that made you the happiest. Especially because you were the reason for his happiness. You and the baby he was thrilled and ready to meet.

It took him a couple of weeks and more than a few hard conversations with you, but he genuinely started to feel excited. Not that his fears would disappear, but he managed to get them under control. Sometimes he still battled with doubt and uncertainty, but as your expected due date grew closer, he felt more and more content about becoming a father. You and the baby needed him, and he wanted to do everything possible, to make sure nothing happens to the most precious people in his life.

„I would be the happiest if all of this was finally over.“

„Yeah, me too. I’m getting really anxious about the delivery.“

Your doctor assured you, that similar feelings were normal. Yes, giving birth was considered a natural thing for a woman’s body, but still. So many things could go wrong. For you and for the baby. It wasn’t necessarily the pain, that scared you. Rather the possibility of feeling it for many hours, maybe even days. Yes, the doctor and even Hange warned you about the possibility of a really long labor, since it would be your first time giving birth.

„What if I can’t do it, Levi?“ you asked insecurely a million unsettling scenarios running through your head. One worst than the other.

„What made you think you can’t do it?“

„And what made all of you think I can?“

With a quiet sigh, he got closer to you, kissing the top of your head. Even cuddling became a nightmare for the last couple of weeks. There simply wasn’t a position in which you felt comfortable and close enough to Levi at the same time. Moving around in general was a never-ending nightmare. You missed your old body more and more every day. So many things changed about it... and not necessarily for the best.

„Watching you go through the last couple of months made me believe that you could do about anything in this world. I’ve always known that you are strong and determined, but this was something completely different.“

„Did I have a choice?“

„No, but you also don’t have a choice now, you just have to do it. And you will do just fine, my love.“

This wasn’t the first time you had a similar conversation with Levi. Naturally, your mind always wandered to all the what-ifs. This simply wasn’t something small or unimportant.

Something you could repeat if the outcome was not good enough.

With each passing day, you felt the pressure all around you. From everyone, even if nobody said anything concrete. It was the loving smiles and looks from your friends when they came to visit, your brother’s excitement about becoming an uncle, Hange’s questions about how you were feeling, and most importantly... it was what Levi did and said every single day.

The way he always kissed your belly before going to work in the morning.

The way he sometimes came home for lunch, just to check on you, or the way he did a lot of paperwork at your kitchen table when you were on bedrest and he was just too anxious to leave you home alone.

It was the softness in his voice when he greeted the baby after coming home from work, lovingly caressing your stomach while smiling at you.

And it was all the little thing he’s been doing for you all those months. He took care of everything... everything. There really wasn’t a thing you needed to do, because Levi thought about all of them, and made sure you rest as much as you need.

You felt like you owe him a perfect family.

A healthy baby.

Maybe... maybe a son, who will look just like him and carry the family name.

You wanted to give him all of that. He and those close to you as well. You wanted Moblit and Hange to be happy, and enjoy time with the little one just like they were planning to do.

„I’ll be right there by your side the entire time. You can scream, cry and curse all you want, I’ll endure it, and we’ll push through it together. Hand in hand, okay?“ Levi asked, carefully grabbing your chin and turning your head in his direction. „I know you’re afraid, I am too. But we can do this. Together,“ he reminded you one more time. His eyes were full of some strange mixture of love, admiration, and fear. All of the emotions you felt as well.

„I just have this weird feeling that something unexpected will happen.“

„It’s just a feeling, not reality.“

You wanted to protest, but when Levi leaned closer and kissed you, all words were lost. He meant well, you knew that. Worrying yourself sick won’t solve anything.

„The most important thing right now is for you to stay calm. There’s one last expedition I must do before Erwin lets me step back for a couple of weeks.“

„I don’t want you to go, Levi,“ you whispered into his lips, tears slowly collecting in the corners of your eyes. The days he was leaving beyond the Walls were true hell. You knew he would always come back, he had to. But.. what if... „I don’t want to stay alone again. Without you, Moblit, Hange... and everyone else.“

„I have to go, you know that. We spent weeks preparing for this, Erwin needs me on the front line.“

„Screw Erwin!“ you hissed withdrawing yourself from Levi. „And screw the rest of humanity, the titans, and everything else! I need you here, Levi!“ The first tears rolled down your cheeks, soon turning you into a sobbing mess. Keeping up with all hormones and emotions was sometimes beyond your measures. „What am I supposed to do if you don’t come back? I was throwing up from fear and anxiety every single time you left for an expedition these past months. I had enough! I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want you to risk your life over and over again when you’re about to be a father! Why are Erwin and the Scouts more important that me?! Than us?! Than your own blood?!“

You didn’t even realize you were shouting at first. Just when Levi didn’t move a muscle, just kept staring at you worriedly. This wasn’t like you. No, you hated shouting and screaming.

The whole house was suddenly drowning in dead silence. If you listened hard enough you could hear your own tears falling.

„Did I really make you feel like something was more important than you and the baby?“ asked Levi after what felt like an eternity. His voice was stern and almost cold. He didn’t even look at you. „Because if I did...“

„No!“ you said immediately, wiping the tears with the back of your hand. „It’s just... I feel so useless, and out of place. We were always going on expeditions together, and we were looking out for each other. I knew that if something happened, I was there and could help you. But now...“

Leaving the Survey corps behind, even if only for some time, was one of the hardest things you’ve ever done. Military service was all your life revolved around these last few years. And it was suddenly taken from you. You felt lost without your daily routine, without training, meeting new cadets, and spending time with your comrades and superiors.

And moving away from the HQ made it even worse. The new house was a beautiful and safe place for your future little family, but it also made you feel terribly isolated from your old life. The one you loved despite everything. Somehow you’ve never thought that pregnancy will be this challenging.

„I’m really frustrated, okay? This all has been too much,“ you said in a lot calmer voice, wiping away more tears. „I wasn’t ready for so many big changes and challenges. It all came out of the blue, and with you gone so many times...“

Sometimes it seemed as if Erwin was planning so many new expeditions just to keep Levi away from you. That wasn’t true, of course not. But during long days and even nights, your husband spent in titan territory, all sorts of thoughts occurred in your head.

„I just want us to be happy, Levi. I don’t want to spend every single day worrying about something.“

„We signed up for this life, remember?“

„Yes, but things change. And people do too.“

You still remembered the day Levi joined the Scouts. He, Isabel, and Furlan one day appeared out of nowhere and joined the ranks. He was so different then, even colder and more distant to everyone. Not to mention after he lost his friends. You were the one who reached out to him first and tried to offer some kind of comfort. He wasn’t the kindest towards you, but that didn’t matter. Not when you saw how much he needed someone to lead him out of the darkness he was lost in.

It took a lot of time and patience, but he opened up to you. Slowly shared tiny details of his past in the Underground and everything he had to do to survive in such cruel and unfair living conditions. He was changing with your every conversation and slowly became a man you fell in love with.

The man who fell in love with you even despite his fear of letting anyone close.

„I understand that you feel overwhelmed by everything, but us two shouting and arguing is not going to fix anything,“ Levi said in a calm voice, placing a hand on your belly. He stared lovingly into your eyes, trying to calm you down even without using words. „Nothing in this world is more important than you. Nothing ever will be more important than you and...“ he slowly kissed you, leaning down to your belly and placing a small kiss on top of it as well, „and you. The two of you are my everything and that will never change.“

You run your fingers through his still-damp hair, brushing a few longer strands away from his forehead. This was part of every evening you loved the most. When both of you got into bed and everything got quiet. The only thing remaining was Levi’s sweet voice as he talked to the baby about everything. About his day at work, his plans for the next day, about how much he loved you both, and how eagerly he awaited the day they will finally meet.

He loved relaxing next to you after a long day, his eyes closed and one hand always on your belly to feel the baby kick or move around. Sometimes it made him relaxed enough to fall asleep within short minutes. And that was kind of a miracle since he rarely slept well and undisturbed. If he fell asleep at all. Some nights you woke up to him reading something or doing more paperwork because he just couldn’t stay in bed.

Calm evenings like these became your absolute favorite. Seeing your husband bond with the baby was one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever witnessed. In some moments it was hard to believe, that this man is the same Captain Ackerman people called Humanity's strongest soldier. He seemed so different – in the best possible way. More gentle and loving. Calmer and content with his new role in life as a father.

„This will be my last expedition for a while, I promise. I just have to get it over with, and then we’ll be together. Just you and me for a couple of weeks, and then just the three of us. All day and all night long, hm?“

You shook your head with a tiny smile. „More like the four or five of us.“ Levi furrowed his brows, carefully laying his head on your belly. That made your smile grow bigger. „Hange always says that she’ll come to visit every single day. And I assume my brother will be pretty much the same, he can’t wait to be an uncle.“

„I know you love those too with your entire heart, but they really don’t need to be that invested. Not on an everyday basis.“

„Okay, but you tell them that,“ you laughed, the tears and anger long gone.  

The expedition was supposed to take four days. Saying goodbye was even harder than before, but you did your best. You made sure Levi knew how much you truly loved him and wished him the best of luck. But letting go of his hand was almost unbearable.

You also made sure that Erwin heard you say to Levi how much you hoped that this is going to be his last expedition for a long time. Maybe that’s why he took some time and assured you, that everything will surely turn out okay and they will be back as soon as possible.

Saying goodbye to Moblit and Hange was just as hard. They both had many experiences, but that couldn’t calm your nerves either. Worrying about them was something that simply came naturally. You loved them both more than words could ever explain. And you really hoped they knew it.

The days you spent alone were too long and empty. Even more, when the nice spring weather vanished and spending time in your garden became impossible because of the heavy rains and cold wind. This sudden and drastic change in the weather made you worry even more. Especially when you remembered Levi’s first expedition beyond the Walls. It all started out great, but once the heavy rain and thick fog hit...

You tried to rest as much as possible just to avoid accidental preterm labor. So most of the hours were spent in the company of good books and finally finishing up a cute little blanket you decided to crochet for the baby. You had some skills from your mother, but Petra was the one who showed you how to start. It took you by surprise since she never mentioned knowing something like this before.

But even though time moved slowly, the long-awaited moment finally came. You got up really early, got ready, and slowly headed straight to the city gate. Members of the Garrison welcomed you and even offered you some tea as you waited with them.

It didn’t take long before they finally gave the order to open the gates.

It was them... they were finally back home.

The first person you saw was Erwin, naturally. He looked fine, mostly unharmed with only a few blood stains on his dark green cloak. More shocking was what came after. Too many wounded soldiers, and too much blood on their injured bodies.

You felt your heart race as you were looking over their faces, searching the crowd for your husband, brother, or best friend. You just knew something was wrong when Levi wasn’t following after Erwin.

„Commander!“  

Erwin immediately stopped his horse and looked around the small crowd of people – mostly relatives of the Scouts. His icy-blue eyes found you almost immediately. But the look on his face was nothing you hoped for. It sent shivers down your back.

„Where is he?!“ you asked urgently when he came closer and got off his horse. „Where is my husband?“ You looked over your comrades again. A significant amount of them was missing. You could see some of your closest friends but... „What about my brother? Where is Moblit?“

You could feel your legs shaking and your chest tightening at the same time. This had to be some kind of nightmare. Yes, of course, it was just a nightmare. You were surely still sleeping and would wake up any moment now.

„Erwin...“ you said his name on the verge of tears. Why was he looking at you like that? Was that pity in his eyes?

„I’m sorry but we got surrounded yesterday shortly before sunset and...“

You took a step back to steady yourself because everything was spinning way too fast all of a sudden. Your whole body went numb just before the pain took over. The pain you’ve never felt before. It felt like somebody was ripping your heart out right at that moment.

„Careful,“ said somebody behind your back as an arm wrapped around your waist. When you looked over your shoulder you saw Hange. She tried to give you a weak smile, but instead quickly kissed your cheek and helped you sit down at the table where the members of the Garrison usually played cards. She knelt before you, taking your hands in her ice-cold palms. „We don’t know what happened to them. Levi, Moblit, and a small group of others got separated from us. It was...“

„The weather was bad and it was getting dark, getting lost was just way too easy,“ finisher Erwin, who came standing next to Hange. „There’s a good chance they’re still alive.“

„At least some of them,“ said Hange reassuringly, squeezing your hands. You tried to listen to them both and make sense of their words, but it was near impossible. Just like trying to catch your breath again. „They’ll show up soon, don’t worry. Levi and Moblit know they have to come back despite everything. They know you’re waiting for them.“

You still couldn’t speak a single word. Not even when Petra and Nanaba came over, trying to reassure you with similar words. It turned out that Miche, Nifa, and Eld were with Levi, Moblit and the others as well.

If... if they were still alive.

„I didn’t want him to go,“ you said to Hange after a while, leaning against her shoulder. Your whole body was trembling and your mind racing. Erwin stayed by your side for a while but had to eventually leave and tend to his responsibilities. But he assured you that you can turn to him if you’ll need anything. „I had a feeling something would happen.“

„He’s fine,“ she assured you, wrapping her arm around your shoulders. „And Moblit as well.“

„You don’t know that.“

„I don’t, you’re right. But I know them and believe in them. And you should too.“

Hange tried to talk you into going home, but you refused. Staying right at the gate seemed like the best option. You wanted Levi to see you as soon as he returned. But the hours were slowly and painfully slipping away between your fingers. The weather got bad again, heavy rain pouring down, matching your tears.

This was the first time Levi didn’t come back.

Deep down you knew something like this could happen.

But you never wanted to admit it.

You never saw yourself crying at the gate because your husband wasn’t amongst the returning Scouts.

You weren’t sure how to feel anymore. Fear was trying to crush you with every breath while gruesome images full of blood and death kept appearing in your mind. Levi and Moblit were both highly capable soldiers with years of experience. They knew how to fight Titans without getting themselves killed.

But your heart kept breaking over and over again with every passing minute.

„Listen to me, we should go back to your house. You need to rest and warm up a little, it’s getting cold.“

„I can’t leave,“ you muttered, uncomfortably shifting on the hard wooden bench. „I have to wait for them here, Hange.“

„You have to be careful,“ she reminded you, gently caressing your belly. The baby was painfully kicking you into the ribs for the last few hours. You were stressing the both of you, but... how could you stop?

„I begged him not to go. I knew something would happen,“ you kept repeating, still looking at the closed gate.

It was almost dark when Hange finally convinced you to return home. You could hardly keep your eyes open, all the crying exhausted you. Food was the last thing you could think about even though yesterday’s dinner was the last thing you had. Hange looked really worried about you and decided to stay the night. And you were glad. Being alone one more night was unimaginable.

Curling up under the covers tears found you once more. Just a couple of days prior he was laying there next to you. And suddenly you couldn’t be sure he was even alive. Not when the time was passing mercilessly and the weather was getting worse by the minute. Another storm was forming somewhere in the distance.

You wished nothing more than to be out there with him. Waiting around was far scarier and agonizing than spending days and nights in titan territory by his side. 

By your younger brother’s side who meant the world to you. Who you knew your entire life and could not imagine living without even for a day.

„Moblit was afraid of storms when we were little,“ you said when Hange carefully opened the bedroom door to check on you. „He always climbed into my bed and hid under the covers. Then I had to tell him stories so he could fall asleep.“

„That’s a pretty common fear among kids. I used to be afraid too. Well... they still kinda scare me if they’re really bad,“ she answered and came closer, sitting on the edge of the bed. You could smell one of Levi’s favorite teas from the cup she was holding. „Drink this, you’ll sleep better.“

„I don’t want to sleep, what if they come back during the night? I told Hannes to send a word if they show up at the gate.“

She shook her head and put the cup on your nightstand. „I’ll wake you up if somebody comes. But you need to sleep.“

Hange wasn’t the right person to argue with, not after what she’s been through the last couple of days. She was clearly exhausted and worried as well. You didn’t even ask about any details of the expedition. It was useless anyway. Only the outcome mattered.

„They are fine and looking after each other.“

„I can’t do this alone, Hange.“ You didn’t need to specify anything. She already knew what you were referring to. „And Levi promised to be there with me the whole time.“

„He will be, don’t worry. Holding your hand the entire time and spending precious moments with the baby until you recover a bit.“

You tried to smile at her but failed terribly.

Hange stayed for a while but then left you alone, instructing you once more to drink the tea. So you did. But when you finally made yourself comfortable, sleep didn’t come for long hours. You listened to the rain outside, quietly talking to your baby and running your hand up and down your belly in comforting motions.

You wanted them to know just how much their father and uncle love them.

You kept reminding yourself that they are on the way back home. Any minute Hannes or someone else will knock on your door and announce their return.

Any minute now.

Any second.

When you finally fell asleep with puffy eyes and a headache from all the crying, nightmares started to creep in on you. One worst than the other. But they were somehow still better than the unbearable pain which woke you up suddenly. It almost made you cry out in agony as your lower back and abdomen felt like they were literally ripping in half.

„Hange!“ you shrieked at your best friend and tried to sit up, concentrating on your breathing.

It was important not to panic.

Maybe it was nothing.

Maybe...

You screamed at Hange once more, when another wave of pain hit you. But now even stronger, while you felt something wet and warm drench the bedsheets and your thighs. Throwing the covers off of you, the first thing you saw was a growing spot of rich red liquid.

Blood.

To be continued...

Part IV

[lesbian-in-leather]

ALRIGHTY THEN

It is time to analyse that finale cliff-hanger and make my predictions for season three, so buckle up folks—and if you haven't watched season two of CBS Ghosts, then I suggest you read no further, because this post will contain spoilers up to and including the end of episode 20: The Heir

So obviously we know at least one ghost has been sucked off—but why? And who? I've split the potentials into four categories for ease of reading, so let's dive right in, shall we?

Section One: It's Not Happening

Pete

He is 100% safe. Nothing happened to him in the finale that would make him a candidate for the afterlife, and if he were to move on, then surely they would have shuffled the episodes around so it could happen after attending his daughter's wedding? The fact that that was an episode this series but it wasn't the finale means that he's safe, because it would have made such a good reason for him to move on! ...if it'd happened in episode 20, that is

Sasappis

Very similar to above, he did nothing of note in the finale. No plot revolved around him, and he's had very little development this series—sure, he got a girlfriend for a few episodes, but really, that does not feel anywhere near earth-shattering enough for him to move on. And again, if that was the plot-to-end-all-Sasappis-plots, then it would have happened nearer then end. Ya boy is safe

Stephanie

Yes, she got what she wanted—a bf—but if that was enough for her to move on then... why didn't she? That was at least a few days ago girlie, that would be quite the lag. And it would feel like SUCH a cop to say that something was going on with her that we ~just didn't see~ when they could have simply... reordered the episodes so that hers was last. So yeah, she's good

Crash

He is so far from at risk it's almost laughable. He comes back for the first notable moment since the pilot (a background cameo doesn't count) and in that very same episode... loses his head again. Nothing has been fixed or solved, so he is definitely not in a place to move on. Or, two places, as the case may be

Cholera Victim Nancy

She is honestly just not relevant enough to be the one they choose to off. She also had absolutely no plot or relevance in that final episode, so if it was the actor leaving instead of a narrative choice then I feel they would have given her something to make it feel warranted—as it stands, she's still utterly irrelevant and so, not really at risk of moving on any time soon

Cholera Victim Ralph

Now he, at least, got some semblance of a plot but... still. See everything I've stated for Nancy—combined with the fact that having him move on would also completely undo Stephanie's reason for not trying to destroy every couple at Woodstone; which was a great plot! But if it were to be repeated ad nauseam, that would make Stephanie's character go from 'fun and interesting episode hook' to 'good god she's awake again' real fast. And without Ralph... well, there's no reason for it not to. So he's safe

Section Two: I doubt it

The Unnamed Cholera Ghosts

There is a very low possibility of it being any of them. The only reason I can think of that makes them more likely than any of the above is if the writers didn't actually plan out anything post-finale; and then when it came time to write season three they realised that they didn't want to be rid of any of the main cast and so decided on sacrificing one of these freaky lil basement dwellers as a cop out. I am sincerely hoping that that is not the case, but there's always a chance

Section Three: I Wouldn't Put Money On It

Flower

She has indeed shown growth this season, especially after gaining closure with her brother and "getting over her commitment issues" (something I could write a very different post about) enough to be with Thor. However, if she were the one to go, I feel she would have had more relevance to the finale—yes, she was a part of the council, but she didn't play any special part. And surely they would have put one of her more crucial plots in the finale—her brother replying to Sam's email, or at least her first kiss with Thor—if it were truly to be her last episode? All in all, it is possible, but I don't think it'll be her

Thorfinn

Very similar to Flower, Thor has had multiple points of growth this season that were not relevant in the finale at all. He began calming his anger (to a point), he started up a relationship with Flower, and he reconnected with his son... but not in the finale. Again, I think if he were the one to leave, he would have played a bigger role in the events of episode 20, so I'm fairly confident we'll have another series of everyone's favourite car-denying Viking

Trevor

Now my boy has solidly shown growth this season, and has proven himself once again to be a way better guy than he first appears. He respects Hetty and her opinions, and I could honestly write a whole post about them and their relationship but that is not for right now. The point is, the growth he's shown puts him at risk—however, there was absolutely no focus on that growth in the finale. His relationship with Hetty didn't even come up apart from one joke regarding Hetty's banishment, and I feel like if he was leaving, then he would have been more of a focus in the finale instead of solidly background

And finally, Section Four: The Prime Suspects

Hetty

Similarly to Trevor, I do think their relationship would have been more of a focus in the finale if it was to be either of their last episodes. However, Hetty made multiple tearful speeches this season, including in that very last episode, which puts her far more at risk then her boy toy (affectionate). She's shown growth, grace, forgiveness, and humility—all things the Hetty Woodstone of a century past would never have dreamed of in such circumstances. However, to have her leave now would leave her relationship with Trevor unfinished, not to mention the fact that we still have no idea about the circumstances surrounding her death. For that reason, she's the least likely to go out of the ghosts in this section, but my concern for her future at Woodstone is still all too real

Nigel & Isaac

Now these two could come as a package deal or separately, so I'm going to discuss them both individually and as a pair. Right off the bat, I'm going to say that if Isaac goes, I am fairly confident that Nigel will go with him—there is always the possibility of Nigel being upgraded to a fully fledged member of the group after Isaac has moved on, and it would allow him to step into the kind of comedy the show relies on Isaac for (another thing I could write a very different post about) but I think that would only happen if Isaac's actor had chosen to leave instead of this being a narrative choice. So, why would it be Isaac? Well, to be fair, he has sort of ticked all of his narrative boxes. He's secured his legacy (with his book on the way), and finally gotten over the last of his hang-ups regarding his sexuality by proposing to Nigel—he could very well feel at peace with himself, and at a place where he could leave Woodstone behind for good. Similarly, Nigel has completed his narrative arc—he's spent the entirety of season two asking for a real commitment, and now he's finally got it. However, I do think the network would have to consider how it would look to finally give our only queer couple a solid relationship... only to immediately kill one of them off. Yes, yes, I know they're all already dead, but for this narrative, moving on is, for all intents and purposes, a second death. The best solution to this conundrum? Have them move on together—both of their arcs completed, both happy and content enough to leave this world behind and explore the next together. It's not perfect, but it's highly possible, and the best of the alternatives for the two of them

Alberta

And here she is, my most anticipated loss. We've spent the entire series unpacking and solving her murder, piece by piece. We've delved into her life, her loves, her legacy. We've seen it almost fall apart only to be built up stronger, we've seen it continued in the voice of her great grand niece. And, finally, she not only ended the season knowing who killed her, but why, how, and—the final piece of the puzzle—forgiving Hetty for concealing that information for the past century, absolving her of her punishment in the climax of the finale. Alberta would be a tragic loss to the series, but they have given her a lot of focus this series, and it certainly wouldn't feel out of place or unsatisfying for her story if she were the one to go

Now, if we were to look at timing of any of these potential losses then there is of course another problem—there would obviously be a rather significant delay between the last time we see the ghosts, and Sam and Jay pulling up in the driveway after their conversation with the Imposter Heir. Any number of things could have happened in that time, but I doubt entire arcs would have taken place off screen that would drastically shift the order of any of these characters—and if they did, I would have an entirely different bone to pick

But I suppose we'll just have to wait and see

[dark-elf-writes]

I’m laughing so hard rn I can’t breath. Holy fuck. Just imagine Fugaku sometimes mentioning his kids offhandedly and Naruto always being fine with it cuz his sugar daddy being an actual dad doesn’t rly change much for him (Besides making him even more besotted because Fugaku clearly loves his family and Naruto adores that).

But imagine all the ways the reveal could happen.

Naruto walks past Sasuke’s old room one morning after a major storm and sees the bedroom light on. Doesn’t think anything of it because at his old apartment every single light turned on whenever the power came back on. He walks in to turn it off, sees Sasuke staring back at him with wide eyes (he’s wearing a very slutty robe that does absolutely nothing to hide his lacy white lingerie or the bite marks on his chest) and blinks a few times before smiling brightly “you can call me mom if you’d like!”

Naruto walks into Fugaku office wanting to blow him but sees him looking through a photo album. One of the pictures is from Sasuke’s yearbook and Naruto sees himself in the background of one of the pictures. He’s sporting several bruisers from that round of foster parents and sitting alone on the swing as a familiar dark haired boy beams at the camera showing off his ninja action figure.

Itachi, vaguely connected to everyone sasuke has talked to for more than a few months and admittedly fond of the blonde, calls him one day to ask how he is. Unfortunately for everyone, Naruto put the phone on speaker and Fugaku walks into the room at the sound of his oldest son’s voice.

Fugaku’s birthday where both of his sons come home to surprise him only to hear Naruto moaning from the top of the staircase. Just absolutely screaming and wailing because he does nothing silently (frosting is definitely being licked off him too). Itachi blinks, stares at the cake he’s holding, and quietly turns to go back downstairs. Sasuke needs to be dragged because he literally froze up in horror. They both spend an hour in half dissociative states in the kitchen until Naruto and Fugaku stumble into the kitchen half naked and smelling like sex. Sasuke does a lot of pointing while Naruto immediately snaps into mom mode like “aw sasuke you brought your father a cake! That’s so sweet of you! I already had plenty to eat but I’m sure he’s hungry!

I really love Cool Brother Itachi being aware of Naruto and checking in with him whenever he can/making sure things with Sasuke don’t get too bad but the birthday thing is also amazing so hear me out:

Itachi while on the phone with Naruto hears his dad’s voice from the background and is like “Naru… hun… are you sleeping with my father?” Naruto who graduated with no less than four Uchihas in his class is very much “??? Perhaps??? You got a first name or???” Itachi frankly thinks this is good for both of them (Naruto had always looked so sad and his father has been so lonely) and just says congratulations and moves on.

He forgets to tell his brother of this.

(Sasuke deserves it if he’s being honest. After everything he put poor Naruto through some minor scaring is the least Sasuke deserves)

When they walk into their fathers house and hear the very clear sounds of sex (loud enthusiastic loud sex) Itachi does drag Sasuke downstairs and makes it very clear that he will not ruin this for their dad no matter how much he hates it.

Then Naruto walks in.

Itachi pours himself another glass of wine, drains it in one, and laughs in his brothers face.

[skymaiden32]

Brothers and Enemies

Read on AO3 here

Fandom: Thunderbirds

Tagging: @dragonoffantasyandreality @thundergeek59 @janetm74 @katblu42 @liseylou @amistrio @uniwolfcorn @idontknowreallywhy (Please ask if you would like to get alerts when I update or post new stories.)

Thundertober Day 6: Spiritual

Kyrano gives three feuding brothers a few words of advice.

Continuity: TOS

------

It was a beautiful day on Tracy Island. An array of tropical wildlife thrived in the trees of the jungle and the reefs of the surrounding sea, all vibrant and colourful. Kyrano inhaled deeply as he watched it all from the sanctity of his garden. Days like this, when the world was at peace and all was still, were what he lived for.

So of course, the powers that be decided it was high time for some chaos. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!” The shout carried from the main house across what must have been the entire island. Kyrano immediately recognised the voice as Virgil. He sighed, wondering who was responsible for the second brother's anger. And what the reason was. It took a lot to make Virgil angry, but when he was, the entire house knew within seconds.

“Then next time,” a second voice replied to Virgil. Alan. “Don’t steal my cheesecake!” Kyrano chuckled. A trivial disagreement between brothers. Seemed like this would get resolved by itself fairly quickly. At least hopefully. With Grandma on the supply run with Scott, and Jeff away on business, there was no-one to keep them in check.

“That doesn’t mean you can just do that, Alan! I could’ve really gotten hurt there…” Of course, Kyrano thought, he could be proven wrong about it being resolved quickly.

Alan scoffed. “Really? By slipping on some spilled water?”

“Spilled water from an ice bucket,” Virgil explained. Kyrano could practically see him getting angrier from here. “That YOU kicked over while I was walking past!” Kyrano’s interest was definitely piqued now. He moved closer to the house to hear a little better, and to intervene if need be.

“Yeah…” Gordon’s voice was nervous as he joined in. “It was going a bit far for a slice of cheesecake, if you ask me, Al…”

“Well nobody did ask you, Gordon.” Alan replied harshly. “So you can stay out of this!”

Virgil gasped as if what Alan had just said had been directed at him. “Don’t talk to Gordon like that! Or me for that matter!”

Just as Alan was about to retort, Kyrano decided it was high time he stepped in. “What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?” He walked over the threshold. “It sounds like quite the argument.”

Virgil argued against the intervention. “Oh, it’s nothing, Kyrano. Don’t worry. Just a normal brotherly spat.”

Gordon chuckled without humour. “Sure, let’s call it that...” 

Alan glared at his immediate brother. Kyrano raised his eyebrow. “Oh? Well, I happen to have had my fair share of these ‘brotherly spats’. I am happy to help where I can and offer advice, if you so desire.”

“It’s fine-”

“I insist, Master Alan.” Kyrano stated matter-of-factly, giving his daughter’s boyfriend a pointed look. “Come sit, all of you,” he pointed to the chairs outside. “And we will discuss over a nice cup of tea.”

The mere suggestion calmed the three enough that they exchanged a puzzled look, before nodding. Gordon and Alan sat on the balcony, looking out to the sea, with Virgil offering to help Kyrano with the tea. Soon, the four men sat in a circle, calm, but subdued given what had just happened.

“It is not easy,” the manservant started, causing all three brothers to look up at him from their drinks. “To get along with your brothers at all times. In fact, it may well be impossible. Believe me, I understand that perfectly. After all, it is simply what happens when you live and work with people who are so similar to you for so long.” He sighed. “But Master Alan, your brothers were right when they not only said someone could’ve gotten seriously hurt, but it was also a step too far.” They all listened, attentively. “My own brother hurt me, and continues to hurt me near daily.” Three pairs of eyes flew wide open at the statement, all of them knowing exactly who Kyrano was talking about. “We were as close as you five were, once.”

“What happened?” Alan’s voice was quiet when he asked that question. “How did he become…” He hesitated, but he didn’t need to finish that sentence. He tried anyway. “The Hood…?”

Kyrano sighed again, sipping his tea. “I wish I knew when it started. All I do know is that one day, he went too far. My wife…” He shook his head. “Forgive me for not being as forthcoming as you would like.” Kyrano looked at Alan again. “It may seem trivial to you, but it was not to your brothers. I will not let your family be split apart like mine was.”

Alan sighed, reading between the lines, and turned to look at his two older brothers. “I’m sorry. I really am…”

“We know sprout. Just don’t do it again.” Gordon ruffled his hair. The radio in the lounge beeped urgently. “That’ll be Grandma and Scott. I’ll guide them in and you meet them on the runway, okay?”

“Okay.” Alan nodded in agreement, and the two left, leaving Virgil and Kyrano by themselves.

Virgil breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Kyrano. You always know just what to say. Guess you’ve learned a thing or two from the spiritual lifesyle.”

“That, and being old.” Kyrano smiled, and Virgil laughed. “I was just happy to help.” He made his way back down the steps to the garden, only stopping to say one last thing. “Remember to finish that tea. It wouldn’t do to let it get cold.”

Back down in the garden, he breathed in and out, taking in the new but familiar sounds as one more Tracy brother and their grandmother joined what was soon to be a cacophony once again. Kyrano didn’t mind. It was a beautiful day, and he could feel at peace anywhere.

[lollipencil]

In The Pale Moonlight: Part 2

OK, didn't think I'd be doing more of this one so soon nor in this way, but this idea wouldn't leave me be. All I am going to say is @harleyification, I'm addressing the elephant in the room.

Enjoy and be gentle.

---

One year. Steven trudged on forward in the bitter cold as he reflected. It had been one miserable year since his littlest brother had died. One year of grieving, of arguments, of nightmares. Of longing.

An icy chill filled Steven's lungs as he stopped. There, full moon over head, was his destination. Steven didn't dare speak. None of the words he could think of felt right. So, in their absence, he had turned to actions. Slowly, a disc of moonstone was lowered onto the gravestone. Perfectly smooth apart from engravings around the edge. The meaning known only to him.

Even as tears filled his eyes, Steven smiled. Lowered himself onto the firm earth, pulled out a well-loved copy of Pride and Prejudice, and began to read aloud.

---

Marc sighed as he heaved himself through his window. It had been a long night, even without the knowledge that hung in the air like smog.

Nearly four years.

The sound of the window sliding shut seemed to echo into the shadows of their shared apartment. Something was wrong. "Don't bother hiding. I know you're there."

At that, he flicked on the living room light. At the same time, a chair spun around. And revealed The Red Hood.

"Well," came the heavily filtered voice, "good to know that's not an option." "Why are you here?" "Ah, straight to the point, I like that," Red Hood nodded to himself, "You see, I have a bit of a problem. I've been looking for someone, someone...very memorable. Nobody's seen them in, about three years now." "And what's that got to do with me?"

At this, Red Hood stood up, a gun in his hand but by his side. "Where is he?" "Give me the body, Marc," Steven suddenly said. "No, this guy would kill you-" "And you will stop him if he does," Steven cut off Jake's objection, "Let me talk to him." Before Marc could object himself, Steven pushed his way in front and held on tight. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I came here to make sure that bastard suffered for what he did to me, and I can't find him." Each word was tainted with anger and the imminent promise of violence. Strangely, he didn't seem to react to the switch at all. "You know why that is," Steven cooly stated, "or you wouldn't be here. Which told you?" "Ivy."

Steven nodded, even as Marc and Jake's questions flew about their head. "And you truly wish to know?" The Red Hood nodded. "Fair enough."

Steven sat in the seat opposite The Red Hood who, in turn, lowered himself back down. "We had a little brother. You probably know this already, but Jason was killed by the Joker, a couple of months after he'd paralysed a family friend. It destroyed us. In so many ways.

One day, an idea pops into my head. I'm not like you, I'm not the kind of person that can kill. Call me a coward if you must, but I'm just not. But this idea isn't that.

Harley Quinn had broken up with the Joker since...his death, and was making genuine efforts to make it permanent. Her and Poison Ivy, they made each other really happy. But everyone knew that she could go crawling back to him if he said the right things.

I managed to acquire a powerful paralytic, don't ask me how. Full-body, you know. I got a burner phone and a blow dart kit. And happened to find him, alone, in a warehouse.

I took my chance.

Once he'd stopped trying to move, I called Ivy's number. Don't ask how I got that either. 'Right now, the Joker is under a full-body paralytic. Won't be able to move until morning. If you want to ensure he'll never hurt her again, here's your chance. My only request is that, if you do leave him alive, that he never be able to move his arms, his legs, or laugh. Ever again. Harley can come to, if she likes.'

I gave the address and hung up. Dismantled the phone and threw it into the Gotham River. Tossed the pipe into the Wayne's manor incinerator. I then went to Jason's grave and read to him until the sun rose.

I never laid a finger on the Joker, and have no idea what Ivy did to him after I left, but he'll never lay his own on anyone else."

The Red Hood was silent. In his head, Marc and Jake were stunned. "I think, that you are the best big brother one could ever ask for," Red Hood slowly stated after what felt like an eternity. Then, he raised his hand to his helmet. Entranced, they watched as the helmet hissed and slid off to reveal an impossibility.

"And if I knew we were exchanging gifts," Jason Todd croaked out, "I'd have got you something real special."

In an instant, Marc had the body. With great care and speed, he threw himself over Jason.

"You're alive," he managed before his tears grew too strong, "You're her. That's enough." Nobody tried to stop him, hugging a dead man like he'd dissolve if not held together. Instead, Steven and Jake pushed forward as close as they could, while Jason's arms wrapped around them all with equal strength.

Together again finally.

[ktrivia]

A Sniper's Competition (Crosshair x Reader)

Summary:

The Republic had many humanized weapons in this war but all of them were well known by the Separatist forces. All of them but me, that is. The Republic brought me in at the beginning of this war to be one of their secret weapons. A sniper who could go undercover and stay unknown to the enemy. As the war grows closer to a close, the Republic is sending me on a new mission, one that includes four experimental clones. Which another sniper, who was known for his disdain for others, already in the squad, things were sure to get interesting.

Author’s note:

Sorry for the long wait everyone! Life has been very hectic (major exams and catching Covid for the first time). This story is back and shit is going down! I'm excited for the plot to really begin now and the twists and turns to start. Please let me know what you think because your comments and reblogs are truly what keep me motivated to keep going with this story!

P.S. Let me know if you catch an Easter egg of a well-loved Bad Batch character

Also I am officially writing Fives x Reader oneshots and drabbles as a prequel to this series! There is now a section on my master list for and I would love to write more for one of our favorite ARC Troopers so please PLEASE send in some requests! Sometimes we all just need a little Fives goodness in our lives.

Enjoy the chapter!

Mando'an translations:

Vod: Brother

Gar kebbur gar jatne: You tried your best (just like I'm trying to string together sentences in Mando'a)

<- Previous Chapter : Next Chapter ->

______________________________________________________________

CHAPTER 13

The only men sitting past the door were Rex, Echo and Anakin which meant the rest of the Batch was in the cockpit. The four of us looked at each other, no one sure of what to say first. The events of the day had taken a toll on everyone it seemed. 

“How much longer are we in hyperspace?” I questioned as I moved to sit next to Anakin who sat across from two of the only remaining men from the original 501st. 

“A couple hours,” Rex answered, checking me over once again for injuries. “How are you feeling?”

“A lot better, Rexxie,” I assured before turning to Anakin. “But I need your help.” 

Before I could continue on, he spoke. 

“You can’t feel the force can you?” 

“Not at all,” I confirmed. “And it honestly feels like I’m missing a limb.”

“It happens,” Anakin began, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “You basically fried the receptors in your body that let you feel the force because you used so much of it at one time. That part of you needs to heal. You were never trained to recognize the warning signs of wearing yourself out like that.”

“How long will it be like this?” I asked, trying to keep myself from reaching out to the emotions of the men around me. 

“Give it a couple days and it should start to come back. If it doesn’t then come by my quarters and we’ll contact the temple for suggestions.” 

I reached up to my shoulder and gripped his hand in thanks before turning to Echo who now wore someone’s spare set of blacks. Because of his emaciated state, they hung loosely on his thin frame.

“What about you, Echo? How are you feeling?”

He gave me a small smile and explained that Tech had performed another health assessment on him and done what he could to make him more comfortable until we got back to base to a proper medic. They had given him a bit of food and water, but he had a hard time keeping it down so they had held off after that. The room went quiet, the four of us still taking in the reunion that had occurred hours ago. 

“I’ve uh, been meaning to ask,” Echo prompted hesitantly, sorrow in his eyes. “What happened to Fives?”

My heart stopped as I met Rex’s panicked expression. How did we tell Echo that his twin had died? How did we even begin to broach what had happened?

“I assume he’s gone,” Echo said, his voice cracking as he did. “Otherwise, I’m sure he would have been here for this.” 

Tears sprung to my eyes at the thought. There’s no way in hell that Fives would have missed this. He would have fought anyone and everyone to be on this mission to rescue his brother. 

“Yeah, Echo.” I confirmed. “He’s gone.”

My voice broke and I couldn’t help the tears that streamed down my cheeks. Across from me, I could see Rex’s eyes glistening as he tried to keep it together. 

I barely noticed the door to the bunk area whooshing open as Crosshair emerged. He quickly took in everyone’s expression but those observant eyes landed on me and widened. 

I thought he was about to get jealous of either Anakin’s hand that still rested on my shoulder or the mention of Fives, but he surprised us all by quickly claiming the seat next to mine and grabbing hold of my hand. He gently caressed it in soothing motions, but didn’t say a word. He sat there as a reassuring presence. Maybe he was ready to make the effort for there to be a relationship between us.

“Can I ask what happened?” Echo asked timidly. 

“Of course you can, Echo,” I confirmed, willing strength into my voice. 

“He was your brother. You have every right to ask that,” Rex added, ferocity clear on his face. There were many cases where the clones wouldn’t know what happened to a lost brother and when they would try to ask, their requests would be denied. The administration didn’t bother to keep track of which clones were lost, only that their numbers had been depleted in general. 

I wasn’t sure where to begin the story, but thankfully Anakin spoke up. 

“It started with Tup,” he began, voice going quiet like what he said was a secret. To be fair, it was a secret to most. 

“He killed Master Tiplar,” Anakin continued solemnly. Echo’s face somehow paled more than it already was. 

“He killed a Jedi?” He asked disbelievingly in a whisper. His gaze went foggy, and Rex put his hand on Echo’s shoulder in comfort. It dawned on me that Echo had also just discovered Tup’s passing as well. Crosshair’s hand now clenched mine tightly. Glancing over, I could see confusion and discomfort apparent on his face. Echo wasn’t going to be the only person hearing this story for the first time. 

“He did,” Anakin confirmed with a sorrowful nod. “It was clear that something was wrong. We thought it was some kind of virus or biological agent so we sent him back to Kamino with Fives in charge of him. Even when Tup left he wasn’t mentally sound. He couldn’t focus and just kept repeating himself.”

Anakin’s head bowed and I gently grasped his hand, offering him comfort. Anakin bonded with his soldiers, clones or not, and I remembered how hard this whole situation had hit him when it happened. 

“Then what?” Echo asked quietly. Anakin turned to me. 

“You’re probably the best person to tell him the next part,” He offered, Echo’s face contorted into a look of confusion.

“Why?” He asked.

“Because I was on Kamino when they got there,” I explained, voice growing thick as the memories flooded me. Crosshair tensed next to me.

“You were there?” He murmured, eyes shockingly full of concern. I nodded my confirmation and squeezed his hand before turning back to Echo.

“I hadn’t seen Fives since we had broken up,” I started. “We were together for about a year, and I hadn’t seen him for a few months. The second he saw me he tried to tell me what had happened with Tup, but I was about to leave on an assignment. I just-,”

My words choked off and it felt like the air around me grew physically heavy. My eyes widened in panic as I tried to pull in air, but even that felt like I was inhaling lead. Crosshair’s hand pulled from mine and wrapped around my shoulders pulling me against his chest. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to focus on breathing. When I re-opened them, Anakin was crouched in front of me. 

“Hey,” he said quietly, placing his hand on my knee. “You’re ok. It's just the force. It can be a little overwhelming at first when it comes back on line, but it’ll ease. There are a lot of heavy emotions in here right now and that can be hard to feel.” 

At the mention of the force, I could feel Crosshair almost retract his hold on me, but instead he squeezed tighter, hands roaming over my shoulder and arm. I worked to pace my breaths in time with Crosshair’s rising chest, and while they were still weighted, it was slowly getting easier to breathe again. When I could finally speak without gasping for air, I looked back to Echo. 

“I’m so sorry. This is your story and time and I just interrupted it.”

He shakily rose to his feet and stumbled over to me. His flesh hand reached out and grasped mine, squeezing as hard as he could. 

“It’s our story, Vod. You take your time,” he reassured. The three of them grounded me until I was ready to continue the story. 

“Fives tried to tell me something was wrong,” I began again. “He tried to tell me something had happened to Tup, but I had to leave. He never knew, but I stopped in the med bay to check on them, but they told me Tup would be fine and Fives was healthy. The Kaminoans don’t usually lie to me. I could feel they were lying, but I thought it was because they didn’t know what was wrong with Tup yet. But I had to go, so I left. I have a little friend who works in the med center that kept me updated as much as she could, but her droid could only find out so much information once the Chancellor got involved.”

“The Chancellor?” Echo questioned, sunken eyes widening. I hummed in agreement. 

“Fives said he had discovered something and the Chancellor needed to hear it. But they say that once he got to Coruscant, he tried to murder the Chancellor in his office. Then he got a hold of Rex and Anakin.” 

I trailed off and looked to them to continue the story. Rex spoke this time.

“He found Kix at 79s and had him contact me and the General. We went to meet with Fives and he trapped us in a ray shield. He tried explaining himself but the Coruscant Guard… they shot him. We tried- we really tried to help him but he was too far gone. All he said was the nightmare was over.”

Rex’s hand clasped together as his shoulders hunched over and his breathing shortened. With effort, I extricated myself from the men around me and made the short crossing to the Captain. Standing in front of him, I pulled his forehead to my chest and stroked gently over his cropped hair. Strong arms pulled me as close as possible as his breaths turned ragged. 

“You did what you could, vod,” I reassured. “We all did. Gar kebbur gar jatne.” 

I held him there for a while as the silence of the room settled. Resurfaced memories had reopened old wounds and everyone was trying to grapple with it in their own ways. Clanking footsteps came closer and I glanced over to see Echo standing there. He sat down next to Rex and put his arm over his shoulders, pulling him away from my hold. Tears almost left me again at the sight of Echo comforting his brother. Even after all this time and the torture he undoubtably endured, he remembered the little things that helped Rex while he was mourning. 

The exhaustion hit me suddenly from the conversation and events of the mission so I went back over to where Crosshair was still seated. I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed in content when his arm circled my shoulders, a warm and reassuring weight. My eyes drifted shut as I listened to the lingering conversation. I was almost asleep, Crosshair's light rubbing on my shoulder lulling me, when I heard Echo ask a question that made me perk up. 

“Before Fives was sh-shot,” he began to Rex, “what was he trying to warn you about?” 

My eyes remained closed but I was alert and listening. 

“He said there was a plot against the Jedi,” Rex said softly. Crosshairs ministrations froze at the mention of the Jedi and I grumbled at him, displeased with the lack of the soothing motion. He huffed a small laugh before resuming again. I felt the tension leaving my body as his hand worked its way up towards my neck, rubbing the tight muscles there. I groaned quietly at the sensation. 

“Get a room,” Anakin muttered under his breath. 

“You’d hear me either way, Skywalker,” I grumbled back. Crosshair choked on his breath and I could only laugh. Anakin said something else but I didn’t hear it as part of Rex’s comment caught my attention. 

“-he said something about a chip controlling us. That we were programmed.”

My eyes shot open and I bolted upright. Connections were rapidly forming in my mind. I could hear the four of them questioning me as I ran to the cockpit of the ship. The door slid open and my eyes landed on Tech in the pilot’s chair as he typed on a datapad. In the periphery, my mind took note that Hunter and Wrecker were also there, the larger of the two sound asleep. 

“Tech, where are the scans of Echo’s brain?” I asked frantically. Hunter stiffened at the tone of my voice. 

“They are on my data pad,” Tech replied simply, not looking up from what he was doing. 

“I need it. Now,” I demanded. Tech glanced up, confusion clear. 

“Why do you need it?” 

“Give me the datapad, Tech. I need to check something and time may be of the essence.”

I stormed towards him, ready to take the datapad from him whether he wanted me to or not, but Hunter blocked my path. 

“You need to calm down,” he instructed, arms crossed in front of his chest. 

“It is ok, Hunter. She can have it,” Tech said calmly. Hunter glanced back at him, not convinced I wouldn’t do something to Tech, and stepped just far enough out of the way for Tech to hand me the datapad. 

“I pulled up his scans for you,” Tech stated as I wrenched it from his hand. 

I scrolled through the slices of the scan as quickly as I could, looking for what I had seen earlier on Skako Minor. I made a sound of success when I found the right slice. I turned it back to Tech and pointed at it.

“What the hell is this and why did you tell me to ignore it?” I questioned. His eyes squinted as he focused on the spot before his face smoothed into understanding. 

“Oh! That is Echo’s inhibitor chip.”

Taglist (let me know if you would like to be added!):

@1fineslytherin @buddee @possiblyexisting @ttzamara @angstforce99 @crosshairscyare @rndmpeep @whore4rex @twinkofthedink @clone-whore-99 @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @sweetsunflowerkisses @amyroswell @mellowstatesmanhandsempath

@ben-is-a-hoe @scioness-7 @eternalwaffle @espuma-y-arrecife @philiasoul 

[my-watch-begins]

A match for Love. Part XV.

Pairing: Harwin Strong x Female!OC.

Words: 5.4 k

Masterlist.

Harwin and Ayla sat next to each other, his hand was pressed tightly to the side of her stomach and they waited silently. After a few seconds their babe kicked on Harwin's hand and he lifted his eyes to her.

"You haven't had any dreams about this child?"

Harwin didn't know if Ayla was mocking him like his father, he waited with his eyes on hers until she moved her eyebrows beckoning him.

"No, I haven't yet. But I had it when Kylian was this big, maybe I'll have it now"

"I actually like knowing before hand" she admitted "what are you hoping for now?"

"A healthy child, and a healthy wife afterwards"

Ayla had to playfully twist her eyes at his words. Her hand rubbed over his knuckles and she sighed in tiredness.

The door of the room opened, Ayla and Harwin straightened themselves on the sofa and looked over at the door. A maid entered and left a case near bed in the opposite side to where they sat. After the maid left, Lord Edder walked into the room and only after they were alone, Ayla stood from her seat and walked across the big room.

Lord Edder was surprised to see her already in his room, but he didn't question it and hugged his daughter to his chest, as they hugged his hand cradled the base of her stomach.

"Ayla my girl" he gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and took a step back, looking up and down at her "you look beautiful" he pressed another kiss to her forehead and held both her hands in his "it is truly a blessing to see you with child again. I feared I wouldn't be able to come to receive my grandchild like I did with Kylian, but seeing you now will mend my heart"

Ayla smiled at her father. Even though it was the hour of the Wolf, his tiredness did nothing to accentuate the pass of time on him. He still looked the same as the day Ayla had left Harrenhal with her husband of a few hours.

Lord Edder saluted Harwin after he caught up with Ayla and basked in her state, if anything Harwin was a little too nervous about the conversation that they were about to have.

"I came to tell you about the summon"

"Ah yes, the King's summon. Very vague" he lamented. The three of them took a seat in the sofa where Ayla and Harwin had been sitting previously. She sat between her father and husband and turned to her father.

"Last month, the King decided that Prince Daemon would no longer be the Lord Commander of the City Watch. He proceeded to opening the post to the Captains of the city. Amongst them they voted and four names were voted the most. Harwin, Ser Gwayne Hightower, Jimmer Redwyne and Jalen Cargyll" she explained hoping that her father would follow her quick words and even quicker thoughts as they left her mouth. "I am certain Larys bought the loyalty of those voting Captains to win the Queen's favor by stating her brother as the Lord Commander"

Lord Edder gave a quick look to Harwin. He knew what Larys was capable of all too well. He wondered if that was the first time Ayla had accused Larys of anything out loud in front of Harwin. Given the quick twist of his eyebrows as Ayla exposed Larys on his plan, it probably had been. Lord Edder assumed Harwin was not yet bought on the levels of treachery his brother could achieve. Ayla had apparently done nothing to pit the brothers against each other, not too strongly at least.

"The Small Council is to make the decision With most of them also vouching for Gwayne Hightower or bought to do so, I thought it was unfair to Harwin who is far superior in all aspects"

"So you mobilized the main Lords of the Seven Kingdoms because you didn't like Harwin's odds" Lord Edder concluded for her.

"I did no such thing. I simply stated this unfairness to the Hand and gave him a reasonable alternative, he just so happened to agree" she defended.

Harwin stared. He wondered if he would ever get to that point in his fatherhood when he would get to look at his own children with the same loving, proud, and amused expression Lord Edder looked at Ayla.

"You did" he concluded again with a little smile, he definitely appreciated the word usage on his daughter's behalf.

"I did" she admitted after a short time with her lips pressed tightly, wondering if the next thing she would hear would be a reprimand "the decision is why Harwin never replied to your proposal about Harrenhal" she explained next.

"Though I was very eager to leave, Ayla convinced me to stay until the vote was made" Harwin followed, Ayla nodded in agreement.

"Understandable. The Lord Commander of the City watch is a notable tittle"

He proceeded to stand up, the extend his hand to Ayla. She reluctantly took it and heavily stood up, feeling Harwin's hand on her lower back to help her.

"I shall take it from here"

"But Jason Lannister arrived two days ago and-"

"I said I will take it from here" he interrupted, motioning at Harwin to take over and make Ayla leave. She didn't seem happy to not be allowed to explain all the other things she'd learned in the month she had to wait for all the Lords to gather.

As they neared the door Ayla motioned at her father's things.

"You have not brought nearly enough luggage to account for my name day presents"

Lord Edder had to laugh at her words, the last he thought he would hear after such a serious conversation was a reproach about presents.

"I believe your husband accounts very well for your name day presents"

"He does, but you're still my father, and I'm still your favorite daughter"

"I have two daughters"

"Out of which I am the favorite one" she repeated.

He chuckled again as he opened the door, then said his goodbyes for the night. Harwin had to make sure that they wouldn't be seen in the short trek from Lord Edder's to to the nearest entrance to the hidden passages, much to Ayla's insistence on not being seen. At first Harwin hadn't taken her suspicions as true, but then Ayla made the point that Larys had known about her visits to the maesters the day they had found out about their pregnancy, twice. Harwin obliged and escorted her through the passages near to the room back to the side entrance of the Tower and safely into their room.

Later, after a short sleep when they all gathered for breakfast, Ayla saluted her father again with vigor as to not make anyone suspect that they had met before.

Ayla's name day had always been one of the biggest event in the Redfort even over her own sister Jessamine. She had been the suprise child and the first girl after four boys, it wasn't a secret that Lord Edder only had eyes for her ever since she was born.

Presently, Ayla wasn't the apple of Lord Edder's eyes only, but Harwin's as well. He had made sure she tasted her favorite meals that whole day, gifted her a precious jewelry set of matching necklace and earrings, and since he had a down day to be with her, he made sure to shower her with kisses that she glady accepted, basking in the attention with little embarrassment.

After lunch and the review of Lord Edder's dresses as gifts for her name day, him and Lord Lyonel headed to the main room where the deliberation would take place.

Rickon Stark for the north, Grover Tully for the Riverlands, Jason Lannister for the Westerlands. For the Reach, the Lord Lyonel Tyrell's mother and regent named a representative of House Tyrell and the captain of the Tyrell forces, one of the biggest ones in the Seven Kingdoms, was Lord Rodner Gardener. The Baratheons from the Stormlands had sent two of their own, Borros Baratheon, young in age, knighted but not experienced in warfare was said to have attended the summon only for his own personal amusement. Out of the two men from the Stormlands, Everan Connington was the more knowledgeable.

House Connington was a house of knights with great achievements and renowns. Everan, as the future Lord of Connington was said to be very intelligent, had excelled in his studies at young age and was already taking matters of his house from his father's hands. Borros and him were good friends and since Everan was already acquainted and resided at the Keep they only had to wait for Borros' arrival.

As for Dorne, a summon had been sent out of pure respect for the Dornish, they weren't expected to attend and in the end didn't.

Once all the Lords were gathered few pleasantries were shared and some words of resentment were thrown about the main houses who had sent envoys much like Lord Edder.

"I can speak for myself, lady Jeyne held a meeting similar to this one and the three generals of the Vale attended. We all know that after Lady Jeyne's attempted usurpation of her seat, she doesn't trust any members of her family"

"I am sure all Lords present have all required knowledge to participate in the task at hand" Lord Lyonel spoke up. All Lords took a seat and listened attentively to the Hand.

He explained the general situation and what would be required of all Lords. Needless to say that such meeting took them out of the monotony of rulling their respective Houses, they looked forward to the review of the candidates and were eager to start testing the young knights to crown a new Lord Commander.

As soon as the names were read and with them an archive of their achievements thus far, Lord Edder felt like he had to address the elephant in the room. As soon as Harwin was named one of the Lords made a snide remark about the preference for Lord Edder to his son in law, one he instantly put to bed.

"I have to say, I know very little of Ser Harwin, even though we are bonded through his marriage with my daughter. If anything I'm very eager to make this assessment of him. Perhaps his worthiness will be translated to other matters"

That got a chuckle our of everyone, Lord Lyonel inspected the faces of all Lords and even saw a little smirk on some of them. Every time he managed to underestimate his actions, Lord Edder surprised him.

The first meeting to have all Lords be acquainted with the candidates made Lord Edder notice that something was amiss. He related his thoughts to Ayla as soon as the meeting ended and they met in the gardens in a private seating arrangement, enjoying some tea and Ayla's favorite pastries.

"They are, sadly, still not as good as the ones in the Redfort" Ayla lamented over a piece of cheesecake.

"The blueberries are tastier there" he agreed, also taking a piece.

"How was the first meeting? What do you make of everyone?"

"It was-" a loud screech was heard through the gardens and Ayla lifted her eyes to the sky. Lord Edder had jumped a little in his seat, not expecting a dragon to fly atop them. Ayla seemed very much used to them. "It was good, I've made it clear that my alliance with the Strongs will not cloud my judgment or make up my mind before the tests"

"Test?" She asked, her eyes still followed the two dragons that chased each other. They weren't hard to figure out, only two dragonriders resided in the Keep, both the Princess and Ser Laenor.

"Yes, tests. The Lords were very much happy to have been called to make such a decision and have taken it very seriously. They wish to push the limits of te candidates in both physical and mental tests"

"Are you going to make them fight each other?" She wondered. Having Harwin hurt certainly didn't fit into the tribulations she knew he would have to pass.

"No, but we are going to oversee their trainings" Ayla nodded and leaned forward to refill her cup of tea "something surprised me though. No figure is there to vouch for the rulling house"

"The Hand protects the interest of the King" she mentioned.

"Still. The future regent should be more interested in this decision as well"

Ayla noticed the use of "future regent" as to give way for both Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Aegon to be rulers.

She sighed and looked to the side, the dragons now flew farther.

"It's better if the Princess is not there, it would be too obvious if she vouches for Harwin" she reasoned.

"Everyone does things to their own benefit very bluntly, Ayla. I think the Princess' input could be very valuable. She out of everyone in the Keep should start worrying about making good alliances and surround herself with the right people"

Ayla pondered, suddenly feeling a loss of appetite. She rubbed her rings against her skin and then aclasped her hands at her lap.

"If Harwin is picked as Lord Commander they would have to see each other anyway" Lord Edder reasoned.

Ayla found herself in a predicament. Her father already had too high expectations of her power, Ayla thought herself not so influential to the point of convincing the Princess to attend the meetings.

"I refuse to speak of this on my name day" she crossed her arms at her chest and looked away from her father, hearing his chuckle from next to her.

Thankfully, Harwin had made his way to them and sat down to join them. With only one look Harwin knew that Ayla appeared mad. Her anger went away as soon as her babe started kicking and both Harwin and her hand laid atop her stomach to feel it.

That night, with both families gathered they feasted in honor of her and Adrian. Even though she knew that Harwin tried her hardest to distract her from what was bothering her, her lips didn't found themselves in a smile in what remained of her name day.

The following morning, she dressed in one of the gowns her father had gifted her and found that it fitted her perfectly, with the soft materials of the Vale it fell off of her delicately and her curves filled every space.

She knew that early in the morning the Lords were going to the barracks. The one she could oversee from the Tower of the hand was the one she was the least interested in, Harwin's. She had to walk a trek to the others but was determined to do so.

The Lords did not know who she was and didn't mind the shadow an inconspicuous lady like her would draw.

Whilst walking with the Lords, she took into account what her father meant. The lack of the ruling House was noticeable. Everyone was free to talk about what would be good for the city watch in a city none of them resided in, they would only be able to account for technicalities. The opinions of how things ran currently and how the future Queen would want the Lord Commander to behave was missing.

Ayla walked determined. She hadn't had enough time to rehearse her words in her brain and account for different turns a conversation could take like she'd done with the Hand. Still, she knew she had one card to play that she hadn't dared to play with Harwin but would certainly play it now.

"I'd like to speak with the Princess"

The guard that was stationed outside of Princess Rhaenyra's door looked down at her. He hesitated if he should ask the purpose of her visit. At the same time it was known that Lady Ayla Strong was often the message bearer of the Hand, so he just took a step to the side and opened the door. He entered the room and left aa to wait outside. After a few minutes, two handmaidens carried the Princes out of the room, then the guard held the door open for her.

Ayla noticed that the Princess' quarters were much like her father's. The only distinct difference was the quality of the furnitures, the expensive ornaments and table arrangements and a play area for the Princes in the middle of the sofas.

The princess stood next to one of them and was already holding her hands together when Ayla entered, a sign of nervousness both shared.

"Your grace" Ayla saluted, she didn't look at her in the eyes until the Princess replied.

"Lady Ayla" when she lifted her eyes to her, the Princess motioned to the chairs on a round table at the side of the sofas "I reckon you prefer higher seating arrangements at this stage"

Ayla smiled and inadvertently pressed one of her hands to her stomach.

"I fear I'm at that stage" she replied. They walked silently and Ayla took her time sitting down, then pulling her dress to fall evenly to the side. She didn't know why but she felt a little uncomfortable when the Princess' eyes landed on her round stomach "I understand you flew yesterday from Driftmark" she began. From then on, her eyes landed on the Princess' and didn't left her violet ones.

"And how did you come to understand that?"

"You can leave the Keep inconspicuously if you do so by dragon" she reasoned "my point is that you aren't aware of what transpired yesterday, or what is happening now"

"You might enlighten me then"

"You do at least know about the choice for Lord Commander" she searched for the Princess' exact knowledge on the situation, knowing that she didn't have much time to convince her.

"I wasn't aware of that either" Ayla's frown was visible "I was told it was a matter for the Small Council" Ayla's frown became more pronounced. The Princess didn't know what else to say to the Lady in front of her to appease her.

"It was a matter for the Small Council, until the names of the candidates were drawn"

"Ah yes, I do know that Ser Harwin was picked. Deservingly so" she complimented.

"And he, deservedly so, should win the post. I believe that, sadly the Small Council was bought. I'm not afraid to admit to you that I did everything in my power for him to get fait grounds to this fight. Which is why now the main Lords of the Seven Kingdoms are gathered in King's Landing to choose"

Ayla saw the Princess' resolve falter. Her lips twitched and she had to hide it by looking down at her lap.

"All of them?"

"The Tully's, Lannisters, Stark" she named, looking at the Princess' reaction. "Some of them have sent envoys, like my father for the Vale, Lord Rodner Gardener and Lord Everan Connington"

The last name made the Princess blink rapidly, Ayla saw how she found strength in a deep breath to look back up and her and pretend that she was fine.

"So you would have me do... What exactly?"

"I don't want you to do anything" Ayla shrugged nonchalantly "I'm certain Harwin doesn't need any more of my help or yours to get the post. I just think it'll be beneficial for you and your House to attend the meetings as well. No one was going to cross that door and tell you this. I'm sure you'll be heavily advised against it. But if you're not willing to do it for Harwin and the care you have for him, at least do it for you"

"I do not have any care for your husband" she defended quickly. Ayla smiled for a second and moved to stand up.

"It's a good thing he's not here, he would be heartbroken to hear that after the nice friendship the two of you had. Though your lack of care for him might've eased his decision to leave"

That definitely got the Princess attention, her eyes snap quickly back to Ayla's and she muttered, only to raise her voice to repeat herself.

"Leave?"

"Yes, he decided that he had no place in King's Landing if it wasn't at your detail, so he was going to petition the Hand to send him to Harrenhal to start performing his duties there as Lord"

Ayla didn't need to say anything else, she wouldn't even have to make mention about how that's exactly what would end up happening if he didn't get chosen as Lord Commander.

"I've taken enough of your time, your grace. I'll take my leave" She bowed her head and didn't wait for the Princess' dismissal.

As she walked further and further from the hallway of the Princess' quarters she began feeling more physically at ease, but mentally shaken. If word got back to Harwin about her visit, she didn't know how he would react. Would he be happy that the Princess was by his side? Angry that Ayla had had the nerve to talk to the Princess of the Realm? Surprised that she'd had said nerve? Harwin's relationship with the Princess has always been a mystery to Ayla.

The party of Lords had made their way to the second set of barracks where they would find Jalen Cargyll's and Jimmer Redwyne.

As she neared the party, her father caught a glimpse of her and walked slower to seamlessly retreat from the group.

"How are things looking?" She asked, her hands turned her rings around her finger as she looked at Jalen Cargyll overlook and lead at the younger apprentices who were welding their first swords.

"We should not worry yet. This is what Harwin excels at. What have you done today?"

The phrase brought Ayla back to the lit up library atop the tower of the Redfort, the smell of books, and her favorite dessert after she did well at her lessons. Her father would climb up the tower and ask her the question. If she had had a tough day with her lesson she would use the same clever reply.

"My best" she smiled widely at the memory and her father chuckled.

"Your best had always been more than enough my girl" lord Edder pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and placed a hand to her shoulder "now make haste, we're about to go to the Tower of the Hand, don't be seen there"

She nodded and followed orders. Upon arriving to the Tower she found Kylian fresh out of his nap and running around the tower, shrieking in excitement when he saw his mother and ran full speed towards her.

Ayla passed time with him, playing with his wooden horses and blocks but keeping an eye in the barracks below.

It was noticeable the differences between Harwin's teaching style over the ones she'd personally seen. Upon his return to the Tower and with no mention about how he felt being watched and evaluated, Ayla doubted if she should tell him about her talk with the Princess. She decided she would wait and see the outcome. If the Princess arrived and word never got out of her involvement, she would congratulate herself for achieving both stunts.

The next meeting was held behind closed doors, there were assortments of food and plenty of drinks to avoid any of the staff from entering once the doors had been closed.

The Lords had devised a little game of strategy, they would simulate a siege and posterior war and ask the candidates their plan of defense or attack.

Given that most of the knights had lived a relative peaceful period of time under King Viserys' reign, the only knowledge most of them had was written books about the Conquest, books that they all should've read. When the first candidate began to lay out his plan, the doors opened.

"Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen" the voice of the King's guard posted at the door boomed in the room. Harwin had to look away from the door and kept his eyes to the floor with his hands clasped at his back, avoiding some of the complicit stares he knew the others were giving him.

All the Lords nodded and respectfully addressed the Princess by her tittle as they saluted.

"Your grace" Lord Lyonel began, finding quickly the words to convey the princess his thoughts "I assure you, the interests of your House are being as well represented by me as they can, your presence is not required if you have better things to do" he offered.

"But it's not forbidden, is it?" She played along, with her head held up high, it was hard to play the fool around the Princess and not expect a verbal argument to arise from it.

"It is not" Lord Lyonel conceded.

"I shall stay then. What good is any decision made now that can be overturned when I rule? Might as well all agree to the result from the start. Please -" she motioned at the painted table and gave way for the candidate to return to his strategy.

Lord Edder avoided the look on Lord Lyonel's face, but he knew they would cross words at any point.

Harwin was left for last, an advantage he knew how to use all too well. He'd left the other talk and looked at the Lord to gauge at their reactions.

When it was his turn, he used in his strategy something none of the others had used. Dragons.

When he began explaining the paths the troops would have to cover and take care of the dragon's blindspots in attack, he was stopped with exasperation by Gwayne Hightower.

"That's not allowed" Harwin frowned, then with fake ignorance turned to his father and asked.

"Is it?"

"It is allowed"

Gwayne Hightower huffed in annoyance and turned to the other Lords, Harwin followed his gaze expectantly.

"I think that's unfair"

"Your opinion has me careless, Gwayne" he replied curtly, busying himself with the pieces on the painted table and was ready to continue despite Gwayne's complaint.

"Also, all dragonriders are royals, are you going to put the Princess Rhaenyra, Princess Rhaenys, Prince Daemon, all of them in danger?" He continued.

"So, we should not use dragons to protect the house of the dragon, that's your point?" He asked, now exasperation clear in his voice.

The Lords were definitely enjoying the argument, if anything Lord Edder was sure that most of them were even looking forwards to things getting physical.

"My point is, your priorities are not straight"

"My priorities-" Harwin walked a menacing slow pace across the room to be face to face with Gwayne's deformed visage "are very well arranged. It is you who has forgotten whose rulling you're going to be under. In that case, I do look forward to you being Lord Commander and how in the Seven Hells you will manage to stop the Princess from climbing on her dragon to fight"

The two man stared at each other with hardened eyes. Harwin had the hand that was concealed from the Lords' view tight in a fist, both in anger and in preparation to punch Gwayne's face at any second.

"I believe that might be all for today" the Hand spoke, the Lords agreed and neither Gwayne or Harwin budged when their shoulders collided and Harwin walked past him to the exit.

Though the candidates were dismissed, the Lords still had a lot to talk about. Needless to say that Princess Rhaenyra had a better liking for the candidate that took into consideration the biggest strength of House Targaryen and the reason for their long uncontested stay in the Iron Throne, their dragons.

Harwin got back to his duties after the meeting, in the afternoon he found himself in the tent of the barracks with Ayla patiently sitting in one of the chairs and holding Kylian to her lap, the little one seemed eager to go outside to see the men fight or go to the stables and pet the horses.

As Ayla stared at Harwin and how he scribbled things in his books, she glanced at the other ones in a side shelf and began thinking.

Harwin carried Kylian over his broad shoulders around the training site and chuckled as his screams and screeches of excitement as the young man fought. Ayla on her part, stood in the corridor near the barracks where she always leaned over the stone edge to watch, tranquil and quiet until she jumped out of her skin and quickly turned around when she heard a voice.

"You were right" when her eyes landed on the Princess, she took a deep breath and tried to calm her startled and fast beating heart.

"What about?" She asked.

"The blind preference for Gwayne Hightower everyone seems to have, though your father does make a good job vouching for Ser Harwin"

"My father vouches for the best choice" she corrected. The Princess had to give her a little smile at her use of words "Would you care to know what I was thinking just now?" Ayla asked, finding an opening for her next play. The Princess just tilted her head to the side and gave her a curious frown "Harwin spends perhaps two hours a day book keeping his subordinate's developments, and every month he gives the Hand an update of said developments. I wonder if any of the other candidates are as diligent as he is"

In their next meeting, the Princess did bring up the matter of the book keeping that was being done currently.

"In the end, all of this his hypothetical is just that. I believe we can peak into the future by looking at the past, how are they handling their regiments now?" Books and books were drawn from the tents of the three separate set of barracks. quickly, everyone came to the conclusion that there couldn't be a proper evaluation of the results if there was missing data, like in the case of Gwayne Hightower and Jimmer Redwyne. Both of them didn't fill up the books for even months at a time, and when they did, the handwriting was always conspicuously different every time.

At the end of the week, Ayla found herself again in the corridors of the throne room with her brother's arm thrown lazily over her shoulders. She felt sick, her stomach had been twisting in anxiousness all day. Luckily, everything was coming to and end in a few hours.

Harwin stood in the center of the room along with the other Captains, behind them a crown of people also waited for the presence of the King to crown the next Lord Commander.

"I will be very angry if he doesn't get this" Ayla muttered to her brother aware of any ears that might report to Larys.

"He will, don't worry" he assured. Ayla only huffed in annoyance. She thought she had done and had risked too much for it all to go to waste.

In the end, when the King came to the room and gave a short speech he uttered the name it was obvious from the beginning. Ser Harwin Strong.

Everyone undid themselves with compliments at Harwin's feasts. He got to talk with the other Lords one to one, lord Edder allowed himself to drop the pretended dislike he had for him and hugged him as he congratulated him for his efforts.

As the night neared it's end, Lord Edder sat next to Ayla and held her hand, her eyes stopped scanning around the feast room and landed on her father.

"You've done tremendously well my girl"

She denied with her head as a little smile crawled on her lips.

"I've only spoken words, and I spoke them because he deserved it"

Lord Edder had also scanned the room and his eyes had found the Princess, also now speaking to Harwin and certainly congratulating him.

"And you got the Princess"

"I suffered a massive loss of my ego for that" she complained.

"It is what the situations required of you" he reasoned, then quickly patted her hand "you're on a great path. I'm certain you will achieve a lot after this adventure if you play your cards right"

Ayla wanted to say that she didn't wanted to play any more cards, that she was very content with having his little family to take care of, but her curiosity got the best of her and she had to ask.

"A great path, leading to?"

"To become the Hand of the Queen"

taglist: @her-fandom-sanctum @evyiione @stitchattacks @grimistangel @mostlyskateboarding @mostclevermiss @agentstarkid @throughgoeshamilton