#wow that angry boy who did not live up to his mother's expectations was thrown out

[bananakeiky]

genshin be like trans kid with mommy issues gets a new mommy

[mothdalf]

DAY TWO: Findis and Írimë Lalwen

@finweanladiesweek​

So this mainly focuses on the relationship between Findis and Fëanor rather than Lalwen but I’ll get to her later in the week.

Pics in order are:

Fëanor and baby Findis, Findis finally snapping at Fëanor, Findis and Lalwendë, and Findis gathering herbs for Estë in the Gardens of Lorien. 

I’ve put todays rant under the cut but I’d recommend reading it because it really gives the pictures context.

As mentioned in my previous post Fëanáro is like the equivalent of a pre teen (like 10-12) when Finwë marries Indis, and he elects to travel for his studies rather than living with them full time.

He is a young teen when he gets a letter to tell him that he’s going to be a brother, and to say that he takes it badly is putting it mildly. He’s crushed. He’s been angry that his father is (at least in his mind) trying to replace his mother, but now he’s going to replace him? So he doesn’t send a letter back and throws himself into every distraction because he’s going to make damn sure that he’s better than anyone his father tries to replace him with.

Finwë turns up and half begs half drags him home in time to meet his sister the baby. He doesn’t want to and turns up to the nursery (not his old one) in his traveling clothes before being promptly turned around and told to put on something clean at least.

He plans to give a quick glance into the crib (also not his) and a curt “congratulations” before returning to his room to sulk. But it doesn’t pan out like that.

Because his new sister is perfect. Not that Fëanor has been around many children but he’s sure that she must be the most perfect one ever.

Later he will try and rationalise this to himself by pointing out that she’s so different to him that she could never be a replacement. For one, she’s a girl, he’s still his fathers only son, but even aside from that; she has green eyes and golden hair and long Vanyar ears. Nothing like him. Not a substitute. There can be enough room for them both. That’s why he likes her.

Whatever the reason, she’s beautiful, every tiny detail from her fluffy golden hair to her grasping, miniature fingers. So what he says is more of a strangled “wow” after a long pause.

Indis asks if he would like to hold her and sees a beaming smile on Fëanor’s face that she never thought would be directed at her.

He hesitates at first because he realises he’s faced (for the first time in a long time) with something he doesn’t know how to do. But Indis points him to a chair and places Findis in his arms, hands gentle as she positions them.

He coos to her instinctively and she squirms and wiggles and blinks up at him. That’s the moment Fëanor decides he’s going to have kids of his own someday, as many as possible.

Indis is surprised when he breaks the silence and addresses her “well done,” he says without looking up “she’s wonderful, perfect”

The phrasing is a little strange but Indis understands; he’s complimenting her on craftsmanship, for all their differences he’ll always acknowledge that.

It’s quiet again until someone comes to call him away for supper. Fëanor kisses Findis’ head before passing her back and, almost shyly, asks if he can come back to see her later.

So Findis spends the first few years of her life with an adoring big brother. He sends her gifts from his travels, or things he’s made, and dotes on her when he’s home.

Everything is great for a while, so no one is worried when Finwë and Indis announce they’re expecting their second child, not even Fëanor. But things don’t work out that way.

This post isn’t about Fëanor and Fingolfin though.

Fëanor gets distant. His vitriol for Fingolfin doesn’t extend to Lalwen and Finarfin but neither does his soft spot for Findis.

For her part Findis struggles with the tension. When she’s older her parents explain the situation, her heart aches for her big brother. She loves all of her siblings and she hates the atmosphere so she spends most of the time playing peacekeeper. She thinks it’s ridiculous for someone older than her to have such a problem with a child, especially one she herself loves so much. It’s much better when Fëanor is away, but she misses him.

So like her mother in looks and temper, Findis is composed and calm and shoulders the burden of trying to keep them all happy.

Fëanáro is now a young adult and an apprentice under Mahtan, so he’s not around that much, but when he is the fights are always the same. This time however something he says clicks for Findis.

“So that’s it, the reason you hate him and like me? Because he’s a threat and I’m not? You only like me because you’re glad I wasn’t a boy! I wasn’t important enough to be a problem for you!”

Fëanor being Fëanor it devolves into a screaming match. It ends with Findis swearing to show him how much of a threat she can be. She’s going to be better than him at something one day, just you wait and see.

She tries for a long time to find that something. It’s never going to be any craft with her hands and they’re pretty evenly matched musically, so she tries politics, that should really make her a threat.

Findis reads everything she can from the library, asks her father 100 questions a day, attends councils and meetings. She learns a lot, planning to catch Fëanor out one day, call him out for something in front of the council, actually oppose him. Only that day doesn’t come. Fëanor hasn’t quite gotten to the point that we know he’ll eventually reach, so Findis can’t find anything to actually oppose him on at the moment. Frustrated, and getting more bored by the day, she draws back from politics.

Around this time Indis is planning a trip to visit the Gardens of Lorien (read, Miriel), and asks her eldest to come with her, lightly hinting that it will be good for her to get away.

It’s during this trip that Findis finds exactly what she wants to do. She sees how happy her mother is to be able to be close to Vaire again (see my last post about how Indis is a devotee of Vaire) and starts to seriously consider doing the same. Fëanor would never do that.

But when she sees the Maiar and Elven devotees of Lorien and Este, the (admittedly very few) tired or injured people finding rest and care and peace there, she knows in her heart that this is for her. Findis will be a healer.

She goes to Este immediately to apply to join her followers.

Este denies her. She has no more knowledge or experience of healing than the basic studies of her youth. Yes, the work they do here is usually routine and calm, but before devoting her eternal life to it, Findis should really try to think whether healing is for her. Can she handle injuries? Blood? Has she ever seen someone in pain? Really in pain? Not a younger sibling tripping and grazing their knee, but a hunter thrown by a spooked horse? A smith burned in the forge? Did she watch her mother give birth to her younger siblings? Did she hear the screams?

She hasn’t, Findis acknowledges, but she’s more than willing to learn.

She journeys home to Tirion without her mother to begin her studies. She starts at the bottom, back to reading books she can barely understand, stubbornly pestering the healers guild with letters until she can find a teacher. She attends lectures and eventually demonstrations with other students, usually far younger, in plain clothes, and most politely pretend that they don’t know who she is. She dissects animals and identifies what she sees. Bundles all of her scrolls and papers and books on politics into a cupboard and starts refilling her study with labelled diagrams, notes from lectures, samples of herbs.

The books start to make a lot more sense.

For some time each year she visits Estë again, just as a volunteer. She also visits Valimar and Alqualondë to learn from healers outside of the Noldor.

She starts to practice, assisting more experienced healers, in between lectures.

She joins a healer on a trip to the forest of Oromë; and returns with no fear of blood or broken bones, unbothered by a piercing arrow wound or the black bruises of a kick from Nahar.

There’s a drive in Findis now that was never there for politics, she’s all but forgotten that this started as a way to stand out against her brother. There’s a burning passion and a satisfaction to what she does. Her mother smiles and says that it’s the Noldor blood coming through.

Findis starts to come into her own with herb-lore and medicines. She commandeers an area of the palace gardens for medicinal plants. Writes report after report, learns to administer what and when and how. She’s almost settled on this as her focus when she is asked to assist her current supervisor with the birth of a baby.

She knows the theory. She’s recommended certain herbs and supplements to expecting mothers. She has vague memories of her younger siblings just after they were born. But this is different. This is her focus. So she switches track, asking questions of her tutors and colleagues. Requesting to assist with births wherever she can. She seeks female healers, midwives, and the input of her mother and her friends with children of their own. She makes notes and studies of their experiences.

Findis excels. Eventually becoming a healer in her own right. Only then does she approach Estë again. For something special this time. Yes, she appeals to join Estë’s devotees, but she wants to keep her focus on women, and pregnancy, and birth. She learns even more now, the Noldor passion propping her up as she learns that Vanyar ways of healing song from the Ainur.

Often, she visits the body of (Auntie) Miriel. She asks for stories of her fading from those in Lorien, seeks the insight of Estë, Irmo, and Nienna, and finally questions her parents. Piecing things together, she reaches out to other mothers- those who she attended at birth, her friends, those whose children she’s treated. She asks them about their experiences, asking them to be honest, to fear no judgement and feel no shame. Did they ever feel as Míriel did?

Some did, some didn’t. Either way she assures them that they are not alone. Over years she builds notes and papers and case studies as she works and follows her path in the Gardens of Lorien.

Findis becomes revered and respected for her work.

One day she gets a letter from her brother, he’s heard about her work, inspired by his mother. He asks if he could read it, so she invites him and Nerdanel to Lorien, so that he can read her papers. When they arrive it’s clear why he wants to do this now. Fëanor is afraid that his wife will share his mother’s fate at the birth of their first son.

Before they go home they get a lot of assurance, a list of recommendations, and signs to watch out for, all courtesy of Findis and her research. She promises to be there if they have any questions, and to assist in the birth personally.

Her brother embraces her for a long time before he leaves. He tells her how grateful he is for her help, how much more peacefully he will sleep now. Fëanor has never been happier that his sister out did him at something, and Findis has never felt less competitive. Healing, she thinks, is about always learning and getting better. Smithing, she supposes, is much the same.

[heycallmeladytypewriter]

A Call of a Siren - Chapter 2

A/N: As you guys have noticed, I tweaked a few things to fit Delia into the story but please let me know if I missed or messed up something on the storyline. Again, looking for a beta reader if anyone is interested. Chapter three should be up soon along with everyone's favorite angry boy. I don't own My Hero Academia. I only own my own characters and the story I create within Horikoshi's masterpiece of a world I'd love to live in.

Chapter One

_____________________________________________________________

“I expect you to all to still work hard on exams even though the end of the school year is in sight!” Her teacher was lecturing them on the importance of tests or something but Cordelia had other things on her mind. 

Nine months ago, she saw the world's greatest hero and a scrawny boy her age on the beach. A day she wouldn’t forget as it was a major part of why she was trying her damndest to get into UA in a month.

She went to the beach mostly everyday on a run and also practiced in her room after her family went out or was asleep. She also tried to incorporate some strength training exercises she got off the internet as she was sure you needed more than cardio to make it in. 

One thing she found herself doing, albeit shamefully, was sort of spying on All Might and Izuku Midoriya train on the beach and park. She didn’t necessarily go out of her way but it was on her training grounds too. No matter how she reasoned it, she still kept her distance and would hide at first sign of being found. It also didn’t help that she felt she had stumbled on a major invasion of privacy as she witnessed the strong and well, mighty, All Might transform to a tall but skinny weaker man. The first time she saw it she thought her eyeballs were for sure going to pop out her skull and fall to the floor with her jaw. She would never tell out of respect for the hero but still...every time he did it was like a mini heart attack especially when he would cough up blood afterwards. Like Jesus man please go see a doctor!

“Miss Bell I hope that dazed look on your face means you are thinking of your study schedule this weekend?” 

Her head turned from the window and faced the teacher, “ Oh, yes of course!” 

“Hmm..so anyways class -” Cordelia went right back to gazing out the window. 

_______________________________________________________

“ FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO DO YOUR STUPID STRETCHES BRAT!” Angry boy yelled at her for the 400th time.

Delia rolled her eyes again but continued her stretches where she was. She was here first anyway. Not that it mattered as she always stretched here because after Angry boy decided it was his workout spot she decided it was hers too. 

“Oi, don’t ignore me! Move your fat ass out of here!” 

“No thanks I’m good. And who are you calling fat ass, big tits?” She laughed as he bristled immediately at her response. He reminded her of a cat, all puffy and angry,  when he got like that which only made her giggle more. She wished to know his name but last time she asked he flipped her off. 

Looking at her watch, she realized she was going to be late for dinner. “Oh crap. Gotta go! Bye Big tits!” 

His water bottle flew right past her head as she ran off while he screamed expletives at her. “Hey!” She scolded. She slowed down enough to pick it up and chucked it with maximum force back at him, “don’t fucking litter!” 

She ran a little quicker when she heard the little pops of his quirk which is when she realized a few months ago that he was getting more pissed. “Goddamn brat!”

________________________________________________________

“Cordelia, you are late! Go wash up.” Her mother scolded her from the kitchen as she walked in the house. 

“Lost track of time! Sorry I’ll be quick!” She hopped up the stairs and nearly ran into her father, wearing his uniform, on the way. “Oops sorry Daddy!”

 Yes, she still called her father ‘Daddy.’

 Her ‘Daddy’ was a 6’4 man with piercing blue eyes that could intimidate anybody which probably helped with his job. Her mother always liked to point out that of course all her children had to inherit his blue eyes and not her brown ones.  

“Hey,” His hand shot out to gently grab her wrist before she could keep going, “What is all this training you doing for?” 

“Nothing in particular. Can’t I have a hobby?” She lied through her teeth before continuing on upstairs. 

“Cordelia…” 

“Dad. Teenage girl who wants to be fit - not rocket science!” 

Hopping in the hot shower, Delia relaxed finally. She was soooo lying to her family but felt it necessary as they stood on opposite ground concerning her dream of becoming a hero. 

She had a dream. She wasn’t going to give up without a fight just because she was alone in it. Deep down she was hoping if she became a good enough hero she could change their minds about the matter. 

She even took many preemptive precautions such as designating herself as the mail person of the house. She got it every day without fail and they would get used to just depending on her to get it. She managed to get a third cordless phone for the house she’d hide in her room to check the number in case of any specific calls coming through. She even created a fake parent email and perfected their signatures if needed. She was good at lying but it never felt easier on her to lie regardless of her reasons. 

“CORDELIA!” 

With a sigh, she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. At least I dry off quickly, she thought amused as she wicked the water off her body and out of her hair. 

__________________________________________________________

It was exam day. 

Delia’s nerves were all over the place as she sat in the auditorium filled with the other hopefuls. They grouped them by class it seemed though she didn’t recognize those sitting near her. Her fault, she was sure, as she didn’t reach out to others during this past year as she just assumed or more like hoped she’d be transferring after the year was up. 

She wondered where Midoriya was as he was the reason she got her butt here in the first place. 

The Pro, Present Mic, continued to shout out to the crowd of potential students but Delia figured everyone was too wound up to join in or even focus enough. He was in the process of explaining their physical test when a loud voice rang out. A boy with cut blue hair and glasses stood suddenly and practically demanded answers of a possible inconsistency regarding the robots before the Pro could probably get to it (impatient much?) and then turned behind him to yell at the very boy she was wondering about for muttering too loudly. 

She wanted to laugh but her nerves were already fraying. As they were announcing the order of tests and people were slowly being shuffled out of the auditorium, Delia took a long breath before marching outside with the others. 

____________________________________________________________

This was exhilarating and terrifying all at once. 

She went on auto pilot as soon as the doors opened. Everyone rushed forward only to be immediately greeted by a bunch of green robots with glowing red eyes. Without thinking, she looked for the nearest water source...yes, a fire hydrant!...and reached her hand outwards to pull the water. A burst of water came rushing out that she quickly sharpened into her normal water whip and sliced out at the first two robots she saw ahead of her, breaking their heads off. 

“Wow that was amazing!” A girl with short brown hair to her left shouted at her before running further down the street. Delia blinked. Holy shit, that was amazing! For a moment, Delia felt she could really do this...until about 10 minutes later.

The robots didn’t give her a minute to think anymore, which considering her extreme anxiety over today was probably a good thing, and she used her whip to maim any robot who came within range. As soon as she was finally racking up a few points, a giant shadow loomed over the street. 

It was the zero points robot. 

Holy shitballs it was huge, Delia thought, shielding her face, as it stomped its way over causing surrounding small buildings and the street itself to explode with force everywhere. 

She was about to run but she heard someone cry out. It was the really nice girl from earlier who was caught under the debris from the zero pointer. 

Everyone was running. 

Then she ran. 

Towards the girl. 

There was water running from a broken pipe so she willed it near her as she skidded to the girl and put her hand up and the water formed a water dome around her the girl as they braced themselves for the next step from the robot but it never came. 

“SMASH!” Midoriya yelled from above them. Through the water she saw him go flying at the face of the robot and hit it so hard the zero pointer was thrown back with a broken face. 

“Oh my god” she whispered. The water fell on them in a whoosh and she snapped back to the girl and pushed the rock up far enough to wiggle her leg out. Looking up, she saw Midoriya start to fall and her heart continued to race as she tried to figure out how to catch him but the girl who was stuck ran, now with a limp, touch a rock and float upwards towards him. She meets him halfway then taps him midair and slowly brings them back to earth. Then promptly throws up off the side of the rock. 

The buzzer goes off. 

Times up. 

Delia felt her shoulder drop in disappointment. She only had 20 points from the smaller robots and barely. That was it. She was stuck at a regular school and wouldn’t be a pro hero. 

The finality of things started to weigh on her and followed her as she shuffled her way home, trying not to cry.

____________________________________________________________

The wait was killing her. 

It’s been days and she’s checked the mail repeatedly. Damn near scared the mailman a few times when she ran up to him a few houses before hers.

By the time it came, she had all but figured she failed so badly that they weren’t gonna waste time with a letter. Yeah, she was being dramatic but still. 

Finally, a small package addressed to her arrived. Delia had to wait until her parents went out to the store with Henry before she could run to her room and play it. After triple checking they left, she set it up on her small desk and internally started to scream. 

“Young Bell, it is me All Might! I am here! To give you your results on your exam to UA!” 

There goes her ability to breathe. 

She started to bite her lip nervously. 

“It says here that you scored 24 points on your practical and did well enough in your written test. BUT” 

She was now on the verge of gnawing her lip off.

“While your scores were alright enough, what really wowed us was your last few minutes of the practical!”

He started a small screen next to him of the girl who was stuck under a rock talking to someone behind the camera. 

“Is it possible to share my points?!” The girl exclaimed to someone behind the camera. 

Delia’s hand went to her chest as the girl, who didn’t know her nor should’ve bothered to do this, wanted to make sure her and Midoryia earned enough points and if not, to give them some of hers. Her lip had to have been bruised by now.

“Did you really think a Hero academy judged solely on the ability to hit a robot? We look at everything! And you, Young Bell, embody just the right person we strive to teach! You went ahead without thinking or caring about anything but the girl and acted- acted heroically! We awarded you 30 more points bringing your total to a whopping 54! So, Young Bell, I want to congratulate you on your acceptance to UA! Welcome, future hero!” 

Delia’s lip was bleeding now but she didn’t care. Tears were rushing down her face before she could stop them.

She thought it was done.

But really- it was just beginning. 

She sent a silent thank you to the boy on the beach and the hero they both looked up to

[winterune]

Do you wanna build a snowman?

A Persona 5 Fanfiction

@shuannweek​ Day 2 prompt: Rain / Snow

Rating: T | Word count: 2081

Also available on: AO3. 

~*~*~*~*~

“Oh, wow, look at all this snow!”

Ren glanced to his side, where Ann was standing with her arm linked to his, eyes sparkling in delight. It had snowed heavily last night, and by the time Ren went to her house to pick her up, a thin layer had coated every surface from the ground to the rooftops—lampposts, store awnings, parked vehicles. Ann had gone to the door to greet him, all ready with her black overcoat, red scarf, and earmuffs. Her beaming face had made his own frozen cheeks warm into a smile.

The snowfall had stopped some time before dawn and the sun had broken free from the heavy clouds, but still, the temperature had dropped significantly and snow thick enough to leave deep footprints remained on the ground. Such was the scene they witnessed as they entered Inokashira Park. A blanket of white as far as the eye could see, broken occasionally by patches of brown or black. There were fewer people than usual, mostly people his age or families with young children out and about to play in the snow.

“It’s rare to see so much collecting on the ground,” Ann went on, breath clouding over, as she led him to the pile of snow under a tall leafless tree, its bare branches reaching up to the sky. When Ann left his arm to crouch on the ground and pick up a handful of snow, the warmth he had come to appreciate on his side was immediately replaced by the cold that pierced his bone, even through his layers of clothing, making him shiver.

The day felt colder than usual. He didn’t particularly hate it. He was just not fond of it. He would rather stay indoors and have a hot chocolate with a book to read or a movie to watch. But Ann had wanted to see the snow, so here they were.

“Hey,” Ann called, looking up at him. “Do you wanna build a snowman?”

“Snowman?”

Ann nodded enthusiastically. “But not like the normal ones. I wanna make that creature. That…have you seen that movie? That old anime movie. With the big, round, fluffy creature thing.”

Ren cocked his head to the side. He wasn’t following.

“I forgot its name…” Ann went on. “You know, the one where a little girl goes into the forest and meets the thing?”

“I’m still not following.”

“Ah, right, the one by Ghibli! The—the one with the…cat…bus?” She paused, then looked to the ground, brows furrowed. “That sounded weird.”

Cat bus? Ghibli? An image started forming in his mind. He had seen it when he was a kid. The movie with the small family moving to the countryside where they met a huge spirit in the neighboring forest.

“Totoro?” Ren offered.

“Right!” Ann exclaimed, head whipping up with stars in her eyes. “Totoro! God, I forgot that name for a moment there.”

“Yeah, that was a cute movie,” he agreed. He had only seen it once, on one of those days when his father wasn’t home and he had been alone with his mother. She would play a movie on the TV at night, and he would sit with her with a glass of chocolate or some midnight snack his mother cooked up. My Neighbor Totoro had been one of those movies.

But the joy of discovering the name was only short-lived as Ann’s meaning finally dawned on him. “You want to make a Totoro snowman?”

He had probably expected her to shake her head or to shrug, saying something like, “Nah, I was just thinking it’d be cute.” But Ann was nodding aggressively, as though her life depended on this. She rose to her feet, with that bright smile on her face, and said, “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

There were no rooms for arguments. Not that he wanted to argue if it meant seeing her smile like that again.

***

“So,” Ann said, from her spot by the pile, patting it down into form, “how do you make a Totoro snowman exactly?”

Ren, who had been gathering more snow into his arms, looked up from his task and found her staring expectantly up at him. He laughed. “What’re you looking at me for? It was your idea.”

“Yeah, I know, but,”—Ann turned her attention back to her work—“I’ve never actually seen a Totoro snowman.”

“Then where did you get the idea?”

Ann shrugged. “Just wanted to try something different, I guess?”

“Well, why not look it up on the internet?”

Ann’s eyes widened as though the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. She quickly brushed her hands against her coat before fishing for her phone in her pocket. “Let’s see…Totoro…snowman…”

Through the corner of his eyes, Ren watched as Ann began typing furiously on her phone. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Looking at her having fun always put him in a good mood, and it made him want to tease her a bit. 

Having gathered enough snow, he rose to his feet and went over to their makeshift snowman.

“Here it is!” Ann said, still looking at her phone. “Oh, wow, look at all of these. They’re so good! How do they even make these? Look, Ren—”

She looked up just in time as Ren reached their pile and opened his arms wide, dumping all the snow right above her head.

“Ah—!”

Her scream was cut short. Ann immediately jumped to her feet, brushing the snow away from her face in surprised, angry swipes. “Ren!” she shouted, indignant.

“Sorry.” He tried and failed to stifle his laughter. It wasn’t until she glared at him that he immediately covered his bout of laughter with a cough and a clearing of his throat.

But Ann was still frowning, and she crouched down on the ground and gathered snow into her hands.

“Hey, wait a—”

“You asked for this, Ren,” she said, and before he could prepare himself, she had risen to her feet and thrown the makeshift snowball at his face.

Oof!

He looked away just in time and felt little shards of ice stinging the side of his face. He groaned. Ann immediately exploded in a fit of laughter.

He blinked once, twice, wiping his face then finding his fingers covered in a thick layer of ice. He stared at her, lips set in a deep scowl. “Well, that does it.” He quickly reached down for more snow.

“Wait, are we seriously doing this?” Ann said, already backing away one step at a time.

“You started it.” Ren carefully padded his snowball between his hands.

“You started it!”

She ran just in time as the ball left Ren’s hand. It flew past her by several inches, landing with a thud back on the snow pile behind her. She squealed in delight and triumph at Ren’s missed attack.

As he watched her moving farther and farther away from him, he felt his feet moving on his own, and before he knew it, he was chasing after her. “Come back here!” he yelled.

But Ann’s feet quickly dashed through the white landscape when she realized he was hot on her trails. “No!” she screamed back. She was laughing and squealing every time she felt his snowballs zoomed past her or when his fingers were just inches away from her arm or her coat. When his attacks found their marks on her back or shoulder or leg, she would occasionally bend down to pick handfuls of snow to throw at him.

Snow sprayed everywhere. Neither of them cared anymore about creating balls and were just throwing whatever snow and ice they could get their hands on. It was then that he felt it—the laughter bubbling from inside him, bursting out uncontrollably as though a dam had broken free. 

When was the last time he felt like this? A carefree feeling with nothing weighting his shoulders and mind. No thoughts of his family, his school, or his life. Just him and himself, a seventeen-year-old boy, who was laughing his heart out with the girl he loved.

When he looked at her, Ann was smiling so wide, so bright, so free. Her laughter was like music to his ears. And when she met his gaze, time seemed to stand still and Ren forgot how to breathe.

It happened instinctively—his arm snaking around her waist, pulling her close. One hand brushed against her cheek to rest at the back of her head and in one smooth motion, he brought his lips down to hers.

She tasted of ice and salt with a hint of strawberry underneath. He felt her jerk in surprise, her body stiffening for a split second, before she relaxed into his arms. Her fingers splayed over his chest pulled at the lapels of his coat to deepen the kiss. 

A moment passed, then another, and another, before they finally broke the kiss with a gasp and a sigh and Ren rested his forehead on hers as they looked at each other and smiled.

“What was that?” she asked softly.

“A kiss,” he replied, nonchalant, interlacing his fingers behind her waist and drawing her close. “Don’t you know what a kiss is?”

Ann laughed under her breath. “Jerk.” She playfully hit his chest and he laughed.

Then something caught her eye, far above, in the sky. She looked up, and he noticed it—the wonder in her eyes and that beautiful smile that Ren had silently vowed to protect, no matter the cost.

“It’s snowing again.”

It was, indeed. Soft white flakes rained down from clouds he hadn’t realized had gathered again in the short time they had their snowball fight. They landed on her hair, and her coat, and she reached up to touch one but it melted on her skin. Still, she was grinning gleefully like a child on her birthday.

Ren had never liked winter. Not very much. The cold never agreed with him. A draft through the cracks in the windows or the ceiling would make him shiver to the bones. Yet whenever he was spending his time with Ann, it was as though all the cold had melted away, replaced by this sort of inherent warmth only she could give.

Ann noticed his stare and looked questioningly at him.

Ren smiled a small smile as he quietly said, “I love you.” The touch of pink on her cheeks made his eyes crinkle with happiness.

“I love you, too,” she replied.

Ren’s smile widened at that, and he drew her closer still and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. She wrapped her arms around his back and snuggled against his neck.

“Do you wanna continue building the snowman?” he asked, eyeing their half-done Totoro snowman a ways away.

Ann followed his line of sight, before snuggling deeper into him. “Let me stay like this for a while.”

He tightened his arms around her in reply, pressing his temple against the top of her head.

The tightness in his chest he hadn’t realized had been there was released, and it was as though he could finally breathe again. It had crossed his mind sometimes—the thought of how suffocating his life had been—but with all the things going on in his life this past year, he hadn’t let it dwell for too long. It had never helped. But then there were these days, when the cold settled in and he would remember the life in his parents’ house, living under his father’s strict rule, hearing them fight day in and day out. It would make the cold even more unbearable than usual.

“Hm?” Ann looked up at him, finding him staring far off into space. He met her gaze and saw the concern in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

It had never occurred to him that he might be lonely. Even now, the word seemed foreign to him. He liked being alone, but that didn’t mean that he was lonely. At least, that was what he had been telling himself. And yet, when he met Ann and all those people who, for once, actually saw him for himself and accepted him for who he was, it was as though a wall he had never known existed broke apart, and all he had wanted to do was to cry.

“Nothing.” He tightened his hold on her. “I’m just glad that you’re here with me right now.”

~ END ~

[polygamyff]

56. Part 2

It was nice to see my dad, I am happy he came, and I think even Reign was happy to see him “what we naming this bear baby, shall we name it? Shall we name it biggie because he big or Minnie?” Reign looked at me “Minnie? You like that? We call her Minnie, it’s a girl and she is nice” touching the bear, Robyn fussing, I mean I think she is trying to impress this family “she gets annoyed with that bracelet on” I said but Robyn proceeded to put the bracelet on her “mommy wants you to look perfect” Reign is just staring at Robyn doing the bracelet up “I think she is perfect too thank you” oh she is being sensitive I guess “you think I should get a driver to take us? I mean I seen the neighbourhood on maps, it’s not the best” I don’t want to be shot for my car, well hired “so you saying they are bad people already?” Robyn retorted “uhh, not that. Just it’s not a good neighbourhood. I am not judging, just putting my point across” Reign looked at me, I pulled a face “daddy is going to get himself in trouble I think” my phone started to ring in my pocket “I will take Reign’ stroller with us, just if she needs to sit in something” grabbing my phone from my pocket “ok” answering Nalah’ call “hello” fixing Reign in my arm “do you ever stop!? That was not your news to tell Maurice, how could you” letting out an oh “it slipped out of my mouth, what happened was I was speaking on Robyn being pregnant and then it came out” I said trying to defend myself “Robyn is pregnant?” Nalah picked out what I said “yes she is, you both are. I just got happy about it, what did dad say to you about it?” I hope dad was nice about it “he said that I heard you are having a baby, Maurice told me. And I was thrown off by that, so I admitted to it and he said Shawn’ baby? I didn’t want to tell him that Shawn is still currently on the run because of this because I mean dad is frail as it is but I am happy for you both, another baby on top of my little Reign, she better get the attention still” I chuckled “trust me she will let me know, Reign will tell me and make sure I give her all the attention, I am sorry though. I didn’t mean to tell, you know” Nalah is only calm because of the fact I told her Robyn is pregnant also or she would have of want to kill me for telling “it’s ok, I mean now that I know why you was excited” thank god she is not angry with me.

Robyn seems to be still moody with me, I don’t know if it’s me or just in general “who are you ringing?” I asked, looking over at the sat-nav “my mom, I have not seen her all morning. Where the hell she gone, I don’t understand” letting out an oh, maybe she is stressing over her mother “I am sure she is ok, she may have had some work to attend too?” I can try and make Robyn feel better “she has been really upset since the whole Thomas thing Maurice” letting out an oh, we are travelling to east Los Angeles and honestly, I have never found myself here at all so this is going to be interesting “she is not picking up again, I will send her a text and I hope she does text me back, because I honestly want to know she is ok. I get she is hurt that is the same old Thomas that I said he was, but she can get better. I am trying my best to also get over it but that home really brings me all of the memories back of us” I wish nothing but shit for Thomas “I know” Robyn is not in the best of mood, I can tell but I do hope she gets better in regards to her mood. Thomas is a real asshole; I cannot believe he just attacked me the way he did for nothing too. I think if he didn’t do what he did, he may have actually slipped back, if he was genuine which he isn’t then I think he would be back in our lives. I think Terry expected Thomas to make it up to Robyn and to apologise but it didn’t work out, I think in her own way she did love Thomas even though he did bully her for not being able to become a mother to his child, which is sad.

I am really out of my comfort zone but I will keep my opinions to myself because Robyn is very sensitive towards this situation, I mean the area to me seems run down anyways but I think we are like a block away, looking back at the sat-nav “from one to ten how scared are you?” Robyn said, looking over at Robyn “uhm, I am not saying but you didn’t want Jay here so yeah” I sighed out “because then we are acting like something I am not Maurice, I don’t want that, I want to go in there none judgemental, you hear that?” nodding my head as I turned the corner “well if this car gets damaged, you are paying for it, the best car I have seen here is a Nissan” Robyn snorted laughing “I am surprised you know such a car in your vocabulary Maurice, if I think it’s not good then we going. I understand that my real dad has dealings but I want to be the judge of that” there is a few cars parked outside the home so I parked across the street “that is the home” I pointed, there is a whole gang of Latino’s outside that home “really?” Robyn said “yes, I am guessing that is your family” I said staring at them, they are repping their Latino heritage a lot with the flags out “you think they going to shoot me, oh they looking, looking Robyn” putting my window up “you’re supposed to protect me” looking over at Robyn “this your family, you help me. They looking at us” Robyn is laughing like any of this is funny, it can be serious as shit “you are such a pussy” Robyn giggled “I swear down” Robyn got out of the car “what has your mom got us into Reign” I said while turning the car engine off, opening the car door.

There is a lot of kids around, well they have started to come over to us, I mean they are more so looking at the car in awe “I will hold her” I said to Robyn “this is your time” Reign is asleep again, she is having her nap now “Mi Amor, it’s ok” placing Reign over my shoulder “it’s ok” she was about to cry “well you better lock your car door now” Robyn said grinning, she closed the car door and I locked it quickly “this your car?” one of the kids asked “yes it is” walking across the street towards the home, I walked ahead of Robyn of course. I will be the man in this and make sure things are ok but it’s a rough side, not going to lie. To me this is rough, the group of men that was full of chatter went slowly quiet as they realised we were walking towards them, opening the barbed wire gate “who is this?” one the guys said “ooohhh, Robyn” looking up and seeing Kiano, I think it is “it is” he rushed over to us “you came, oh my god. You actually came, oh my god” his genuine happiness made me smile and he came in for a hug straight away “I am sorry about the drink, you came!” he spat “it’s ok, I said I would come” Kiano moved back from the hug and stared at Robyn “oh god, wow. I am happy, you came. And hi Maurice, welcome to my family” shaking his hand “this the baby girl, awww. Ea pulchra est” Kiano said “thank you, we weren’t sure at all” the home is small, I mean average small home. The red steps leading up are covered in boys sat there waiting on the barbeque “come on, come. This” Kiano placed his arm around Robyn “this is family, this is-” before Kiano could finish someone spoke “Rell’ daughter” this man came over slowly towards them “I see that smile, you real. I am Lucas, Rell is my little brother. Mater said she met you, hello” he shook Robyn’ hand “this is her husband, Maurice. They have a baby bro, she is Rell’ granddaughter” he pointed at me “oh god, my brother really lives on. My Mater always said it, you family. Your smile is like his. Can I hug you?” he asked “uh sure, I don’t know why I am so emotional, sorry” Robyn said, this is cute to see now that I am acquainted with these people.

Walking inside the home behind Robyn, it’s smaller than I have been in. My bedroom is bigger “Mater, come! I have a surprise” Lucas shouted around the house “come to the living room, come” Kiano waved us over “this is my sister Floressa and this is Arabella” I noticed first off seeing the little shrine for Rell, the candles lit on each side of the framed picture with a cross necklace hanging from it. Staring at the framed pictured of him, I see Rell in Robyn a lot more then I assumed. He looked like an incredibly happy guy, the smile, they are so right. Snapping out of it because everyone seems to be in hysterics right now, looking around me. My poor Bonita is very emotional right now, she is crying along with his mother and the sisters “sit down friend” Kiano said, nodding my head as I sat down on the couch next to a random child that is sleeping “Vita nova ingressus domum suam, hoc donum Dei, et perdidi filium meum” Rell’ mother said “Robyn, my mom said that a new life entered this house, part of her soul left when he left. God gave her a gift” Kiano translated “thank you for coming” Daphne held Robyn’ hand taking her to the table I saw when I walked in “this is my baby, and this. This is chain I got him; he wanted a gold chain. I got it him and now I keep it here” this is highly emotional, not what I thought it would have been. Looking towards the door, there is a lot of family here “I didn’t believe Rell had a daughter, Kiano was saying it. he met you and he is right, oh wow. You have made us so happy” One of the sister’ said, I need to keep up with the names, there is too many people here.

This is like a meet and greet, I wish Reign was awake right now because she is none the wiser, I am just sat here watching. Robyn done met the whole neighbourhood, Daphne picked up this random child that was sleeping next to me “Robyn, sit down please” smiling at Daphne “are you ok?” I asked Robyn “yes, just thinking why I did my make-up, does it look really bad?” Robyn sat back looking at me “erm” reaching my hand over but Robyn grabbed my hand “no way, you will wipe it off” she laughed “never, I was just going wipe the bit of black on your cheek, looks like the thing you put on your eyelashes. That was it” Robyn squinted her eyes at me “be careful” Robyn’ eyes are so sore, she has been crying a lot “that is it, you look fine other then that” smiling at her “I closed the door, we can spend time. These are my kids, all four of them. Your aunties and uncles. Wesley is coming, he didn’t think you would come. But the family, they stay outside. Oh, they are so happy you are here though” Daphne sat down “oh, Reign. I remember, can I see” Daphne got up and made her over to me “sure, she is asleep still” Reign is just laid out on my lap “she is beautiful, oh god” Daphne lightly stroked her hand “I am sorry, so much happening. It’s good to see you again” Daphne apologised to me “oh it’s ok, it’s a lot” I chuckled.

Robyn touched my arm “mhmm” leaning over to her “they really got a shrine for him in this home, I didn’t expect it. After all these years, I didn’t expect it. Look at it” Robyn said in a whisper “yeah, a mother’ love I guess. It never stops, I don’t think they really got over it, maybe you can help with that” I said to her “is this your husband?” one the lady’s said “call me Floressa, I am the more big butt sister. We both look so alike, so you will remember for next time” she pointed at Robyn “I was about to say and no, we are engaged. We are actually getting married while we are here, but Kiano calls him my husband. Well uncle Kiano” hearing Robyn take in a deep breath “it’s just a lot, I mean this. Saying this, it’s years and it’s like when I finally get the truth I don’t see him, the man himself. Sorry if I cry” Robyn said but I know her emotions will be everywhere with the pregnancy too “it’s ok, it’s hard. I never believed my mom, she always said it, I know my son lives on. I used to think my mom lost it but then she was right” Floressa said “I mean she is oddly crazy at times; we keep telling to put this away, but she won’t. Not her baby Rell” Daphne is just smiling so much staring at Robyn “he was loved a lot” Floressa laughed “you got that right, oh god. It makes me laugh because he was so quiet and we all thought he was gay, we said it to him. Kiano, what did we say to him?” Floressa hit Kiano shoulder “yeah, we bullied him. Not going to lie and then Arabella, you said it. You go oh no he got a girl” to see the joy on their faces speaking on Rell, it’s sweet to see.

“Yes, it was me he kind of mentioned it to me because I goes what is this business. You out at night, mom don’t like it. Stop being stupid, he said oh I have a girl. We didn’t really proceed with it further because dad came along and ruined it but then we caught up again, and I knew he was doing bad things for a few bucks. Oh, I need to buy some things for this girl, I goes oh no you tell me. Who is this, he erm” Arabella paused “he said she is out of this world Ara, she is just unique, and she wants to date me so I need to spoil her but I don’t do that either, I get shy sometimes because I mean if you see her you will know why and she has amazing eyes. I said Rell please, I will borrow you money just stop. Oh, I will Ara, did he hell but I saw it and he was very much lovestruck I would say. And I did see her at the funeral, I remember her I asked her who she was, she did say I dated him, and I knew it was her because of the eyes but he admitted it to me but he was quiet. And he was ever so shy, so him doing bad was such a shock. The people around him, his friends all said it. He was mistaken because we found out by his friends, he only did bad things a few times and it was to drop off drugs, we wondered how he got into it and then family members admitted he asked them for work, we have some reputation around this area, but what happened to him it made the family stop. It’s been hard because to know he got mistaken for someone else or he would have been here” poor family, I feel for them a lot.

“My mom said he was shy too, she said for the small amount of time they were together it was like a lifetime for her. She always believed to not let the person leave after an argument, she always taught me that so with Maurice I like to resolve things if I can, but I get why. She said she fell pregnant and that night she told him to not go out, she was sick of it and he was being stupid, so they argued but she was supposed to tell him, she never did and then she said she did what she needed too, and like you said there was a name on your family and she didn’t want that for me. But everyone changes, my mom loved him so much and she never actually got over him, till this day. She said he loved her, treated her so well but yeah. I am sad I didn’t get to know you early on; I feel such a connection so quick” Reign is waking up finally, this girl is lazy as hell. She is laying on my lap just gathering energy like she needs it “hey” I said holding her hand, Reign side eyed me with her eyes still slightly closed “we wish the same, my dad said you were coming and that we will visit the grave together. It’s not far from here at all, we can walk there” I didn’t think we was going to a cemetery now “I don’t mind, I would like that” maybe I should have pretended to be in pain today.

[prorevenge]

Call Me Mean Shit AND Cheat On Your Fiancé? Here, Let Me Ruin Your Dating Life

So, first post here, kinda scared, but oh well. Also, this is kinda very long so, uh, grab your stash of candy or whatever and enjoy I guess. This also happened a few years ago so it's kinda fuzzy

First, I'll introduce you to the cast. The reason I describe their personalities and some of their looks is because it comes into play a little later. A little context is that I come from a considerably large family, with five siblings. My parents died when I was around four (or at least, I've been told), so my older brothers were my main caretakers. Mostly Lukas 'cause he had a lot of time on his hands. We are all blonde with grey/blue eyes except for my only sister, who got most of her traits from our mother.

(these are listed in order from oldest to youngest (for siblings), also, you can probably tell we're of Scandi origin so shut up any racist bastards out there)

Markus: quite tall, around 5'9, but his spiked hair adds to his height, so he really looks like he's 6'2. He is the big dummy of the family, but is still very lovable. Very loyal and it is very rare for him to betray someone. Kinda like a giant puppy or a really tall child. He's super kind and hardworking, and you can rarely see him shout, get angry, or ignore anyone. His personality is very important later

Lukas: also quite tall, around 5'9 as well, but looks hella shorter cause of Markus' goddamn hair. His most prominent feature is his eyes. This hard, cold, emotionless, and dead scary blue eyes. He could kill you with his glare if he wanted. He controls his emotions very well, and it's hard to get him to loose his temper. He's also kind of a drag queen. His personality is also very important later

Erik: on the shorter side, he acts like your insecure and awkward teen all the time. Doesn't like confrontation, and would rather spend his time studying for Uni than actually talking

Hilde: a little taller than Erik, which is embarrassing for him, brunette, hazel eyes, a slightly darker complexion. Acts like an awkward mix between Erik and Markus, her looks are important

WellInTheory: the shortest of the all ;n;, but still considerably tall compared to the average. Looks a lot like Lukas, with grey eyes instead. I have a short temper, if you know how to set it off, but otherwise, I'm pretty chill. The most important thing to note is that: I love my brothers to no end. Hell, I missed one of my Uni finals for Markus *very very very important*

EB: entitled bitch, Markus' fiancée whom I just happen to hate very, very much

Now that we've gone through introductions, let's begin, shall we?

So, here's the background information: Me, Hilde, and Erik are all in UNi. Erik in his third year while me and Hilde were in our second. Luckily, Markus and Lukas have a house so us three are staying there

Markus had come from the local bar with EB. Now, it was 3 AM at the time so none of us knew (he called a cab). In the morning, since I'm always the first to wake up to go to morning lectures, I go down for breakfast, and low and behold, there is EB, standing in the kitchen with my brothers fucking makeup on her fucking face. So naturally, I had no clue she was there and instantly panic. I grab the nearest frying pan and threaten her with it.

Me: Uhm, who the fuck are you, why do you have my brother's make up on, and why the fuck are you in our house?

EB: oh, didn't you know, you must not be very sharp then! Markus brought me home with him~ I'm EB, Markus' girlfriend~~~~~

Me: okay, that explains two questions, now answer the last

EB: what do you mean

Me: *deep inhale* I MEAN, why the fuck do you have my brother's makeup on?!

EB: it's not hissss~

Me: yes it issssssssss (me mocking her)

At this point she just ignores me and pulls her phone out of her purse, and I happen to catch a glimpse of Lukas' eyeshadow palette in it. Of course, I lunge and pull it out of her purse instead of asking for it like a normal person. EB starts shouting at me that "I stole her makeup" and that "you will pay for this!". Yea right. I just stole back something you stole originally. Just at the right time, Lukas comes down, searching for his makeup and his coffee. He notices EB and basically asks her the exact same questions, and she responds with the exact same answers. Another perfect timing, and Markus comes down. Same questions, but now:

Markus: why do you have Lukas' makeup on?

EB: oh this, this isn't his. At least, not anymore. It's not like he needs it, he's so ugly even this makeup can't cover it!~ (keep in mind my brother was constantly getting hit on by boys and girls alike, ie. he's one of the prettiest men out there (its my opinion (no I am not incest (fight me James Charles fans))))

Markus: it doesn't explain why you stole his makeup--

at this, EB cuts him off and starts throwing a fucking tantrum

EB: YOU'RE JUST SIDING WITH HIM CAUSE HE'S YOU LITTLE BOYFRIEND!!!!11!!1!!!1!1 WHEN YOU BROUGHT ME HOME I THOUGHT YOU ACTUALLY LOVED ME11!!!1!1!!111

*dead silence*

EB: whAT/!?!?11/!? oh so NOW you're scared--

Markus: Lukas is my brother...

Needless to say, she was embarrassed, but that did not stop her for ridiculing me

EB: well, that doesn't matter, that little girl shouldn't have reached into my bag, it's a violation of private property

And literally everyone in the room (except maybe Markus cause he's too nice for his own good) was literally like: no u, but in a mental or very quiet way.

Time passes, I get to witness Markus get harasses verbally daily by EB and as he drifts away from our little family.

Finally, the last semester of Uni arrives.

Over the course of multiple stressful weeks, EB just gets more and more annoying, and for some reason, she absolutely hates me and my sister, but mostly my sister. Why? cause she's a racist bitch that clearly doesn't understand genetics.

EB: WHY IS THAT UGLY BLACK BITCH EVEN LIVING WITH YOU?!?!

Markus: cause she's our sister--

EB: NO SHE ISN'T!!!1!11!!! SHE DOESN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE YOU!!!111!1

Markus: well thats because--

EB: I. DON'T. CARE!1111!!!!!!! JUST GET HER OUT OF MY SIGHT1!!!11

Markus: why?

EB: CAUSE SHE'S BLACK!111!! and YOU

she turns to me, who had just come through the fucking door

EB: YOU'RE JUST A NARCISSISTIC LITTLE WHORE WHO DOESN'T HAVE A FUCKING BRAIN!!!11!1!!!!

I had just come back from a particularly confusing lecture and my mind was still swimming at the new information thrown at me, and I was now being yelled at the moment I stepped through

Me: ...wha...?

It was all I could manage

EB: SEE? SEE?!?!??! SHE'S FUCKING BRAINDEAD AND USELESS!!!!! THE SLUT AND WHORE IS ONLY OUT TO GET OLDER MEN-

She's abruptly cut off as Erik, who had come down a few minutes earlier and was watching from afar, and Lukas stepped in front of me. Lukas gives his signature death glare and leads me away.

Lukas: insult us one more time and you'll be prohibited to come in contact with any of our family, you racist son of a bitch. Markus, you can follow her if you wish.

Erik: I wonder what Markus sees in you...

EB: a- wha- bu- AFAKLDAHFALHF (no really its what it sounded like)

this is surprising cause as mentioned before, Erik HATES confrontation and Lukas rarely looses his temper.

Fast forward a little, I'm hanging out with my friends at the local pub, when suddenly...

EB: AND OMGGGGGG WellInTheory IS SUCH A BITCH11!!!!1!!111!!!!!!

She continues complaining about me loudly, so naturally, I take out my phone and record the whole, goddamn thing. But I also recorded something I didn't expect.

EB, started to french kiss some guy. I don't know what this whore was thinking, but it seemed no one cared except for me. After she finished making out, she starts to complain about me and my sister loudly for another 10 mins or so before leaving.

I captured the whole thing. Markus and EB's marriage was going to happen in less than two days. You know what this means? Simple. Nuclear revenge! In the purest form, over the course of many years! :D

So I drive home as fast as I can without violating any laws, and run into our house. EB had gone home with one of those three men to do some sacrilegious acts, I would presume. I leap up the stairs and crash through Markus' door, then shove the video into his face.

...

I had to comfort him for five hours. FIVE. HOURS. He was that distraught at the video, and had either cried or hiccupped while ranting to me. Lukas, Erik, and Hilde eventually came in as well, probably to complain about the noise, only to find Markus breaking down and had to help as well.

After he had calmed down enough to form legible words, I presented my nuclear revenge plan. Everyone was in on it in some way or another, and they all loved it.

​

Fast forward, (wow there are a lot of these) and it's now the wedding day.

Markus had asked whether EB wanted him to invite his siblings, she of course, said no. But here we are, dressed in our best dresses. Erik, being the sneakiest one of all, had switched EB's wedding dress to the exact same dress me and Hilde were wearing an hour earlier. Lukas and Erik were wearing the exact same suit EB's secret boyfriend was and EB's father were wearing. When EB sees us, she goes fucking insane.

EB: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?! I TOLD YOU NOT TO COME

Lukas: Really now...? We got invitations~ Signed by you at that

EB: WHAT?! SHOW THEM TO ME

Lukas hands over four invitations that indeed, has her signature on them. She became furious, and of course, started dumping all the blame on me and Hilde. I could clearly tell that my brothers were livid. They however, kept it all in as they waited for the plan to unfold further.

We could tell people were staring at EB, me, and Hilde because of the dresses. We had specifically chosen dresses that better suited me and Hilde's body types, and looked absolutely horrendous on EB. Some brighter people were starting to laugh as they figured out the plan to destroy the wedding. It's time for wedding vows. As request from the four of us, the officiant asked for EB's vow first.

Officiant: do you take Markus as your husband?

EB: yES~~~~

Here, is where shit went down

Officiant: Markus, do you take EB as your wife?

Markus: do I? Well, considering she hates the rest of my living family enough to deny them any access to my wedding, and considering she cheated on me with some random guy... what do you think?

Lukas: considering the points you just listed, I'd say no to this marriage. She always smelt bad, and she would always take forever in the shower anyways...

Erik: agreed. and besides, what whore french kisses a random guy in the public? and you call WellInTheory a slut... Also, the fact you denied wearing and stealing Lukas' makeup... just...

Hilde: take that you racist bitch. I hope whatever's left of your clearly broken family sobers up and disowns you forever. I hope to see you on the streets!!

Me: so I'm the slut, "just out there to get older men", eh? yea, I think not. I mean look at you! You even copied our dress! how shameful. And the fact that your secret boyfriend is here as well, wearing the same suit as my brothers... shame...

EB just stood there, with her mouth easily catching three of four flies per minute

Markus: I think... nah. I'll not marry you. My family's right, you are a disgusting bitch. Now, where's the cake?

The rest of the wedding was spent laughing at, ridiculing, or completely avoiding EB, and a cake fight happened. EB was crying over how "I THOUGHT YOU WERE LOYAL TO ME MARKUS AAAAAAAAGHHHH" or something like that, and every time she tried to rekindle their relationship, Markus would either laugh at her, throw a scalding comment at her, act like she was the black plague, or just flat out ignore her. Remember when I said Markus' personality would be important later? Yea, this was why.

​

I also stalked her on IG, Facebook, etc. Anytime she got another boyfriend, I sent the video to said boyfriend and warned them and also suggested them to check her phone. They always broke up a day later.

​

I've mostly gotten over it now, but still occasionally destroy some relationships just to remind her. After all, you mess with my brothers? I ruin your life. Mutual, I think.

(source) story by (/u/WellInTheory)

[yellowdistress]

Have you ever seen Dumbo? (I just saw the new one today). Could you maybe somehow use the What We Are verse and maybe Peter being separated from his mother like in the film? Maybe sad Tony having to comfort him or something? idk how it would go down but I think you'd do awesome writing it!

Okay, so this one took some thinking outside of the What We Are verse, you know…Cause of Mary’s involvement, since in my fic she and Richard have passed before Tony finds out about Peter. But I came up with a little branch (almost like the addiction au haha wow we’re going crazy). So the idea is that, Mary and Richard have been sharing custody of Peter with Tony. Maybe some Hydra stuff goes down (like in the OG What We Are verse) and Mary and Richard gotta dip out. So Peter is left with his father. So yeah! Took me a minute to put that together, but here we go.

…

It was one in the morning and pouring rain outside when Mary and Richard came up the driveway.

It had started with the phone call, forty-five minutes before. Mary’s shaking voice telling Tony they needed to drop Peter off. Had to be left. They had to go. And Tony, in the dullness of his mind, the dullness that had come from sipping bourbon because he didn’t drink on Peter’s weekends, but it wasn’t Peter’s weekend. But they were leaving, and they wouldn’t tell him why and his stomach was doing flips because he was struggling to understand the concept of what was happening before his very eyes, where he was about to be handed his four-year-old son by his mother and step-father. Tony was expected to keep him for God knows how long and as much as he loved his child, things had been…turbulent the past four years. Custody, and lawyers, and just all around not a good time. He and Mary were civil, even he and Richard, but Tony hadn’t wanted to be a father in the beginning. Maybe he wouldn’t have, had Mary not had faith in him. Faith that he was was capable of at least seeing his son every other weekend. To grow from there.

But then at one in the morning, things were supposed to change and Tony didn’t know why.

They got out of the car, and Tony stood there in front of the door, under the porch. Richard held an umbrella over Mary’s head as she unhooked Peter from his booster seat and he continued to follow her as she carried the boy towards Tony. Peter was blinking, seemingly wide awake for it to be the middle of the night. He was dressed in pajamas, hair askew on his head. But when he saw Tony’s face, his mouth turned into a smile. The moment they were under the porch and Richard started to close the umbrella Peter exclaimed happily, “Daddy!”

Peter started to reach for him and Mary allowed the boy to be handed off. Tony took him under the arms as Peter squeezed him around the neck and Tony stared at both Mary and Richard, his mouth set into a line. A part of him was angry with them, angry they wouldn’t explain over the phone what was going on. Tony questioned, “What’s happening?”

“No Tony,” Mary sounded the same way she did on the phone and it was only then that he saw her eyes were teary and her voice was shaking. Richard’s jaw was set, and Tony felt a tantrum in the back of his mind. He was just expected to have Peter dropped off, not ask any questions, and they were going to disappear. It made little sense to him. Peter pulled from the hug, turning to face his mother and step-father. He settled back in his father’s arms, looking closely at his mother.

“Mama,” Peter whispered, sounding not as excited as he had when he had seen his father, “Are you crying?”

Mary made a face, biting down on her lip. Like she was trying to be brave, but her emotions were deceiving her. She reached out slowly and caressed the side of Peter’s face as she shook her head, “No, no honey. It’s just rain.”

Just rain. As if eyes could produce what the sky poured, and maybe it could. Peter still looked concerned. His four year old mind was working in over drive. His hand was nervously tugging at his father’s nightshirt as he looked between his mother and step-father. Tony insisted, “You have to tell me what’s going on.”

“We can’t,” For the first time, Richard spoke up, “Trust us, it’s safer that you don’t know.”

Tony scoffed, “What the hell have you two gotten into, huh? You endangering the kid? Yourselves? What, you’re just going to…”

He looked at Peter, who didn’t seem to be following. Tony finished, “You’re just going to leave?”

Mary swallowed thickly and looked away as Richard replied, “We have to.”

That was when Mary stepped forward. Tony watched as she pressed her lips to Peter’s cheek and Peter looked at her curiously and with concern. She ordered softly into his ear, “You be good for your father, alright? Be good. Always.”

When she moved to step back, Peter’s hand shot out and wrapped up in her collar. For someone so small, he could read the situation. He could see it wasn’t good, that his mother and step-father were upset. Mary’s breath hitched at the action. She immediately went to step away again, but Peter’s hand wouldn’t release as he almost whimpered, “Are you gonna come back?”

“It’s…it’ll be a while,” Mary whispered, “I’m sorry. But your dad will be here - “

Peter interrupted, “Where’re you going to?”

Mary couldn’t seem to look her child in the eyes and Tony had mercy on her, slowly prying Peter’s hand from her collar. Whatever it was, whatever they weren’t telling him, or telling Peter…it wasn’t good. Despite the terror quickly burrowing in him, the confusion, the way Richard looked about ready to lose it and Mary wanted to cry…Tony knew it was so, so bad. Tony held his son’s wrist and instead of Mary answering, Richard did instead.

“It’s a business trip, buddy.”

“But…” Peter was not stupid. Small, but not stupid and Tony’s stomach was twisting. Tony had to step back when Peter leaned forward, reaching for his mother again, to be transferred back into her arms, but he moved out of reach. Tony grabbed Peter’s side to hold him back against his chest and Mary stepped away too, putting a hand over her mouth as she look away from Peter. As if the thought of making eye contact was too painful to even comprehend.

“Mama,” Peter whined, “Hey…hey…”

His voice was insistent, as if trying to get Mary to look at him. Mary didn’t though and she instead took a deep breath and said, “I love you. Be good.”

But she looked at Tony and she ordered, “You take care of him, okay? Whatever you have to do, just…take care of him.”

Tony didn’t know what to say. Peter was squirming so much in his arms, and with each passing moment of him realizing Mary was upset, she was leaving, she hadn’t told him when she would be back…Peter was becoming more distressed. They were backing away, into the rain, and maybe it was like ripping off a bandaid because not much else was spoken. They retreated to their vehicle, Mary looking back once and Peter called for her over and over again, even after they had gone inside and the SUV had disappeared down the driveway.

They stood in the foyer a long time. Peter was crying, calling for Mary, confused about the situation. Tony stood still, silent, almost in shock about what had just transpired. The fact that his son was handed over, the fact that he was now no longer expected to see his child every other weekend, but this was it. And Mary and Richard had gone God knows where. He shifted Peter in his arms, looking at him and he opted to comfort because he had made Peter cry for some time without intervening, though he didn’t really know how. He had comforted Peter through skinned knees and bruises, but his mother and step-father disappearing…it was different.

Tony tucked one of Peter’s curls behind his ear, “Shhhh…Peter hush.”

“Bu-But Ma…” Peter hiccuped, unable to even finish the sentence, so beside himself and it was rare that Peter got so worked up. Tony approached the couch in the living room before sitting down, pulling Peter into his chest. Tony felt utterly alone, all of a sudden. Like his first weekend with an infant, not knowing how to even properly feed him a bottle. It was like being thrown into the deep end of a pool without a life vest. 

Peter looked up at him with wide, tear filled eyes, like Mary’s had been. Peter’s small hands cupped his cheeks, to force Tony to look at him, to listen, “Sh-She…I wanna…”

“I know,” Tony said, “It’s fine. It’s going to be fine. I’m here with you.”

“But - “

“I know,” I know I’m not who you want, “I know…”

Tony pulled Peter’s head into his chest and the boy buried his face. And Tony fretted. He hadn’t realized that was the night he would graduate into a full-time fatherhood.

They weren’t coming back. 

[udonta-wanna-know]

Friday Night Carnival Fights

Summary: The reader convinces Yondu to take Peter to a nearby carnival since he helped with a big job. Yondu notices reader eyeing a certain prize and is determined to win it fair and square. That is until he realizes just how rigged the games can be. Its not wise to try and scam a Ravager Captain.

AN: Hey if anyone wants tagged in my future stuff just let me know~ I didn’t want to tag anyone this time without their permission 

Warnings: None really? Maybe a bit of foul language but well it is to be expected lol

~3600 words

Carnivals had always been your happy place. The warm summer nights lit up with blurred neon and the smells of sweet and salty food that left you with cravings for days. You looked forward to them every year, knowing they would bring nothing but good memories and a new addition to your collection of cheaply made stuffed animals. You had thought that you might never get to experience them again, you doubted there would be carnivals in space. And after joining the Ravager crew you doubted there would be time for it.

Well join wasn’t exactly the right word. Kidnapped was closer to the truth but even that wasn't exactly the truth. You had run away that night, crying and heartbroken after discovering your boyfriend cheating on you, and begged for someone to take you away from it all. You had meant it in more of a metaphorical dramatic sense but your desperate prayers almost seemed to act like a homing beacon. Next thing you knew you were being beamed onto a in the flesh space ship and surrounded by a group of people you only had one word for: aliens.

There had been a lot of freaking out, you may or may not have thrown up on some ugly dude you now knew as Taserface out of anxiety, which was not helped by a big blue angry man screaming at you to be quiet. The only way you even managed to not pass out from hyperventilating was when Kraglin came to herd you away and actually explain to you what was going on. Apparently the Captain, the angry blue guy, had recently forcibly adopted a child from Terra and decided he needed a nanny from his home planet. It was definitely a shock and you weren't sure what to say. That was until you actually met Peter, the poor boy seemed terrified but his eyes lit up upon seeing someone from home. The way he looked up at you with wide eyes and held out his Walkman to you  saying “We can listen to music together if you want!” melted you heart and the rest was history.

It had proved to actually be the best choice you could have possibly made. It turns out that there were some perks to living with a bunch of space pirates. You got to see far off galaxies, the crew showered you with gifts as you were treated as a sort of beloved den mother, you were getting to help raise Peter who had quickly found a special place in your heart and then there was Yondu. Your relationship with him was hard to define. He was kind to you, at least when it was just you and his closest crew around, and you had shared more than a few nights in his company. Yet at the same time the arguing between the both of you was famous through out the ship and several planets. It was mostly about the way he talked to Peter, you knew he never planned on eating him but you still didn’t like the fact that he decided the best thing to do to keep him in line was terrify him. There were other things of course but most of that was just petty arguments between two hard headed people who each wanted the last word.

It was one of those fights that had led you to being in the last place you would have expected: a carnival. Well it certainly wasn't the same you were use to, the foods were almost unrecognizable and the rides looked terrifyingly unsafe and ran entirely by aliens even shadier looking than the ravagers. But it was close enough and your own excitement was mirrored in Peters face as he gripped onto your arm and seemed to be buzzing with anticipation. You smiled down at him and pushed the bangs out of his eyes. “Thank you so so soooo much (y/n)! I can't believe you convinced Yondu to let us dock here,” he said bouncing along beside you.

“Hey you deserve it kiddo. They would have been coming back empty handed if it weren't for you. And you know me, secretly I run this show,” you said bending down to his eye level and giving him a wink as you fixed his jacket and slipped some extra units into his pocket. He looked up at you with wide admiring eyes, muttering a small 'wow'. In reality you had just out screamed Yondu. It had taken a day and a half, most of which he was just babbling none sense but eventually you had wore him down. He usually gave in to you, in fact you were almost sure he wouldn't have hesitated at your request if he didn't have a reputation to hold up. Either way you were happy with the outcome, this a treat for you as well as Peter.

“The only thing you manage to run is your mouth until I can't sleep from all your naggin'” you heard a distinct growl say before feeling a arm wrap around your shoulder. “Now you get out of here lil runt. Ya wanted to come so bad so go and have the fun (y/n) insisted you needed,” Yondu said making a mocking talking motion with his hand. You rolled your eyes but still leaned into him with a faint chuckle. When Peter hesitated, eyes darting between the two of you Yondu snapped at him “What, are ya hard of hearing or something? I said get!”

Peter jumped back but boldly held his head up high. “Well I was hoping to go on some of the rides with (y/n) and we wanted to see if we could find some cotton candy,” he protested in a bit of a whine to which Yondu immediately glared. Sensing the trouble you could see the young boy swallow but then a certain spark lit up his eyes. He grinned ear to ear and held out his hand “But if I had some extra units I wouldn't have to come bother either of you for anything all night.”

“Eh I bet you think you're so slick. If I hadn't taught you how to blackmail myself I might be a little more upset. Here take these and don't let me see ya all night unless you're dyin,” Yondu said shoving a pouch into the boys hands. You saw his own pockets still bulging with money so you knew he must have been planning to give Peter the money in the first place which made you smile behind your hand. “Now go on boy, Kraglin is waiting for you over by the twirly mcgig thing. Stay close to him ya hear! Don't make me have to save your ass and then eat ya!” he called after Peter as the boy ran off.

“If I didn't know any better I would say you might actually care Captain,” you said ducking out from his grip, spinning on your heel to face him and sending your dress twirling around your legs which Yondu watched very closely. “And with the way you were so quick to send him off I might think that you wanted me all to yourself tonight. But seeing as you didn't even want to come here that can't be any where near the truth,” you said with fake shock, bringing a hand up to your cheek.

“Now I see where he gets it. The mouthy brat takes after you,” Yondu said flashing you a crooked grin, reaching out his hands to grab firmly onto your waist and pull you back to him. Now you and him weren't exactly together, well you weren't exactly not together either, you had never labeled what was going on between you two. All you knew was that you liked the way his hands felt and that your heart was fluttering against your ribcage and that you didn't want this feeling to go away. “Now come on darlin' I was nice and gave into this silly lil request. The leas' ya can do is keep me company. I mean I'm sure I could find an escort droid around here some where but why bother when I have your pretty face right here?” he said cupping your chin and squeezing your cheeks slightly.

“Because this pretty face actually talks back,” You said with a small smile, placing a hand over his own  and taking a step towards him. “But I think I might just be able to make my time in my very busy schedule for you. It seems my boss gave me the night off after all. That old prick never does that so I mind as well make the most of it,” you smirked now walking backwards and nodding your head towards the vendors “that is if you can keep up.”

“Oh girlie you are playing with fire here. I may not like everything you are saying but damn if I don’t like the way you say it,” he said tossing his head back and giving a barking laugh. He easily caught up to you, hands in his pockets and humming quietly to himself. He did that whenever he was in an especially good mood but you didn't dare bring it up. You had asked him one time about it and only got a 'you don’t know wha' yer talkin' bout' snapped at you. You doubted he even realized he was doing it but it made you smile. It wasn't nearly as pretty as his whistling but this was much more … him. Him in his natural state, not worrying about appearances or ship repairs or Peter or anything else that came with being a captain. It was the him you thought you could possibly fall in love with, if he ever allowed himself to be that person.

The night was going smoothly, you got to talk calmly with Yondu for the first time in a long time. Sure he was still his usual crude self and he mostly did just talk about his favorite subject, himself, but there was an almost more gentle nature to it. Every now and again he would let it slip about how he hoped Peter was behaving himself, that he didn't want to much trouble for you and that he wished he actually had more time for the both of you. It was stuck in between inappropriate comments about what exactly he wanted to be doing with you that involved the type of eating he wasn't threatening Peter with but it was still there. And the thought that he really did care past everything else was enough to bring a faint  blush to your cheeks. You hoped that it was hidden by the glow of all the neon signs.

You passed through rows and rows of food trucks, scattered with the occasional vendor selling small trinkets which Yondu always had to stop by. You didn't really mind but you had your eyes peeled out for the thing you were most looking forward to: games. You knew that they were really nothing more than a waste of money but you couldn't deny how much you actually enjoyed it. The thrill of the challenge and the allure of finally earning one of the giant prizes. Finally after turning what had to be the hundredth corner your senses were assaulted by the sounds of carnies shouting, lights flashing and every color imaginable of stuffed toys. Your eyes lit up and your mouth dropped slightly, your hand falling away from Yondu's arm as you went to explore.

You didn't know where to look first, it seemed like most of the games were standard but there were so many new varieties that you could barely comprehend it. “You alright? I aint never heard you be so quiet,” Yondu teased giving a small pinch to your ass to get your attention back to him. He raised an eyebrow and tried to follow your line of vision. Your eyes had fallen on a teddy bear nearly as tall as you were, Yondu leaned his face next to yours and frowned seeing the toy. “Darlin you have to be kidding me. Please tell me you're starin cause yer disgusted and not cause ya want that eye sore,” he said holding back laughter.

“Its not an eye sore! Its exactly what I always wanted and Im going to have it by the end of the night,” you said stomping your foot and flipping your hair over your shoulder to hit him in the face. He sputtered and backed away with a growl, muttering under his breath. You chose to ignore this as you made a beeline for the booth that had the teddy bear on display. You easily weaved through the crowd, lots of practice running through the ravager crew to chase after Peter coming in handy.

“I thought the boy was going to be the death a me but I swear its gonna be her,” Yondu said to himself as he kept up with much less grace, knocking shoulders with just about everyone he passed. He saw you watching someone play the game, a silly thing it looked like to him with a wall full of balloons set up behind a wooden counter. “What kind of shit is this?” he asked scratching his chin and pointing to the poor sucker who was searching his pockets for more cash to hand over to the seedy looking carny.

“Its a classic. All you have to do is throw the darts to pop the balloons, it seems pretty easy but you actually have to throw them. No whistling allowed Im afraid,” you teased him as you watched a couple more people try their hand at the game. There was a faint pop here or there but nothing enough to actually win any of the good prizes. They all walked away with small toys that looked more like manufacturer defects than anything actually recognizable. “I use to be pretty good at it but never good enough to win the main prize,” you said with a sigh.

“Well why don’t you just buy it then?” Yondu scoffed, his lip curled and showing off his jagged teeth. You watched him from the corner of your eyes, a devilish smirk playing across your lips as an idea formed in your head. You may have never been able to win what you wanted but you had a feeling that he might. And you had a feeling you knew exactly what to say to get what you wanted but then again you always did.

“We could but that defeats the purpose. Half the fun is actually playing the game,” you started off innocently, feigning interest in how well the couple in front of you was doing “but its not really your kind of thing. Why don't you go grab us some food while I try my luck? Im sure it would be easier for me,” you continued making a shooing motion with your hands at him in the direction you had come from. You knew at once that it had worked. You heard a sharp inhale of breath and the sound of leather being crushed together as he rolled up his sleeves.

“Heh think I cant win some dumb game do ya! Ohhhh I'll show you princess,” Yondu said wiggling a finger in your face as he walked by. He slammed some units on the counter and glared at the carny running the booth. A teenager by the looks of him, although it was harder to tell with aliens given the weird colors and appendages. The one in front of you was a sickly green color with greasy black hair falling around his shoulders and fly like eyes, but some things seemed to be universal given his acne scared face and cracking voice.

“Its ten for three darts or fifteen for six. You need to pop six in a row to win one of the large prizes or you can trade up smaller ones for it,” he said in a bored voice, not at all affected by Yondu's glares. You couldn't tell if it was just general teenage apathy or that he might have dealt with worse in his time working there. “Just give me whatever, I'm gonna win tha' there bear so it shouldn't take but a couple of tries,” Yondu said proudly snatching the darts out of the teens hands. You saw the kid smirk slightly as he backed away throwing his hands up. You gulped and watched with wary eyes knowing that this wasn't going to be nearly as easy as Yondu thought.

Unfortunately you were all too right. You knew Yondu had good aim and if it were a fair game he probably would have won in the first round. Yet just like the fair games back on Earth this game was more rigged then the Ravagers poker nights. You watched as only two of the six balloons he had aimed at popped despite the darts meeting their mark. You could see the bewilderment in Yondu's eyes as they grew wide before narrowing. You laughed nervously and patted his arm “Ok practice round is over now you can give it a real try,” you said trying to distract him.

“Huh maybe I am a bit rusty,” he said slowly before handing over more units and giving it a second try … then a third and a forth and a fifth. Each try he became progressively more angry, his mumbles becoming shouts and his fin glowing dangerously bright. “I can only blame myself too many times boy before I start to suspect you're trying to pull a fast one on me!” he bellowed slamming his hands down on the counter.

“Or maybe your eyesight is going with your old age,” the teenager said, a finger digging in his ear and snapping a piece of gum loudly. You saw Yondu purse his lips and you gave a small squeak, expecting the worse. He glanced back at you though and though he was still tense with anger he let the whistle die. “I'll show you old,” Yondu said before grabbing the boys shirt and using the momentum to pull himself up and over the counter, sending the kid toppling into the dirt on the other side. Yondu then snatched the balloons that he hadn't been able to pop and squeezed them as hard as he could, digging his black nails into the material. But nothing happened.

“These here balloons are made of microfillament, which last time I checked was unbreakable material. Mostly used in battle armor so I can't help but wonder why you would use them in this here game unless, and correct me if I'm wrong, you didn't want me to win,” Yondu said shaking his head and laughing. The boys eyes went wide and he started to shake before attempting to scramble to his feet. He didn't get very far though before a loud crack was heard as Yondu kicked through the cheap particle board of the booth and stomped over to him. He grabbed the kid by the neck and shoved the balloon in his face.

“Now under the usual circumstances I would shove this thing so up your ass it would be coming out your nose but there is a lady present tonight. So to show just how merciful I am I will give you a choice. You can either give me that bear as well as all the money you have made tonight or I can drag you behind these booths to where the girl can't see and I am free to do as I please. Now whats it going to be?” Yondu asked, his lip curled up in a smirk that was just as terrifying as it was completely irrationally attractive. The kid couldn't even talk, any time he did it came out in a sob, but his choice seemed obviously when he started to empty his pockets.

A few minutes later Yondu was walking away counting his money with you by his side clutching the bear to your chest, you thankful for the futuristic technology that allowed the toy to shrink and grow as you needed it to. You were grinning like an idiot and losing the battle of trying to stop a fit of giggles. “Maybe I should let you and the shrimp chose stuff more often, it turned into a nice little bonus,” Yondu said chuckling, looking over at you with a sudden softness in his eyes “so uh you like it then? I know I didn't exactly win it the way you wanted but … well you got it and thats the point right?”

“I just didn't want you to cheat and technically you didn’t! Lets just call it an unconventional win,” you said sweetly moving so that you were walking with your arms brushing and resting your head on his shoulder “so thank you. I love it.” You could feel the blush rising to your cheeks, a warmth that spread through your whole body when he wrapped an arm around your waist and quickly brushed his lips against your temple.

“Well whatever my girl wants she gets. As I am sure you are all too happy to point out,” he said giving your hip a squeeze.

“Oh am I your girl now?” you asked biting on the inside of your cheek, holding your breath and trying not to look too hopeful when you looked up at him.

“Sweetie you always have been,” he said with a grin before cupping your chin in his hand and pulling you in for a kiss. You happily kissed back thinking that you could definitely live with that answer.

[chocolatequeennk]

Meta Monday: Rose Tyler Defence

Today’s Meta Monday post is brought to you by the person who left a full-fledged rant against Rose Tyler in a comment on one of my fics. For the record, if you spend 500 words putting down one half of my OTP, you cannot say you respect that I ship Ten/Rose. Also, RUDE.

So, I’m going to break down the comment point by point. This was left on my ficlet about Martha, and about halfway through, it switches to ranting about how Martha was treated by the Doctor. For the sake of length, I’ll cover that part next week. Bullet points in quotes are taken directly from the review.

1) Rose was selfish.

At times, yes. Because Rose was human and humans have flaws. She was a well-written character who didn’t always do the right thing for the right reason.

Can we talk for a minute about why Rose is selfish? She’d recently ended a relationship with someone who took advantage of her. Jimmy Stone took off and left her £800 in debt. When you’re used like that, you learn to look out for yourself first, because no one else will. It’s a habit that takes time to break. 

Now, this accusation often includes, “Rose was selfish to leave her family to travel,” and I will argue against that with my dying breath. It is not selfish for a young woman to decide to leave her family and create her own life. That is natural. I know Jackie and Mickey struggled with it, but that’s their thing to deal with. Honestly, them expecting Rose to never change and always be the same Rose they remembered is more selfish than Rose choosing to create her own life.

Don’t we tell girls all the time that they should plan their lives based on what would make them happy, not on what people expect them to do? Isn’t that part of what feminism is? So why do we insist it’s selfish when a young woman is actually bold enough to flout expectations and forge her own path?

2) “She ditched Mickey immediately when she heard the Doctor telling her that Tardis is a time travel machine.”

Why is it so horrible that Rose jumped at an amazing opportunity for a better life? She was obviously bored and dissatisfied before meeting the Doctor. (Look at her face when she’s working at Henrik’s. That is not the face of someone content with their life.) 

And let’s get rid of the notion that Mickey was a perfect boyfriend. Do you remember the part in “Rose” where she asks if she can borrow his laptop? And he says yes, but then in a panic tells her not to look at his email? That’s supposed to be a hint that he was cheating on her--another sign that her life was not ideal, meaning she was at a perfect spot for a change.

I understand that it hurts to be the person left behind. I’ll even agree that Rose should have said a bit more of a goodbye to Mickey than she did. (Though since the Doctor had already left once, I don’t blame her if she thought there was a clock ticking.) However, I refuse to blame Rose for wanting a different life. That’s grossly unfair. 

Think about this: Donna pitched the keys to the car she shared with her mother in a bin, then took off without saying a word about travelling. And yet, I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about the way she left her family. Why is what Rose did so much worse?

3) “She also not only made Jackie grieve over her, therefore making her get Mickey go to police 5 times the whole year.”

Oh boy. One of my favourites. 

THE MISSING YEAR IS NOT ROSE’S FAULT.

We don’t know how long Rose had been with the Doctor when they landed at the beginning of “Aliens of London.” If we go strictly by time we’ve seen, it’s less than a week. If we believe there are adventures that happen offscreen, then maybe 2-3 weeks. 

Not only that, but she had been assured that to her mum, only 12 hours would have passed. She walked into that flat thinking she’d been gone overnight, thinking her phone call from Platform One would have been plenty to ease any worries. 

It is not Rose Tyler’s fault that the TARDIS, purposely or not, skipped a full year.

That means none of the things that happened to people on Earth during that time are her fault. It’s not her fault that her mum thought she was dead. It’s not her fault that Mickey was dragged in for questioning. Jackie and Mickey resenting Rose for the missing year does not make it actually Rose’s fault. 

4) “She flirted with Adam and Jack and broke up with Mickey, making him feel like crap.”

Right. Mickey who told Rose--in the middle of trying to chat her up--that he was seeing Trisha Delaney? Which he told her purposely to make her angry? Mickey is not superior here, so don’t even try to make it out like Rose is the horrible tramp and Mickey is the long-suffering boyfriend. 

And if she’d broken up with Mickey, what does it matter that she flirted with Adam and Jack? This kind of slut-shaming needs to end. Flirting is not a sin.

5) “She ripped Tardis console to become Bad Wolf, despite the fact that Tardis was an sentient being.” 

I see this thrown out as a horrible thing all the time. Do you know who did not get angry at Rose for opening the TARDIS? The Doctor. Not once in his explanation to Jack during “Utopia” does he say anything bad about Rose opening the TARDIS. Not once does his voice betray anything but awe at what she became. 

No one knows and loves the TARDIS more than the Doctor. If he wasn’t upset with Rose for opening her heart, maybe it wasn’t a bad thing for her to do. 

Also, if you’re thinking Bad Wolf was a selfish choice, then you’re purposely reading your opinion that Rose was selfish into the text. Rose knew looking into the heart of the TARDIS could kill her--she’d seen what had happened to Margaret the Slitheen. But she chose to do it anyway, because it was the only way to save the Doctor. 

Rose becoming Bad Wolf is not about her pouting because he sent her away. That is the wrongest interpretation of that scene I have ever seen, and it makes me angry every time. In the diner, when she’s trying to explain to Jackie and Mickey why she’s so upset, she starts with, “Two hundred thousand years in the future, he’s dying, and there’s nothing I can do.” And when Bad Wolf explains her choice and her purpose to the Doctor? "I want you safe. My Doctor. Protected from the false god.” 

Not to mention her glorious speech in the diner, which is entirely about understanding that life is better when you live it for other people. Bad Wolf is Rose Tyler at her least selfish and she is absolutely brilliant. 

6) “Martha actually worked hard to become a doctor, while Rose could not even get herself a job after getting her job blown off.” 

Wow. There’s so much classist garbage in here, I don’t even know where to start.

Yes, Martha worked hard. That doesn’t mean Rose didn’t. Stop putting down one companion to praise another. 

You don’t have to have an upper class job like doctor to be a hard worker. Poor people work their tails off, doing things no one else wants to do. Even Martha complained that she had to work in a shop. (Blink)

Rose left with the Doctor twenty-four hours after Henrik’s blew up. 

No, she didn’t go out job hunting the day after almost dying. 

Lucky she didn’t, because if she hadn’t spent the day looking up the Doctor, she might not have been there when he faced the Nestene Consciousness. And the Doctor himself admitted that he would have died if it wasn’t for her.

What you’re really saying is that instead of going off to have a fabulous life, Rose should have stayed on the Estate. I’m being kind and not adding, “where she belonged” to the end of that statement, but really--that’s what you’re implying. That as a young woman from the Estate, Rose didn’t deserve the kind of life she found with the Doctor.

Why not? 

Rose Tyler was clever. Practically the first thing the Doctor says to her is a compliment because she’d come up with a logical explanation for the Autons. It was wrong, but he was impressed by her logic. 

Rose Tyler was brave. She saved the Doctor that first day, she ran into the TARDIS even though he told her it would be dangerous, she ran after the ghost in “The Unquiet Dead...” Do I need to go on? Rose Tyler shot out the window of the rocket she was on so she could kill Satan. How’s that?

Rose Tyler was compassionate. She objected strenuously to the Doctor asking Gwyneth to channel to Gelth. She saw a little boy calling for his Mummy and tried to help him. She refused to let the Doctor kill a Dalek. She was outraged by the slavery of the Ood.

Rose Tyler stood up for what she believed in, no matter what the cost. She never hesitated to tell the Doctor if she thought what he was doing was wrong, even though she knew he could always take her home if he got annoyed with her. When he was passed out from regeneration sickness, she stood up to the Sycorax in his place. She got in Mr. Connolly’s face in Idiot’s Lantern when he was being a sexist jerk, talking down to his wife. 

Rose Tyler was clever, brave, and compassionate. When she was gone, the Doctor missed her ability to spot things he missed. “Rose would know,” was not just a sentimental comment--the solution to their adventures often started with Rose spotting something out of place and pointing it out to the Doctor. (The Unquiet Dead, The Long Game, Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, School Reunion, Idiot’s Lantern and Fear Her, just off the top of my head.)

So no, random reviewer, Rose is not flawless. But she’s also not the selfish girl you insist she is.

[spn67-sister]

A Mid-Summers Nightmare Pt.1

One Shot Summary: Dean x Reader, Sam, Joe, Ellen, Bobby, and my own character Jeff.  Dean gets brainwashed into loving another woman by an evil Cupid, but you are dating him. You are heart broken. This is kind of like A Mid-Summer Night Dream retake with the love potion idea.

Warnings: Cheating, language

Word count: 2277

This is going to be a series! I hope you like Part 1! I am bringing in flashbacks to where Dean, Sam, and the reader meet as well, so I hope you enjoy that portion.

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

Readers POV

“I really don’t want to go to this,” Dean complained loudly while driving the car. I hear Sam laughing from the back seat.

“You have to go! It’s kind of a tradition that our ‘family’ of hunters gets together once a year to talk and revisit one another. I have done it since I was 5, and you have done it since you were 3, so we are expected to go.” I said laughing at how much Dean was complaining.

“Come on Dean! It won’t be that awful! Y/n and myself will be there, so you won’t completely die of boredom” Sam said trying to reason with him, “Also, Y/n has a point. We kind of have to go.”

“I know, It’s just I don’t want to. All people talk about are demons and monsters. The new incoming darkness. Who recently died. Who the new hunters are and what their stories are. It’s all the same thing, and it’s really depressing. Just shows how shitty out lives are.” He said as he continued to drive down the road to Bobby’s house. I grab his hand a squeeze it.

“Well, I have to hear the same stories too. We really won’t die. I promise.” I say and then Dean turns the music up, and we all sit silently listening to the music, as I still hold Deans hand. The silence is not weird or uncomfortable, it’s comforting.

I sit and think about how I still find myself waking up in the mornings, thinking about how lucky I am. True, I would not consider myself lucky because I am a hunter, and nothing lucky ever comes out of that. I consider myself lucky because THE Dean Winchester is my boyfriend. We have been dating for a year and three months, and each day is another day to which I am thankful.   My mother was killed by a vamp when I saw five years old. I have been hunting ever since. I hunted with my father for the first years of my life. He would drop me off at Bobby’s while he would go on a revenge hunt for my mom. I meat Dean when I was 16 years old and he was 18. Sam was my age, but he is a couple months older than me.  I am now 24 and Dean is 26.

-------------------------- 10 years ago He looked like he was a couple of years older than me, but I wasn’t sure. He was defiantly around 17-19 years old. I watched from a window in Bobby’s house as the kid was getting screamed at by his father. It was something how he couldn’t trust him anymore because of how some kid names Sammy got hurt. I then see the kid, who must be Sammy, get out of the car. He looks my age. Sammy then starts yelling back at his father, clearly trying to defend the other kid.

I don’t really know what was going on. Next, a bag was thrown at the boy as him and a younger boy walked up to the house, with the loud man following behind. I am immediately wondering possible scenarios to why these boys are here and who they are.

Ding Dong

I heard Bobby open the door and I hear the older man talking to him, well more yelling. The older man understands and takes the boys in, as the father slams the door to his car and drives away. I walk out of my room to try and get a better idea of why the two boys who came into Bobby’s house in the middle of the night where here. I decide to hide in the hall, where the boys couldn’t see me. “What did you boys do this time?” Bobby asked, clearly not surprised that they are here.

“Sammy was going to get bitten by a Vamp, and I jumped in front of it. He was on the ground, he couldn’t have gotten up in time before it got to him. I tried to help, but Dad had a freak out and said that we need to come here and re-train.” The older boy said, clearly still angry that he was here.

“Well Dean, that’s you father for you. You two better get some rest. Also, you are not the only two people here.” Bobby said, and I clearly figured out that the boy’s name was Dean.

“Who else is here?” Sammy asked, and I watched as he looked around the room, like I was there.

“Her name is Y/n, and she is 16 years old. He father dropped her off two days ago.” Bobby said.

“When can I meet her?” Dean asked, and I could see Sammy smile.

------------------------- I start to remember what people think of me and Dean in the car. Many hunters, mostly my father, think I should not be wasting my time with him. They think that he will leave me for the next pretty hunter girl he sees, but I refuse to believe that. I know he would never do that to me.

My father is very quick to judge, and does not want any boy who he thinks is not worthy of me to even touch me. Long story short, he thinks Dean isn’t worth my time. He doesn’t know that Dean is a better man then what he makes him out to be. He has saved me in multiple ways.

He saves be when the occasional monster will almost kill me, but that never happens while he is around. I have seen him jump in front of a bullet so it didn’t hit me. He has killed monsters because they look at me wrong. Anything that even seems to look at me wrong, is almost asking for a death wish.

He saves me from my nightmares. Since my mother died, I have had nightmares about it ever since. I actually was the one to walk in on the Vamps killing her. I saw them bite her. I saw my dad stab her multiple times, trying to kill her, until he finally out of luck chopped her head off killing her instantly. I sometimes wake up screaming and kicking. Dean is by my side in the matter of minutes. He has never let me down.

I then see Bobby’s house come into view. It is the midafternoon and we have been driving for hours. I cannot wait to stretch my legs. Dean then pulls into the driveway, and there are about 15 other cars.

“Wow, there are a lot more people this year, than last year.” I say, pointing out the obvious. Dean nods his head as Sam gets out bags from the back. “Looks like every hunter could make it this year.” Dean added.

We start to walk up the stairs as Bobby opened the door. He immediately gives us Holy water and a silver knife. We drink and cut, and still being ourselves, he lets us into the home. I give Dean’s hand a squeeze as we are attacked by friends. I see Joe, and I run over to her. Joe and I have been friends since as long as I can remember. We can talk about anything with each other and we love the company. We sometimes talk on the phone, but we are always so busy, so we live for the times where we get to see one another.

“Joe!” I yell as I wrap her in a hug.

“Y/n! It’s been way to long! You need to tell me what’s been going on!” She says and we talk until I see a face I was hoping I wouldn’t see.

“Shit, my dad’s here.” I tell Joe and she knows everything about how my dad hates Dean and how I’m not too fond of him myself.

“Fuck, ok we can’t ignore him the whole weekend. You have two options, wait until he comes to you or you go to him.” She says with sympathy in her eyes. “Looks like I don’t have an option two, he is coming over here.” I say as Joe stands next to me, clearly not wanting to leave me alone with my father.

“Hello Y/n. You look as lovely as ever.” My dad says as we hug, which was very uncomfortable. “Are you still seeing that, boy?” He practically spits out the last word, and I get pissed.

“Seriously, you are already giving me shit about Dean? Dear god Dad! I haven’t even said one word to you!” I start to yell, but then call for dinner is announced, and Joe and I quickly walk away from my dad, not wanting to cause any more of a scene. I sit next to Dean and Joe sits on the other side of me. Sam is across from us. I sat there, infuriated with my father.

“Hey, are you ok? Need to step outside?” Dean asks, concern filling his voice as I nod my head and we walk out of the house.

“He just can’t understand that I love you! I want to be with you! Not someone he wants me to be with!” I tell Dean after I finish saying what happened between me and my dick father.

“I love you too, and there is no way that he is going to break us up. Not while I have any control over it. I love you too much to lose you.” He then kisses me and we hug, before we walk back inside. We eat and talk with Sam and Joe, and then it was time for us to go to bed. I go say goodnight to Bobby and Ellen, and me and Dean Head upstairs.

I kiss Dean on the check and he says good night, before we silently fall asleep.

------------------ Jeff, (Y/n’s father) POV

I hated that boy. Every inch of him made me want to hurl something out of a window. He was not good enough for my daughter, and I do not trust him. That’s why I called a Cupid to come and help me with my problem. The Cupid told me of a flower that when you put the juice of it in someone’s eyes, they fall in love with the next living creature that they see. I immediately told the Cupid to get me the flower, for I had the perfect plan to get rid of this man.

Holding the juice of the flower in my hand, I open the door to where Dean and Y/n are sleeping.

I open the jar and put the juice on Dean’s eyes, and walk away.

I made sure that the next living creature Dean saw, would not be my daughter.

Morning

I walk downstairs to see Joe cooking breakfast with her mother. I knew that Y/n would be out for a jog like she does every morning before breakfast, so I knew my plan would work. I tell Joe that Y/n had something for her in her room and that she needed to go see it immediately. Joe fell for the bait, and walked into their room. My plan was working out just how I wanted it to. Now, all I had to do was watch it unfold before my eyes.

------------------------- Joes POV

I woke up early to help my mother with breakfast when Jess, Y/n’s father, told me that Y/n had something for me in her room that I needed to get. My mother gave me the approving nod to go see what it was. Then, I walked to her and Dean’s room. I don’t fully trust Jeff, but he never did anything to me that would make me not trust him, so I didn’t think he would do something fucky with me. I walk into her room, to find Dean asleep, or at least he was. The minute the door opened, he sat straight up and looked at me.

“You look beautiful Joe.” Dean said and I looked at my outfit. It consisted of a dirty t-shirt and ripped pants.

“Uh, thanks? Hey, Jeff told me…” I was cut off almost instantly by Dean running up to me and kissing me. I was trying to push him off, but he wouldn’t go away. I finally got him off of me when I screamed, “What the fuck Dean!?! Why are you kissing me?! What’s going on?! You’re with Y/n, not me!? Are you messing with me, because it’s not in the slightest bit funny!?”

“No, I would never mess with you. Y/n doesn’t mean a thing to me anymore. I don’t know why I ever loved her, when I could have been with you the whole time! I love you Joe, and I don’t care who knows it.” He then kissed me again, while I was pressed against the bedroom wall.

Shit, is all I think as I am kissed by my best friend’s boyfriend. Y/n is going to murder me.

--------------------------------------------- Tag list @fromheaven2he11 @sisterwinchesterwriter @winchesters-favorite-girl @rosie-winchester @miss-katie-winchester  @27bmm @jensen-jarpad @lauren-novak

If you want to be on or off the tag list, let me know!

[quinzelade]

By No Constraint (chpt 60)

SS x Danse

Chapter List

Thanks to my amazing beta, waiting4morning, for her wonderful work! Thanks to Musashi1596 for the title.

Major Brotherhood/Danse spoilers.

Want update alerts? Follow this story on FFnet or Ao3.

--

Old Friend

--

The nights were cold without Danse. Colder still when he was only a few houses down the street, and yet completely unapproachable. They hadn’t spoken all the way to Sanctuary, both holding themselves back to stop something slipping out that they might regret.

When they’d arrived, he’d marched off to the house he’d slept in last time—for whatever reason, the settlers had left it untouched. But at least he’d stayed. Quinn had half expected him to turn around and walk straight back to the bunker again.

Life went on as normal for the next few days. She helped organise patrols and farming, traders and resources, all the while keeping Shaun glued to her side. Preston had expected her to help run Sanctuary when she’d first brought them here, and Quinn had fled as far as the Prydwen to escape the responsibility. Now here she was, trying to scrape together an existence in the hollow remains of her former life. Maybe it wasn’t so normal after all.

Danse did his part too, though he always found an excuse for it to be as far away from Quinn as possible. She tried to tell herself she didn’t care, that he’d come around eventually. As the days went on, though, the hope started to slip away.

Quinn trailed back to her old house, depositing herself on the sofa as she became lost in thought. It had been her routine for the last few nights now, while Shaun got ready for bed.

Shaun...

Had she really done the right thing in saving him?

At the time, it had felt right, but now when Quinn tried to replay the moment, it passed by in a blur. She couldn’t remember, couldn’t think. All that came to mind was a dead son and a second chance. That didn’t help ease the fear of what had happened...and what was to come. The very thought of telling Shaun he was a synth terrified her, and yet…

“Quinn?”

Quinn glanced up, and for one stupid second, dared to hope it was Danse. Of course it wasn’t. She had known before she’d even looked.

“Hey, Nick.” She smiled and waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the sofa. “Pull up a seat.”

Nick didn’t return the smile and ignored her offer as he walked into the centre of the room, staring down at her. “I’ve been looking for you for a while now. Should have occurred to me you’d be with those Brotherhood schmucks.”

Quinn felt her grin slip away, replaced by something heavy and tired. Of course he’d heard about the Railroad. She laid her head back against the sofa and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the grilling of a lifetime.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

Quinn’s eyes snapped open. “What?”

Nick pulled a cigarette pack from his coat pocket and lit one before speaking. “I said let’s go for a walk. Fresh air will do us both good, and I don’t like standing over you as if I’m about to give you an earful.”

“You’re not?”

“Well…” He shrugged. “Depends on how the conversation goes, really.”

Depends on what you did.

Quinn sighed and got to her feet. “Sure. But I’m bringing someone with me.”

“Oh?”

“Shaun!” Quinn called, and as a confused look flickered across Nick’s face, Shaun ambled into the room.

“Yeah?” He noticed Nick and his jaw dropped. “Oh wow! It doesn’t look anything like the ones from the Institute!” Before Quinn could tell him off, Shaun ran over, plucking at Nick’s coat. “Mom, it’s the guy from the comic books you gave me! The Silver Shroud!”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Oh brother…”

“Shaun!” Quinn snapped, and Shaun jumped like he’d been burned. “This is Nick Valentine, and he isn’t an ‘it.’ He’s a person, just like you and me. If you can’t say something nice, you don’t say anything at all, y’hear?”

“Yes, Mom.” Shaun turned to Nick, his cheeks red, hanging his head. “Sorry, Mr. Valentine.”

“S’alright, kid.” Nick looked as if he was going to say something else, but one warning glare from Quinn kept him quiet. “We’re just going for a walk, and your mom wants you to come along for the ride.”

“Shoes on, double time,” Quinn said, and Shaun nodded before running off to his room.

“You can explain later,” Nick muttered, just before Shaun came back.

Quinn didn’t get the opportunity for a good twenty minutes. Shaun barraged Nick with questions as they walked to the Red Rocket. Dogmeat bounded out as they drew near, and Shaun screamed, tripping over his own feet as he tried to duck behind Quinn. Then Shaun spluttered as Dogmeat began licking his face and ears, his tail banging against Nick’s legs.

“Oh, mum, is this...could it be?” Codsworth was floating at the door of the truck stop, sounding on the verge of tears. “Has Master Shaun returned to us at last?”

Quinn nodded, her throat dry. Was there any point in telling Codsworth the truth? She’d never even mentioned the original Shaun had lived his entire life by the time she’d found him. But he was awaiting a response, so she smiled and said, “Brought him home.”

“Are you alright, sir?” Codsworth said as Shaun gingerly got to his feet and scurried away from Dogmeat, who was now trying to jump up to carry on licking him. “It’s so good to see you again!” He floated over and twitched his arms in the direction of Dogmeat. “Shoo! Shoo! You’re scaring the poor child, silly dog!”

“Alright, boy, calm down,” Nick said, grabbing Dogmeat by the collar and hauling him away. He glanced over his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, kid. He just likes you. Pet his head and see for yourself.”

Shaun looked as if he didn’t believe a word Nick was saying, but he edged forward anyway and carefully placed his hand on Dogmeat’s head. At once, Dogmeat went wild, wagging his tail and bouncing on the spot, held in place only by Nick’s efforts. Shaun pulled away, but when Dogmeat stopped and patiently waited, Shaun put his hand out again, and giggled as Dogmeat began licking his fingers enthusiastically.

Quinn went inside the truck stop and opened the shutters, before picking up a ball and throwing it to Shaun. “Here. He likes playing with that. But stay at the front where I can see you or you’re in big trouble.”

Shaun caught it and jumped as Dogmeat broke free from Nick, knocking him over and licking his face all over again. Then he stole the ball and jumped back, waiting with a wagging tail for Shaun to pursue him. After a glance at his mother, Shaun obliged.

Nick walked over and pulled up a chair as Quinn settled herself on the bed.

“Codsworth, could you just hang around outside and make sure Shaun doesn’t try to sneak off, please?” She smiled. “I need to talk to Nick.”

“At once, mum!” Codsworth floated off towards the laughing boy now wrestling fruitlessly with Dogmeat for his ball.

“So,” Nick said, crossing his legs as he lit another cigarette. “What’s the deal with the kid?”

His tone was completely different from when they had been in Sanctuary. Quinn didn’t trust this complacency, and warily explained what happened with Shaun, dreading the moment Nick would bring up the bigger topic. He nodded as he puffed away on his smoke, listening with a grave expression. By the time Quinn finished, he was lighting a second.

“Seems like the right thing to me,” Nick said with a shrug. “What was the alternative? Leaving him to die? No sane person would do that.”

“Yeah…” Quinn thought of Danse and the accusations he had thrown at her. Accusations that felt uncomfortably close to the truth. “In all honesty, I still feel unsure about everything. I don’t want him to be a replacement, but...he’s an exact replica of my son. I just…”

“The way I see it, this Shaun is a twin.” Nick turned to look at her. “You’ll give him different values, different memories...a different upbringing. Same genes but not the same person. So stop seeing him as what he is, and what he will be instead.”

“Maybe,” she replied, watching Shaun with a small smile as Dogmeat ran circles around him. “Maybe.”

“Well, that’s beside the point now. I’m just glad you gave him a chance.”

A pause. Quinn knew the question was coming.

Nick heaved a deep sigh. “You know why I’m here, so let’s not dance around the subject anymore. Deacon. The Railroad. All I can think is: why? Honestly? How much of a threat could a dozen or so people in a church pose to the mighty Brotherhood?”

“Deacon and his friends had plans in place to destroy the Prydwen if the Brotherhood became a problem,” Quinn said dully. She had relived this story far too many times in her dreams, and she was so tired of it. “The Brotherhood found out and decided to attack first.”

Nick’s brow furrowed. “You’re talking like you knew about this beforehand.”

“I did. And I helped.”

His mouth dropped open, letting his cigarette fall into his lap. It was a good five seconds before he noticed, cursing and batting at his singed coat, before shooting her a murderous glare.

“You helped?” He wasn’t just angry. Nick’s disappointment cut like razor blades. He sat up straight in his chair, leaning away from her. “I suspected you caught on too late to stop it, but helped?”

“There were kids on the ship,” Quinn said hurriedly. Nick’s anger on top of Danse’s was too much to endure. “I couldn’t—”

“You could,” Nick interrupted, his eyes blazing. “You know damn well you could!”

“How?”

“You could have warned them, for starters!” Nick said, slamming his hand down on the armrest of his chair.

“The Brotherhood were already there!”

“Helped them evacuate then! Misdirected your troops! Done something different! Anything different!”

“You weren’t there!” Quinn snapped, rising to her feet. “Us or them! Kids or Railroad! And I’m sick of going over this shit as if there was any other way!”

“Us or them?” Nick shook his head. “Is that what it is now? I trusted you to know when to get out of that organisation, and this is what I’m left with?”

Quinn was rooted to the spot. She’d never argued with Nick past minor squabbling—it was making her feel faint with panic. He was the closest thing she had to family in this shithole of a world, and Quinn could sense him slipping through her fingers.

Nick seemed equally disturbed. He was looking at her like he’d never seen her before. “Only madmen could justify trying to wipe out an entire people just because they were made, not born, and yet you’ve fallen into line with Maxson despite what happened at that church. Despite what they did to Danse.”

“I stayed to deal with the Institute! That was it!” Quinn hissed. Mentioning Danse had struck a nerve. “What else could I do?”

“Join one of the other groups that would have got the job done!” Nick shot back, his scowl worthy of Maxson himself. “The Minutemen! You could have even gone with the Railroad if they hadn’t been conveniently wiped out! Don’t you realise what you’ve done?”

“Nick, I—”

“Deacon and his gang protected synths from everyone that would do us harm. The Railroad were all we had left, and now you’ve taken them away.” Nick closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, they were filled with a mixture of dread and resignation. “Maybe you didn’t think it through. Maybe you meant the best. But that damn robot you helped the Brotherhood build places them at the top of the food chain, and they still have their eye on ghouls and synths. I can’t help but feel like you’ve traded one monster for another, and I’m not alone. Hancock and MacCready...”

Quinn hung her head. She had no energy left for this fight. She diverted her attention to Shaun and saw that both he and Codsworth had stopped dead, transfixed by her argument with Nick.

Nick himself studied her for a second, repeatedly flicking his lighter on and letting it snuff out again. He’d said his piece. So had she.

“I think we’re done here,” Quinn said in a low voice, still not looking at him.

“Yeah,” Nick replied sombrely. “I think we are.”

He left without another word. Quinn couldn’t bring herself to watch him go, but waited until his footsteps had died away completely before raising her head. Shaun and Codsworth were still gawking at her.

“What are you looking at, Codsworth?” she snapped, feeling a twinge of guilt as Shaun flinched too.

“I—um—I just—sorry, mum—”

“Never mind. Lock the place up for the night and look after Dogmeat. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Stay here?” Codsworth said, sounding upset. “Alone, again? But I’ve waited so long to see you both—”

“No. I’ve dealt with enough robots for one day.” Quinn stormed off, a sharp gesture of the hand towards Shaun signalling him to follow.

She was being a bitch and she knew it, but it felt good to lash out, even if it was at the wrong person.

As Quinn marched back to the settlement, though, her anger quickly drained away. There was no ‘wrong person’ to be mad at, because there was no ‘right person’ either. Nick had been completely justified in everything he had said. And she had been justified to defend it. Right and wrong didn’t exist in this situation—only a shitty choice with heavy consequences at every turn.

Quinn knew she would never get Nick’s good opinion back. She would be damned lucky if he ever spoke to her again. Not that she blamed him.

Shaun got ready for bed without being asked when they got home. Quinn stayed in the living room firmly planted in the armchair she’d stolen from Mrs. Bossanova’s old house—a grand thing that only wobbled slightly when she sat on it. The whole setup made her think of her father when Quinn had stayed at his over the weekends. All she needed was a can of beer to complete the transformation—a ruined life of her own making, muddied further still by booze.

Quinn got to her feet and paced about the room, wringing her hands. It was a cold night, but she always made sure Shaun took all the blankets to sleep with. This time, he didn’t argue, avoiding her eye as he slipped beneath the warm layers. What she would do to stave off the chill herself, Quinn didn’t know. She didn’t really care either.

Perhaps it was no coincidence, though, that she kept walking by the cupboard where Teagan’s whisky was stashed. She opened the door and stared at the bottle, licking her lips. Quinn quickly shut it again and heaved a sigh, resuming her pacing.

No. I’m better than that. I have to be better than that.

Still, her rounds of the room returned her time and time again to the dingy little cupboard, fingers trailing on the decaying wood. The fifth time, Quinn hesitated, tapping her nails on the handle.

“Quinn?”

A sharp intake of breath. She knew it was Danse before she turned around. He was standing in the front entrance, his expression hidden by shadow, though nothing could conceal the tenseness of his body.

Quinn bit her lip. She’d given him his space, hoping it would nurse his pride. Now here he was, sooner than she thought, firmly keeping himself distant in the doorway.

“You’re obviously not comfortable,” she said when he didn’t move. “What do you want?”

Danse ran a hand through his hair and finally stepped forward, the dim light of the candles she had scattered on the shelves highlighting his face. He looked as bad as she felt, tired, worn, and clearly not sleeping.

Quinn could relate. She’d spent the last few nights tossing and turning, missing Danse at her side. Thinking things over in her head. Wishing she had the strength to do what he wanted, knowing she couldn’t. Shaun was an innocent—possibly one of the last untainted things in the wasteland. She didn’t want to be the one to snatch this from him.

“I came to see if you’d changed your mind,” Danse said in a low voice. “I’ve had time to run it all through my head, and…” He shifted on the spot. “I can’t stand by and help—” Danse twitched his head in the direction of Shaun’s room, “—live a lie.”

“I haven’t changed my mind.” Hadn’t she? Quinn didn’t know. But it was easier to say than the chaos in her head.

This apparently wasn’t the answer Danse expected to hear. His features crushed into a scowl. “I thought better of you. Thought you just needed time to come to your senses.”

“Please don’t,” Quinn said softly. “I’ve just had it out with Nick. Don’t add to it.”

Danse shook his head. “Enough, Quinn. You are using that boy like a plaything. You need to—”

“Plaything?” Quinn saw red. “I’m his mother and I know what’s best for him! If you don’t like it, you can fuck off.”

There was a long, heavy silence. Danse’s face suggested she had crossed a point of no return. Good. He had just crossed a line with her.

“Fine.”

He was out of the house and stalking off down the street before Quinn could stop him. After a few seconds, Quinn moved towards the open front door and watched him get as far as the bridge leading out of Sanctuary before he melted away into the darkness. She thought she’d be more upset than this. Instead she just felt hollow.

A shuffling noise behind her made her jump, and Quinn saw Shaun had come out of his room, holding his blankets around himself like armour.

“Everything okay, sweetie?”

“Yeah, just…” He pulled the sheets tighter. “What did Mr. Danse mean? Why am I a plaything?”

Quinn felt on the verge of throwing up. “Nothing. He meant nothing. Just talking about stuff he doesn’t understand, that’s all.”

“Mom…” He suddenly looked uncomfortable. “You don’t need to lie to me. I’m ten years old. You can tell me.”

“I’m not lying,” Quinn said firmly, fighting back the nausea. “Danse and I just fight over silly things sometimes.”

Shaun wriggled under his blankets. “I don’t really like it when you fight with people.” He paused and then visibly shrank away from her. “Never mind. ‘Night, Mom.”

“‘Night,” Quinn echoed as Shaun ambled back to his room. She couldn’t feel the cold anymore, her entire body numb. She wandered over to the sofa in a daze and dropped onto it, her parents’ shouts reverberating around her head.

“You shouldn’t have told her! She’s a teenager, for God’s sake!”

“Maybe you should have thought of that before fucking that woman at work! Or do you only give a shit about Quinn so long as she doesn’t know what a scumbag you are?”

The smash of glasses. The slam of doors. Quinn’s head buried beneath a pillow as she heard her father’s feet walking down their garden path for the last time.

She was putting Shaun through the same thing. Couldn’t she do anything right?

No, she couldn’t. She’d allowed Deacon and the Railroad to die, and then stayed at Maxson’s heels to murder her own son. Taken on Shaun’s replacement and kept him locked away, shouting at him if anything went wrong.

Nick hated her. Maybe the rest of her friends too. And Danse...gone.

Her willpower snapped.

Quinn staggered over to the cupboard, wrenching it open so hard she nearly pulled the door off its rusting hinges. The bottle of whisky waited for her, gleaming in the low light. She started to cry as she took it out, cold and comforting in her hands. No one to help her. No one by her side. A distant boy and bittersweet alcohol her remaining companions. It would warm her the way only spirits could, letting her lie with the dead and make her think they were real.

Somehow, Quinn made it to the sofa again, cracking open the lid and letting the smell burn her nose before she took her first gulp.

The liquor hit her empty stomach, seeping through her and cradling her in the night. Time had eroded her tolerance, and she only made it a third of the way through before she knew she could go no more. Quinn pushed herself to the halfway mark anyway, for good measure. With clumsy hands, she managed to get the lid back on, and then put the bottle on the floor with a clunk. It rolled away, only stopping when it hit the wall.

The sofa suddenly felt much more comfortable than before, and even the stench of rotten fabric and damp seemed far away. Quinn brought her knees to her chest and sobbed into them, the swirl of whisky drowning her until she finally slipped away.

--

Danse couldn’t stay angry for long. Not when Dogmeat was licking his face so enthusiastically. The anger would return in time, but right now he needed a distraction, and the loveable mutt was happy to provide.

Danse lay propped up on the bed, Dogmeat splayed all over him, wagging his tail furiously as Danse scratched his ears, and whining when Danse dared to stop. With a laugh, he continued, basking in the animal’s sheer joy at his presence. Maybe he should get a dog too, when he…left.

The lead weight in his stomach returned, and Danse let his hand drop to his side, all interest in Dogmeat disappearing instantly. The dog whined and pushed at his arm with his nose, before giving up and sliding off the bed, padding away with an almost human-like huff.

Codsworth entered the room, holding a cup of coffee on a carefully balanced tray. How he’d managed to get coffee, Danse didn’t know, but he wasn’t about to turn a hot drink down in this weather. Especially since the robot had insisted on serving him.

“How is Miss Quinn?” Codsworth asked tentatively as Danse took his coffee with a mumbled thanks.

“Fine,” Danse replied, taking a careful first sip. It was piping hot and absolutely delicious. Quinn would be in good hands at least. Well, so to speak. He shot the strange contraptions that served as Codsworth’s ‘hands’ a quick glance.

“She had a most fierce argument with Detective Valentine,” Codsworth said woefully. “Miss Quinn was quite upset afterwards, enough to turn her ire on me! I am rather worried about her, sir. Are you keeping an eye on her?”

“No. She’s made it clear she doesn’t want me around.” Danse frowned as he took another sip of his coffee. She’d mentioned a clash with Valentine, but he’d glossed over it, thinking she was trying to change the subject. Danse hadn’t realised it was a serious fight. But then again, he hadn’t bothered to ask.

“Oh...oh dear.” Codsworth floated away. “Oh dear, oh dear…”

Danse remained where he was, slowly drinking his coffee and mulling through his thoughts. Despite his posturing, he wasn’t sure if he could really just up and go. The result was hiding here, drinking stale coffee and lying in Quinn’s bed. Shaun went against everything he believed in...but he loved Quinn. Danse didn’t want to let her go.

“Master Shaun? What are you doing here?”

Shaun?

Danse split some of his coffee down himself as he sat up. Sparing only a second to impatiently brush the bitter droplets from his clothes, he jumped to his feet and set the cup down on the side as he strode to the door. Shaun stuff next to Codsworth, wrapped in a thin blanket and wiping at his tearstained face.

“Mr. Danse?” He sniffed loudly, his bottom lip trembling. Then he burst into tears. “Mom’s not waking up! I thought Codsworth might know what to do. I don’t know anyone else here! Please help her! I don’t want her to die!”

Danse had grabbed his rifle and was out the door before Shaun had finished. But he hesitated as he made it to the dark path leading back up to the settlement, and glanced over at Shaun. There were things lurking out in the black, and any one of them would find the boy easy prey. Danse jogged back, shouldering his rifle.

“Come on. Let’s go help your mother.” He picked up Shaun before the boy could argue, and held him in place with one arm, while his free hand pulled out his pistol. Danse scanned the area to make sure there was nothing obvious nearby, and then set off at a run to Sanctuary, Shaun bouncing along with his pace. He was dimly aware of Codsworth and Dogmeat trailing behind him, both blissfully quiet for once.

I must be out of shape, Danse thought as Quinn’s house drew near. He was exhausted already and the distance between the two landmarks wasn’t that great. Maybe the lack of sleep was taking its toll on him. Maybe he was getting too old to lug small children around without his power armour.

No...just out of shape.

Stupid thoughts. Meaningless thoughts. But better than the alternative. Frenzied panic, terrible scenarios, similar to his dreams of Cutler, playing on loop in his head. Despair at every argument they’d ever had, petty grievances that could be easily solved.

What had happened? Was she sick? Injured? Dead?

Danse knew the answer as soon as he stepped through her door. He could smell it in the air.

Drunk.

The cause didn’t matter. Quinn was supposed to be looking after the boy. She had promised him they’d stay sober together. Clearly that meant nothing.

“Like the promise you made to Maxson?” a voice in his head chipped in. “Look how well that turned out. One measly exile and back to the bottle you went.”

True. But he hadn’t been in charge of a child at the time either. Danse holstered his weapon with a sigh and set Shaun down.

“What’s wrong with her?” Shaun said, pulling at his blanket.

“She’s—” began Codsworth.

“Just worked herself too hard,” Danse said loudly, shooting Codsworth an angry look. The robot took his meaning and fell silent. Shaun didn’t know what intoxicated looked like—it mustn’t have been a common occurrence in the Institute.

The last thing Danse wanted to do was steal a piece of childhood away so soon. That would happen on its own eventually. He crouched down next to Quinn and moved her hair from her face, before tracing his thumb across her lips. She mumbled and pushed his hand away, letting out a slight snore.

Danse turned his attention to Shaun and forced a smile. “This is nothing some sleep won’t cure. Go back to bed and I’ll look after her for the night.”

He stood up and said to Codsworth, “There are some spare blankets in my house down the street. Can you get them, please? I want to keep her warm.”

My house.

Funny, that somehow he now owned things. Things that weren’t shared with others or bought from the Brotherhood quartermaster. His house. His clothes. And most importantly right now, his blankets.

“Right away, sir!” Codsworth floated off while Dogmeat padded over, giving Quinn a curious lick before curling up on the floor next to her.

“Good boy,” Danse muttered, before turning his attention to the room. He hadn’t noticed it earlier when he’d last spoken to Quinn, but now he could see it was a mess. Danse pottered around, straightening furniture, clearing away food wrappers and discarded clothes, while Shaun watched with wide eyes. Danse picked up the whisky, frowning at it, before hiding it in a nearby cupboard.

Shaun was well cared for and fed, but Quinn? Her living conditions reeked of self-negligence. Whatever she was going through right now, she wasn’t in her right mind. And he’d ignored it.

His train of thought was interrupted by the return of Codsworth, somehow managing to balance all his blankets with ease. Danse took them and carefully laid each one over Quinn, tucking the edges under her body.

“Would you mind patrolling the settlement tonight, Codsworth?” Danse asked as he straightened up, noting that Shaun had finally gone to his room. “Normally I’d do it, but…” He gestured to Quinn.

“Of course, sir!” Codsworth made a strange movement that looked oddly like a salute. “If you require my services again, you need only shout!”

With that, he floated away, humming. Oddly enough, Danse found himself smiling. Was he getting fond of the robot?

He could think about it later. Danse picked up a nearby armchair, setting it down opposite Quinn. He sank into it and stared at her, feeling guilty. What if something really had been wrong? What if something had happened to her, and the last conversation they’d had was an argument? The thought was near unbearable.

Danse leaned forward, taking her hand, and felt his heart skip as her fingers gripped lightly around his.

A dragging noise made Danse look up, and he saw Shaun pulling a mound of fabric into the room. Quickly jumping to his feet to disguise what he had been doing—though why he cared, he didn’t know—Danse strode over to help the boy, and quickly discovered it wasn’t just fabric, but blankets.

“Mom gave me all of this so I wouldn’t be cold,” Shaun said. He picked one up from the pile and threw it clumsily on her, before stooping down for another.

“You need some for yourself,” Danse said, well aware he’d already given all of his blankets to Quinn too. He met Shaun’s eye and pointedly said, “For your own bed. She’s fine, so off you go.”  Danse leaned forward and fixed the new sheets so that they covered Quinn properly.

Shaun cast a frightened glance down the hallway and bit his lip. “I...I don’t want to.”

Danse frowned. “Why?”

“I...I had a nightmare that mom left me in the Institute,” Shaun said quickly, almost tripping over his own words with the speed of them. “That she didn’t want me. I looked everywhere, but I couldn’t find her. Just people...lying still and...red.” Shaun stopped, taking in a deep breath, his face scrunched up. “I woke up. Came in here, and...she…”

He started to cry again, tears falling like rain as his little body trembled with each sob. Danse leaned forward and put his hand on Shaun’s shoulder. “Shaun…”

Shaun flung his arms around Danse’s middle. When Danse sat back down in the armchair to try and pull himself away, Shaun clung on, climbing into his lap.

This was not in Danse’s comfort zone. This was about as far away from Danse’s comfort zone as physically possible, surety and ease waving mockingly in the distance before departing out of spite.

But still...he could try.

“I, uh…” Danse said, unsure what else he could say. He settled for an awkward pat on Shaun’s head. This seemed to do the trick, because while he clutched harder at Danse, Shaun stopped crying. A few minutes later, his breathing grew heavy, and Danse realised he’d fallen asleep.

Great.

Danse glanced around, wondering if there was somewhere he could deposit Shaun without waking him up. But save carrying him back to his bed, Danse was stuck. He sighed, shifting in his seat, and watched with some curiosity as Shaun wriggled closer to him, apparently unfazed by the stranger who had escorted him to Sanctuary.

Too trusting. Too...young.

Well, his gun was still within reach at any rate. Danse carefully leaned over the side of the chair and picked it up, ensuring the safeties were on before wedging it next to him. No way for it to be disturbed by either of them, and yet still ready to use at a moment’s notice.

He wasn’t too sure why he was so on edge. Maybe it was because the Brotherhood didn’t know where Quinn was. If she left it too long, they’d send out a search party for her. But that could be months. It took even longer for Cutler.

Or maybe it was because of what Quinn had said about Marguerie. That she suspected ‘something wasn’t right.’ If Marguerie suspected something, then others might too. But then again, suspicions were nothing, and Marguerie would never act without cold, hard fact. None of the Brotherhood knew where they were or where they’d gone. Sanctuary was exactly that, and a very easy place to hide in.

Shaun began to shiver, snapping Danse from his worries. He was being paranoid. He knew he was being paranoid. What mattered was the here and now.

Pushing Marguerie firmly from his mind, Danse leaned over the side of the chair again and took hold of several of the blankets, pulling them over Shaun until he stopped shivering. He woke briefly to mumble, “Thanks, Mr. Danse,” and then drifted back off to sleep.

Images of a lonely childhood flashed into his mind. Wandering the Capital Wasteland, chilly and crying. Hiding from the monsters. Dirty. Hungry. Foraging through rusted bins and city waste for the meanest scrap of food. All false memories to be sure, and yet they felt so real.

Slowly, Danse wrapped his arm around Shaun, holding him close. To stop the cold, he told himself, though he knew it was a lie. For a split second, there was a stab of anxiety. Then it was gone. He looked down at the boy and back at Quinn. A warmth was spreading in his chest.

Danse leaned his head back against the chair, sighing. He would deal with this tomorrow.

--

A/N: I didn’t really like the fact aside from a few throwaway lines, the companions didn’t really comment on things like the Railroad. Especially Nick.  As for companion comments on the end of the Institute, didn’t seem right to have Nick congratulating her about the Institute while this was weighing on his mind. That discussion will be happening with other companions later, though.

[huggpheonix]

Sad fic avatar

"Aang... Its not too late.." She whispered. She whispered it with conviction.. But fear mingled with it. As if scared to offend the boy who sat before her. "It is." He growled. He had allowed his hair to grow back out and it sat shaggy and unkempt around his face and shoulders. Stubble had erupted on his chin and the boy seemed paler than usual. A scar the size of his hands trailed down his spine and neck. He sat crosslegged and without a shirt. He seemed go be freezing. Katara gave a sigh and put a blanket over his now tall figure. It was true. Firelord Ozai had take over and killed many. Many all over the continent. Starting with zuko. "Its not your fault." She added hastily. "We were kids, Aang. Kids, and Ill be damned if we anything but." "I was the worlds only hope, Katara. I failed." "Get over yourself." Came a deeply annoyed tone from behind them. Aang hunched his shoulders and his tattoos seemed to glow. He didnt turn to face them. Katara however looked to see Toph leaning into the entrance. She had allowed her hair to take a roguish look and her features seemed to be edgier and sharp. Thick bangs covered her face but not her blank grey eyes. She wore water tribe clothing to blend in, after her family had been killed off. She was the last known beifong to be living. "Toph." Katara whispered hurriedly. She had an edge to her voice, like an icicle. "No, Twinkle toes, listen here. You failed. Okay? Quit sulking about it. The more you do, the more people get killed. We alll failed, Aang. We all did. But that doesnt mean we still cant recover. Zukos dead. Alright? As far as we know we could be next. But dont think for a second we arent going to stay here any longer waiting for you to get over it." Aang only buried his face in his hands. He didnt seem to register the tough spiel thrown at him so suddenly. Katara stood so that she and Toph were face to face. "Toph! For gods sakes! " she muttered. "Its the truth Katara. He may respond to niceness and kindess but the cold hard truth needs to be exercised." She groaned. "Its been far too long." She said and stalked out. Wether Katara would see her waiting patiently outside or practsiing in the caves, she didnt know. "Aang. Please. I know it hurts. More than you know."  Aang gave a snort and finally turned to look at her. His tattoos were a bold electric blue and they glowed on and off. His eyes looked so tired compared to her desperate ones. A grizzly scar had reached across his face. But it did not hinder his handsome deep set features. They enhanced them. "You dont know about pain, Katara. Youve a beautiful family, that hasnt been touched by the fire nation." He said coldly, Her eyes narrowed, an icy blue searched the cold grey ones. "Bullshit, Avatar. Tell that to my father and my mother. Tell that to sokka.." She broke off and looked anywhere but him. Aang widened his eyes and once again buried his face in his hands. "Everything is so fucked up, im sorry Katara. " his eyes turned white and then grey again. "Dont say shit like that. And then.. And then expect the world to hang at your fingertips. Tophs right. But theres more to it then just that. Aang. We were too young.. But.. Times have changed. Our appearances have changed. We can overtake the firelord." "H-how.." He stuttered. "We can infiltrate and change towns over to our favor. Aang.. Its been 4 years.. 4 years.. And.. And.. I can feel, that its gonna be different this time.. I know it." "Katara im so tired. Everyone hates me now." "Get over yourself. I dont hate you, Toph doesnt hate you." "Wow gee." "Get up."  Fear crossed his features. "Im.. Im not gonna try again." "We need the current avatar Aang. You cant just hand over your avatar powers." Aang groaned. He stood up and could barely. The snow hut they were in was pretty tiny compared to his height now. They both stepped outside. He grabbed his old nomad top and tucked it into his watertribe pants. Katara moaned, Toph wasnt there waiting.  "We need to go get Toph. If shes right and you havent exercised your bending, youre probably pathetic." She said this so matter of factly aang actually kind of grinned. So they set off on foot, for Appa had been taken by the firenation once again. He carried his old staff but it was dwarfed by now. As they walked he could not help but notice again how breath takingly beautiful she was. Her brown hair flowed effortlessly behind her in a braid and her features were soft and determined at the same time. Her icy blue eyes seemed dimmer now that they were in the snow storm. Time had had an effect on all of them. Not that there were many anymore. Most had fled into hiding, turned themselves over to firenation cells, been slaved, worked undercover for the cause or had died. He shivered. He had failed. And yet he wasnt dead. They arrived in an hour to see Toph had taken refuge in a cave by the southern water tribe village. She was working on her technique where she tried to earthbend by just using her fingers or eyes. It was going great. She had managed to move a rock the size of a small dog two inches off the ground using only her eyes. She was wicked happy about this.  She also seemed to have worked on strength conditioning by her torn muscle. "Ah, if it isnt Katara and the avatar. How nice of you to join us mister avatar." "Cut it out Toph. Weve all fucked up greatly lets get over that. Lets accept it."  Katara strode over to the rock pot of cold leopard penguin soup. "Im sorry Toph. Ive been a huge pile of shit. Can you forgive me?" "Forgive? For what? I was never angry with you, you big dumb airhead. Sulking pisses me off. But.. Its also human... So.. Yeah." "You both.. Ready? I mean.. For whats... To come?" "Its not like we have anywhere to turn to, that money cant buy and that isnt haunted." "My whole village is melted. Literally." Katara remarked sadly from her stool.  "Join the club." Toph sneered. "Im sorry." "Quit apologizing and eat. Eat and fill your skinny bones out. We have training after this." Even though the world was being conqured and maimed, toph had still managed to make Aang smile. "How do you know im skinny. I could be humongous for all you know." "The vibrations under your feet dumbass." He laughed and Katara kind of giggled. He ate with difficulty. Not because of its tastlessness (he was famished.) but because he really didnt intend on caring for himself too often.. Since.. Since.. "Sokka wouldve loved this soup. Full of meat." "Hes not dead." Katara's eyes watered. "Hes been put into custody and forced to haul wood for the flameymen." "We will get him back Katara its my fault hes in there." "Quit that." "What?" "Blaming yourself for every little thing." "Al-alright.. Alright.." He said. "This is depressing. Aang Katara follow me. We need to train. If we are gonna kick some firenation ass, we need to train ours off." She turned the soup into sand and took the seats out from under them both, Aang being rusty was caught offguard. "I was right. Youre pathetic. Get up." He obeyed. Later on they were very very tired and sore. Aang had a black eye and a swollen lip. "Geez Toph." He moaned. "First things first. Its master toph because even though youve had an additional four years to hone your skills, youve basically sulked it away. You even let your hair grow out." "I can still do it!" He yelled indignantly. "Do and bend are two different things." He flushed a deep scarlet. "Aang tighten up your stance you need to face the fucking rock or it will pummel you! Now!" She yelled and hurtled a rock his way. He slapped his hands together and concentrated. The rock collided with his hands and groud itself into sand and it flowed around his body before he turned it into a huge rock and sent it back again. She stopped it inches away from her face and returned it to the earth. "Not half as bad as yesterday," "Thanks!" He said excitedly. "Did i say good?!" She shouted and sixty pointed rocks pinned Aang to the wall. "Okay, now metal bending. Remember when we departed four years ago and i was captured? Well metal is just rock. Just wayyy more purified." He condensed the rock under aangs fire. It turned into metal and bent to tophs will. "Wow, okay let me try." He touched it and it immediately dented. He bended it in about 6 minutes tops. "Ha, ha beginners luck." After a week Aang had atoned for a years worth of training. But there was still kataras water bending basics again. They were both right, just because he could still manipulate the element, didnt mean he had a gritty understanding if he were to be born into them. Air was still his element, he understood air as he did his own mind, so pretty and very well. Air would not hurt him. It flowed freely into his lungs and made him light on his feet. Air was mastered. "Aang. You need to feel the water trickle through your veins." "I know.. Im just a little shaky," "Damn right your shaky. That isnt flowing its like fire." By the time a month had passed he was feeling the element very well. He could get down into the earth element by feeling all his apprehension and tension release and combine to move the earth. He could feel water by letting his fear and anxiety calm the stream and in turn it helped him. It helped him feel more than just dead. Fire and air were still his best elements by far. Fire was easily done now adays. Because he was so angry and all the pent up rage against the firenation was fused into his attacks. He felt he was ready and with alot more training. He would be fierce. "Youre actually getting good." Toph admitted one day when he had managed to lock one of her ankles down to the ground and in turn she had locked his arms down. "You really think so?" "Yeah. I do, twinkletoes." He beamed and undid both of the rocks and flew back to his original stance. He was going to get it all down by the end of the week. By the end of the week he was fighting and kicking and punching with control and firosity all in one. He felt the people in need fill him. And he strengthened because of that. They go and get sokka back. And zukos not dead just hidding out. "Im proud to say youve mastered water, avatar Aang." Katara purred with fondness in her voice. "Really?" He asked blushing. Well, the parts of his face that werent scarred turned pink. "Yeah, youve always been a natural Aang." She admitted. "Y-youre just saying that Katara. Youre the master. Im greatful to have learned so much." Katara opened her mouth to say more but then Toph walked in. "Im not deaf. You two sound like were gonna die very soon. Therll be enough time to coo about eachother. We need to get Sokka back." "Really?!" Katara yelled with tears in her eyes. "Yes, ive got the map. Hes in the boiling rock. Theyve reallly tightened up security around there. We will have to be careful." "I love you both!" She said and grabbed them in a very tight embrace. "Yeah yeah, I miss having sokka around anyways. Aang, youre awesome at earth bending but never as good as me." She conceeded with a grin. "Of course, Master." "We begin travel tomorrow." Aang's gaze hardened and he thoug back to Appa. "We'll get him back Aang." "I just wish id said i loved him alot more.." "Dont worry Twinkletoes. Its gonna be ok.. Zukos gone.. But.. Sokka isnt and i have a very good feeling Appas alive too." The next morning katara, Toph and Aang set off for the boiling rock. "Its in firenation territory. But we can obtain a fleet ship. I know it." "We dont need to. The farther we go on foot, the less cospicious we look. Theres refugees all over now that Ozai's in power." Aang avoided eye contact with anyone they passed on their way to firenation territory. "Aang you need to smarten up. We cant even tell its you. Youre so different from how you were four years ago." "Yeah for one thing, youre taller." "Skinnier, your hair is long." "You HAVE hair. It covers your tattoos." "Youre burnt." Aang only looked up occasionally from now on. They had still taken the liberty of gathering travellers clothes but Aang still kept the nomad shirt under his earth nation vest. Finally after a week they reached fire nation borders. "That wasnt as exhausting as I thought it would be." "Its only smooth sailing from here." They explored more and more of the firenation within days. Finally Katara reported back that she had discovered the boiling rock prison in a volcano. "They werent kidding, were they?" "Back when we were together.. Sokka mentioned something about this place." "Your father." "Yeah." At midnight they managed to break into it. Aang pretented to be a earth nation prisoner who had comitted treason of the highest sort. Katara and Toph were both guards. "Bleh, firenation prisons are so bleak.. Good thing im an all nation sort of guy." Katara smiled only a little and Toph snickered. "Eyy! Firemates, get over here! We're kicking some waterbenders!" Aang flinched and Katara froze. Toph gritted her teeth and she and katara moved to the other firenation guards immediately. It was then that Katara came face to face with her long lost brother Sokka. He was older mature looking and had a sunken face obviously to malnutrition. His frame was still lean and lanky. He was taking the beating but he was closing his eyes. His hair has been cut short and his neck and body had sustained war prints and tattoos and scars. He had stubble on his neck and jaw. "Watertribe scum, a guy named Sokka. Lucky we caught him. Took his little gadgets too. Aint no bender are you boy? He dont even resist." "Ah, he used to. But we broke him. We always break them." "Stop!" Katara whispered fiercely. Aang and Toph widened their eyes. They all stopped but one of the guards spit on him. "I need to take this prisoner at once. Hes been very very naughty to me." The fireguards smirked and kicked him in the ribs to where she stood. "Take 'im treat him very nicely. And by nice i mean harshly. Just a little gift, huh sokka!" Katara gave Toph the 'stay here look'. Then forgot she could not see. She finally looked Aang in the eyes and he understood. She stared at her long lost brother, whom she had not seen since four years before. She finally grabbed his shirt collar and with little help from sokka, had managed to stand up. He wobbled a bit and when taking more than a few steps, he stumbled. She noticed that he had a limp to his once stride. He closed his shadowed eyes when he walked. Head down, as if in defeat. Finally they got to an empty cell room. She unlocked the door with the chain of keys and shoved him in there. Carefully she slid the door closed and switched on the lights. "Sokka..." She whispered breathlessly. She had pronounced his name right and he glanced up. His dim blue eyes scanned her and then he shuddered, curling his legs up to his chest. "Please... Dont touch me.. all the guards like to." He muttered with fear. Katara brought a hand to her aching chest. She slid off the helmet and Sokka gasped. Her beautiful soft brown hair was tied in a ponytail and her bright blue eyes were the same as he remembered them. "Katara!" He shouted. The blue fire returned fiercely in his eyes, and finally... Finally.. She recognized him. "I thought you were dead!" He said hoarsely and fast, as if he hadnt used his voice in weeks. "No sokka, im not." She crossed the last steps and embraced her brother. "Oh.... Man... I love you Katara! Ive missed you.. Ive missed you so much.." He said it fast. "I love you too.. Ive spent four years Sokka.. Four years.. When we get you out of here we will catch up." She said with determination. Sokka nodded, he looked weaker then she remembered, fragile. But, one look at his physique proved her wrong. "A couple friends of mine, helped me out with food. I guess when youre an adult, you just need more of it. If you think ive been just sitting here... No.. Ive been waiting." Katara nodded. She reached a hand and touched his face. "They took away my tools. My cool moonsword, my boomerang, my knife.. I cant nessecaerly shave." Katara could only reply with nodding.. It was weird.. She thought he had been dead. "Okay now dont panic.. But they arent going to let us out until you look beaten up." "Katara, four years really does make you a good actor." He ruffled up his out grown hair and added several small bruises and cuts to his face lips and hands. He tussled his clothes and layed down. Katara frowned but didnt say anything. "23.you done in there? Geez, he must have been bad." 29 asked. "Teach you a lesson." Katara growled convincingly enough. Sokka smiled sadly at her and then huddled into himself. She emerged from the room breathing heavily. "Sweet sound of a water freak groaning, I love it. Nice job 23." Katara didnt answer but only nodded. "Aang! Toph! Katara! Oh man i love you guys i missed you guys! Ill never take you for granted again.." He blurted out in a fury.

[shell313-blog]

Mike and Aila

The seats seemed to have absorbed years of flatulence and sweat. White hairs from the filling had sprouted through the torn red faux leather. Springs stuck out on the seats themselves, making them extremely uncomfortable. The table was sticky, suggesting they were cleaned over and over with the same damp rag. Hanging behind his mysterious dinner date, was an oil painting of the diner in it’s glory. It was a traditional fifties style diner. Bright pink neon lights hummed it’s name. Shiny, new motorcycles were parked in front, next to a ‘55 red Cadillac. The sky was speckled with stars, the moon was full and promising. What a happy time that must have been. The diner looked nothing like that now. It would probably never look that again, either.  The waitress slowly made her way to their table. She was an older woman. Judging her age was a difficult task. She looked weather beaten rather than just old. Her face was drawn, and there were dark shadows under her eyes. Her hair was burnt out like straw that had been stuffed into her skull. Fiery red straw. She wore heavy makeup, and her lipstick was that coral color that you will always find in the clearance bin. She had acrylic nails that were growing a fungus, suggesting the woman could not afford the biweekly maintenance. It had probably been months since she’d had them redone. That same bright coral was also the color of those nails. Her uniform was turquoise and loud. A small nametag, that read “Sue” was pinned above her left breast. The nametag was so dirty it appeared that they all just shared the same one. Everyone could be Sue for their shift. She was a stock waitress that came with the place and grew old and tired with it. “What can I get for you?” She croaked. “I’ll just have water,” Mike said. The girl looked at him. “I’ll have two cheeseburgers with fries and two cokes.” She wrote it down and walked away, pulling their menus out from under them. “Two? Wow…where do you put it?” “One’s for you. You look hungry. I told you, my treat. Don‘t insult me by ordering water.” He blushed.   “Are you going to tell me who you are?” “Don’t you want to know who you are?” “I’m pretty sure I know who I am.” “Keep telling yourself that.” “So you’re going to tell me?” The cokes were placed in front of them, followed by straws. “Anything else?” “No thank you,” she said. “Let me start with this. Don’t you wonder why you’re all alone? Don’t you ever wonder why people are not your top priority?” “Because most people are scumbags.” She took a sip of her coke. “Interesting…but not quite. You’re not like them, Mike.” “Yeah…I’ll say.” “You couldn’t be like them if you tried. There is a reason for it. I went through the same thing. You’re not human.” He laughed. “That’s funny.” “Your father isn’t dead.” He clenched his fists. “This is not funny…shut up right now. I don’t know who the fuck you are, or what you think you’re doing, but you are not funny.” “I’m not trying to be, Mike. Your father is not dead.” “Oh yeah? Well where did he go then? Why did he leave my mother to get addicted to fucking smack and waste her life away? Why did he leave me to be raised by a drug addicted whore in the ghetto?” “He had to go back.” “Go back where?” She sighed. “Mike, you have to trust me, first. I can’t have you walking out on this. I need you to believe me.” “I don’t even know you.” “I saw you looking at that painting. You like it?” “What does that have to do with anything?” She closed her eyes. Mike’s confusion soon turned into amazement. The diner was brand new again. The seats were shiny red leather. The table was white pearl, polished and shiny. He looked out the window and saw the motorcycles, the Cadillac and the illuminating moon. “How did you do that?” She closed them again, and everything was back to the way it was, dull and dingy. “How is not what is important right now. The point is, it was done. Abandon all you thought you knew before we met. Listen to me for right now, and please believe what I tell you.” “Why?” “We need you, Mike. But first I must tell you who you are. Your father is an angel named Broddock. He is half angel and half human. His father fell in love with a human one day. Your father is the first of his kind. The first of our kind. His father was banished from heaven, to live on earth with his human wife and child. Your father was that child. As punishment, the angels closed your grandmother’s womb and she could no longer have children. In fact, any mortal woman that bears that seed of an angel will no longer become pregnant afterwards.” “So my grandparents are still alive?” “Not your grandmother. But yes, your grandfather is still alive. Angels can’t die.” “What about us?” “Since we are still human, yes. Our life expectancy is longer than an average human, but yes our bodies die. Anyway, your father grew up with the knowledge that he was human, his father being bitter and harboring resentment against the angels. Your father always knew he was different, but didn’t realize how different he actually was. When you were a little boy, an angel came to him and told him the truth. He was then told he needed to come home and set things right. You see, the same angel that banished your grandfather was still in control at the time. That angel hated humans. It all goes way back to Lucifer.” “The devil?” “Yes. See, he loved humans. He thought they were innocent creatures. He enjoyed watching them, and seeing how they would use free will. He became obsessed with free will and started tempting the humans. Some believed he was jealous of them, since they were given life…just life, nothing more. They were never expected to work, or to carry any weight. They were just given life, and told to enjoy it. He introduced corruption and evil. Soon, the humans no longer looked to the heavens. The angels were angry.” “Why?” “Angels feed on admiration. Lucifer taught them to be ungrateful. Lucifer enticed the humans with promises of having all the knowledge that existed. They could never realize it would damn them forever, and this paradise, this Utopia that they existed in would be taken away. They would spend their lives working and never really enjoying the fruits of that labor. No one is sure whether Lucifer did this to damn the humans, or get back at God. No one is sure if he actually hates them, loves them or is intrigued by them. What is known, however, is that the angels do hate the humans. ” “That doesn’t really make any sense…why would they hate the humans? It wasn’t their fault.” “Yes, it was. Completely. Remember? Free will. When humans are given the choice, they don’t usually make the correct ones.” “I don’t believe that.” “It’s true. Humans are self serving. Human beings are greedy and always looking for more. They are never full. Humans are bottomless. Well, Lucifer introduced them to this, ruining God’s creation. God’s vengeance was felt most heavily by the angels. They blamed the humans. Over time, some of the angels found love for the humans, and wanted them back in. To actually fall in love with one of them was forbidden, however. These angels, that had the misfortune of falling in love with the humans were exiled.” Mike thought of this, and a conversation he’d had with an old friend once. His name was Al. “What do you mean by ‘back in‘?” “Humans are not allowed in heaven. They are sent to the Room of Lost souls, where they would wander in nothingness for eternity, unless they could transcend their beastly forms.” “What does that mean?” “They have to reach a higher level of spirituality before they are allowed into heaven.” “So people don’t go to heaven when they die?” “No. So far, no one has reached that level.” “They are all wandering in this mist?” “Yes.” “So how does this affect the angels more than the humans?” “If there is nothing lower in heaven, who is there to admire them?” “Sounds like they are pretty selfish and egotistical.” “They enjoy conversation. Especially conversation that involves beings lower than themselves. Innocent and untouched beings, that they can feed with their spirituality. Think about it, if you don’t have a body, what needs would need to be satisfied? You don’t have hunger, you don’t have sexual desire, you don’t experience pain. Your needs are on a different level entirely.” “Again…how is this the fault of humanity?” “They are unable to see the error of their ways, even when it’s thrown in their faces. Besides, that is not the way they feel now. They know things have to change. Your father was summoned and is now in control. He asked me to find you.” “Why didn’t he get me sooner?” “He couldn’t take you that young. He had to wait until you were an adult.” “I still don’t understand how he could do that to us.” “Because…the fate of humanity was at stake.” “Fuck humanity. I grew up without a father and a mother. I grew up alone.” The girl sighed deeply. “Well…Mike, I had parents and I still grew up alone.” “Then that’s your fault.” “Is it?” She asked. She didn’t seem offended by him at all. She was so Zen, so confident and secure. Just looking at her, her unchanging face, her unfaltering emotions put Mike at ease. “Listen…I understand that you’re angry, I’ve been there. If I were to tell you about me, I don’t know that you would believe it.” “I would like to hear about you…starting with your name.” “That is not important right now.” She took a sip of her coke. She smelled their food getting closer. “Besides, the food is on the way.” Mike looked up. “Where is it? I don’t see the waitress.” “She’s coming. You eat, you really need a good meal. Your father has been really worried about you.” He looked out the window. “I find that impossible to believe.” Their plates were set down in front of them. Mike looked at the girl, and smiled. “Can I get something else for ya?” The girl looked at Mike, he shook his head. “No…thank you, Sue.” The waitress smiled at her and walked away. Mike was in awe of the girl…and he was starting to understand the whole romance thing. For the first time in his life, he was feeling a softness inside of him. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but it was a softness that seemed to ease the aching and longing that he’d felt for as long as he could remember. This girl, whoever she was, put a name on everything. He only knew darkness, and voids of light. Now…she was throwing open the curtains, and smashing the windows that kept him locked away from himself. Then…he saw the blood. The blood that ran in a wild torrent down the blade of sword, the blood he would never get off his hands. The blood of many. No…she would never understand, she could never want that. He picked up the burger. The weight and warmth of it made him drool. It had been so long… “While, you’re eating, I hope you don’t mind if I inform you on the whole state of things…you will not say much right now…that much I can be sure of.” She pushed the second burger across the table. “I’m a vegetarian. Bon appetit.” He smiled, his mouth full of food. “Alright, let’s start with who you are. I told you about your father, but this does not explain you. You have this darkness inside of you. You feel it is darkness only because it does not align with the human way of thinking, or their way of living. You do have a purpose Mike. You have always known this. You are the key to saving heaven and the humans. You are Michael the archangel.” He laughed, his food shooting from his mouth onto the plate. “You’re kidding, right?” Her face was stone. “You’re not kidding. So that means you’re crazy.” She put her hand on his. He looked into her eyes. “I’m not either. Michael, you are him. We need you.” “Why can’t you save everyone? I can’t even do the things you can.” “My powers are of a different nature. Don’t you worry about me or them.” “Listen to me…I need to know who you are now…starting with your name and ending with why the fuck you are here.” “Alright. Fine, I will tell you who I am. Please, do not be afraid.” “I’m Michael the archangel, what can I possibly have to fear?” He chuckled. “My grandfather is the devil.” She had no expression. “Then why are you here? You’re supposed to hate me, you’re supposed to want to do battle with me, right?” “Yes, those are the things I am supposed to do, and why I was born. I just don’t feel it in my heart. Since I was child, I could do things that just were not right. I can control it now, but not then. When I was four years old I was in nursery school and we were playing in the classroom. There was this open space in front of the windows where all the toys were, and a big circular carpet that we would all sit on, playing with our toy of choice. Well, that particular day, I had chosen the Lincoln Logs. I scurried off with the box, and took a seat on the moss green shag carpet. Well, one of the children also wanted the Lincoln Logs. They didn’t want to play with me, I was the weird girl. So this child came up to me, slapped me in the face and snatched the box, laughing the whole time. Immediately, I felt anger rising in me, hot bubbling rage just rising and boiling.” She looked down at the table. “The child went up in flames. The box went up as well. She died in intensive care that night from severe burns. No one had seen the child take the box from me, so the cause of death was unknown, and spontaneous human combustion was speculated. No one ever knew…no one that is, except for my parents. They knew. They created me. At that point, I knew that I was an evil monster. So I stayed away from people all together. Killing that child was unintentional, or so I believed at the time. I couldn’t risk something happening later on, and I could not be responsible for someone else’s death. So I stayed to myself, and read a lot of books. My father became angry with me. What happened that day in that classroom was my destiny. I could control these humans, and their world. How could I not embrace such a gift? He could never understand. I don’t think he ever will, either. He is bent on him and my grandfather winning this.” “What are they fighting over.?” “Heaven. In their realm, heaven is prime real estate, so to speak. The devil wants it, the angels want to keep it, the humans even want it, well, they think they think they already have it…heaven is the ultimate place to be, it is utopia. There is no pain and suffering in heaven. Originally, heaven was akin to our birthplace and intended home, the garden of Eden. In the garden, we didn’t know pain or suffering. We didn’t have to labor for food, and we didn’t have any other needs. Well…you know how that went. When one looks at everything…it is a bit confusing, so I will try to explain the best that I can. Right now, where you are sitting, exists in many multi verses. There is a universe where you are sitting there eating a tuna fish sandwich, and I ordered a coffee. There is one where it rains outside, and we each drink something warm, and are too wet and uncomfortable to eat. All the choices we could’ve made, or even considered for a moment are all existing right now somewhere else. From these choices, different events will follow. These possibilities and universes are infinite. They exist though, and they are all a part of one large universe.” “So let me get this straight, I am just a tiny speck in the universe?” “Sort of.” “Talk about being shit.” “No, every part is very important and necessary. Anyway, heaven runs parallel to all of these coexisting universes. From heaven, you can see everything, it’s the best seat in the house.” “Where is God, while all of this is going on?” “No one knows anymore. I’m pretty sure some of the angels have an idea, but they’re not saying anything. Your father doesn’t know anymore than I do.” “So, let me get this straight…the Bible is real? I mean, the stories in the Bible are real?” She smiled. “Some of them.” “Which ones aren’t true?” He asked, looking at her intently. “Well, let me see…a lot of the stories about Jesus are not really true. From the human perspective, however, I’m sure that’s what they thought.” “So, Jesus was real??” “Yes, but that isn’t really his name.” “What is his name?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know…no one is allowed to speak it. Just as we are not allowed to speak the true name of God. Even the angels may not speak either name.” “So, God and Jesus are not their names.” “No…but it’s easier to just call them by those names I guess. It’s like calling a loved one honey, or darling…sort of, it’s difficult to explain. When you look at something that is so above you, something that encompasses infinity, what arrogance to believe that you can label that---us! On this level, so beneath the creator of all, and the son of the creator of all…oh…that’s another thing….” Mike leaned forward. The waitress came over. “Can I get you something else?” “I’ll have coffee. Michael?” “The same,” he said, annoyed by the disruption. The waitress seemed a little irritated by their presence. She would have to baby sit them for another hour.  “So…what’s the other thing?” he asked. “God had a daughter, too…he also has a wife. The Bible had that part all wrong.” “Why would they leave that out? Seems important to me.” “And you’re right, Michael, it is important, extremely so.” She took a deep breath. “Simple answer, that is the result of a self-righteous misogynistic society.” “Should’ve guessed that one myself.” “All history is slanted and is the result of someone’s perspective of it. Take the history of the United States of America. It would be really nice to believe that the pilgrims came here, fleeing religious persecution and sat down to this marvelous feast with the Native Americans and everyone was happy. What they don’t want to talk about all the time, is the fact that early Europeans came here carrying diseases, and the Native Americans did not view them as friends, rather quite the opposite. They were viewed as devils. Many Native Americans felt this was prophesized. The end of their way of life, and the shackles of a forced one. People would rather believe the Europeans gave them a better religion, a better way of life and were saviors. We both know this is not the case. The Bible, and the Judeo-Christian theology is not different. It was written and told by a certain perspective, so that is the story that you will get.“ Their coffee had been set down in front of them somewhere in the middle of her discourse…Mike hadn’t even noticed. “Aren’t you going to drink your coffee?” “Oh…yes…” He picked up the carafe and started pouring the coffee into his cup. “I’m sorry…it’s just that, finally. All these years just wondering and all the questions, you’re answering them all…I never thought this could happen. I was beginning to believe there were no answers. There was nothing out there….this was it. I was just a bum, destined to spend my life sleeping on the street, and hunting for food in the trash cans and dumpsters behind the restaurants. Life for me…that was always a joke.” “Yes, Michael, I know…I had to run away at an early age. My benefit though, was these powers. These deceptive powers.” “Why is it that you can do these things?” “I am not really part angel as you are. My father was a demon. Demons are more deceptive, they manipulate the human world. They work within the human means to attain their goals…the angels on the other hand, don’t care if the humans are deceived or not. It does not affect them, and they are not interested in them. I’m sure you can see that…you have never cared much for humans your whole life. That’s the angel in you.” “I always thought angels were supposed to care, what about your guardian angel?” “Yeah, I really don’t know where that came from, but they laugh about it all the time. There is no such thing. The angels would never waste their time to protect one human being. They see them as the beasts that God created to replace them. Now, they are the beings that drove their God to distress, he was forced to take leave of them all. This was all the humans fault. They are ungrateful, ignorant, foolish beings that do not deserve life. They do not believe their lives are important. They constantly question why they are here, never believing that someone just wanted them simply be alive. They believe they are so great, they have some greater purpose and meaning. They are arrogant beings.” “Sounds like you hate humans yourself.” “No, I don’t. I just see both sides. I can’t hate them. Demons don’t hate the humans, it’s the opposite. They love them. They are fascinated by the creatures that defy God. They see them as bold, confident, brazen creatures that simply will not accept that they were put here just to be alive. Something in their nature causes them to be on guard all the time, it causes paranoia. They will not be fooled, so they question everything. What kind of sense does it make for someone just to create them to live? That is an unbelievable explanation for all of them, regardless of time, place, age, religion , race or gender. This explanation is lacking in scope. The demons are amused by these creatures. That is what this war is about.” Michael looked up from his coffee. “Satan wants heaven so he can finally let the humans in.” “Well…that’s good isn’t it?” “Haven’t you heard a word I said? The humans will destroy heaven, just as they have destroyed the garden of Eden, paradise. They will destroy the one paradise that is left. Satan would love nothing more. He would rather see it destroyed, than see the angels prosper in it, not after all that has happened.” “So, let me get this straight, I’m supposed to fight beings that want humans to get into heaven? What has it all been about? All these years? Why shouldn’t humans go there? They spend their lives….where is my mother?” “The room of lost souls…and there she will remain.” “I don’t like any of this. Please…stop.” “Maybe that is enough for today, Mike. We have a lot to do tomorrow. Come on.” She stood up, and looked at the check. She pulled money out of her wallet and threw it down on the table. “Where are we going?” “My place, you need to get some rest. Unless you want to go back to the alley…” “No…your place will be fine. It’s indoors, right?” “Of course it is.”