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starlightshoals · 1 year

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Link's Awakening DX (Review)

-Part 1: My History with the Series-

So, let's start with a bit of background. Before this year, I had never finished a Zelda game, or even played one for longer than an hour or two. I remember watching my dad play through the entirety of Ocarina of Time when I was a little kid, and I have hazy memories of trying out Wind Waker, Minish Cap and Majora's Mask. But for some reason, Zelda as a franchise never quite caught on with me. I had a mild interest and appreciation for the series from a distance, but certain aspects of the gameplay turned me off growing up. As a kid who loved platformers and Metroidvanias where fluidity of movement is vitally important, playing as Link in those games just felt awkward - he couldn't jump, he was sluggishly slow, it seemed as if you had to constantly go into your inventory to switch out items, and a lot of the puzzly elements felt obtuse, unintuitive, and dragged the pace even further to a crawl. For me it left the impression that Zelda simply wasn't a series I could enjoy playing.

As I got older, though, I can see how that may have changed. I got into more games where puzzles play a central role, like Portal and the Silent Hill series. In fact, Silent Hill's methodical lock-and-key based exploration isn't entirely dissimilar to Zelda's dungeon crawling! And a couple of my favorite games I've played in the past few years owe a massive debt to Zelda, wearing the influence proudly on their sleeves. The first, Nier Replicant, is structurally, narratively, and to some extent mechanically a twisted homage to Ocarina of Time. And my game of the year for 2022 (which I also reviewed!) is a little indie title named Tunic, which could not be more open in its reverence for Zelda if it tried.

My love for these two games, combined with my love for all the friends I have who've been pushing me to play some Zelda for ages now, is what finally got me excited enough to try Link's Awakening DX for the Game Boy Color.

-Part 2: In the Shadow of a Masterpiece-

Awakening is an odd little game and I'm coming at it from an odd place, too. You see, I started playing it a couple months ago, cleared six out of eight dungeons, got forcibly sidetracked by a heap of real life stuff, then two or three weeks ago I started on a different Zelda game that came before it, A Link to the Past, which I've now played, replayed, and even dipped into randomizer runs before finally coming back and finishing my Link's Awakening playthrough.

And I'm glad I did, because it threw into perspective just how much Awakening lives in the shadow of ALttP. It's a smaller entry on more limited hardware that serves as the follow up to a certified classic that laid the groundwork for decades of subsequent Zeldas and Zelda-likes to come. ALttP has not one but two sprawling overworlds that work in tandem with each other, and it marries exquisite combat scenarios with a strong puzzle solving element and an item based progression system reminiscent of Metroid. The items themselves are tremendously fun and addictive to use (the Pegasus Boots, the Hookshot, the Fire Rod, etc), with almost every piece of your eventual loadout remaining useful and serving an essential purpose in combat scenarios as well as exploration. A Link to the Past is jaw droppingly expansive yet compact, a tour de force of world and dungeon design where every piece fits perfectly in its place.

So why am I reviewing Link's Awakening instead, when it's a significantly weaker experience that never stood a chance against its wildly successful older brother? Well, for one thing, it's because there isn't much more I could say about ALttP that hasn't already been said better by other people, and I'd just keep gushing about how great is it for sixty paragraphs. And that's boring!! I'd rather talk to ya'll about a flawed, dinky little weirdo game that not as many people have played and celebrated.

And yes, I know there's a 2019 Switch remake of this game that rebuilds it from the ground up with new graphics and music, a better button layout, and even more secrets to find. (I've already dubbed it Link's Remakening when chatting with my friends.) But it was important to me to experience this game in an older form first to better appreciate its place in history and how that remake chooses to "modernize" it when I inevitably get around to playing that too. And hey, I think the way the best Game Boy titles made the most of their hardware is pretty neat! I find the "dated" graphics charming and it features a trio of composers that made excellent use of the sound chip, among them a brilliant lady named Minako Hamano, of Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion fame...or at least I wish she'd receive more fame and credit.

Because damn, when you first boot this game up you're hit with a stormy screen and a hauntingly foreboding piece of music, depicting Link on a raggedy little boat struggling to stay afloat in a violent sea that looks poised to swallow him whole. Then a strike of lightning comes down, the screen flashes, and we transition to a tranquil beachside while a far more mellow track plays. We see a lone girl walk down the shore to find an unconscious Link washed up on the sand. Then the camera pans up while the iconic Zelda theme kicks in and we see a distant mountain with a giant egg and a ring of clouds at its peak, as the title of the game appears at the top of the screen just like in the image I opened this review with.

-Part 3: An Island of Dreams-

This moody little intro immediately sets the tone and feel for Link's Awakening as a whole. It's a surreal, melancholy, dreamlike little game that appeals to the player's emotions through sound, subtle character moments, and imagery that will stay with you. While Awakening draws inspiration from ALttP in many respects, it also pulls away from it by telling a more intimate and personal story than the monomythic quest to save Hyrule.

That girl in the intro who rescues Link is named Marin, and the game proper begins with Link awakening (hehe) in her house. Her dad, Tarin, gives you back your shield and the two of them let you know that you're on Koholint Island and your sword should still be sitting around the beach somewhere.

Because Link is effectively you, the player, the game is trying to make you feel a couple things here. It wants you to like and care about Marin and her dad, so it has them be as nice and helpful to you as possible. And by extension, knowing there are monsters threatening them and their village gives you a reason to wanna protect this place in addition to solving whatever mysteries you may find here.

Awakening, you see, puts a lot of love and effort into its setting and NPCs. By injecting more flavor, sensitivity and humanity, with a cast of quirky oddballs, it left its mark on the Zelda series in a way that's still felt today. It even has an item trading sidequest that has you going around the entire island talking to people! And while most of the sidequest isn't mandatory, completing it is necessary to get an item that for most players will be needed to finish the game. In other words, Awakening really pushes you to get to know Koholint and its inhabitants, and hopefully grow to care for them and feel the weight of your main quest's consequences.

That main quest, as it turns out, is to wake the Wind Fish that slumbers in the enormous egg atop Mount Tamaranch at the north end of the world map. This requires collecting instruments from each of the eight dungeons scattered across the island...so let's talk about those dungeons.

-Part 4: Into the Labyrinth-

To reach most of them, you'll first need to explore the overworld and complete some random, often pretty strange tasks to find a key that will open the way to the dungeon. For instance, getting to Eagle's Tower requires you to bring a stone rooster to life and fly it across gaping chasms you couldn't cross with just the Hookshot. It's pretty weird.

The dungeons themselves deviate and elaborate on the structure used in ALttP in a few ways. Instead of finding a "big key" that gives you access to a "big chest" and unlocks the rest of the dungeon, more emphasis is placed on the central upgrade you find halfway through. The first leg of a dungeon typically has you wandering around, hitting lots of dead ends until you finally get your hands on the new item and suddenly the rest of the dungeon will open up for you, because now you can complete the environmental puzzles necessary to push further in. Likewise, where bosses in ALttP presented challenges mainly for you to resolve with your sword, bow or fire rod, the bosses in Awakening almost all demand that you use your shiny new upgrade as the means to defeat them, like the genie in Bottle Grotto whose bottle you need to toss at the wall with your new Power Bracelet. In some ways this creates for more gimmicky boss design, and most of them are pathetically easy compared to the genuine adversity ALttP throws at you, but it's an approach that allows each dungeon to more clearly identify with its central item. And I'm told that becomes the norm in future Zeldas!

This upgrade-driven progression also speaks to an overall shift more into the Metroidvania lane for Awakening. The fact that the game takes place in a smaller, tightly knit map full of roadblocks you'll need to use your full item kit to bypass contributes to this as well, with new shortcuts opening up as you go. And it's a good thing the overworld is pretty small compared to ALttP, because the screen size is also painfully tiny and thus so is your view of the immediate surroundings. With all the pauses for screen scrolling it has to do, it's good that the game doesn't bite off more than it can chew and for the most part avoids being too difficult to navigate (though I still got lost and turned around more times than I'd like).

And I gotta be honest here, progression in this game can get pretty wonky. Sometimes the devs lean too far into the realm of dreamlike chaos and present you with puzzles and gating that just doesn't seem to have any intuitive logic behind it. One minor example is when the game expects you to open a locked door by...throwing a pot at it. This is not set up at all and you have no reason to think this particular door is so different from every other door up to that point which is unlocked by a key or by clearing out the room's enemies. Similarly, that thing I mentioned earlier about bringing a rooster to life takes a series of steps so bizarre and illogical that I was dumbfounded when I looked it up.

That's not to say Awakening is lacking in puzzles that were a pure joy to solve, because there were some amazing "ah ha!" moments that gave me the same sense of excitement and satisfaction that Tunic so often did. That lightbulb going off is the high I was chasing when I started my quest to play every major Zelda game, and Awakening sometimes delivered. Not to spoil too much, but there's a moment in the third dungeon, Key Cavern, where you realize you can combine the effects of two upgrades to do something super cool that you'll go on doing in various places for the rest of the game. And if you have a hunger like I do for "puzzle box" dungeons that require you to interact with the environment in ways that dramatically alter it and gain the spatial awareness to navigate it intelligently, then Eagle's Tower will be the highlight of your playthrough. It's been a few days and I'm still thinking about how brilliant that dungeon was. While ALttP is by far the better game overall, its steady consistency stands in stark contrast to the highs and lows of playing Link's Awakening.

There are other evolutions to the dungeon formula, too. A big one is the change in functionality of the compass - in ALttP, all the compasses would do when you found them is mark the boss room on your dungeon map. This was pretty useless since the geography of dungeons in that game will naturally lead you in the boss' direction regardless. On the other hand, Awakening's dungeons tend to be far more labyrinthine and confounding, so this basic quality to the compass is inherently more valuable. But wait, there's more!! In Awakening, the compass now also plays a jingle when you enter a room with a hidden key, and it marks every unopened treasure chest left to find on your map! This makes the compass so much more vital to finding your way and uncovering secrets.

And the last thing about dungeons I need to point out is the addition of sidescrolling segments, with some light platforming and even cameo appearances from Mario enemies, like goombas and piranha plants. Because yeah, this game has platforming. The first dungeon upgrade is the Roc's Feather, which lets you jump in a Zelda game that isn't Zelda II, almost 25 years before Breath of the Wild! You can only imagine how giddy I was to have this item and how much fun I got out of it across my playthrough.

-Part 5: Why This Game Sucks Actually-

However, speaking of the item inventory...this is where we have to address one of Awakening's most painful flaws. Inventory management in this game is excruciating. Because it's on the Game Boy, you can only assign items to the A or B button, and every item you obtain is bound by this system. Where ALttP had picking up pots and rocks as a context sensitive A press, Awakening has you go into the menu to bind the Power Bracelet to A or B every time you wanna lift anything up. Likewise, where the Pegasus Boots were just a press and hold A to charge up in ALttP, in Awakening you have to button assign it if you wanna use it. Every single time.

What makes this worse is that every time you brush up against a liftable object without the Bracelet equipped, you get a long, slow, unskippable text box telling you that you can't lift it. This is pretty bad at the start of the game when you don't have the item, but it becomes unbearably bad later on when you already know that, god game shut up!!

What makes it somehow even worse than that is the fact that the game's overworld seems tailor made to exhaust you with constant, and I mean constant dips into the menu to switch out items. There are so, so very many obstacles to get around. Rocks you need to switch in the Bracelet for. Pits you need to switch in the Feather for. Enemies you need to switch in your sword for. Blocks that can only be broken with the Pegasus Boots. Gaps you can only cross with the Hookshot. It adds up, and while you get used to it, it makes traveling from one end of the map to the other a tedious ordeal.

Fixing this issue, above anything else, is something I feel like Link's Remakening (2019) has to offer over the original. From what I hear, all your most necessary upgrades are generally already bound to buttons on the controller and stay that way, dramatically minimizing the amount of menuing you have to do. I look forward to re-experiencing the game in this way at some point, because good gravy is it a problem in the og version.

-Epilogue: I Love it Anyway-

Despite some frustrating flaws that hold it back, though - some of which are a consequence of the hardware, some of which are just questionable choices on the part of the dev team - I would still say Link's Awakening DX is a lovely little game that showed a whole new side of Zelda and maintains its own special place in my heart. Koholint Island is a setting I can't help having fond affection for, with its wacky characters, poignant story, whimsical locales and the fascinating risks and experiments the devs took in making it. The director apparently said he felt as if they were making a "parody" of Zelda, and I can see it. Parts of this game feel like a weird romhack more than a fully polished official product. But that's part of its enduring charm, and I'm thankful for the strange, dreamy journey I got to take with Link, Marin, and all the rest. They'll stay somewhere in my memory, like a sad and silly dream that lingers after you wake.

#tloz #link's awakening #review #zelda #alttp #tunic

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servin-up-surveys · 9 months

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survey #182

When was the last time you admired some flowers? What kind/color were they? Recently; they were white crape myrtles.

Are you in the process of watching or re-watching a series at the moment? I could never, ever picture myself rewatching a whole series ever again, you can barely get me to sit through a new one, but Girt and I are working on The Rain for the first time.

If so, how many seasons does it have? And what season are you currently on? There are three right now, and we're on two.

Has anyone you know gotten a new pet recently? Yes, my sister Misty's family adopted a corgi (I can't remember her name), and I think someone I shot pictures for once recently got a panther chameleon because she's been posting quite a few videos with him.

How old were you 10 years ago? Who were your closest friends at that point? 17, yeesh. Ten whole years ago... Jason was my boyfriend and closest friend, then there was Summer, Hannia, Girt, Alon, Maria, Megan...

Do you still speak to any of them? Summer and I talk/see each other sometimes because she's actually part of my sister's inlaws' family, Girt and I are together, and Megan and I sometimes interact over Facebook, but we don't really talk, I also have Alon on there, but she barely touches it so we don't really talk either.

Have you ever kissed someone of another race? I mean my boyfriend's father was pure Native American, but despite the fact he doesn't visibly display any traditional traits whatsoever, it'd be incorrect to say he's totally Caucasian.

Are there any races you wouldn't kiss? No, race means exactly nothing to me with relationships.

What is your favorite thing about your best friend? He is extremely trustworthy and honest. I never feel like he's hiding something from me or sugarcoating things, but he's also gentle with me. His balance in this stuff is incredible.

What do you mostly have in common with your best friend? We're very introverted. Love video games.

Do you like it when men shave their chests? If you are a guy, do you shave? I don't care.

What is your favorite kind of video game? Horror ones, specifically psychological or survival.

When you’re visiting a site, do you still type "www."? No.

What can you hear right now? I'm watching Markiplier's Resident Evil 8 LP. Two years late, but... I'm apparently having a streak of wanting to watch his stuff again.

Do you think it’s okay for kids to have cellphones? Yes, HOWEVER I definitely support limiting screen time and gauging what they're allowed to do on there with age but especially maturity. At the very beginning, I'm all for being able to call your guardians, because that cellphone might save your baby's life in horrible situations like abductions. From there, you be the judge based on your unique child and various factors relating to them.

Do you watch anime? If so, what are some of your favorites? Yeah, they can have very interesting plots. My favorite is Fullmetal Alchemist (including the Brotherhood iteration of it, idk which I enjoy more), and I'm also fond of Ginga Densetsu Weed and Deadman Wonderland. I've seen a decent chunk of Attack on Titan and was also into it.

Do you have any siblings? If so which one of them do you get along with the best? I have six technically, but I only know five. I don't really know which one I get along with best; I feel like Katie and I have the most compatibility, but I don't feel particularly "close" to any of my siblings and I fucking hate that.

What’s your favorite TV show? And who’s your favorite character from it? Meerkat Manor is my favorite show of all time, and Mozart was my favorite character.

Have you violated any of the 10 Commandments? If so, what? Yeah; I don't give a fuck about honoring God's name or even respecting him in any way or form.

Do people think you look like either of your parents? Does that offend you? I've heard both, and no. I'll admit as a kid having someone say I looked like my dad was mildly offensive just because I was a girl and he's a man, but I certainly don't give a shit now because I know what they mean, just features.

Do you prefer regular bacon or turkey bacon? Regular, turkey bacon is gross.

Do you think it’s weird when people talk to their pets like people? No? I honestly think that's probably very healthy for the animal, and the owner too. I think it strengthens bonds, and it must certainly make the pet feel included and like family to be treated like how you treat other people.

What is the last place, other than home, that you stayed overnight? Uhhhh I feel like I haven't done that in over a year now; I'm quite sure the last time was when I was in the hospital last... March or May, whatever it was.

What is the furthest you have traveled alone? Illinois.

Have you ever dated someone simply for their looks? No.

Have you ever been drunk? No, only lightly tipsy.

What was the name of the main character in the last book you read? Blue, in the book I'm currently��reading. The last book I finished, Qibli was the protagonist.

What are three of your favorite toppings for salads? Bacon bits, cucumber, and uh... that's basically it lmfao, my salads are very simple. There's too many additions I DON'T like.

Do you prefer pizza or hot dogs? Pizza.

What is your favorite pizza topping? If I could only pick one, I'd say just regular ol' pepperoni.

Is your dad a jerk? I think he's... oblivious, if anything. He doesn't TRY to be mean, he's really very funny and playful but majorly socially unfiltered. Basically, I think he's capable of being unpleasant, but it's rarely malicious. He's just an old grampa with a few screws kinda loose lol

Is anyone in your family currently in the military? No, not that I know of.

What is your favorite dog breed? Meh I always answer this with such a big list, I love so many. I have been newly very into shar peis, though. There's an Instagram one that I'm obsessed with.

Have you found any gray hairs on your head? No, that might be the day I crumble lol

Do you own a bikini? Oh hell no, I haven't since I was a teenager.

If you were a rockstar, what color guitar would you have? I want to say pink, but REALISTICALLY, I'm not sure I would. Probably mostly black, and it'd probably have skulls and/or occult-ish stuff on it.

Would you rather have a personal chef or personal house cleaner? HOUSE CLEANER.

Do you have any zits on your face right now? Ugh I have one on the upper right of my hairline right now. You can't see it unless I pull my hair back, thankfully. It's not a terrible one, at least.

What are three of your favorite bakery items? Cinnamon rolls, donuts, muffins.

What are three creative hobbies you enjoy? Writing, photography, drawing.

What are three things you like about church? I like how they look and that is literally it. Besides appearance, I only have negative shit to say about them. I grew up forced into church and will never set foot into a sermon again.

What was the last type of pie you ate? It was probably trying an apple or peach pie, I'm not a fan.

Which book did you love when you were younger? The Warriors series by S.E. Hinton was a major obsession.

Which book series could you read again? ^ I actually kinda wanna get back into that once I'm caught up in Wings of Fire, but idk, it's been so so many years that I don't even remember where I stopped, but I know I was deeeep in, so I'd hate re-reading it all. I don't re-read stuff.

Tell me about your first breakup, if you had one. I mean that *technically* woulda been with Aaron, and that was... nothing, given it was a very puppy love situation; I wasn't ready for dating yet. My first real, serious breakup was Jason, and well I tried to kill myself ultimately because of it, so-

Which person would you chose to travel the world with? I'd like it to be Girt, but realistically it would probably be my mom; my boyfriend is such a homebody, like he genuinely doesn't like vacations/traveling and I think he's insane.

Do you have (a) stuffed animal(s) sitting in your room? Which one(s)? Lots of meerkats, there's a Cheshire cat, grumpy cat, a cute lil circular bat, a random fennec fox, and my favorite plushie from childhood, a moose. I plan on trimming the numbers down though whenever I redecorate my room.

Have you ever had to do a doubletake on someone 'cuz they were so pretty? Oh I've totally done this with Alon at some point, god when I look back I can't believe I never realized THEN that my ass ain't straight lmfao

Is your last ex currently in a relationship? I have no idea, I don't keep up with her at all; even if I'm curious of how she is/what she's up to, I don't allow myself to look at any of her socials.

Who was the last female you were introduced to? ummmm I'm actually not sure? Probably a doctor, realistically.

Who was the last male you were introduced to? A family friend's friend, Larry.

Do you use a nightlight? Yeah; it's a little Saturn lamp that I can change the colors of.

What’s your opinion on border control? Look dude I don't even want borders TO exist; every single goddamn person has as much right to be on this earth in any specific location as anyone else, get the hell outta here with that "illegal human" horseshit.

What are your favorite things to create? Feral meerkat OCs.

What’s something you prefer to keep private? My sexual life.

Are you good at prioritizing? NO

If you’re not religious, were you ever? What made you lose faith? Yes, and fucking life itself. A few months back I made a massive FB post regarding why I left my faith, and in the end it really made me realize that I have bad religious wounds, maybe even trauma but I'm not 100% sure if it's to that extent. I just know I'm extremely hateful towards religions like Christianity, and it's something I actually recently broke down over because I WANT to chill out with how the very topic sets me on fucking fire; I'm never going to like faiths like those, but I want to be kinder towards their existence and just stop being SO bothered by them and other people having them. It prompted me to try to find a therapist specializing in religious trauma (didn't get far btw, thanks shitty insurance <3).

What feeling do you have the most difficulty in expressing? Envy, most likely. It makes me very uncomfortable.

When was the last time you looked at your significant other/crush’s Facebook profile? Oh jesus I'm not sure, I never look at it, really. Especially when he touches FB like, never, and never updates anything, what would even be the point?

#survey #surveys #random questions #personal questions

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ecmlol · 2 years

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Dick in daddy mode part six

Kory is half way to Bruce when she turns around and goes back to their bedroom.

Dick isn't there.

She checks the bathroom and then the off limits nursery that is still locked.

Where can he be ?

She checks the kitchen . And dick is sitting at the counter with a cup of coffee.

Dick love?

Dick looks up and he looks almost defeated.

Kory rushes over and hugs him

I'm so sorry I didn't t mean it . If you want to cuddle for the next 6 week we can . I shouldn't have discounted you feeling .

Dick hugs her back.

I just want to make sure your good you are my everything kory.

They are both in tears when the kids walks in.

Why are you guys crying for Connor say.

Rachel bust out in tear everyone stops and looks at her.

Rach honey you ok

Rachel give her a look and sighs and go to the cabinet and grabs a bag of chocolate chip and heads to the door .

Hey! Gar says

Bite me gar Rachel says

those are for the chocolate chip cookie I was going to make gar say

Rachel stops

Are you making those today?

Gar just let it go we can get you more kory say

Yes

Here take them I want cookies. Rachel says and walks out of the room

What was that about ? Dick whispers to kory

She on her monthly

Ah... dick say

Yeah it's a rough one

You got all of that from a look? Connor with his super hearing say

Connor no super hearing in the house dick say

Sorry it's hard to ignore when you're lost in a conversation . I don't know much about that kind of thing. I know more about child birth then that Connor say

Well dick do you want to explain it or should I.

Go right a head . If anyone else need to lean this listen up.

Dick and kory are both Surprise that everyone stuck around for a women health talk.

Wow that was in formative .Connor says

I didn't know there where other thing beside tampons and pads gar said

Thanks kory. Connor say

Your welcome

Tim walk out shaking his head like he already knew it all and this was just a confirmation of things he already knew.

Now if you need sex tip for the future I'm sure dick can have that talk with you.

Kory!

The boy all stop and turn

What? Kory says

They are too young for that .

Well maybe you should have the condom talk seeing Connor made me a auntie.

Dick sigh

Everyone go get a bananas dick says

Dick gets up to get a hand full of condom.

When dick gets back bruce is just walking in with mari

Are we having banana splits for breakfast? Bruce say

Not a word bruce but I'm give a safe sex talk the my guys. Dick says through his teeth

Oh . Bruce say

There my baby. Kory squeal and gets up to take the baby .

Well we are having this talk so you three well two wind up with one of those he points to kory.

A wife gar say

Gar come on you know I mean a baby. And before say anything gar . I was neither mad or disappointed that I got kory pregnant.

Well I'm not mad to be a dad either. Connor says

Well that's good but it doesn't mean you two need to go down that road.

Bruce makes himself a cup of coffee and sitting at the counter to watch dick presentations.

Dick turns to bruce.

Do you really have to sit there

Don't mind me I'm just drinking coffee.

Dick give bruce a look.

I'm shake in my boots dick bruce say

Come on bruce keep me company while I make a bottle for this cutie. Kory say

I can't refuse a offer from a gorgeous women.

Dick rolls his eye and keeps talking

Five minutes later

Wow all rightly then gar say

Ah thanks tim says

Well I see where I went wrong connor says

Dick almost choked on air.

Well you know for next time dick say

Right connor says

Yeah that talk was definitely only for the kids. Kory say and she walks back in patting mar'i on her back to burp her.

Haha dick says

Your weak pull out game makes the most beautiful babies.

Dick smile proudly and kory leans in to give him a kiss.

Awww she is beautiful but I can't take much credit.

Haha are you joking she may look like me from a distance my love but the shape of her face those feet ears dark hair and that eye shape is all her daddy.

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muggycuphead · 2 years

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weird flex but ok i guess pt.9

War… Hold up, do we really need a warning for this one? Dunno, but however, watch out for slightly disturbing and kinda…disgusting imagery, trypophobic patterns, as well as ‘necrotic’ designs I made while having funky fever bc o h m y g o d do I get a little crazier every new quarantine day (and at this point it’s coming to be an usual thing for me, big sad). However, most are made no other than for the sole sake of satire, so y’know, no need to get your underwear in a twist

Friday Night Funkin’ BoyFriend’s Hood – AU fanconcept sketches [X]

EDIT 26/10/2023: Updated the drawing with a rescanned, more clean version

Ayooo- now you guys can see why I’m no longer pursuing this poor little thing anymore

…ow

THOUGH I did get inspired in some mods during the creation of these two (three if we do count the sad mop on the top*), mostly since I didn’t give that much of a damn about it at first sight, but now that I’ve gotten the emotional attach to it…yeah I sort of have regrets about it

Yee-haw I guess

…Imma just get into the info already lololol:

1.- Broddy

Big brother but cheap lol

…Nah jk I love this fellow

This guy was actually inspired in the whitty-boyfriend edited sprite (yeah the funny long boi) who casually seemed to appear in a picture alongside BF’s Mom and Dad, hence why he lookin so thin

BTW funny street sign logo design on his shirt, I’m so clever eeheheh- jk

Also the faded eyes were meant to give him a mysterious aura at the start, but now they’re basically something he inherited from his dad (you’ll see later how I designed him so you can tell)

Also also, you guys are allowed to make fun of me over the fact his hoodie’s design doesn’t make any sense. Like- the thing’s open like a jacket yet it has the strings to pull in and out the hoodie from behind, what?????? (this also happened with my FNFCE Leopold sprite, so double funny haha on my ass)

2.-Sissy

Big…no wait- she’s actually the middle woman in the siblinghood

…okay

Fun fact BTW: she was originally though off as a male, and casually enough, the memory I recall of her (or should I say him* for this case specifically) kinda resembles a little to Big Brother

…No I’m not kidding, the hairline I remember for her literally looks a lot like his, guess it was just coincidence

And yes, that tire mark on her arm is a tattoo…above a scar she actually got over an accident that happened at the repair shop

No it wasn’t BF’s fault...or Broddy’s even

Actually, I don’t even remember what happened, but it involved a badly braked bike and something that got in her way while she walkin’ on the shoop

3.-Past!BF / Lil B

aAAAA smol bean child bby

He so cute

…but he’s secretly a little shit

Don’t tell Sissy that tho, that might frickle her pickle

4.- Past!GF / Missy G

Another smol bean

This time it has sulphur in it wowowowow

I gave her a more awoken look bc ye, I don’t really have an actual reason for it besides haha funky demon child go wowza

5.-Bike Mechanic BF (Teenhood)

Boyfrendo got a jobbo

He a breadwinner y’all

He’s been in the business since he was a smol child, he got the good experience

…no we don’t do child exploitation innuendos here, you’ll see what was up there tho dw

6.- Biker GF (Teenhood…?)

Damn sis, lookin good right there

And yes she used to own a bikey back in her young days, don’t ask me how licenses work in BF’sH’s NG city, cuz I have no clue

…but hey, if kids can hav gun with no permissions, then who sayin they can’t drive bikeys w/ no loisense? (jk they might do have license systems but I guess the age limit is whatever, it’s been so long I can’t remember a-)

7.- Q-Zin (Beta Design / Prototype)

Sad mop

I just found out not too long ago about Older Brother, and Q-Zin does have some similarities with him personality-wise, but I haven’t seen the mod so I’m not sure, sorry

BTW he’s dead

…well, not dead in actual terms, just…physically dead (and sort of emotionally, he’s gone through quite some stuff down there at the Graveyard)

8.- Lil B icon style

Bikey Child

9.- Missy G icon style

Cashey Child

10.- Daydreaming BikeMech!BF

When you reconcile with your (yet) platonic babe and she sneakie you her phone number in your pay so you can ring her up anytime

…yeah that

Classy GF, really classy

And yes they did know each other way longer before than canonically stated (FNF says they just met during tutorial, BF’sH says they know each other since childhood instead)

And the reason I said platonic was due to 1) they reunited after a long time of not seeing each other, ergo the relationship (frens) had just reemerged and 2) Pico and BF are pursuing a relationship here (secretly), though it’s between platonic and amorous (basically what you’d call a ‘meta-couple’)

So yeah

11.- GF’s note

I’m sure he will do hun, I’m sure he will do

12.- Hambarga

S’up bro, brought you lunch

It’s about that one time GF bought some food for BF during lunch hours

Though I don’t wanna stick with the original factor that it was because he barely does enough money to buy something good to eat (for real, it just sounds cruel), so I guess he just is so stuck into his work he sometimes lets lunchtime slide past him (I know it’s not better but at least it doesn’t sound like he’s forced to starve, like c’mon man)

#friday night funkin'#fnfau #bfsh #alternate universe #alt universe #alter #alternative timeline #au #at #bruh look at those #bruh moment #bruh #i slep now

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hertzwritings · 2 years

Text

The barber boys and the bakery chapter 1

A/N: Yes, I do have three WIPS currently going and a shit-ton of other stuff, BUT the always amazing @buckyshattergirl and I have talked in LENGTH about a thing and now I have to write the thing. I need fluffy Dad!Andy Barber and cute kid Jacob. It’s probably going to be a series, maybe, and it’ll mostly be snapshots and cute little one-shots of the life of the Barber boys. I can’t say when or how frequently it’ll be updated, but it will be updated!

Anyway, I hope you’ll like it because I sure as hell do!

You can buy me a coffee here, and I’ll write you a personalized something – the sky is the limit, my loves!

Remember, feedback feeds the soul (min in particular) and my requests – and askbox – are always open – there’s no limits, because I am me and I have none.

MASTERLIST

CHRIS EVANS MASTERLIST

ASK ME ANYTHING/REQUESTS

SERIES MASTERLIST

Pairing: Andy Barber x female reader

Contains: language, fluff, mentions of violence, age gap

W.C: 2.000

The meeting

NEXT CHAPTER

The bakery was quiet for the first time since you opened today; the hustle and bustle of high school kids had dwindled down to zero, and you finally had time to make yourself the cup of coffee, you had craved since 4 in the morning. You did worry, though, because your favorite kid – the lanky, shy Jacob – had been nowhere to be seen, which was strange for him. He came in every day, a shy smile on his lips and asked (as the only one) for your walnut muffins, small talking about nothing really, while you bagged it up for him. It was steady and routine at this point:

You opened, began baking, and precisely thirty minutes before the bell rang, Jacob would show up, buy a walnut muffin, eat it inside while talking about schoolwork or his dad – or how much he hated his mom – and then wave goodbye. You liked it. He was a smart and funny kid, and your general penchant for being a MomTM, made it easy to talk to him and dote on him.

He seemed like he needed it.

Which is why you were worriedly looking out of the window towards the school with furrowed brows, when the bell rang, and Jacob still hadn’t shown up. Not that he wasn’t allowed to not show up, but it gave you a sense of unease. He had been through enough, already. You began baking another round of croissants, flour going everywhere, and you grumbled to yourself that this was not the day for wearing black boots, because they were slowly turning grey. Occupational hazard.

You were so concentrated, that you missed the bell chiming and the sound of shuffling feet, until a soft voice called out. “Hey, Y/N.” Your head whipped up to see Jacob stand in front of you. Your smile fell when you saw the busted lip and the blood flowing freely. “Sorry, I didn’t come in earlier.” “Don’t think about that, what happened to you?” you rushed to his side and sat him down in one of the chairs, quickly going to the open sign and flipping it. “Asshole at school.” He said with a shrug. “Isn’t the first time, won’t be the last.” You were seething. “Jake, you… Hang on, I’ll get you something to clean off with.” You rushed to the back, found a hand towel and wet it, handing it to him as soon as you came back and sat down in front of him. “Thanks.” “Jake, listen to me. Who was he, why did he do that, and do I need to kill him?” You asked seriously. He shook his head. “It’s the dickhead Spencer. He’s… Well, yeah. He’s that. I guess I sat in his chair. Or he thinks I’m gay. It could all of the things.” You pursed your lips. You might only be 25 years old, and you may have only known Jacob for six months, but you felt protective of him. “Call your dad. When’s the break?” He glanced at the clock. “In… Like two minutes.” He scrolled on his phone, stopping with a finger hovering over the call-button. “Why?” “I’m about to beat this bitch up.” You said firmly, dusting your fingers from flour. “You’re coming with me, point him out.” He called his dad as he stood up. “Uh, dad? So… I might get in trouble. Not like, that kind of trouble again, but like… Normal teen trouble? At school? You should get over here. Like…” He looked at you and swallowed. “I’m a little scared of Y/N. She’s about to rip a kid a new one for punching me. Anyway, bye!” he hung up. “Voicemail.”

You stalked to the school parking lot, hair whipping around your face in the wind, Jacob trailing after you, and he nodded to a red-headed, slightly plump kid, who was laughing with a group of other boys. You were ready to throw some fucking hands.

“YOU!” You marched over to him, while Jacob stood back, watching it unfold. “Who the hell do you think you are?” you began, the kid stumbling back a few paces and the verbal smack-down began.

-----------

Andy hated voicemails like that. He hated that his first thought was not again, and he drove faster than he probably should’ve to reach the school in record time. When he pulled over, he saw Jacob standing, eyes locked on a woman, who was clearly angrily gesturing and speaking loudly to the asshole of a kid, Spencer, who looked like he was about to cry. Andy got out of the car quickly and almost jogged to Jacob’s side, clocking the busted lip. “What the hell happened to you?” He asked, taking Jacob’s face in his hands. “I’m fine dad, seriously.” He glanced at the woman again. “I don’t think I have anything to worry about, because Y/N seems to be doing a great job telling him off.” He pointed to her, and Andy frowned. “Wait, that’s Y/N?” “Yeah.” “I thought she was in your year!” He said, watching her poke Spencer in the chest with a finger. “Nah, she’s like… 25, but super cool. She plays DND and stuff. She’s like my mom friend.” “She’s a mom?” Andy could almost hear Jacob roll his eyes. “No, dad, a mom friend.” “Kid, I have no idea what that means.”

“If you ever even look at him again, I’ll wreck you faster than you can scream mommy.” Andy overheard the last of the conversation – or yelling – from Y/N, before she turned on her heels and walked straight to Jacob, cupping his face in her hands. The gesture made Andy’s stomach go into knots. “Listen to me, you’re getting free muffins for the rest of the year from even tolerating being in the same room as that fucking wombat.” You said, wiping your thumb across Jacob’s cheek. Andy was reeling. He watched Spencer run inside of the school and didn’t see her turn to him. “You’re Mr. Barber, I presume.” He was about to answer when he finally looked at her.

She was beautiful. He knew beauty when he saw it. Her hair was flowing around her face, her eyes were burning into him, and her lips, fucking hell, her lips made him feel dizzy. She radiated confidence. She was wearing a blue sundress, covered largely by a black apron that in turn, was covered in flour, and he had never in his life felt this attracted to a person before. He swallowed thickly when he noticed the tattoos littering her arms, and the one, that poked out from her collarbone to her shoulder, only interrupted by the strap of her dress made his heart thump heavily in his chest. “Barber, yes. I.. Am Andy.” He swallowed thickly and noticed Jacob grin like a Cheshire cat. “Well, Barber, Andy, prepare yourself to go to the principal’s office.” “Why, did you punch the kid?” He asked, honestly a little worried. She looked terrifying, despite her smaller stature and flour in her hair. She shook her head. “No, but I did accidentally say nobody messes with my kid and called the kid an asshole, that was tired of shitting, and that if he ever tried to touch my kid again, I’d rip his arms from his body and stuff them up his ass.” She turned her head to see the very angry face of the vice-principal. “Shit.” “Will you follow me, Mr. Barber, Miss?” She told him through tight lips. Y/N followed as well, clearly ready to face whatever wrath a principal had to dish out. Andy couldn’t stop looking at her, her entire aura was just confidence and care; he cleared his throat several times to get rid of the damned dry spot, that suddenly appeared at the same time as Y/N had cupped Jacob’s cheeks.

They both stepped into the office, and when she stood next to him, Andy realized just how short she was in comparison to him. He easily towered a head above her. “I don’t appreciate siblings telling students off, Mr. Barber.” He cocked an eyebrow at the principal. “Siblings?” he asked, slightly confused. The principal pointed at Y/N, who laughed. “Oh, no, I’m not related.” She winked at Andy. “Yet.” He spluttered. She turned back to the principal. “And someone has to tell them off, or nobody will. Seriously, do you not a have a zero-bullying policy in this hellhole?” Andy snickered under his breath. “Miss, that’s very inappropriate…” “No, I’ll tell you what’s inappropriate.” Y/N cut the principal off. “That someone can punch another human being and face zero repercussions. Zero bullying, my ass, you’re literally enforcing the bullying by not acting. I have no respect for you or anything you have to say to me, as long as you allow that to happen in your school, Mrs.” Andy cleared his throat, when the principal opened her mouth to retort. “I agree. My son has done nothing” (well, he hoped) “to warrant this. Y/N did nothing more than stand up for my son, which is needed since the school decided not to.” “Mr. Barber, I can assure you…” “You can assure me of nothing.” He said with a smile. It was the same smile he wore when he delivered his final statements in court. “I refuse to be called in here for my son, when he’s the one bleeding. Have a wonderful day, Mrs. Stevensen.” He turned on his heel and gestured for Y/N to follow him, leaving the principal absolutely dumbfounded.

“Am I in trouble?” Jacob asked in the second, they stepped outside. Andy shook his head and wrapped his arm around Jacob, pulling him close. “No, kiddo, you’re not.” “Tell you what, I’ll get you a few muffins to take back, okay?” Y/N said. “Come, I was going to close early anyway.” Jacob practically jumped out of Andy’s arms and ran after Y/N, talking animatedly with his hands as they walked. Andy furrowed his brows; he hadn’t seen Jacob like this in a while, and it warmed his heart a little. He quickly followed them into the bakery, and was immediately feeling comfortable – it smelled of chocolate and fresh bread, while the walls were covered in personal art (he noticed a few drawings from Jacob hung on the wall as well), and he sat down in the chair, that Jacob pointed him to.

“Jake, what will it be today? Walnut muffins, chocolate chip cookies, something dangerous or something unexpected?” She asked seriously. “I’ll cry if you give me anything with chili in it.” He answered with a grin. You rolled your eyes and laughed. “I might be scary, but I’m not evil.” You winked at Andy, who almost choked on thin air. “Unexpected it is, huh?” You kept your eyes on Andy as you spoke, and he couldn’t help the small grin spread on his lips. “Yeah, unexpected is good.” Jacob answered, looking back and forth between Y/N and Andy, his eyes glowing with something Andy hadn’t seen in his son for a while: Hope.

NEXT CHAPTER -----------------------

TAGLIST: @acaceta @a-skov @angelmather1 @cooldreamlandsandwich @doubletriplepowerbomb @est1887 @enchantedbytomandhenry @fionnthebandersnacc @herroyalbubbliness @jeepgirls-stuff @keiva1000 @kebabgirl67 @littlebirdofrivia @luclittlepond @mis-lil-red @multifanficdom @one-sweet-gubler @pandaxnienke @perfunctory-username69 @penneferofvenerburg @sleutherclaw @sofiebstar @summersong69 @spookyboogyuniverse @stardusted26 @thereisa8ella @timetraveller4 @thatonechickhere @themanfromu @thelastpyle @tragicphoenix13 @yourlocalhoney @wheretheriversrunintothesea

#chris evans #chris #chris evans x reader #chris evans characters #andy barber #andy barber x you #andy barber reader insert #andy barber reader #andy barber x reader #andy barber x female reader #andy barber x Y/N #andy barber x #andy barber x y #dad!andy barber #jacob barber #andy barber female reader insert #andy barber x y/N fluff

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phoenixyfriend · 3 years

Text

Commander Buir

Follow-up to this post. Not in any particular order, just spitballing ideas, with contributions from several friends on discord.

Like presumably it takes long enough for them all to meet up again that Anakin and Cody do, in fact, end up treating each other like family, just so I can have that good good "well, guess I'm Dad now" energy. Shmi isn't entirely sure what's going on but she's not a slave anymore and her kid seems to like this rando mando, so.

Anakin gets to have a mom and two dads, though one of the dads is arguably younger than him.

Also when they all meet up again and Cody explains the "General Skywalker got shrunk" thing, there are three reactions: (General) Obi-Wan: Oh, Anakin. Obi-Wan: [gestures to take him, ends up with an armful of clingy padatoddler] Anakin: You can't blame this on me, Obi. Obi-Wan, a little teary, because babies cause emotions: Of course I can, you absurd human being. ------ Rex: That's... my general. Anakin: I am, Captain. Rex: Cool cool cool I'm gonna go stand where I can't, uh, break you. Anakin: I'm not THAT fragile! ------ Ahsoka: [gasp] Skyguy is SKYKID! Anakin: Padawan, this is-- Ahsoka, grabbing him and cuddling: Oh my goodness you're adorable this is the best day ever. Anakin: This is humiliating, Snips, put me down. Ahsoka: Never.

Anakin hates being a toddler because of the lack of independence but Cody keeps picking him up when he's cranky and just holding him until he falls asleep and that's... nice.......

- The brain limitations aren't quite as bad as the situation with Sokanth and Ylliben in the other AU, but - Even if his brain is mostly adjusted he’s still got a tiny body with different needs that he’s not used to. Like, he needs to sleep more but he’s got more energy than usual when he’s awake and it’s all weird.

Cody carrying around toddler Anakin like "God you give me ulcers but you're adorable, you little shit."

Inconveniently tiny body aside, Anakin has a pretty great time in this au. His family are all together and safe and within reach. His wife isn't around, but toddler brain means he doesn't have the Romance Drive, so that's not as bad as it could be It could be significantly worse.

@atagotiak asked: Does Anakin get annoyed about being called cute? - To which I say, He bites the first few times but Shmi tells him that's Naughty so he stops. - Babies are cute so you packbond with them before they’re annoying, Anakin is cute as a self defense mechanism - He’s extra annoying so he needs to be extra cute

You know how you need to keep an eye on toddlers so they don't, like, fall down the stairs or put something toxic in their mouth? - They need to keep an eye on Anakin specifically so he doesn't rewire the ship they're in while they're in hyperspace. - He has less self control on account of being smol. He still has all the mechanical knowledge! Just less comprehension of y’know, consequences.

Anakin, with a sippy cup: This is demeaning. Ahsoka: Your hands don't work great enough to avoid accidents yet. Anakin: It's still embarrassing.

General Kenobi can't just kill Maul, not when Maul is baby right now (sixteen, which is baby enough) so he just. Kinda. Kidnaps a baby Sith. (It's fine. He's fine.)

General Kenobi (not to be confused with Padawan Kenobi) decides to declare Maul his new padawan because someone has to deal with this teenager, and Plo already claimed the rest of Ahsoka's training. And Anakin's three, so.

"What do we do with Maul?" "Eh, I can handle him. I dealt with teenage Anakin getting arrested for illegal pod-racing twice a month, I can work with this."

Maul bites, but only slightly more often than Anakin, it's fine

Ahsoka definitely bullies Maul whenever possible

Consider: Rex holding very still because Anakin wanted to be tall, so he climbed Rex. Being unexpectedly climbed is better than being unexpectedly yeeted. It's still extremely nerve-wracking. - Cody is perfectly capable of running around with a backpacking toddler General, but Rex freezes like a statue. - Ahsoka finds this hilarious

You know how little kids like to be thrown around and swung in circles and stuff like that? This must get even more ridiculous with force users. Can throw a child real high and catch them safely. - Rex panics whenever Ahsoka throws her chibified Master

Literally everyone except Rex loves being yeeted. Even Maul can appreciate a good tactical yeet no shut up he's not having fun this is TRAINING - Rex is Suffering - Cody, a very Tired Dad, deserves to mock his vod'ika a little, as stress relief - Rex, a certified Little Brother, shoves Cody off something tall. Jokes on him, Cody thinks freefall is fun too.

Tia asked: So the people who didn’t exist yet got flung bodily back in time and Anakin did the mental time travel. Why did Obi-Wan not become Padawan Kenobi? (I mean “because I want it that way” is def a good enough answer I’m just wondering if there’s any reason.) - Which, well, it really was mostly "I want to" but here's two options, both of which come down to Blame Daughter and Father. 1. They figured a responsible adult Jedi Master was needed to convince people. 2. Nobody was supposed to get de-aged but Daughter figured they needed to make Anakin less liable to kill things for a few years. - Also IDK the Force God-Manifestations also took away any risk of rapid aging and early death from the clones because uhhhhhhhhhhh I said so

Rex and Ahsoka are fumbling their way through a relationship where ages are just really confusing and awkward, so they're keeping it to just kisses and cuddles for a bit.

Cody is so tired he doesn't even realize anyone's hitting on him until it's been three years of co-parenting with Shmi and his General. - Somehow Anakin knows Cody is in a relationship before Cody does. Cody has never been so embarrassed. - How did he manage to be less observant than Skywalker? -- it was sabotage; all his brain cells were taken up in managing said Skywalker -- Because Skywalker was up at three in the morning whacking a training droid with a stick so he didn't have the energy for Relationships

Also Shmi's come-ons are super subtle, while the General's are... well, Cody's gotten very used to ignoring anything ambiguous on that end because fraternization rules, and also because Obi-Wan flirts a lot with everyone. So.

Please imagine Cody and General Kenobi walking around with Anakin tucked into a toddler sling while they do whatever work they've ended up with at the Temple. - Yes, Cody is helping the Jedi figure out the best plan of attack to take down this slave ring because his grasp on tactics is phenomenal and he knows how to deploy people at greatest efficiency, but also he's got a nosy toddler on his hip who keeps offering his own insane-but-competent ideas. - General Kenobi ends up with a Council Seat just on account of, like, being the kind of person he is. As often as not, he's got Anakin tucked into his robes, chewing on the ear of a stuffed tooka or something.

IDK what Shmi's doing but apparently Legends had it that some of the administrative and support positions in the Temple were held by non-Jedi civilians? So probably something like that.

GENERAL KENOBI LECTURING PADAWAN MAUL WHILE ANAKIN'S BALANCED ON HIS HIP AND GLARING AT MAUL FOR STEALING HIS DAD

General Kenobi: Ahsoka's babysitting. Anakin: I'm her master, I don't need babysitting, this is-- General Kenobi: Fine, then you need supervision, so that you don't blow up a training salle again. Anakin: And you think Ahsoka would stop me? General Kenobi, eye twitching: Fine, I'm leaving you with Plo.

Even if he’s mentally an adult Anakin always needs supervision Look at canon! Anakin was left without supervision for like two days and he became a Sith

Quinlan gets distracted by how attractive General Kenobi is and tells Obi-Wan "dude, you're gonna be so hot once you can get rid of the stupid haircut" and Obi-Wan pushes him into the nearest pond.

They end up with this weird "Uncle Jango" situation (uncle to Anakin, via weird brotherhood-ish to Cody) because Rex and Cody are just like "Uhhhhhhhhh yeah okay" about him eventually, and Jango just like. Drops by. Trying to Earn Affection Of Blood Kin by bringing weird gifts for them and their (ugh) Jedi.

"Okay, Rex'ika, I stopped by Shili--" "What?" "--and apparently this is a delicacy there, so just... your girlfriend will like it." "She's not my girlfriend." "..." "Okay, I can't call her my girlfriend. Jedi have rules about that sort of thing, and--" "This will make your Jedi happy, probably. Just take it, kid."

Baby Anakin got his arm back but for some inexplicable reason still has The Eye Scar. He matches Buir.

#disaster lineage #Anakin Skywalker #CodyWan #Commander Cody #Obi Wan Kenobi #Ahsoka Tano #Captain Rex #Shmi Skywalker #Maul #Darth Maul #Rexsoka #time travel #de aging #baby characters #Quinlan Vos #Phoenix Posts #Commander Buir

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saeyoungchoismaid · 3 years

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in all honesty, i don't know how this would work, but it intrigued me.

24 + diavolo, maybe? if you can find inspiration for it :)

You did it perfectly anon!! FINALLY an ask for hubby Diavolo <3 Lmao this was just supposed to be a little drabble like the rest of them but nO I just hAd to go overboard. So now I have to add all this mess:

Pairing: Lord Diavolo x gn!reader Genre: angst, fluff, fake dating au Warnings: uh his dad hates you??? Summary: With the Demon King wanting Diavolo to find someone to rule with him, it’s only natural that he lies and says he’s already found someone(you), right? Word Count: 2k words (so much for this being a drabble lmao)

24. kisses for a cover (I’m assuming this means like a cover up like a lie)

Being the prince of The Devildom comes with many responsibilities, including but not limited to: running The Devildom since his father has no interest in The Devildom’s affairs, hosting events and gatherings to strengthen his bonds with other lords and the other rulers of the three worlds, keeping an eye on the student council (which is mostly composed of meddlesome brothers that he cares for deeply), and the list goes on.

Oh, can’t forget the fact that he is required to marry and have someone to rule by his side. Yeah, that’s apparently an important one. He’s always realized his responsibility and has accepted all parts of his life as fact, but when you come down from the human world to participate in his program, his solid plans suddenly all come to a screeching halt.

It becomes clear to him that he can’t go and marry someone just for the sake of The Devildom. I mean, he’s been ruling The Devildom for most of his life just fine without someone else! He decided he wasn’t going to do it. He doesn’t want to marry anyone except for you and when he does, it’ll be because you two are ready for marriage, not because it’s his duty as prince.

His father didn’t like that though.

Despite Diavolo being the ruler of The Devildom, he is not yet the Demon King. That title still belongs to his father, who always has the final say. And in this case, his final say is that Diavolo cannot rule the kingdom on his own any longer.

Diavolo sees red when he hears this news.

It isn’t until his father decides to host a party to introduce him to possible suitors that Diavolo lies and says he’s already found someone to rule by his side. When asked who, Diavolo says your name, and, of course, his father wants to meet you right away.

The only thing is, Diavolo hasn’t told you of his true feelings, meaning you are oblivious to how he truly feels about you. His father cannot know of this though. So, with Diavolo on his knees before you, he begs you to pretend to be his lover. He promises that he’ll do whatever you ask of him, as long as you do him this favor.

Unbeknownst to Diavolo though, you’re just as crazy about him as he is about you. So of course you agree to his plan.

Asmo helps you with your appearance, Satan teaches you some big words to use in front of the Demon King to impress him, Lucifer teaches you the proper mannerism to use in front of him, Mammon lets you wear his most expensive jewelry, Beel shows you the correct silverware to use during the dinner and in what order to eat it in, plus what to avoid, Levi gives you history facts about The Devildom and what the Demon King has done for it before Diavolo took over, and Belphie reminds you to flatter the Demon King as much as possible to please him. Barbatos, of course, goes over everything with you again to make sure your success is definite.

When you’re finally ready, Diavolo picks you up at six o’clock sharp to bring you back to his father’s mansion for dinner. He smiles when he sees you, though his smile shrinks a bit when he notices how stiff and nervous you are.

“You look beautiful,” he whispers to you when you reach him, gently taking a hold of your hand to kiss the back of it. His smile returns to its original state when you smile at him, your cheeks gaining heat to them at the compliment.

“Thank you. You look quite dapper yourself,” you reply softly, admiring him in his fancy suit. His smile turns into a grin, happy to hear that you like his suit. His tie is your favorite color and everything.

“Well, let’s get going,” he says as he leads you to the car and helps you get in. He talks to you about every and anything on the way there, trying to distract you and calm you down before you arrive. It works up until the car pulls up in front of his father’s mansion, your throat suddenly going dry. “You’ll do great,” he promises.

He helps you out just like how he had helped you in before assisting you up the grand steps. When you reach the door, he gives a single powerful knock before waiting. You two aren’t waiting long before the door is flying open and a small woman is standing there. “Good evening. Please come in,” she greets meekly, pulling the grand door open for you two to walk inside.

You two are then led to the dining room, where your chairs are pulled out for you two to sit. Within the next minute, the Demon King is walking in. “Welcome, welcome! I’m glad you two made it here okay!” he greets, surprising you with how chipper he seems. He takes a seat at the head of the grand table, your hands starting to shake a bit in his presence despite how friendly he seems. During Levi’s history lesson, he told you about all the scary things he’s done in his time.

As soon as he’s taken his seat, servants are flocking in with trays of drinks and appetizers. You all wait until they’re gone before beginning to eat. You stare down at your plate, trying to remember everything Beel and Lucifer taught you. Why are there three spoons and three forks? Surely you don’t need that many. You glance at Diavolo and pick up the same fork as him, taking a deep breath to help relax your nerves.

You glance at the Demon King to find that he looks satisfied with your silverware choice. Was this a test? You don’t have time to ponder it before he’s firing into questions about you. The first one being: “So, you’re...human?” How are you supposed to answer that? Of course you are, and he obviously knows this.

“Um, yes,” you stutter out, feeling your cheeks flush when you realize your mistake. “Yes, your highness!” He lets out a small hum, seeming to make a mental note of your mistake. From there, things seem to only get worse. It’s like you suddenly forgot how to speak like a normal person and things you’d never say are flying out of your mouth. You’re just trying to impress him and make him approve of you but you’re doing the exact opposite.

It isn’t until the end of dinner that he announces this.

“You know, son, I’m not sure this one is the best idea,” he starts, frowning at you as he gives you a once over. Before he can even continue though, Diavolo is standing up and glaring down at his father with a look of pure anger. You’ve never seen him so worked up before.

“I don’t care what you think about them! You told me to find someone to rule with and that’s what I’ve done. I love them and they will be by my side as I rule over The Devildom!” he announces, making your jaw drop as you stare up at him. You close your mouth and clench your jaw though when you remember what you’re here for. He doesn’t actually love you. He’s saying all of this to convince his father that he’s found someone who will rule with him.

You apparently tuned out of the conversation at the wrong time because the next thing you know, you’re being tugged up by Diavolo and his lips are finding yours. Your eyes go wide in shock despite your brain trying to yell at your body not to show any signs of surprise. It’s easier said than done though.

All too soon for your liking, Diavolo is pulling away from your lips. Something flashes in his eyes—hope or love maybe? Eh, who are you kidding—before he’s turning to look at his father again. “You see? I don’t want anyone else; I want them! They’re mine and I’m theirs!” he shouts at his father. Before he can reply to his son, Diavolo is dragging you out of the room and to the front of the house where the car is awaiting you both.

Diavolo is silent for a long time while you two drive back home, a heavy frown on his face and his knuckles white with how tight he’s clenching his fists. “I’m sorry for all of that,” he apologizes softly, bringing your eyes away from his hands to his face. He’s not looking at you though, simply staring out his window at the scenery passing him by.

“It’s okay. I understand. Barbatos informed me of your relationship with your father,” you say softly. They get along and all, but they more often than not end up in some sort of disagreement. It’s normally about how things are being done in The Devildom though.

He sighs and reaches over to take your hand in his, staring down at the small hand in his big one. “I hope you’ll still consider my proposal,” he says softly, making your brows furrow.

“What proposal?” you ask. His eyes finally meet yours and your heart skips a beat at how expressive his eyes are.

“To rule The Devildom with me, of course,” he replies like it’s obvious. Your brows shoot up to your hairline at this news though.

“What? I thought that was just something you were telling your father, so he wouldn’t force you to marry some rando,” you rush out, trying to wrap your mind around his words. There’s no way he actually wants you to rule The Devildom with him. You wouldn’t know the first thing about ruling over thousands of other people—er, demons.

His brows knit together at your response, his other hand moving to grab your free one. “(Y/n), I’m sorry. I...I should’ve said something sooner,” he whispers, staring down at your hands now. This only confuses you more though.

“Tell me what sooner?”

He’s silent for a long moment, trying to gather the right words he wants to say. “I love you. What I said back there, it’s true. I want you to be by my side and help me to run The Devildom. You have so many good ideas and suggestions, I just know you’ll make a wonderful leader.”

Now you’re just gaping at him like a fish.

“What? No. No, I...I can’t,” you mumble, pulling your hands out of his. He just pulls them right back to him though.

“You can’t? Can’t what? Be with me?” he asks softly, his voice sounding close to breaking, just like his heart.

“No! No, I...I want to be with you. I love you too. I just...I don’t know the first thing when it comes to ruling over demons, most of which want to eat me,” you reply, trying to sound playful and joking but failing, your words being too true and hitting too close to home.

That didn’t stop Diavolo from smashing his lips to yours for a passionate kiss though. “That doesn’t matter. None of it does as long as I get to be with you. I’ll even step down from being King for you,” he mumbles against your lips after you two pull back for air.

“No, don’t do that. These people need you just as much as I do. I’ll learn how to rule with time. Just stay by my side, okay?” you whisper back, pulling away from his face enough to look up into his eyes.

He smiles brighter than The Devildom’s moon as he nods his head rapidly. “I swear I will. I’ll help you every step of the way.” He seals his promise with another kiss...and then another...and then just one more to be sure.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

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⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

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icerosecrystal · 3 years

Text

An Unexpected Turn Of Events

Mominette Month 2021

Day 01 - Find A Child

Masterlist

Authors note: Hi, everyone! Just one quick to let you all know so that this fic is not confusing for you. This fic is a reverse Robin fic. In other words, Dick is the youngest instead of the eldest, and Damian is the oldest instead of the youngest. This same thing applies to all of the other bat children as well.

Marinette sighed in relief as she finished rifling through her purse. She had woken up late and had hastily left her hotel room for her consultation. She had thankfully not left behind anything that she would need during the consultation. Feeling a bit paranoid, she looked once more through her purse, and there was the tape measure, pencils, notebook, sewing kit, and the NDAs. She may or may not have flipped through the grimoire belonging to the guardians and found the spell for expanding the space in her purse to be the way it was for her yo-yo when she transforms into Ladybug. Unlike her yo-yo, the expansion was still limited. But the extra space was still beneficial.

As Marinette was walking, she pulled out her phone to look at the time. 9:50, she thought, leaves me enough time to get to Wayne Tower by 10:00 if I want to be on time. As she was putting her phone away, she felt something hit her legs and torso. She let out a slight oof at the unexpected weight against her lower body. As she peered down, she saw a cute boy, probably around eight years old clinging onto her legs. He had black hair, and as he looked up at her with teary eyes, she saw the most devastating sparkling blue eyes she had ever seen. His slightly chubby cheeks were flushed pink, and his nose also had a pink tinge to it. The flushness was probably a result of the choked sobs he was currently letting out.

As Marinette looked around, she realized that none of the nearby grown-ups looked to be his parents, nor did they look like they were missing a child. She bent down and smiled softly at him, hoping to calm him down a bit. After a beat or two, her smile seemed to do the trick, and his sobs reduced down to a few tears. Once she knew that he had calmed down, she softly whispered, “ Hey, honey. Are you lost? Do you want me to find your parents?”

He sniffled a few times before replying with a slight tremor in his voice, “Yes. Please help me find my Boose.”

“Your Boose?” Marinette questioned.

“Yes,” he slightly whimpered, “Boose is my new daddy. My other daddy and mommy had to say goodbye to me.”

Marinette gasped in shock at his words. This poor kid, so young, and yet his parents were gone. Dead. Marinette thought about the many akumas which her parents didn’t survive. She then shook herself out of her thoughts. Come on, Marinette. Stop worrying about yourself all time. Your parents are okay now. But this kid is lost! Get out of your head! Steeling herself, she gently asked him, “What’s your name, hon? Mine is Marinette, but you can call me Mari..”

Surprised by the kindness and warmth in her voice, he stuttered out, “Richard… but I like Dick better. Richard sounds old. I’m not old!” He then shyly added, “It’s nice to meet you, miss. You have a pretty name.”

Marinette smiled as she saw his confidence growing with every word he spoke. Marinette laughed aloud at the words he shyly said, “It’s nice to meet you too.” She then questioned, “Do you remember where your daddy is?”

Dick was now bouncing on his heels, and he squealed out in excitement, “Yes! My daddy is in the big, tall building with the huge ‘W’ on it!”

The corners of her mouth twitched in amusement. Dick’s excitement was infectious. His words then caught up to her. Well! It looked like luck was on her side after all! She would have enough time to get Dick back to his dad and still be on time for her consultation. She stood back up and then smiled down at him, “Well, I’m heading there too! So why don’t I take you back to your daddy?”

Dick nodded his head rapidly before holding her hand with his much smaller one. They then started walking towards Wayne Tower. Dick continued to babble on about the most random of things. He talked about his grumpy older brother, who it seemed begrudgingly liked him. He also discussed the many pets his older brother had. It also seemed like Dick’s adoptive dad had a slight problem with adopting too many children from what could be told from the many siblings that Dick mentioned.

When the door of Wayne Tower came into sight, Dick stopped talking, allowing them to walk in comfortable silence. As she was about to speak to ask him where in the building his father worked or the name of his dad, Dick blurted out, “I like you, Miss Mari. Can you be my mommy? I don’t have a new one yet!”

Marinette stopped in shock before trying to stutter out something, anything, but all of her words were incoherent. What do you say in response to a question like that, she thought to herself? She saw Dick looking at her for an answer, and after a while, he decided to pull out some puppy eyes. Shoot! Marinette thought. I need to say something to stall for time. At least until I get him to his dad. She reassured him, “I am thinking about my answer, Dickie! But how about we first get back to your daddy, and then we talk about it?”

Dick contemplated her words before nodding in agreement and practically bouncing through the doors. Marinette sighed in relief and also walked through the doors. Her head was down as she speculated what she should do about Dick’s question. Suddenly, a rough voice spoke up in front of her, “Hello. Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I presume.”

Marinette lifted her head, and there in front of her was Bruce Wayne, her newest client. And clinging to him was the very boy that was holding her hand just seconds ago. She suddenly remembered hearing something about Bruce Wayne adopting the son of some acrobats who were in an accident. The name of the kid was Richard Grayson! She hadn’t made the connection!

Realizing that Bruce was looking for an answer, she hastily stuck out her hand, stuttering, “That is correct, Monsieur Wayne. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

He stared at her hand before gently taking it and raising the back of her hand to his lips. “Please, the pleasure is all mine. Let’s make our way upstairs.”

She blushed at his gentlemanly actions before squeaking out a small, “Let’s.” The three of them climbed into the elevator and went to the top floor of the building. The doors of the elevator opened up, and Bruce gestured for her to go first. She did so and looked around at the beautiful interior of the building that she had not yet noticed. Bruce then opened up the door to what seemed to be his office. Inside she saw there to be seven kids. She smiled at them in greeting. Most of them smiled back at her. The exception to this was what looked to be the oldest and one of the younger ones. (Damian and Jason, if you didn’t figure it out.)

Marinette felt Bruce step closer so that he was next to her before he spoke once more, “These are all of my children, biological, adopted, or otherwise.” He pointed to the man with stunning green eyes stating, “This is my oldest son, Damian. He’s 22.” Damian gave a tight-lipped smile in response, along with a slight tilt of his head.

Next, Bruce gestured to what looked to be the second oldest saying, “This is Tim. He’s 18 years old.” He was sipping coffee and giving the briefest of nods to her. He looked seconds away from collapsing.

He then acknowledged a blonde girl, remarking, “This is Stephanie, but she likes to be called Steph. She’s 17 years old.” The girl seemed to be bouncing in place and close to bursting from excitement.

He pointed to a rough-looking boy stating, “This here is Jason. He just turned 15. He’s a few months older than the next youngest.” The boy smirked at Marinette in acknowledgment of his introduction.

Bruce finally gestured to a girl with Asian features saying, “This is Cassandra or Cass. She’s 14, but like I said, a few months younger than Jason.” The girl seemed to be peering through her very soul. After gazing for a few seconds, she hummed in what Marinette deemed to be satisfied as if she liked what she saw.

Bruce then turned towards her, “And you’ve already met Richard or Dick. Thank you for bringing him back.”

Marinette smiled in acknowledgment of his compliment before replying, “It was nothing Monsieur Wayne. He was all alone, so I had to help him. But he was delightful the whole time. Now as for what I came here for, what type of clothes have you been looking for–”.

But before she could continue, Dick blurted out, “Daddy, I like Ms. Mari! Can we keep her? I want her to be my mommy!”

The result was instant. The room burst into a flurry of noises, each of Bruce’s kids trying to speak over one another. Marinette was blushing very brightly. In fact, from how hot her face felt, she was sure that she was inventing new shades of red. Marinette looked over to see Bruce’s reaction and squeaked when she saw him staring at her with a sharp, analytical gaze.

Marinette took a few breathes to calm herself down. She then softened both her gaze and voice as she addressed Dick, “Dickie, honey, as much as I loved meeting you and talking with you, I, unfortunately, cannot be your mommy. Bruce is your daddy, and he will someday find a lovely lady who will be your mommy.”

At her last sentence, all or most of the kids seemed to have snorted in amusement. It seemed as if they disagreed with her statement. Dick looked sad and seemed to be growing teary-eyed. Marinette looked over to Bruce for some help but only found him concealing the amusement that he was most likely feeling quite well. If she hadn’t been Ladybug, she probably would have never noticed the slight bit of emotion peaking through his mask. She glared at him reproachfully as if saying, this is your kid, so you need to help me convince him that I would not make a good mother.

He rolled his eyes in return as if trying to say, Don’t kid yourself. You would make an excellent mother. And you’re already attached to him, don’t deny it.

As Marinette sighed in response, Bruce turned away from her towards Dick and knelt to his level. He then gently said, “Now Dick. Miss Mari can’t be your mommy.” Marinette started nodding as if agreeing with Bruce’s words. But then stopped when he continued, “But she can visit you and maybe one day be your mommy.”

Marinette opened and closed her mouth, no words coming out. Before shyly looking down before raising her head, stammering, “Well, I guess I could visit.”

All the kids started cheering in response. The exception to this was Damian. But the corner of his lips was slightly raised as if the start of a smile. Dick bounded over to her, hugging her and babbling out everything he wanted to do with her. And in all the chaos, Marinette’s and Bruce’s eyes met. They both exchanged small smiles.

Marinette then clapped her hands together, reminding them, “I do still have to do a consultation with all of you. So how about we do that, and then we can do something fun together?” Seeing everyone’s nods, Marinette then continued with the consultation. But unbeknownst to anyone in the room, their relationship would change drastically in the coming months. But ultimately, it would change for the better.

One Year Later

It has been a year since the faithful day when Dick requested Marinette to be his mom. And since then, they only seemed to grow closer. She had met Alfred, Bruce’s Psuedo father and the children’s pseudo grandfather. She thought that he was extraordinary. And honestly godsent. She also experienced a lot of adventures with the Waynes. In fact, after only four months of knowing each other, she figured out that they were the Bat-Family. She had caught them once after patrol and raised her eyebrow as if demanding an answer, and god did she get an answer from them!

Marinette and Bruce had also started dating. This change in their relationship occurred a few weeks after she found out their identities. They were now engaged to be married in a few months. All the children had warmed up to Marinette over the months, even Damian, who always withheld his emotions. But they had all come to see her as their mother figure and were ever so grateful for her. And so they wanted to do something for her birthday.

The very morning of her birthday, everything went wrong. Marinette woke up to quite the sight. All over the kitchen was what looked to be cake batter. It seemed as if they were trying to put the baking she had taught them to good use, but they had also made the cake batter explode. Marinette and Bruce stared at the mess before they both started laughing. Marinette had a light, melodic laugh, while Bruce had a very gruff laugh.

Marinette beckoned all of them forward for a hug before proclaiming, “I love that you all were trying to do something for me, but none of you had to do anything. But it’s the thought that counts, so thank you. But next time, please stay away from the kitchen.”

She then shooed them on their way before getting two mops, handing one to Bruce as she passed by him. She kissed him on the cheek before starting to clean up the mess, Bruce following her actions. She then quietly snickered, “Well, this was quite a sight to wake up to on your birthday. I would have thought that today would have been relaxing.”

She looked up to see Bruce shoot her a small look before shaking his head in amusement. “Mari, darling, when has our lives with them ever been relaxing? They are always getting into trouble.”

She snorted in response, “Yes, well, they get it from their father.”

Bruce glared at her lightly before pulling her into a deep kiss, “I don’t know. Their mother seems to be just as chaotic sometimes.”

She shook her head in amusement, pulling herself away from Bruce’s embrace and questioning, “How is this even my life anymore?”

He chuckled lightly, alerting her that he was about to sass her in some way. “Well, from what I remember, about a year ago, you came across this kid that–”

Marinette held up a finger to his mouth, stopping him from uttering another word. She was also glaring at him reproachfully. “Yes, I do know-how. I was there. Now go away so that I can clean up the rest of the kitchen. You’re distracting me.”

He let go of his mop before giving her another deep kiss and then darting away. As he strolled out of the room, he shouted over his shoulder, “Oh, I know how distracting I am. I am well aware of how irresistible I am, ma coccinelle.” He could hear her spluttering in response before yelling back at him, but he continued on his way to his office. Along the way, he chuckled to himself.

Back in the kitchen, Marinette was glaring at nothing. She was also plotting ways to show her fiance who the irresistible one was. She then sighed in happiness. Yes, her life was amazing. A year ago, if someone told her this would be her life, she wouldn’t have believed it. But now she was living it, and god was it amazing. Funny what finding a child will do to you, Marinette thought to herself before carrying on with her task of cleaning up the mess her kids had made. Yeah, life was amazing.

2,683 words

I actually got it done!

~ ❄ Crystal ❄

@mominettemonth

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absolutepokemontrash · 3 years

Text

MC is Half Demon and Blah Blah Blah-

Time for the Group Retreat!

Part 1 Part 2 Lessons 1-5 Lessons 5-6 Lessons 10-12 Lessons 13-15 Part 3 Part 4

I’m quite hyped for this one, ladies, gents, and esteemed readers! For simplicity’s sake, since this is before M!MC and A!MC arrive, L!MC will go back to being referred to as just MC. Enjoy the Headcanons!

Since the previous Underground Tomb incident ended much less violently, Lucifer is now more worried than angry about MC’s rampant shennaniganery.

Like... his kid was poking holes in his totally foolproof “Your cow-uncle went to live on a farm in the human world” story. What if MC somehow got into the attic and got hurt?!

It didn’t help that they were still in this weird phase of their father/child relationship. On one hand, Lucifer obviously cares for his kid, and his kid likes him... but it’s also only been less than three months and we all know how emotionally constipated Lucifer is.

MC’s also getting REAL sus of all the secrets their dear old dad is keeping... doesn’t help that they STILL haven’t went up into the attic.

Anyhoo~ the announcement for the retreat was a barrel of laughs.

“I’m proposing, a group retreat!”

Everyone met Diavolo’s announcement with the exact same confused reaction. It’s like the entire assembly hall was doing the ‘Guy Blinking’ meme.

“A... group retreat?” Lucifer repeated slowly. “For what reason exactly, Lord Diavolo?”

The Crown Prince was giddy with excitement as he explained. “MC told me about their middle school overnight trip and it sounded like it would be quite fun!”

Simeon, Luke, MC, and Solomon were all seated next to each other in the ‘exchange student seats of less importance’. Luke leaned over and whispered a question to MC.

“Why are you so friendly with the crown prince?”

MC smirked and shrugged. “Lucifer had the Demon-Flu and couldn’t go meet with Lord Diavolo last week so I went for him. Lord Diavolo’s surprisingly bad at Connect Four but has really good luck in Snakes and Ladders.”

Luke’s jaw dropped in complete and utter shock and horror.

“We’re playing CandyLand and the Game of Life next time, want to come?” MC added.

“Play CandyLand... with him..?” Luke looked at Diavolo, who was still explaining his plan for the retreat, then looked back at MC. “I’ll only go to shield you from his corrupting influence.”

“Yeah... Corrupting...” MC had to hold back a laugh at the thought of Diavolo, who during MC’s visit lit up like a Christmas tree upon being called ‘Dia’ and believed that Mood Rings were the greatest human invention ever, being a corrupting influence.

“MC! Torture dungeon or no!?” MC was snapped out of their conversation by Mammon shouting at them from his seat.

“What?”

“Do ya think there’s a torture dungeon under the castle, or not?”

“I’m not sure,” MC turned to Diavolo. “Lord Diavolo, is there a torture dungeon under the Demon Lord’s Castle?”

There is in fact, no torture dungeon. Presumably...

Everyone packed up and headed out to the Demon Lord’s Castle!

The fabulous seven all broke several speed limits and traffic laws in order to be there early. Listen, they had to get there before Purgatory Hall, it was a matter of pride.

Besides, what’s the Royal guard going to do? Arrest six of the seven rulers of hell and a kid? Ha. No. Not when Diavolo controls their paychecks.

The rooming situation remained the same, Asmo, Simeon, and MC were roomed together, and MC got to watch Asmo get psychologically profiled by Simeon. It was truly a sight to behold.

MC was nice enough to assure Asmo that they really liked him and thought he was very sweet.

Asmo, not used to being complimented on his personality, almost started openly weeping.

So, the tour of the Demon Lord’s Castle began! Asmo got yelled at by his ex in the painting and the usual batch of idiots got sucked into the catacombs under the castle.

Lucifer wasn’t terribly sure how or if he should express his concern for MC being stuck in the labyrinth.

All these new fatherly feelings of worry are very very odd. He didn’t worry this much for Satan, mainly because Satan was usually the threat.

Even as a baby...

Lucifer found himself checking his DDD every few minutes to see if MC had texted or called from wherever the painting dragged them to, never mind that if they did text he’d hear the phone ding.

“Lucifer, don’t worry too much,” Diavolo patted Lucifer on the shoulder, a bright smile on his face. “Your brothers and MC will be perfectly fine! There’s nothing too dangerous in the catacombs that they wouldn’t be able to take care of.”

Resigning himself to the fact that MC was under the care of his last choices for babysitting, Lucifer put away his DDD. “I know they’ll be fine, but I’m not overly pleased with the situation.” He shot a glare at Helene in the portrait, who rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

“Lucifer worrying about someone, I’m truly, genuinely shocked.” Hearing Satan’s attempt at goading him, Lucifer, flawless demon that he is, resisted the urge to throw his DDD at his brother.

“Quiet, Satan.”

————

“WHY THE FUCK IS A SNAKE DOWN HERE?!”

“ITS HENRY 1.0!”

“YEAH THAT REALLY CLEARS STUFF UP, LEVI!”

MC and Levi continued their screaming match as the group ran for dear life from a giant snake.

Yeah... nothing the brothers couldn’t handle... sure, Lord Diavolo...

They made it out of the scary catacombs... don’t worry.

Lucifer did that parent-thing where he cleaned the catacomb dust off MC’s face with a napkin.

Yay! Parenting!

Failed pillow fight attempt #1 happened that evening. Because Mammon was obsessed with being the fun-uncle and saw his brothers encroaching on his place as favourite uncle.

MC doesn’t know how to break it to him that he’ll probably always be the favourite uncle and he doesn’t have to be such a dumbass to keep his spot.

Scavenger hunt went on as canon dictates.

Asmo had his diva tantrum and stormed off, but MC also wanted to win so they didn’t go after him.

Clearly expecting someone to go beg him to come back, Asmo was very annoyed when no one went after him.

“Um, helloooo? Anyone going to comfort me~?”

“Nope.”

“Well I don’t want your comfort anyway, SOLOMON.”

It was very close, L!MC insisted their loss came from sabotage. No evidence was found but just LOOK at Satan’s face.

Time for the Formal Dance~

If you’re wondering why Luke didn’t say anything when MC was suddenly poofed into their demon form, you’re assuming that Mammon wasn’t in on the “let’s prank the chihuahua” plan.

“Mammon..? Is MC behind you?”

“Nope! Why?”

MC was able to get to the other side of the ballroom with Luke none the wiser! Hell yeah, nothing like screwing with your friend!

So it’s canon that Lucifer is like, a solid 20/10, therefore MC is ADORABLE. What I’m saying is, some of the younger demons asked them to dance.

Asmo was also being MC’s hype man, which was very nice of him. Mammon also tried to give advice on how to be cool and suave. Beel was there for moral support.

“Alright kiddo, you need to be aloof and mysterious! People love aloof and mysterious, that’s why I’m so popular.”

“Don’t listen to him, MC. He flew into a wall as a kid and it killed all his brain cells. Just be proper but not snooty, sweet but not saccharine, friendly but not annoying,”

“Ask them if they want to share some of the hors d’oeuvres.”

“Okay, first, aloof and mysterious are the last words I would ever use to describe you, Mammon. Second, Asmo I have no clue what you’re asking me to do. Third... Beel that’s the best advice I’ve received in recent memory.”

None of that mattered anyway because MC got swarmed with dance offers.

“Well,” MC smirked and held out their hand at the demon that was bold enough to ask them to dance first. “I admire the confidence.”

The demon’s smile brightened, then dropped completely when their gaze drifted behind MC. “I uh... on second thought... I’m gonna...”

MC’s potential dance partners all quickly scattered to the snack table. The half demon growled and turned around to see their father acting like he didn’t just scare away MC’s groupies.

“Father! What was that for?!” MC huffed, Lucifer rolled his eyes and grabbed MC’s wrist and began to pull them away from the dance floor.

“You’re too young to dance.”

“That’s crazy! They looked like they were my age.” MC protested, their wings fluttering in annoyance.

“Even if they looked to be your age, MC, they’re hundreds of years older.” Lucifer said calmly.

“What about that equivalent age stuff you told me about? Like how Luke is hundreds of years old but by angel/human standards he’s technically younger than me?”

“That doesn’t matter right now.” Lucifer lightly pushed MC towards the hallway that led back to their room.

“But I want to dance with someone!” MC felt their wings involuntarily fluff up.

Lucifer turned and smiled at his dear little brat, crouching slightly to get to their level. “Not on my watch.”

MC’s face was literally this: >:0

Lucifer is out here being the dad in every comedy that involves someone bringing home their partner to meet their parents.

MC was banished to their room, they spent their time angrily reading the manga they had packed.

When Levi escaped the party slightly later MC grilled him for details of what went on after they left.

“Nothing too interesting... except... um...”

“Spit it out, Levi!”

“...lrddiavlondlucferdnced”

“I can’t understand you, stop mumbling.”

“Lord Diavolo and Lucifer danced together...”

“...”

“I MISSED THAT?!”

So yes, MC’s desire to get a picture of Lucifer sleeping stems from VENGEANCE!

How DARE their father send MC up to their room and make them miss their OTP dancing together!?

So they call up their troupe of idiots and get ready to go be menaces to society.

MC also invites along Asmo because he seemed like he could use the adventure.

And because MC couldn’t plan the prank without Asmo noticing so it was better to just implicate him as well...

“Grrr...”

MC brightened and clapped their hands. “I know that growl!”

“It’s not my stomach, I packed snacks.” MC couldn’t see this, considering the room was pitch black (it must’ve been some kind of magic because demons have excellent night vision), but Beel waved a bag of chips in the air and got to eating.

“No, I’m not talking about your stomach, Beel.” MC skipped towards the source of the growling despite Mammon and Levi’s pleas for them to stop.

Ah! There he was!

“Cerberus!” MC cooed, the three headed dog stopped growling and barked happily. “Whose a good boy? Is it you?”

Cerberus let lose a bark that would probably make anyone crap their pants, but MC giggled and kept petting him. “Yeah! You’re the good boy! You like cuddles! Yes you do! Yes you do!”

A flash of light from a camera caused MC to drop their baby talk voice and stare angrily in the direction where the light came from.

“Whoever took that picture better delete it or I’m going to feed you to the dog.”

Cerberus growled in agreement. What a good boy.

“Well, as nice as this is...” Asmo huffed. “We’ve clearly been duped because this is not Lucifer and Diavolo’s room.”

“Oh well!” MC chirped and continued to pet the three headed dog. “Look at the doggy!”

“MC, you’re crazy. Dontcha ever forget that.” Mammon whimpered as Cerberus growled at him.

So yeah, they couldn’t get out of the room, so they ended up opening up the other door and falling into the catacombs like a bunch of lemmings.

Asmo charmed Henry, and they got out of the labyrinth no problem.

Yay! No consequences! Oh no- hi Lucifer.

Lucifer gave them all the mother of all lectures. Satan showed up with the rest of the gang and brought popcorn.

Belphie wasn’t there, okay? Satan needed to be a little shit for him.

Ah yes, the pillow fight... Mammon’s crusade to be the best uncle culminated in a massive pillow fight that ended with MC, Lucifer, and Diavolo standing over everyone’s unconscious bodies.

So they uh... won the pillow fight.

MC couldn’t sleep. They legitimately couldn’t. As exhausting as the pillow fight victory had been, everyone was snoring, and MC was bleary eyed and awake at one in the morning.

They eventually sat up and looked around, Asmo was passed out in a very unflattering position, Solomon was chanting god knows what in his sleep, Levi was half hanging off Simeon’s bed, Simeon and Luke were sleeping like angels (hehehehe-), Beel was in the middle of eating his pillow in his sleep, Mammon appeared to be dreaming about winning the lottery, and Satan was... suspiciously absent.

He was there a minute ago... weird.

Deciding that this wasn’t worth it and they should just go sleep somewhere else, MC got out of bed and avoided stepping on anyone as they vacated the room.

The Demon Lord’s Castle at night could rival the House of Lamentation in terms of overall creepiness. MC had gotten used to the spirits and curses that littered their home, but they had only been to the Demon Lord’s Castle once before, so they were extra careful not to accidentally touch anything. Their stomach rumbled and they frowned.

Damn, they had the midnight munchies... they needed a snack.

MC made their way to the kitchen and on there way, noticed a peculiar room through a half open door. Taking a few steps back to peek into it, they noticed... doors. A lot of doors. And ivy covered steps. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to any of the placements, and the room was... weirdly chilly.

“You can come in if you’d like, MC.”

Barbatos’ voice nearly caused MC to hit a high note that they hadn’t been able to hit since their voice began to change. They straightened out their wrinkled pyjamas and stepped inside.

The butler himself was walking down one of the flights of stairs.

“Um...” Quickly remembering their manners, MC straightened their posture and cleared their throat. “Good evening Barbatos.”

Barbatos smiled and inclined his head in turn. “Good evening to you as well, MC.”

“How did you know it was me outside? You were up there a second ago.” MC asked.

“It’s a part of my powers. I can see possible futures, and I foresaw you passing by my room and getting curious.” Barbatos explained.

“Oh,” MC said, half nodding and continuing to look around. A the sound of a door closing out of MC’s vision made them squeak and look around for the source of the noise. “What was that?!”

“It’s nothing to be worried about.” Barbatos raised his hands in a placating gesture. “These doors in my room are gateways to different timelines and some are gateways into the past of this particular timeline. That was another version of me passing by.”

“Does this... happen often?” MC knitted their eyebrows.

Barbatos hesitated before answering. “Not really. It’s quite rare. Lord Diavolo has expressly forbidden me from using my full powers freely.”

“Ah... makes sense...”

“Now, I believe you came down for snacks?”

MC blinked in surprise. “How did you- oh... the time magic...”

“Yes, the time magic. Now, would you prefer yogurt and fruit, or apples and peanut butter?”

“Yogurt and fruit please!”

I’m sure MC’s knowledge of how Barbie’s room works will totally not come into play later. I’m sure.

Solomon and MC graced the brunch table with their cooking. I think you can guess how it would have turned out if Barbatos hadn’t intervened.

Rest In Peace to Beel’s tastebuds.

Anyway, the rest of the retreat was all fun and good.

MC may or may not have slipped up and called Diavolo ‘Dia’ in front of Lucifer. It would’ve sparked a lecture if Dia’s puppy-like excitement wasn’t so damn adorable.

Lucifer’s got a heart... somewhere... it’s probably all shrivelled up and tiny, but I’m sure it’s there.

Everyone went back home, brought closer together through... pillow fights and surviving Solomon’s cooking I guess..?

Anyway, MC got home, unpacked their stuff, watched Kakegurui with Levi and Mammon, let Asmo paint their nails, made and ate dinner with Beel, continued their piano lessons with Lucifer, and received a 100% fake smile from Satan.

It was a nice day with their new family, MC curled up in their bed and prepared to go to sleep.

“Help me!”

MC lurched upwards in their bed, whipping their head from side to side, trying to find the source of the voice. Their room was completely empty, the perks of being half demon extended to being able to see in the dark. No new smells either, they were alone in the room.

Auditory hallucinations were common before falling asleep after being sleep deprived, creepy, but not too unusual.

“MC!”

Okay- that one couldn’t be ignored. It was common knowledge that the House of Lamentation was definitely haunted in some capacity, but the ghosts never really bothered the demons living inside, MC was partly convinced that some of the ghosts didn’t even notice that the demons were there. So it couldn’t have been a ghost calling their name.

“MC! I need help!”

The voice reverberated through their head, like it was trying to hit every part of their skull to make sure it was at least felt if MC couldn’t hear it. MC massaged their scalp and got out of bed.

The House of Lamentation at night truly lived up to its haunted reputation. Cold, clammy, dark, even by demon standards. No spooky old house was going to scare MC though, they walked down the hall with their head held high.

They walked closer to walls and furniture, knowing that the floor was less likely to creak in those areas. How did they know that? Mammon had told them it worked like a charm. Well, it’d work better for him if he stopped tripping over the furniture and alerting Lucifer.

MC was much more nimble and careful, stepping slowly and lightly around the hallways until they reached the door to the attic. They reached out to clasp their hand around the doorknob, then froze. It smelled like…

Oh no.

MC leapt away from the door like it was rigged to explode if they touched it and practically dove for cover into an alcove. The all too-recent smell of Lucifer’s fancy cologne and the increasing sound of someone coming down the stairs made them clamp their hand over their mouth and crouch down.

What was their father doing up there?

He had said the attic was full of old junk and there was no reason to go up there, so why exactly did he-

The door slammed open and Lucifer stomped down the hallway back towards his room, MC presumed. They were about to let out a sigh of relief when the footsteps paused. MC felt their heart drop right into their gut when they heard the footsteps coming back in their direction.

What were they going to say to him when he found them? ‘Sorry! This isn’t where the bathrooms are!’ The last thing MC wanted was to add to their father’s ever growing list of stresses. MC was totally responsible and grown-up, their father didn’t need to worry.

MC clamped their eyes shut and tried to slow their heart rate. Demons were beings of darkness and shadow, they could blend in quite easily. They took a deep breath, cleared their head, and felt the shadows of the hallway shift and cover them like a blanket.

Lucifer’s footsteps stopped, MC heard a tired sigh, then the footsteps started up again, this time in the direction of his room.

They allowed themselves a sigh of relief before relieving themselves of their hiding space and opening the door leading to the attic staircase.

If the rest of the House of Lamentation was considered clammy, cold, and foreboding, the attic staircase was that multiplied by a factor of twelve. MC felt themselves shudder involuntarily when they stepped closer to the staircase. Every primal part of their brain was telling them to turn around and walk away, but one tiny part was holding them back. They placed their foot on the first step, waiting for any kind of resistance, nothing other than the feeling of passing through invisible cobwebs.

“MC?”

Upon hearing their name, MC craned their neck to try and get a look at what could be waiting for them at the top of the stairs.

“Are you coming, or not?”

The cascade of warning sirens that began to blare in MC’s head went ignored as they continued to scale the staircase.

When they reached the final step, they were met with a long hallway, with a single door on the right side of the wall.

“H-hello?” MC tried to instill some force into their voice, but it still ended up quavering a little.

“Down here.” Someone knocked on the wall next to the door, almost causing MC to jump.

Oh. Oh no. MC stood straight in front of the door, and when they saw who was looking back at them they nearly passed out.

“Belphegor..?”

Belphegor’s eyes flashed as he gave MC a once over. His eyes narrowed when his gaze snapped to MC’s. The analytical expression melted into a lazy grin.

“That’s me,” he said softly. “Nice to finally meet you, MC.”

244 notes · View notes

goth-girlfriend · 3 years

Note

Just wondering and no pressure here! Are you ever gonna finish the Endeavor fic? Love ur works bby and stay safe out there! <3

Yes yes yes 😤😭 Anything for you sweetheart and especially anything for Enji. Take care of yourself ❤️❤️

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“What?” I yawned out loud to myself pushing myself up. My arm was sore from sleeping on it, I looked around and blinked at the light that had made itself known. I tried to push to sit up being held down by a familiar weight. I yawned again, before rolling over under Enji’s arm. I pressed my back against his warm side resting on my arm that wasn’t sore. I pulled his arm around my waist to feel like I was being held in place.

“Ah, security.” I sighed using his shoulder and bicep as a pillow, “Not soft at all.” I snuggled against the firm muscle until I heard a throaty chuckle. His chest shook lightly and I looked up at him he was awake. His eyes lidded from sleep still fighting against consciousness, I watched a faint smile pull at the corners of his lips, I couldn’t fight the most likely idiotic looking grin that surfaced. I laughed and shook my head as quietly as I could. I turned in his arm and hugged his chest. I watched as he moved his free arm behind his head, his bicep bulged at the unintentional flexing.

“Good morning.” I smiled and let my head fall against his shoulder while I looked up at him. It felt perfect, this moment. The morning sun filtered by the beige curtains lighting the room in gold with a few thin slits of white sunlight breaking through. The white duvet stopping at waist, open sleeping shirt, messy hair, pressed into his side sighing content. The rumble of the AC filling the silence, soft breathing, its perfect. In this moment, in this place, there is no history, there is no future, its us in this moment. With nothing to ruin the moment I sighed and closed my eyes feeling the faint heat of his rising chest.

“Good morning.” He finally answered, voice deeper than usual, I felt him shuffle, before I felt his lips pressed onto the top of my head. I felt my eyes flutter involuntary, and my heart swelling. I smiled closing my eyes enjoying the closeness, perfect, this is perfect.

“DDAAAAAAADD!!” I blinked a few times remembering where we were, I watched as he groaned rubbing his face with his hand and sitting up leaving me behind.

“Yes, Fuyumi?” He called starting to stand up doing a few basic stretches.

”Y/N IS GONE DID YOU HEAR ANYTHING THIS MORNING MAYBE SHE LEFT TO GET BREAKFAST?!” She screamed through the door, I watched the door handle jiggle, thanking God I locked it last night.

“Yes, I heard someone moving this morning. It could have been (L/N), why don’t you go look around down stairs, I need to shower and get ready.” He yawned before he stood popping his back.

“Mmm...” there was a pause and some shuffling.

I heard Sho’s faint voice “Fuyumi, look y/n sent me message this morning saying she was going to a nearby convinience store to buy some things she had forgotten. She’ll be back soon.” I sighed thanking God once again that I had told Shoto my password all those weeks ago.

“Alright, DON’T MIND DAD!” She screamed before I heard them walk away, Great, now how am I supposed to leave? I looked around, “Does that window open?” I asked pointing to the window in the room. “It‘s a balcony.” Enji pulled back the curtains revealing an pretty good sized balcony with fancy railing. I was wearing sleeping shorts and a long sleeve shirt with some socks, I‘ll fly down, and just walk back in... but I went to the store.... so I need to come back with something. “Can I have ten dollars?” I smiled sheepishly looking at Enji.“

He sighed before turning to the dresser and pulled out a bill out of his wallet. I grinned and thanked him, “I’ll be back in, five or ten minutes.” I shrugged and opened the Balcony window. Taking eagle form, I dived down into an alley way barrel rolling and lading back on human feet. I walked out and stopped outside a tourist shop. The shop owner was placing out a box of mini hero figures, the same figures from that night we patrolled. These were a new release with the change to get Gold or Silver All Might, Endeavour or Hawks. I got excited and rushed in, I “went to the store”, but I never said what for. the packs were on sale, 2 for $5.00. And lucky for me, I had managed to get a $50. Each box comes with 12 lucky bags each bag has 3 mini figures, there are only 10 Pro hero’s currently released in this line. I have a ten percent chance of getting Endeavour, All Might or Hawks, if you add the 6 new figures to the line thats 16 characters in total. Meaning there are three possible Endeavor, All Might and Hawks,,, But, the chances of getting a special edition, would be 2 of 16 which should be 12.5 out of 100. If I multiply by three that raises the chance 37.5 of 100. So out of all 36 Figures that means I have to at least get 1 limited edition Per box, bu counting in these are the first boxes to pull in customers, they overload the limited ones to make it look easy so people will be convinced to buy them because it’s “easy” to find a limited figure... meaning... “ill give you $50 even for both boxes.”

I turned to look at the cashier guy who seemed unimpressed but nodded, “I usually sell boxes for $30 dollars each but I feel generous 25 each plus taxes.”

“How about $20 plus taxes.” I counter offered. He squinted at me before he made another offer, we went at this until we were back at my original offer. “Alright, this is my last offer,” he huffed and stared at me hard, “$50 dollars cash, no taxes, and IF you become a Pro Hero you do advertising free for my shop.”

I laughed and nodded, “Deal.” He packed the boxes and I paid him before we parted ways. By the time I made it back to the hotel Fuyumi rushed to me with a look of worry. “Where were yOU I WAS WORRIED?!”

I smiled, “I was in the middle of a very serious conversation about some very serious things.”

“A toy store, that bag says you were at a toy store.” Shoto said sounding very unimpressed.

I smiled and let out a sheepish laugh, “well...” I looked down and hid the bag behind me, “I never said I went to buy anything important.”

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“Ow......ow.......nooooo stop.” I whined feeling one more tug at my hair and finally it fell down.

“There, we’re done.” Fuyumi fluffed my hair a bit before smoothing it out again, “Now lets go, before Natsuo starts causing a fuss.” She ushered me to move and I did leading our way to the elevator.

“Alright,“ I sighed slouching a little... “....Wanna see something cool?” I asked standing back up, Fuyumi cocked a brow by smiled a little, “Alright, I do actually.”

I dug into my pocket and pulled out a gold endeavor figure, “Boom, its your dad.“ I took her hand and placed it in her palm, “You can have that, I have another one.” I smiled when she let out a slight laugh. “Thank you, I’ll keep him with my keys.” We stood in a comfortable silence until the doors opened and we started to move out I asked, “Soooo, what are we doing after this award ceremony?” I asked tilting my head in curiosity.”

“I don’t know, she said he lips pulling to the side in a displeased way, ��They didn’t let me plan out this trip so its a surprise for the both of us.” My only answer was to nod while I smiled down at the ground, “Sounds Fun.”

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”Aren’t those kids from UA?” The voices of photographers were loud with there questions as flashes went of left and right, “Why are they with Pro Hero Endeavor?” “I don’t know but these kids could pull in the views!”

“Todoroki! A question if you Will!” “Hey Midoriya Over here!” “L/N! Can you pose for a few photos!” “Todoroki look over here!” Midoriya whats it like to learn from Pro Hero All Might??” “L/N! L/N! Are you affiliated with Todoroki or Midoriya?”

As much as I love getting my photo taken, I knew sticking around for pictures and questions in this scenario is probably the last thing I should do. So instead I stayed close to Natsuo almost sandwiched between him and Fuyumi. I stayed betwen them as we kept moving, Sho and Deku were behind us not rushing, Sho seemed unaffected and Deku was looking down red faced and embarrassed. It was kinda cute. I looked back ahead watching Enji ignore everyone moving forward with purpose and carrying himself with pride. I smiled watching him I know not everyone can see him or respect him as the number one hero but, to me, He can be so much more if only people would give him a chance. I know he’s not the most kind person in public, but with the right sidekick or partner that could change easy. When Hawks was with him those brief days, his like ability actually raised. So I know all it takes is someone pushing him to be more interactive with his fans, he knows now there are some that like him, bit i also understand why it’s so hard for him to accept it...

“Alright, were in, lets go find some seats.”

The ceremony went by slowly, I was bored listening to a bunch of speeches but at least made it look like I was paying attention. I couldn’t even sit by Enji because Fuyumi took my place, and then I managed to get stuck between Natsuo and Sho and they kept talking and we had to refrain from laughing to loud at a few things. Midoriya was so interested in everything that was happening and i started to pay attention when they actually started calling name, Sho and Natsuo stopped after Fuyumi told them to shut up. Which I appreciated now that things were getting interesting. I listened to the awards leaning forward more and more as more hero’s showed up collecting awards and moving on with speeches each with their own rounds of applause. I got this twisted feeling about Eniji going so I whispered to Sho who voiced the idea of us cheering for their dad and Fuyumi praised him for caring about their dad and he took the praise. So when Enji was called for an award of Achievement and a few other things the crowd applauded but how it normaly had so I stood up pulling Sho and Natsuo with me which caused Fuyumi and Midoriya to stand we clapped louder and cheered “For the new Number one Hero!” I screamed and then the five of us cheered more as others started to stand and clap louder. I looked at Fuyumi who smiled back and nodded. After the crowd calmed down and sat he gave a short speech, almost another thirty minutes of closing speech we finally got to leave.

“Finally! I’m free!” I cheered running straigh into Natsuo’s back as he stopped out of nowhere. “My face.” I groaned pushing away from him, it was in that moment I realized how big he actually was, “Wow, you’re actually tall.” I leaned to use his head to block the sun.

He looked back over his shoulder at me, “huh? Did you say something down there?” He... he just... he just bullied me for my height... “I-...” I look esta him and swallowed, “IM TELLING FUYUMI YOURE BULLYING ME!”

I watched his eyes widen and turned to rush to Fuyumi and he screamed, “wait...NO”

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“Natsuuoooooo?” I poked his cheek as he sat pouting arms crossed, “Nat...Suo? Nat... pssst hey Nat, you still mad?” I poked his cheek again and smiled watching him force back a smile. “Come one, you cant be mad.” I poked his cheek causing him to smile briefly before he forced it back again, so I quickly summoned a feather and poked his cheek distracting him before using it to tickle his other side causing him to laugh.

“Alright fine fine, I’m not mad anymore.” He wheezed as I pulled my feather away, plucking it from the air. “A hero’s work is never done.” I gave an exaggerated sigh and he a single laugh kinda like a scoff, “Some hero you are, you get innocent pedestrians hurt to save them.” he crossed his arms and snapped his head the other way, unamused I felt me brows go up, “Innocent? Pedestrian? You?” I paused when he gave me an offended look. “I don’t think so.”

“Natsuo-“ We turned to look at Shoto, the two of having been sitting outside on a stone bench after Fuyumi scolded him strongly and I pulled into it.

“Yes?” He asked standing up and popping his back.

“Our father, asked if you could head back with Fuyumi to the hotel to pick up her bag of clothes. She left it when she was rushing out. Well meet for lunch before we do anything else.” Shoto said leaning his head to the side slightly.

“Oh,” he looked at me and then over his shoulder at the doors we had both just sulked out of, “yeah, well take a Taxi. I’ll get Fuyumi and we’ll leave.” He nodded and turned to leave.

I moved to stand by Sho, “So?” I asked elbowing him slightly, “how was last night?” “Well, I could ask you the same.” He side eyed me, “Take your phone with you next time you jump out a window.” I didn’t miss the amusement in his eyes, “Right,” I nodded and he closed his eyes a small smile on his lips. “Now, where are we going for lunch?”

“Oh! I read about this American style fondue place! It’s supposed to be really good! So I kinda wanted to try it and I was going to suggest it but, it’s pricey so, eheh, ya know.” I shrugged and Shoto’s brief look of amusement came back, you want what Kaminari told me is a Glucose Guardian, someone who pays for what you want.” I choked, “Sugar daddy.”

“What?”

“What. Nothing, so, lunch? I’m hungry? Also I’m riding in front move.” I rushed past him jumping into the passenger seat before he followed after Deku had met him. I was buzzing in my seat and the took Enji’s hand the moment he was sat and started driving, I squeezed his hand staring out the window, watching the building and cars pass. It felt so nostalgic, but how could it be nostalgic?

“Where are we eating?” I turned to Enji at his question, before looking at Sho through the mirror, “There’s this place Y/n was talking about.” I felt a squeeze to my hand meeting Enji’s stare as he looked at me briefly before looking at the road, “Where is it?”

I smiled and used my free hand to grab my phone, “it’s not to far from here, we should be able to make it in ten minutes if traffic is good.” I clicked away typing the address, “Yup, go straight, take a right at the light, and it should be a large glass building on the corner! It’s a fondue place, more American style!” I tried to talk and explain while squeezing Enji’s hand at the excitement I was feeling. Upon getting to the restaurant we waited a while, having sent Fuyumi and Natsuo the address we waited at least half an hour until we got a call.

“Dad, I don’t think we’ll be able to do lunch today, a really bad wreck caused a traffic jam on this side of the city, it’s an estimated two hour wait until we can move, well find a place to eat once we get closer if you all want to go ahead and eat we’ll be fine.” Before he could answer Shoto spoke “Thank you for your sacrifice.”

“We should go then?” I questioned looking around the car.

“Yes.” Enji said turning the key and opening his door to get out.

After we all got out the car, we started our way towards the restaurant. I awed at it, we made it in met with a nice man, “Welcome to The Melting Hot Pot! How many will be in your party?”

We all looked up at Enji, “Four.” We all nodded, it felt as if we were judging him.

“Would you like a private room or to be seated in our public seating area.”

“Private.” He nodded and the host nodded, “You can follow me this way.”

“Will this be you’re first time dining with us?” We all slid into seats in the large luxurious looking booth, it’s was in a room with a sliding screen door for privacy.

“Yes it will.”

“Great! I’ll give you the crash course before you’re waiter comes to attend to your table.”

After about seven minutes and looking at a menu the Host left and we started to talk about what sounded good.

“Wisconsin cheddar cheese?” Shoto asked.

“Flaming turtle... sounds painful...” Midoriya was staring at the opposite side of the menu.

“Maybe... we should start with a salad? Before we start looking at the fondue, there’s.. Wisconsin Wedge... California... Caesar... and a house, so, what sounds good?”

We tried to talk it out but no luck, we ended up right where we started, until Midoriya looked at Enji, “Mr.Endeavor sir,” I held back a laugh.

He hummed staring at Deku, his face didn’t change making him seem angry or annoyed, “What?”

Midoriya flinched.

“Maybe you.... you have more experience with this than we do, do you have a-any... advice?”

Enji nodded, “Get a California Salad, you’re allowed two cheeses, well get the Wisconsin Cheddar and Quattro Formaggio, for entree you’ll get a classic plate that comes with Pork, shrimp, chicken and steak cooked in a Mojo style broth, and for two desserts you’ll get a flaming turtle and Yin & Yang mix.”

We all stared at him, “Have you been here before?” I asked interested.

“No,” he held up a rectangular piece of plastic lined paper, “It’s a recommended course.”

“That’s very convenient.” I mumbled and we all looked as our waiter slid the door open finally entering.

“Hello, sorry for being late, what can I bring you to drink.”

“A tea, please.” Shoto and Midoriya spoke at the same time.

“Alright, two sweet iced teas,” and for you, she turned to me, “A spirit free watermelon cooler.”

“Good choice, and for you sir?” She turned to Enji who was looking at the menu, “A Billionaire’s Coffee.” He didn’t even look at her.

“Alright,” she looked at us, “I’ll get your drinks and be right back to take your order.”

She left and we casually just sat there looking around at the decor.

“I like the low lights, it’s nice kinda cosy.” I talked out loud to no one, before I looked at Midoriya locking eyes contact, “perfect place for a date.”

He chocked on air and brought his arm to his face blushing stuttering out things I didn’t understand. I laughed a bit, enjoying the show before he calmed down when the waiter appeared.

“Alright, what are we getting?” She looked at us and all I did was look up at Enji, he sighed, “We’d like to try the Complete Fondue experience for four.” He tapped the plastic with his finger and she noted it, “in that exact order.”

She nodded again, “An exact copy of the full experience, now before I head out, does anyone want to add a lobster tail or any extra meats to their plates?”

“No,”

“No thank you.”

“No, I’m good.”

“No.”

“Alright then, I’ll be turning on the burners, they will get hot, please do not touch them.” She pulled out a small metal stand with a promotional flyer and placed it on the burners before she left.

“I’m excited.” I reached over under the table and took Enji’s hand and brought it back to my lap squeezing his bigger hand between mine.

His hand squeezed mine, I smiled up at him before looking down at his hand, callused, warm. Scars were present but hardly noticeable, I ran my thumb over his knuckles, losing myself in the patterns I began to draw, feeling myself fall into a feeling of nostalgia.

“Y/n,” I looked up at the sound, “Hm?” I hummed in response looking around.

“Are you fine?” Shoto asked his voice soft but his brows were furrowed.

“Yeah, just thinking about school and the internships.” I shrugged, “We’ve been through a lot with everything that’s happened, it’s hard to believe we’re just first year.”

“Hm.” Shoto nodded and I pulled a hand up and lates it palm up on the table.

“Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I see and the more we do, it kinda scares me,” I looked at a scar it ran from the side of my wrist to the back of my hand, it was a deep wound from my Internship, “But seeing everything also makes me realize,” I balled my fist up smiling, “There’s so much space for new hero’s to rise and it excites me knowing one day I’ll be out there fighting for a chance to be number one.”

“Ambitious.” I flinched at the waiters voice who slid the door closed as she entered, “You must be in a hero school then.”

“I, yes, I am.” I nodded and looked away.

“I’ve never heard of you, you must not be that well known. Everyone however would be able to notice our lovely new number one hero Endeavor.” She smiled and patted Enji who just gave her a side eye and she quickly pulled her hand away.

I let out a mix of a scoff and a laugh, “You must live under a rock, or be uncultured, I’m from UA, were our sports festival is streamed publicly almost everywhere throughout the prefecture and surrounding cities, not to mention I was in the news quite a few times with Endeavor and Pro Hero Hawks, I was on headlines and on front page covers of newspapers and magazines, if you can’t recognize me it really goes to show what kind of woman you are.” I made a face and she made a face back.

Before we started a stare down another person walked in, “Alright, here comes a hot pot, everyone be careful.”

As the second waiter was setting up the meal I couldn’t help but mumble to myself, “Bite me, it’s what rabid dogs do anyways.”

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

After eating and Midoriya and I burning ourselves multiple times on hot cheese fondue we finished our desserts and started to head out.

We stepped out into the dark, the afternoon sun had set and the cities night life was crawling out into the streets, lights lit up outside patios, rooftops had flames lit lighting tables, tinted windows were lit up showing the chandeliers that hide during the day. Ladies in fancy dresses and men in suits and flashy attire. It was in that moment I realized how wrong our relationship is, I’m in UA, I’m only 16, sure the consent age is lower then that but, I, this is morally wrong in some eyes... I could ruin Enji’s career if anyone ever found out... I felt a sense of worry fill me. No one knew, I didn’t care before. So what scares me now?

“So! What are we doing tomorrow?” I looked at Enji and Shoto as we walked, Midoriya was unintentionally hidden by Shoto.

“It’s a surprise.” Shoto answered very bluntly and I squinted at him, “Very helpful.”

“How are Fuyumi and....” I paused the name leaving me and looked down, embarrassed, thinking, his name just couldn’t be Naruto because it’s pretty close to that anyways, “Natsuo! Heh! I remembered.”

“Fuyumi messaged me, they tried a curry at an Indian restaurant near the hotel, Natsuo also now holds the title for eating a plate of the spiciest curry in under an hour.” Shoto said flashing us his phone which had a very red smiling Natsuo holding a certificate and a $200 dollar check.

“That’s... impressive.” I was impressed, but it seemed like a painful thing.

I felt my phone buzz, I answered if, “Hello?”

“Hey y/n! It’s Fuyumi, I’d you don’t mind when you get to the hotel can you stop by the hotel shop and pick up something for indigestion or upset stomach, maybe heart burn?”

“Oh,” I smiled, “Yeah, I can do that, we’re on the way back about to get in the car, the streets are empty so we should be there soon, so, I’ll get it for you.”

“Thank you, sorry for the burden but I feel bad for leaving Natsuo while his stomach is hurting this much.”

“Don’t worry! I’m a hero, it’s what I do.” I smiled getting into the car as we reached it.

“Still, thank you y/n.” She sounds like she was smiling, I could feel it, in that moment how much she really cared for her family. It kinda warmed my heart in a way I can’t describe.

“Alright, see you then.” I ended the call and explained everything on the way over, Enji sighed and rubbed his forehead before pinching the bridge of his knows shaking his head. I smiled, noticing the edge of his lips twitch upwards a bit before he forced it down mumbling out Natsuo’s name and something I couldn’t hear.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Tag list

@waffleees-world @daedaep69 @gabrielislovegabrielislife @sabrinakishi @mae3solo

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laryna6 · 3 years

Text

More of the ‘alien attempts to convince human to become co-monarch of the dead and also defend humanity together in an eternal partnership, humans make assumption that someone pulling out all stops to convince human to ‘protect my kids with me’ is after a romantic partnership specifically’ ‘verse:

I was like ‘would there be angst when Sung Jin-Woo is wondering why Ashborn hasn’t set a date yet?’ and then I realize that his family thinks Ashborn is courting using Korea-specific traditions, so it makes sense that a being from another planet would not have a fortune-teller knowledgeable in the stars around this specific planet on tap.

Or actually, according to another source, the groom sends a doc with his astrological data and the bride’s family proposes the date since like, there’s extra stuff that has to be taken into consideration on their side.

So maybe it’s after the initial meet-the-parents and also have their first supervised meeting that Sung Jin-Woo’s going ‘hey I need the moment of your creation down to the hour in terms of both earth calendar and the seasons on your planet and like whatever info you can give me on what the movements and locations of local celestial bodies would have been at the time relative to that planet and images of where stars would have been as seen from the planetary surface - that sort of thing, as much as you can of that. Also have you got any constellations or significance attached to any of that.’ And there probably is given the ‘fragment of brilliant light’ thing and that the creator that is Ashborn’s parent came from the stars, so like, the approach vector??

And then obviously asking Jin-Ho to find the person to do the calculations, so like. Someone is going to get paid enough to be set for life for trying to figure out what is a good day for two spirits to be united with each other and also heaven and earth when there are two earths involved.

Research astrology, or actually research theology, since we’re dealing with one god of light and law-> god of the dead and one human -> god of the dead. Jin-Ho would absolutely manage to find someone happy to be working on that sort of problem.

Thankfully the fortune teller will be able to correct them that SJW needs to be the one wearing blue and Ashborn wearing red. SJW also asked Ms. Selner to help them out with it.

Traditional Korean marriages are very family-centered and Sung Jin-Woo is a very family-centered person and takes commitment seriously, so he’d probably dot the is and cross the ts for all the parts of traditional ceremonies insofar as that is possible rather than taking any cues from current Western/Christian marriage practices since on a ritual level those are committing to a relationship between three parties (individual + individual + god or government) rather than two people + their families (in the context of the worlds and spirits they’re connected to). Igris’ people probably have some eternal commitment/blood (sap) brotherhood ceremony he’d try to incorporate to cover Ashborn’s side of things since the rulers themselves don’t have a marriage tradition.

...since his understanding of ‘marriage’ is ‘2+ beings swearing eternal partnership where they share a domain and shelter and maybe create other beings together and also join together’ Ashborn would probably go ‘yeah that is absolutely the human word for what I am going for here.’

So Jin-Woo going ‘so is this a good day and time for us to get married and just to be sure is my apartment going to be okay to do it?’ and Ashborn is ‘well for you to become my equal and ascend to your power as a fellow death-god your soul will need to enter my shadow but there’s no reason you can’t do that from your apartment’

They work out that Jin-Woo does that, then Jin-Woo summons Ashborn as a shadow so his actual spiritual body isn’t there since it can’t survive on earth yet and they do the human ceremony of commitment and exchange of vows.

Next problem is wedding invites, and actually Il-Hwan is in communication with rulers in canon so he probably CAN ask them to come and WILL in case of any funny business. But there’s limited space in apartment, so two of them are going to have to attend from inside Go Gun-Hee and Thomas Andre, who is going to take up a ton of space as it is.

Wedding invites include a date for a meeting sometime in the previous two days so Jin-Woo can explain what’s going on so nobody freaks out, throws down, and wrecks the building. Mom goes ‘do you want me to come help explain’ and Jin-Woo is ‘ILU mom’

Homosexual marriage is not legal in SK, and although a marriage between a man and a genderless being is in fact a heterosexual marriage it’s probably still not legal, but Sung Jin-Woo’s only interest in laws and regs is ‘how do I keep them from getting in the way while I do whatever I want’ so he probably does not give a solitary damn what the government thinks of his marriage status, but GGH might be ‘oh heads up someone vital to this country’s survival is marrying a genderless person so you might want to recognize that as a thing to make sure you don’t piss him off’ and like, every country wants s-ranks so getting Ashborn docs is trivial. They’re probably even accurate.

So media is now blowing up because marriage of most powerful hunter is Big News and ofc they are pissed since it is actual canon that when when Sung Jin-Woo holds a press conference it is a sign of the end of the world. So they have to settle for AhJin guild’s press releases and whatever Go Gun-Hee and Thomas Andre feel like saying. And they are both benevolent bastards.

Ok, so... staying at bride’s house for three days after ceremony...

Couples are supposed to control their emotions and be somber and reserved during ceremony, fortunately for Sung Jin-Woo. It will be clear that they are both taking this as a Very Serious Commitment.

Korean weddings are two families becoming one as well as the two people, so like, the rulers are now Sung Jin-Woo’s Family, as well as him being grateful to them for saving his dad, so.

Ceremony is begun by entrance of The Moms. If Sung Jin-Woo gets informed re. Ms. Selner containing a piece of the creator, he absolutely will hit up the US to borrow her. She is a grandma, in the peaceful timeline at least, so presumably she is a mom.

Problem: since Ashborn has the yin element, does that mean ceremony needs to take place at his family’s place? Either way, after the ceremony at the bride’s family’s place, there’s a second ceremony at the groom’s family, so to an alien planet it is. Dates and chestnuts are supposed to be offered by the guest family at the second ceremony, and dates and chestnuts only grow on earth, so that works with the first ceremony being at SJW’s apartment. With pomegranate seeds added to cover adoption of undead children.

I was thinking SJW googling ‘marrying a god’ traditions to find things he might want to incorporate so make this ironclad? But like, a professional has been hired, so.

I was like, SJW planning a honeymoon since hosting Ashborn on earth? But like, SJW would absolutely go ‘best place on this planet is my apartment with my family’ so the fact that’s the traditional post wedding thing is just ‘yes perfect.’

‘Spend time with my family, spend time with Ashborn’s family, kill everything that poses a threat to our families‘ is optimum scheduling *nodsnods*

#given Sung Jin-Woo's COMMITMENT #to all those considered family #he will go full bridezilla if necessary #solo leveling #Sung Jin-Woo is the kind of person #to whom you do not say #'you must complete these 3 impossible taks #before you marry my kid

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lovelylogans · 3 years

Text

calculation

logan does some calculations. he is frankly blown away by what he has found.

part of the wyliwf verse.

warnings: discussions of financial stress, discussions of pregnancy/labor, mentions of transphobia and running away from home, please let me know if i’ve missed any!

pairings: logan/roman, virgil/patton

words: 3,459

notes: saw the date approaching and i could not resist! debutante is next on the docket of things to finish; i was finishing my big bang fic, which you can check out here.

logan first did the math when he was a kid, when sixteen still sounded like forever away, practically adulthood.

logan redid the math once he actually hit sixteen, just to be sure. then he put a reminder in his phone’s calendar, and circled it on his calendar. it went out of his mind. and then it came back into it the night of august 21, when the day-before reminder he’d plugged into his phone’s calendar buzzes. it is the first thing on his mind when he wakes up the next morning.

it is august 22. he is precisely sixteen years and two hundred and ninety-two days old.

in other words, he is exactly as old as his father was when he gave birth to him.

logan stares at the ceiling for a few moments.

at this exact age, my dad had me.

he sits up. he gets dressed. he brushes his teeth.

if someone handed me a baby today, and said, this is yours now, good luck, would i even remotely be able to handle it? on my own, with seemingly no help from my parents?

he packs his backpack. he descends the stairs.

if i had to run away from home in three weeks and two days’ time, with that same baby, then proceed to hold down a full-time job and eventually add in all the pressures of getting a ged, managing my money, and attempting to settle into that new environment, all while juggling the emotional upset of running away from home, all while being suddenly poverty-stricken and homeless, and separating myself from all that i knew, would i even remotely be able to handle it?

“kid?” virgil says. he’s taken a couple steps away from the stove, leaning in a little closer to logan than the norm, as if he’s examining him for some kind of fault. virgil has clearly been repeating himself, and logan has clearly not given any indication that he’s been listening. logan nods at him, to signal yes, i’m sorry, i’m listening to you now.

“i was just saying good morning,” virgil says. “hot cocoa/coffee’s nearly done.”

"good morning,” logan parrots back, mostly out of habit. “good.”

“having trouble waking up?” virgil asks, going back to mind breakfast—oh, eggs and bacon. good.

you would have to deal with feeding yourself and the baby, too, his mind whispers.

virgil was there to feed us, that’s less of an impact, he argues with himself. and yet—still a stressor. still something to manage. still something he would technically have to pay for. he adds that to the mental list.

“logan?” virgil says. oh. right. virgil had asked a question.

“coffee,” logan says instead, and virgil laughs a little then sighs.

“i really thought i’d manage to get you out of the caffeine trap that your dad’s landed in,” he says, before he momentarily disrupts the pot filling to pass over a mug for logan.

logan takes a long drink.

the baby has colic, don’t forget, his brain says. if we’re doing full equivalency here. so the already negligent amount of sleep that parents typically get is reduced by the fact that you have no partner to aid you, and reduced even more by the baby’s condition.

logan was about to put the mug down, but instead he goes back for more.

“hey, slow down,” virgil scolds, “you two are on caffeine limits, don’t forget.”

logan decides not to point out that he could go to remy’s café if he became truly desperate for caffeine throughout the day. he just nods.

“did you not sleep well, or something?” virgil asks, but they’re interrupted.

his dad is still in his pajamas, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. he shuffles his way into the kitchen and, by way of greeting, thumps his forehead into virgil’s shoulder.

“coffee,” he whines.

“good morning to you, too,” virgil says, sounding sappy and fond. “sit down, i’ll get you some.”

his dad sits, squinty-eyed, and looking quite a bit like he’d like to be pushed back into bed so that he could sleep for at least three more hours.

true to his word, virgil gets patton a mug of hot cocoa/coffee (logan notices, perhaps a bit less mutinously than he usually would on any other early morning, that his father’s mug certainly has a larger capacity to hold liquid than his) and patton leans up to kiss him on the cheek in thanks.

virgil dishes up breakfast and sits down at the table himself. logan eats on auto-pilot. they’re never very chatty in the mornings, so logan is grateful for the cover of subterfuge while his brain is rolling over you would have to spend your meager salary mostly on baby care, the rest on food, so saving money for things is shot. you cannot reach back to your parents for help, so you are on your own. you would also be responsible for the duties of your job, which, if they are the same as the housekeepers’ at the inn today, would include...

logan gets up, puts his plate in the sink, and gets up to go to school, still early enough in the school year that things aren’t too terribly stressful yet—his dad offers a “bye, love you, have a good day!” sounding a bit more like he means it after his second (or is it third?) cup of hot cocoa/coffee, virgil echoing him, and when logan turns to go he sees his father’s trans pride scarf on the coat rack. where it always is. but today, it makes something cold sink in his belly.

you would also be dealing with the aftermath of potential trauma caused by bullying, not only by your peers, but by the people your parents call friends. you would also likely be suffering from terrible body dysphoria. you would also have no idea when you would be able to begin physically transitioning.

logan shoulders his backpack, and hastily shouts back “love you too!” and he can hear his father’s startled “oh!” because usually he just says sixteen, and he heads out of the house before his dad can get too sappy about it.

he should say that more often, shouldn’t he? he should say that more often.

⁂

bits and pieces keep floating into his mind, even as he tries his very best to focus on class.

you haven’t even accounted for inflation in your (admittedly estimations, at best) potential ideas of what your budget would look like, his brain offers helpfully, in the middle of his math class. logan shakes himself and refocuses on writing notes.

you haven’t even accounted for the potential physical complications following childbirth. just because dad hasn’t talked about any, it doesn’t mean there weren’t any, his brain points out in the midst of chemistry. logan scowls and narrows his eyes at the instructions for the lab they’re having next week, trying to force them to swim back into focus.

insurance costs for the baby’s milestone doctor’s appointments in history. heartbreak from leaving your best friend who had proposed to you when he gets a text from roman during lunch. you didn’t even think about needing to carry around your baby with you as you do your job when you were thinking about the duties of the job and the physical strain that could cause in english. attempting to babyproof and remodel, to some extent, a building which was never meant for long-term habitation in latin. trying to find time for therapy and dealing with your various traumas in newspaper.

an elbow bumps his. he glances over at where janus is sitting, the computer next to his.

janus arches an eyebrow, giving him a pointed look out of the corner of his yellow eye, even as he doesn’t break stride in typing the transcript of the interview he must be transcribing. logan is only a little jealous of his fluidity.

“how’s the profile of the new theological studies teacher going?” he asks, in a bored, temperate voice—a perfectly normal question, in a perfectly normal tone, that fits perfectly with the chatter of everyone discussing page placements for the stories, finalizing edits for their upcoming deadlines.

it would be a perfectly normal question, that is, if janus didn’t know full well that logan turned in the finalized story last week.

“fine, i suppose,” logan says, glancing at his computer screen. his cursor is blinking at him. the document says he made his last edit ten minutes ago. “i’ve just... i’ve been engaging in something of a thought experiment, today.”

janus hums, pauses the interview, removes an airpod from his ear. “any results you’re willing to share?”

that same voice, like a whisper in his ear. janus has talked about running away.

that’s different, he’d almost argue, but.

but.

logan hesitates, before he says abruptly, “do you remember we had the conversation we had about the scarlet letter?”

janus’ brow furrows, just for a moment—they have both been incredibly vocal in their dislike for the scarlet letter—before the confusion clears, and he frowns a little at logan, perplexed.

“yes,” he says cautiously.

“and the end of that discussion?” logan says.

“if you want to talk about it—”

“we aren’t friends.”

“i know that. but if you ever do… want to talk about it.”

“i will. if i want to.”

“okay.”

“but i probably won’t.”

“that’s fine.”

“but if i do—”

“i’m around.”

“...of course,” janus says, mild, an undertone of caution in his voice.

“just,” logan says, and redirects his eyes to the screen. “i just wanted to ensure you remembered. it’s important to me that you do.”

“....okay,” janus says, with a tone in his voice that clearly denotes that he thinks logan is acting strange. “does it have to do with your thought experiment?”

logan spares a thought, then—the importance his father had always placed on talking about your feelings, throughout logan’s childhood, seemingly hoping to avoid his parents’ mistakes.

“a little,” logan says. “but only tangentially. i just—”

“wanted to make sure i remembered,” janus says. “take it as remembered. truly.”

“okay,” logan says and clicks out of the document, pulling up the proposed schedule for his upcoming deadlines. “good.”

out of the corner of his eye, he sees janus smile, just barely, put his airpod back in, and resume typing.

⁂

he documents some stray thoughts he’d had throughout the day in his notebook on the bus ride home.

the stray thoughts alone take up two pages.

he nearly misses his stop because he’s busy pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to think of anything he could have possibly missed.

he gets off the bus in time—just barely—and as he’s adjusting his backpack strap, trying not to drop anything, he glances over.

roman’s in the studio—sitting down, presumably doing homework. logan knows that a class is due to start relatively soon.

his feet are moving before he can stop himself.

roman looks up at the sound of the door opening, and his face brightens.

“hey!” he says, and rises to his feet. logan crosses over and kisses him, a brief hello, and roman continues, “i didn’t know you were coming over.”

“i didn’t either,” logan says.

“how was your day?” roman asks.

and, instead of really responding to that question, logan blurts out, “if someone handed me a newborn baby today, would you trust me with it?”

roman blinks at him, once, twice, then, “yyyyeeess...?”

“really?” logan demands. “i know nothing about how to set up health insurance. nothing. and with what colleges cost lately, i’d need to set up a 529 plan unless i want the baby drowning in debt. do i know anything about tax-advantages? absolutely not, much less investing. and not even to mention the debate on the best sustenance for a baby! how on earth should i know whether breast milk or formula is best? and i’d need to keep an eye on the baby to make sure they’re developing properly, but what would i know the proper milestone procedures for a baby?! and sleep habits! how am i meant to sleep train a baby! how do you even sleep train a baby, it’s a baby, they aren’t exactly known for being the most logical and reasonable of life forms—”

“okay, whoa, whoa, whoa,” roman says, setting aside his math book. “calm down, dada-dork, take a deep breath.”

logan’s breathing in for four before he even really registers what roman’s saying.

“i’d ask if you had something to tell me, but i happen to know that you aren’t exactly equipped to have a pregnancy,” roman tries to joke. “what’s, um. what’s going on?”

“i’m sixteen years and two hundred and ninety-two days old today.”

“okay,” roman says, clearly not getting it.

“dad was sixteen years and two hundred and ninety-two days old when he had me.”

“oh,” roman says, his eyes growing round as quarters, then, “oh.”

“i don’t,” logan says, then, shaking his notebook, “how. how. i haven’t even sat down to think of all the minute details yet, this is off the top of my head—”

“the obscure tax thing was off the top of your head?”

“—i’d need to do more research to understand it fully—parenting classes, baby cpr certification, god, even just the cost of diapers—”

“logan,” roman says in a very careful, very gentle tone. “you’re not actually having a baby.”

“i know that,” logan says irritably.

“okay, so, unwind,” roman says, putting a hand on logan’s shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. “it’s a hypothetical baby.”

“but i wasn’t a hypothetical,” logan says. “i wasn’t. how on earth—?”

roman shrugs. “well, we already know that your dad’s an amazing person.”

even more so than i had realized, logan thinks.

⁂

patton watches logan out of the corner of his eye.

logan, oblivious to the rest of the dining table, has been poking at his side salad with his fork with a single-minded look on his face, the one he wears when he’s very intensely focusing on something.

patton glances at virgil. virgil quirks an eyebrow, like, yeah, i’ve noticed.

patton arches his eyebrow back. any ideas on what this is about?

virgil shakes his head, then tilts his head toward patton. no, i was going to ask you.

patton shakes his head too, before he says, lightly, “hey, kiddo, could you pass the salad dressing?”

no real response.

“logan,” patton says, then after more lack of recognition, he says again, “logan.”

that gets him. logan glances up.

“huh?”

“could you pass the salad dressing?” patton repeats patiently. he doesn’t really need the salad dressing, but it’ll be an easy way to break into the conversation.

“oh, right,” logan says and does so.

“thanks,” patton says. he empties a little bit over his salad, before he clears his throat and says, “you seem like you’re thinking pretty hard over there. want a second opinion?”

logan chews the inside of his lip, before he says abruptly, “do you know what day it is?”

“um,” patton says, squinting at the calendar on their fridge. “the twenty-second?” then, to virgil, “that isn’t a holiday, is it? am i forgetting a holiday?”

“mrs. torres said it was national eat a peach day today,” virgil says dryly. “so it’s not exactly a major holiday we’re missing out on here.”

“i’m sixteen years and two hundred and ninety-two days old today,” logan prompts.

patton frowns at virgil. “i thought half-birthdays were, y’know. half a year after.”

“they are,” virgil says. “quarter-birthday? logan, is it your quarter-birthday?”

logan opens his mouth, pauses, seems to calculate something in his mind, before he says, “no, it’s not my quarter-birthday. i think the closest fraction would be my three-quarters and and four-fifths birthday, which is the day after tomorrow besides, and not exactly major cause for celebration, i don’t think.”

“that feels very alice in wonderland,” patton says.

“yeah, it’s your un-birthday,” virgil says. “it’s all of our un-birthdays. happy un-birthday to us.”

“there’s two hundred and ninety-two days between january 15 and november 3.”

it clicks, then, for patton.

“oh.”

it does not click for virgil.

“is it patton’s quarter-birthday?” virgil says, sounding stressed. “i thought the major ones were birthday and half-birthday. are we adding in quarter-birthdays? should i have made cupcakes for someone’s somethingth birthday?”

patton reaches across to squeeze virgil’s wrist.

“no, honey,” he says. “it’s—logan’s the exact age i was when i had him.”

virgil says, “oh, good, i didn’t forget anyone’s birthday,” then he looks between logan and patton, and then he looks between patton and logan, and then, “oh my god, what?!”

virgil gets up from the table and begins to pace, looking wild-eyed.

“what?” patton says.

“oh my god, logan is a baby,” virgil says, a hysterical edge to his voice.

“i am not!” logan says, with all the ruffled indignity of a growing-up-too-fast teenager.

“—he’s a baby, and you were—i mean, i knew you were young, but when i see it as the age logan is now—patton, jesus christ—”

virgil ceases his pacing enough to bend down and wrap patton up in a hug the best he can, before he resumes pacing with a panicked “a baby!”

“breathe for me, the pair of you,” patton says, and virgil and logan suck in breaths with such identical stunned looks on their faces that it makes patton giggle a little bit.

“okay,” patton says and surveys logan. “wow. exact age. i mean, i kind of had a moment when you turned sixteen, but.”

“how,” logan says, his eyes a bit too wide to pass for normal. “just. how.”

“we-ell, as virgil might recall, i wasn’t exactly the paragon of organization, preparedness, and zen,” patton tries to quip, but it doesn’t really erase the stress in the pair of them. oh, his two easily-induced-to-anxiety boys.

“um, in a lot of ways, i really wasn’t,” patton admits, reaching across to pat logan’s hand. “but in retrospect, a lot of the minutiae didn’t really seem to affect you? i mean, i don’t think you really notice a lack because i didn’t have top-quality diapers and secondhand clothes and homemade things for a good chunk of your baby slash toddler slash early childhood, do you?”

he says it in a slightly joking tone, but that sense of worry, years past, is apparently still lurking deep in his chest. hm. maybe something to mention to emile. maybe he should shoot a text to emile about arranging a session.

“no,” logan says immediately, “no, you—no. i mean. i was just—”

and then he digs around in his backpack and pulls out a notebook, with pages and pages of notes, and patton’s heart gives a strange little clench at the sight of logan trying to plan for a baby that isn’t going to be in his life.

not anytime soon, anyways, it’s not like accidental teenage pregnancy is something he has to worry about with logan and roman, yahoo. plus, it’s not like there are many of patton’s relatives that are geographically close enough to provoke this kind of worry—he’s pretty sure they’ve hit a solid lull in the new baby! aspect of life.

“logan,” patton says quietly.

“just,” logan says and gestures wordlessly at his notes for a few moments.

then logan leans across the table and hugs patton.

patton immediately wraps him in up in a big, tight hug. while logan was a bit of a cuddlebug when he was very little, ever since he hit schooling age he’d insisted he was a big boy and was much less inclined to initiate physical affection with his old dad; this is a moment between a dad and his fiercely independent, adult-too-fast son that is meant to be savored, surely.

“i love you,” logan mumbles, muffled against patton’s shoulder, “and i really appreciate you.”

“oh,” patton says, immediately getting choked up. he rubs a hand up and down logan’s back. “oh, honey, i love you too. raising you was—is—the best part of my life. i appreciate everything you’ve done for me too.”

“even if you had to deal with obscure tax and emancipation laws?” logan says in a small voice. patton snorts.

“even though i had to deal with obscure laws,” he promises. “best part of my life. hands down. no offense, virgil,” he adds hastily, looking at virgil over logan’s shoulder.

virgil holds up his hands. “none taken. i get it.”

“i mean,” patton contemplates, “the labor did hardcore suck.”

logan snorts, perhaps a little bit more clogged than usual, but it’s a snort nonetheless.

“let’s see,” patton muses. “i could start giving you the labor spiel early this year, ‘stead of on your birthday...”

“dad,” logan grumbles, but he’s still smiling, just a bit, and patton is too.

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dukethomas · 3 years

Text

Summary: Duke’s parents recover and come home. Written for Duke Week 2021 Day Six: Family Bonding.

I was going to write something angstier for this prompt, but it actually turned into just the comfort part of hurt/comfort. Sometimes I need a good cry about something good happening to characters I love.