#wanted to do something soft
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Steve's not obsessed with Eddie's hands.
He's not.
They're just... he happened to notice them, once, when Eddie was listening to Dustin talk through how he might want to make his first DM campaign play out.
Steve wasn't even really paying attention at first, just reading some comic he'd found lying in Eddie's room. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he'd seen it. Movement.
Eddie and Dustin were sitting at the small kitchen table, Dustin talking about puzzles and traps and monsters and Eddie was smiling, nodding encouragingly, looking more and more exicted. But it wasn't the movement of his head that drew Steve's attention.
It was his hands.
They were resting on the sides of his legs, tapping.
Steve could only see one hand really, but he could see Eddie's other arm jumping the same way, his hands moving faster and faster the more excited he got, until they were just hovering near his legs, flapping in the air beside him as he smiled widely at Dustin. He suggested a few things, to Dustin, Steve's pretty sure that's what he was saying anyway, his ears weren't great anymore if he wasn't focused, and right now, all of his focus was on Eddie's hands.
Dustin slapped his hand on the table, pointed at Eddie and then started scribbling as Eddie laughed, Steve always managed to hear Eddie's laugh, his hands flapping harder, slapping at his thighs.
Steve vaguely hears his name, cocks his head to the side, but doesn't respond, his eyes still locked on Eddie's flapping hands, and then they stop moving. Both of them freezing, the one Steve can see clamps down on Eddie's thigh, fingers pressing into his jeans.
Steve blinks. Tears his eyes away. Looks at Eddie.
He's staring at Steve, his cheeks tinted pink. Steve swallows, gives him a little smile before Dustin has his attention, chatting at him about what he and Eddie had just come up with.
Steve hears about half of it. Nodding when he thinks he should, trying his best to sound interested. It's enough for Dustin. The barely there commitment. And usually Steve is better at engaging with him, even though he has no clue what he's talking about.
But he's distracted. His eyes keep wandering to Eddie's hands. But they don't move again the whole time he's there, Eddie's knuckles turn white as Steve's eyes linger on his hand. His fingers still pressing into his thigh, they drum a quick beat here and there, but his hands don't move.
Steve sighs, drags his eyes away, and tries to keep them off Eddie. Somehow feeling like Eddie is embarrassed, or upset, that Steve had seen... whatever it was he'd seen.
~°~
It keeps happening.
Eddie's flapping hands.
Steve's eyes on them.
But he's careful now. He doesn't stare. Just steals glances when the movements draw his eye. And Eddie always has his hands under tables, or tucked close to his sides, when it happens. Like he's trying to hide it.
Steve doesn't understand why. He likes it. Every time he sees Eddie's hands moving excitedly it makes his chest flutter. Like he's so happy that Eddie's happy it just fills him with warmth.
But it happens other times too.
Not only when he's happy.
It happens when he's nervous.
Happens when he's scared.
The movements are more erratic when he's nervous or scared. His hands flap, shake, clench, and unclench at his sides.
Every time, Steve wants to reach out and touch. To take his hands, hold them in his and tell him he's okay. That whatever it is. Steve will help.
But he hides it. Behind distracting smiles, and under tables, and behind his back, sometimes. But Steve sees him, watches him, and he wants.
Wants to ask. Wants to touch. Wants to be touched.
Wants to feel Eddie's shaking, flapping, hands against him. Wants to be the reason they flap happily at his sides sometimes. Wants to feel them flap happily against his sides. Wonders if Eddie would do that against his back if he kissed him.
Or if he'd do it lying underneath Steve, clutching at his shirt before his hands just taptaptaptapped against his back as Steve pressed him into his matress.
Or maybe he'd hold Eddie's hands, up above his head. Feel his fingers tapping against his hands as Steve kissed him, nice and slow. Eddie would just tap faster, if he was happy, if he wanted that, with Steve.
Steve sighed, deeply, and glanced at Eddie's hands, his left one resting in his lap, thumb twisting at his ring. His right one, hanging down by his leg, shaking happily as he listened to Will and Dustin make plans for their new campaign, and wished he could reach out and touch him. Even just settle his hand against Eddie's, just to feel the joy shake out of his body.
~°~
The first time Steve reaches out and takes Eddie's shaking hand, is at the summer carnival.
It's hot. And crowded. And loud. And they're waiting in line for some ride the kids want to drag them on. People laughing and screaming and crowding around, jostling them and bumping their shoulders.
And Eddie had gone quiet about five minutes ago. Steve keeps glancing down, watching his hands. It takes three more minutes. But they start to shake, flapping at his sides before he grabs at his jeans, wipes his palms, lets them shake again.
Steve leans forward, tells Dustin they'll be over by the benches, and he grabs Eddie's hand, gently slides his hand into Eddie's. Eddie looks at him, blinking rapidly.
"You wanna come with me? Get outta here?" Steve asks, jerks his head to the side. Eddie nods immediately, his fingers clamping down on Steve's hand, hard. But Steve doesn't care, because Eddie's hand shakes, just once or twice, and then it stops. And his hand is warm, and strong, inside Steve's as he leads them to the benches and sits Eddie down.
He gives him a drink of his lemon shake up, snorts when Eddie makes a face at the sour taste, and then sits next to him.
Eddie takes a few deep breaths, his eyes closed. He takes his hand out of Steve's, leaving him aching for his touch. Steve just lets him go, rests his hand in his lap instead.
"Thanks." Eddie sighs, after a long moment, his eyes finally opening, they don't land on Steve. Stay locked on his lap.
"Anytime." He says, and he means it. Deep in his chest he means it, he'd do anything for Eddie. Always. Eddie smiles, finally looking at him.
"Can't believe you tried to kill me with that though." Eddie huffs, kicks Steve's shoe with his own and nods at the cup sitting between them.
Steve laughs, watches Eddie smile, his fingers twitching in his lap, his wrist twitches once, Steve's pretty sure it counts.
~°~
The second time he touches Eddie's hands, Eddie's just made them grilled cheese, his signature dish. And he's stitting in front of Steve, his chin resting in one hand, his other hand hidden under the table. He's watching as Steve chews his first bite.
"Weeeell?" He asks, impatient, as always. Steve makes a show of chewing slower, his eyes lifting to the ceiling as he hums, thinking. Eddie kicks at his shin under the table, his socked foot not hurting at all. Steve snorts, kicks back, and says,
"It's good. Really good. Best grilled cheese I ever had." He's serious, knows he sounds like he's teasing.
"Yeah? You like it? I didn't burn it? I mean I know you said you like them crispy but I thought maybe I got it too dark. Might have burnt it." Eddie rambles, and Steve just smiles, shakes his head.
"It's perfect, actually. You're a grilled cheese wizard. Or a... grilled cheese... bard. No I don't think that's a thing. Wizard applies more here, pretty sure." Steve says, waving off his own words like they're nonsense, looking toward the ceiling again to avoid Eddie's, no doubt, exasperated look.
But that's when he sees it.
His eyes are on their way to the ceiling when he sees Eddie's hand, flapping next to his thigh. Steve looks back to him, sees him beaming, and can't help himself when he reaches out and grabs Eddie's shaking hand.
But it's a mistake. He didn't know it would be. Didn't think. Had forgotten about that first day when Eddie had caught him staring and froze.
The smile drops off Eddie's face and he tugs his hand quickly away from Steve, hiding it in his lap, scooting back in his chair, away from Steve, his eyes on the table.
"Sorry. I can't- sorry." He stammers, shaking his head, his cheeks are red, his eyes darting around the table top as he curls in on himself, arms wrapped around his stomach protectively.
"What are you sorry for? You don't have to be sorry." Steve says, his voice soft, just a breath between them really. Eddie frowns, shakes his head again.
"No. It's annoying. I know it is. It just happens. I can't help it." Eddie's voice is firm, his words sound rehearsed, like he's said them a thousand times. It makes Steve's chest ache, with pain for Eddie, and with anger for whoever told him that any part of himself was annoying. Especially this part, a part of him that Steve is sure is pure joy, made visible, made tangible and expressive.
"It's not annoying." Steve says, and he sounds... mad? A little. But not at Eddie. Eddie's eyes snap up, lock on Steve's face, he doesn't blink.
"It's not." Steve reaffirms, one shake of his head. He moves his hand, slides it across the table top slowly, towards Eddie, and then turns it, palm up, waiting.
Eddie's eyes twitch from his face to his hand and back again. Steve smiles, small, and wiggles his fingers, gives Eddie a nod.
"C'mon. It's okay." He nods his head again, eyes dropping to his hand and then back to Eddie's face. Eddie swallows, sits a little straighter, unwraps his arms from his stomach. Steve sees his arms flex, knows Eddie is squeezing his thigh under the table, nervous. But then he moves, slowly brings his hand up, and places it in Steve's.
He sighs, the contact he's been waiting for finally made, Eddie's breathing is shakey as he watches Steve curl his fingers around his hand, pull it closer across the table.
"It's not annoying Eddie it's-" Steve pauses. Eddie frowns, a grimace really.
"Hey. No. I mean it. I like it." Steve says, and Eddie looks at him, his eyes moving back to their tangled hands over and over.
"You do?" He asks, and he sounds so fucking small. So unsure. So Steve does the only thing he can think of, he stands, drags Eddie to his feet as well, and then presses a kiss to Eddie's knuckles.
"I do. I really do. That's why I was staring." Steve says, breathes it against Eddie's hand, smiles when Eddie's fingers twitch against him.
"I'm sorry it made you uncomfortable. But it wasn't because I was annoyed. I promise you that. You believe me?" Steve ducks his head a little, tries to get Eddie to look at him, he's got his free hand up by his mouth, his nail worrying between his teeth. And Steve has to smile, can see Eddie thinking, trying to make sure he does, believe Steve. One moment more and Eddie nods, presses his lips together, and looks at Steve.
"I believe you." He says, teeth worrying into his lip.
"Good. So you- I mean you don't have to hide it. Around me. If you don't want. Cuz I meant what I said. I like it. A lot." Steve feels heat rush into his cheeks and closes his eyes, breathes against Eddie's knuckles for a moment before he looks back up to see Eddie smiling at him. Looking a little in awe. A little breathless.
"You like it that much?" His nose scrunches and Steve just want to fucking kiss him. He nods instead.
"Yeah. I really do. It's like you've got... I don't know... happy little bat wings. Just flapping around you when you're having a good time. I love it. I love-" Steve stops, the words caught in his throat, because that's too much. Maybe. For right now. But he feels it. Has felt it for Eddie for awhile now, the warmth of it humming beneath his skin when Eddie's near him.
Eddie's beaming at him now, tears shining in his eyes, he hides behind his hair, for just a second, before he darts forward, presses his lips to Steve's, a quick press, and then he's gone again, and the space between them is small but still too much.
"Sorry. I've never done that before." Eddie breathes. Steve watches something that could be fear, or regret, pass over Eddie's features like a shadow, and refuses to let it stay there, not even a second longer.
He drops Eddie's hand and cradles Eddie's neck, draws him closer, til their sharing breath.
"Stop apologizing. I want this. You." Steve whispers, pressing his forehead to Eddie's.
"I want you t-"
And Steve kissing him. Slow. Sweet. His hands holding Eddie close. Steve moves his tongue along Eddie's bottom lip, smiles into Eddie's mouth when he gasps, and then deepens the kiss, just so, tilting Eddie's head a little for a better angle. Eddie moans into his mouth, his hands scrambling to grab at Steve's back, clenching in his shirt and unclenching as Steve tilts his world on it's axis.
And then Steve feels it, Eddie's hands, tapping against his back, like he'd thought about since that first day, like he'd dreamed about, on several occasions. Too many to count.
Steve hums into Eddie's mouth, smiles against his lips, their teeth clicking together as Eddie smiles too, laughs into Steve's mouth, his breath filling Steve's lungs as they cling to each other.
See, Steve's not obsessed with Eddie's hands.
He just knew they'd feel perfect tapping out happy rhythms against his skin.
And for once, in his traumatic, full of bullshit life, Steve was right.
He's not obsessed with Eddie's hands.
But he does love them.
The way they move, and shake, and show all of Eddie's joys, wild, and uncontrolled.
And his to hold.
#steddie#steddie ficlet#steddie blurb#i just really needed to write something soft and sweet and this wouldn't leave my head#living vicariously through these boys#inexperienced eddie#autistic eddie munson#he's a happy flapper!!!#fates endless inkwell#fei#mine#my writing#my fic#steve x eddie#steve harrington x eddie munson#this is.... so close to my heart#i just want someone to want me ya know???? to see all the weird shit i do and be like ... fuck. that one. thats the one.
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to know oneself
#i saw that quote describing Daniel!dream again and wanted to do something with it. so here we have fancy fabrics and touches#and maybe softness#dream of the endless#sandman fanart#sandman#the sandman#dream#daniel hall#daniel!dream#matthew the raven#probably will be embarrassed by how i worded the text bubbles in the morning#oh well English isn't my first language by a pretty bit
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Thinking about Optimus noticing you’re tired when you refuse to stop working.
He knows how hard you’ve been working to keep up with the Autobots. Or even in your personal life away from him, Optimus knows you’ve been doing so much. And you’re so tired. But no matter what you do, you never feel it’s enough.
He finds you at your workdesk within the base, leafing through papers like a zombie. It wasn’t long until you couldn’t keep your eyes open anymore, and your head falls into your crossed arms at the desk. With a little gasp, Optimus approaches you.
“Oh, sweetspark…” his gentle voice murmurs from above you, and you’re awakened from your stupor. You jolt upwards— only for a thumb to reach down and lightly press on your cheek, pushing you gently back down onto your work table.
“No, no. Stay there.” Despite the pure kindness to his tone, you could tell he was worried for you. Slowly, more of his blue-plated digits come into your vision, and you realize Optimus was scooping you up into his servos.
Slowly, you’re lifted up and away from your desk— despite how you uselessly reach back down. A blue light fills the corner of your eye, and you turn your head to see Optimus gazing at you with furrowed brows.
“Come, dear. You look exhausted. I can’t imagine how you must feel. Please, let me help you get some rest.”
You do your best to keep your eyes open. You raise a hand to object, open your mouth to argue—
But then, you feel the faintest pulse of his spark ebbing through the plating of his servo beneath you.
The sensation lulls you into absolute security. You muster up the energy to nod, and beneath his faceplate, Optimus offers the gentlest of smiles— one you can see softly lift the corners of his optics.
Slowly, the mech brings you forward to his chassis, cradling you in his hand. You lean your head forwards, close your eyes, and spread your arms against the warm glass of his windshields, letting the feeling of his deep, thrumming spark flow through you. You take in one slow breath, then another— and eventually, you find your own heartbeat has matched pace with his even throbs.
“Relax,” Optimus whispers, and that’s what you do, melting into his gentle touch. “Let me take you somewhere more comfortable. Then, we can rest as much as you need.”
And as the Prime slowly starts forward, careful not to disturb your tiny form too much in his hold, you only give him a little nod once more. With the gentle rocking of his footsteps, it wasn’t long until you drifted off to sleep entirely, before you even made it to his berthroom.
#relic writes#transformers#transformers x reader#optimus x reader#Optimus prime x reader#I’m full of many soft thoughts today#(Have not watched G1 yet but that’s the image for him I had in mind for this so. that’s something Optimus would do I think)#reader insert#Transformers g/t#you could also imagine bayverse or Prime if you wanted to
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Surprise husbands + "How are you real?" ; requested by @vehan-tikkun-olam-and-stuff!
They may not have planned to get married, or even wanted it all too much at the beginning, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to treat each other right. It was rough going, with both of them coming out of relationships and having secret identities, but time had softened the hurt feelings and allowed them to actually get to know each other.
And Danny, Duke has discovered, is a really good husband.
Neither of them ever saw themselves as married at 20, but sometimes life throws horrible curses at you and the embodiment of balance and life and death swoops in to save your life. Via marriage.
His life is weird, okay? Duke has made his peace with it.
The thing is, if they had met naturally and started off as friends, Duke could see himself falling for Danny and asking him to marry him in a far off future. Instead, they’re doing everything backwards: married, then going on dates to know each other, and finally feeling close enough to be friends.
It helps that Danny does his best to communicate and that helps Duke find the words he needs as well.
He’s sweet, too, so kind and doting and affectionate. Like a really lovable cat, honestly. Duke’s never been cuddled so much in his life and he’s loving every minute of it.
He… might be falling in love with his husband. What a revelation.
“Duke?”
He blinks, looking up from his half-empty plate, pulled out of his thoughts suddenly. Tim and Dick stare at him, concerned, and he realizes he’s missed the entire conversation because he was so preoccupied thinking about Danny. In his defense, it was their one year anniversary the night before and Danny had kissed him for the first time after a date night spent playing video games and talking shit about their respective rogues.
Tim snaps a finger in front of his face, and Duke startles. He got distracted by his Danny Thoughts again.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“You okay? You’ve been out of it all day,” Dick says, clearly concerned.
“Oh, uh, yeah, it’s all good. Just… adjusting.”
“To what? Did something happen?”
Duke shrugs, scooping up another forkful of pasta to shove in his mouth. “Yeah, I… this is going to sound kind of stupid, but I think I’m in love with my husband.”
Tim, taking an ill-timed drink, chokes and spits out his Zesti. Dick springs back, trying to get out of the spray zone but doesn’t move far, shocked still by Duke’s words.
“Oh, yeah,” Duke realizes, “I didn’t tell you guys, did I?”
“You’re married?!” Tim shrieks as Dick clutches at his chest, eyes wide.
“You didn’t tell me?” Dick asks, offended.
“Seriously? That’s what you focus on?”
Duke smiles as they begin to bicker. They do it constantly, but this time it’s halfhearted, as if they’re just going through the motions of something familiar to distract themselves from the bomb he’s dropped on them.
In all fairness, Duke did forget that he didn’t tell them that he’s married to Danny. He’s also only mentioned Danny once or twice and heavily implied that Danny was just a classmate at GCU. And then forgot that he didn’t tell them, assuming that they’d figure it out eventually being Batman trained detectives, after all.
Well.
Oops.
Clearly that is not the case. Duke hurries to finish his pasta before Tim and Dick finish their joint freak out and get their senses back together enough to interrogate him. He can’t escape it, but he refuses to have this discussion with an empty stomach.
He just barely manages to scrape the last mouthful off the plate when his fork is being yanked out of his hands. Tim and Dick close in on him, standing to either side of him, trapping him in place, and look at him with knife-sharp smiles.
Here we go, Duke thinks tiredly, and resigns himself to clearing up this misunderstanding.
Somehow, he manages to explain the situation (I got cursed, he saved my life, we ended up married because magic is bullshit, he treats me so well) and Tim and Dick both agree to not hunt down Danny to show him the wrath of older brothers on one condition: Danny has to join them for a family dinner.
“Don’t worry, we’ll catch everyone up on your… situation,” Dick says, pulling on his jacket to head out. Tim is already on his phone, no doubt telling someone already.
“Great,” Duke says, unenthused. “You’ll also be answering all the questions because I’m not in the mood. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to figure out a day that works for all of us, and then I’m going to kick my husband’s ass in Mario Cart.”
He walks out the door, grinning as he hears them scramble after him, then twists the ring on his finger (not a wedding ring, but a magic portal making gift) and steps into the portal. It closes quietly behind him, leaving him in Danny’s lair, a comfortable, spacious house with high ceilings and little bits of his personality scattered about. There are soft rugs with geometric patterns on them, star maps on the wall, stained glass windows that throw colors across the floor, and a giant couch and pillow pit in the living room.
Danny’s asleep in it, curled up and looking completely at peace. Duke toes off his shoes and carefully makes his way over, footsteps silent so he doesn’t wake him up, all plans of Mario Cart fading away instantly.
Danny doesn’t get much sleep, with the stress of school and an internship and ghost fights to worry about. It’s why his lair is so quiet and comfortable; it’s what he needs, and he doesn’t let anyone else in without invitation, rare as it is.
Duke is allowed to waltz right in thanks to the ring Danny gave him. It never stops making him feel overwhelmed by how much trust Danny puts in him to allow him unlimited access to what is his only true sanctuary, letting his lair be a place of safety and respite for Duke as well.
He crawls into the pillow pit, There’s no way to do this without waking Danny up since he can’t fly, so he isn’t surprised to see Danny blink his eyes open, still looking soft and content. He smiles when he sees Duke, reaching a hand out to him that Duke gladly takes, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss his palm.
Sitting up, Danny tilts his head up in a silent request. Duke happily obliges, still reeling over the fact that he’s allowed to do this! He can kiss his husband whenever he wants!
Yeah, he’s going to be riding that high for a while.
“Hey,” Danny murmurs, sleepy and quietly pleased to see him.
“Hi honey,” Duke returns fondly, “Have a nice nap?”
Danny nods, leaning into Duke and closing his eyes again. “Mhm. How long are you staying? I wanna cuddle.”
“I got nothing going on today. I’m all yours, baby.”
“C’mon,” Danny tries to tug him down. Duke goes slowly, covering Danny’s body with his own, but holds himself with one hand before he blankets his husband completely.
“Wait. There’s something we need to talk about.”
Immediately, the sleepy haze is fading from Danny’s eyes, leaving him alert. “What’s up? Is something wrong?”
“Not really? You know how we agreed to keep our marriage a secret until we weren’t in danger anymore and all those cultists and sorcerers were taken care of?”
“...Yes?”
“Well.” Duke sucks in a breath and offers a bashful smile. “Guess who forgot to tell people we were married after that whole mess was dealt with?”
The nervousness clears from Danny’s gaze as he stares up at Duke with incredulous amusement. “No. No way.”
“Yeah. Kinda dropped a bomb on them and they started freaking out over me being married. Anyways, they want you to come to dinner?”
“When?”
Duke leans back, sitting on his heels. “Let me check.” He pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to the group chat asking for a day they could have a family meal to meet his husband.
His phone is bombarded with texts and calls immediately until Barbara, bless her entire soul, forcibly mutes all of them and puts in a poll with a few dates, setting the poll to close in 24 hours.
“Okay, well, they’re deciding now, but probably soon.”
Danny nods. “Alright. I know these aren’t normal circumstances at all, but I’m so excited to meet the Bats.”
“You do not mean that after hearing all my stories about them.”
“No, I do!” Danny laughs, surging up to wrap his arms around Duke and pull him back down to lay among the giant pillows with him. “They sound nice!”
“The Bats sound nice?!” Duke repeats in horror. “Did you hit your head?”
“They do sound nice! You talk about them so fondly, and yeah they have problems and are dysfunctional, but they’re heroes. Of course they have problems. Even with all their baggage, they’re kind. And you clearly love them, so I do too.”
It’s hard to resist the urge to hug Danny tight enough to make him squeak while peppering his face with kisses, so Duke doesn’t. He just goes and does it, because he’s allowed to shower his husband (!) with affection (!!!) as much as he pleases.
“How are you real?” he says against the corner of Danny’s lips. “How are you so perfect! To me specifically! Honey, if we weren’t already married, I’d be going down on one knee right now.”
“I mean, you still can. We never got a proper wedding either. Think if we offer them a chance to help plan our wedding, they’ll forgive us for secretly being married for so long?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Duke says. He’s already giddy, just imagining what their wedding will look like, what song they’ll play for their first dance, where they’ll have the ceremony… He should create a Pinterest account to start putting ideas together.
Later, though. He wants to woo Danny properly and take him on so many dates.
Dates which include dinner with the Waynes and Wayne-adjacents, apparently.
“You sure you’re okay with meeting them over dinner?” he asks, just to be sure. He knows how intense they can be, even when pretending to be normal civilians. It took him years to get used to them, himself, and he doesn’t want to push Danny into doing something he’s not ready to do.
Danny cups Duke’s face in his hands and gives him a quick, reassuring kiss. “I’m sure. If nothing else, it’ll be fun to see how long it takes for them to realize I’m not fully human.”
“I really am glad it’s you.”
“Yeah, me too. I’d choose you all over again if given the choice.”
“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Duke laughs, wrapping an arm around Danny’s waist.
“Can we nap now? Now that you’re here and holding me, it’s taking everything I’ve got to stay awake.”
“Yeah, we can nap now.” Duke settles into the pillows, Danny cradled in his arms and closes his eyes to bask in the quiet easiness of it all.
He really couldn’t ask for a better husband, unexpected as he was. The others will see that too, once they meet him. It’s impossible to not love Danny once you meet him; Duke knows this all too well.
He loves his husband.
And his husband loves him back.
Duke is fully prepared to keep making that choice for the rest of his life.
#ghostlights#dc x dp#dp x dc#dcxdp#dpxdc#dc x dp fic#dp x dc fanfic#prompt fill#my writing#it was such a struggle to keep this one short but i WILL do it. it will stay below 3k words. i promised myself this#wasnt too sure what the surprise husbands trope was so i winged it lol. i hope you enjoy reading this anyways!!#its all about choosing love and choosing each other and taking care of each other in a bad situation#turning it into something good and soft and kind bc neither of u want to hurt each other and its nice to have someone always by ur side#its abt choosing each other every day!!#these two are out here speed running love while doing it backwards. icons.#thanks for the prompt!!
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uh hi. meet jas(mine)???
#HELP MEEE I AM SO EMBARRASSED TO POST THIS#literally have been letting this sit for days marinating#BUT HERE WE ARE#PEEPAW JAMIL#anyways i've been thinking about that one trope where something sends a fanchild back in time to nrc and shenanigans ensue#and for the record yuusha and jamil would not want children in the future#i think they'd be focused on travelling or something#but i thought about this and i was like HMMMM#“it could be cute i'll do a little sketch"#and then it kept. going ;;;#hhh family headcanons makes me feel so soft ;;;#so uh this child will just be from an alternate timeline#i imagine auntie najma being too much of an influence on her much to jamil's dismay#i might give her a tiger beastman friend based off rajah too#[—#twst#twisted wonderland#twst art#jamil x yuu#twst oc x canon#twst yuu#jamil viper#twst grim#twst fanchild#★'-my-art#(💜) yuusha#(💜) jamiyuu#—]#save me i’ve gone off the deep end
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Winter Star
Some children were born touched by nature, carrying the warmth of the sun, the brightness of spring and the gentle patience of the earth. They were rare, but everyone knew their stories and knew how wonderful they had been.
They knew about the girl touched by summer, who had been taken by a fae woman, the Stag Queen. There was the boy of autumn, who the stars had lured away, never to be seen again and a handful of others, whose fates had been the same.
One day, a girl came into this world with hair as white as snow, lashes like frost and skin as pale as the moon she was born beneath. Everyone who laid eyes on the babe knew immediately she was one of those special ones, beautiful as flowers in the middle of winter and as elegant as drifting snowflakes on cold winds.
Her parents worked hard to keep her safe and raise her to be kind and clever, spending much of their hard earned coin to dress her well and see her educated, knowing a great future would await her. So long as no one took her.
They warned her of the dangers of the world as she grew older, to mistrust strangers and duck out of sight should someone peer at their humble home. However, not even their best attempts to shield her from the world could stop the spreading rumors.
"She is as lovely as snow in the sun," the baker would tell anyone who'd visit his shop, proud of the special girl that grew up down the street of their cozy village.
"Do you know these wonderful early mornings where the light looks gold and pink and everything is so so beautiful it steals your breath away?" the cobbler would sigh dreamily to everyone who'd listen to her. "That's how it feels to look at her."
Soon people came to see the girl touched by winter, the one who was rumored to walk as though she was floating and she was said to possess such graceful manners it would make royalty turn green with envy.
People started to grace the steps of their home in growing numbers with gifts and sweet words carried on silver tongues. Hopeful fathers with curious and often infatuated sons, merchants who donned their finery in hopes of looking more enticing. The parents refused them all, citing that their daughter was still too young to chose.
It became a sort of contest amongst the curious and hopeful, to try and glimpse even a hair of the rumored maiden. Those who did manage to see her for just a moment left smiling dreamily and spreading ever more rumors.
The girl soon grew into a young woman and now her suitors were no longer just merchants and local business owners. Now she received letters and gifts from wealthy traders and even nobles.
One day, a messenger of the prince of their lands stood at their door, offering a chest of jewels and a richly embroidered dress deserving of a future queen. The young woman refused him gently and with kind words, as she had refused all other gifts.
Shortly afterwards, a holy knight asked for a moment of her time, offering his blessed castle to guard her from all evil and unbreakable vows of devotion. She gently and kindly refused him as well.
He vowed to win her heart and return with better offers just as the prince did, who would not give up so easily, soon sending another messenger.
She refused their gifts of riches and protection anew with a kind word, while her parents debated. Her mother, ever worried about her safety and wanting the best possible future, grew fond of the idea that her daughter might become a princess. One day even a queen. This would certainly be a dream come true for any parent.
Her father, pious and ever concerned about the magical dangers of the world, was particularly fond of the holy knight. He was rather taken with the idea that his daughter might one day live in a place no evil could reach while also receiving enough money to be comfortable.
"The prince is said to be a handsome, well mannered young man," her mother said while they baked for the harvest festival, autumn coloring the landscape outside. Winter was approaching and whenever it did their daughter seemed to grow all the more beautiful for it. "He would be good to you."
"The knight is strong and well versed in the dangers of the world," her father countered that evening, as he whittled and she embroidered the hem of a new dress with fine, delicate stitches. "He would keep you safe."
Soon the gifts changed from material goods to whatever strange and magical things her suitors could find. They hadn't given up on her yet, on winning the Winter Bride, as they started to call her.
"This owl loses gems whenever it shakes its wings," the prince's messenger said with a proud flush to his cheeks, as though he was courting the young woman himself, not his prince. The owl was a gorgeous animal, as frost colored as the young woman herself, housed in a small cage made of pure gold.
"His Highness says you may keep it," the messenger held the cage out, nose and forehead bitten red from the cold that had settled over the land. "So you may think of him whenever you look at it and your heart may grow as fond as his has grown of you."
The young woman accepted the cage with soft words and the messenger left grinning from ear to ear. Her parents were delighted, chattering about such a special gift while their daughter took the owl out the kitchen door to the backyard.
While her parents were busy discussing the merits of her becoming a princess, she opened the door of the cage and carefully helped the owl out.
"That's better, isn't it," she said softly as she watched the owl fluff up and shake its body in relief, gems falling from between its feathered wings. It turned its head to watch her for a long moment and she held her arm a little higher, uncaring that the talons of the owl left bleeding scratches along her arm.
"Go, if you wish," she told it with a smile as light as fresh snow. "Be free."
The owl gave her a regal nod and took off, disappearing swiftly. The young woman smiled, her heart glad and she returned inside to find her parents dismayed. They couldn't stay angry for long, however, sighing after scolding her for wasting such a precious gift.
Her father muttered afterwards that maybe the prince didn't know what a woman's heart truly wanted. Her mother, fiddling with the wool she was knitting socks out of, countered that he would find something to win their daughter's heart soon.
The holy knight arrived the next day with a cage woven out of brambles and he presented her with a snow-white fox with eyes of molten gold.
"This one will warn you of dangers and tell you if you are in the presence of evil minds," the knight offered, bowing deep as he held out the cage. "This is a mere gift, no strings attached. May it protect you in my absence and may you find you desire my presence instead one day."
The young woman took hold of the cage and as the knight left, her parents cheerfully discussed weaving a leash for the fox and where to keep it. Her father was nearly dancing with joy as he praised the knight for his thoughtfulness and what this in turn promised for their daughter's future.
The young woman smiled and left them to it, taking the fox out to the backyard. She ignored the way the brambles scratched up her hands as she unmade part of the cage and let the fox jump out, it's snout bloody from trying to bite its way to freedom.
"Go, if you wish," she told it with a smile as lovely as frost flowers. "Be free."
The fox bowed its head in gratitude and ran, swifter than any mere animal and it was soon gone with long strides that looked as though its body weighed no more than a feather. The young woman returned inside and once more her parents were quite upset at having lost such a precious gift.
They couldn't stay angry for long again however, and sighed. Her mother suggested the knight might need to choose his next gift more smartly, while her father grumbled that there must be something out in the world their daughter wanted.
"You must choose who to marry one day," her father told her gently, as though he could soften the order into a plea. "You must stay safe. I'm sure you'll chose well when the time comes."
He cast a significant look to the holy symbol over their hearth, while her mother nodded, tipping her head tellingly towards the small pouch holding the gems the owl had dropped.
The next day, after a night of the season's first snowfall, the young woman woke to find frost covering her windows entirely. It looked as though the snow had piled up all the way to the roof outside.
"I thank you," an ice wind whispered when she opened the windows to peer outside, a thick blanket of snow covering everything. "You returned my dearest friends to me after they were taken when I wasn't there. Two wishes I grant you for saving their lives, use them well."
She felt the magic settle over her as the wind finished blowing past and she couldn't help but peer out into the winter wonderland, as though she could catch a glimpse of whoever had spoken to her. It must have snowed very thickly that night to create that much snow, a quite unusual thing.
Seeing nothing and no one, she rubbed the frost off of the windows and went about her day, two wishes cradled close to her heart. They felt like a refreshing coolness within her, the way a bath in the river was revitalizing during hot summer days.
As winter settled over the land like a content cat in front of the fireplace, she received more gifts. A nightingale who sang so sweetly it made listeners cry, a white hare with fur so fine it was considered the softest in the world. She let each of them go and every time she opened a cage, she felt a change in the winds.
They grew colder each time that presence was back, the one she had felt during the first day of winter.
"Why do you not ask for anything?" the ice wind wondered one day after she unbridled a unicorn the holy knight had captured for her. It paused just long enough to press its velvet-soft nose against her cheek, thanking her silently, then it took off, trailing whispers of magic behind it. "Why not keep the wondrous ones you are offered so freely?"
"Would you like a cage?" she asked in return, watching in quiet awe as the unicorn disappeared. "Would you enjoy a leash or collar, to be bound to the whims and wills of those who hold you in their hands?"
"No," the wind answered in a solemn tone. "You are wise and kind, not many would do as you do."
Maybe, maybe not. She had no way of knowing, having never left the village. All she knew about the world were the things she had read in books she had managed to sneak away and what other people had told her.
She had found, however, that people tended to paint the world dark and evil whenever she listened, to warn her of its many dangers. To ensure she would not set a single foot into the forest, to ensure she would not walk beyond the village border, to ensure she would not chat with strangers the villagers hadn't vetted.
She still vividly remembered how panicked and worried her parents had been. How they had cried bitter tears when she had fallen asleep in their neighbor's hayloft, reading a book of fairy tales, and they hadn't been able to find her for hours.
"Good wind," she spoke up. "Might I bother you to tell me about the world? You must have seen much of it."
"I have," the wind answered. "Is that your first wish?"
She was quiet for a long moment, then she smiled. "A true story, every night for a year. That is my wish."
"I will bring cold with me whenever I visit," the wind warned her. "For I am ice and snow, frost and blizzard. I am winter itself. Are you certain?"
The young woman turned to look back at her humble, warm home and thought of her mother's beloved flowers and her father's meticulously tended herb bed.
"Two true stories every night for as long as this winter lasts," she amended. "Will you accept my wish?"
"I accept," Winter answered solemnly. "Light a candle at your window, when it is the only light that still burns in your home, I will come."
The wind blew away and the young woman returned inside, her parents sighing, rueful and exasperated as they accepted the bridle with gold decorations and spun out of enchanted silver thread.
"Always giving away what would enrich your life," her father grumbled, rubbing his forehead as though getting a headache. "But it's alright, if this is not what you want, surely someone will find a gift soon."
"Our beautiful, strange girl," her mother murmured fond and wry all at once, kissing her on her brow. "Will one of them ever make you happy one day?"
"We'll find the right one," her father said reassuringly, pulling them both into a hug. He turned to look at his daughter, "And we'll make sure you never have to fear being taken."
That night the young woman lit a candle and waited. She had almost fallen asleep when the window slipped open a crack and she felt icy winds brush through the room, trailing a handful of snowflakes in its wake. Immediately the windows frosted over to pure white and any warmth was gone between one breath and the next.
"A wish is a wish," Winter said. "And here are your stories, as promised."
Winter first told her a story of lands beyond the mountains, of tall cliffs and hardy forests. It told her of raging oceans that froze solid whenever autumn passed and the reindeers that thundered across it to different lands.
Winter was kind enough to answer any questions she had and she soon knew why the reindeers did what they did, how the ocean froze.
The second story was rather sad in her opinion, it was of two lovers who had run from an abusive father and a loveless marriage respectively. They had escaped into the night by the skin of their teeth and Winter told her of their journey through snow and ice. They lastly died, two miles from home, holding each other, smiles frozen unto their faces.
"Have many people died this way?" the young woman couldn't help but ask.
"Yes," Winter answered. "And many more will. The cold is no place for those who need warmth to live. Good night now, you who shines like a star, I shall see you again tomorrow."
She fell asleep to the soft whistle of air as Winter left, gently pulling the window closed behind it. Her dreams were filled with wondrous sceneries and people wandering through a snowy forest, away from their warm and yet unsafe homes.
The young woman soon looked forward to Winter's visits the most, eagerly going to sleep each night and secretly she hoped this winter might last just a little longer. The prince and holy knight, as well as many of her other more persistent suitors were quickly forgotten when confronted with stories of the world at large.
And finally she got to know what the world truly was. It was indeed dangerous, but it was also incredibly wonderful. Every story filled her with wonder and longing, chasing away the wariness her parents had painstakingly instilled within her.
The young woman felt as though she had forced herself to be a frozen lake all her life, still and quiet and unmoving, never leaving and never changing. Now, however, it felt as though the thrum of reindeer hooves had made the ice tremble and with each story she wanted more.
With each story she felt her childhood dreams emerge, that deep seated adventurous spark she had smothered upon seeing her parents' tearstained, panicked faces. She had loved them too much to cause them grief and so she had made sure to be obedient and sweet at all times.
She also hadn't wanted to be taken away, to live a horrible life and to never see her parents again. She hadn't wanted to upset them and make them cry or discuss strategies to keep her safe until late at night.
But deep down, beneath the stillness she forced upon her soul, she had never quite stopped looking beyond what she knew. To peer towards the woods and wonder what laid there, to watch travelers and dream of the lands they must have seen.
"Thank you," she murmured as Winter left, sleep rising to claim her. "You're the only one who doesn't tell me everyone wants to hurt me."
Winter was silent, the window cracked still and she wasn't sure if she imagined it or not, but it almost sounded as though they said, "You can count on my aid for as long as I am here, should you need it."
She smiled and felt the furs she had started to take to bed being pulled up to her chin by what seemed to be hands. She was asleep the next moment, unable to open her eyes once more and check.
Winter soon had to move on, however and she mournfully said goodbye to her new friend.
"If you wish it, I can ask my friends to visit," Winter offered on the last day, only snowy slush remaining on the ground and water dripping off of trees. The only spot where there was still true cold was where the wind blew and she swore she could almost make out a shape as it moved. "They could tell you about things I have not seen."
"Then let this be my other wish," the young woman agreed, a glad smile brightening her face. "I would happily welcome the company."
"A wish spoken is a wish granted." She felt cold brush past her cheek, almost like a caress. "I will see you again soon," Winter promised. "If you wish."
"Oh, I very much wish so," she reassured them, reaching out to find invisible strands of wind weaving around her fingers, cold gently brushing her skin. "Will I ever see you in full?"
"Maybe one day." With those words Winter left, trailing the last bit of ice of the year in their wake.
And as promised, the young woman wasn't without company. Spring spoke to her through blooming flowers and invited her to playful dances in moonlight by luring her out the window, promising to look after her.
"There is no joy in never getting to laugh," Spring told her, a grin bright in that sweet, often mischievous voice. "Come, jump and let me catch you!"
Spring was bright and joyful and taught her much about the world. It told her of large meadows that bloomed so brightly one saw only color as far as the eye could see. It told her funny stories of silly animal antics and where it could find acorns and seeds buried in the ground to be raised up into new plants.
The knight and prince were still persistent, hoping to win her heart with more magical creatures and even a few enchanted items, which the young woman refused. She had no need for a necklace that made her sing like a siren nor for bracelets that teleported her to the knight's side in case of danger.
After spring came summer, full of warmth and sweetness. Summer winds encouraged the young woman to walk barefoot outside, to turn her face into the winds and smell all the scents that could be brought over. To dare and set foot into the forests to find the most wonderful berries to pick and to watch deer graze peacefully.
Her parents never knew, she made sure not to worry them, but with each day, with each thing she did, she felt her heart grow. And with it, her yearning for more. To see the places she had been told of, to hear the sound of the ocean and smell a valley of flowers.
The prince and knight started to grow impatient, wondering what it took to make her their bride. They became more insistent, their words losing their sweet tone bit by bit.
"You're not getting any younger my dear," the baker told her when she came to pick up bread, her pale dress making her look like a walking piece of winter in the middle of summer. "They're soon going to change their minds and then where will you be? Filled with regret. So take an old man's advice and be smart."
"Surely one has made you fall in love, either with them or their riches," the cobbler said as she passed by. "You should let them know and arrange a wedding. We're all looking forward to the festivities."
She had no idea how to tell them that she hadn't chosen any of her suitors, that none of them had won her heart. Not with coin and not with living beings caged and collared. How could she have kept a single one of them, or fallen in love for that matter, if she felt trapped herself?
A comfortable, pretty cage made by loving parents, the bars wrought out of worry and kindness, but a cage nonetheless. And they were seeking to put her in another one, bigger and prettier, but just as locked up tight. All in the name of safety. All so they could have the winter girl and not someone else.
The young woman wondered if such a thing must be necessary. If there was a way to live free without fear. Surely there must be one.
She asked Autumn, for Summer had left before she could put her feelings properly into words. Autumn was busy as a bee, zipping from place to place to ensure harvest would be done in time, talking so fast she sometimes couldn't quite follow entirely.
"Of course you can go wherever you want," Autumn said while rustling leaves artfully, only to change its mind a moment later and turn it into cheerful chaos. "There, that's better. Winter Star, you are indeed unusual, that is true, but that is nothing bad. You can always call on us if you find yourself in trouble you can't solve alone."
"Are you certain?" she hadn't expected such an offer. The seasons had come in response to Winter's wish, after all. Autumn laughed, the leaves rustling around them, some more falling off trees.
"We have grown fond of you, worry not. Winter might have been able to ask us to say hello, but nothing beyond that." The winds tucked bright red and orange and yellow leaves into her hair until they looked like a messy crown. "Live, Winter Star. Life is too short to spend it cowering."
The young woman couldn't help but look past the village and to the forest beyond, the riot of colors autumn had brought and how it had even coaxed some trees into making their leaves especially pretty.
"Where do I go?" she couldn't help but ask, suddenly overwhelmed with all the options that seemed to lay themselves at her feet.
"Anywhere," Autumn answered with excited cheer. "Whenever you pack your bag to leave, you'll find that you have more friends than you thought and you will always find more. Go on, try it."
She couldn't simply up and disappear, of course. Not when it would ruin her parents. However, the next time she received gifts from the prince and knight, an idea sparked.
Autumn laughed when she talked about her plan and gladly agreed to help. Soon, gifts of a secret admirer appeared, promising all the things her parents were looking for. A home warded against evil, enough coin to keep their daughter happy and clothed and fed to the end of her days.
It took some finagling to make gifts for herself, but soon the young woman was caught by the idea of what made her happy. She gifted herself books and hardy boots and a bracelet made of colorful river stones. Her parents were befuddled at first, but seeing as she finally seemed to fall in love with someone, they were relieved.
The entire village spoke about it now, wondering who this mysterious stranger was and if they would get to meet them soon. The young woman made a marriage offer to herself and laughed when she accepted it in front of her parents.
"They will pick you up, won't they?" her mother fretted as she helped her pack. "I can't believe my little girl is getting married. We'll meet them soon, won't we? And don't you forget to invite us to the wedding."
"I'll be sure to visit," she promised and later asked Autumn for advice. "I can't just grab my things and leave like any old traveler, after all."
"Leave it to me," Autumn answered, before breezing away, muttering about stubborn berry bushes who really ought to know better by now.
A few days later, a young adult knocked at their door, dressed in fine autumn colored garb. They wore dark green breaches, earth-brown boots, a dark red tunic and a cloak of bright yellow wool, embroidered with dozens of fallen leaves in multiple colors. They bowed, hair windswept and eyes honey brown.
"It is an honor to meet you, I've come to pick up the young lady in the name of my master," the person said in Autumn's voice and when they met her gaze, they offered a quick little wink. The young woman couldn't help but grin, swiftly hiding it behind her hand when her parents glanced over.
"Oh, that is so lovely," her mother gasped when peeking outside and the young woman stepped forward to look as well.
Outside stood a gleaming carriage in gold and red-brown colors and it was pulled by none other than a unicorn. The very unicorn she had once freed. It looked at her, no bridle on its head and she felt as though it was smiling as it dipped its head a little.
The bags were swiftly loaded onto the carriage and a tearstained and heartfelt goodbye later, the young woman left for the first time in her life.
As soon as they were away from the village, she managed to clamber up onto the driver's seat to hug Autumn tight.
Autumn laughed, ruffling her snowy hair. "Now, you best learn how to drive because I do not have the time to take you anywhere, I still have to wrangle some lazy mushrooms."
After a quick couple of lessons, Autumn left, disappearing in a flurry of leaves and rustling clothes to continue on as it always did.
The young woman's heart was racing as she traveled on and on. Autumn visited often and in brief bursts, but soon the air grew colder and colder. The young woman felt excitement rise within her at the thought of Winter's return.
And then, one day, she felt ice winds brush past her. "I see you have found your freedom. I am glad."
"Welcome back," she breathed, her breath fogging in front of her. "I missed you."
Coldness that felt like fingertips brushed her hair back. "And I you. I am glad to see you well."
The young woman happily told Winter all about her plans, while Winter guided her to a place she could stay as it was too cold to travel. A cottage, recently abandoned, but it was easily made ready again. The young woman sold the carriage in a nearby town and the unicorn left after nuzzling her cheek.
She made sure to write home to her parents, while she explored the world around her temporary home with Winter often at her side. Sometimes Winter's other friends showed up, the fox hopping around playfully and the owl watching kindly from its perch in the trees. Winter told her stories all without prompting and showed her the hidden beauty of their season.
"If you wish, travel north," Winter told her as they laid together in the snow, watching bright, bright stars above them at night. "I will be able to show you dancing lights in the sky."
"Yes," she said and slowly, carefully, inched her hand across the space between them, until she felt that special kind of cold breeze. The wind slowly settled and she swore, from the corner of her eyes as long as she did not glance over, she could glimpse Winter's shape once more.
It was the best winter she had ever had and when it became clear her dearest companion would move on soon, she promised to meet the season halfway.
"Go north," Winter reminded her once more. "If you wish, I will wait for you."
She reached out and closed her eyes and this time she felt proper hands close around hers, though they weren't as icy as the blowing winds. Still cool, but she felt soft skin and elegant hands, the brush of a fur lined sleeve. "I will be there, I promise."
"Soon, then," Winter whispered, a smile in their voice, and she felt the brush of cool lips and a cold breath upon her cheek, smiling wide. When she opened her eyes again, she watched ice winds blow away, looking joyful as they trailed snow in their wake.
The young woman set out as Winter left, buying herself a horse and using the rest of the money from the carriage to have her things put in storage until she sent for them.
She left on her very first adventure, Spring urging her on, showing her the meadow of flowers and guiding her way across the land to where ocean waves lapped against fine-sand shores.
She got to meet and speak with many different people and sometimes Spring and later Summer warned her away from certain folks. But mostly, people did her no harm nor wished harm upon her. If anything, many approached her, concerned about her safety and offering to help her get where she wanted to go. She always declined kindly and smiled.
The young woman got to truly experience the world, listening to new music, visiting theatres when she came by cities and towns and eating food she had never dreamed of could exist.
She headed north at last, cutting her time with Summer short and meeting Autumn sooner. And then, the air grew cold and she felt a familiar, very dear presence.
"Hello," she said with a wide, happy smile appearing on her face. "I came, as promised."
"Let me show you everything," Winter breathed and there was excitement in that beloved voice. They traveled onward together and if the young woman tipped her head the right way, she saw Winter beside her, riding on a horse of snow and wind.
Soon she got to see the ocean frozen, as it had been in the very first true story she had ever heard. She watched reindeer trot across in big herds, holding out her hand and smiling when Winter took it, her heart so warm the cold around her might as well have stopped existing.
"Why chose me?" Winter asked as they settled down on a snow covered hill to watch the sun set. It looked truly beautiful. "There were many who tried to win your heart."
"But none understood it," she answered and when she looked up, she saw Winter truly for the first time, not as a season, but as the spirit it was.
Tall and slim, with hair as white as hers and eyes as dark as the frozen ocean. Ice earrings as blue as glaciers dangled from their ears and snowflakes were woven through their hair like the finest veil, ending in a crown of icicles. Clothes in white and light blue draped across their form, lined with fur and half covered in frost.
"Maybe I would have fallen in love with one of the others, had they not offered me another cage," she admitted, giving that cool hand in hers a gentle squeeze. "But instead of expensive gifts and captured magical beings, you gave me stories and shared your friends with me."
One of those slim hands rose to cup her cheek, feeling a little frosty but not stinging her with its coolness. "You shine so brightly, I would never think about forcing you to dim."
"Then you have your answer." She tipped her head into their hand, letting it cradle the side of her face. "I have an idea. Let's make this place our home, so I can be with you for many months."
"Yes," they answered, brushing a cold kiss against her forehead and she could feel them smile against her skin. "And the rest of the year you'll get to be the adventurer you always wanted to be, my star."
That did sound like the best future.
*.*.*
"They'll love you, I promise," the young woman said, giving Winter's hand a gentle squeeze. "They've been asking to meet you and when our wedding will be."
"They will know what I am the moment they see me," Winter sighed but followed her up the path to her parents' house. It was dark and thick snow covered everything.
"They will, but they will also see that you never took me they way they feared and that I am happy." She looked up at the love of her life, the one who loved her for who she was in return. "Trust me."
Winter softened and pulled to a stop in front of the door, cupping her cheek in one elegant hand and leaning down to brush the loveliest of kisses upon her lips. "Always, my star."
The young woman grinned, happy and bright, like ice in the sun and cheerful snowfall. Then she raised her hand and knocked.
*.*.*
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#my writing#short story#winter#just me writing stuff again#original writing#I hope someone enjoys this story!#i had a lot of fun writing it#and I wanted to do something winter themed#there might be typos I overlooked#can't think of anything else to tag#I just wanted something soft and sweet with a bit of a fairy tale vibe#fantasy#again this got a wee bit long#what else is new tho when it comes to me#monster lover#in a way
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the thing about eliot spencer as a character, right. the thing about him.
(and as always your mileage may vary on my analyses so if we disagree that's cool actually)
is that he is in fact a somewhat emotionally constipated idiot who is occasionally sensitive about his perceived masculinity and gets defensive about emotional intimacy around other men (largely hardison, who's much more comfortable expressing affection and embracing a softer kind of masculinity), but eliot displays enough emotional awareness and sensitivity and respect for women etc etc that anyone who's been subjected to that era of television will put on rose-tinted glasses without even looking twice.
(and he is, don't get me wrong, incredibly emotionally aware for a professionally punchy guy with enough trauma to sink the titanic. it still startles me to see.)
on top of which we have the layers and the accessories and the excellent hair with the secret braids and the way he barely has an ego and he's good with kids and protective of his team without taking it too far, and some of us never stood a fucking chance.
#eliot#eliot spencer#orig#further discussion in further tags#I'm being perhaps a little critical and there are other ways to read eg the fragile masculinity moments#but I Do think they were intended this way and largely come across this way#I'm quite happy playing with a fanon eliot who's better at this shit is the thing? it feels faithful enough to the original.#but this is something I'm chewing over in a rewatch and it's interesting so far#the fact that he pretty consistently respects women doesn't stop him from treating men and women differently y'know?#the fact that his bantering with hardison expresses affection and gets quite soft over time#doesn't stop him from pushing hardison away on a semi-regular basis. often physically.#the fact that the fandom unanimously decided he's an utter gentleman in matters of dating#doesn't quite negate the time he physically stopped aimee from getting away when he wanted to talk to her#though that's one I might disregard because it's so early and I think they hadn't quite figured out the characters then#and it was admittedly a brief moment followed by very consensual happenings#perhaps. honestly. eliot may be reflecting the attitudes of the show here.#which were very progressive for the time and are still startling on several fronts now but also showing definite signs of age#arguably fanon eliot (as I understand him) is eliot adjusted for inflation. as it were.#there's a lot going on here I'm having a normal amount of thoughts about it I'm. stopping now
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so REVENGE, HUH? or justice, if that makes you feel better. it tastes the same when cooked just right. 'I REALLY WANTED A BROTHER.' such a shame to burn a bridge you so desperately wanted to keep, especially when it wasnt even you who started the fire. especially when you hope that not a single fragment of that bridge ever washes ashore.[MAY IT ROT FAR FROM MY SIGHTS]
an unfortunate loss! atleast he has his friends.
#jrwi fanart#jrwi show#jrwi prime defenders#jrwi prime defenders spoilers#jrwi pd spoilers#jrwi pd#william wisp#vyncent sol#THIS ONE IS FUUUUCKIN OOOOOLLDD RAAAHHHHH i made it like. a year ago. but didnt finish it for so so long bc i just wasnt happy w it.#BUT LIKE A CENTURY EGG the decades of being encased in salt n lime n ash have done WELL to bring out the flavores of this piece#i sorta recently cleaned it up and posted it onto twitty. didnt tag it bc it was SO OLD AND SCUFFED(i see so many MISTAKES NOW)#that i didnt want to expose it to the open air just like that#if i show smth to my small circles then it shall only be understood in those small circles.#open air and open interpretation from minds i cannot predict are NOT something i enjoy the thought of. usually. i am brave tho#BUT EVERYONE ON TWITTY WAS SO NICEEE i was like damn... i guess it IS good enough to be enjoyed by the masses...#lets work on being nicer to our art together. THAT BEING SAID. i really love my colors here HELL YEAHHHH#FIRST TIME IN A WHILE COLORIN THESE BOYS.... i dont use proper color enough..I ALSO RLY LIKE MY BACKGROUNDS HERE#i LOVE when the bg is hyperrealistic (i frankestiened stock photos) and when the subjects are all flat colored n cartoony#recently rewatched Making Fiends and they do that similar thing!! soft shading! lotsa details! almost painted? ill paint one day#ive already rambled so much abt the art im runnin out of ROOm to ramble about WWWIILLIAM GODDAMN WWIIIISP. its been a minute since i saw-#-this episode..but i DO remember the funny smoke trick that will did to his funny brother. EVERYTIME U GIVE AN ORDER. THAT BRINGS HARM-#-INDIRECTLY OR NOT. YOU WILL HEAR THOSE SCREAMS. YOU WILL FEEL THAT PAIN. OHHH WHAT A COOL PUNISHMENT THAT IS#its still an olive branch in a sense! a final chance for big bro bell to show that hes NOT an irrideemable piece o shit. and if not#well. to the wolves of psychosis with him!!! i really think william did the best he could here. if i was in his shoes i have no doubt i-#-woulda done the same. IM ALSO GLAD THAT VYN DECIDED TO STICK AROUND N SUPPORT HIM! thas character development baybe!!#i loooove prime defenders.. its been so long since i watched any eps of it but i KNOW it still has such a grip on my heart..GOTTA rewatch i
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I mean...
#tell me i'm wrong though#of course we would also not mind if they actually did kiss#michael sheen#welsh seduction machine#david tennant#soft scottish hipster gigolo#i have never seen anyone look so much like they want to kiss someone#as Michael does when looking at David#and vice-versa#there's teasing the fandom and then there's whatever these two are doing#looking into each other's eyes#mutual wanting#a friendship that's become something more#ineffable lovers#twitter#meme
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#YAAAAHAHHAAHAHAAAA!!! YOUUU thought the beginning of gen 5 would be SNIVY‚ did you?? well‚ you were MISTAKEN!!#if you want to see snivy‚ first you must take a spin on the ILLUSTRIOUS#V-WHEEEEEEEEEEEL!!!#victini#here we are‚ folks! the beginning of generation five‚ pokémon's “soft reset” as some folks call it#i dunno if it's true or not‚ but i do remember hearing that TPC attempted a bit of a reset with the pokémon franchise at gen 5#and it never really worked out. and that that's why you can only catch unova 'mons until the postgame#something like that. it's been a while since i heard the theory so that's just. like. what i remember about it#and i'm not gonna google it bc i am 1. lazy and 2. hungry bc i have not eaten today and it has been rough. so i'm going to eat something#after this goes into the queue. for reference it's like 8 PM
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#i watched ap bio then sunny then community then wanted to see danny pudi and realized mq was also made by rob and was like how coincidental#mythic quest#do you think there's any/many mq fans who didn't come from either community or sunny asdfgh#i mean i know i'm an anomaly as an ap bio fan who came to both sunny AND community via that route but still#iasip#community#meme#anmmbposts#sunny is my number 1 despite thinking community would be for a min but community betrayed me a little but anyway i have a soft spot for mq#it's rough around the edges and still trying to find its balance but i think it's really getting there because when it does something well#it does it incredibly well#sighs backstory! my beloved
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Malenia and Lady Maria together? 👀
shhhh they are eepy.....
#wanted to do something soft for them hope you enjoy <3#ask#nishart#bloodborne#elden ring#malenia blade of miquella#lady maria#nudity#do they have a ship name?#if not i suggest scarletlady#just cause it sounds nice
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Just your average Hymek diesel
#my art#ttte#ttte bear#ttte fanart#tbh I drew this cause I really wanted to do something with stylising the yellow face deisels will have sometimes#and bear was a prime choice#(I also simply quite like the look of the hymeks)#rumour says you can hear a soft purring sound when he sleeps contently
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AO3
<<Prev Next>> (coming soon)
Chapter 6- Hold Me so I Feel Safe
Uli watched anxiously from her home as Colin and Talo paced at the entrance of Ordon. Mayor Bo wanted the two to be the backup for Link and Rusl in case anything happened, meanwhile Beth and Bo would protect the village if there was an attack. So far, no monsters have invaded the village, but Rusl and Link haven't returned either, even when the sun went down, plunging the village into darkness. Uli should’ve slept, and she tried to, but waking up to her husband still missing in bed kept her from being able to. All she could do was watch the entrance as Colin and Talo waited impatiently. Every minute that passed felt like an hour, and her worry grew with every second that Rusl and Link weren’t there. Soon, the sun began to break the horizon, and Uli felt a lump in her throat. She watched Colin and Talo waste no time to move out, with Beth and Bo watching the entrance as they left. Dread rested in Uli’s stomach as she watched her son leave the village, possibly facing something dangerous enough that kept Link and Rusl from returning. She didn’t doubt Colin and Talo’s ability, but their fighting skills weren’t as great as Link and Rusl’s. If something happened to them… how would Colin help? What if he got hurt? What if Rusl and Link were hurt? What if she lost all of them simply because Bo and Coro practically forced them to investigate the woods at night?
“Mama?”
Uli looked behind her where Rela and Kori stood, watching her with worried eyes.
“Is papa still gone?” Rela asked in a small voice, her hand clutching onto Kori’s as his eyes got watery. Uli bit her lip and looked up at the entrance, hoping that Rusl and Link would walk right through, laughing and alive. She took a deep breath when nothing changed, and she faced the children. She couldn’t cry about this, she needed to be strong for them.
“Yes, Rela, they’re still searching the woods,” she said, praying that they were still searching and weren’t fighting for their lives.
Rela frowned. “Maybe I can help Colin to find them! I have a wooden sword! I can fight bad guys with it!”
Uli quickly shook her head. “No, Rela, you will stay here until they return, ok?”
Rela pouted and Kori looked down, his bottom lip quivering. Uli’s heart broke and she knelt down to be at eye level.
“Kori, baby, they’re going to be ok.”
Kori sniffed and rubbed his eyes. “I— I want my papa.”
Uli pulled him into a hug. “I know you do, sweetheart, I know you do.” Uli held him for a moment as he cried, and she looked over to see if anything had changed. It didn’t. She stood up and gestured to the kitchen. “How about we eat breakfast, ok?”
Kori nodded glumly and he and Rela sat at the table as she started making food for them. Uli was constantly looking out the window every chance she got, anxiously seeing if the boys had returned, but there was still no sign of them. After she made breakfast, she sat at the window, watching the entrance as if her life depended on it. Kori and Rela finished their breakfast and started playing silently, making Uli far more anxious. Goddesses, what if she had to live the rest of her life like this? What if they never returned and she was the only one who could take care of Kori and Rela? What if she lost all the happiness and joy she’s had for years now that her family brought. She couldn’t imagine losing all of that in seconds, she just couldn’t!
Before she could spiral further into the horrifying thought, Uli saw Beth shoot up and run to the entrance, and her heart beat against her chest as if it were trying to escape. She held her breath in anticipation, and she saw Beth enter Ordon, then Talo, then Colin, and finally, Rusl and Link. Uli let out a cry when she saw the two and she ran out the door, sprinting to the group.
“Rusl!” She shouted out, and she pulled her husband into a hug, crying into his shoulder from relief.
“PAPA!” She heard Kori yell as he sprinted to his father, with Rela following closely, and she heard sighs of relief coming from everyone.
Rusl leaned into Uli, resting his head against the crook of her neck, his arms wrapped weakly around her. He felt tired. Uli pulled back and cupped his face so she could observe him. His eyes were half open and bloodshot, heavy bags were beneath him, and overall, he looked exhausted.
“Oh spirits above, what happened out there?” She asked, looking at Link who looked a tad better, but not by much.
“Ma, make sure he gets some rest, ok?” Link said, pulling away from the group and moving towards his house.
“Link—“ Rusl called out for him but Link stopped him.
“I’m going to tell everyone and write the letter, ok? You get some rest.”
“You need rest too.”
“I’ll get rest when I’m done, I promise!”
The two seemed rather agitated, but they didn’t argue further. The group watched Link walk away, and Uli frowned.
“Tell us what? What letter? What’s going on?” She asked, and Rusl let out a heavy sigh.
“I… don’t… don’t go to Faron woods,” he said simply, and Uli looked at everyone else, specifically Bo who looked worried.
“What do ya mean, Rusl? What did you two see out there?” The mayor asked him, and Rusl shook his head.
“‘m too tired to explain it just… stay away from Faron woods. Especially at night, please.”
Beth and Talo gave each other a worried look, and Kori and Rela pressed themselves up against Rusl’s legs.
“Well, let’s get you to bed, ok Rusl?” Uli finally spoke up, she gestured for her kids and Kori to follow. “I assume you’ll be staying with us, dear.”
Kori nodded and looked down, fidgeting with his fingers. Uli didn’t know what happened, but she couldn’t help but feel worry over what was happening. But at least her boys were alive.
Thank the spirits they were alive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uli stared at Rusl’s folded clothes in front of her. She spent a good chunk of the morning trying to wash them, but they were stained black. His shirt, his headband, his trousers, his beloved ordon obi and sash, it was all covered in black splotches. Uli figured that it was all mud, but no matter how hard she scrubbed, it wouldn’t come out. His shirt and pants were ripped in some places as well, and she came to the conclusion that his clothes were a lost cause. But she figured she could keep these until Rusl confirmed for her to throw them out. So she folded up them up and set them down on the table after they were dried. And she simply stared. Everyone in the house was quiet and the air was tense. Rusl passed out as soon as he got to bed, Colin sat in a chair watching Kori and Rela protectively, and the two kids simply stared at their toys. Link had been running around the village talking to everyone and even making Coro stay with Fado. But he never swung by to talk to the family, she assumed he was saving them for last.
The silence was suddenly interrupted by screaming coming from Uli’s room, and she felt her heart leap to her throat. She and Colin stood up and rushed to the door, swinging it open to see Rusl wide awake and panting, clutching his chest as his eyes looked around frantically. They landed on Uli and Colin and he relaxed slightly. Uli gave Colin a look and he nodded, returning to his spot by the children, who looked terrified.
“It’s ok, dears,” she said softly to them, entering her room to where Rusl was. He was silent as she sat down next to him, and he avoided her gaze.
“Rusl?” She said softly, resting a hand on his shoulder. He smiled slightly, but it looked forced. He gave her hand a gentle pat.
“I’m ok… just had a nightmare.”
Uli frowned as he looked away, clearly disturbed by the nightmare. She began to rub his back which made him relax, and she let out a sigh.
“Are you ready to tell me what happened?” She asked. She was willing to wait, but she and Rusl made sure to tell each other everything. If something was out in Faron woods, she needed to know.
Rusl shook his head, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Uli nodded and stood up. “Get some rest, darling,” she simply said, beginning to head to the door, until Rusl gripped her arm, stopping her. She looked over at him confused, and he had a desperate, almost embarrassed look on his face.
“Uli… could you… um… just… stay with me?” He asked, quietly. Uli smiled and sat down next to him, opening her arms to him. He relaxed and rested his head on her chest, allowing himself to be held by her. She rubbed his back and neck, ruffling his soft hair. The motion seemed to soothe him, and he was back to sleeping. Uli continued to hold him, not wanting to leave his side. She wanted to be here when he woke up again, she wanted him to feel safe by another person being beside him. Rusl began snoring softly and she giggled quietly, resting her head against his and closing her eyes. She’ll be here for him, and when he’s ready to talk to her about what happened, then she’ll still be here to listen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Colin glared blankly at the ground in front of him, his sword resting in his lap as if something would attack any second. Rela and Kori were chatting quietly about their toys, and his sister glanced at him.
“Colin? Do you think papa will be ok?”
Colin looked up at her, interrupted from his staring. He sighed and shrugged. “Yeah he should be.”
“Why was he screaming?”
“Nightmare.”
Kori and Rela glanced at each other worriedly.
“I get nightmares too, maybe I can sing grandpa a song?” Kori suggested, beginning to stand up, but Colin stopped him.
“Not right now, Kori. Let gramma take care of him, ok?”
Kori pouted and sat back down, petting his cat plush gently.
“What do you think happened?” Rela asked quietly, staring Colin down. He simply shrugged.
“I don’t know. They wouldn’t say,” Colin frowned at the memory of him and Talo finding the two men. They were by the Faron spring, both looking filthy and exhausted. Colin nearly got tackled to the ground by Link when he ran up to them, clearly jumpy from whatever happened that night. No matter how hard Colin pressed, they simply brushed his questions away. It couldn’t be a bear, they would’ve said so, and he was sure that if it was, they wouldn’t have been gone all night. At least not running around the woods, which was clearly what they were doing.
The door opened, causing Colin to flinch. Link was in the doorway, his cheeks flushed red as he glanced around the room. Kori got up and hugged Link’s legs, and he quickly gave his son a squeeze. Colin joined the two at the doorway, anxious to finally know what was going on.
“Link—“
“I gotta get mine and Kori’s things, I’ll be right back,” Link cut him off, giving Kori a kiss on the head. “Is there anything you need from the house?”
Kori looked at his toys and shook his head. Link nodded and left before Colin was able to register what was happening.
“Wait—“ he started, but Link was already gone. Colin let out a frustrated huff as Kori returned to his place next to Rela. The door to his parent’s bedroom opened and his mother peeked her head through.
“Was Link just here?”
“Yeah.”
“What’d he say? Did he tell you what happened?”
“No, he just left.” Colin returned to his place on the chair, glaring ahead. Uli tilted her head at him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just… worried. And confused.”
Uli walked over to him and ruffled his hair, pulling him into a side hug. “We all are.”
“Is pa ok?”
“Yes. I just came out here to grab another blanket for him.”
“Did he tell you what happened?”
“No, he doesn’t want to talk about it yet.”
Colin groaned. “All this waiting around is just making me anxious.”
“Me too, dear. But right now, your pa needs time to open up about it.”
Colin sighed as he leaned against his mother, staring at the doorway.
“Where was Link going?” His ma asked.
“To get his and Kori’s things.”
“Well… maybe he needs help?” She suggested, giving Colin a look. He glanced at her confused.
“I think he’s fine—“
“Go help him, Colin. See if he’s willing to open up to you.”
Colin’s eyes widened in surprise and he sat up. “Will you be ok with the kids?”
Uli gave Rela and Kori a smile. “Of course I will. You talk to Link, and I’ll talk to your pa when he’s ready. That way they won’t have to repeat everything to us.”
Colin smiled slightly and nodded, heading out the door to follow Link. The air felt eerie as Colin walked to Link’s house. The people that were out were speaking in hushed tones, watching Colin as he silently walked. He was relieved to reach the clearing that held Link’s treehouse, away from the stares. Epona was pacing the ground, clearly feeling the anxieties in the air, and Colin heard rummaging coming from the home. He jumped up the ladder and knocked on the door before letting himself in. There were bags sitting in the middle of the floor, and he heard noises coming from the basement.
“Link?” Colin called out, certainly not wanting to surprise him with his presence. There was silence, then grunting as Link emerged from the basement, carrying another bag.
“Colin? What are you doing here?”
“I… just thought that you could use some help,” Colin muttered, suddenly getting nervous about asking Link what happened. His older brother furrowed his brows, then looked at the bag around his shoulders.
“There’s not a lot. I can handle it just fine.”
Colin sighed and looked down. “Link I… I just wanna know what happened.”
Link stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. “I’ll tell you when I bring our stuff over—“
“No you won’t. I know you won’t. You’ll just tell us to avoid the forest and then head out to deal with it with the rest of us feelin’ confused.” Colin blurted out without thinking. He immediately regretted it, but where he was expecting anger, Link’s face only held exhaustion.
“Listen, y’all don’t need to know everything,” he said quietly.
“If there’s something going on in the woods, don’t you think I should know what it is?” Colin pressed. “I’m not the scared kid I was before, I can protect myself and Ordon, and I want to. But I can’t do that without knowing everything!” Link’s face was blank as he stared at Colin, and he quickly added more, “I can relay the message to the others so you won’t have to explain everything again.”
Link stared at Colin for a long moment, a concerned expression on his face. His jaw twitched as his eyes looked back and forth, and he opened his mouth slightly, before closing it again. Colin raised an eyebrow as Link turned his head away.
“It was… just a monster,” he mumbled, and Colin rolled his eyes.
“I know it wasn’t just a monster! You and pa would’ve said something!”
Link glared at him for a moment, then plopped his bag with the small pile on the floor and sat down, rubbing his eyes. Colin watched him patiently, staying in the same spot with his arms crossed.
“Colin… it… it was a shadow beast.”
Colin’s blood ran cold and he felt his eyes widen. Fear took hold of him and memories of hiding in the sanctuary from black monsters flooded in.
“H-how?” He asked quietly, and Link shrugged.
“I don’t know. I don’t know how it slipped under my radar after all these years.”
Colin felt himself sway a bit, and he sat down on the ground, his legs crossed. “Are— are you sure?”
Link nodded. “Positive. It let out a scream to paralyze me and pa, I’d recognize that scream anywhere.”
Colin looked away, remembering the battered men when he found them.
“So… what happened?”
Link gave Colin a look and opened his mouth to explain the story. He explained them searching around the house, he explained being paralyzed by a shriek, he explained looking for pa after it took him, and he explained fighting it until the sun began to rise. Colin listened to every word, his stomach sinking lower and lower as Link talked. He felt himself grow nauseous as he explained the beast vomiting Rusl up, and the implications made him lightheaded.
“Is this thing… eating people?” He asked, his voice shaking slightly.
“I…. I’m not sure. The scent it…” Link trailed off, staring blankly at a spot on the ground. “None of it makes sense.”
Colin tilted his head at Link as he grew silent, his expression blank.
“Why didn’t it go after you?” He finally asked, and Link shrugged, staring at his left hand.
“I have some theories,” he answered, before letting out a heavy sigh. “How’s pa?”
“He’s fine, he had a bad nightmare but he's resting.”
Link nodded and smiled slightly, staring at the pile of bags with an exhausted look. Colin pursed his lips and stood up.
“Resting seems like something you should be doing too. Come on, let’s get this stuff to our house.”
Link’s eyes held a hint of stubbornness, but his exhaustion got the better of him and he nodded. Colin grabbed some bags and gave Link a small smile, before moving to the door.
“Colin.”
He turned around and saw Link glaring at him.
“You know how serious this situation is now. I need all of you to stay away from Faron woods. Stay together and do not go out at night. You understand?”
Colin nodded slightly. “I understand. If… me and the others can help you and pa fight it—“
“No, it may be a shadow beast, but whatever it was doing for ten years made it strong. Me and pa are going to castle town tomorrow to make a plan of attack, but for now, stay away from it.”
Colin looked down, feeling slightly disappointed that they were leaving so soon. “Alright. I’ll try to keep everyone safe.”
Link smiled slightly and gave Colin a quick hug, patting him on the back before pulling away.
“Thanks Colin. I hope I can solve this soon.”
“I know you will, you always do,” Colin said encouragingly, and Link looked down bashfully.
“Sure…”
Colin wrapped an arm around Link and guided him out the door. “Let’s go, you look like you’ll pass out any second now.”
Link chuckled and let himself be led out, his arm wrapped around his little brother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was in a tight space, he couldn’t move his arms and legs. His body was bent at an awkward angle and the air was thick with moisture that he couldn’t breathe. He struggled to move, to crawl out of his prison, but he couldn’t no matter how hard he tried. Something wrapped tightly around his body, but he couldn’t see. It was pitch dark, and he felt helpless as tendrils snaked around him, coiling around his neck. He tried to scream for help, but he found he had no voice. He couldn’t break free, and even if he could, he wouldn’t be able to crawl out. He was hopeless, he was going to die, it was all over for him.
He was dead.
Rusl jolted awake, breathing heavily as the feelings from the nightmare lingered. His heart was beating quickly against his chest as he looked around the dark room. He squinted his eyes and went to sit up, but he felt something; something wrapped around him. He nearly panicked again, but he heard breathing, and realized that it was just Uli. He was in his home, with his wife laying behind him, one arm under his neck and the other under his arm. He let out a sigh of relief and laid his head back on the pillow, holding onto her hands. He was safe, he was ok…
Rusl closed his eyes, trying to relax in his wife’s hold, but he couldn’t. His mind kept returning from the night before, the beast that he saw, that attacked him, that Link saved him from. It’s black, eyeless face, it’s snarling yellow teeth. Rusl shuddered, flinching at every creak his house made. What if it was in Ordon? Watching him through the window? What if it came back for revenge? He looked behind him at his window, expecting to see a black beast snarling at him, but he found nothing. There was nothing, he was safe. But he didn’t feel safe, not even in his own home.
A desire to protect his wife and family overcame him, and he spun around, wrapping his arms around Uli. His wife began to stir from the sudden movement, and she pulled away, staring at him with tired eyes.
“Rusl?” She asked softly, looking around. “Is everything alright?”
Rusl bit his lip and sighed. He didn’t mean to wake her up….
“No, it’s ok, Uli, I’m sorry I woke you up… I’m just…”
Uli frowned and traced her fingers along his face. “What’s got you acting like this, darling?”
Rusl sighed. He should tell her. He knows he should tell her. But he didn’t want to talk about it, he didn’t want to relive that moment. Uli picked up on his hesitation and gave him a peck on the forehead. He melted into the kiss and hugged her tighter. Goddesses above he loved this woman. He loved her and she deserved to know what happened. He let go and sat up, staring at the dark room, only feeling comfort with Uli beside him. He never hated the dark…. But now…
“Rusl?”
Rusl took a deep breath and began to explain everything to her. When he and Link went to Coro’s house, when the creature shrieked and paralyzed them both. Rusl’s senses were clouded when that happened, and he barely got a good look at the creature with his torch. But he does remember when it grabbed him and snuffed out the fire. He tried to gloss over when he was inside the thing, since that was the part that got to him the most, but instead he spilled all his words out describing it. Describing the tendrils wrapping around him, keeping him in place he tried to escape the tight stomach. He didn’t know how or why the tendrils suddenly let go, but he was able to wiggle out of the stomach enough for the beast to vomit him up. The memory got too much for him at one point, and he himself felt like he was going to vomit. Uli held him as he tried to get ahold of himself, and he went back to explaining what happened, but in a much more disorganized manner. He truthfully didn’t remember much after he was pulled free from the mouth of the beast. His eyes were covered in black slop and he blacked out after a sharp pain went through his leg. He vaguely remembered something tightening around his ribs to the point where he couldn’t breathe, but he couldn’t tell if he imagined it or not. Then he woke up to his son watching over him worriedly, and it was over. It was the morning and the beast was gone.
He looked at Uli awkwardly when he was finished. He hoped it all made sense, but he wasn’t focused on explaining it in an organized manner. Uli was silent as she thought about all that he told her, her hand never leaving his back.
“So, what are you going to do? Link mentioned letters.”
Rusl nodded. “Me and Link are heading to castle town to tell the resistance about this first thing tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Are you sure it’s safe?”
“No. But we can’t sit in Ordon afraid for our lives while this thing takes people and—“ Rusl stopped himself. What was it doing to people? Devouring them? He was inside its stomach. If Link didn’t save him would he be…? He shuddered. He couldn’t think about that.
“Are you sure you’re fit to go to castle town? It sounds like you went through a lot, darling.”
“I’m sure. Link found fairies to heal us. We’ll be fine.”
Uli rubbed his back for a moment and sighed. “Alright, I take it you want us to stay out of Faron woods?”
Rusl nodded. “Avoid Faron woods, especially at night. Try to stay indoors and try to stay together, ok?”
Uli nodded, her brows pinched together. Rusl hugged her and rested his head against hers. Uli melted into the embrace and pulled them both down onto the bed.
“Please be safe,” she muttered, closing her eyes as she buried her face in his neck. Rusl didn’t reply, he just laid there holding his wife, listening to her beginning to snore softly. But Rusl couldn’t fall back asleep. He was on edge, he kept feeling like he was in danger, and eventually he pulled away and walked out into the living room with a spare sword in his hand. He spotted Kori resting against Link, and he smiled slightly. He didn’t think about them being out here, but he shouldn’t be surprised. Link was too far away from Ordon, it was safer with them both here. Rusl gently sat down in the armchair next to the couch, watching the door intently.
“Pa?”
Rusl turned and saw Link wide awake, holding his son in his arms.
“Can't sleep, Link?”
He shook his head. “Kinda hard to. I’m anxious to get to castle town.”
“Me too.”
Link sat up, laying Kori down and tucking him into the blankets. “So are we gonna talk about what happened?”
“I already discussed it with your ma, I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“Oh… ok, but…” Link stopped himself and sighed. “Never mind.”
Rusl frowned and studied his face. “Do… you want to talk about it?”
Link pursed his lips. “I just… I’ve been thinking about it all day and… I don’t know…”
Rusl sighed. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I just… that creature that attacked us… I… it can’t be…”
“What?”
“Well, I keep thinkin’ about it, and that thing was a shadow beast, but… it was so different.”
Rusl faced him fully. “Shadow beast? Aren’t those the Twili creatures that attacked us at the temple of time?” Link killed those creatures quickly before Rusl was able to comprehend what was happening. They were terrifying, bigger than a normal human, with otherworldly masks covering their face. He didn’t recall the beast that attacked them being the same, but then again, Link said they were different.
“Yeah, those are shadow beasts. Being around one as a light dweller will turn you into one, but… I don’t know, this thing didn’t seem to turn you into anything…”
Rusl shook his head in confusion. “Link, you’re not making any sense. You say it was a shadow beast, and though they’re similar, they were too different.”
Link shrugged and let out a sigh, leaning forward. “Sorry, I’m just thinking. It didn’t have a mask, it was big, and it seemed more powerful than a normal shadow beast. It… felt like a shadow beast that’s gotten powerful over the years. I’m just confused on how I missed it…I fought all the ones Zant sent to me, but where did this one come from?” Link frowned and looked up at Rusl, his blue eyes filled with worry. Rusl gave him a small smile, not fully understanding what Link was saying. His boy was rambling his thoughts out without thinking about how clear he was being. Link’s eyes suddenly got watery, and he turned away.
“Link?” Rusl shot to his feet and gathered his son in his arms, who melted into the embrace while crying. Rusl rubbed his back as he cried in his shoulder, rocking him back and forth.
“I–I was s-so worried ‘bout you,” Link whimpered, clutching Rusl tighter. “I thought you… you were gonna die and–” Link sobbed, interrupting his ramblings, and Rusl gave him a kiss on the head.
“I’m ok, son. I’m ok, thanks to you.” Tears were streaming down Rusl’s face as well. He thought he cried himself dry already, but apparently there were more tears to be shed. They held each other for a long while, the relief from his son being safe finally crashing down on him. Although it was an awful experience, Rusl would go through it over and over again if it meant his family would be safe. Though he began to wonder why the beast didn’t attack Link, and why it went for Rusl instead. He stopped crying as he thought about it, hearing his eldest hiccup quietly. He supposed it didn’t matter in the end, his son was safe, he was safe, and that was all that mattered. After a moment of crying, Link finally pulled away.
“Sorry,” he muttered, and Rusl scoffed affectionately, giving him one last squeeze.
“You don’t need to apologize, my boy.”
Link smiled and looked at his son, who was wrapped head to toe in blankets.
“Hope we didn’t wake him, we weren’t being quiet,” Rusl said with a chuckle, and Link shrugged.
“He’ll be fine…. Hopefully.”
The two chatted quietly the rest of the night, discussing their plan for the next morning, and how they were going to fight this beast with the help of the resistance. Rusl’s fear melted into fury as they discussed it, and he was ready to fight this thing. As soon as the sun began to rise, Rusl got up and started to get his things together. The sky was a dull gray as Link and Rusl strapped their things to their horses, explaining the situation to the confused residents of Ordon. Link was speaking to Kori quietly, giving him a hug and a kiss as Kori sadly hugged him back, while Rusl bid his farewells to Uli and Rela, and as he pulled away from his wife, she gave him a stern and worried look.
“I’ll be back, Uli. I trust you can keep them safe?” He said softly, and she smiled slightly.
“Yes, please be careful, darling.”
Rusl kissed her lips and nodded. “I will.”
When Rusl went to Colin, he was staring at the ground blankly, and Rusl tilted his head. “What’s wrong, Colin?”
“I– Link told me everything that happened and… I want to go with you guys!”
Rusl was taken aback. “You want to go with me and Link?”
Colin nodded. “I–I want to! I want to help you guys!”
Rusl smiled slightly, seeing courage in his once timid son, seeing passion in his eyes when there used to be content, it made him proud. He almost said yes, but he stopped himself. His smile fell and he gave Colin an apologetic look.
“Colin, I would love it for you to come, you’ve grown so strong and capable, but… It’s too dangerous, and I need you and the others to stay here to protect Ordon in case something happens, ok?”
Colin looked down sadly and nodded. “I understand.”
Rusl sighed and pulled him into a hug. Goddesses, his youngest son had grown up so much. He was mature, wise, and brave. Rusl couldn’t be more proud of him.
“Next time, next time I’ll take you with me,” he promised, giving him a firm pat on the back. “You’ll be a great addition to the resistance.”
Colin gave him a squeeze and pulled back, a sad smile on his face as Rusl pulled away to get on his horse. He and Link gave their family a nod and took off, silently riding to castle town.
#I just made this joke earlier but I don’t know how I feel about this one lol#don’t like it as much as the others#some parts I liked but idk#I’m not feeling the best this morning so that could do something with it idk#poor Colin just wants to help his pa and brother :((#and poor Kori and Uli and Rela. so worried#I love Uli. just a soft lady#smiles wtites#love at twilight#Kori#don’t worry baby boy you’ll get your chance to shine again#not next chapter but eventually#twilight princess#btw the Twili beast is not eating people ;)
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I haven’t drawn Fake Peppino in AGES
For any Fake Peppino lovers out there that I’ve disappointed I’m so sorry- 💀🙇♀️
And for anyone WHO HASN’T EVER SEEN me actually draw him I’M EVEN MORE SORRY 🙏🙇♀️🙏🙇♀️🙏🙇♀️
Now I personally don’t want newer viewers seeing my cringe ass Fake pep art but if anyone who does wanna see it- (HEADS UP FOR INTENSE BODY HORROR-) take these few links (I’m sorry I can’t scroll through my entire blog again just take some examples- 🥲):
Here, here, here, here and here.
The first one is my first ever drawing of him, I did not draw him normal- 💀
Anyways….this means have I changed how I draw him? Yes!
Look at the silly goober!! I may draw him just like this for now however…It was fun drawing him like the slimy disaster he was but it’s fine-…It always took a bit of time to draw those 🤷♀️
But just for the fun of it, and for old times sake, take a body horror Fake Peppino: (Warning, it looks kinda bad- 💀)
#Pizza Tower#I need to draw more Fake Peppino now. No excuses#Although I will admit I like drawing him more of a menace to society more than a fluffy soft glob of kindness- I’m sorry 🙏#I just really like seeing the limits I could do with this guy#He’s so SPOOKY there’s like so much potential you can do with him!!!#It’s also why I love when I see people make him genuinely fucking terrifying- Don’t get me wrong I LOVE sweet Fakey but MAN….I love him as#being horrific….It’s just SO GOOD 😫😫💥💥#The only thing is I want to draw him but at the same time don’t got any ideas 😅 Might have to dig something up-#I had a blast drawing him I remember that- Like legit I thought I made him so cool-#Fake Peppino#Art#Body Horror
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don't know how to format this post so welcome to waterfall is craving things and she doesn't know if it's more h-rny or lonely so enjoy a little snippet of what is playing on loop in my mind~
Person A: tshhieew!
Person B: Bless you, poor little thing~
Person A: I'm- eshh'iew! tschh- kngt'shhew! I'm not little!
Person B: Even if you aren't, your sneezes sure are~
Person A, blushing: No they're- eh'tnshiew! aeshh'iee!
Person B, with a smirk: What a poor, sneezy little thing~
#waterfallsnzarios#waterfalltalks#i guess??? idk man waterfallcraves is more accurate#just B taunting them and A being such a little blushy mess by the end#knowing that they ARE little but even if they arent! the sneezes are! they cant fight that!#not like they can fight being little either buutttt~ ;3#yes im picturing c/huuya but gotta be honest not seeing d/azai as the other#perhaps in a private little bedroom... away from prying eyes and ears...#or perhaps this is just something I crave okay i just- lil with lil snz auhegughguh#im a sucker for a kitten snz and i am! feeling things so welcome to this randomness that does NOT have a point~#(and yes okay maybe id like to be on either side of this BUT! shut up! i do not!)#(using this as a blog again- starting to get more and more used the idea that like... maybe i DO want attention???)#(always knew i craved attention but like.... always used to it being the kind of attention that i GIVE to others and maybe i get something)#(but not used to like... actual genuine attention thats just for me and that isnt kinda... idk- you give me things? so i give bak?)#(gonna be so honest!! i do not feel cute! most of the time! and usually thats okay! i like being a lil chaos gremlin :3)#(buuuuuut recently been having more friends call me cute and idk!!! maybe its not the worst thing to get to be a lil soft sometimes~)#(ANYWAYS blog post over im so sorry to anyone who read these tagssssss but here is a lil snzario that hopefully makes up for it!!)
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