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vshushmshu · 3 months

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space

“sweetness, are you okay?”

you blinked at the hand waving a foot from your face, careful not to get too close, just in case. when had you spaced? how long had he been standing there?

“yeah,” take a breath, and give the sun a little smile. it doesn’t buy it.

“hmm. you’re not as slick as you like to think you are, but it’s alright.”

your most half-assed grin thinned, and fingers of silicone ran through your hair. it helped you to focus, not get lost thinking up an acknowledgment, “gee, you gotta give me more credit, sunny. you wound me!”

a hand went to clutch your tight chest in an attempt at joking offense, and sun tilted their faceplate at you with soft clicking, fingers still fiddling with strands, “nope, cope and seethe. you’ll be fine. do you wanna talk about it, though? you’re barely breathing, dear.”

your face must’ve gone blank, done with the struggle of displaying a smile, because his hand retracted, eternal grin still in place. the sunny disposition never faltered, and maybe he was slicker than you after all, “it’s okay, i understand! just.. pick up the clothes you dropped, yes? maybe lie down after, friend. i’ll be trying my hand at birdwatching, if you need me! taking pictures of them is very fun we’ve found!! please call, if you need us.”

looking down, there was indeed a pile of laundry at your socked feet, as well as the plastic bin clattered to the floor. you both stared at the mess for a bit, until you finally picked it up, and sun made a noise of approval, “thanks, man. um.. yeah, i’ll do that. hope you find cool birds. thanks.”

the animatronic stared as you walked away with a yet again full laundry bin, and you faintly heard their faceplate clicking back into place, while you pushed the door to your room closed behind you. it never actually closed, always stayed cracked. there was no reason to fear a bit of space. you dumped the clothes onto your bed, then before folding, looked back at the door again.

everything was fine, but sun had walked off by now. chest moving, lungs never grazing ribs, breathe. your hands went to fold your clothes, but you forgot that you were very soon.

moon was less subtle.

maybe it was on purpose, you noted slowly, that sun had dimmed all the lights early. you never called to say you needed them. the moon stayed hovering over you somehow, despite being seated on the far end of the couch; well, not truly, like he could before, but still watching. he left space between the two of you, just in case, just like his counterpart tried to.

you were playing one of your more favored games, but the way you engaged with the little world in your screen grew robotic, ironically enough. you couldn’t remember the steps you had taken to do something after you had done it, and moon watched silently. your head tilted up at him finally, a memory of your earlier conversation blinking to life, “how was bird watching?”

the animatronic stayed still for a bit, then scooted closer on the couch in his usual slinky fashion, grinning forever, “fun. saw a couple that we don’t usually see. many birds come to the windows.”

you laughed lightly, quieter than your chortles and cackles, glancing down at your screen once more with a sluggish raise of your brows, “nice, birds don’t usually pop by for visits. i think you’re turning to snow white, buddy. or would it be aurora? y’know, with the whole sleeping beauty thing.”

he had crossed half the space between you two just by leaning forward before he paused, you watching in your peripheral, then stuck a thumb down at you, “unfunny. overused. unoriginal. do better.”

a roll of your eyes, and you pressed a button unenthusiastically, “oh, hardee har. i get at least half a point for trying my best.”

moon hummed, staying put now as he sat stoney, “you do. maybe even a whole one.”

you blinked, then looked up at him, silent for a little too long as you completely disregarded tragedy befalling the character you played through, “i do? you folded quick.”

their faceplate did a full rotation, and the bell of moon’s nightcap tinkered softly, “maybe. you seem tired.”

you switched your device off, figuring you were never progressing in anything more than bullshittery in the first place, and scratched at your scalp to try and soothe your ache, “yeah, i am.”

the bot’s fingers twitched, maybe. you couldn’t fully tell with how nothingness nibbled at your neural pathways, but moon stayed a few feet away from you, still. stayed still, “sleep?”

the hand scratching at your head instead dragged over your face, and you shrugged, recalling something dully to your moon sat by you, “dunno. i tried to after folding my clothes, but i started not, uh… feeling good. you turned down the lights too early, though. why?”

you couldn’t remember if you actually folded your clothes, though. moon stayed still, but you thought his smile had dimmed impossibly, “you’re not feeling good. why?”

you couldn’t tell if that was another question or the answer, and your eyes burned as you resigned on further investigation, gaze staying level as they dug into led’s, “dunno.”

“that’s okay,” his voice was hushed, clasping their own hands as the animatronic leaned back a bit, giving you space. you sank further into the couch cushions, and moon hummed, “roof? fresh air, it might help. helps us.”

a tilt of your head, a bit of a smile when you wondered distantly if you were picking up their mannerisms, “you have lungs?”

moon tilted their head to mirror yours, rolling his eyes as sarcasm coated their voice box thick, “haha. want to?”

a cool toned hand occupied the air between the both of you on the couch, and you shifted your attention to stare at it for a moment. the moon was patient, and you had no reason to fear, now. your bedroom door was still cracked, no reason to fear, “sure. if i get yelled at by the landlady though, i’m blaming you guys.”

you laced your fingers with the robot’s tentatively, your closed palms creating a seam of skin and silicone, and moon leaned over to finally close the space. a huff of a laugh left you when he bonked their smile to the top of your head, and maybe it stretched, “mhm, shall we?”

raising your brow, you got up from the warm cushions to follow your interlinked hands, “wow, so formal! like we don’t share the same bed-”

the animatronic’s other hand went up to your cheek, pinching lightly while you snickered, “shush. then, leggo.”

the sun was just about set by now, but the moon still made sure to stay curled up in the shadows, with you sat in his lap of starry clown pantaloons. you watched the sky change colors, slowly going dark with actual stars popping up, now. arms held you, relaxed as the edge of their faceplate rested on your head, turning with you to look at what you were looking at. it was peaceful.

your fingers fiddled with theirs, and moon didn’t seem to mind. it was nice to have company as you stared at the constellations emerging as they did every night, “space is cool.”

the bot let out a low hum, pinkie tightening when yours hooked to it, “yeah, we like looking at the sky. one of the things that feels real. better?”

nodding, you let your body sink into theirs, and the hold around you tightened a bit. you thought about sticky, glow in the dark stars on the daycare ceiling. in, then out, “mhm. i can, uh.. breathe, i guess.”

“that’s good. told you,” a thumb ran over the knuckles of your other hand, as if recounting how your bone felt. it felt real.

you rolled your eyes, smiling a little easier, “will you ever stop being so smug?”

“nuh uh. funny,” moon shifted you to face him, and you raised your brows at him. fingers of plastic and metal smoothed them back down, and you stuck your tongue out at him while he held your face, grinning, “and you can breathe. happy.”

something in you squeezed, and you reached out your arms to him to be held close again, cheek pressed to their chassis to hear the quiet buzzing of machinery while hands rubbed circles into your back, “pfft- thanks.”

the moon giggled when you leaned away a bit just for a moment, pulling his faceplate closer to place a smooch between his eyes, just to further enunciate gratitude, “of course, star.”

blinking between bouts of unconsciousness in a bed surprisingly not littered with laundry, you took a breath as you watched the light starting to dance into your room. the sun had risen halfway by now, and you squinted at the animatronic closing the bedroom window.

“sun,” you grumbled, and their head swiveled to meet your half-asleep squint, rays spinning.

his voice was hushed, something rare, “close your eyes, friend. you stayed up late.”

still, he walked over when you reached your hands out for him, catching them before they hit the blankets once more in their laziness. it took you a minute to open your eyes again, and you could hear the sun laughing softly at you while you blinked some more in defiance, “wha’ever. bring your stupid, shit-eating grin closer.”

one hand easily held the two of yours, while the other went to clutch the plain shirt over their chassis, “language. you wound me, dear! yet, i must heed your call…”

their plastic forehead almost bumped against yours, but sun still kept in mind space. so, whilst actively ignoring his reprimanding, you strained up just the slightest to bump against it, “you mustn’t do anything, just wanna. closer.”

the sun let out a dramatic sigh, rays inching into his faceplate to accommodate while he hesitantly closed space, “gosh, we hate it when you’re smug. happy?”

“mhm, you just hate it when i’m right, which is all the time,” your hands left his hold to brush fingers to the corners of his smile, one of your own spreading when the animatronic leaned into the touch, hovering over your laid form. when you pressed a smooch between his eyes, same as a couple hours before, you could practically see the struggle it took to not let his rays twirl. you weren’t afraid of space, of nicks from joy, but you didn’t bring it up. restraint was a habit, it seemed.

the sun laughed, “sure, uhuh. keep thinking that,” but didn’t move away in the slightest, which you appreciated. it was warm.

“y’know, you keep yourself too far away, sometimes,” well, never mind then. guess your sleep-deprived brain was, in fact, bringing it up.

he paused, still for a moment, but still didn’t move away. still, his smile remained, “apologies, sweetness. we forget that you humans have that skin hunger of yours!”

your face twisted, and you played up your disgust at the new piece of vocabulary, while sun snickered at your weak punch to his shoulder, “ewww, what the hell!! what does that even mean?? never say that again!”

“we will absolutely say it again,” their grin seemed to stretch while you scowled playfully, then your hands balled into fists to rub at your still-bleary eyes.

fingers carded through your hair, scratching your scalp in a way that had you stretching into the blankets, eyes still half-lidded, “mean. and here i was trying to say i love you. and thanks.”

the pleasant massage continued after a brief falter, rays now farther away from your face spinning like a damn fan, a fact which you only noticed due to the slightest breeze that picked up, “you already said one of those things… but we love you too, obviously.”

the sun leaned down again to press its smile to your forehead, and your own glee practically split your face. it didn’t matter anymore, if the door stayed cracked or closed, for there was no need to fear a bit of space. you guys were warm, and safe.

“soooo, love me enough to stay in bed?”

“oh! but, i had a recipe i wanted to try out! and-“

“…”

“…okay, fine! stop looking at me like that!”

“YES!!”

“you’d probably explode my oven, anyways..”

“oh shush! i thought we agreed it was our oven!”

“well… pfft- WAIT NO, OKAY!! OUR OVEN!!”

“that’s what we thought!”

“..skin hunger-er.”

“get out.”

[ masterpost ]

#exhibit number 9836263895 of self indulgence #fnaf dca x reader #sundrop x reader #moondrop x reader #still #the only reason i post is so that this makes someone else feel a bit better as well #sun x y/n #moon x y/n #sun x reader #moon x reader

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his-littlefox · 1 month

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Hi!!!! 🩷

I was re-reading Once Upon a Broken Heart and I realized something I hadn't noticed before! Jacks is so so shy when expressing his feelings to his little Zorro, he never told Evangeline how beautiful she was, But.....he did it, he did it, he did it! He said it indirectly, because our boy would rather jump off a cliff than express his feelings to his little girl, he is embarrassed and that was so cute.....

In ACFTL

"She hadn' t really looked at the cut that had caused all the blood since she'd first been injured. It was shallow enough that it had already closed. It would not need stitching. But the blood left behind looked soething awful-she probably looked awful as wel.

"You could never look awful," he said faintly.

She looked up again. For a second, he looked almost shy and incredibly young, barely older than her. Blond locks of hair fell over his eyes as he slowly leaned in closer. She didn't know if he was trying not to frighten her away, or if he was maybe frightened. He seemed uncharacteristically nervous as he reached toward her cheek. He slowly took an errant strand of hair between his finger and tucked it behind her ear. He was so careful, his fingers didn't even brush her skin, but he looked as if he wanted to.

Jacks actually said that Evangeline was beautiful, that she was very beautiful, he said it to a certain character in the first book.

Jacks said it for days...or weeks...

In Once upon a broken heart, On the neverending night when Jacks takes Evangeline to the Prince to kiss him:

"Don't feel bad, Miss Fox"

"I think our mutual friend is jealous. He's been telling me for weeks how gorgeous you are, but until now, i thought he was exaggerating"

"Jacks told you about me?

He'd already left her side to wander the small suite, and he met her stare with the same taciturn desinterest he'd shown everyone else when he'd first entered the party. If looks could speak, this one would have told her, just because i said it doesn't mean i believe it.

But he had said. She didn't care if he'd meant it or not.

And Jacks believed it! He really believes it!!!! He said she was beautiful!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

He spent weeks talking to the prince about how beautiful she was. And I don't think she said it just to make Apollo fall in love with her, because Jacks put a spell on him much later.

And while she was transformed into stone, he thought of her💔😭

Jacks is sooo cute, and i love him! ❤️🍎🦊

STOPPP YOURE MAKING ME WANT TO REREAD SO BAD!!! 😭😭💘

but you’re sooo righttt jacks is literally a cutie patootie romantic who just wants to be loved and love his girl!! 🥺💖 he’s just become so closed off bc of sooo many terrible experiences (i hate aurora sm!!!). i can’t even imagine what he must’ve gone through when his first fox died after he broke the archer’s curse through his willpower alone!! he’s literally so resilient for still fighting through, bc like?? i can’t even imagine myself in his shoes it’s so painful :((

he really loved evangeline since the moment he saw her, it was love at first sight and he was literally simping on her with apollo!! 🤭💓 but like the way he must’ve felt so scared abt it breaks my heart so bad!! :(

i sooo want a novella abt their relationship BC I WANNA SEE JACKS FINALLY BEING LOVED BY SOMEONE!! and him loving her freely too hehe i want their cuteness sm <3

thank you for the ask!!! i love reading them sm! 😚💕

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straykidsworldwild · 3 years

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Duskwood

Phil Hawkins x MC

Part 1 : MC is having a horrible, horrible day and she goes to the Aurora to have a drink.

(⚠️Sad. Some swearing ⚠️)

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Heyy guys!! Here's a little Phil Hawkins one shot part 1 because there's not enough Duskwood imagines 🙈

(pictures aren't mines but I made the collage and the character aren't mines. All rights go to Duskwood creators and owners of the pics.)

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My day was total crap... I don't believe I've had such a horrible day before. Or at least, not for a long time... It feels like everything is falling apart little by little. Like nothing is meant to go normally. I woke up like any other day, and yet, it feels like I woke up in a chaotic world where everything is meant to go wrong... Since that call, everything is going downhill...

The night has fallen which means I have officially done my day. It felt like forever... Like I am in an endless loop... And since I was meant to do the closing, my day felt even longer than usual. I just finished cleaning the little restaurant I worked at and closed it. It's not a job I would want to do my whole life, even though it is nice to work in a restaurant, but I need money to pay for my college study. My mom is helping pay for them, but I'm trying to pay as much as I can on my own. Anyway... I am walking in the streets of Duskwood which are beamed by the streetlights. It is surprisingly emptier than usual. I guess it's due to the rain... Like my day wasn't cloudy enough already... I think I need a break... Yeah... I need a drink...

I walk toward a familiar building, some greenish-blueish light lightening the area. Aurora... The famous bar of Duskwood owned by my best friend's brother. I've rarely been there alone... Usually I go with the rest of the group. But I really need... Ugh... Maybe I should just go home? Isn't it too late to go there anyway? Ugh... I'm asking myself too many questions. I guess a drink really won't hurt. I reach the door before falling face to face with a sign. CLOSED. Great... I sigh disappointed as I am standing under the rain. Oh... But he is still here. Through the window, I can see a familiar figure cleaning the place. Oh well, I'm neither here nor there... I lift my hand and knock on the door of the bar. The man turned around as I got his attention. I cross my arms over my chest and notice that the rain has already soaked my hair and my vest. I must look awful... The man comes up to the door and opens it for me.

- Gorgeous! Come in before you catch a cold, tells me, the man, using that nickname he always does. I don't know why he does it... I never heard him calling other girls like this. Well, he does use pet names but not this specific one. I step in the bar and he closes the door behind me. You know I love you very much but I'm about to close so... He begins to tell me with his famous smirk despite the little fatigue I can see on his face. His hair is held up in a bun as he usually does when he works. He is wearing a white shirt, letting his huge tattoo on his neck appear, and a black trousers. By the sight of his eyes, I can tell he had a long day too...

- I just need one drink, Phil, I simply answer to my friend. My voice sounded so... Tired and flat. Phil looks at me with a slight surprise, losing slowly his smile. I guess the sound of my voice surprised him. Please... I plead to him with the same tone.

- I would never say "no" to my favorite customer, would I? He answers with a smirk. I faintly smile back at him, happy that finally something goes well. For now... He could have said "no". The two of us walk over to the bar and I sit on a stool while he goes behind the counter. We're alone in the bar since he was about to close so it's pretty quiet. The usual I guess, he tells me with his deep and calm voice.

- Actually... Whiskey. Pure, I reply, stopping him in his momentum. Phil looks back at me for a second, processing my words.

- Wow, I knew you had that wild part in you, Gorgeous, but I didn't think I would ever see it, he tells me with a surprised tone again. Yet, he doesn't seem to dislike it. Phil gets two glasses and he pours a little bit of the beverage in the glasses.

- A little more, please... I tell him with the same flat and tired voice. I stop myself from letting a long sigh out. Again, I feel his eyes burning me before he pours a little more alcohol. Thanks, I thank him.

- On the house, he tells me, leaning against the counter as he raises his glass. I was about to retort but he gave me a look, telling me he won't change his mind.

- Double thanks, I thank him again, clinking my glass with him before taking a sip. Argh... That tastes awful! I can feel the liquid burning my throat.

- So... I know I act like I am very happy to see you, which is the case, don't get me wrong, Gorgeous, he begins to tell me before rapidly correcting himself. But I also see that you're not fine, MC, Oh... I look down as I take a deep breath in. It must not be very hard to see I had a bad day then... Usually I can hide it pretty well... But right now. It's too deep, too much. I'm not even sure "bad" is a strong enough word to describe how crappy my day was. What's wrong? He asks me, sounding calm, gentle and interested, yet, with a point of concern.

- I'm okay, Phil, I softly respond to my friend while slowly shaking my head negatively.

- Mmh... This "I'm okay" sounded more like a "I'm-not-okay-but-I-am-putting-a-brave-face-on". Like a hidden call for help, he tells me gently, yet, seriously. His deep voice is just so... Irresistible, and always so calm. Who could resist it? Well... I guess at this moment I can. My mind is too bothered and busy right now. I crack a very faint smile before looking down at my glass again. I take a sip of it and lightly grimace to the taste of the drink. Who hurt you? He asks me seriously as he takes a cigarette and the lighter. Who… Why someone and not something?

- It's not about me, I respond in a whisper, lying to him. I hate talking about myself when I'm down. I don't want to bother people with my problems... I don't want to be the one to bring negative vibes. Oh no... I turn lightly my head to the side as I feel the tears coming up. I need a break... I need to break.

- Lie, he simply says. I don't look at him and I don't contradict him either. What happened? He asks again with seriousness, not letting this subject aside. I don't answer again. I can feel a lump in my throat. The tears are thick in my eyes and threatening to fall at any time now. MC, talk to me. I'm not here to judge you or... I hide my face even more as I can't stop myself from grimacing sadly. I can't take it... I let a sob out accidentally as if my body is talking for myself. I want to scream. But I can't... MC... He calls me with concern. Phil puts down his cigarette and walks around the counter to join my sides. I don't move and keep my back to him. I hate when people see me crying... Phil puts his hand on my shoulder so I could face him but I push it away, not too harshly, but not too gently either. I let another sob out as I closed my eyes. The tears are so thick and warm... There's so much emotion in them. They roll down my cheeks regularly, evacuating my pain. Without saying a word, I feel a pair of arms holding me. A chest lays against my back. My hair was all wet... His shirt must be wet too by now. It's okay, MC, I hear him whispering. I should push him away. I know how Phil is with girls... Isn't it too easy to cry in front of him and him then being too nice? I know he is my friend and my best friend's brother, but... God, I'm lost. Usually I go to Jessy or I call her. But I came here... Why? Ugh...

- I'm sorry... I whisper shakily through my sobs. I came for a drink and I ended up breaking in front of him...

- No, it's okay. Get it out, he says with a comforting and calm tone. It actually sounds weird coming from him... I know Phil for a few years and he was never like this. I mean, he is always calm but caring like this? That's rare... More than rare. Long minutes later, I slowly calm down. I am still breathing lightly shakily but I'm not sobbing anymore. Only a few tears here and there stream down my eyes. I take a deep breath in and out before wiping my cheeks. I don't remember when was the last time I cried this much... It hurts. It hurts so much. I accumulated too much. I didn't break when mom told me about my uncle's death… I guess I didn't realize what was real and happening at the moment… Or I didn't want to believe it… That built up on my nerves and… This is the result. Slowly, I pull myself away from Phil who didn't let go of me one second. I turn around to face him, but avoid his eyes. Like I thought, the top of his shirt is all wet, letting his tattoos appear a little more on his chest. I'm still confused about what just happened... That's not me to cry in front of people like this... And that's definitely not the Phil I know. Tell me what's wrong, Gorgeous, he says seriously, still wanting to know what got me in such a state. He never gives up...

- Everything, I answer back, my voice lightly breaking. I wipe my cheeks again as I clear my throat. To begin with, when I woke up this morning, I learned that my uncle had passed away during the night. He drove a truck from a country to another and... I explain to him, confessing the terrible news that started this awful day of mine. However, I couldn't bring myself to finish my sentence. I bring my hand over my heart and press on it as if it would take the pain away. Since the call... Just saying those words hurts just as much as saying them in my head. If not more...

- I'm sorry to hear that, he apologizes sincerely.

- Me too... Thanks... But that's not it, I thank him with a sad tone before lightly sniffling. After receiving my mom's call to tell me this awful news, I went to work today because I couldn't stay home. I needed to get my mind busy and to... Not think about the incident, I confess as I feel a new tear rolling down my cheek. My uncle and I were close, you know? He kind of raised me with my mom since my dad left her when she told him about me, I admit to the boy. I watch Phil frowning as he discovers a part of my life that I don't usually bring up. Why am I telling him all of this? It's not like he cares anyway... Does he? Anyway, to continue this unpleasant day, I had the pleasure to meet very unpleasant and rude customers all day long. Like this one call wasn't enough already... One of the customers said that they didn't want me as their waitress because I've got curves, some others telling me I was too long when in reality I just walked away from their table, a couple literally told me I gave them the wrong command and threw their drinks at me, and another one insulted me because there wasn't anymore sandwich like he wanted, I tell him all of this in just one single breath. Yet, you could hear how tired and hurt I am right now. I guess the death of my uncle adding this unnecessary crap was just too much at once. And to add more, my boss is cutting half my pay off because I accidentally broke a cup... A damn cup! Can this day get any worse? I finish to say as I look away, letting a heavy and shaky sight out as another tear rolls down my face. My hand is still over my heart as if I am protecting it all while trying to reject all negative emotions. Suddenly, two fingers softly come grabbing my chin and force me to lift my head up.

- Your boss is a dick, MC. Always have been, always will be, he tells me, the sound of those words sounding familiar. How many times did he already say this to me? I stopped counting... But I should listen, he is right. And f**k those customers. They're not happy? Tell them to go to another restaurant, he responds seriously. His deep voice sounds so calm despite the upset look he has on his face. Am I upsetting him or is he upset because of what happened to me today?

- Right, I kind of need to keep my job despite everything. But you can go tell them that, I respond with a small scoff, yet, trying to use sarcasm.

- Sure, give me names and faces and I'll find them, he replies playfully, yet a point of seriousness heard in his voice. I smile to his answer, appreciating his concern and protectiveness. Though, I never thought it would ever happen one day. Phil is... Not the last person I'd go to to talk but definitely not the first one either... Usually. I look away again and lightly sniffle. Phil wipes some of my tears away. His hands are so soft... It's weird. I've never seen you cry before, he whispers. I look back up at him, watching him slightly frowning. That's true... Not sure a lot of people saw me crying before either... Not even Jessy. I weakly nod before shrugging.

- How does it feel to watch a girl crying in front of you? I reply slightly playfully. Jessy's brother grabs something on the other side of the counter before handing it to me. Tissues... I take them from his hand, thanking him.

- It's painful. When it's you... It's different... Painful, he responds, taking his cigarette again. Oh... I wasn't waiting for an answer like this one. I was waiting for him to say "Can you just stop thinking for a moment?" Or "Stop crying over so little"... But none of that. I watch Phil blowing some smoke, making sure it doesn't go in my face.

- Is the womanizer Phillip Hawkins starting to be an emotional guy? I question him with a playful tone, cracking a smile. I think it's the first time today that I cracked a smile. A real one, I mean.

- No, he's the same dick, he answers, shaking his head left to right while chuckling. Oh... Of course. That would have been too surreal. I'm not going to lie, Phil is a good looking guy. His long hair, his tattoos looking so cool, his piercing, the way he dresses, his voice,... Just the way he is is attractive. The sound of his chuckle runs through my body.

- He admits it, I reply as I feel myself smiling more and more as the tears are coming to a stop. Prove it, I tell him with a daring tone. Phil leans against the counter, smirking.

- Wanna stay with me, tonight? At my place. The bed is comfy and big enough for us two, he proposes seriously to me, a point of flirt in his voice. I know he is being serious. I can hear it in his voice. And that look of his... I know girls don't refuse him generally. But I'm not them. And I don't want to end up in his bed just for one night and then nothing. That's not me... That's not who I am. That's not what I want. He can be incredibly good looking and just be his amazing self, I'll still refuse.

- I don't do one night stands, Phil, I remind him seriously.

- I know... He replies, a slight hidden note of his tone telling me he is disappointed. It's no secret that Phil has been liking me for a while. He has tried to ask me a few times before but I declined them all for... Obvious reasons. Let's do two then, he suddenly says, half joking, half serious.

- Phil! I exclaim as I chuckle.

- It's okay. I'll accept even three nights. Or more. I won't mind, Gorgeous, he continues to say, but I can tell he is joking this time. I softly laugh while shaking my head. There's that smile I love, he states, sounding satisfied with himself for making me smile. Honestly, Gorgeous, don't mind those idiots. Don't let them get to you, he advises me seriously as he finishes his whiskey.

- I don't usually. But I thought going to work was going to help me forget that awful news for a moment. I went there hoping to clear my head. I guess it was just too much today and I needed to break. Sorry it had to be you watching me like this, I answer and apologize to the boy as I take a sip of my drink. Ugh... It's the last time I take Whiskey... I lightly grimace and put the glass down.

- I'm not. If you ever have a bad day again and feel the need to talk, don't hesitate knocking on my door. Even if it's closed. It's always open for you, he tells me seriously and sincerely. Honestly, I haven't met that guy before... Where's the Phil I know?

- Thanks, Phil, I thank him before stepping down the stool. I step up twice and take him in my arms. The man envelops me back in a warm embrace, running softly his hand on my back. I pull my head away and place a kiss on his cheek as a thank you. And before you think of anything spicy, that kiss on the cheek is the farthest you'll ever have, I rapidly tell him, a point of warning in my voice, yet, using a playful tone.

- You're definitely killing me with kindness, MC. My poor heart pays dearly, he tells me with a frustrated tone before I watch him taking my glass of Whiskey. Oh... He winks and takes a sip from it. Oh yeah, drink that thing... I don't like it anyway. And I think he noticed it...

- Moh, maybe one of those girls coming here could put a bandage on it to heal it, I say with some sarcasm, yet, with some dislike heard into it. I always hated that those girls could "help" him... I mean, what do they have? What does he see in them? Before anything said, no, I'm not jealous... I just don't like him with other girls...

- They could. But will it be worth it? He answers while nodding before taking his cigarette and blowing so smoke away.

- You tell me. You're the one who can't resist "beautiful women", I reply to the man, stating his own words. Phil smiles and chuckles lightly to my comment.

- They can definitely help at a low point, he answers, agreeing. Right... Wait, at a low point?

- At a low point? What do you mean? I ask him with a confused tone.

- I can sleep with every woman that wants me. But, in the end, it will never mean anything like... Like when you're with me, he suddenly tells me, lowering his head lightly. His smile disappeared, showing seriousness. Did I hear him right? Did he just say those words? I stare at the man, confused and speechless. Me? Why...? Since when...? Ugh... He had a few drinks today, didn't he? Phil looks back up at me, but his eyes give a quick look at my lips.

- I'm sorry. I'm trying but... Are those words really coming from you or... Did you have any drinks before? I demand him seriously, yet, with a playful tone to keep a cool atmosphere. Arguing with him is the last thing I want. Phil cracks a smile but it doesn't stay long.

- I know I play a lot around with different girls. I know what you think of me. I'm a f**k boy. And I know I tried several times to get a night with you. But... It's not just a night that I want and you don't seem to see that, he replies, not denying who he is but also kind of reproaching me to not open my eyes about him. Well… How could I? If he doesn't tell me, I only see things the way I see them... I nod positively before looking down. Why do I feel a little sorry suddenly? I shouldn't... There's something different with you, MC. You're different. From all the others. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to dirty you. I don't want to play with you. I don't want to break you, he tells me gently and seriously. I slowly look back up at him and notice how close he is to me. Was he that close to me before? I can feel my heart beating like crazy down my chest. It's wrong... It feels right, but it's wrong. I know it...

- Phil... I gently whisper his name as I a look down again.

- I love you, MC, he interrupts me with his calm and deep voice. What...? I stare at him with wide eyes, surprised by the words I just heard. I didn't even know he knew how to say them… Especially while sounding sincere. He meant those words. I love you like I have never loved a woman before. And I'm not talking about loving the "pretty woman" that you are. No, I mean... He sighs. You're pretty. You're more than pretty. You're prettier than all of those girls and I am not talking just about the way you look. I just... Again, I hear Phil sighing. Despite the fast that he stays calm, I can sense some nervousness coming from him which is unusual. Phil is never nervous, especially around a woman. He is the exact opposite actually. He is pretty confident about himself. He talks easily, flirts easily… You're not a price I want to win or a pride to have f**ked in bed. You have this thing that the others don't have. You're special, he says with the same calm and slight nervous tone. Phil looks straight before him as he blows some smoke. Special... He noticed this little thing in me, which I didn't know I had…

- You really noticed that small thing in me? Because, honestly, I'm everything but special. I can assure you, I demand and tell him with a point of shiness. Wow... I didn't think I would have sounded so shy all of a sudden...

- I told you. I love you. And you know those words don't come out of my mouth easily. Actually, I don't think I ever said them to someone before, he replies seriously and gently before taking a last blow and putting out his cigarette. I stare at him, not really knowing how to react. I mean, of course it does make me feel something. There's... There are those butterflies flying in my belly. My heart is racing and my cheeks feel a little warm... Maybe a little more than a little, actually. I know I feel something for him. I can't deny it… But there's still things in the way...

- Honestly, I'm discovering another man right now. Why don't you show this side of yours to people? Pride? Male ego? I demand him with a small confused tone, yet curious.

- I am who I am, he simply answers.

- Mmh... Well, I like this Phil better, I answer him as I crack a smile. Phil looks at me and his serious face turns into a smiling one again.

- So, would you go out one night? Or during a lunch break? He proposes to me, hope heard in his voice. Oh... Well... I know your days are long and I work at night too so it'll be short but... He tells me gently, reminding us of our busy lives. Right, there's not a lot of moments where we can meet… But do I want to meet him like this? I mean, yes, I want to but… Do I want to get in something like this? In an uncertain relationship where I'll fear he goes to see someone else to distract himself from me? Despite this side of him, he is still Phil in the end...

- If you do this to only get me in your bed... I whisper, interrupting him. I hope it's not a plan of his to get me in his bed... That'll be the worst thing he could do... Especially as being my friend first...

- I do this to win your heart. As cheesy as it sounded... Nothing more, he tells me seriously, staring into my eyes. Speechless, I stare at him as well. For once in my life, I just want to do right. Especially with you… For you… Because of you... But it's only if you want to, he responds sincerely to me, looking serious. It's actually a little disturbing. Phil has always had respect for everyone, including me. He always respected that I didn't want a one time thing… What changed?

- I don't know, I whisper, confused by the situation. It's not that I don't want to be with him nor that I don't like him. On the contrary. I love Phil. But... There's few things in the way...

- Because of my past with women? He asks me, sounding really confused that I won't accept. I'm certainly the only woman telling him "no". Especially after a few tries.

- Yes... And because of my insecure self. Look at you and look at me. You own an amazing bar, I work as a waitress with a crappy boss. You look cool and get well and easily along with people, I look like that discreet and shy girl who is nothing more than being awkward. And you're my best friend's brother. And there's the age gap, which is the least that bothers me, I tell him everything that I thought on why I don't say "yes" to him. I mean... I think he can understand where I'm coming from. I hope... I don't want to lose a friend, in a way, just because of that...

- You're perfect the way you are, MC. Nobody will take that thought out of my mind, he states seriously. I notice how his eyes are alternating from my own to my lips. They keep going up and down. He seems eager...

- Right... You said it, not me, I say with a disbelieving tone, yet a playful one while I giggle. A small smile comes on my face which keeps growing more and more. I'm not going to lie, but hearing him saying those words do something inside me.

- And I believe it, he says while nodding. He does... I stare at him for a moment, the two of us plunge into a deep silence. It's not awkward... It's intense, but not awkward. I'm just so not confident with myself. What if he is playing me? And what if he is not? Ugh… I should let go sometimes... Really... I could open doors I didn't even think I had the key of.

- Tomorrow. Meet me for lunch if you're free. We can start there to see how it goes, I propose to the man which, I notice, makes him smile instantly.

- Is it a date? He asks with a smirk. Well...

- I'm not sure... Maybe... We'll see, I reply unsure, yet, smirking back at him. Yes, I'm entering his game easily... Was it right? Though, we could hear this point of shyness in my voice.

- Will I get to finally kiss you? He then asks, slowly getting even more closer to me. Oh... I can feel my heart racing a little more, hearing it beat in my ears. He's making me so nervous… Kiss me… Is that all he wants?

- Phil... I whisper his name, annoyed, as I lightly title my head on the side.

- What? I showed you a part of me, doesn't mean the other one is gone, he answers with a not so innocent tone, still smirking at me. I keep staring at him a little annoyed despite the amused smile on my face. Alright, just lunch, he says, agreeing. I nod back positively. And a hug? He rapidly asks.

- A hug? I ask, surprised and confused. Phil winks at me. I can see he is waiting for an actual answer. Oh well... Sure. Whatever. I've got to go home. It's getting late, I agree before standing up from the stool. I didn't think but, when I stood up, my face got so close to his. At this moment, when my eyes met his, it was as if the time had stopped for a second. Slow motion. It was like I couldn't remember what reality looked like. I feel my cheeks starting to burn before I look down to hide my certainly blushing face from him. Why did I have to happen to have a crush on him? Why him? Why does he make me feel this way? I clear my throat quietly and start walking towards the door.

- Be careful on your way home. Tell me once you're there, he tells me as he follows me behind.

- I will, I reply. I was about to open the door when his hand grabbed the handle first. My fingers brushed his. I retrieve my hand and let him open the door for me. Still with my cheek lightly burning from previously, I manage to cross sight with his eyes and smile at him. Thanks for the night, the drink, holding me when I cried, and for listening to me, Phil, I thank him sincerely as I weakly nod to the man.

- You're very welcome, Gorgeous, he responds with his deep and calm voice while smiling back at him. That damn smile... Goodnight, MC, he wishes me softly.

- Goodnight, Phil, I wish him back. The two of us exchange one last look and smile before I walk out of his bar. I put my hands in my pockets and walk home.

I'm not sure what exactly happened there... I went to the bar to have a drink to relax and take my mind off and I ended up with Phil holding me when I broke down and accepting to have lunch together. Will it be a date? Will it actually go somewhere? Was he being serious? So many questions burning my mind... I will see how tomorrow goes. I'll have so much to do tomorrow, anyway... Mom is certainly going to call me for the funerals, my work is going to be tiring as always, and the lunch with Phil... I wonder what Jessy will say if she knew that her brother and I are going on a... Lunch? Date? Whatever it's called... Will she be okay with... What we're doing? Will she mind if I go out with her brother? Ugh, why do I already think of things like this? I'm not there yet... Anyway... I think I just need some sleep right now, nothing more. If I manage to actually fall asleep once I'll be home and in my bed… It promises to be a long night...

#duskwood #duskwood phil #duskwood jake #duskwood jessy #phil hawkins #duskwood richy #duskwood hannah #duskwood cleo #duskwood thomas #duskwood dan #duskwood fanfiction #duskwood app #iamjake #phil x mc #duskwood mc #multifandom #multifandomedit #edit #duskwood game

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terrm9 · 3 years

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Father’s Day

Ethan makes sure to celebrate the Father’s Day with his daughter. (Ethan X Chiara X Matilda)

Words count: 4 000

Warnings: two swear words, fluff

Author’s note: I don’t know what happened here guys. I am so sorry, this fic lacks plot and point, depth, quality, this truly is one fluffy piece of shit. I had a good feeling about it when the idea appeared in my brain and then I started to write and nothing seemed right. And I just kept telling myself ‘just keep writing and it will start making sense. It will get better’... and suddenly the fic is finished and it still doesn’t make sense. I was so close to not posting it, but then I thought that sometimes mindless fluff can make my mood better and so maybe it can do some good to you too. Love you all and I promise I won’t be angry or hurt if you hate this:D

Also Ethan is ~47 in this fic, if you thought I wouldn't mention his graying hair, I am sorry but I did

Also also, I didn't find the strength needed for a proof reading this and so I didn't proof read it. If you see a mistake, please pretend you don't see it

The sun was long set at the time Ethan stepped into the apartment and even though he rationally knew that it was late, he couldn’t quite give up on his hope that maybe Matilda was still up. On the days like this, when more patients came in than out of the hospital and there was so much of a paperwork that he has to bring it home with him, there is nothing Ethan loved more than to put his daughter to sleep and then spend a nice quiet evening with Chiara.

But of course, Matilda was fast asleep – judging by the silence filling the whole apartment – and so Ethan was looking forward to skipping to the part of sharing an evening with his wife.

Chiara didn’t notice him as he stepped into the living room, her nose slightly crinkled as she was filling some papers spread on the dining table, white earpods in her ears.

Looks like I am not the only one to bring work home with me today.

Ethan stopped in his tracks for a moment, just inhaling the familiar scent of Chiara and home and absorbing the picture in front of him. Even after alsmot ten years since he met her for the first time, even though she was his wife now, someone he woke up next to every morning, Chiara still – always – managed to knock the air out of his lungs. How her smile only gained more brightness through the years and how she looked almost like a girl with her hair braided on one side.

Had he been an artist, he would call her his muse.

But he was just a man, a doctor with any artistic words stuck in his throat and so he just kept staring at Chiara and thought, inspiration, that’s what she was, because even the most rational of men could get inspired.

„I can feel you standing there,“ Chiara exclaimed suddenly, putting the earpods off and turning to him with that bright smile.

„My apologies,“ he smiled faintly and crossed the distance between them to give her, what Chiara called ‚a proper greeting‘. He kissed her softly and it only took the feeling of Chiara’s warm body under his hands to ease the tension in him almost completely.

„Matilda missed you tonight,“ Chiara murmured into his chest, not willing to break their embrance.

„As I missed her,“ Ethan sighed. „Did you have an eventful afternoon?“

Chiara chuckled at that, parting from him at last to switch her phone off and leave the work on the dining table.

„Just the usual. The teacher asked them to draw themselves in the future and she couldn’t decide which version of that future she should draw because she wants to be everything.“

Ethan could imagine the conversation very well. Matilda, at the age of five, knew exactly what she didn't want to become when she grows up - a doctor. She kept shifting between wishing to be a travel blogger like her aunt Kyra or a photographer like aunt Alicia. After a weekend spent in Providence, she proclaimed that she could also imagine being a cable repairwoman like grandpa, because grandpa has the coolest coworkers that came over and let her eat chocolate cookies and watch football with them. And if by any unfortunate coincidence she should become a doctor after all, she would definitely be a surgeon like uncle Bryce, because he actually cuts people and that's much more interesting than her parents' job. All they do is talk about the patients.

„I promised her you would take her to school tomorrow. You have rounds in the morning but I can taker over,“ which would only be a service for you, she thought to herself. „That would certainly make her feel better.“

„Was she that sad that I didn’t come home earlier?“

"Oh, she was more sad about the Father's Day program at her school – you know, the one where kids and their dads go together - but I explained her why you had to miss it."

Ethan furrowed his brows, confused for a while.

"Why do I have to miss it?" he asked as he picked Matilda's stuffed llama from the floor.

"It's the Wednesday when you are at the conference in Seattle."

Ethan put the toy on the couch next to Til's favourite blanket and sat down before responding, his voice carrying no sign of hesitation.

"If there's a Father's Day program at her school and she wants me to be there, I'll be there."

Ethan knew all too well why he was so persistent on being there.

He wished he didn’t know, but he did.

Because he knew what it felt like to spend so many of his Mother’s Days programms with his teeth gritted, wishing it could all just end.

He could still remember the first Mother’s Day without Luise, how his teacher walked into the class and told them that they would create nice postcards for their moms and how Ethan’s classmate pointed his finger at him and said: „And what is Ramsey going to do? It’s not fair that he doesn’t need to do anything for the whole hour.“

It was the first time Ethan punched someone.

There was no way, no way, that he would allow his daughter to feel any of those feelings.

His thoughts were interrupted by Chiara, now sitting right next to him, a soft concern visible on her features.

„Alan and Naveen would go with her, you know. She wouldn’t be alone.“

„I am her father.“

„And you are also an author of the study this whole conference is going to be about.“

Ethan knew Chiara was right, just as he knew that she was doing this not because she didn’t want him to attend the programm, rather because she respected and supported his career.

But her arguments were of no use. Ethan’s mind was made up and he only wondered if this is what it felt like, all those years ago, when he pushed Chiara away in order to support her career. The idea of putting career first was making him uncomfortable and all he could do was to think, how did Chiara see it all those years ago?

Or rather, how did he not see it back then?

He had no answers, only his gratitude that she stayed and showed him the world through her eyes.

„Aurora is just as much of an author as me. She can handle the conference without me just fine. You can go with her.“

„Me?“ Chiara asked incredulously.

„Sure. They don’t really care which Dr. Ramsey will come.“

Ethan aged well. More wrinkles circled the corners of his eyes and the grey hair on his temples were not an optical illusion anymore (and Chiara has never found him more handsome than now) and his gaze changed too, the cold blue of his eyes almost forgotten, as his eyes were warm and soft almost all the time he was with his family.

Ethan aged and changed and yet there was a thing that didn’t change in the slightest in these last years. His insufferable stubborness.

And so Chiara knew that he won’t change his mind and that there was no point in trying to and while it warmed her heart to see how in love with Matilda Ethan was, the study was important to him.

Obviously not important enough, however, and Chiara decided not to push him any further. Instead, she asked curiously.

„And what are you going to perform? What if Matilda wants to do something crazy?" Chiara raised an eyebrow.

"Of course she won't want anything crazy. What if it were my father and Naveen taking her?"

Chiara laughed wholeheartedly at his question, because for someone so brilliant, sometimes Ethan was desperately clueless when it came to people around him - and what they were willing to do for their daughter.

"Please, this is Naveen and Alan you are talking about. Matilda could say she wants to sing Hakuna Matata and they would come dressed as Timon and Pumba."

"Ah," Ethan exhaled, obviously only now realizing that Chiara was, indeed, right. And singing - or dancing, for God's sake - was not part of his plan. "Well, she can play some basic compound on the piano, she has learned some already. And I could accompany her on the cello."

Chiara choked on the water she was just drinking, turning to look at Ethan so swiftly, his brows furrowed in a concern for her neck.

"On a what now?"

“A cello. I thought you knew that I used to play the cello as a kid.”

“Of course, but the as a kid part is important. I mean, I played a piano as a kid and now I couldn’t play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star if my life depended on it.”

Ethan laughed, wrapping his arm around Chiara in a half-hug and had to bite his tongue not to tell her that maybe Matilda could teach her, as she already could play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star exceptionally well.

“I might have stopped playing actively when I was ten, but I found a certain sense of serenity in music – and playing – for a long time after that. I-,” Ethan stopped himself, mulling over his next words. It was not like he didn’t want to tell Chiara anything, but talking about his years at med school was not something he did often. “I befriended a music shop’s owner back in Baltimore. He was a nice guy, barely older than me and so very different. He had musical instruments for sale there and as we became closer, he let me borrow the cello and play a little in the back of the shop. It became a thing that helped me clear my head when school became too stressful and it also helped me not to forget how to play. I think Matilda’s level on the piano is very close to what I can remember with the cello.”

Now all he had to do was to find someone who would borrow him the cello.

*** *** ***

Ethan always found it amusing, how his mornings with Matilda differed compared to Matilda’s mornings with Chiara.

He made sure to wake her up earlier than usual, so that they could cook breakfast together and have some time to spare.

Chiara – the person that hated mornings more than eggplants – did all she could to stay in bed for as long as possible. She would rather prepare Matilda’s breakfast in the evening and run to the school than wake up before 6 AM.

And it seemed like Matilda realized this difference quite soon, for all the times Ethan came to wake her up, she knew she could ask him to join her in bed for a few minutes.

"Hey, little Rookie," Ethan whispered, softly stroking Matilda's curls out of her forehead so that he could press a gentle kiss on it. "Time to wake up. We don't want to be late for school."

The little Rookie nickname was first used when Til was perhaps one year old and it made her giggle so hard Ethan kept using it. Chiara found it extremely funny, always pointing out that Matilda was nothing if not Ethan’s exact copy – and she was right. With her big blue eyes and long curly dark hair, there was no doubt that she was Ethan’s daughter. Not that the similarities ended in her physical appearence – she was phenomenally subborn for a five year old (to which Ethan always argued that she could as well inherit that from Chiara) and sarcasm was her second language. She also might have used ‚fuck‘ once or twice and Ethan knew it’s not Chiara she heard that from.

You should call her little Terminator, Chiara always teased and partly, she was right.

But there were many traits and marks of Chiara in their daughter, marks not so visible but unmistakely hers. How Matilda’s smile was always bright and warm and sincere, something only Chiara could pass on. How she came home one day from school and asked Ethan if he could make cupcakes with her, because her classmate loves cupcakes but his parents are too busy to make them for him and so she would love to bring him some to school. How she appreciated the most common of things, like sun shining because it makes her skin warm and also rain falling because she can jump in the puddles. Her genuine curiosity and open heart and just her general need to make people around her feel good.

That was all Chiara’s mark and Ethan loved his two girls so much it sometimes still surprised him. That he was capable of such love.

It also made him want more sometimes. More people to love that much.

„Snuggle time, please?“ Matilda smiled, her eyes still closed and Ethan was prepared, he knew this request would come and so he didn’t even need to check the watch to know that he could lay down next to her, the tiny bed making his position rather awkward.

He snuggled Matilda from behind and between her slow stirs as she began to wake up and his soft kisses put on the back of her head, he whispered how excited he was to attend the Father’s Day program with her.

*** *** ***

Ethan didn’t even need to try hard to persuade Matilda that a piano-cello duet would be better to perform than a dance. She liked the idea from the beginning and after going through her music sheets with Chiara, she happily exclaimed that they could try to learn Hedwig’s Theme together. Her eyes were bright and full of excitement and Ethan knew the decision was already made, because he couldn’t resist that face.

And so they performed and for a girl who was five and her father, who was almost fifty, they did a great job. Seeing Matilda’s pure, unadultered joy and excitement and so much gratitude that her dad could be there with here, was something Ethan would consider one of the best moments of his life forever.

Tillie was almost jumping up and down with the happiness as they watched her classmates and their fathers or grandfathers or mothers in some cases or maybe even uncles perform their numbers. She was clapping hard after every single one and she kept waving at everyone, her smile so wide Ethan thought for a while that she resembled Bryce more than anyone. The thought made him chuckle, because Matilda would love to hear that, as Bryce was her hero and possibly the best person she could spend her sleepovers at.

Ethan could hardly say that he enjoyed being surrounded by so many people, but he sincerely did enjoy spending the day with his kid. He didn’t regret choosing making a fool out of himself in front of bunch of kids instead of the conference. He almost forgot about the conference altogether until Aurora’s call interrupted the bustle full of laughter around them.

She only called him to let him know that all went well and she was off to have a lunch with other diagnosticians that helped with the study.

"Yes, alright. I'll see you on Monday. Good job, Aurora," Ethan put the phone back into his pocket and turned to Matilda.

"I am sorry you missed the conference because of me, dad."

Ethan knelt down so that he could face his daughter, the very same blue eyes he knew from mirrors, looking back at him, wide and curious.

He smiled softly, kissing Matilda's forehead before responding.

"I am not. No conference is that important, and just between the two of us," Ethan lowered his voice and put his best serious face on, causing the mischievous sparks ignite in Tillie's eyes "Conferences are so boring. You saved me from a torture."

She giggled and threw her arms around Ethan's neck, squeezing him as hard as a five years old could.

"Now let's go, I think there's an ice cream that needs to be eaten."

"But daddy you said ice creams are sugar bomb!"

Ethan chuckled at her shocked expression - not sure is it was a genuine one or an act - and took her little hand into his.

"I'll pretend I don't see you eating it."

Matilda squealed and before her ‚no sugar in this house‘ dad could change his mind, she stormed off in the direction of the ice cream truck.

Before she could reach her destination, however, she stopped in her tracks and tugged on Ethan’s sleeve, pointing at the little girl sitting under one of the trees – alone.

„That’s Dorothy! She is my best friend.“

Yes, Ethan remembered Matilda mentioning Dorsey, her best friend, quite often, but he never got a chance to meet her before. The girl was tiny, much smaller than Matilda – which inherited Ethan’s significant height, too – her hair almost white and her eyes similar to Matilda’s, big and blue but not even close to being as bright.

„She doesn’t have a dad,“ Matilda added, her voice much less excited now. „She didn’t want to come here but her mom has to be at work.“

Ethan’s heart tightened at her words, the description of Dorothy’s situation reminding him of his own when he was a kid way too much.

„Why don’t you go and ask her to join us for an ice cream?“ Ethan smiled at Matilda faintly.

Before he could as much as blink, Matilda was gone and in the very next moment, both girls were back, smiling up at him, his own kid widely and Dorothy very shyly.

„Hello, Dorothy,“ Ethan knelt down and smiled at her encouragingly. „I am Ethan. It is my pleasure to meet you, Matilda talks about you a lot.“

„Hello,“ Dorothy muttered, not meeting his eyes and Ethan noticed she was holding Matilda’s hand.

Without any other word, he stood up and led both girls to find an ice cream truck, only half-listening to what they were talking about – enough to recognize that Dorothy was much more open when talking to Matilda, but not enough to register particular words.

Maybe that’s why Matilda’s next question took him off the guard.

„Right, daddy? I was just telling Dorsey that you could be her dad, right? And I would be her sister!“

Ethan’s eyes widened and before he could find the right words – gentle but also firm enough to explain that that’s not exactly how these things work, Matilda spoke again.

„She could come over anytime and we could have sleepovers like the ones I have with uncle Bryce or grandpa and we would play together and I could borrow her my toys, right?“

Ethan nodded and smiled, of course Dorothy is always welcome to stay at our place, and let the topic go, because there was nothing wrong about his daughter having best friend that would come over.

Thirty minutes later, all three of them sat at the grass and ate their ice creams and it was easy to forget the previous converstaions.

*** *** ***

Until he came into his office, a week after the Father’s Day and found Chiara waiting for him, her arms crossed at her chest and her expression unusually stoic.

Before he could ask what was wrong, Chiara spoke.

„Matilda’s teacher just called.“

„What?“ Ethan stepped closer, automatically reaching into his pocket to make sure his phone, wallet and car keys are there and he is ready to leave and pick up Matilda at any moment. „Is something wrong? Is she in trouble? Sick?“

„She is absolutely alright,“ Chiara shook her head sligthly, her face unreadable – something that scared Ethan more than her visible anger. „She just called me to let me know about the rumors going around Matilda’s class these past few days. She thought it would be better if I found out from her rather than from other parents.“

„Rumors?“ Ethan asked, utterly lost and confused.

It took all the willpower Chiara had not to let her facade slip and keep her expression neutral. But teasing Ethan was one of her main hobbies, even after ten years, and so she tried her best.

„Apparently, Matilda and Dorothy Wilkins told everyone that they are in fact sisters. They have different mommies but the same dad – no other than the famous Dr. Ramsey,“ now, it was really hard not to laugh. Ethan’s whole face paled and the confusion was quickly replaced by recognition. „The other kids shared the news with their parents and now those parents talk.“

Ethan didn’t know that Matilda told Chiara about her idea of Ethan becoming Dorothy’s dad the very same evening she shared it with Ethan himself and even though Chiara tried to explain why that idea is not going to work the way the wished it would, Matilda was stubborn. Meaning, Matilda adopted Dorothy as her sister anyway and didn’t mind sharing her dad with her.

„Fuck,“ Ethan whispered, pacing around the office, not really looking up at Chiara.

If he did, he would catch her grinning.

She cleared her throat quickly and added: „Some of the parents came to tell the poor teacher that they appreciate how civil the mothers of Matilda and Dorothy are about the whole thing and that it must’ve taken much strength of our spirits to put out kids into same school.“

She couldn’t anymore. The first chuckle escaped her and when Ethan’s eyes met hers, the mischievous sparks were dancing on full display in her irises, her smile wide and so amused.

Ethan exhaled a sigh full of relief and rolled his eyes and when he looked at Chiara again, she was laughing softly, badly trying to cover her laugh with the hand over her mouth.

The bizarreness of the whole situation and his wife’s reaction made Ethan laugh too and he slumped down on the couch, pulling Chiara with him.

„We should give some kind of explanation, right?“ he whispered when they both calmed down.

„Oh, I don’t know. I am the civil one,“ Chiara smirked smugly. „And with a strong spirit!“

Ethan laughed again at that, thinking about how any kind of rumors about him and Chiara startled him in the beginning of their relationship and how over the years, Chiara managed to teach him to just let people talk.

„She really wants that sibling, huh?“ Chiara broke the silence, poking his side softly.

„Yes, she does,“ Ethan nodded.

„And you would...want that too, right?“ Chiara asked again, this time much more seriousness in her voice.

Both Chiara and Ethan were decided to adopt a child back in the days they believed they would never have their own. After Matilda was born, they didn’t really talk about it anymore – they felt too blessed, too lucky that they’ve gotten her and they were happy.

But the thoughts of adoption never truly left their heads and Chiara knew that especially Ethan considered the option often. She could see him talking to Matilda when she asked for a sister or a brother for her birthday, she saw the dreamy smile as they spoke about little kids.

And it was not like she was against the idea of adopting a child – quite the opposite. She grew up with two siblings and her brother and sister were one of the best parts of her childhood. She wished she could give Matilda the same feeling, the same love she recieved at her age. She just felt like she would be asking for too much, like it would be selfish to want another little human that would make them happy, when they already had one.

Those thoughts were not rational, but they were there and they slowed her decisions down.

„Yes, I would,“ Ethan nodded after a long while, looking straight into Chiara’s eyes.

He would never push her. But he wouldn’t lie either.

Chiara nodded and leaned in to press a soft kiss on Ethan’s mouth, pouring her emotions into it, her excitement with the idea just as strong as her anxiety.

Deep down, she knew that the decision has just been made. That no matter how openly they talked about it or expressed themselves, all three Ramseys wished to share their love and happiness with another soul.

#open heart #open heart choices #open heart fanfiction #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x matilda

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gunpowdville · 3 years

Text

The Great Flesh-Eating Cake Incident of Year [REDACTED] (Not to be Confused With the Bifrost Incident)

Chapters: 1/2

Words: 3502

Relationships: Drumbot Brian - Raphaella la Cognizi (queerplatonic), Gunpowder Tim/Lyfrassir Edda/Marius von Raum, The Aurora/Nastya Rasputina (although most don’t show up until the second chapter)

Other Things: genderfluid tim, she/her tim, he/fae marius :)

Summary: Brian and Raph bake a cake. Or, they try to. It doesn't exactly go well. (aka, Why Raphaella la Cognizi Should Never Be Allowed in the Kitchen)

read on ao3 here or read below the cut for people who don't like ao3 (i will post the second chapter. at some point. hopefully soon)

Chapter 1

“Try it now.”

“Is it safe?”

“Does that matter?”

Brian gives her what she calls his teacher look, a combination of calm exasperation and gentle chiding. “I would prefer to not fry myself from the inside out, if I can help it.”

“Boring,” Raphaella accuses, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “And you know I’d fix you if you did.” Well actually, she would get Nastya to fix him, as Raph herself has absolutely no self control when it comes to the prospect of tinkering with a complex mechanism and Brian hates being tinkered on without his permission.

“Yes, of course, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt like hell,” Brian points out. “Not to mention how horrendously it would fuck up my systems.”

Raphaella pouts. “So I installed the flamethrower for nothing?”

Brian hesitates. “...I didn’t say that.”

Raphaella perks up immediately, turning her full attention from the clattered worktable to her partner. Brian straightens up and faces away from her, focusing at the blank wall at one end of the lab. He pokes his tongue around the inside of his mouth a little, probing at the new addition in the back. He tests out flipping its settings, making sure everything flows smoothly, then steels himself and opens his mouth, turning it on. Nothing happens.

Raphaella throws up her hands in exasperation. “I don’t understand! That should have worked! It-”

Brian yelps suddenly, clapping his hands to his throat as the back of it heats up rapidly, too rapidly, the heat growing from gently uncomfortable to unbearable in a matter of seconds. Luckily, his systems react before he can, shutting off the new attachment the second it could cause potential harm. The heat fades almost as quickly as it had swelled.

“Ow,” Brian says mildly.

“That was about to work,” Raphaella huffs, hands on her hips, eyes fixed somewhat accusingly on Brian. “If you had just waited a moment longer.”

“It was about to melt my vocal cords,” Brian points out in retort. Raphaella throws up her hands again.

“My husband is a coward,” she declares to no one in particular, with no actual insult behind it. Brian can’t help but smile softly at the endearment. They’re not married, technically, but for all intents and purposes they might as well be.

“I’ve started to become convinced that you’re simply trying to kill me,” Brian remarks to her as she turns back to the notes on her lab table. She shoots him a brightly malicious look, one backed heavily with fondness. “Maybe I am.”

He sits down on the stool beside the lab table and reaches for her, catching her waist from behind and pulling her onto his lap. She leans back into him as he wraps his arms around her, and he rests his chin on her shoulder so he can peer down at the pages of notes in her hands.

“Here, tell me what I’m doing wrong,” Raphaella holds up the notes so Brian can get a better look at them. He hums thoughtfully as he scans her delicate sketch of his body, each part individually labelled with possible enhancements to be added in Raph’s lacy handwriting. Brian’s own handwriting, cramped and blocky, annotates the science officer’s notes with his own observations of measurements and possible difficulties.

In his mind, Brian overlays the sketch on top of the official schematics the doc left in there, focusing on his throat and the new addition, checking for anywhere where it isn’t wired properly or messing with any of his other systems. Nothing. He bites his lip, a very natural bad habit that he’s never been able to shake, despite it splitting the rubber badly. Raphaella hits him lightly in the side of the head when she notices him doing it.

“I don’t think it’s anything you’ve done,” Brian says finally, leaning back slightly on the stool. “I think it’s simply a matter of too much heat.”

Raphaella ‘hmphs’, taking her notes back from him and setting them back on the table. She turns her head to study Brian’s face, placing her hands atop his where they rest over her stomach. He quirks an eyebrow at her, and she regards him silently. He can tell that she’s thinking through what next to work on, now that their flamethrower experiment is a bust.

He gives her stomach a light pat. “If you don’t mind, I was going to go bake something. Tim’s been complaining that there aren’t enough ‘munchies’ onboard. And yes, that is the word xe used.”

Raphaella slaps a hand to her heart melodramatically, the gesture accompanied by a theatrical gasp. “Leaving me for Tim, are we? Scandal.”

Brian chuckles gently as he rises to his feet, dislodging Raph in the process. “Yes, I’ve decided you’re much too cruel and brutal for me, and I’d be much happier feeding Tim for the rest of eternity.”

Raphaella tosses her hair and turns away from him, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her chin up imperiously. “Good riddance.”

“Good riddance indeed,” Brian agrees drily, with no heat behind it. Raph glaces over her shoulder at him and grins, and he smiles back as he slips out the lab door, tipping his hat as he goes.

Ivy’s reading at the kitchen counter when he enters. She doesn’t look up as he makes his way into the kitchen proper, wrangling his hair into a wiry ponytail and tossing his hat on the counter. He peeks at the cover of her book and makes an intrigued little noise when he notices it’s about prophets and oracles throughout space and time.

“I was going to give it you when I was finished,” Ivy says without looking up. “I thought it might interest you.”

“It does,” Brian tells her, and she smirks, proud of herself. She still doesn’t take her eyes off the pages. Brian leans over, resting his elbows on the counter, and knocks his forehead briefly against hers, a somewhat awkward sign of affection that’s he’s developed with some members of the crew. She responds by patting his head absentmindedly, still not looking up from her book. He smiles, and turns back to the kitchen.

After a couple minutes of rummaging around in cabinets, Brian becomes aware of Raphaella’s presence leaning against the counter to his left.

“Missed me?” he asks teasingly. She rolls her eyes and pokes him in the arm. “You promised you’d teach me to bake.”

Brian pauses, replaying the last ten minutes in his mind to confirm that he has not, in fact, promised her this. And then he realizes that she’s referring to a time quite a few decades ago, when the two of them had been left back on the ship while the others had been out pillaging a nigh-extinct planet. They’d been sharing some pastries that Brian had been experimenting with, and Raphaella had asked him how he’d made them. He had launched straight into a detailed explanation of exactly which ingredients he had used and what amounts of each, and how he had played with the measurements and tweaked the recipe to see how he could improve it. Raph had listened with utter fascination, and after he had finished she had mentioned that it seemed a bit like her experiments, only with slightly different materials. He had offered to teach her a little, if she’d like, and she had said she would love to learn. And now here they are.

“I did do that, didn’t I,” Brian muses. He studies Raph, leaning against the counter, a sparkle in her eyes that both makes him excited to see what she has in store and fear for his life.

“So?” Raphaella raises an eyebrow. Brian considers.

“We are making a cake,” he tells her, keeping his voice slow, steady, and serious. “A basic cake. We are not going to put anything in it that is not on the ingredients list. We are going to follow the recipe. To the letter. And we are not, I repeat, we are not going to burn down my kitchen.”

My kitchen, Aurora corrects him gently.

“Our kitchen,” he concedes.

Raphaella steps forward and takes Brian’s hands, looking him solemnly in the eyes. “I won’t let you down,” she promises. “Trust me.”

“Phee, I love you to death, and I always will” Brian tells her, lifting her hand to his mouth and kissing the back of it. “But I draw the line at trusting you.”

“Rude,” Raph sniffs, while Ivy tries to cover up a snort.

“Practical,” Brian shoots back, letting go of her hands and reaching past her to pluck the recipe from the counter. With a flourish, he deposits it in her hands. “Find me these ingredients.”

Raphaella mutters something about ‘bossybitch Brian’ as she turns away from him and marches purposefully toward the cupboards. He watches her fondly for a moment, before busying himself gathering pans and setting up his beloved electric mixer, something he’d found being sold for scraps on a junkyard planet and had lovingly repaired and repainted with his own two hands. Its name is Small Brian, and it remains one of his most prized possessions.

“Bri, which eggs are we using?” Raphaella calls to him, her head buried deep in the disorganized fridge. Brian abandons Small Brian for just a moment and pokes his head in beside hers.

“Ah, not those,” he says, indicating a half dozen of jet-black eggs glowing faintly from within. “Those are Ashes’. They will supposedly hatch into a rare breed of fire-breathing corvid.”

“And those?” Raphaella points to the other carton of eggs.

“We’re using those,” Brian confirms, pulling the carton out. “Ah. Wait. Not this one.” Carefully, he removes a small, round, green orb from the carton and places it gently on the counter. “An octokitten laid this. We think.”

Raphaella leans over and picks it up, holding it in the palm of her hand and bringing it up close to her eyes. She looks suspiciously like she’s about to slip it into her pocket, so Brian plucks it from her hands before she gets a chance to. She sticks her tongue out at him. He waves her off to go collect the rest of the ingredients, reminding her that the lovely ceramic pot labeled ‘sugar’ is in fact actually filled with gunpowder, and the sugar is in the cabinet to its right. Meanwhile he goes back to fussing over Small Brian.

The mixer isn’t starting up properly, it keeps stuttering and stopping whenever he tries to turn it on. Brian frowns, tapping the top of it with a metal finger. “Come on, love,” he says softly to Small Brian. “Don’t give up on me now. Not after all we’ve been through.”

“Raph,” Ivy speaks up from her place at the counter, her tone amused. “Brian’s talking to the appliances again.”

“If either of you make a joke comparing me to an appliance, I will kill you,” Brian warns both of them placidly, fiddling with Small Brian’s mechanisms until the machine whines and starts up properly. “Good lad,” Brian says, patting the appliance lovingly.

“I saw that,” he adds when he catches the look Ivy and Raphaella share over the counter. Raphaella rolls her eyes and gestures to him to come approve the ingredients she’s gathered. She hooks her arm through his and tips her head onto his shoulder while he checks each one off against the recipe.

“Excellent, that’s everything. Thank you.” he says, kissing her on the top of the head. “ Now we can begin.”

Raphaella, as always, is a very attentive student, listening well and asking questions when necessary. He suspects that she asks some of the questions just to listen to him talk about something he loves, and he adores her for it. They work very well together, the two of them, bantering back and forth as they do. Ivy chimes in on occasion, never taking her eyes off of her book.

Jonny strolls into the kitchen at one point, zeroing in on the chocolate chips scattered across the counter with a predator’s precision. As soon as he spots the first mate, Brian sweeps a knife into his hand and points it at him. “Out.”

Jonny backs away, throwing his hands up in surrender. He’s been killed enough times over messing around in the kitchen that he knows by now that the best thing to do is back off.

All in all, it’s a shockingly peaceful time. Brian hums to himself as he stirs ingredients together, and Raphaella goes through the cupboards, looking for something to play with. She reaches to open one in the back, and Brian notices too late which one it is. Raphaella stops, tilting her head in curiosity as she stares at the contents of the cupboard.

“Oh, Briiiiiiiiaaan?” she calls in a singsong voice, which is usually a sign that Brian is about to either be taken apart or assist in taking apart someone else. “What is this?”

Brian sighs and sets down the bowl, making his way slowly over to her. She raises an eyebrow at him as he gazes silently for a moment at the dismantled skeleton shoved into the back of the cupboard. “Those… are my bones.”

“Your… bones.”

“My bones.”

“Why…?”

Brian shrugs. “It’s not like I’m using them.”

“Right.” Raphaella studies the skeleton for a moment longer, before declaring, “I’m going to make soup out of them.”

Brian starts. “I’m sorry?”

“Your bones. I’m going to make soup out of them.”

“You are not.”

“Bone broth is a thing, isn’t it? Ivy?”

“It is,” Ivy confirms, casually turning a page.

Raphaella grins, gathering the bones into her arms. “Brian soup.”

“Brian s- no!”

“Brian soup Brian soup Brian soup Brian soup-”

“NO.”

“I thought the doc took your bones,” Ivy mentions, as Brian attempts to gently cajole his partner into giving him back said bones.

“I asked her to let me keep some of them,” Brian explains, tugging a rib out of Raph’s arms and dislodging about three more, which clatter to the floor unceremoniously. “They are mine, after all.”

“It’s unusually sentimental of me, I know,” he adds as Raphaella ducks under his arm, executing a perfect twirl to get the bones out of his reach, “I’m not quite sure why I wanted them.”

“For soup,” Raphaella quips, and Ivy snorts as Brian throws himself at the science officer. Raph yelps and scrambles away from him, and so begins an epic chase around the kitchen, Raph struggling to run away while clutching an armful of bones, the owner of said bones following a step behind her, playfully angry.

Brian doesn’t realize he’s started humming to himself until Raphaella turns to face him, jogging backwards, and asks what song it is.

“It’s a new one I’m working on,” he says, using her moment of distraction as an opportunity to trap her in the kitchen, the wraparound counter devoid of exits besides the one that he is currently standing in front of. “It’s called ‘Raphaella Please Don’t Make Soup Out of My Bones.’”

“I hate it,” Raphaella decides, still backing away. She’s almost hit the counter, and Brian smirks at his inevitable victory.

“You’ve barely heard it,” he argues, and begins humming louder. Raphaella’s back hits the counter, and Brian stops. Standing in the middle of the kitchen, he begins tapping his foot along to the tune.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Raphaella starts, but the other foot has already begun to move as well. Just tapping at first, tap tap tapping to a beat in Brian’s head, but the footwork quickly becomes more and more complicated as he eases into the song. Ivy picks it up quickly and starts tapping her fingers on the counter, taking charge of the beat while Brian continues humming the melody.

Raphaella shakes her head, refusing to let his shenanigans charm her, but Brian refuses to give up. He dances his way smoothly across the floor to her, finishing with an elegant twirl and an extended hand. Raphaella regards him with reluctant defeat, then rolls her eyes and takes Brian’s hand.

He waltzes her out into the middle of the floor, two steps forward, one step back. He spins her out, then spins her back in so they’re swaying with her back pressed to his chest. “You’re a master manipulator, you know,” she says to him. He smiles. She twirls him out, then twirls him back in and dips him, effortlessly holding up his mass of metal.

“I don’t remember this step of the cake recipe,” Ivy comments drily. She’s finally looking up from her book and is watching the two of them with an expression that is equal parts exasperated and amused.

“Which step, the bone soup or the dancing?” Brian returns, just as dry. Ivy is saved from having to respond by the arrival of Marius, who comes striding through the door like an invading general, arms spread wide in greeting.

“Well, if it isn’t my three favorite delinquents,” fae says, grinning like a maniac. “Dancing in the kitchen like- wait. Why is Raph in the kitchen?”

“I’m helping,” Raph says proudly, tossing her hair over her shoulder in a decidedly smug fashion as Brian collects his bones and returns them to their cupboard. “How can we help you?”

Marius pulls up a stool and takes a seat next to Ivy, scanning the pages of her book idly. “Tim stole my partner.”

“To be fair, Tim is also dating your partner,” Brian points out, handing the bowl of cake batter to Raph to finish stirring and put in the oven.

“Sure, but she’s being smug about it. So I’m pouting,” Marius replies, metal fingers tapping on the counter. “Oh, also: Tim wanted me to tell you. She/her for the time being.”

Brian nods, taking note of the pronouns. “Well, when you feel like speaking to Tim again, you can tell her that a cake is on its way.”

Marius raises an eyebrow. “You mean that cake that Raph just slipped something into behind your back?”

Honestly, Brian is surprised that this didn’t happen earlier. Slowly, he turns to Raphaella, who meets his eyes with a mischievous smirk as she slips an empty vial back into her pocket.

“What was in that?” he asks gently, not mad, just curious.

“Just a little something I whipped up,” Raphaella says, giving the batter an experimental stir. An odd squelching noise escapes from the bowl, and she quickly lets go of the wooden spoon as a dark tendril of… something curls up around it, possessive and hungry. “Oh. That’s interesting.”

“What the fuck was that?” Marius leans forward over the counter, curiosity evident on faer features.

Raphaella sets the bowl carefully on the floor and steps away from it, circling around it to Brian’s side. He gives her a questioning look, and she shrugs cheerfully, indicating that she has no idea whatsoever the effect of whatever she put in may be. With somewhat tired resignation, Brian steps forward to investigate what has become of his simple chocolate cake.

It’s… alive. The dark, viscous substance in the bowl has begun to writhe and bubble in a distinctively sentient manner, tendrils forming reaching out, looking to grab hold of something. The tendrils feel their way around tentatively, like a newborn animal learning to walk for the first time. The substance itself has an oddly familiar shimmer to it, the nearly oil-black surface revealing colors of every hue and nature when the light hits it.

“That looks like…” Marius frowns, clambering over the counter and dropping next to Brian as what was meant to be a cake slowly drags itself out of the bowl and onto the floor. “Oh, Raph, you didn’t!”

“Don’t touch it,” Brian advises as Marius crouches near the thing to get a better look.

Marius gives the Drumbot a scathing look. “I’m not a moron, Brian, I’m not going to-”

“Mare, get back,” Brian snaps, but it’s too late. The crawling blob has already reached the violinists foot and has clamped on tightly, wrapping its tentacles up and around his leg. He stares down at it in mild concern for a moment, then says: “Fuck.”

What happens next is hard to describe. The viscous thing sort of… stretches itself, until it covers Marius’ entire body, undulating and pulsing, then collapses in on itself, returning to its smaller form, leaving nothing but a slightly steaming metal arm left where the ship’s doctor once stood.

“What the hell did you do?” Brian demands, staring at the (now slightly larger) creation as it drags its way across the floor.

Raphaella doesn’t respond. “I think it ate faer,” she says instead. Then, “where is it going?”

Brian glances at the floor just in time to see the thing disappear into the vents. He lets out a cry, but it is much to late. It’s gone.

“Well,” Ivy says, staring with vague concern at the open vent. “Fuck.”

#fic #my fic #mechs fic #formatting like this bc there are some people i know who might want to read it who don't like ao3 #drumbot brian #raphaella la cognizi #marius von raum #gunpowder tim #ivy alexandria #my writing #long post #very long post

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labyrinth-runner · 3 years

Text

Having a Ball

An Obi-Wan x Reader Winter Tale, also a secret santa present from @starwarssecretsanta for @peacefulwizardfox

Word Count: ~3k

Warnings: None

Summary: It’s a fluffy wintery fic with some snowball fights.

Big thanks to @the-mandalorian-clone-lover for letting me bounce this off her.

The air was cool as it went right through your robes. A shiver went down your spine as you wished you had dressed in more layers. Obi-Wan had warned you that the planet was cold, and you remembered it being such when you were younger, but you had figured that you had grown in your training and could block out the cold by now. Such was your mistake.

Being here on this planet gave you the illusion that everything was normal. The world was a blanket of white, untouched in most places. In a word, it was peaceful. It was this serenity that made it one of the Order’s favorite places for brief meditative retreat. However, when you saw the list of people who had signed up for this trip, you were beginning to think that maybe it wouldn’t be as relaxing as it had been advertised.

You were excited for this retreat, though, having heard stories about Master Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker’s antics. Very rarely did you get to see them in action these days, with the war spreading you all out so thin, so you were keen to see the infamous duo get up to some of their shenanigans.

“Let’s set up camp for the night,” Master Windu advised.

Looking around, you noticed that there were no tents. A quizzical look settled into your features until you saw what your lodging was to be.

The Jedi around you held their arms out, palms facing out, fingers splayed. Their eyes were closed in concentration as they reached out to the world around them.

Shapes began to take form out of the snow, ice rising from the ground as a building rose up in front of you. Closing your eyes, you joined them in lifting it up so that the door was accessible.

“Now that that’s done, time for the fun,” Anakin whispered to you as he knelt down to pack a ball of snow in his hands.

You raised a brow at him as he wound up and threw it, hitting Obi-Wan square in the face. Snow clung to his beard as he reached up to wipe it off, giving Anakin the dirtiest look as the younger Jedi snickered into his hand.

“Master, you’ve got a little something on your face,” Anakin said innocently.

Obi-Wan’s eyes narrowed as a clump of snow rose from the ground and hurled itself at Anakin, who ducked, causing the snow to hit you instead.

The crowd grew silent as you casually reached up and swiped the snow from your eyes to see a blushing Jedi Master sputtering an apology. Calmly, you reached down to pack your own snowball before returning the favor.

“SNOWBALL FIGHT!” Ahsoka yelled as everyone broke off into a free-for-all.

Snowballs whipped back and forth across the white expanse of space as haphazard forts were quickly erected to provide shelter from the cold ammunition being pelted every which way. You dove behind a snow bank, but the snow moved under your weight, sending you tumbling down a hill. The roll continued until you found yourself going from a slight tumble to a sheer drop into a cave.

Looking up at the space you’d fallen through, you realized you wouldn’t be able to jump up unaided. You let out a sigh, sending a puff of air in front of your face. Turning to look at the cave, you noticed light shining through the icicles, indicating another entrance on the other side of the cave. Faintly, you heard the whistling of the wind through the cavern, and what sounded like your name. Having nothing left to lose, you trudged towards the light, hoping to reach the end quickly and before the sun set.

You weren’t so lucky, finding yourself exiting the cave just as the rich reds and pinks in the sky gave over to the purple indigo of night. “Oh, kriff.”

“The days are definitely shorter here than on Coruscant,” a sharp voice cut through the stillness.

“Master Kenobi?” you called out.

“Here, darling,” he said as he slid down a slight bend to land in front of you. “You know, everyone’s worried about you.”

“I didn’t mean to make people worry,” you blushed, “I took a tumble and ended up in this cave.”

“I told them that, but they didn’t seem to believe me, or your tracks for that matter,” he said as he fished out a blanket to wrap around you. “Well, it’s too late to go back like this. The temperature will drop soon. We might as well stay here for the night.”

Here? The two of you alone in a cave? Your mind was reeling. You had had a crush on the Jedi Master ever since you were both padawans, but thankfully your missions kept you apart, which helped keep your feelings at bay. However, having to be so close to him like this, especially after he had come to rescue you, was reigniting that spark that you had thought was gone, but had in fact only been dormant for so long.

The two of you went back into your cave and he reached into his pack for his emergency fire kit, building a small fire that was kept at bay by a ring of stones around the small crackling source of heat.

“So, what made you sign up for the retreat?” he asked as he dug around for some rations in his pack.

“I thought it might be a relaxing break from being shot at,” you replied as you took one from him, cracking the ration over the heat.

Obi-Wan chuckled, “Relaxation. There’s something I haven’t done in a while.”

“Anakin seems intent on making it hard for you to do that,” you teased.

“He’s got a good heart,” he replied. “And some of his ideas are brilliant. Just don’t tell him I said as much.”

You giggled, “Your secret is safe with me.”

“If I remember correctly, they always have been,” he said with a small smile.

“Oh?” you asked, feeling your mouth suddenly go dry.

“I know attachments are frowned upon, but I will admit that I always miss your smile when you’re away,” he winked. “It’s infectious.”

“Careful, Master Kenobi, your Jedi charm tricks won’t work on me,” you said, playfully nudging him, but you were blushing.

“Oh they won’t? I remember it being different when we were younger. You were always blushing at everything I said and blaming my accent if my recollection is correct,” he looked into the fire before turning to you for a moment. Softly he asked, “What happened to our friendship?”

“You lost your Master and then we were thrust onto different paths,” you replied, slipping your hand along the rocky bottom of the cave to tentatively touch his hand. When he didn’t pull away, you interlocked your fingers with his. “I always believed ours was a friendship that could pick up from wherever we left off.”

A slight tint settled above his beard, but you wondered if perhaps it was a trick of the light reflecting off the cave walls. “Oh, is that so?”

“I know Master Yoda says that we are all luminous beings, but whatever our souls are made of, yours and mine are the same,” you replied, looking into the fire, “A connection like that runs deep enough to withstand the test of time, wouldn’t you agree?”

Obi-Wan looked at you, really looked at you, and for a moment he was just a man. He wasn’t a Jedi, and neither were you. You were just two souls bound together by so many commonalities that one might not know where he ended and you began. The way the light glinted off your face casted you in an ethereal glow. Luminous being, indeed, he thought as he took you in. Although your words were true, he would never have had the courage to admit them on his own. Instead, he just gave your hand a squeeze.

“We should rest. You sleep first while I take the first watch,” he said, letting go of your hand to wrap his arm around you.

A slight sigh breezed through your lips, but you let it go, as you had always been trained to do. The physical touch would be enough to reaffirm that perhaps he saw you in the same light as you saw him. Resting your head on his shoulder, you closed your eyes to get comfortable. Soon enough, you found yourself drifting off into a meditative state, not quite ready to commit to actual sleep at this point.

Obi-Wan let out a sigh as he looked out of the mouth of the cave. Every time that he thought he was over his attachments, something would happen to reassure him that perhaps he wasn’t the perfect Jedi that everyone thought him to be. He had mastery over his emotions, but that didn’t mean he was devoid of them. It wasn’t something that he could just lock in a box and forget about. It was a constant battle every day with a beast that would remain conquered for only so long. It was a battle of wills, waiting for him to fatigue and slip up. In truth, sometimes he wanted to slip. He wanted to give in and take the easy way out every once in a while. He wanted to feel everything; to give into temptation on occasion. To love and be loved in a way that consumed, just to feel. But, a part of him feared being burned. Feared making a mistake he couldn’t take back. To give himself to someone so completely would mean that the loss of that person could be enough to ruin him.

To love anything at all is to be vulnerable. That kind of vulnerability was something a Jedi couldn’t afford, so he put up walls. Walls that even Anakin couldn’t break through, and yet you always had a way of slipping through the cracks. It was almost as if letting those walls down would be acceptable if it were only to let you in.

The sky outside was getting lighter, but it wasn’t sunrise. A smile curled the corners of his lips as he gently shook you awake.

“Darling,” he murmured as you groaned, “Darling, look.”

You blinked your eyes open, trying to focus on your hazy surroundings as your vision swam. “What am I looking at?”

Gently he reached out to tip your chin up towards the sky and you understood.

Wavy lines of color streaked across the sky, lighting up the night. “You know, the ancient texts referred to auroras as being the spirits of a planet dancing in the night.”

“Qui-Gon always said they were the physical representation of a planet’s aura,” he said thoughtfully as he took in your awed expression.

“Regardless, they’re beautiful,” you murmured, “Definitely not a view you can see on Coruscant.”

“Mmm, they are beautiful,” he said as his eyes softened on your face. “I wish I could see it more often.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed him staring at you, sweeping his eyes along your features as if he were trying to memorize you.

“Afraid you’ll forget me?” you asked as you turned towards him.

“I doubt I could ever manage that,” he replied with a small smile.

“Am I forever burned into your memories?” you asked playfully with a bright smile.

His heart skipped a beat as he reached out to brush a strand of hair out of your face, gently sliding the pad of his forefinger along the outline of your face as he did so. Your smile slowly slid off your face as you took in the intent nature of his gaze. His eyes flicked down to your lips before slowly making their way back up to yours. The seas of his eyes were tumultuous, like a churning sea as you stand on a cliff in a storm.

Obi-Wan licked his bottom lip as you reached out to gently cup his cheek. You dragged your thumb through the soft bristles of his beard, feeling your breath catch at how he leaned into your touch. You let your hand slide along his jaw towards his chin as your thumb dragged along his bottom lip, gliding from the dampness left by his tongue. Your eyes settled on his lips, entranced, before lazily looking up at him with a hooded gaze.

The fire was slowly dying in front of you, casting you both in the shadows of the embers. A log on the fire shifted, sending up sparks that playfully danced in his eyes. You swallowed a lump in your throat as you both stood on the edge of this precipice, toeing the crumbling limits, afraid of what might happen should you fall.

A flutter in your chest caused you to take that step, falling over the edge and dragging him with you. You pulled him in for a kiss, relishing in the way his supple lips pressed firmly into yours.

His beard tickled your face as his hand slid to cup the nape of your neck. His velvety tongue slipped over your bottom lip, the first demand you imagine he’s ever given, and one you were very happy to acquiesce to. His tongue danced with yours, a tango to a music only the two of you could hear.

He explored you like you were uncharted territory, but in truth, he was also exploring himself. Testing his limits. Determining how far he was wiling to go. It was a journey you would go on with him, but you let him take the lead out of respect.

You broke from the kiss and rested your foreheads against one another as you panted slightly for air. “Good night, Master Kenobi. I’ll take this next watch.”

“Good night, darling,” he grinned, his chest still heaving slightly from the exertion as he rested his head in your lap.

You let your head fall back as you let out a silent laugh at what just happened. Biting your lip, you shook your head before turning your attention back to him. Gently, you ran your hand through his hair, stroking through the auburn locks as you took in his sweet face of content. Part of you wondered if that was the first time he did something he wanted to, regardless of the consequences, in years. You draped your arm over his chest as you let yourself picture a normal future for the two of you. It was a daydream you hadn’t had in a long time, but one that you took out of its box every once in a while, if only to shake off the cobwebs.

If you weren’t Jedi, you’d be married. You’d live on a peaceful planet full of serene moments where you could feel the force at work in the galaxy. Maybe you’d have a farm, or maybe you would just live in town. Perhaps you’d befriend the neighbors. Perhaps you’d be in a remote area with no one around for as far as the eye could see. Obi-Wan would tend to the animals, and you would help him build the life he could have had if he wasn’t a Jedi. Perhaps you’d have children running around, a perfect mix of the two of you, or adopted to give them a better life in a loving home. No matter the scenario or the variables, the common denominator was that you’d be happy together.

You watched with passive interest as the sky changed from an inky indigo to the same shades as your dying fire until the sun had risen in the sky again. Gently, you nudged Obi-Wan awake.

“Obi, it’s time to go home,” you murmured.

He stretched languidly before collecting his belongings. You did the same before heading out of the cave and into the bright morning light.

“We can follow my tracks to get back to camp,” he said as he held his hand out to you. “Shall we?”

With a smile, you placed your hand in his and together you traversed the snowy hills until you were back to camp. You caught sight of the others breaking down camp.

Anakin was the first to spot you, eyes falling on your conjoined hands. You quickly dropped Obi-Wan’s hand when you noticed where the Jedi Knight was staring.

“Bout time you two showed up. We had to do all the work breaking down camp without you,” Anakin teased. “It’s not very Jedi-like to shirk your duties.”

“I’ll remember that, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said with a wag of his finger.

“We’re glad the two of you are safe,” Ahsoka said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

“Yeah, would’ve hated leaving you here,” Anakin grinned.

Mace gave Anakin a withering look, “No one is getting left behind.” You could have sworn you heard him mumble ‘unfortunately,’ before he turned to Obi-Wan to add, “The next time you decide to wander off, take Skywalker with you.”

Obi-Wan shot Anakin a look that said, ‘what did you do?’

Anakin just shrugged, placing his hands up in a placating manner.

“Load up, everyone. It’s time to go home. I hope this trip was as enlightening as you all thought it would be,” Mace said before heading towards the ship.

You shared a smile with Obi-Wan Kenobi at Master Windu’s words before adjusting your pack on your shoulder and following the others onto the ship.

Enlightening, indeed.

#obi-wan fanfiction #obi-wan x reader #obi-wan kenobi #g/n reader #obi-wan kenobi x you #obi-wan kenobi x reader #Fluff #winter #star wars #swsecretsanta2020

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cheri-translates · 4 years

Text

[CN] Lucien’s Whimsical Date (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

Disney Dates Collection: Gavin // Kiro // Victor

The date begins with MC in the office at around 9pm

She has been working tirelessly on a program for about half a month

She’s worried and stressed because she can’t think of something innovative for her program

Lucien suddenly calls to ask if she’s still at work, and suggests that she sets her work aside and relax i.e. by going to the amusement park the next day

MC hesitates, but Lucien goes into science mode and tells her that her efficiency might actually decline if she keeps focusing on one single thing

MC caves in, and immediately feels happier <3

The next day, the weather looks fine and perfect

And then it suddenly starts POURING right when they are two streets away from the amusement park

Lucien covers her head with one hand, and pulls her hand with the other to find shelter from the rain

They end up outside a shop

Lucien: Come to think of it, our story seems to always be associated with rainy days.

[Note: I did this translation while listening to a Chinese gameplay commentary, and the commentator said, “Your story is associated with rainbows, but you just can’t see them...” T^T]

Lucien notices cute Disney character plushies in the window of the shop and smiles

Lucien: I think I can understand the meaning of this sudden rain.

Lucien: Perhaps it was meant to sound a prelude so that would come here.

Lucien: Since it’s still raining, why don’t we go in to take a look?

A pair of Mickey and Minnie plushies catch MC’s attention, but she can’t reach it. Lucien tries to get them for her, but he keeps grabbing the wrong ones 👀

Because she's trapped in between the shelf and Lucien’s fine chest, she turns into a Gavin i.e. her ears start flushing

Lucien finally gets the correct set:

Lucien: This pair?

MC nods vigorously, and says they can get one each

While saying this, I reach out to take Minnie from Lucien’s hands. However, Lucien suddenly retracts both hands.

MC: Eh?

Lucien sways the Minnie in his left hand lightly, then smiles faintly as he reaches out his right hand, which is holding Mickey.

Lucien: If possible, I actually prefer to keep her. If MC wants to use these dolls to represent the both of us... I’m thinking this would be more meaningful, right?

After hearing his words, I feel the temperature of my cheeks rising even further. I gently poke the doll in Lucien’s hand.

MC: [blushing] ...put these back first!

Lucien: Hm? Why?

Lucien raises his eyebrows slightly, his smile gentle and calm. There’s a hint of mischievousness in his narrow eyes.

MC: [blushing] There seems to be other styles over there. Let’s go and take a look!

With this, I turn around and run towards the other end of the plushie section. Behind me, I hear the sound of Lucien’s faint, low laughter.

By the time MC leaves the shop, the rain has reduced to a drizzle. Soon after, Lucien walks out of the shop too.

I walk up to grab Lucien’s hand, and swing it twice.

MC: Lucien, let’s go!

Lucien: Judging from your expression, you seem to be in a much better mood?

MC: It’s because even before I’ve done anything, the heavy rain has already run away!

Lucien: You’re not wrong. Even though we don’t have umbrellas, the rain has dissipated on its own. This is why even when you meet temporary difficulties, don’t blindly immerse yourself in the feeling of loss. Everything has a solution, am I wrong?

MC agrees, and they finally head to the amusement park, which is still as crowded as ever despite the rain

Lucien suggests that they try something different today - instead of being participants, they become observers

Lucien: Sometimes, people’s emotions have an influencing effect, especially in this place.

As they wander around aimlessly, MC feels delighted because she doesn’t have to consider what attraction to go for next, etc.

The smiling faces of the visitors, the vibrant colours, the colourful balloons, the inter-dimensional cartoon celebrities... I can more clearly feel the charm of the amusement park.

I also have his company at my side...

I turn my head, sneaking a peek at Lucien. Similar to what I was doing just now, he’s watching the visitors queuing up to take a picture with a cartoon celebrity.

As though noticing my line of sight, Lucien turns his head over, meeting my eyes directly.

Lucien: What’s wrong?

MC: Nothing!

I shake my head, but the corners of my lips curl up involuntarily. Suddenly, a colourful castle enters my vision. I point excitedly at the one which has a spire.

MC: Lucien, look at that castle! Isn’t it very pretty? Since young, I’ve always liked colourful castles with spires. I’ve even dreamt of them!

MC: I once dreamt that little monsters took over a castle, and I turned into a little super warrior, bravely sending those monsters running!

MC: The moment the monsters disappeared, there were colourful rivers of light outside the castle.

Lucien blinks slowly, then his eyes bend at a nice angle.

Lucien: Sounds like it was a righteous yet intriguing dream.

I purse my lips and smile, then look at my surroundings.

MC: We seem to have walked around the entire park. Let’s go for the attractions!

Lucien: All right. I’ll have to trouble MC to be my guide.

Immersed in the joyful atmosphere, I even forget the time. When I come back to my senses, I realise that the sky has started to darken, and the rain has long since stopped.

MC: It’s already 6pm...

Lucien: After this, do you want to have something to eat and have a rest, or continue playing?

MC: Let me think...

The lights in the park start flickering on one by one and MC decides to bring Lucien to the spinning teacup ride

MC asks if Lucien finds the light installations pretty

Lucien: When I’m with you, it seems I can always discover a different scenery.

All of a sudden, there are dazzling lights in the sky.

[Note: The original word used here is “流光”, which can mean (1) “rivers of light” (like an aurora...?), or (2) streamers (i.e. party confetti). I picked the “rivers of light” interpretation because it seems more appropriate. But I’m really not sure which one the writers are referring to so please don’t scold me if it turns out to be party confetti LOL]

MC: Too perfect... we were just talking about rivers of light just now, but I never thought that we’d see them. It’s so magical!

Lucien stands next to me. His expression is calm as he lifts his head to look at the lights. Then, he leans down slightly.

He laughs lightly, and I feel his warm breath brush against my cheeks, as tender as a feather.

Lucien: In the amusement park, nothing is impossible. That includes the whimsical lights in your dream.

Hearing his words, I’m left stunned. In the next second, a thought flashes across my mind.

MC: ...! Lucien, did you...?

With a sudden realisation, I look at him, my eyes filled with disbelief. Lucien doesn’t say anything. He just smiles faintly and straightens a finger to do a “shh” posture.

I was right! These lights were created by Lucien!

-- in order to complete the whimsical dream I once had.

Lucien rubs the top of my head, the corners of his lips turned upwards slightly, the colours in his eyes tender.

Before he retracts his hand, I hurriedly hold onto it, and then entwine my fingers with his.

MC: ...Lucien, thank you.

I originally planned to say even more, but my eyes are drawn to the couple in front of us.

They are lifting a Mickey doll in their hands, happily taking a selfie with the almost vanishing lights as a keepsake.

Thinking about how we ended up not buying the dolls from the shop just now, I suddenly feel slightly envious, and a little regretful towards my earlier decision.

Lucien: What are you thinking about?

MC: ...N-nothing much.

Following my line of sight, Lucien’s eyes sweep towards the couple in front of us, then holds my hand to walk forward.

Lucien: Let’s go, it’s almost our turn.

They ride the spinning teacup

MC confesses how she feels:

MC: I regret not taking photos of those beautiful lights, and regret...

I bite my lip, letting out a light sigh. At this moment, a low laugh travels to my ears. Lucien turns his face over, drawing nearer to me.

He pinches the tip of my nose gently.

Lucien: Do you still feel regret now?

MC: Eh?

Before I can react, Lucien takes out a pair of dolls from behind his back. It was the pair we saw at the shop!

My eyes widen in surprise, and I have no idea what to say.

Lucien: After you left the shop first in the afternoon, I bought them.

Lucien: As for why they could appear here, it’s thanks to the enthusiastic helpers in the shop.

Lucien: As for your other regret... want to take a photo?

Without waiting for me to react again, Lucien suddenly places the dolls into my arms and takes out his phone.

“Kacha” “Kacha”

Facing me, he takes several photos.

MC: ...eh, are you going to create more rivers of light?

I take the phone from him in confusion. After swiping through the photos, I realise that the photos only feature me, looking silly while holding the plushies.

MC: Why am I the only one in the photos... I even thought you’d capture the lights!

I purse my lips, pretending to be unhappy. Even so, the gradual heating up of my ears reveal my inner happiness.

Lucien laughs and sits even closer to me, gently wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

His body temperature seeps through his shirt, travelling from my arm to the depths of my heart.

I lift my head to look at Lucien. Neon lights flash across his face, casting a reflection in his eyes.

In the midst of the mottled, changing lights, I can clearly see a tiny me.

Lucien brushes my hair which has been messed up by the wind, then places a hand on my back, speaking in a low voice.

Lucien: Only you. Only the time spent with you are worth treasuring forever.

His warm breath lingers on the tip of my nose. He gazes at me tenderly. In that moment, my heartstrings are tugged, as though making contact with electricity.

The surrounding scenery and neon lights follow the movement of the spinning cup and continuously change. Only the starlight above us remains bright.

However, no matter how beautiful these lights are, they can’t compare to the tiny universe in Lucien’s eyes - the ones that reflect me in them.

MC: ...it’s the same for me.

Hugging a doll each, Lucien and I are nestled together quietly. As the music gradually reaches an end, the speed of the spinning teacups also slows down.

As though noticing my reluctance, Lucien suddenly asks.

Lucien: I wonder if MC’s “battery” is fully charged? As compared to the library, isn’t the relaxation from this trip to the amusement park even more fruitful?

MC: You’re right! My entire body is full of energy! Tomorrow, I can definitely welcome the new day of work with vitality!

Looking at my brilliant smile, the corner of Lucien’s lips curl upwards as well.

Lucien: In that case, it’s my turn to gain energy.

After saying this, he takes my hand in his once again, pressing his forehead against mine. His eyes drift shut.

In our arms, Mickey and Minnie’s foreheads are also leaning against each other.

As though energy could really transfer from my body to his, the space between Lucien’s eyebrows smoothens out, and his expression is one of a rare, complete state of relaxation.

I close my eyes too, feeling my throbbing heartbeat and his body temperature. Our skin is tightly pressed together, allowing our breaths to gradually mingle.

Perhaps more magical than the amusement park is Lucien - a miraculous existence.

As long as I’m by his side, I am always surrounded by happiness and joy.

Lucien’s Post: The amusement park at night seems to possess an even more unique charm.

MC: I think so too!

Lucien: Perhaps next time, we can consider staying here overnight.

Lucien’s Post: The amusement park at night seems to possess an even more unique charm.

MC: Eh? What charm?

Lucien: I feel very close to you.

Lucien’s Post: The amusement park at night seems to possess an even more unique charm.

MC: It’d be great if today never ends.

Lucien: Even if it ends, it will remain in our hearts.

#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc lucien

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eleanorbloom · 4 years

Text

When You’re Ready Ch. 10

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x f! MC (Eleanor Bloom) x Ethan Ramsey.

Word Count: 5.3k (Sorry!!!)

Warning: Innuendos at the beginning, then, just angst and a bit of cursing.

A/N: Yes, I’m sorry. Today’s chapter is the longest I’ve done so far, but it’s worth it (at least to me) because is about my babyyyy. Things are going to get harder from now on, so I’m excited for the upcoming chapters!! I hope you enjoy the angst because there’s more to come. Hehe.

A/N2: I’m gonna post some One Shots for Kinktober, so I was wondering if anyone wants to be tagged? It will be BrycexEleanor and DrakexMC from The Royal Romance. I’ve never published anything for TRR but I’m planning to write something in the future. Meanwhile, I’ll exercise with some smut muahaha. So let me know if you wanna be tagged 😏

Taglist @utterlyinevitable @binny1985 @shanzay44 @choicesficwriterscreations @laiba-the-person @starrystarrytrouble @lahellacute @lucy-268 @aylamreads @cinnamonspongecake @romewritingshop @angela8756

_______

Chapter 10: Stay.

Funny you’re the broken one

But I’m the only one who needed saving.

“Is that Raf?”—Eleanor raised her head from Bryce’s chest and stared at the ceiling, trying to prick up her ear.

At the distance, it was heard a deep voice in the middle of a mix of laughter.

“Yeah, that’s totally him.”

“What is he doing here so early?”

“Early?”—He chuckled—"It’s midday, babe.”

“Midday?!”—She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and checked. It was 12.10.—"And how we slept through all morning?”

“We stayed up late, don’t you remember? I think we got here like 3 am and then you just couldn’t shut up about how mad you were because Ramsey is being irrational about the influencer girl.”

“Oh, right. Drunken rant.”—Her cheeks blushed—“I’m sorry”

“Why are you sorry?”

“For making you hear all this crap when probably I ranted all night at Donahue’s about it.”

“Actually, you were just pissed off that Ramsey was mad at you, but when we got here you said the real stuff.”

“Like what?”

“Like you think that Ramsey is suspecting about your relationship with me and he’s taking it on you. He’s mad because you went behind his back with the Gwyneth thing, obviously, but he has contained his rage for weeks, and now he’s just… exploding.”

“Oh, fuck, you’re right, I did say that—She covered her face with both hands—"God, I’m so stupid.”

“Why? I think you’re right. He’s been acting like an ass with me this whole time too, he looks at me like I’m a piece of garbage or something.”

“But it’s really unprofessional that he is taking a work issue to an extreme just because he is what? Jealous? Mad that I’m getting over him? It’s very inconsistent of him.”

“Yes, it is. Are you going to do something about it?”

“Like what?”

“Like talk to him, tell him to stop,, that he shouldn’t take it on you at work just because he’s jealous.”

“I… I don’t know, I wouldn’t like to mix things, maybe I’m wrong.”

“You’re not wrong, Elle. You can’t let him be this ass with you, much less affect your work.”

Bryce saw how her head inside was spinning around, and her hands tensed over his rib cage.

“Just think about it.”—He added, stroking her hair comfortingly—"Don’t think for a second this is your fault, ‘cause it’s not. He made his choice in the first place.”

“I know…”

Eleanor leaned on her elbow to look at him in the eyes, smiling faintly at him.

“Thank you for being so understanding”

Bryce smiled back and then caressed her cheek while his eyes were expressing tenderness and protection.

She nuzzled into his soft chest losing herself into the sweet scent from his neck.

“Let’s focus on something less stressing and boring instead”—She whispered, lovingly.

“Like what?”—He asked tantalizingly roaming his hands through her back.

“Like the fact that I’m finally waking up with you.”

“Aw, you woke up really sugary today, uh?”

“Don’t you like it?”—She asked seriously.

“I have sweet tooth just because of you.”

“Awwww”—Eleanor encircled her arms around his neck pulling him down to her lips.—“You’re saying I’m sugary, but you just gave me a diabetic coma.”

“And I am having constipation ‘cause you, Eleanor Bloom, are being too cheesy.”

She burst out laughing, resonating in the whole apartment.

“Bryce! You’re impossible.”

“And you are impopsicle, babe.”—Before she could retort anything, he caught her lips into his, his hands travelling slowly down her bum. He deepened the kiss the moment she opened her mouth in a sigh.

“Do we have time for a quickie before getting ready for the concert?”

“Is it me or you’re doubting about your timing skills?”

“No, I’m just asking for consent.”

“We are wasting precious seconds, Dr. Lahela.”

Both chuckled before Eleanor pushed him against the bed and climbed on top of him, the sheets falling and pooling behind her, exposing her bare body.

“Sweet, sweet cowgirl ride me till the end of the world if you want”

Eleanor laughed hard again.

“Yeehaw!”—She joked between laughs.

This time it took like two minutes to make her stop. It would have been more if it weren’t for Bryce, who replaced her laughs for other more improper exclamations that soon had to be hushed too.

By the time Bryce and Eleanor appeared in the living room, all their friends were ready for the Music Festival Eleanor had invited them, courtesy of her patient, Gwyneth Monroe. After a quick chat, they all headed to Cambridge, excited for the new adventure.

The group spent the afternoon eating, drinking, playing lawn games and, of course, enjoying the music. At some point, they split when Eleanor, Kyra, and Aurora decided to see an art exposition while Bryce, Elijah, and Jackie joined Sienna to see an indie band she had been fangirling all afternoon.

Once the group met again, an hour later, it didn’t take long for Bryce and Eleanor to get lost in the crowd, enjoying the music while savoring the moment alone in the open air.

The sun was about to set when Bryce felt his phone buzzing. As he pulled it out of his pocket the letters froze him. He ended the call and saw 10 missing calls and a lot of messages in the notification bar.

“Bryce, where are you?”

“I’m outside your apartment.”

“Bryce, please answer me! Are you at work?”

Eleanor stared at him worried, sensing his nervousness.

“Is everything alright?”

“I… I have to go.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Nothing, I just remembered tomorrow I have a really difficult surgery and I need to study up.”

“Okay.”—Her brows knitted, suspicious.

He kissed her quickly and turned to leave, but she caught his wrist before he could get lost in the crowd.

“Bryce!”

“What?”—He replied, trying to hide the fear that was invading him just right.

“If something wrong you can tell me, you know that, right?”

“Yeah.”

He smiled faintly and gave her one last kiss before walking out of the crowd.

He didn’t know how he reached the parking lot and got in the car, his hands were trembling and a knot of anxious had settled in his stomach. He pulled the phone out and called back.

“Bryce!”—He heard on the other end of the line—"God, I’ve been trying to reach you for hours, where are you?!”

“Keiki, what’s going on? How is that that you’re in Boston?”

“I’ll explain later, are you coming?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there in forty.”

“Hurry up, I’m bored to death here.”

When he got to his floor, she found a tall girl in a red leather jacket sitting against his door, a backpack between her legs. He barely recognized her, even if he had seen dozens of pictures of her on her social networks. She was a teenager now, not the little girl that said goodbye to him with tears in her eyes when he left for college.

“Keiki”

“Bryce”—She said getting up from the floor. He opened the door a few moments later and both got in.

“Can you explain to me now what you are doing here?”

“Hey, bro, I’m glad to see you too.”—She ironized—“Thanks for the kind welcoming.”

“Keiki, please.”

“I ran away from home, okay?”

“You what?”

“I don’t wanna live there anymore.”

“Keiki, you can’t do that”

“Why not? You did it.”

“I went for college…”—He replied, feeling the guilt sharpening inside him.

“Yes, and then you never came back because you couldn’t stand our parents. It’s the same with me.”

“That doesn’t excuse that you escaped from home and underage. Do you have a plan? Or you’ll just wait until they come here to take you back and maybe they will report me for child kidnap?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Bryce. They wouldn’t that.”

“Still this isn’t right, Keiki. It could’ve happened something to you on your way here.”

“Yeah, but it would have been worth it if it means not spend another second in Maui.”

Bryce looked at her, intrigued. He couldn’t understand how things were bad for her if she had everything she wanted back in Hawai. A room the size of his apartment, all the clothes she wanted, and millions of things to do. But that was enough? He knew well it wasn’t.

“Can I stay with you?”

“Of course, Keiki, but you’ll go back tomorrow. Call mom to know if she can buy you a ticket flight back, I’m not sure I have the money for that.”

“Don’t you understand? I’m not coming back there, Bryce. Period.”

He shook his head and sighed. It was impossible to reason with her, and he knew it wouldn’t get anything by pushing her even more.

“Call her to let her know you’re here, then.”

“I bet she already knows.”

She seated on the couch, looking at him defiantly. He just ignored her act.

“Have you eaten something?”

“Some Doritos I bought around the corner.”

“What do you want to eat? I’m calling a delivery.”

“You don’t cook? I want real food, Bryce.”

“I’m a surgeon, not a chef, Keiki”

“Either way, you should know how to feed yourself by now, how you have survived all these years?”

“Take out.”

“Unbelievable”

Bryce didn’t know what to do. Maybe he could just watch a video on Youtube and cook something basic to save the day. Eleanor’s face popped in his mind, but he shook off the idea as soon as it emerged. Calling her would implicate to tell her the truth about his family and he wasn’t ready for that.

“Okay.”—He said after some deliberation—"I’ll go to the grocery store, so you have food for breakfast tomorrow and all that. Do you wanna go with me?”

“Nah, I’m tired, I think I’m gonna lay down a bit.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll be back in a bit.”

The moment he was out of the apartment, Bryce rubbed his hand across his face in exasperation. He didn’t know what to do, how to deal with his sister, and with the mistake he had been making all those years.

He always knew he shouldn’t have left her sister just like he did; never go back to Maui; call her just once in a while to finally only for her birthday. The guilt that has been accompanying him for ten years was materializing now in one of his worst fears: face his sister and deal with the consequences of his abandonment, the rage and the loneliness she might be feeling, all without prior notice.

He tried to clear his mind. At that moment he needed to stay calm to give Keiki the stability she had come to look for with him. He was the adult there, so he couldn’t let the feelings overwhelm him and make Keiki feel worse than she already was.

Once he regained calmness, Bryce made his way to the grocery store where he collected all the ingredients for a spaghetti recipe he read on the internet, plus some vegetables, fruits, bread, butter, bacon, eggs, cookies, Doritos, so Keiki would have something to have breakfast and eat while she was at his place.

When the doors of the elevator opened again on his floor, she found the silhouette of a woman with a black and golden dress on, talking to Keiki. He froze for a moment until both directed to him.

“Elle”

“Hi Bryce”—She looked at him surprised, while Keiki just eyed them, leaning in the door frame, arms crossed.—“What’s happening?”

“Let’s get inside and talk, okay?”

Keiki moved backwars to let Bryce and Eleanor in. He went straight to the kitchen and set the bags over the counter meticulously, like trying to gain some time before facing her. After a few moments, Bryce turned to Eleanor.

“Elle, this is my sister Keiki. She arrived today from Maui. She’s visiting.”

“Like hell. I told you I’m not planning to go back there, Bryce.”—She barked while she was flopping on the couch with the remote control in her hand.

“Hi Keiki, I’m Eleanor, nice to meet you”—She replied, giving a smile, even if she wasn’t looking at her.

“Yeah”—The girl just said, her eyes not moving from the TV.

Bryce just sighed, making evident his frustration. Eleanor looked at him worried and then pulled him to the kitchen.

“Can you explain to me now what’s happening? Why your sister ran away from home? Hell, I didn’t even know you had a sister, Bryce.”

Even if he wasn’t ready to talk about it, Bryce knew it wasn’t fair Eleanor didn’t know he had a sister, while she had talked about her family countless times.

“Elle, I…”—Now another fear was materializing: telling the truth about his family to someone from Boston. To the woman he loved, no less.—“To make a long story short, my family was a big deal in Hawaii. When I was in high school my dad went to jail for insider trading, and my mom only got off by testifying against him even though she was right there helping him the whole time.”

Eleanor gazed thoughtfully at him until she realized.

“Oh my god, Bryce… Your parents are The Lahelas? As in property tycoons turned white collars criminals The Lahelas?”

“That’s my family, and Keiki lives with them back in Hawaii. Dad got paroled a while ago for good behavior.”

Bryce saw as she remained in silence, surprise in her eyes. He couldn’t help but wince, waiting for the disappointed look, the disgust, the judgment. But nothing of it came. She instead tried to understand why Keiki was running away from home, what could have triggered that. She tried to convince him that this was not a simple rebellion as he was thinking. There was no judgment in her eyes or words. She just focused on Keiki and how to help him to deal with her.

Once Bryce felt less tense, he asked Eleanor to help him with dinner, which she accepted gladly. Half an hour later, the three of them enjoyed a plate of pasta that felt tastier as it was a result of collaborative work.

Even if Keiki was hesitant to talk at first, the food put her in such a good mood that Eleanor got her to chat a bit with her, Bryce observing the exchange with admiration. From the answers, Eleanor could tell Keiki was a smart girl and mature for her age; she had a hot temper but the same self-assurance Bryce had, even the same smirks and looks.

“Thanks for dinner, Eleanor. .”—Keiki said before going to sleep.—"Good to know I won’t starve to death my first night here.”

“You’re welcome. It was nice to meet you, Keiki.”

She smiled at her and then got to the room.

Eleanor and Bryce stood in silence for a bit, none of then sure who had to speak first.

“Bryce, why you never told me? This is big.”—Eleanor finally said, standing in front of him, concerned.

“I know… I just…I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Of you judging me.”

“Judge you? How could I judge you, Bryce?”

“Because it has always been like this. People know me and it’s okay at first, but then, when they know that I’m the son of a criminal, they assure me it’s okay but they never look at me the same, never treat me the same. They look at me like I’m about to do something, or like I’m a professional liar and I’m trying to cheat on them.”

“Bryce..”—She whispered, cupping his cheeks, her eyes full of sadness.

“I wanted to start from scratch here, no one knowing about my parents, no one judging me for that, just focusing on what I am, on how hard I worked to be at Edenbrook and be known for that.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry this happened to you.”—She said as he took him in her arms, embracing him tightly.

They stayed in silence for a while.

“How could you ever think that I would judge you, that I would treat you like that? I would never, Bryce. Never.”

“I know but some part of me thought you would.”

“Now I understand why you always changed the topic when I asked you.”

He nodded.

“But now you know you can trust me, right? Whatever you need, I’ll have your back.”

“I know, but… it’s not that simple, Eleanor. Since high school, people have seen me as a disease the moment they know I’m a Lahela, so I’ve never had anyone to trust about what I felt or just tell…stuff… the stress, the sadness… the things friends share. I never needed anyone to deal with problems, I could do it on my own until… until I met you, but I’ve ignored the feeling because I don’t wanna hold on to you, I’m scared that you’ll go away and I’ll lose the one person I trusted.”

“Why would I go?”

“Because nothing’s settled between us. There’s still the possibility that you’ll go with Ramsey or simply break up with me because you don’t want me anymore.”

“Bryce, we’ve been together for two whole months, I’m not planning to go anywhere.”

“Yeah, that’s what you say now, but you still want our relationship to be a secret because you don’t want Ramsey to know and make it a reality, because some part of you don’t want it to be true.”

“How can you say that?”

“Don’t be hypocrite Eleanor, please. I’m not stupid.”—Bryce retorted, hurt. She had never seen him this serious and cold.

“It’s not like that. And I don’t get where you’re going with this.”

“My point is, Eleanor, that I want to trust you, I really do want to tell you what is happening inside my head, but I can’t if the one person I can trust maybe won’t be here with me in two months or in a year. It doesn’t work like that with me. I have to keep on my own as always.”

“Bryce, no matter what, I’ll always be here for you, even if things turn out different-”

“No, Eleanor”—He interrupted—“Please don’t do this. Don’t be this selfish, thinking that if we end up things, we could go back to what we were. If I hold on you, I don’t know how I’ll deal with losing you or be away from you while I heal.”

“Bryce… Don’t be afraid, sometimes you have to take a leap of faith…”

“Don’t you think I haven’t taken enough leaps, Eleanor? I showed my feelings for you, I told you I loved you even before we were dating. You’re the only person I’ve done that with, and yet there is always a possibility that you won’t feel the same ever. And what about you? Yeah, you took a leap when you started dating me, but you can’t take a leap in leaving Ramsey in the past, tell him the truth, scrub all over his face that you moved on, because your ego is terrified that you weren’t enough to heal him. So, don’t dare to tell me that I should take a leap.”

He turned around and sat on the couch, both hands over his hair.

Eleanor looked at him, seeing the real Bryce for the first time. The Bryce that feels in pain, angry, annoyed, frustrated. Vulnerable. Human. The side she had never seen in him and she always wanted to know.

She took a few steps towards him and squatted down to face him.

“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to push you —She murmured—”I just want you to know that I’m here for you if you need me, okay?”

“I know, but I don’t think I’m ready for this, Eleanor. This is too much, and I need to deal with this on my own, that’s how I know best.”

“I understand.—She said softly, while taking his hands on hers.

The moment he felt his touch, his eyes threatened with tears and a knot ached in his throat. He pulled away from her grip.

“I… uh… I need you to go, Eleanor. I want to be alone.”

“Of course”—She replied, standing up.

Once she collected her things she went to the door.

“Whatever you decide, just remember that I want the best for you, Bryce. I know we are in a complicated situation right now, but I’m doing my best to end this hell soon.”

And she left.

Bryce stood unmoved on the couch recounting the events of the past hours as the tears streamed down his face.

His biggest fears had occurred, and now he was feeling the incessant need of trusting Eleanor, tell her all the pain that was buried in his heart, but he just couldn’t. Just like his issues about his parents, he had been burying the thoughts about Eleanor not wanting to confront Ethan about their relationship. He knew she still loved him and couldn’t blame her for that, but it was hurting him more than he thought, and he had just ignored his feelings and not said anything to her because if he opened up to Eleanor, even for one single thing, it would be like to open the pandora box, and he wasn’t ready to let all go.

Things were difficult in the next days. Keiki was absolutely decided to stay with him, especially since his parents didn’t reach him or Keiki to make her come back to Maui, and he still didn’t know how to deal with Keiki, because at any try of conversation, they ended up fighting or she ignoring his tries to be friendly.

The frustration and guilty were getting bigger and bigger.

He didn’t speak to Eleanor, and barely spend time with the rest of his friends. He just locked in on himself, focusing on working hard, and go straight home to be with Keiki even if they didn’t say anything or just argued. She was alone all day so she needed some company, and he really wanted to understand her, bonding with her and be like they were before, o maybe not like before, but he wanted to be her brother again.

However, soon he realized that he had been too harsh with Eleanor. Even if she was still in love with Ethan and didn’t want to make it official, it was all within their agreement. And more importantly, she had always been very respectful of their relationship, because she had only eyes and time for Bryce, and even if she wasn’t ready to commit, to tell the truth to Ethan and stop loving him, she was all in the relationship with him. He was her priority, he sensed that. He knew it. Because she had been refusing any contact with Ethan since he was back. When Bryce assumed that Eleanor had kissed him the night she stayed at Donahue’s, the reality was different. And Ethan’s behavior the past weeks was proof of that. So, he felt bad for reacting that way. She didn’t deserve it when she only wanted to help.

Bryce was walking by the fourth floor, expecting to find Eleanor there, when he heard heated voices inside an empty room.

“This anger you have against me is about something else and I won’t allow it, Ethan.”

“What do you mean by ‘something else’?”

“Not work-related. You have been an ass to me for weeks, and whatever might be your reason, you’re being unprofessional and you’re exactly what you wanted to avoid.”

Then, absolute silence.

If Bryce was right, Eleanor was confronting Ethan about his behavior in the past weeks. She didn’t address the problem openly, but it was clearly a step he thought she wouldn’t take so soon.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”—She said when she ran into him, not cathing it was him at first.—"Bryce? Hi”

“Eleanor”—They stared in silence for a moment—"I was looking for you. What time does your shift end?”

Bryce saw the brief moment Ethan passed behind Eleanor, his face impassive and cold as steel, ignoring their existence completely.

“Half an hour, I’m doing my final round. Why?”

“I need to speak to you, meet me in the atrium as always?”

“Okay, yeah.”—Her cheeks flushed and couldn’t help but look at him with hope.

“See ya later, then.”

He waited in their usual spot and finally, fifteen minutes later, she appeared.

“I’m so sorry, I had to run new tests for a patient, and it took me ages.”

“Don’t worry, I’m glad you’re here.”

“So…”

“Let’s go to my car, we can talk there.”

“Okay.

Once both got in the car, they looked at each other until Bryce broke the silence.

“Elle, I want to apologize. I realized I was too unfair with you the other day. I know you were trying to help and I just took it on you, because I was frustrated with the situation and I didn’t know how to deal with it, let alone with another person offering help.”

“It’s okay, Bryce, it’s me who should apologize. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.”

“No, you were trying to help me, and I thank you for that. But I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that about Ramsey. You have been very respectful to our relationship, I want you to know that. I really appreciate it, babe. It’s just that sometimes this is… hard.”

“Bryce, listen, you were right, you don’t have to apologize for telling me the truth. I am afraid, and sadly I still have feelings for Ethan and I don’t want to hurt him, but I don’t want to hurt you either, so it’s all so complicated.”

“I know, Elle, I know, that’s why I shouldn’t have been so rude. By no means you have been unfair or mean to me. It’s just that this is getting a bit hard for me, that’s all, especially now that I’m dealing with something big in my life and I want to hold on to you… But I’m terrified to do so.”

Eleanor rested her hands over his.

“Look, I know I can’t promise you we will be together forever, but I want you to know that our relationship it’s the most important thing to me now, and I’ll do whatever I can to take care of us. We are still in this difficult process until things are clear inside my head, but right now I want to be here for you, I want to help you with your sister and with whatever you need. Just say the word, okay?”

He smiled thankfully and then nodded.

“Truce?”—She said, offering her hand.

“Truce”—He agreed, but instead of taking her hand, he kissed her sweetly in the lips.

Eleanor giggled against him.

“God, I missed you so much.”—He sighed, parting from her just a brief moment, to keep kissing her for another couple of seconds.

“Me too. These days have been a real nightmare without you. How are you dealing with Keiki?”

“Not so well, actually. That’s why I wanted to ask you if you would like to go home with me tonight. I haven’t been able to talk with Keiki, and if you there with me, maybe I’ll understand her better. I don’t wanna fight with her anymore.”

Eleanor smiled warmly at him.

“This means that you’re letting me in?”

Bryce had made his decision but couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

“Yes. I want you with me in all this, Elle.”

“You won’t regret it. I promise.”

When they get home a delicious smell invaded their nostrils. Keiki was in the kitchen apparently frying some beef.

“Hey Keiki”—They both greeted.

“Hey. Eleanor, I didn’t know you were coming. I hope I’m doing enough food for the three of us.”

“We’ll make it work”—Bryce said, hopeful.

“If not, Bryce, you can call a delivery just as you like.”

“Haha, always so loving, sis. Whatcha doing?”

“Mongolian beef, I found an easy recipe on Instagram and here I am.”

“You need any help?”

“Umh, maybe with the rice, I have to chop the scallions and then have an eye on the beef.”

“Sure.”

They both washed their hands and then Eleanor taught Bryce how to cook rice while suggesting topics to talk. Some were delicate and Keiki reacted badly, but after every scowl Eleanor gave to Bryce, he tried to act more empathetic, listening to her before judging.

Once the dinner was served, the three seated with smiled on her faces.

“Keiki, this is great!”—Eleanor praised after giving the first taste to her plate.—“You had cooked before?”

“Yeah, a couple of times, but it’s not that I have the chance to do it often when you have people who cook for you”—She replied, a bit embarrassed.

“And what do you like to do? Reading? Singing? Playing an instrument? Skateboarding?”

“I like drawing, reading, and sometimes taking pictures.”

“That’s great. Boston has such beautiful places to do it.”

“Yeah, that’s true. I’ve took some really nice. ”

“You must show me them after dinner, okay?”

“Sure”

“ And what about your friends? You are not missing them now that you’re here?”

“Nah, I don’t have actual friends there, they all hate me.”

“Why they hate you?”—Bryce asked, brows furrowed.

That was the moment Bryce had been waiting since her sister got there, because with that question, Keiki let everything out.

Bryce finally knew the motives that made her leave home and fly all over the Pacific Ocean and to the other side of the country to be with him, even if they hadn’t seen each other in ten years.

And it happened that her sister was living the same hell he lived. Her classmates hated her for what his parents did, and of course, they hadn’t done anything to protect her. They only cared about their reputation.

The mistake he kept making for ten years had led to this. Her sister suffering from loneliness, abandonment, bullying. Just like he did.

“Keiki I’m …. I’m sorry I didn’t call more. I should have been looking out for you.”—Bryce finally said.

“It’s not like you could have done anything from all the way over here.”

“I could, Keiki. I should have tried, I should have done better, I should have stood in front of mom and dad if you needed me to. And I didn’t. I let this happened. But I’m gonna do better, starting from today.”

Bryce got up from the chair and opened his arms, inviting her sister to do the same. After a few moments of staring at him, she finally stood up and threw herself into his arms.

“I’m sorry I was a jerk when I turned up. And like… every day since.”—She apologized, complete sincerity in her eyes.

“The only jerk here is me. You can stay with me for as long as you need, okay? We’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks, Bryce.”

“I’m sorry, Keiki. Truly.”

“Bryce, it’s okay. I’m happy that I can count on you.”

“Always.”

The three chatted on the couch until Eleanor started to feel sleepy. She and Bryce said goodnight to Keiki, who had given his bed back a couple days ago as she found out the couch really comfy and his brother needed proper rest more than her. When they locked in the room, Bryce pulled Eleanor to his chest gently, resting his forehead into hers.

“Thank you for doing this.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“All the right questions, and all those scowls and deadly glares that meant ‘stop screwing it up, Bryce’ is doing nothing? Really?”

“Ah, well. It was minimal. You did the hard job here, you get your sister to talk, and you listened to her and empathized with her. You apologized. You were the support she was looking for. You did it amazing, Bryce. Not me. I’m so proud of you.”

“This wouldn’t have been possible without you.”—He kissed her in the lips, giving her the sweetest smile she had even seen in him, it made her stomach flutter.

“Good things happen when you trust people, you see?”

“Only with you.”

“I know. And I won’t let you down.”

___

#bryce lahela #bryce lahela x mc #choices #playchoices #open heart #bryce x mc #bryce x casey #choices fanfiction #open heart choices #open heart fanfiction #oh choices #choices stories you play #oh fanfic #fanfic #ethan ramsey #ethan x mc #ethan x casey #ethan x f!mc

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schrijverr · 3 years

Text

Story of my Life

How Ivy got on Aurora in ancient Greece with the help of the future that is also the now.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Wanings: burning of a building and Ivys trauma. Tell me if I missed anything or if you want me to tag something!

~~~~~~~~~

“Ashes, I swear to god if you accidentally light this library on fire I will make sure I kill you in such a way that it takes you a decade to regenerate and don’t think I haven’t done research on how to do that.” Ivy threatened as they made their ways through the halls of an ancient library.

Of course it wasn’t currently ancient, but later it would be described like that and the Mechanisms knew that, hence why it was referred to as such.

Ashes wasn’t even sure why they’d come, dusty boring papyrus scrolls or tablets weren’t really their scene and Ivy could be scary. They would much rather be with Jonny and Tim, who had been allowed to inspect the camps of the legion laying siege to the city.

Of course, Brian and Nastya had made rules for the two before they set them free. No guns, no steampunk outfits, no English and not together, but at least it would be fun.

Maybe they had silently hoped Ivy would let them sneak off to have some fun, but alas the smaller archivist had kept a close eye on them and scolded them whenever they had tried, leaving them here bored in a library while they could be committing arson.

They sighed and focused back on Ivy, who was seamlessly navigating the twisting corridors of the library. They asked: “Is it a library power or something that you know the way here, or what?”

“Oh, no, I know it from my dreams.” Ivy responded, more focused on the literature in front of her than what she or Ashes had just said.

“A dream?” they repeated, voice a bit higher.

“Yes, a dream, I just- oh.” Ivy now too realized her confession.

Her face remained impassive as she hummed and looked around silently. When nothing else came after that Ashes said: “It’s that it? Just an oh, nothing more?”

“I am thinking.”

“Oh that’s a surprise.”

“Shut up.”

Ashes shut up to let Ivy think. When it took a while, they started flicking their lighter and letting their gaze drift over a to a reading area, where a dark-clad man with long red hair tried to convince a plump man with white hair and a white robe to leave.

Their attention was snapped back to Ivy, who said: “I think I understand why I wanted to visit this place now, I am connected to the library and I wanted to save some of it.”

“That makes it sound like it’s gonna be destroyed.” Ashes replied, starting to like where this was going more and more.

Ivy glared at them and walked away, starting to take as many scrolls as she could carry. When Ashes didn’t follow to do the same, she turned back to them and said: “Aren’t you going to help? You got those big strong arms, make them useful for a change.”

“Hey, don’t complement and reprimand me in the same sentence.” Ashes frowned as they started to help.

They got ignored by Ivy, who walked on, suddenly stopping making Ashes bump into her. They were about to ask indignantly why Ivy had stopped, but the archivist was quicker, holding up her finger to indicate they should be quiet.

“What’s going on?” Ashes whispered, suddenly on high alert.

“You have to stay calm and promise not to freak, okay?” Ivy whispered back.

“Okay, sure, what is it?”

“I think I just saw Carmilla walk by.”

A moment of silence hung between them, Ashes quickly registered the information and put it in a box in their mind labeled ‘do not interact’ before they said: “Well, then I think Jonny is going to have a whack time, because I faintly recall him telling me he saw himself, right around when you came aboard.”

“Jikes.” Ivy replied, checking around the corner again, before continuing collecting scrolls.

“You’re not gonna follow her?” Ashes asked, “Don’t you want to see, want to remember?”

“From what I have gathered it was not very pleasant and I do not think seeing it will help me, Ashes.” she said.

“Oh, come on, I’m not allowed to fight, not allowed to burn down the library and now I’m not even allowed to see baby Ivy.” Ashes whined.

Ivy gave them a look and deadpanned: “Not a baby, I will look exactly the same.”

“Please, it’ll be fun. We can make sure you have fun trauma.” Ashes pleaded.

“I don’t need “fun” trauma, Ashes, what I need is for you to carry more scrolls and make sure we get out when this whole thing burns down.”

“It’s going to burn down?”

Ivy took a deep breath, trying to keep her temper in check, then strained yet calmly she said: “Yes, it is and if you behave you get to help set it alight, okay?”

“And I get to see baby Ivy?” Ashes tried to push their luck.

“Maybe, if you’re good.” Ivy decided to give up on arguing and just pushed some scrolls into their arms as she attempted to remember more of her dreams in order to find out what the narrative wanted from her here.

It seemed it worked, because Ashes followed her, paying more attention than before and with that giving Ivy the peace to think. She knew this place was burning down and she knew she was here and would be no more after tonight.

So now what?

Her feet were going somewhere without her permission and her hands were taking scrolls without her looking too much, like her limbs knew what to do more than she did.

As they were walking Ashes had picked up a bag to store the scrolls and now had their hands free as they were nervously flicking their light on and off. In the distance the two could hear voices talking and without even looking at each other they hurried down the hall to check.

“I need you to come with me, it is important. You need to be part of the story.” a familiar voice said, not directed at them.

A younger and equally familiar voice replied: “Why would I trust you, I am perfectly fine here. I’m not part of anything, leave me alone.”

The Ashes next to immortal Ivy shifted uncomfortably and whispered: “I really want to set something on fire right now, and I mean more than usual.”

“Do it.”

“What?”

“Do it. The stories need me there too and past me needs a reason to go, so do it.”

“Oh, hell yes.” Ashes cheered softly, immediately setting to work on some timber, making Ivy cringe when they grabbed a few papyrus scrolls for it.

It took Ashes about ten minutes to set up a construction that would light up multiple parts of the building at once. They were skilled, Ivy had to give them that. Meanwhile old Ivy was still arguing with Carmilla.

Carmilla tried to point out the fires and younger Ivy started to try and save some of the scrolls, burning her hands in the process. She got pulled away by Carmilla, but right at that moment a bit of the ceiling came loose, falling down and crushing Ivy. Carmilla sighed and said to herself: “And here I really hoped we could avoid a mess this time.”

Ashes and Ivy watched the two leave Ivy slung over Carmillas shoulder. The black-clad man from before also walked passed, they heard him say to his companion: “No, this wasn’t my side, angel.”

Then they disappeared out of sight as well. When they deemed it safe Ashes turned to Ivy and said: “Uhm, I guess sorry for killing you.”

Ivy shrugged and replied: “I have a better library now.”

That made Ashes smile, before they pulled Ivy out. She noted how they were extra careful with the bag as they did so, which made Ivy smile as well.

Outside in the city it was chaos, probably Tim and Jonny, who were not following the rules set for them. They hurried through streets back to where Aurora was, meeting Jonny and Tim at one point, both wearing matching grins.

“Guess what we saw.” Jonny yelled when he saw them.

“A Jonny look-alike!” Tim answered before they could, earning a glare from Jonny himself.

Ashes and Ivy shared a look and collectively decided to not tell them that it was actually just Jonny, but then younger. They wanted to get off this planet, a new story was already calling them.

#RR writing #The Mechanisms #the mechs #Ivy Alexandria #Ashes O'Reilly #tw: burning building #tw: collapsing building #the narrative #Ivy speculation

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junnie133 · 4 years

Text

so you HAD to date a princess don't you.

A fic about my version of the Modern with magic Linked Universe AU for your Modern with magic Linked Universe AU needs. Available in ao3 too. Relationships: Sky/Sun. And practically all the LU boys.

{+}{+}{+}

“You two look terrible”

“You look terrible. They look like shit”

“And you two aren’t helping at all”

Honestly, Sky couldn’t care less about Warriors and Legend’s banter, or Four shutting them up for his and Hyrule’s sake. Sky only wanted to sleep, even a short nap was fine, but of course, he wouldn’t be complaining if he could actually do it.

It was movie night at Legend’s house- err, well, more like Ravio’s Shop’s basement. Legend was never around these days, not since Marin anyway, so the place was practically Ravio’s now, with their semi-pink haired friend dropping by every once in a while to provide some rare merchandise for the magical shop (mostly monster parts and weird artifacts Ravio managed to restore and sell for ridiculous prices). But as it was said, it was movie night, so Legend absolutely could not miss this. If he did, Wind would search him in the boiling depths of the Death Mountain or among the creepy mist of the Lost Forest, only to drag him over and see Pirates of the Caribbean with them. Again.

He groaned, if he fell asleep during the movie, Wind would kill him, so he stopped trying to get comfortable enough to sleep on Ravio’s couch and opened his eyes, his sclera blood-red thanks to many nights without a proper night of real rest.

“Dude, you look like you’re high,” said Wild next to him.

“You sure know a lot about it, Wild'' scoffed Warriors.

“You bake brownies one time...” he sighed exasperatedly. “I only did it because ‘Rule asked me to!”

“So now I am the addict” Hyrule groaned. “There’s a difference between being a junkie and experimenting with medical herbs because you’re a freaking med student”

“Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that” Warriors rolled his eyes “Be glad Artemis didn’t send you two to jail. Where did you get so many hyrule herbs anyways?”

“They grow naturally in the Faron Forest” Wild shrugged.

“And anywhere else all over Hyrule. That’s why they’re hyrule herbs” said Hyrule matter-of-factly. “They have a lot of medical uses, it’s not entirely recreational like the media makes it look like,” he said with sarcasm.

Usually, their gentle friend wasn't this… Legend-like salty, but if anyone understands Sky's lack of sleep and craving for a good rest night right now, of course, it was the med student among all of them.

“I heard it helps to sleep, too…” slurred Sky, trying to keep himself awake enough to keep up with the conversation.

“No way Sky,” gaped Warriors, as Legend wheezed to his side. Wild and Four were laughing as well, but Hyrule seemed too tired to do more than a smile, slightly amused. “How is that you, future King of Hyrule, smoke weed?”

Sky grinned lazily and rolled his eyes. “I want to see all of you studying to be a king” he sighed. “Impa is cool and all, but she kicks my butt every time I slack off. I haven’t slept as I want since I began my studies with her”

Warriors suddenly grimaced at that. “Yeah, don’t mess with General Impa”

“That’s what you get as the fianceé of an actual princess I guess” shrugged Four.

“And sometimes Purah scares me” he continued with a haunted gaze lost in the void ahead of him.

“She and Flora made me eat a frog once” Wild spoke up. “It was alive”

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me” Legend deadpanned.

“Only once, tho?” asked Hyrule.

“I actually cooked the other two, thank you very much”

“Ok, enough talking about eating raw frogs and smoking hyrule herbs” interrupted Four before someone said anything else. Sky and Hyrule glared weakly at him, and the shorty rolled his eyes “For reasonable and, uh, medical reasons, whatever”

“Medical knowledge” Hyrule corrected.

“That’s what I said. So can we please talk about something else before Time, or Hylia forbid us, Wind hears us talking about smoking weed?”

“What?” they all looked over the stairs, only to find, thankfully, just Twilight holding two big bowls of popcorn in each hand. He was glaring directly at Wild, who quickly shot his arms up, trying to look innocent. “Damn it Wild, you brought brownies?”

“That was only one time!” he shouted.

“There’s no weed here, country boy. Chill” said Legend.

“Don’t do that kind of jokes here” he sighed, putting the bowls down on the coffee table right in front of the TV. “Time can take them very seriously…”

“As if Wind hadn’t tried hyrule weed already” scoffed Legend.

Sky grimaced. Thinking about the sweet, tiny, innocent Wind they all knew since he was born smoking weed wasn’t something cute to think about, and if it made him upset one could only imagine Warriors’ own reaction. The big brother in question, not only the oldest of three but Captain of the Royal Guard who only received orders from General and Princess Zelda the CXIV (or Artemis for short), spluttered and tried to smack Legend on the head at the same time, but the asshole only dodged the hit and laughed right on his face.

“He’s at that age!” he said as an excuse like he needed any to mess around with Warriors’ big bro mental sanity. “And it’s not that illegal. ‘Rule said it, the thing’s used for medical purposes”

“I will have to make sure you don’t have illegal amounts on this house then” War crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at Legend in the Captain mode they rarely got to see.

“Oh c’mon pretty boy, it’s only a joke”

“If that’s so you wouldn’t mind me asking Ravio”

Legend glared back. “You wouldn’t dare”

“If he doesn’t talk I just have to threaten him to close the shop”

“You really want to see him kneel and pray, and possibly cry?” he raised a brow.

“Ugh dude, I feel awful when Ravio cries, he’s such a nice guy...” scowled Wild.

“Nice guy or not, the law is the law,” said Warriors.

“Arresting the nice guy who makes us lemonade and is the only one who can shut Legend up without restraining him physically?” Four raised a glass of lemonade as proof.

Legend blushed and his glare moved to him, as Warriors nodded, convinced. “You know what? I’m not even at service right now, and I’ll give you that only for the last reason”

“You also like the lemonade,” said Twilight.

“And I also like the lemonade” nodded the Captain again.

Sky knew the kind of blush dusting Legend’s cheeks right now. It was the same he got when he thought about Sun and her beautiful smile, or Sun feeding Crimson, or Sun while she was studying, so gorgeous with her hair pulled up into a ponytail and a tiny frown on her face as she tried to memorize legal concepts and the kingdom’s history…

He could happily drift off with that blessed image.

...if it wasn’t because of his loud friends.

“Who’s ready for Pirates of the Caribbean: At the World’s End?!”

Wind showed up with a DVD case on his hands after jumping from halfway downstairs to the basement, raising the thing up over his head with one hand like he just found an amazing treasure from a chest. He could faintly hear a tiny triumphant tune in the back, something like dan-dan-dan-daaaaan!, but after a second Sky shook his head. It surely was only the lack of sleep finally hitting on him.

“Why didn’t we just watch it on Fairyflix or something? I don’t pay the subscription for nothing” asked Warriors, annoyed.

“It’s a retro movie night” the kid announced proudly, as Time walked down the stairs calmly after him.

“Since when CD’s are retro?” Time asked aloud to no one in particular, muttering under his breath about being old. He seemed to be personally offended.

“How did you get it, anyway? I thought you had nothing left from your allowance after paying your and Tetra’s last bail” War asked again.

“Tetra lent it to me” the kid answered easily (like it was normal for a fourteen-year-old to pay his own prison bails), taking a mouthful of popcorn on his mouth before kneeling down to Legend’s unused CD player, gathering dust on its place under the TV. “There’s no internet on the big open sea, you know?”

“He has a point,” said Four, who fell silent as Warriors glared at him with a loud but wordless ‘Don’t encourage him’ in his eyes.

Wind’s obsession to be a pirate was well known by all of them, as well as Warriors’ desperate attempts to dissuade him away from the idea.

“Everything ok, Sky, Hyrule?” asked Time, sitting down on the armchair across the room, right next to the TV. He had that worried look on his eye.

“I have finals at school” grumbled Hyrule.

“I’ve been sparring with Impa every day this week” Sky sighed.

Warriors grimaced again. “Surprise training?”

“Yeah…” he answered, defeated. “She says I have to be always alert to protect Sun”

Time shook his head, with a pitying expression on his face. “She wasn’t so strict before,” he said.

“How are you even retired, Old Man?” asked Warriors.

“Saving Hyrule when you’re a kid and being the Princess’s personal knight for a long time gives you nice retirement pensions” he shrugged. “Also Ganondorf doesn’t like me, he only got rid of me in a nice way”

“No one likes Ganondorf,” said Wind from his place in front of the TV, selecting the language of the movie with the control. “Not even Miss Lullaby. She only married the old fart to prevent a war against the Gerudo”

“Who told you that?” asked Time, amused.

“Tetra”

“Obviously” huffed War.

If you asked Sky, the Royal Family was a mess. A very organized mess if anything, but a mess nonetheless. Princess Zelda the CXII, or Lullaby for short, was meant to be the heiress to the throne in the first place, but then things got weird with the Gerudo and she offered herself to marry Lady Nabooru’s brother and only male of the tribe. That was like, ten years ago, when the butterflies on his stomach every time he saw Sun didn’t make any sense to a young eleven-year-old Sky.

“How many years do you have to keep studying, tho?” asked Time to Hyrule then.

“Like two, if Princess Aurora does me a few favors” the brunette answered.

Princess Zelda the CXVII, Aurora for short, was a fragile girl who gets sick very easily. Hyrule was a magic-talented boy who managed to wake her up from a curse (or a common coma, they weren’t really sure) some years ago with his curative magic (and a kiss, but he would never admit that). Ever since, Queen Hylia had been insisting on giving him amazing studying opportunities to take advantage of his wonderful abilities, but Hyrule being the humble traveler he was, declined over and over again, claiming he had no money to pay back. At least until Princess Aurora asked him personally to be her personal healer that’s it.

Like he said. A mess.

“Alright shut up everyone, I’m gonna start this” announced Wind, sitting on the floor near the coffee table, pressing the play button. Everyone made himself comfortable, ready to relax, and enjoy their weekly movie night.

The last thing Sky remembers before falling asleep was Wind and Wild fighting over a bowl of popcorn, Twilight trying to act as a mediator, Legend making bets on who would win with Four leaping forward to take the other bowl and Hyrule curling to his side, as Warriors screamed and Time looked at all of them with his Disappointed Look™.

Falling asleep so soundly in the middle of their own apocalypse only spoke how much sleep Sky lacked lately. But as Legend would say, he HAD to date a princess, doesn’t he?

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useless-slytherclaw · 4 years

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Revealing my fic for The Reverse Bang by @ftguildevents! It’s inspired by this beautiful piece by @x-thekid (seriously go look at it). It was beta read by @oryu404.

Jellal has never been this far north, not even during his days wandering with Crime Sorciere. He’s never had a reason to.

His eyes stray to his left where Gray walks beside him. Jellal can see in the set of his mouth and the softness around his eyes that the ice mage is entirely untroubled even though the air around them is the bitter sort of cold that steals the oxygen from your lungs as you breathe.

Gray has his hands shoved into his pockets, but Jellal can tell by the relaxed lines of his shoulders that it’s from habit and not from cold. Plus, his coat- which is more for fashion than warmth in the first place- is open, exposing the shirt underneath. He doesn’t think Gray can actually feel cold anymore.

Jellal watches his partner as they walk with only the soft squeak of snow under their feet to accompany them. It’s the sound of dry snow, the kind he has only seen before in the dead of winter, which falls on the coldest nights.

It should be dark here with only the stars and the moon to guide them. Jellal is used to the deep darkness of night far away from a city or a fire from the many nights spent outside as he traveled around Fiore. But the silver light from above shatters into a million million pieces under their feet so that the world seems to glow faintly.

He almost feels as if he’s stepped clean off the earth and into another dimension. Almost, he feels like an intruder, as his breath clouds the clear air and his feet disturb the smooth snow under his feet. The chill of the air claws at his lungs and seeps into his bones as if it wishes to claim him for its own, to make him part of this place.

But, while Jellal might be an intruder, Gray is anything but. A poet might say that he looks like he rules the place but that’s not quite right. It’s deeper than that. He is of this place. The silver moonlight on his skin, the white line of his shoulders against the stars, the darkness of his hair, every bit of him belongs here. Dizzying patterns of ice spread from his footsteps, not disturbing the snow, but complimenting it.

It was Gray’s idea that they come here, of course. After he was pardoned, Jellal had gone straight to Fairy Tail and to Gray. While he waited for Gray and Natsu to finish whatever they were fighting about, he’d thanked Makarov and Erza for everything they’d done for him.

He hadn’t known what to expect when he talked to Gray. Their relationship up until that point hadn’t been on and off exactly, but there’s only so much a relationship can be when it’s forged entirely of stolen moments between battles and journeys.

“I’ve been pardoned,” he had said. “I’m free.”

He hadn’t said, ‘I’m free to be with you,’ because even though he wanted to, he didn’t know what Gray wanted. They’d whispered about the future together when they sat under the stars outside of Magnolia. But Jellal refused to be a shackle or chain. He’d happily follow Gray to the end of the earth, but only if Gray wanted him to. But Gray had smiled; every time Jellal saw that smile he wondered how he had ever thought Gray was cold and aloof.

He hadn’t expected Gray to come to him the next day and ask if he would go on a journey with him.

“I get it if you don’t want to,” Gray had said, and there was a tension in his shoulders that denied his relaxed poise and voice. “You probably just want to rest now that you don’t have the crown chasing after you. You’ve been wandering around for years. But… I need to get away for a while, and I’d- well… I’d like it if you came with me.”

“Of course I’ll go with you,” Jellal had said immediately and watched the tension ease out of the other man’s body.

And he had. Gray had led them north, leaving Fiore behind. He hadn’t questioned the reason behind the journey; he figured that Gray would tell him when he’s ready. While he only knows bits and pieces of Gray’s past picked up from comments by both Gray and Ultear, he also knows what it’s like to have a past that’s almost too painful to talk about.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Gray’s voice brings Jellal back to the present moment.

“Yes,” Jellal says, but his eyes aren’t on the scenery, they’re on Gray, who’s looking away from him, across the field of snow towards the trees and mountains in the distance.

“I’ve missed this. It’s not that Fiore isn’t beautiful, but-” his voice trails off.

“There’s nothing like this.”

“Exactly.”

Gray turns his head to look at Jellal and takes a step so that they are close enough to touch. Jellal takes his hand, closing the distance between them.

“You’re cold,” Gray says with faint surprise as their hands meet, and Jellal laughs.

“It is cold,” he points out.

“I guess it is,” Gray says and he rubs the back of his neck with his free hand. “Sorry. Do you want my coat? I don’t need it.”

“I’m fine,” Jellal says. He’s not in danger of freezing, and Gray’s coat wouldn’t fit him anyway. “Thanks though.”

He closes the distance between them to kiss Gray. It’s really only a brush of lips on lips, but the warmth of Gray’s lips against his chilled ones almost burns. When he pulls back, he’s greeted by a smile, and he feels warmer.

“Ever since you told me that you loved the night sky, I’ve wanted to bring you here,” Gray says quietly. It’s a quiet, fragile sounding admission, and Jellal tightens his grip on Gray’s hand.

Without looking away, Jellal tells him, “I’m glad you did.” Then he turns his eyes up to the heavens. They’ve come far enough north that the stars have changed their position in the sky.

“The sky seems closer here,” he tells Gray and his voice is quiet too. He pauses, his eyes on the stars. “In the tower, I used to watch the stars at night. They were so beautiful, but so far away… Unreachable. I used to dream of being able to watch them without bars in the way.”

Gray squeezes his hand, “Now you can.”

“Now I can,” Jellal agrees, and there’s a small smile on his face. Before he can say anything else something green flickers at the edge of his vision. Immediately his attention is up, ready for an attack. “What?”

“It’s about to start,” Gray says unhelpfully. But Jellal notices the undercurrent of excitement in his voice.

“What’s about to start?”

“Look,” Gray says and points to the north.

A soft gasp leaves Jellal’s lips. The sky, which had been the empty blue-black of the night, is now shot through with banners of pink and purple and green. They seem to ripple slowly like silk dancing on the wind.

“Have you ever seen anything like it?” Gray asks quietly, wrapping his arms around Jellal’s waist.

Jellal can only shake his head as his eyes trace the pattern of dancing lights. Gray huffs a small laugh into his neck.

“Let’s sit for a while and watch,” Gray suggests, and Jellal nods. With a motion of his hands, Gray lays out a layer of ice so they can sit without sinking into the snow. As they sit, Jellal turns his attention to Gray, who still has a smile on his face. Jellal wraps an arm around the ice mage, letting his cloak fall over both of them.

When Gray leans into his embrace, the warmth that spreads through Jellal isn’t only from his body heat. Jellal rests his head on Gray’s and they sit in silence for a while. Jellal’s eyes trace the dancing motion of the lights in the sky. The snow reflects the light of the aurora, painting their whole world in varying shades of green and pink. In the hush, there is only the quiet sound of their breathing to disturb the air, and Jellal can almost hear the quiet melody of the dancing sky.

He’s not sure how, but he can feel the shift in Gray’s mood as his silence becomes pensive. But Jellal doesn’t disturb him, he only waits to see if Gray will speak.

“Do you believe in absolution,” Gray asks him at last.

It’s a question that Jellal has asked himself at least hundreds of times when the weight of his crimes is bearing down on him, and he wonders if he will ever be free. Despite the years that he has spent trying to atone for his sins, all he can tell Gray is this: “I have to.”

Gray nods.

There are words he holds in his heart that he rarely has the courage to speak. But here, at the end of the world, there is nothing but the sky and the snow and the space between them and somehow it is easier to speak.

“I’m not sure that the guilt will ever go away,” Jellal says and his eyes are on the sky. If he looks down at Gray, he might not be able to speak. In his mind, though, he sees the tower of heaven and the people he kept trapped inside. “I’ve done things… Things that I thought were unforgivable. My sins have hurt more people than I can name.”

“But that’s not you anymore,” Gray says, and the ghost of a smile lifts the corner of Jellal’s lip.

“I could say the same to you. But what I wanted to say is that, even if there is no absolution, no escape from the guilt, there is forgiveness… Even for someone like me.”

“Forgiveness, eh?” Gray says and his gaze drops from the sky to the snow in front of him. But Jellal can tell by the expression on his face that he isn’t seeing the snow.

“There are two types of forgiveness, actually,” Jellal says and turns his eyes back to the sky. “The first is easiest; it’s when others forgive you. The second is the hard one because you have to forgive yourself.”

Gray makes a non-commital sound that is neither agreement nor disagreement, so Jellal keeps going.

“You didn’t know Ultear very well, but I did,” he smiles wryly, “or I knew her as well as anyone other than Meredy.”

“Are you going to tell me that she forgave me?” Gray asks, and there’s something that Jellal can’t quite read in his voice.

“Not exactly,” Jellal said. “She didn’t think there was anything to forgive you for. She didn’t blame you.”

Jellal hears the air leaving Gray’s lungs. His voice is slightly shaky when he speaks, “I-her mother. How did she-”

“I don’t know everything,” Jellal says. “Ultear was a very private person. She saw her mother’s memories when she fell into the water off of Tenrou Island. I don’t know what she saw, but she realized that she had been blaming the wrong people.”

Gray shakes his head. He still blames himself, and maybe he always will. Jellal didn’t expect to change his mind with one sentence. He knows how hard it is to let go of your guilt. They sit in silence again. Jellal watches the stars and waits; he can feel that Gray isn’t done with the conversation.

There’s no way of knowing how long they sit like this. Time seems to stretch into infinity here in this pocket of the universe they’ve managed to claim for just themselves.

“Ultear sacrificed herself,” Gray says quietly, “and saved me.”

There’s an echo to the guilt in Gray’s voice in Jellal’s heart. But Jellal, like the others in Crime Sorciere, can understand her sacrifice in a way most people never will.

“Yes,” Jellal says, “she saved many people. It’s normal to feel guilty for living because she died. Sometimes I still do. But you have to remember that Ultear did what she did because she wanted to.” Jellal pauses again as he struggles to put words to the things he wants to say. “You asked me if I believed in absolution. Ultear had struggled to and had started to believe that it would never come, but in her sacrifice, she found both absolution and happiness.”

The conversation lapses again into silence, but Jellal doesn’t mind the stop-start pace of it. It fits somehow.

“Thank you,” Gray says quietly.

“No need,” Jellal says and turns to face Gray.

Gray smiles and leans in to kiss him. It’s brief and then he is pulling away and standing up. He reaches out a hand to pull Jellal to his feet.

“No point in sitting around forever. We’ve still got a while to go.”

Their eyes meet for a moment before Gray turns away, and Gray’s dark eyes shine with the reflected light of hundreds of stars.

Jellal had always loved the heavens.

#ftrbb2020 #jellal fernandes #gray fullbuster #jelray #fairy tail #fanfic #fan fiction #inspired by art #mlm #gray x jellal #ao3 link

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writinginstardust · 5 years

Text

The Pull

Pairing: Kaliis Gilwraeth x Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley

Request: anonymous asked “ Okay I know your busy and have a lot to write but if you could pleaseeee give me any kind of kal x aurora fic, perhaps kal teaching aurora how to fight/protect herself? If not I’m not picky I’m just desperate for anything please “

Warnings: fight training and shooting practice (idk if that needs a warning but better safe than sorry)

A/N: I hope you like it! It’s not super duper shippy because it wouldn’t feel right with where their relationship is at but there’s definitely plenty of hints and implied feelings so I hope that’s good with you.

Word Count: 1108

It was after the third time seeing Aurora in danger that Kal decided she needed to learn to protect herself. Much as he loathed to admit it he wasn't always going to be there to keep her safe and no one, not even Auri herself, had any idea what the limitations of her powers might be. Not until a few days after leaving Octavia III did he bring it up though.

"So that's decided then, we'll find somewhere to get properly fixed up on Xyra and then try and hunt down any information on the Eshvaren and Ra'haam and go from there. Anyone got anything else they'd like to discuss?" Tyler finished up his morning meeting as usual and Kal finally decided to speak up.

"Yes, sir, I think it would be wise for Aurora to learn how to better defend herself. I'd like to train her in our downtime if you would permit it." He still hated asking permission, especially from someone he could take out with one hand tied behind his back, but he had started to grow rather fond if his leader and squad so deferring to his decision didn't make him want to gouge his eyes out like it once might have. Tyler thought about it for a moment and looked to Auri.

"Would you like Kal to train you?" He asked her. She shrugged.

"I suppose it can't hurt to learn a few things."

"Alright then. You two figure out when you want to do that then. Anything else?"

"Yes," Finian said with a troublemaking smile, " if Kal's offering lessons, can I have some on how to properly brood? I hear it makes the girls go crazy, the boys too." He winked at Tyler.

"No, Fin, you can't." Tyler rolled his eyes but couldn't help letting a little smile slip onto his face. "Okay, meeting over." Everyone disbanded and Kal was faintly surprised when Auri caught up with him in the hall.

"You want to get started now?" She asked and was he imagining it or did she sound slightly...eager?

"If that is what you would like."

"I mean...I've got nothing else to do." More nonchalant now but Kal could still sense that same eagerness.

"Follow me then." He led her to the mostly empty cargo hold - their best option since there was no dedicated training space on-board - and set up some makeshift targets on one side of the space.

"Going to teach me some archery then, Legolas?" She grinned at the look of confusion on his face.

"No...that is an impractical weapon." He paused. "And who is this Legolas you keep referring to me as?"

"I have got to find a copy of Lord of the Rings, you're so horribly uneducated."

"Actually I-"

"Nope, I know you're smart but you don't know any of the important stuff. As soon as I find these movies, you're watching them with me. Saving the galaxy can wait 9 hours."

"It's 9 hours long?"

"Give or take. And then you've got the Hobbit trilogy which we obviously have to watch as well...so that's like another 9 hours if we watch the extended cuts which we must for all those extra minutes of Orlando Bloom..."

"Who is Orla- wait no, this is extremely off-topic. I am meant to be training you."

"Then get teaching, Legolas."

"I'm not- never mind." He sighed and shook his head with a fond little smile. One Day he'd get used to Aurora. "Alright, you're small so there is a good chance anyone who attacks you will be stronger." She narrowed her eyes at that.

"Watch it. I may be small but I could throw you across the room with my mind."

"I meant no offence, it just affects our primary focus. I can train you to fight but your best bet will always be defence at range. So," he pulled out a small pistol, "I'm going to teach you to shoot."

Auri took the pistol from him, an excited glint in her eyes as she studied it. Kal's fingers darted swiftly and skillfully over the weapon in her grasp as he explained the mechanics and basic technique. She admired the surety in his movements and the power she could practically feel coiled within the muscles there. Memories of the damage he could inflict with them alone surfaced in her mind. She wanted to learn how to do that.

"Alright. Are you ready to take a shot?" Auri nodded and Kal moved to stand behind behind her, his hands covering her smaller ones and guiding her as she took aim. Five shots. All of them hitting their mark. He was impressed.

"Oh I am goood." Auri was grinning, proud of herself.

"You are. Now try it on your own." Kal stepped away from her, somewhat reluctantly, and watched as she took aim again. Another five shots. Not quite as accurate but only one missed completely. Kal was very impressed.

"Not bad for a beginner, eh?" Through her very visible pride Kal could see something else in her. She wanted his approval. She wanted him to be proud. Valued his opinion of her and her skill. It tugged at his heart pleasantly and he gave her a smile.

"No. Not bad at all." They simply stared at each other for a few moments longer, both sporting soft smiles for the other, both not entirely sure how to proceed. Finally Kal cleared his throat and snapped them both out of it. "I should probably teach you some basic self-defense."

"I learned some back on Earth actually."

"Show me." They went through the basic motions, Kal grabbing and detaining her in a variety of ways and Auri trying to remember the way she'd been taught to break each kind of hold. On the whole, she didn't do bad.

Kal landed on his back with a thud, eyes wide, the force more than he'd expected Auri to manage. She was grinning down at him, clearly impressed with herself, her face slightly flushed and chest heaving from the exertion. The force of the Pull was nearly overwhelming.

"How was that?" She asked. It took him a moment to swallow down his feelings and speak.

"Impressive. There is still much I can teach you though."

"I thought so. Can we start with that nerve strike?" There was a glint in her eye, one Kal found he liked to see, would like to see more often. In the days since he'd met Auri he'd wondered often why the Pull had chosen her of all people but here, now, he thought he was finally starting to understand.

Tag Lists: (send an ask if you want to be added!)

Everything: @wonderfilledness

#aurora rising #aurora cycle #kal x auri #kalora #ac #kal gilwraeth #aurora jie lin o'malley #kalora fanfic #aurora cycle fanfic #kal x aurora

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princesweetpea · 5 years

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I Found | Sweet Pea x Aurora Jones (oc)

All Chapters Here

Chapter: One

Warnings: Language, mentions of family death, friend death, graphic depictions of death, mentions of domestic abuse

READ IT ON AO3

A/N: Hi everyone! I hoped you like this chapter. I'm so incredibly happy with the positive feedback I've gotten from the story so far! Thank you so much! ♡

“You’re late!” Midge exclaimed playfully as Rory approached the booth where she sat in the relatively empty Chock’lit Shoppe. Rory laughed, mumbling a brief apology before sliding into the booth. Midge already had a milkshake of Rory’s flavor choice waiting for her. She immediately took a sip, relishing in the cold, creamy strawberry deliciousness. Midge smiled at her briefly before it faded into a frown.

“What’s wrong?” Rory asked, growing concerned. Midge’s eyes scanned Pop’s to make sure there was no one eavesdropping before sighing.

“I just don’t know what to do about Moose,” she put her chin in her hand and stirred her milkshake absentmindedly. “I love him, but something is just… off. But with Fangs… Oh, Rory, with Fangs it feels so right. The passion. The spark. The hunger –”

“Okay, I don’t need to know that part!” Rory laughed before reaching across the table to grab her hand. Midge smiled before it quickly faded away again. “Do you love Fangs?”

“No, I don’t think so. But he gives me something that Moose just… doesn’t. Even before, when things were good, it just felt odd. Awkward. Clunky,” she shrugged and shook her head. “What do I do?”

“I think you need to be honest with Moose. It isn’t fair to keep lying to him, especially when he’s being faithful to you. You guys need to talk about it.” Rory squeezed her hand sympathetically.

“Yeah, you’re right… as always,” She rolled her eyes and sniffled. Rory grinned and looked down into her milkshake and took another sip. “Do you think I’m a sinner?”

“A sinner?” Rory snorted, almost spitting her milkshake back down into the cup. “What the hell are you talking –” She looked up to meet Midge’s eyes. She was cut off by her own blood-curdling scream. Her best friend’s cold, dead eyes emptily stared back at her. Blood and decay covered her face and body. Five knives were plunged into her torso, and two pairs of scissors pinned her arms in a “T” into the back of the booth.

“I am back from the dead,” Midge’s corpse hissed monotonously. “All those who escaped me before will die.”

Rory sprang up from the bed in strained sobs, screaming from the flashes in her head. Jughead burst through the door with his switchblade flicked out, his hair disheveled and one eye half-closed. Once he saw that there was no physical threat, he put the knife away. FP pushed past him and held his niece tightly to his chest, stroking her hair in attempt to calm her. Jughead sat on the end of the bed. She had stopped screaming, but the sobs carried on. She thought of the couple of nights that this occurred when her mother was alive, before her death. How her mother would climb into bed with her and stay with her the rest of the night. But she was gone too. And she wouldn’t have even been gone if Midge weren’t gone in the first place. She sobbed harder. After a while, FP convinced Rory to lay back down. He moved to the chair in the corner of the small room and nodded for Jughead to leave before laying his head back. He stayed there for the rest of the night.

In the morning, Rory rubbed her swollen eyes and headed down the hall toward the kitchen. Living with Jughead and FP was… different for Rory. When she arrived, it was clear that the trailer was in a state of constant disarray from the busy lives of the two men that lived there, but Rory had started to clean things up to keep herself busy when she wasn’t at school. It had been a few months since she started living there, but the nightmares hadn’t gone away. It was always the same dream over and over, an “alternate” ending to the very real last conversation she and her best friend had before the musical that fateful night.

“Hey sugar,” Gladys chirped. Rory smiled faintly at her formerly estranged aunt and mumbled a “good morning.” “How’d you sleep?”

“Like a baby.” Rory smirked bitterly. She knew she had heard her screaming last night. If both FP and Jughead heard her, there was no way that Gladys and Jellybean hadn’t. They hadn’t even been back in town for long and Rory was already done with the whole situation. Something felt wrong about her presence. Plus, she and Rory’s mom had never gotten along, so Gladys had almost the same passive-aggressive attitude toward her most of the time.

“Good,” Gladys smiled, taking a sip of her black coffee. “FP is out back. He has something to show you.” Rory gave a tight-lipped nod in response and exited the trailer. It was a bit nippy outside, and she was only wearing a cotton tee and some pajama pants. She crossed her arms over her chest. She heard some banging noises from behind the trailer so she followed them. FP stood among a medium sized Airstream camper trailer with the doors and windows wide open, and a few packed boxes sprawled around on the ground outside of it.

“What’s all of this?” Rory spoke up, as FP hadn’t noticed her standing there. He looked up and beamed at her, immediately walking in her direction.

“Hey squirt, how are you feeling this morning?” He asked, pulling her into his side and giving her a chaste kiss on the forehead.

“I’m okay,” she smiled up at her uncle. “How’s your back?” She asked sheepishly.

“Oh, don’t worry about me. Me and that chair are very well acquainted. Jellybean used to have nightmares when she was a little girl.” He reassured her. She suddenly felt very burdensome. She had been sleeping in Jellybean’s room since she moved in, but now that they were back in town, Jellybean had been sleeping on a cot in the living room.

“I think JB and I should switch living arrangements. It’s her room after all.” Rory insisted.

“That actually brings me to the reason I had you come out here,” FP grinned, pulling her with him toward the Airstream. “Your mom didn’t like living in the trailer with me and our old man when she was a teenager. ‘Hostile environment,’ and all that. I don’t blame her,” he sighed and absentmindedly rubbed his jaw thinking just how hostile that environment could be most of the time. He shook his head to get the memories out. “This was hers. I kept it when she left, just in case she ever wanted to come back… Now it’s yours.”

“Mine?” She blinked at him, dumbfounded. He gave a nod and motioned for her to go inside.

“Check it out. I got most of the boxes out, and we can take out anything else you want,” FP suggested as she looked around. She oddly felt like she was giving her mom a hug, just being inside the eclectic trailer. It was almost untouched by time, aside from all of the dust. It made her feel… Happy. She turned to her uncle and gave him a sudden, almost rib-crushing hug. He stumbled backward slightly and froze for a second before hugging her back. She mumbled a thank you into his chest. “You now have your own space. There’s a mini fridge that I had laying around, and the bathroom is back in the little ‘room’ behind the bed, but you’ll have to come inside for meals and showers, and to hang out with us, of course.” He chuckled.

“Thank you so much Uncle FP. I don’t know what to say.” Rory sniffed. He waved his hand to stop her from thanking him. Her phone buzzed in the pocket of her pajama pants. She rolled her eyes when she pulled it out and looked at the screen. Two texts from Peter to add to the however many unanswered previous messages. She hadn’t spoken to him in a few months, since her mom’s funeral.

“You should talk to him. He’s been coming around and asking for you,” FP sighed. Rory scoffed in return. “He lost her too.” She sighed and wiped a tear from her cheek, hesitating before finally texting him to meet her at Pop’s in an hour. FP rubbed her shoulder, then ducked out of the trailer. Not much time passed before Jughead appeared at the door and knocked on the frame before coming inside.

“Nice camper. Very… Bohemian.” Jughead chuckled, looking around the camper. He had never been in here before. In fact, the only knowledge he had of it before was that it was behind the trailer covered in tarps his whole life.

“Thanks,” Rory laughed, curling up into one of the two armchairs. “It’s all my mom’s stuff. I almost feel like I’m in a museum. I’m too afraid to touch anything because I might knock it over.” Jughead furrowed his brows and moved to sit in the chair adjacent to his cousin.

“You need to make it your own,” he began carefully. “This is your space. You live here now.” She nodded with a sigh and thanked him. He patted her shoulder in return.

***

When Rory walked into Pop’s, she could already see Peter waiting in a booth. She furrowed her brow and looked down at her phone at the time. She was early. He was even earlier. She frowned and started walking in his direction, and asked Pop Tate for her usual as she passed him at the counter. She suddenly came into contact with a body, which made her stumble backward, but the person didn’t budge at all.

“Watch where you’re going, princess.” Sweet Pea scoffed, pushing past her.

“Fuck off.” Rory spat as she rolled her eyes and flipped him off, anger bubbling in her chest. She took a deep breath before sliding into the seat across from her brother. He already had her milkshake waiting for her.

“You’re late.” He teased as he watched Sweet Pea exit the building with narrowed eyes.

“You’re late!” Midge exclaimed playfully.

Rory shook the flashback out of her head and pushed the milkshake away from her slightly. Peter frowned. “I’m early. You’re too early.” She retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the seat.

“How are you?” Peter asked timidly. Rory smiled bitterly.

“Peachy,” she laughed. She took a breath. He lost her too. “How are you?”

He shifted to gaze out the window. “Peachy.” They sat in silence for a moment. What am I doing? Rory thought to herself.

“Let’s talk about it.” Rory sighed, placing her folded hands on the table. He continued to stare out the window, but she saw a single tear slip down his cheek.

“It was my fault,” He rasped out before clearing his throat and wiping his face. “If I had just skipped the movie at the Bijou and went with her to the fucking store, none of this would have happened. I could have held them back. I could have pulled her out of the way of the crowd. She wouldn’t have tripped and wouldn’t have been… I could have just —” His voice broke as he choked out a silent sob. Rory furrowed her brow, shaking her head. Her heart felt like it broke all over again just watching the sight in front of her. She reached across the table to grab his hand and squeezed it.

Rory laughed before reaching across the table to grab her hand. Rory squeezed her hand sympathetically.

Rory gasped and jerked her hand back as if she’d been shocked. She shook the memory out again. It felt like her lungs had just collapsed and her heart rate was rising significantly. Peter quickly reached across to grab her hand before it got too far. He faced her now, looking her in the eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Aurora. I’m sorry that our mom is gone because of me, and I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about dad. I have been so angry about it and had to keep it to myself, because we were ‘never supposed to know.’ I’ve been so hurt. You’re not the only one that was hurt by it! I am your biological twin brother. We are related. And I’m the one that’s stuck without you because ‘dad’ has legal custody over me. I’ve been drowning without you.” He sobbed quietly, making sure not to attract extra attention from the other patrons of the restaurant. Rory stared back at him, silent tears streaming down her face.

“It isn’t your fault. You’re okay.” She cooed as she squeezed his hand. A waitress came by and put food on the table in front of them. Peter quickly wiped his face and cleared his throat, but Rory didn’t even bother. Peter stared down into his food, absentmindedly playing with his scrambled eggs. It remained silent between them for a while until Rory lifted a piece of bacon and playfully tried to “force feed” it to him. He laughed and took the bacon from her hand.

“I missed you.” He smiled.

“I missed you, too, you freak of nature.”

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untilthenextencore · 5 years

Text

Kashmir Pt. 4: Flashback - Heston Losing Starbright & Starbright's Sacrifice~

Written with @where-the-hot-springs-blow

As ever, forever editing~...

...

Starbright was one of his earliest companions.

He'd had dalliances and romances before. He'd taken women under his wing to learn the ways of the Order under him, as he had with Starbright. She was his most apt pupil & most devoted companion, bestowing upon him the teasing nickname of "Professor" from their earliest days. She was always teasing him. No one could do that better than her & be assured that Heston would take it in as good spirits as it was intended. No one on earth or beyond knew Heston better than Starbright. No one could handle his moods so deftly, soothing the savage beast inside him so entirely & offhandedly, as though it were second nature to her. All the Order knew that her power was only second to his & that the Hermit allowed her an audience with him in her meditations as he had with Heston. All the Order felt if not knew that with such a kinship among them they were likely to marry & make that bond between them even more permanent.

He'd also taken women as "feedlings". Women who allowed themselves to be kept by the Counts, who would be well taken care of in return for allowing the Counts to feed from them. As had many of the other Counts. It was all consensual of course. There were rules about these things in the Order. Nonconsensual energy & blood draining only came in battle, in cases of defense, never against the defenseless like maidens or children.

Women came to them to offer themselves unto the Counts to serve them. Often they came after hearing or reading of the Counts & the Order. It seemed almost from the start there were books, articles & even your basic everyday village gossip about the Counts and the Order. As such they were never lacking in female companionship, "feedlings" or conspirators.

Conspirators like the villagers who would storm their castles, enraged at their ladies who had "gone missing". Blaming the Counts when the "missing women" left voluntarily, rather than be sold into marriage to lads they either felt nothing for or reviled, or continue on in loveless marriages they had already been sold into.

But no...

Such an answer was inconceivable to these townsfolk.

No...

Instead it had to be the Counts' fault. Or in Jimmy's case, "the EVIL Lord Heston who lives over the Loch & only comes down to terrorize the town & steal "unsuspecting" maidens to join his "witches coven" & work under & serve him".

Preposterous foolishness the lot of it!

Those idiots didn't understand and they never would.

Alas, that blind idiocy & willful ignorance is what often lead to the storming of castles and battles. Battles like the one in which he lost Starbright.

She had come to him where he was yet again locked up in a library - this time his own - with her premonitions of yet another war with angry villagers incited to rage yet again over the same stupid "problem" that they themselves had caused but were yet again seeing fit to blame Heston & his ilk for!

She told him of how the castle must be protected at all costs, that his energy must go there, that he must fight for the most part without magic. She had then hesitated, eyes welling with tears & leading him to rise from his desk to wrap her in his embrace & comfort her, before telling him that it was likely that he would lose one close to him in the battle. Even under the best circumstances. She couldn't stop crying with the news, both of their star sapphire rings glowing as he soothed her. He thought it was just from the gravity of the message, and her love for him, and her love and hope for his and their people's wellbeing that had brought her to tears.

Little did he know...

He had taken every precaution, even putting up a forcefield around his castle for protection, most of his magic was centered on protecting that & his people. It was thus to be a mostly hand to hand battle. He gave Starbright his best shield as she took up her sword, handling her share of the enemy villagers well, not wanting to use magic herself, unless absolutely necessary. They were then able to hold the enemy off but still found it difficult to do away with them completely.

Indeed, it was Starbright striking the penultimate blow at the most crucial time in battle. When it looked as if Heston's enemies might gain the upper hand & were getting ready to advance towards his castle. She dismantled the forcefield he'd spent so much energy & magic creating around her. One that struck back with lightning or a jolt at anyone who dare try to strike her.

She instead concentrated that magic & energy into a little ball with her own. Raising it above her head as the air crackled around her. Heston felt the shield dismantle & turning to her shocked, wondering how it was possible as no one on the other side had that power. Only to see her in just that hyper focused energy & magic gathering stance. One of her maids cried. One of Heston's men cried out.

"What are you doing, my lady~?"

Even though~...

Deep down~...

They knew~...

What got Heston the most about her death in battle was the fact that she was actually a very adept swordswoman. One of the best in the land! She had defeated Heston's enemies in hand to hand combat time and time again. Coupled with how Heston had made sure that every precaution was taken to ensure her safety.

Still...

He was thwarted...

By none other than the selfless Lady Starbright herself...

Her shield she gave to one of her ladies in need. Her sword she gave to one of those fighting for Heston. And his shield he created for her & the magic he nurtured within her she used as an attack against their enemy...

Leaving herself vulnerable at what ultimately proved to be a crucial moment...

Every precaution taken against the enemy worked...

But still Starbright was sacrificed in his name at the end...

Impaled on an enemy's sword in a cheap surprise sneak attack!

Heston played the scene over and over in his head.

Seeing her release the volley of magical energy at the enemy with a

"HA~!"

Then a split second later hearing one of his men crying out...

"MY LADY~!"

Starbright's eyes widening & fixing in the far off distance, her cupid's bow lips parting with a gasp. As a long blade proceeded to thrust itself outward from the center of Starbright's chest~ A rogue party, the last survivor present from the enemy's side having found a way to sneak up behind Starbright & proceeding to sheath his sword in her, lifting her off the ground in the process, her feet dangling in the air as he cursed at her.

"Ruinous witch~! Fiendish harlot~! Death is too good for your kind you villainous little guttersnipe wench~!"

Little did he know, a little of her magic remained, striking the final blow, reverberating through his sword & shocking him. Getting him to drop the sword from where he held it on high, and in the process, her as well. Starbright falling in a heap onto the ground, the blade falling with her.

Heston instantly forgot everything before him, running to her side, his own sword & shield on the ground beside them as the sky opened up with a flash of lightning, an almighty clap of thunder and a freakish downpour of rain through a clear, cloudless, starlit sky.

"My love... My angel... How could you endanger yourself like this~? How could I not have been at your side~!" Tears falling from his eyes, splashing onto her cheeks as he holds her. He feels her hand grasping his, weakly, but indeed reaching for him.

Starbright just laughed weakly at that and at Heston's sweetly lying through his teeth about her fighting through and healing the wound. Even Aurora their adept healer friend & Lord Saltburn's companion, couldn't seal it as hard as she tried. And oh, how she tried... Even though a wound like that was usually not that hard for her to heal.

Heston thusly ordered her to be carefully lifted & brought to their bedchamber but she refused. Not wanting to sully the place he dreams with such a nightmare. Not wanting to infringe and impose on the place he was to lay his weary head & rest with her condition.

But he refused to have her exposed to the elements in her weakened state. The clouds only now starting to cover the sky as it continued to rain. And so she settled for being brought carefully to one of his studies.

To his words threatening to have the hide if not head of anyone who aggravated her pain in transporting her, she simply smiled weakly, the curving of her lips a shadow of that earlier triumphant look she had upon release of her final attack.

"I did my job~... We won~... You are safe now, my love~... All is well~... Well~... Well~... Well as it can be~... Well as can be expected~..."

As she was transported up to the house & to the study with Heston following close by, he saw a sort of shimmering mist hovering above her body & starting to engulf her in a faint halo of the same...

And so it begins~...

Heston himself was still moving, though numb to everything but his beloved Starbright & her mortal wound. He faintly heard her maids around him, heard some were inconsolable at the sight of her, but could not bring himself to do more than hold her hand, try to raise her strength. His tears falling still on her chalk-pale face. The rosiness of her lips fading fast.

Once in the study, laid out on a plush comforter on the table, safe inside with Heston & the rest of her loved ones, Starbright came clean. She laughed at the sight of her hand glowing & shimmering. Now seeing the process herself. Then, she remarked.

"I told you I had a vision once~... Before the battle~... But I wasn't entirely honest with you it seems, my love~... And for that I am truly sorry~... Deeply sorry~... For you see I~... I~... I~... I had a feeling I might need to do this~... Might need to leave this way~... I have no regrets~..."

Then after a pause, she added.

"Actually that's a lie~... Forgive me, Hermit~... Wherever you are~... You know my heart as well as anyone~... You know as well as I do what my regret is~... I don't want to leave~... Not really~... Not like this~... Not my Heston~... I don't wish to leave my Heston for anything in the world~... But I couldn't let any harm fall to him~..."

She turned to gaze into his eyes with hers edged with tears, giving his hand a weak little squeeze.

"I don't, my love~... I don't wish to leave you for anything in the world~... That's why I couldn't tell you~... Couldn't say it~... Couldn't find the words~... Even if I had~... What if I had~?... Knowing you, Lord Heston you'd probably lock me up in some tower~... You'd do whatever you could to ensure that I not set one foot outside~... Keeping me from setting one foot outside~... Keeping me from setting one foot on the battlefield~... Keeping me from your side~... Where I belong~... Where I belong~... Where we both know I belong~... But if I let any harm or misfortune befall you knowing I could have done something to prevent it~... I couldn't live with myself~... And so~... I must~... I must leave~... Must leave you~... As I have been called to do~... Though I will have to be torn from you to do so~... Though I do not want to~... I must~... I must~... I must~..."

After a pause, she then added.

"But I will be back~... I promise to you~... I pledge to you~... I swear to you~... I will be back~... I will be back~... I will~... I will~... I will~..."

At one point he found he could no longer stand, falling to his knees beside her. Whispered incantations spilling from his lips in his final attempt to save her. To give of his own life force to her. Halving his own lifespan to restore hers. It is a risk he was willing to take...

He then felt an energy - her energy - weak but still potent, blocking his cutting his lifespan & transferring his life force to her, rendering him unable to do anything of the sort. Starbright, as ever, protecting him even in her weakened, wounded state. She shook her head at him with a soft, knowing smile.

"No~... No~... No, my love~..."

She gave his hand another little squeeze as she leant in to whisper in his ear.

"Wait for me~..."

"I can’t, my love... I can’t stand by and do nothing for you~!" He grasped her hand, weeping openly, pleading with her to allow him to save her life.

"Starbright, please, my love~... I am centuries old, my life force can save yours... How can you stop me from saving your life~?" His hand cupped her cheek, wiping blood from her skin gently.

"I will go to the Hermit - I will seek his help in bringing you back! I will give my life for yours, my love~!"

Despite her pleas, her energy blocking his magicks, he tried still to overpower her blocks, trying to save her still.

She merely shook her head.

"No~... No~... No, my love~... If I come back at all~... And I feel in my heart I will~... But if I come back~... When I come back~... The day I come back~... I shall come back to you~... You~... You and only you~..."

She pet his hair gently, weakly with her free hand.

"You wouldn't~... You wouldn't take that away from me~... You wouldn't have me come back to a world & a home so strange & unfamiliar, so cold & empty~... So as to be devoid of my one true love~... My heart's desire & my reason for all that I do~... My Professor~... My everything~... Would you~?... Would you~?... No~... No~... Of course not~... You couldn't~... You wouldn't~... You'd never do that to me~... You could never be so cruel~... Please~..."

She gave his hand another squeeze & leant in to peck his cheek.

"Give me something to come back to~... Something to come home to~... Please~... Please~... Please my darling, please~... Don't let me come home to an empty house & bed~... And world and life~... With no candle in the window for me to make my way back to~... With no one to come home to~... Please~... Please, my dearest love~... Please~..."

With another kiss she pledged to him.

"I promise~... I promise~... I promise I'll do my best to come back~... My absolute best~... And when I come back~... I promise~... I promise~... You'll know it's me~... I promise~... I promise~... I promise~..."

She kept repeating her words as the glow about her got stronger & stronger & her voice got weaker & weaker. At last, she pressed her lips more firmly to his cheek. She showered his profile in kisses and gave his hand the biggest, strongest grip she could - which wasn't much - as she hushed into his ear.

"I love you, James Patrick Page~... I love you~... I love you~... I love you~... My Lord~... My Count~... My Heston~... My Professor~... My James~... My Jimmy~... My love~... And I will return to you one day~... I will come back to you~... I swear it~... I swear it~... I swear~... I swear~... I~... I~... I~... I~... I~... Swear~..."

With that her grip on his hand loosened & her hand fell limp in his as did the rest of her against him & the table. The glow around her settling to just a faint purple haze of shimmer.

The only glow left in the room being from the fireplace, candlelight & Starbright & Heston's matching Star Sapphire jewelry. The center stones of their matching rings glowing the brightest on each of their left ring fingers...

Promise rings...

A promise of a future together that had yet to pass...

A future in which she was to be Heston's wife...

Heston’s tears flowed down his porcelain cheeks, the howling, inhuman sounds filling the room barely recognisable as his own sobs as she slipped away from him, her beautiful eyes closing...

He lay his head upon her still-warm breast, unable to stand or let go of her...

Only able to whisper to her

"I believe you, my heartlight... I believe you~... I believe we will find each other again..."

He pressed his lips to her ring, feeling the glowing heat warming his cold skin, watching until the glow faded out on each of their rings. He could not move, could not speak, could do nothing but weep at her side, refusing to leave her, even as the colour & life left her.

#jimmy page fanfic #jimmy page fanfiction #untilthenextencore #led zeppelin fanfiction #led zeppelin fanfic

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