#// (i will miss the nice lighting we get from the ship lights and windows but god it's hard to edit such dark shots sometimes wah)

[hagelpoint-3821]

Summary: Sydnee has been in a long term relationship with her boyfriend Brandon Hagel. While Hagel and the Tampa Bay Lightning were on their longest road trip of the season, Sydnee slips into a deep depression, as mental health has been a problem with her ever since she was little. When Brandon gets back from the trip, he realizes she does something she knows better than to do. A verbal fight breaks out between the couple and Sydnee finds her way to Jon Cooper’s house who ends up becoming a father figure to her when she needed him the most.

Word Count: 13,605

Notes: ‘It’s Over Isn’t It’ is a fic that is not meant to be light and fun. It is meant to bring light to mental health and to reach out to people when you are in that dark place. In honor of Mental Health Month, I felt that this was fitting to write and post. Remember, your mental health matters, and people care. You are not alone, no matter what your mind is telling you. Coming from mental health issues myself, I know the feeling when your mind gets so dark and lonely you feel as if you have nothing left, but never give up that fight. One day it does get better. I promise.

TW: Self Harm, Verbal Fighting, Bringing up Mental Issues.

P.S.: This fic is written is multiple POVs. As there is a POV change there is a page break marker as well as the person's name in Bold lettering to let you know who's POV it is written in.

Sydnee

The bolts were in the middle of their longest road trip of the season, leaving me alone to my own devices for the time being. Brandon wanted me to tag along but the other girls weren’t going so I felt as though I would be in the way of everyone.

As I sit outside on our porch, the warm Florida air fills my lungs and I sigh deeply, as much as I love being in a relationship with Brandon and supporting him, these times alone are the worst part about it.

I pull my phone from my pocket, half expecting a message or a call from Brandon but knowing their schedules and how tight they run that ship over there I’m not completely surprised, though it would be nice to be able to call him and hear his voice.

Sighing, I tuck my phone away and walk back inside, the house seems more quiet than normal, and eerie feeling comes over me as it starts to feel empty without Brandon being home. Not being able to cuddle up to him in the night, to be able to protest waking up in the mornings, his smell on the pillows slowly fading away.

Brandon, please come home soon.

As the day goes by, I fall into my normal routine, make myself some lunch, sit back outside, read some of my book, go inside, take a nap on the couch, wake up and watch their game, make dinner, shower, and go to bed in one of his hoodies. It’s been the same thing for two weeks now since they have been gone and while I like routines, I like having him home more. Just a few more days until he is home, I can do this.

The next morning rolls around quickly, the sun shining brightly into the windows of the bedroom and across my face, I look over at my phone to see it’s already 9:30 in the morning and still no text or calls. Strange. I’ve usually heard something by now. So I send him a quick text and toss my phone back on the bed. Normally I’d get up and go outside but I don’t feel like it today, my mental health says we need to stay in bed, and I think I’m just going to listen and rest.

The day goes by slower than normal, no calls, no text. Doubt starts creeping in that he will never come home and he doesn’t want me anymore but I quickly push those thoughts away.

“No. He wouldn’t do that, he loves me too much.” I say as I reach over and grab a picture of us off the nightstand and gently brush my fingers over the frame, “I just wish you would call home. I miss you.”

I hug the frame tightly to my chest before placing it back on the nightstand and roll to his side of the bed, wrapping my arms tightly around his pillow and softly cry into it, letting my thoughts wander to all the things he could be doing at the moment. Is he just with Brayden and the guys? Is he skating or at the gym? Is he out partying, getting drunk and taking some pretty blonde back to the hotel to hook up with her?

Sydnee stop it, he wouldn’t do those things to you!

All the negative thoughts cloud my head and make my stomach churn, I quickly push myself off the bed and run into the bathroom, throwing up what little things I had left in my stomach now into the toilet.

“He wouldn’t leave me… would he?” Pulling myself from the bathroom floor, I splash some water onto my face and take a few shaky breaths and lean against the sink, looking in the mirror.

That’s when I notice all my flaws, my nose is slightly crooked, I don’t have bright blue eyes, instead I’m stuck with these stupid brown ones, dark brown hair instead of puck bunny blonde, my smile isn’t big and full like the others, sunk in cheeks. I lift my sweater and look at myself, slowly becoming more and more disgusted with myself.

“Maybe if you weren’t so fat and covered in scars he would love you still.” I whisper to myself, tears threatening to fall.

Sliding down the bathroom wall, pulling my knees into my chest, I let them fall silently. “It all makes sense now, I knew loving him was too good to be true. No one can ever love this mess of a person that I have become.”

Silent cries escape my chest as the silence around me gets too loud to handle, the pain in my chest too much to handle. Slowly I pick myself up off the ground and splash some water on my face and grip the sink, “it just needs to stop. The pain. It hurts too much to handle right now. Brandon I’m so sorry I am not what you think I am.”

I slowly reach into the bathroom drawer of the sink, grabbing a razor blade and holding it in my hands. Sitting back on the bathroom floor.

Sydnee you’ve come this far, don’t let it take over.

“I’m so sorry.” Slipping my sweatpants down and let the cool blade trail down the top of my thigh. As I rest my head against the bathroom wall, I sigh deeply, “t-there it is.”

As I watch the blood pool onto my leg I bit my lip to fight the tears, adding more cuts across my skin before finally taking a breath and tossing the blade into the sink. Taking a towel and wrapping my leg up before grabbing the medicine and bandages from the cabinet.

“At least he won’t be able to see these here, not like he would want to touch me anymore anyways. Good for nothing, a waste of space.”

After I clean my leg up and make sure the blood covered towel is thrown in the garbage I carefully crawl into bed and wrap myself into the blankets. Checking my phone and seeing if I had any messages. To my surprise there was a few texts from Brandon on there.

B 💙 - hey love! I miss you lots. Sorry I haven’t called, b2b games and travels. I can’t keep it straight. Cal me soon

B 💙 - darling answer me. I’m bored in the hotel, brayden is being a turd and went to sleep.

B 💙 - I love you 💕

I scuff and look at my phone for a minute, strongly debating if I should even call him. Signing deeply I decide against my thoughts and call him, half expecting to not get an answer from him.

The phone only rang once before he picks up, “Sydnee! My god I’ve missed you.”

“Hi Brandon, it’s been awful quiet around here without you.”

“I bet. How are you?”

“Oh I’m okay, just waiting for you to come home.” If only you knew.

“I know, just a couple more days. I promise. And when I get home I’m taking you out to dinner and spoiling the hell out of you.”

“I’ll be waiting.” I smile softly and trace over the marks on my leg, “so, how’s the road life treating you?”

“Good! Different city every night it feels like but good, they’ve been keeping me busy.”

I huff under my breath, yeah I bet they’ve been keeping you busy.

“You’ve been playing great though! What is it, third most goals on the team during the road trip?”

“Well I gotta keep my girl impressed.” I practically hear him smiling through the phone.

“Well impressed I am.”

“What have you been up too since I’ve been gone?”

“Oh you know, just hanging out, wake up and sit around. Take a nap and eat lunch, clean the house and then cook dinner while watching the game and then off to bed. Pretty much the same thing every day since you left. Pretty boring I know but there isn’t much to do since you’ve been gone. Just don’t feel the need to go anywhere or do anything.”

He chuckles, “I’ll be home within a few days baby, I promise.”

I sigh and curl deeper into the blankets, “hurry, I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

“I’m hurrying. Every sleep is getting closer.”

“Speaking of sleep, don’t you have to sleep for your game tomorrow?”

“Well yes. But you’re more important to talk too than sleep.”

“Brandon. Go to bed. I’ll be here when you get home. Just don’t forget to text every once in a while.” I force a laugh which causes him to laugh.

“How could I ever forget you, love.”

“I don’t know, you’re a busy man.”

“Just wait till I get home. You’ll see how busy I really can be.” His smirk can be felt through the phone.

“Brandon! God you’re such a flirt.”

“And you love it.”

“Yes. I do. Now go to bed so I can see you sooner.”

“Goodnight my love, I’ll see you soon.”

“Goodnight. I love you.”

“I love you too, forever.” I whisper softly.

“And always.” He says softly before hanging up the phone.

I quickly toss my phone away and cry softly into the pillows, the day quickly becoming overwhelming and too much to handle. Sleep feeling like the only option to control it. I pull the blankets tightly around my frame and softly cry myself to sleep.

The next couple days go by in a blur, my mind mostly being numb to the world, I barely get out of bed. Haven’t showered, hardly slept, haven’t eaten. I’m either asleep or curled on the couch, watching the world outside. Getting an occasional text from Brandon but I haven’t called him since the night he wanted me to call him.

I’m drifting off to sleep on the couch when I hear the front door open and someone step inside, slowly I peak over the couch and see Brandon in the doorway and taking his shoes off. I shoot off the couch and sprint up to him, ignoring the pain in my leg as I jump into his arms and hide my face into his neck.

“Don’t you ever leave me for that long again”

He sighs and wraps his arms tightly around me, pulling me as close as he can into his chest, “never my love, I promise you I’m not going anywhere without you.”

Carefully he sets me back on the ground but still keeping a firm hold around my middle, planting a soft kiss to my lips as I grab onto his shirt for balance.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you Brandon.”

“I know love, I know. I missed you too. This two weeks has been hell without you.” His arms wrap tighter around me.

“Why don’t you go unpack and settled. I’ll get dinner started.” I give him a soft smile and trail my fingers gently over his jaw.

“I was hoping you would cook tonight, I’ve missed your cooking and I’m starving.” He beams brightly and grabs my hand, placing a gentle kiss against my palm, causing my stomach to flip and the thoughts of him actually leaving fade into the shadows of my mind.

“No rush Brandon, we have all night.”

“I was away from you for 2 weeks, I’m not going to miss a minute away from you.”

I smile softly and step back, giving him room to step around me and watch him walk off into the bedroom. As he walks away I run my fingers over the fabric covering the cuts on my leg, instantly regretting what I did. He is going to kill me if he sees these.

As I get set to work into the kitchen I zone out, not hearing anything go on around me, getting lost in the cooking. I’m only pulled from mt thoughts when I feel arms around me and pulling me into him.

Shyly I look over my shoulder, humming, “mmm hi baby.”

Brandon rests his head on my shoulder, his scent filling my nose, “you need help with anything?”

“No. Please just stay here, I missed you and missed your gentle touch”

“As you wish, my love.” He trails off quietly, brushing the hair off my neck and leaving soft, open mouthed kisses against the exposed skin.

“You want to know the worst part about not having you here?” I say as I place the knife down that I was using to cut the vegetables, head starting to spin.

“Mm go on.” He says deeply, pulling me closer to his sharp and chiseled chest.

My body feeling like it’s on fire from him, “t-this. The tenderness you have, how my heart races when you touch me. A simple look from you has me falling in love with you all over again.”

He chuckles and it vibrates through my whole body, shaking me down to my core, “I too missed this, how one word, one touch…” he sighs deeply and digs his fingers into my hips, causing a soft moan to fall involuntarily, “has this effect on you.”

I watch him carefully as he picks up the knife from the counter as he chops the rest of the vegetables, me being caged between him and the counter. As I watch his fingers quickly go to work on dinner, I can’t help but let my mind wonder, the way his rough hands are working, the way they feel on me.

Sydnee enough. You need to let your cuts heal.

I clear my throat and wiggle out from in front of him, internally groaning at the loss of his body heat against my own but I had to stop before I did anything. He looks over and cocks his head to the side.

“Well that was a tad rude, thought you didn’t want me to move?

“I didn’t, I don’t trust me, but the chicken is ready to go in the oven and I wanna eat soon.” I make up a lie quick enough and give him a smile, he smiles back before going back to work. Thank god he bought it.

“B, if you want I can finish dinner. Go relax, you haven’t been home in two weeks. Go sit on the couch.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind helping.”

“Yes.” I offer a small smile, “go sit. Take a nap, something. You’ve been gone forever and not able to sleep in your home. I’ll wake you when dinner is ready.”

He walks up and presses a kiss to my forehead before walking into the living room and sinking into the couch, smiling softly to myself as I lean against the counter, my heart slowly healing as he is back in our home. This house is feeling like home again.

Before I know it, the oven timer is going off and I pull chicken out of the oven, quickly plating it with I the other veggies and sides, I place the plates on the kitchen table and walk into the living room. Leaning against the couch I pear over and see he is asleep, carefully I trace my fingers over his nose down to his cheek bones, to his jaw. Causing a smile to appear on his face.

Brandon slowly opens his eyes as I pull my hand away, “Syd, why did you stop?”

“Because you’re waking up and dinner is ready.” I say softly before he pulls my hand back to his face.

“Just a couple more minutes, please don’t stop.”

I smile softly to myself and let the pads of my fingers dance gently across his face, “come on B, food is gonna get cold soon.”

He sighs deeply and pushes himself off the cough, “okay okay, I’m up you win.”

I giggle softly, “don’t I always?”

“Yes, yes you do.”

Before I can think, he scoops me up and goes into the kitchen.

“Brandon! Put me down!” I giggle loudly and playfully hit him on the chest.

“As you wish.” He sets me down in the chair and pushes me to the table, “my goodness it smells good.”

“Well we haven’t tasted it yet so let’s not get too excited.”

“Oh come on, every time you make something it turns out way better than you expect it to be.”

I roll my eyes playfully and sit across from him, as he sits my eyes travel over the soft features of his face, getting lost in the darkness that his eyes bring.

“So,” he speaks up and bring me out of my trance, “what did you do while I was gone?”

“Oh… you know just stayed home mostly, read a few books and watched your games when they were on, it kind of became a monotonous routine after a bit. Eat, read, watch hockey and go back to sleep.” I sigh, running my fingers along my thigh. “It was lonely and quiet without you here.”

“Well, next road trip, you are coming with us, I don’t care if the other WAGs do not go, I want you there.”

A soft smile creeps up my face as I look at him, “I’d like that a lot.”

We eat out dinner in a relatively quiet fashion, face the simple glances and light chuckles.

As I stand to take the dishes into the kitchen Brandon grabs my hand, “darling, you cooked dinner, I’ll clean, you look more worn out than I did and you’ve been home for two weeks.”

“Well it wasn’t the highlight of my life, not being with you, sleeping was rough and I didn’t get much sound sleep while you were away.”

“Why don’t you go get a bath started and when I am done here I’ll come join you, that way we can start relaxing, together.”

I pause for a moment before looking up at him, maybe I can explain what happened before he get too mad, one can only hope, “sure, I’d like that a lot.”

He pecks my lips softly before taking the dishes into the kitchen and I quickly turn and go to the bathroom, fuck fuck fuck what am I going to do? How am I going to get out of this? I can’t just hide my leg, FUCK. Why did I agree to letting him take a bath with me?

A million and one thoughts are running through my mind as I turn the water on. I scan the bathroom in hopes to come up with an idea, when I see my bubble bath sitting on the side of the tub.

“Perfect. Now as long as my leg doesn’t come out of the water he won’t see it.” I say to myself as I pour it into the water.

I shed my clothes and sink into the bubbles and hot water, a sharp breath escaped my lips as the water makes contact with the exposed cuts. Relaxing into the warmth of the water, I close my eyes and sink down deeper so only my head is exposed. The room quickly is filled with a jasmine scent and quietly the bathroom door opens, I roll my head to the side and see Brandon leaning against the doorframe.

“Look Mr. Hagel, either in or out, you’re letting the heat out.”

He shakes his head and chuckles, closing the door behind him, “sorry, I just get lost at how beautiful you are, and moments like this make you even more beautiful. Plus it’s been two weeks since I’ve seen your pretty face, let me enjoy it.”

“Look all you want B, just don’t let my heat escape.” I laugh softly and sit up in the tub a bit, making sure my legs still stay covered, “so are you just going to stand there or see you going to join in? Come on, the water is perfect.”

“Are the bubbles really necessary?”

My breath hitches in my chest before I look up at him, “you wanted me to relax, didn’t you? These help me relax.”

“You always are something special.”

I gasp playfully and splash water at him, “look if you’re just going to be rude you can go back on the road.”

“Oh not the shirt! Come on!” He laughs and takes it off, “you know, if you wanted the shirt off that’s all you had to say.”

Shaking my head, I look over at him, “how I have missed those stupid jokes of yours, now come on and get in here.”

Brandon quickly takes the rest of his clothes off and sinks into the water behind me, wring his arms around my midsection and placing a gentle kiss on my shoulder, “I promise to you darling, I’m never leaving you for that long again.”

I rest my head against his chest, “I know Brandon, I know.”

As my eyes start to feel heavy, I rest my body against his, his fingers tracing different shapes down my arms and across my hips, as they make their way down to my legs I quickly move from him, causing water to splash over the sides.

“What was that all about? You never act like that when I touch you.” His eyes full with worry that he did something wrong.

“No it’s— you didn’t—,”I stumble trying to find the right words, “you just startled me is all, I was falling asleep and I got scared, I wasn’t expecting you to do that.”

He sighs and pulls me back in, “you silly little thing, you know I would never hurt you.”

Just wait till you find out. I think to myself before laying back against him. “I know you wouldn’t.”

As I lean back against him, his fingers go back to where they were on my leg, and this time I don’t stop him.

I feel his fingers trace up my right thigh and over the fairly fresh cups across my skin, his body going rigid behind me, “Sydnee, what the hell is that on your leg.”

My blood runs cold and I do not dare to look at him, “I-I’m s-sorry.”

His grip tightens around my leg, “why? Why did you do it?”

I try to pull away but his hands on my wrist and leg make it near impossible, “I don’t know, I was stupid and shouldn’t have done it.”

“ ‘I don’t know’ isn’t a good answer Sydnee. Why did you do it?!” His anger becoming clear in his voice.

“Because I thought you were cheating on me and didn’t want me anymore since you didn’t answer my calls or anything while you were on the road!” I wiggle out of his grip and quickly get out of the tub, throwing a robe on and he follows behind.

“You can not be serious right now. If you really think I would cheat on you, well you clearly don’t know me.”

“I told you I was sorry! You know I have separation issues and you know how hard it is for me to try and get through the days when you’re not here. While you were on the road having a blast with the guys, I was here alone. I hardly heard anything from you. I get it that you’re busy and you were in a different city almost every night but it takes two seconds to send a quick “hey I love you” text so I didn’t feel alone.”

“Sydnee, listen to yourself right now! You’re being ridiculous, and dramatic! I have given you everything I can possibly think of for you to realize that you aren’t alone in this piss poor world and this is how I get treated? I leave for two weeks for my job, the thing that brings us money, so you can stay here and not go back home to your parents and that shit hole you call a home. Come on now Syd, use your fucking head.” He pinches the bridge of his nose before looking at him, “when the hell have I ever even hinted that I wanted to leave you?”

“Y-you haven’t, but you don’t know what it’s like in my head. Like I said it was fucking stupid and I regret it.”

“Yeah. You’re damn right it’s stupid. Of all the god given things that you could have done, that’s the dumb thing you did. Let me guess, you’ve been starving yourself again haven’t you?”

I stare blankly at him, body threatening to start shaking but I stand solid in my place, “so what if I did? Doesn’t make any difference now.”

“Fucking Christ. When are you going to learn that I love you for you, I wouldn’t leave you?”

“I get it! Okay Brandon I fucking get it, I was stupid and I fucked things up.”

He shakes his head and looks at the ceiling before back to me, “normally I would disagree, but yeah, you’re stupid for this.”

“Fuck you.” My eyes burn with tears, his words feel like a knife in my chest before I turn and storm off into the closet and grab a bag. I hear his footsteps come into the bedroom behind me.

“Now where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“I don’t know. I’m to stupid to know what I’m doing, remember? But I’m going. I can’t stay here.”

He doesn’t say anything else as he groans deeply and walks towards the closet, resting his hand on top of mine.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” I spin away quickly, “first you criticize me for what I did, when you call me stupid right to my face knowing I have my mental issues, now you think some simple touch is going to fix it all? Don’t touch me right now.” My lip trembles as I watch him walk away.

“That still doesn’t answer my question, where are you going?”

“I don’t know. Anywhere sounds better than fucking being here right now, if you’re going to belittle me for letting my darkest thoughts win, then I can’t stay here.”

“Yes, I’m going to be pissed, Sydnee, because A) you were doing so much better. Things were finally looking up for you and you were starting to come around to the person I know you can be. And B) because I never once even had a thought of cheating on you and leaving you. You were my world the moment I met you in Chicago, that first time I saw you, I was drawn to you, there was 20,000 other people in that rink that night and you were the one that I noticed. No your sister. Not anyone else. YOU, and if you can’t see that, then I don’t know what to do. I have loved you through your good times and bad, the days where you didn’t want to live anymore, I was right there at your side, the times where you felt like you had nothing left to give, I was there. Not anyone else. I don’t want anyone else. But you have it in your thick head of yours that I would leave you, this isn’t a me problem anymore. It’s you.”

I wipe a tear from my face, “well thanks for saying how you really feel.” I don’t say anything else as I quickly throw a bag together and throw some clothes on. As I walk out of the bedroom, Brandon is sitting on the bed with his back to me, the tears start falling and this time I don’t fight them. As I walk towards the front and slip my shoes on, I only hope to hear him walk out of the bedroom to stop me, but the house is quiet. The deafening silence make my ears ring loudly as I grab my car keys from the counter and slip outside into the cool Florida night.

As I throw my bag into the front seat of my car, I look back at the house, part of me wishing I would see Brandon come running out of the front door and begging me to leave, but it’s only silence. The sky is clear and there’s a light breeze, I stay there for a couple seconds longer before getting in my car and driving off, not knowing where to go or what to do, so I just drive.

Before I realize where I’ve gone, I’m at the River Walk, the first place Brandon and I went to after we got settled in the Bay Area. I quietly get out of the car and sit on an empty bench, looking at the water. A thousand memories are running through my mind, as I hug my knees to my chest I let out a deep breath, not realizing I was even holding one.

“I just want to be numb again. I went from feeling nothing to feeling everything and it hurts.” I say to myself, as there is no one else around today, almost like I was supposed to be alone here.

Hope fills me as I pull my phone from my pocket, nothing. No call, no text, nothing from him. I feel my heart sink in my chest. I know that I shouldn’t do this, but I start scrolling through old pictures of him and I together. A soft smile comes across my face as I look through them, memories surfacing as I flip through. Until I get to one. We just had gotten home from a day at the beach in Miami, sun kissed skin and bright eyes, I was under a blanket with my head laying on Brandon’s chest, I didn’t want him to take a picture but he insisted. So I let him, after he took the picture and set his phone down he started playing with my hands, particularly my left. That is when my heart stopped after he said “one day I am going to marry you. I can’t wait to marry you.”

Now, that day feels like a lifetime ago. Tears silently fall down my cheeks and I do not bother to stop them. I bit my lip to keep quiet, as I stand and walk back to my car. I can’t stay out here where someone can see me. I sit there and rest my head against the headrest, still not knowing where I’m going to go. More driving it is.

I wonder if Jon is up? No, don't go to him. He won’t want to deal with your issues. You’re just a wreck who needs to get it together.

I ask myself as I put my car in drive, starting the drive to Jon’s house. Part of me wants to go, and another part is screaming to turn back around and go home, but I can’t go home. He doesn’t want me anymore. I don’t have much of a choice in the matter.

As I pull into his drive, taking a deep breath before grabbing my bag and stepping out of the car and quietly walking up to his front door.

There’s still time to turn back, go somewhere else. He won’t want to deal with your issues.

I contemplate turning back and leaving, but my heart can’t take anymore for the night, I just need a place to go and I don’t know where else to go.

Reaching his front steps, I knock quietly on the front door, hugging my back tightly to my chest as my heart feels like it’s going through my chest, “come on Coop, answer before I leave.”

A couple seconds tick by and no answer, so I knock again, this time a little louder, maybe he didn’t hear me the first time. I no sooner take a step back and he opens the door with a wide smile on his face but it quickly fades as he sees the bag in my hand and the broken look on my face.

“Sydnee? What are you doing here? What happened?”

“I-I, me and Brandon,” the words come out broken as the tears fall down my face and my heart starts splintering off into a million pieces, “Jon I have n-nowhere to g-go.”

He doesn’t say anything as he wraps me in a tight hug, stroking my back gently, “come inside and you can talk when you’re ready.”

I wrap my arms around him tightly and cry softly into his chest, “I just really need this right now. I have nothing left. No family. He hates me.”

Jon takes a small step back and grabs one of my shoulders, “Oh now I’m sure that isn’t the case Syd, he loves you. Let’s get inside and out of the cool weather, you can tell me what happened, come on.”

He opens the door to his home and I follow him inside quietly, “make yourself comfortable, I’ll get you some tissues and a glass of water, okay?”

He offers me a soft smile and I nod softly, sitting on the couch and still holding my bag close to me. Jon comes back a few moments later he comes back with a blanket, box of tissues and a glass of water. Before he sits next to me, he wraps the blanket around me.

“Now, what’s going on? It’s like 1 in the morning and you’re usually not out without Brandon.”

“That’s the problem, we had a huge fight after dinner, a-and I just threw this bag together, thinking it would make him snap out of the anger he was in, but it didn’t. I’ve never seen him this way, he had anger in his eyes, it was like he hated me. Not even in the playoffs could compare to what happened.” I shiver and wrap the blanket around me tighter.

Jon gives my hand a gentle squeeze, “do you mind telling me how this fight started? You do not have to if you do not want to of course. You tell me what you’re comfortable telling me.”

“Well, I have nothing left to lose so why not. It started with the road trip you guys were just on, I know he was busy but I was alone, I didn’t hear from him in quite some time and, as you learn from his time here, I’m not always mental stable and I get these doubts in my head, I had it in my head that he was cheating on me even though in my heart I know he would never actually do that. It got to the point where… where I self harmed again because my mind was going nuts. It hurt. I hurt. I needed a relief from what was going on. So I cut. My thigh looks a mess right now but that’s besides the point. The next morning when I woke up I regretted it. After he came home everything was great. He fell asleep on the couch while I was making dinner. I let him sleep because I knew he was tired from the trip. So after dinner I was going to take a bath and he wanted to join, naturally I let him and I wasn’t thinking. I wouldn’t have. Because it was in the bath that he found my cuts on my leg, that’s what caused the fight. It's my fault. It’s all my fault. Instead of trusting him I let my thoughts win and I should’ve known better.” I sniffle and wipe my face. “I packed this, hoping he would stop me but he let me leave without stopping me. I haven’t heard from him since it happened. I’m sorry I showed up so late, I just didn’t know where to go.”

Jon doesn’t say anything, just pulls me into another tight hug, “Sydnee, you’re like my daughter, you’re always going to be welcome here, and for as long as you need, you can stay here. I’m not going to make you leave when you’re going through this.”

I sniffle and rest my head against his shoulder, “thank you Jon, I’ll be out in the morning that way I don’t inconvenience you anymore than I already have.”

“Sydnee,” he trails off as he wraps his around me, “I promise you that you are not bothering me, while I do not know exactly what you’re going through, I’m not going to shove you aside. I would much rather you be here where I know you’re safe instead of some cheap hotel where you can get hurt.”

I curl up into a ball next to him, “can I ask you something?”

“Of course, speak your mind kid.”

“Can you stay with me? Just until I fall asleep? As bad as it sounds, I didn’t have a father who cared enough about me growing up, so the welcoming touch of a father figure is much appreciated right now.” I say quietly, already fearing his rejection.

To my surprise, he says nothing as he pulls the blanket over me and pulls me a little closer, “again kiddo, you’re like a daughter to me, and I will do everything I can to help you and be a father to you since you didn’t have one.”

I smile softly and look up at him, “thank you Coop.”

He places a gentle kiss on top of my head before speaking, “you’re welcome. Now get some rest, you look worn out, we can talk more in the morning when you’re thinking a little clearer, okay?”

I nod before closing my eyes, wrapping the blanket tighter around me and fall into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, I’m woken up to the sound of cooking coming from the kitchen. I open my eyes slowly, adjusting to the sunlight that is shining through the window. Slowly coming to my senses as to where I’m at, my heart sinks in my chest as I remember I am not at home and what happened the night before comes flooding back.

I sit up slowly and rub my eyes, wanting to go back to bed and forget that the past 24 hours didn’t happen. Jon looks up from the stove in the kitchen and smiles at me.

“Good morning, how’d you sleep?”

“I don’t know if it would have been better for me to stay up all night with how much I tossed and turned, at least I had a comfy place to do so. Thank you again for letting me stay here.” I yawn and stand up, stretching out my tired limbs. They feel ten times heavier than they have ever felt before. “I will get going so I don’t bother you or your wife.”

“Sydnee, she knows you are here and she also agrees that you are more than welcome to stay here until everything between you and Brandon settles down. Please stay, I don’t want you leaving when your mind is as clouded as it is right now.”

I look around, trying to avoid eye contact with him because I know he is right, I can’t go out right now, my mind hasn’t stopped racing since the fight and I have nowhere to go. “Can I please use the bathroom?” I say quietly as I cross my arms over my stomach.

“Sure, it is the first door on your right just through the kitchen.” he stands and hugs me tightly, “Lets get some breakfast in you also. Okay?”

I only nod as I shuffle to the bathroom, when I am done I stand in front of the mirror hanging above the sink. I have never looked worse in my life, hair looks like it hasn’t been brushed in days, dark circles under my eyes. God why was I so stupid to throw away the best thing that has ever happened to me?

After splashing some cool water on my face, I walk back into the kitchen and sit at the bar across the room when I hear Jon yell for his wife that breakfast is ready.

She quickly pops into the kitchen with a bright smile on her face and pecks him on the cheek, “after all those days on the road you still know how to bring a smile to my face.”

“Well we also have our very important guest and I want to make sure that she is taken care of properly.”

I offer them a small nod as I see their interaction and my heart grows colder in my chest, I should be at home right now with Brandon, bickering to him that he didn’t add enough water to the pancake mix, now I am here, alone in a home that isn’t mine. In a place here I am welcomed, yes. But I can’t allow myself to stay here for more than a couple days at the max.

Jon brings over the plates that are piled full of bacon, sausage, waffles, toast and a plate full of fruit, “Here you go kiddo, eat up.”

Jon and Mrs. Cooper sit across from me and fill their plates, I am so hungry my stomach hurts, but I can’t bring myself to eat. I know I need to, but I am numb. I feel like I am just going through the motions of life right now. I have no purpose anymore.

Mrs. Cooper sees the empty look in my eyes as she stands and gets a small plate made for me and puts it in the fridge before walking over to me and puts her hand across mine, “You don’t have to eat right now. We know you are going through a lot, go lay down if you need to, I have a plate in the fridge for you okay?”

Wiping my eyes with my other hand I look up at her. “Thank you ma’am, you both are too kind to me. You don’t have to do all this.”

“Hunny, please call me Jessie, it is okay I promise.” She give my hand a gentle squeeze.

“Oh Sydnee please, you have become like a daughter to me and my wife here. It is okay. We promise.” Jon gives me a sad smile.

“I am going to lay down for a little longer if that is okay?” I look back at the couch and sigh, not knowing what else to do.

“If that is what you need to help yourself start healing then by all means, rest all that you need. You aren’t bothering us and it is an off day so I will be home today if you need to talk.”

“Yes Sydnee, please do stay and rest.” Jessie smiles softly. “It is okay.”

I shuffle back to the couch and curl back up with my back to them, I pull the blanket tightly around me and quietly cry until I fall asleep again.

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

Jon

“That poor girl is so broken, she loved him more than life itself. My heart is so broken for her.” Jon looks over and sighs.

Jessie matches his gaze and bites her bottom lip, “she seems like such a sweet girl from what you have been telling me, I hope that they can work it out. I can tell she has a big heart and can see how much she cares about that boy.”

“You should see them Jess, the way that they are with each other. He looks at her like she is the only girl in the world. She is all he will talk about when we aren’t on the ice or if we are on the road. I hope they can make this work out. She doesn’t have much.”

“Help clean up this breakfast mess and you can tell me more about her.” Jessie motions to the table where their breakfast plates are all piled together.

“Well for starts, when they first came to Tampa after the trade, they hadn’t been together but maybe a couple months. If that, she wanted out of Chicago and he wanted her with him. From what she has told me and what has been mentioned between the two, she doesn’t have a family back home that supports her. Her parents mentally abused her and her sister always looked down on her. She was passed over all the time and living in the shadow of her sister. When Brandon came along, ironically they met at a game, he instantly became the light in her life. She was depressed before she came here with him and she was doing better but she still struggles with depression and abandonment issues. Can’t say that I blame the poor thing either. She never had a father figure, so I stepped up and I try to help her when and where I can.”

Jessie turns as she is placing the dishes in the sink and takes the pile Jon had in his hands, “you are a good man for taking her in Jon.”

“When she showed up at our doorstep last night, it broke my heart to see her like that. She is always this bright and bubbly person and seeing her whole world shatter absolutely crushed me in ways I didn’t even think were possible. Sydnee is like a daughter Jessie, I can’t let her walk away. She doesn’t have anywhere else to go or friends. I will not let her go back to her family because they will break her soul even more than they already have.”

A small smile tugs at her lips, “you always were the protective type. Glad to know that hasn’t changed through the years.”

Jon kisses her on the temple before walking into the living room and sits on a chair across from Sydnee.

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

Sydnee

A few hours later and I feel more rested than I thought I would. As I slowly roll over, I grab my phone, the slightest hope that Brandon has called or texted, but nothing was there. No calls, no text, just the reminder of what he and I use to have.

I sit up and keep the blanket wrapped around me as I look around and take in the cozy living room. There is pictures on the walls and on the coffee table. Little trinkets that Mrs. Cooper collected through the years, a nice love seat and a big tv over the fireplace. All the things making this feel like a home, a home I wish I could have grown up in.

Jon makes a move from his seat and I am so out of it I didn’t even see him sitting there, “hey kiddo, you need anything?”

“Um,” I sit and think for a second, “can I take a shower please?”

“Of course.” He stands and quickly grabs my bag off the floor. “Follow me.”

He takes me down a hallway and I assume what is past their children’s rooms, “Where are your kids?” I was so caught up last night I didn’t even realize that this might not be okay with their kids, I have to get out of here as quick as I can.

“The girls went to their friends house and my son is away at hockey camp for the week.” He opens the door to the bathroom and sets my bag on the counter, then reaches into the cabinet and grabs a fresh towel and wash rag.

“Just set the towels outside the bathroom once you are finished and Jessie will come by later and pick them up.” Jon smiles at me before walking out and closing the door behind him.

I simply nod and lock the door behind him, I turn on the water and let the steam fill the bathroom before stripping down and stepping inside, hissing through my teeth as the water hits my leg. ‘Such an idiot Sydnee, if only you hadn’t gotten in your head then you wouldn’t be in this shower, in this house. You should be back home in the loving arms of Brandon, who loved you more than the whole world. You did this. You ruined everything good that you had going for you.’

My mind is a contact battle field right now, every way I turn I get knocked down again, I just want to go home. But I don’t even know where home is now.

The rest of my shower goes by in a blur, I wash my hair and body and then stay under the heavy beating from the shower head until the water goes cold. I step out and wrap myself in the towel while grabbing my clothes from the back and everything still smells like him. The hints of his cologne flood my senses and causes another wave of emotion to flood through me.

As I slip on my hoodie and leggings, I fold the towel and place it outside the door neatly before quietly walking back into the living room. There, sitting on the table, is the plate Mrs. Cooper saved from breakfast and a glass of water, ‘okay, one meal, help clean up the mess and then out the door you go. They have a life to live also and you can’t be here interrupting the lives that they already have.’

“Hey Jon! I am going to run out and grab some groceries, if you need anything while I’m gone let me know.” Jessie says from the opposite side of the house before she slips out the back door.

“You guys are seriously so sweet, I can not thank you enough for letting me stay here last night. I promise to be gone though by the time your girls get back. I know having me here would be a shock to them.

“Sydnee, you’re not going anywhere. They are going to be fine, they are sweet and caring, they will love you.”

“It isn’t right or fair to them for having me here messing up your everyday lives.” I fire back while chewing on a piece of bacon.

“Sydnee, I have been a hockey coach all of their lives, what is crazy for everyone else is normal for this family. I care to much about you to just let you go off on your own right now. And you’re over thinking, it is okay, you can let your guard down here. I promise you it is okay.”

“I just miss him,” my bottom lip quivers, “I don’t know what to do or who I am without him now. He saved me from myself, only to be the one to break me in every way possible. But on the other hand, he has every right to be upset with me, what I did was selfish and stupid. I shouldn’t have done what I did. It is my fault. It is always my fault.”

He notices the tears quickly falling down my cheeks and grabs a tissue before sitting at my side, “Sydnee hunny,” Jon wraps his arm around my shoulder and rests his chin on the top of my head, “it is not in any way your fault. You were scared and didn’t know what to do. No one is blaming either of you right now, and it isn’t your fault you had a bad past to cause this type of reaction. Plus being in a new relationship is hard enough, adding in the travel that it takes to be a hockey player makes it that much more difficult. But this isn’t your fault, I know you think that it is but I promise you that it isn’t.”

I sniffle and lean into him, “I messed everything up, I had the best thing in the world taken from me all because I was stupid and emotional. I thought by now I would have heard something from him, but I haven’t heard a single thing since I left.”

“I am going to play devil's advocate here for a second,” Jon sits up and holds me up as my shoulders, “think about what he is feeling right now, you both were in a fit of rage last night. I’m sure he is going through something similar too. Or he is letting himself cool off before he tries to make contact with you. You are both young and the emotions last night were really high for the both of you. You know better than anyone that Brandon is an emotional guy. Should he have reacted the way that he did? Of course not, but sometimes when people get scared they get angry. I’m sure he is trying to find a way to get back in touch with you all while being careful.”

“But that is just it, he shouldn’t have freaked out the way that he did, he knows my past and he knows I can’t handle going through things like this on my own but he didn’t even fight when I left. He just watched me walk out and didn’t try to stop me.”

“Hey, I am on your side, I completely agree with you that he shouldn’t have done what he did, just try to think how he felt in that moment when he found out. I am sure he was just scared he was going to lose you.”

I sit back on the couch and wrap up again, Jon’s words swirling around in my head as I mindlessly finish my plate of food. I hadn’t even realize I spaced out until I hear the back door open and little feet run into the living room. Two blond hair, blue eyed girls come into the livingroom.

“Dad! We are back - who are you?” They both stop in their tracks and look at me.

I take in their features quickly, blond hair, blue eyes, looking like the perfect mix between Jon and his wife.

“Girls, this is Sydnee, Brandon Hagel’s girlfriend. They are going through a bit of a rough patch right now and she didn’t have anywhere else to go so your mom and I are letting her stay here for a couple days until they get everything sorted out.” he motions to come into the living room and sit.

“Girls, I want you to meet Sydnee. Sydnee, these are my twins Julia and Josie.”

I look over at them and offer them a small smile, “Hi.”

“So you are the one I hear my parents talking about every once in a while.” Julia smiles back at me, “it is nice to finally meet you.”

I cock my head in Jon's direction, “you’ve talked about me before?”

“I told you, you are like another daughter to me. You remind me a lot of my girls. Just older of course.” He chuckles and stands up before kissing the twins on the tops of their heads, “I am going to get dinner started if anyone needs me. Stay and talk, get to know each other.”

The girls watch as their father leaves the room and I curl deeper into the couch, wanting to disappear.

“So, not trying to sound rude, but what caused you to end up at our house?” Josie ask once Jon is out of the room.

“Well Brandon, my boyfriend, and I had a really big fight over… personal matters. I was upset and when I threatened to leave he didn’t try to stop me. I have no friends here in the Tampa area, and your father and I had become close since Brandon got traded here back in March of 2022. I had only planned to stay here for the night and be out of the house before you two got back but your father insisted that I stay for a while longer until everything settles.”

Julia’s face softens and she gives a soft and sad smile, “I am so sorry. That sounds horrible. But my dad is right, you can stay here as long as you like. It really isn’t a problem. Right Jo?” She looks over at her sister.

“No not at all, plus if my dad likes you then you must be okay. And by the way, you are so pretty.”

My heart swells in my chest at their kind words, “You girls are so sweet. Your parents have done a good job raising you.”

They both smile brightly before getting up and walking to the kitchen to help their dad.

The day quickly turns to night and before I realize, it is late and I still haven’t heard from Brandon. I replay the conversation with Jon from earlier and my mind relaxes a little.

Jessie walks into the living room wrapped in her night robe, “we are turning in for the night, do you need anything?”

“No ma’am. I am okay, thank you though.”

“Sydnee please call me Jessie,” she smiles, “but if you need anything or you get hungry, by all means help yourself. There’s plenty to eat in this house.”

“Will do Jessie. Thank you. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” she turns on her heel and walks off down a hall to where I assume is her and Jon’s bedroom.

The hours roll on and I am still wide awake, mindlessly scrolling through my phone when I hear a door close from the opposite side of the house, I look around to see Julia walking into the kitchen.

“Sydnee? What are you doing up?”

“Haven’t been able to fall asleep, it’s late though. Why are you awake? I wasn’t keeping you up was I?”

“Oh gosh you worry to much. No, you didn’t wake me up, didn’t even hear you until I walked out of my room and seen you sitting on the couch. I just needed a drink.”

I stand and go to the kitchen with her, reaching for two glasses, “do you mind filling me a glass since you are going to the fridge already?”

“Not at all,” she has a sweet smile on her face before filling both glasses and handing me one. “Now what is the real reason you’re not asleep?” she asks as she leans against the counter.

“My mind is a very loud place right now and I can’t help but worry about Brandon. I haven't heard from him in over 24 hours, we haven’t spent this much time apart since we first started dating and when he was on his road trips. And even then we would still check in on each other.”

“I’m sure that he is okay, I mean you both went through a lot together and this is just another bump in the road. But at the end of the day if he really loves you like he says he does, then he will find a way to make all of this right.”

“Are you sure you are only 16?” I chuckle and look over at her.

“I may or may not have watched too many Hallmark movies growing up with my mom,” She laughs and finishes her water, “I am going to go back to sleep, you should try getting some rest too.”

“Yeah,” I say softly, “goodnight Julia.”

“Goodnight Sydnee.”

Julia walks back to her bedroom and I curl back up in my spot on the couch, letting my mind wander to Brandon as I fall into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning I am woken again to the smell of food cooking in the kitchen, this time it is filled with laughter as Julia, Josie, Jessie and Jon make their way around each other to finish breakfast.

I walk in quietly and fill my water glass from last night, making sure to stay out of the way of the crew that is already filling the kitchen.

“Sydnee you’re awake! Just in time too, breakfast is almost ready.” Jon smiles as we piles pancakes onto a plate and sets them on the counter.

“Oh that is okay, I am not hungry.” I say quietly.

“Sydnee I know you have to be, I haven’t seen you eat anything since breakfast yesterday before I left for the grocery store. We always have more than enough to eat.” Jessie says from the coffee pot, “I even made sure to get your favorite coffee ground, Jon made sure I knew which one that you liked the most.”

“Jon… Jessie, you didn’t have to do all that for me. It is a gift enough that you are letting me stay here.”

“But we wanted too,” she offers a sweet smile and hands me a cup of coffee, “Now go sit at the table with the girls and we will have breakfast ready in a couple more minutes.”

I turn and go sit at the table where Julia and Josie finish getting the plates and silverware set up, “Do you guys have breakfast like this every morning?”

“If dad is home, yes. He loves to cook and be able to eat as a family. When he is on the road we kinda just eat whenever we aren’t bust but when he is home we eat at least one meal together. Keep us close and connected.” Josie says with a beaming smile on her face.

“I wish I had a family this close growing up, the only one I had for the longest time was my sister Jessica, but now she won’t even talk to me.”

“Well why doesn’t she talk to you?” Julia asks as she takes a sip of her orange juice.

“Because I fell in love with Brandon quicker than she thought I should have, and when I said I was moving down here with him when he got traded I lost all connection with her.”

“Well…” Josie trails off and looks at her sister before looking back at me, “we could be your sisters and family now! I know we haven’t really known each other real long, but if my parents like you enough to let you stay here and be welcomed in the way my dad then you must be a pretty decent person.”

I smile. A real smile. For the first time in days. My heart swells in my chest before I get up and hug them both. I relax when I feel them pull me into a deep and much needed hug, “I’m glad you girls accepted me. I know having a stranger in your home.”

Jon and Jessie walk in with food in their hands and even bigger smiles on their faces, “Well if this isn’t a sight to see. I was hoping you girls would, I know I don’t mind at all.” Jon smiles brightly as he sets the plates down on the table.

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

Jon

The rest of breakfast goes off without a hitch, the girls welcomed Sydnee with open arms, literally, and for the first time since Sydnee has been here I seen her smile. Her real smile and not the fake one she throws out there trying to trick her.

After we all get breakfast cleaned up, I head to the bedroom, shower and get dressed to go to the rink for the day. As I slip my shoes on I walk to all four of the girls in the living room, “I am heading to the rink for morning skate tonight before the game, if you need anything while I am out let me know and I will grab it on my way home.”

“Be careful hun, I will see you soon.” Jessie offers me the same loving and sweet smile that I fell in love with all those years ago.

I slip on my shoes and out the door before I can hear what the four are gossiping about. It warms my heart to know my family took to Sydnee the same way I did when I first met her.

Normally I am looking forward to going to the rink, seeing all the guys and always coming up with new strategies to win. The rink has become my second home, and those players have become like my second family. But today there is going to be unease as I see Brandon for the first time since the fight that the couple has had. I know better than to get involved in a players personal business but this one I don’t know if I can just let it slide. But I will keep my mouth shut as long as I can.

As I pull up to the players lot, I can see some of the guys already here. Brandon usually beats me here and his car is nowhere in sight. This is going to be the start of a long day already.

I head inside, throw on my skates and head out to the ice as the players slowly start trickling down there, I spot Brayden as he is one of the first on the ice. “Brayden, good morning.”

“Morning Coach, how was the day off yesterday.”

“It was great, much needed after the long road trip, just spent the day at home with the wife and the girls. How was yours?”

“Pretty good, mostly relaxed. Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what’s on your mind?”

“It’s about Hags, he is off. Last night he wanted me to meet him at the bar and he never drinks unless Sydnee is around, and even then he doesn’t drink the night before a game. Something isn’t right.”

I shrug and pretend like I am unaware of what is really going on, I don’t want their relationship out there for the world to know if they haven’t told anyone else yet.

“Hmm, I don’t know Pointers, I will talk to him today and see if I can get anything out of him. Thanks for letting me know though.”

Brayden gives me a nod before he skates off, about 15 minutes later, practice is about to start and just as I am about to close the bench door I see Brandon walking up the tunnel with bags under his eyes and sleep showing on his face.

“Nice of you to join us Hagel.”

“Whatever.” he grumbles and goes off to do his stretches.

“Hot laps, 10 of them lets go!” I give Brandon a quick glance and skate to the middle, “better shape up Hagel or it’ll be a long day for you. You know I don’t like players being late.”

“I’m not late Coop. Practice hasn’t started yet. Relax.”

“You know if it’s ‘on time’ then it’s late. Step it up.”

I hear him mumble under his breath but do not question him, he is already annoyed.

As practice goes on, I keep Brayden’s words in my head and everything that he says couldn’t be more true. Brandon is not himself at all, usually I have to get him to relax while the other guys are catching their breath and today it looks like he has cement in his skates.

I take one last look at the guys before I blow the whistle, “alright, good work today boys, everyone hit the showers, Hagel meet me in my office when you are done.”

“Oh someone is in trouble!” Anthony teases him only to be met with a scowl from Brandon.”

“Why don’t you mind your own business.”

“Well someone is a dang grouch.”

“C, leave it alone okay?” I pat Anthony on the shoulder and whisper, “he and Sydnee are going through a rough patch right now and neither of them are taking it well.”

Anthony’s face softens and looks back at Brandon as he makes his way down the hall, “Oh shoot I’m sorry Coop. I didn’t know.”

“You’re alright son, but you didn’t hear that from me. Got it?”

He gives a curt nod before going down the tunnel himself.

As the boys all file into the locker room, I am quick to take my skates off and go into my office, firing up my computer and waiting for Brandon to come in.

About 15 minutes later there is a soft knock on my door and my head pops up from being the computer screen, “come in.”

Brandon opens the door, somehow looking worse than before the practice started, “can we make this quick? I want to get going.”

“Go where exactly? The bar? Brayden told me you drank last night.”

“Well I wish he would keep his damn mouth shut.”

“Brandon… I know what happened between you and Sydnee.”

His spine goes ramrod straight and his face turns white, “how do you know about that? I didn’t think she would go telling anyone what happened.”

“Because she came to me the night it happened Brandon. She was lost and had nowhere else to go. She is alone and scared and you haven’t even checked in on her. She could have ended up in a bad place or side of town and you wouldn’t have had the slightest clue.”

“Well I’m glad she’s okay but it was her fault we had the fight in the first place?”

“Her fault huh? To me both of you are at fault. But it is by far not just her fault. She knocked on my door shaking and scared. The poor thing has hardly slept since the has been there, and you want to say it is only her fault? Brandon I know you better than this. You gotta grow up here.”

“But she started the whole thing by getting depressed and cutting herself while I was gone. Saying I was goin–”

I hold my hand up to stop him, “listen to yourself Brandon. ‘She started the whole thing by getting depressed’. Did those words really just fall out of your mouth? I thought you were better than that. You should know first hand what it is like to deal with depression, and you know her past better than anyone. You know she gets scared when she is left alone for to long from what her parents did to her. She was scared Brandon, now was she right to harm herself? No. But her mind is constantly attacking itself and she didn’t know what to do.”

“She could have called or something! Instead she took matters into her own hands and now look at where we are!”

“Be lucky she isn’t dead Brandon!” I feel my anger getting the best of me and I take a deep breath before continuing, “be lucky she is even still here. She has been sleeping on my couch waiting just to hear if you are okay. She is broken, and so are you. I have seen what you are like with her and what you are like without her. And right now Brandon, you are a mess. I don’t like seeing you this way. You are a much better guy than this and I know you can be. Come on man you gotta at least try to work this out with her. I am worried about both of you.”

“I just… I know you’re right coach, but I don’t know. When I found those cuts on her legs, I panicked. All I could see was my two uncles headstones because,” he posses for a minute before continuing, “well you know what happened. And sometimes I struggle myself. I freaked out, I was scared, I was angry. I know what I did was wrong but I figured she would have at least tried to contact me by now.”

“And I understand where you’re coming from Brandon, I do. But think about the whole situation from her end, growing up she was basically forgotten about with her family right?”

“Yes sir.”

“Alright, and she would try to be in their lives but they pushed her away? That is what was going through her mind when you weren’t answering, now I am no medical profesional, but she suffers from PTSD, she was also scared. She did what her body knew what to do and that was to protect her mind in any way that it could, which was causing physical harm to take away the mental harm that was already done in her head.”

As I speak I see his face changing, finally softening after coming in with an attitude, “Hags, you know I don’t like being hard on you, you’re one of my top guys, but I will also protect her like another daughter of mine. I am not trying to get in the middle of your relationship, but there this is a time I had to.”

“I understand Jon, I guess, I never was thinking about how she was feeling in that moment, all I felt was my own emotions that I wasn’t thinking about her. How is she? Is she okay?”

“She’s okay all things considering, shes been glued to the couch. My wife finally got her to eat a little and when I left Josie and Julia were getting her to talk a little more. But she’s doing okay.”

“I don’t even know what I would say to her if I seen her right now.” he whispers and finally lets his shoulders relax, a sign he is finally ready to listen.

“Well, I’m sorry would be a start. But don’t think about that right now. There is a time and a place for that and on game day isn’t it. I know you want to see her and tell her everyting but the emotions are high, on game days it is even worse. Let’s get through tonights game and you can try to contact her, okay?”

He nods and stands and I match his movement, “thank you Jon, I think I needed this reality check more than I realized.”

“That is what makes the difference between a coach and a leader, my door here and at home are always open if you need advice, okay?”

“I will keep that in mind for the future, thanks again coach. I will see you tonight.”

I give him a slight smile before returning to my work.

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

Sydnee

Before I know it, it is game time and Julia and Josie are sitting on the flor while Jessie is sitting on the couch with the Lightning pre game on, Jessie looks over at me as the camera pans to Brandon and his pre game warm ups.

“Sydnee we don’t have to watch this, we can change the channel.”

“No Jessie, I already said it is okay, I want you guys to go on living as if I am not here. There is no need to cater towards my needs when this is your home.”

“I know you have said that, but it can’t be easy watching the game and seeing him.” She gives me a soft smile.

“Well, no ma’am it isn’t but I still have friends on the team as well, I still want to see the team do well even if Brandon and I aren’t speaking.”

“You are a strong girl you know? I wouldn’t be able to watch if I was in your shoes.”

I chuckle softly and curl up into the blanket, this thing has been like my life line over the last couple days.

The Lightning go on to win 3-1 over the leafs, Brandon recording a fight and an assist. So many parts wanted to cheer for him, especially after completely manhandling the fight, but many parts made my heart ache, not knowing where we stand with each other.

Julia, Josey, and Jessie all turn in for the night after the game is over and post game interviews are shown. Jon walks in about an hour after the girls all go to their rooms.

“Nice win tonight Jon,” I say softly from my spot on the couch, I swear I am going to leave a permanent butt print behind once I figure out where I am going next.

“Thanks kid, full team effort tonight that is for sure. No win against Toronto is ever easy.”

Chuckling softly I push myself deeper into the couch, “everyone went to their rooms for the night, I was going to turn the lights out and go to sleep myself but didn’t want you coming home to a dark house.”

“Oh Sydnee you could have, I know this place like the back of my hand, but I am glad you’re awake still. Someone is here to see you.”

My blood runs cold and I freeze, “I don’t want to talk to him.”

“Syd, just hear him out. I promise you it’ll be worth it.”

I huff and stand, “fine, but I am taking the blanket with me.”

“If that is what it takes to get you to talk to him then by all means, he is waiting outside on the porch, I will be just on the other side of the door if you need me okay?”

“I can’t believe you’re making me do this..” I whisper and walk quietly towards the door.

As I open the door, Brandon is standing there in a all black suit and tie, dressed to the nines. An odd sight for it being as late as it is and standing on his coaches front porch. In his hand is a dozen black roses. My favorite. The fact that he found them makes my heart beat harder in my chest.

I pull my blanket tighter around me before stepping onto the porch and facing him for the first time since our fight. It is taking everything in my power to hold myself back from running into his arms and breaking down.

“Baby…” his voice cracks when he finally meets my eyes.

Stay strong Sydnee, you got this.

“Don’t ‘baby’ me Brandon. Not until you explain everything.”

“I don’t even know where to start, but first I want to say that I love you, more than anything else in the world and what I did was incredibly stupid and wrong. I should have listened to you and try to understand where you were coming from.”

“You’re damn right Brandon, your words. They cut deeper than any knife that could have been used, I thought I was going to die right then and there when you didn’t even fight to keep me from leaving. You always fight, and it wasn’t there.”

“And if I could take all of those mean and hurtful things back I would, in a heartbeat I would do it. You know the last thing that I want in life is to hurt you.”

“Really? Because right now, that’s all I feel from you is hurt, hurt in ways I have never felt before. So let me ask you, why did you do it? Say all those words if you didn’t mean them?”

“Because, when I felt your leg, and your cuts. I panicked.” He looks away and bites his lips, storm clouds building in his brown eyes, “I freaked out because I know if I didn’t come home when I did I could have lost you forever, I know how bad your depression can be, and I know how serious it is, you know I lost people to it in the past. I was scared baby.”

“Well you had a real funny way of showing it.” I hug the blanket closer to my body, suddenly feeling very small and fragile.

“Sydnee if there is any way in the world I can make this up to you, tell me and I will find a way to make it happen. But baby I promise you I can’t go on knowing you’re not home with me.”

“Why didn’t you check in. I get it you were mad, fine whatever, but if you care so much like you say you do, why didn’t you care enough to at least text me to see if I was okay? I could have been robbed and left on the street if I didn’t have the right mind to come here.”

“Because I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t in my right mind. I went on a two day bender and have hardly slept. Coming home to an empty house made me realize how much I screwed up and I thought you hated me after what I said.”

“Brandon..” I whisper, “no force on this earth could ever get me to hate you. I might be super mad at you yes, but I could never hate you. Come on now, you’re smarter than that.”

“I know, that is why I said I wasn’t in my right mind. Baby please, I’m begging for forgiveness. I am so incredibly sorry for everything I said to hurt you.” Tears spill from his eyes and he doesn’t stop them, this is how I know he means what he says.

My mind tells me to stay strong, let him feel the pain that I felt since the fight happened, but my body betrays me and my feet close the gap between us and I wrap my arms tightly around his middle, “Don’t you ever make me feel like I am worth less than what I am. Got it?” I burry my face into his chest and cry softly.

“I won’t baby, I’m here.” I feel him leave a gentle kiss to the top of my head, “I’m here and I am not going anywhere. I promise. But please promise me one thing.”

I look up at him and wait for him to continue.

“Whenever you’re feeling like that, talk to me okay? You know I will do anything in my power to help you. I love you and I don’t want you feeling alone like that ever again.”

“I promise Brandon.”

I stand on my toes and kiss his cheek gently, “now how on earth did you find black roses at this time of night? And the black suit is stunning on you.”

He offers a small chuckle, “let me grab your bag and I will explain in the car on the way home.”

#brandon hagel #tampa bay lightning #hockey players #nhl players #hockey imagine #hockey rpf #hockey romance #nhl imagines #mental health #mental illness #mental heath support #mental wellness #YourMentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthMatters #You Matter

[mylittleredgirl]

m*a*s*h season three continues!! disc two!!

"alcoholics unanimous" is so funny oh my god

the scene where trapper, hot lips, and hawkeye are all lit and making each other laugh is note perfect i want to live in it forever. i can't decide if "who was that guy?" was scripted or if loretta swit just went for a one-shot kill after the scene was over but i live for these bits when margaret accidentally ends up on team 100 proof

it's also nice of them to periodically remind us that frank has a huge wang. i'm glad he's got that one thing going for him

they're really softening hot lips this season 💕

they're styling her much younger, too. the barrettes! the ponytails!!!! i might never recover from the ponytails.

and the scene where she is reading a that letter to radar while he's in the hospital, and she has that little giddy smile at the end! it's so sweeeeeet it's killing me come on

i have a lot of thoughts about frank and margaret, and like five of them are about the phone call in the nurses episode

"knowing you'd kill me makes my life worthwhile" see. with the laugh track off, this joke turns into just margaret staring dreamily in soft focus and the realization that ohhhh. oh no. she really means that. she's like in love in love with this clown, that's so embarrassing for her

(also from that episode: the afterlife song is stuck in my head! the nurse song with the halfhearted montage though like. what happened in the editing room there.)

(also hilarious that trapper misses his wife for the first and only time when every woman in the camp is gone)

"adam's rib" - i like how everyone universally thinks hawkeye's quest is dumb, but they climb aboard the shenanigans because they have nothing else to do

WE LIED TO MILDRED!!!

i don't think i've mentioned how much i love henry and radar together. their comic timing is flawless. that bit of talking over each other never gets old. and then whenever they love and defend each other!!! i love a professional substitute dad

time for "bombed"!!! blow that pyrotechnics budget babyyyyy! blow shit up! break windows! light stuff on fire!!

the trapper/hot lips ship watch on this blog turned into a ship warning just in time for the two of them to get locked in a supply tent and not bang

you gotta admit the long-running ust potential here is pretty great (they hate each other) (but he's a little obsessed about hating her) (and she lusts after him) (and they're both hot)

SADLY for my cause there was no booze in there, because every time she gets drunk she's like "regrettably, there's frank" but sober she wants to marry him

no wonder he wants to outlaw alcohol in the camp

"we held hands and said the pledge of allegiance together" okay they are genuinely so funny sometimes though

i'm also falling hard for hawkeye/trapper but they would never be exclusive so multishipping is built in

last on the disc is "bulletin board"!!!

an episode about nothing is so soothing after all the explosives. the balance of action and Just Hanging Around in this series is really enjoyable

trapper writing a letter to his daughter 🥺

"korea? the war still?" and the rest of that little pillow fight scene. so much sibling energy in the swamp.

henry losing that patient hit well. i hate to be like "i'm rooting for patients to die" because it's not that, but they save them so successfully that it's dramatically satisfying whenever they don't. and i like how it silently affects henry through the rest of the ep while the rest of them have fun

that long beautiful shot of all of them running back to camp!!!!

ok this post took me like three days to write somehow because i rewatched everything ENJOYYYYYY

#i could write this many bullet points about any single episode but i'm playing it cool you know #mashblogging #it's about time i watched m*a*s*h

[fictomorph]

Any Objections? (Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth TF/TG/MC)

This story contains female to male TF, character TF, and identity death as well as Wrightworth shipping/romance.

———————

“Looking for something in particular?”

A voice disturbed Griffin, who was currently hunched over the top of a display case, filled with rings, all of them beautiful, finely crafted….and expensive. He jolted up, meeting the eyes of the clerk.

“Oh...yea.” He rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly chuckling. The clerk looked him over, trying to read him for what he wanted. Decently groomed short chestnut hair, a purple polo shirt and pressed jeans, brown leather dress shoes...probably had something decently important later today. And considering what kind of jewelry he was looking at….

“You’re proposing later, aren’t you?” Griffin paused, nodding.

“How did you?...” He sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Ugh, yeah. But everything’s so expensive...I’ve been saving for practically a year and even then I can barely afford any of the good ones!” The clerk watched him as he went back to pouring over the rings, struggling between getting his loved one something they deserved and something he could pay off.

“Actually..” He perked up, holding a finger in the air as his icy blue eyes pondered a thought. “I think we might have a set of rings in the back for decently cheap, $100, $120….but they still look rather nice and are of high craft. Would you like me to see if we still have them?”

Griffin nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. “Really? Oh thanks, man, you’re a lifesaver!”

“Ah, no problem. My job is to help people find what they’re looking for, after all! Now if you’ll excuse me…” He walked off, headed into the forbidden parts of the store unknown to the commoner. After a few minutes, Griffin (who had started scrolling through Twitter) was brought back to reality by the sound of something being set on the glass in front of him, along with the clerk’s statement of “Take a look”.

Two small ring boxes were laid in front of him, one coated in red velvet and the other in blue. He lifted the red box, popping it open to reveal the contents inside. A rose gold band, with two small diamonds and one ruby crowning it. The edges of the band flares, giving it a ruffled pattern almost like creased fabric. Ooh...this would be perfect for her! He picked up the blue box, inspecting its hidden treasure as well. It was a similarly simple pure gold band, two sapphires on either side of a diamond tucked away in a golden four-pointed star. He looked back to the clerk, grabbing both of them as he fidgeted his wallet from his pocket.

“You said these were…$120?” The clerk nodded, leading to Griffin slamming the money on the counter. “Oh man, thank you so much! She’s gonna love this, I-I can’t thank you enough!” Placing the ring boxes in a bag for him, the clerk waved as another satisfied customer ran off.

The rest of the day was as normal as it could be for a day leading up to such a big event. Griffin called to double and triple-check his reservations were still in place, re-washed and ironed everything he was wearing for later, and took an intensive shower. Everything had to go perfect for tonight. Soon enough, after what felt like both no time at all and a full eon, his doorbell rang. Answering it, he was met with the face of his beloved Kelly. She had dressed similarly nicely, a long somewhat shimmery orange dress accompanied by a pearl necklace. Her blonde hair had been neatly curled at the edges, letting it frame her face in a rather flattering way.

“You look nice.” Griffin stuttered, eyes darting across the room as she chuckled.

“Thanks. You too.” She grabbed his hand, leading him out the door. “C’mon, we should get going. You said this place was expensive, and I don’t wanna miss our chance to eat $100 steak.”

The car ride over was nice, Kelly looking out the window at the late-night city’s lights. Her eyes drifted over the scenery, soon enough settling on the restaurant they had arrived at. She had known it was a fancy place, but she didn’t expect it to look quite this nice. The building had strings of fairy lights dangling from it, and as they walked in, she took note of how well everyone was dressed. She started to think she might’ve underdressed for the occasion.

“Mr. West? Ah yes, we have your reservation. Please, follow me.” The waitress led the two to an empty table, one which happened to be on the patio. A nice open space, no one else outside, illuminated by the moonlight….it was perfect. Griffin kept a hand on the two ring boxes in his pocket, waiting for the perfect moment.

Whatever was above must’ve taken a shine to them that day, as the dinner went perfectly. Their food was cooked to perfection, the wine the servers brought out was a rich palette, and all night the moon and stars were perfectly visible and bright. As Kelly polished off her second glass of wine, he gripped the boxes tighter than he ever had before and sighed.

“Hm?” Kelly placed her glass down, focusing on her partner. “Something wrong, Grif?”

“No, it’s just….we’ve been together for a while now and...you’re really important to me. I

realized I found something I don’t wanna lose. So….” He took the red box from his pocket and held it out to her, letting her see as he popped it open. “Will you marry me?”

She gasped, grabbing the box as she teared up. “Oh my God….yes!” His heart pounded out of his chest as she slipped the ring on, admiring it. He had taken the shot and hit a bullseye.

“The best part?” He held the blue box in his hands, showing its contents to her. “They’re a set. We match!” Putting his own ring on, Kelly practically pounced on him as she pulled him into a hug that turned into the two holding each other’s hands, rings resting against each other. It felt like a moment that would last forever…..until they withdrew their hands in shock.

“Ow, something shocked me!” Kelly rubbed her hand, surprised by the indignant interruption.

“Yea, me too….might’ve been some static electricity or something in the rings.” Griffin explained to the best of his knowledge. That was a thing that could happen, right? Metal conducted electricity.

“Mhm...probably. Felt a bit stronger than static, though. It was just...weird.” She unconsciously flexed her fingers to fully shake the feeling, although a new, even stranger one replaced it. Her hands began to shift, growing broader and more well-groomed, like they belonged to someone from the upper class. Though the expected tightness of the ring becoming too small for her fingers was strangely never present…

“Maybe you just aren’t taking your wine well.” Griffin chuckled, taking her hand in his in an attempt to comfort her, only to realize how large it was compared to mere moments ago. He gulped, feeling his hands become a bit more comfortable in holding hers, the change nowhere as near as drastic as Kelly’s but still something concerning. His arms tensed, swelling with a slightly toned layer of muscle new to his form. He took his hands from Kelly’s, looking over them. Sure, he admittedly never held his wine the best, but he’d never hallucinated before, and he’d definitely never actually felt it.

“Grif? Do you think someone put something in our food?” She took a longer, more well-built arm to her chest, feeling the fat layered on it melt away and replace with an admittedly not too shabby set of pecs. “Wh-What?” Her face flushed, eyes widening at the realization that whatever was happening to them had decided to shift her sex around.

“I’d like to see whatever drug can do something like this at all, let alone this fast!” He gripped onto a chair’s back, groaning as his back popped, leaving him slightly taller and, as a cursory scan of his new body would reveal, sporting a new set of abs. “Woah...this is...something.”

Kelly, meanwhile, was not as enthralled with her changes as Griffin was. She felt awkward enough in her dress already, and the cracking of her spine and toning frame didn’t serve to help. What only made things worse was the notable pressure she felt from her high heels, confirming her fears as the sides of the shoes gave, leaving her feet exposed in the cold night air. “Ugh….just kill me now….”

“Hey, cmon, don’t be like that.” Griffin pulled her into a hug, grinning in an attempt to ease her fears. “This probably won’t be that bad.” She looked up at him, desperate for some form of comfort. It was probably just the changes, but...he looked so much more handsome than usual. His jawline was sharper, his eyes had cooled to a soft smoky grey, and his formerly chestnut hair had burnt to a dark black, even changing how it was styled into a striking slicked back and spiked look. Something about it was…..familiar and comforting.

Griffin swept a bang from her face, letting him look at her shifted face. He let out a quiet gasp, her heart sinking.

“I-Is it bad?” She clasped her hands together, still feeling the ring.

“No, you’re...you’re gorgeous.” His hand rested against her cheek, taking everything in. Her face had gained this strong stoic look to it, almost statue-esque. His hair had faded to a platinum, combed into a set of bangs that perfectly framed his face and made similarly pale eyes stand out. “I...wow.” He’d never felt this strongly towards...anyone. He took one of her pearls in his hand, only to let go of it as he realized it had gained an odd fabric like texture.

Kelly watched as her pearl necklace flattened and softened, the chain around her neck becoming the same silk as the pearls now were. She brushed over it with her hands, the string now a rumpled scarf of some sort...what was the term? The word “cravat” suddenly popped to mind, albeit she didn’t know where from. Yes, that was right.

Griffin coughed as something tugged against his throat, looking down to see a bright red tie had formed around his neck. More notably, where it touched seemed to sap the red from his shirt, leaving it pure white as the still-blue edges tugged away from itself, leaving him with a formal white undershirt topped with a sapphire blue suit jacket. “Guess they have a stricter take on business casual than I thought…” He awkwardly joked as he watched the blue spread down to neatly pressed dress pants, his changes finishing with his shoes expanding slightly and shifting into dark leather.

Kelly brushed her face, slightly flushed from Griffin’s new form. …..Griffin? Was that right? No, that...that wasn’t it. What was his name, though? As she thought, her clothing underwent its own metamorphosis, bleeding into a combination of a black vest and a deep red suit jacket, albeit this one more high quality than her partner’s. The material shared its conquest of her wardrobe with her partner’s changes, as the ends of her dress wrapped around her legs into fanciful perfectly tailored wine red pants. Her shoes even got a second shot as the heels flattened to the ground, a refined pair of leather dress shoes.

“Is...is it over?” The two looked at each other, Griffin pausing at his new voice. It was young, nothing too outstanding on its own but probably could be with some power put behind it, like some form of objection.

“I...I believe so.” Kelly gasped, putting a hand to her throat as she felt her new Adam’s apple. The voice it had given her was a rather pleasing one, deep and proper, the voice of someone who really knew what they were doing. “My...this is all so….” She didn’t get to finish her thought as she trailed off, Griffin taking her hands one again.

“Not what I expected to happen tonight, either. Can’t say I’m too mad though.” Kelly blushed, Griffin’s face equally red as he leaned in for a kiss, which she gladly reciprocated. That simple act sealed the two’s fates as when they pulled back, a different, more fitting set of memories and personality traits belonged to the pair.

“Wright....must you be this extravagant?” He looked around the patio, taking in the almost storybook-like picture the two found themselves in.

“Of course. Nothing else for my Miles.” Edgeworth turned his head, leading Phoenix to giggle.

“You’re an embarrassment.” He tried to come off as his usual stern self, but the slightest hint of a smirk on his lips was his lover’s cue to keep going.

“Hey, you know how I get when drunk.”

“I suppose I do, Feenie.” Miles slipped his hand into his partner’s, only for the two of them to pause and investigate the rings they didn’t remember putting on.

“Guess I was a bit more drunk than I thought….” He looked away, rubbing his neck in that ever-so-Wright way. A pause of awkward silence, before he sighed and reconnected eye contact. “Hey um….even if we don’t remember it...would you still...you know…”

“Of course, you idiot.” Edgeworth full on smiled, a rare sight, and grabbed Phoenix’s hand once again, planting a kiss on his cheek. Even if they didn’t quite remember how they got here, this proved to be the best night of their lives.

#character transformation #character tf #ftm transformation #female to male tf #female to male transformation #ftm tf #Male to male tf #Mtm tf #transformation fiction #transformation #Tf

[jaye-of-the-glen]

(Image id: a screenshot of a purple text post reading "

nelumbo-lotuses asked:

Howdy! I never got to visit the Glen much, but I wanted to know more about your kind! How do you reap the resources you have? Do you have a rancher? What does your kind typically indulge on?" end id)

@nelumbo-lotuses Hello Mason :> I'm not sure if you're the one in my world, but I'll do my best to answer. Before I last went to sleep, when the Glen was more intact, we did a fair bit of both ranching & farming. About half the Glen denizens engaged in small-scale farming of this kind, & everyone engaged in moss farming (more on this below). The chief livestock was - flips through a book - rams for milk & wool, & chickens for eggs & meat. I think some of the ranchers moved here, actually! There's one guy across the way who I keep hearing baaing noises from his window... As for what we indulge in, meat soups! Chicken, to be precise. Ram is too gamey unless you slow cook it.

Anyway, farming! I figure you'll be most interested in this subject. Sadly, I don't know everything, & my books that had the best info on this were lost in the floods. I do know the glenfolk used to farm a lot more before the Sun went away, but I couldn't tell you what plants. I think there is a seed vault somewhere - I hope it's still intact. But anyways - for as long as I can remember, farming has always been more like... small-scale gardening aided by phosphor lamps. Plants tend to grow pretty sickly unless they're the special variant we bred for low light, & even then they're still rather small. What we do grow is various nuts, root vegetables like potatoes & carrots, & of course, maize! While I love nuts, our maize was my favorite crop. We bred them to produce way more seeds than usual for both replanting & eating, & the seeds are delicious. The maize itself we made into bread! Tasty tasty seedbread :> I miss it, truth be told. They grow maize here in the Refuge, in special hydroponic bays, but the bread they make with it just isn't quite the same :< Hopefully with the Sun back & the Glen being slowly repaired, we'll be able to get some again, among other crops.

Now, I promised I'd mention moss farming, & I wouldn't dare leave it out. It's what I know most about, after all! Much like the phosphor shrimp that the Barrens bred for harvesting phosphor, the Glen bred special mosses that harvest phosphor from the soil & thrive in low-light environments. Best of all, they're bioluminescent - they glow!! Fortunately, we have another variant of moss, that mostly grows on the ground & on the outside of our structures, that we've bred for food. It's quite good, actually! A little sweet, even. Anyway, the glowing moss we harvest & store in these little terrarium lamps, so they can provide light for crops & things. It's really cool! I'm not mobile enough to return to the Glen, but I'm sure someone there could ship you a sample.

Hope that answers everything! It was nice to have a normal conversation. I'm kinda helping to solve a crisis at the moment, & this was a breath of fresh air. Would love to chat again sometime!

#jaye speaks #the glen #LORE

[eyesoverinfinity]

Life is a countdown that we can't see.

Keith x Dave ship fanfic, my first non-au fanfic, hope you enjoy!

(20 days until Savannah outbreak)

Keith was having a good day, the sun was shining, he just got out of the ER and he was going work with his boyfriend Dave and best friend Ellis.

Man, it was good to be-

He tripped over a tool box that he failed to see.

"Ah fuck."

Before he hit the floor, someone grabbed him.

"Come on man, ya just got out! don't knock yerself out AGAIN!" it was Ellis. His best bud.

He was wearing one of the twin hats they both had and the yellow shirt from their band, 'the Bullshifters'. Keith used to have one too, but made the mistake of wearing it the day he tried to make fire works. Keith smiled as Ellis got him back on his feet.

"Heh, sorry dude. Didn't see the toolbox."

"You need to pay attention man, Dave has been suggesting that we get ya eyes checked."

"Ellis the last thing I need is to go to more doctors."

"Are you sure? I think you'd look great with glasses." Another voice said from inside.

Keith turned to see David. His plain white, button up shirt and dark grey pants complementing his cherry red glasses that shone in the sun. Dave adjusted his glasses, allowing Keith to see his cornflower blue eyes as he smiled at him.

"How are you Keith?"

"Hey Dave, same old same old." Keith smiled as he stared lovingly into David's eyes as Dave stared back. He had missed this, if he could he would stay there forev-

"Keith and Dave? Earth to Keith and Dave? We got work to do!" Ellis chuckled.

Keith and Dave both stopped, both blushing furiously.

"Um, see you after work! Love you!" Dave spluttered, picking up his notepad and going back to accounting.

"Love you too!" Keith cried back as he rushed off to the car they'd be working on today.

"I should record you two doing that one of these days." Ellis grinned as he grabbed a replacement wheel for said car.

"Shut up." Keith sighed.

(15 days until Savannah outbreak)

The news said that Pennsylvania had been hit by a sickness called the "Green flu". Weird name in Keith's opinion, but hey he wasn't a...

"Darling?" Keith asked

"Yes mon cœur?" asked Dave

He loved it when Dave called him that.

"what do you call a... um... sickness scientist?"

"There's quite a few words for that, but in this case it would be an epidemiologist."

"Thanks" Keith said, kissing the top of Dave's head.

"Your welcome love."

The sun was coming through the window, illuminating the room. The light wasn't too bright, and Keith smiled as it hit the picture of his family that he had hung in the room.

"You think you should get out of bed?" Dave asked, not moving.

"Nah. it's too nice to go outside, I'd rather stay in here with you." Keith answered, "Besides, we always have tomorrow."

Then there was a pause.

"Wait, why only me?"

"Because today is the day you retake your driving test."

"FUCK!"

He rushed out of bed, getting dressed as the love of his life laughed good naturedly from under the covers.

(10 days until Savannah outbreak)

Not much more news had come from Pennsylvania. Keith felt that meant that things where calming down.

Dave thought otherwise.

But for now they were putting that beside them, It was Keith's little brother Steven's 10th birthday. and they tried to keep things like the eternal wet blanket that was mainstream news away from him.

They knocked on the door of Keith's childhood home. The door was opened by his older bother, Paul.

"Hey love-birds, How's things?"

"Not bad," Dave said "I've been studying for my final accountants exams and Keith has passed his driving test again."

"How many times do have to lose it before you aren't allowed to take it again?" Paul joked.

"I don't know man, I'll find the limit some day." Keith said.

They walked into the old wooden house, the paint was a light blue was covered by the pictures of friends, family and places. The floor was a polished oak at one point, but had been worn away with time. Windows from other rooms where lighting up the hallway, it was mostly empty as any tripping hazards were removed whenever Keith comes over.

He had missed his old home, not that he disliked living with his darling of course. But he couldn't help but remember the good times as he passed his now emptied room, that had become a study for their Dad, who was a doctor.

Ah, his room.

Somehow the room he never got injured in.

But that was in the past. Now, it was Steven's day.

They went out into the back yard. The grass was covered in confetti from before they got there, the tree's and chairs each had a a different coloured balloon. Keith knew that Steven's seat was the one with the purple balloon, as that was his favourite colour.

The table for the gifts was placed under the old plum tree. The adults where sat under there, talking about various adult things. The kids were over by the food table, on the other side of the yard.

Steven was with his friend's, they had made a fort around the table with a sign that said "fort food" with the 'r' around the wrong way.

Dave went to see the adults and put the present for Steven (a remote control car), on the table. Keith went to see Steven and add to the food pile.

"Halt!" Said a small voice, It was Steven's best friend Daisy. Her strawberry blond pigtails rested on her shoulder as her sapphire blue eyes stared out at him.

"Who dare approach? State your name 'n purpose!"

"My name is Keith, I come with Hershey's bars."

Keith heard the sound of children's voices from within the cardboard fort.

"You may enter! Open the gates!" Daisy said from behind the cardboard.

Keith had to get on his knees and shuffle in, but was met by foam swords.

"Congratulations! You are a prisoner!" Said Alexander, another one of Steven's friends.

"Oh no." Keith said. Trying to not smile.

"Oh yes!" said the red head boy, "Now you will see the king!"

Steven shuffled forward.

"I am the king!"

"Wow, hello king!"

"Hand over the chocolate!"

"I guess I have no choice."

He handed over the Hershey's bars and sat in the small handmade castle, watching happily as his little brother and their friends ate the 'ill gotten gains'. As he was put in 'prison' to be 'saved' by Paul later.

It was good to see his brothers again.

(8 days until Savannah outbreak)

His back still hurt from crouching in the cardboard fort from two days ago, but if he told Steven that he'd cry from guilt. He was sensitive like that, although he had began to become numb it Keith's many accidents like everyone else he knew.

"That's for the best" Keith thought to himself as he drove Steven to school. He didn't want his baby bro to be upset over things not in his control. Specially when it happens every other week.

"How you doing back there bouncy ball?" Keith asked, Steven rarely sat still, much like Keith. It looked like they also had ADHD like him, but he hadn't been diagnosed yet.

"Good." Steven says. He was kicking his legs in excitement. Unlike most people he liked Mondays because his favourite lesson was on. Drama.

Steven loved song and dance and plays. He liked watching old movies in his free time, (although he was too sensitive for their parents to let him watch anything sadder than a Disney movie because otherwise he'd be brought to tears) and he was good at acting.

The boy loved school. Unless it was math. That brought him to tears for a different reason. Keith could relate.

His little brother was jumping up and down in his seat.

"Hey, try not to do that in the car ok?" Keith said,

"Aww" was Steven's reply. Keith felt like a hypocrite for that, but it was better than him getting hurt.

"Remember what we say about me when I'm in charge?"

"Do as you say, not as you do."

"Correct!"

They pulled up at the school. God was he glad to not have to go there anymore.

"Have a good day Stevie!" Keith waved as he stopped the car to let Steven leave.

"Bye Keith!" Steven waved back as he ran to Daisy, who'd just been dropped off.

Now that Steven was gone, Keith turned on the news.

"The silence from Pennsylvania has spread throughout the country. as people start to question the government on the blackout of information from the quarantine zone, videos of people attacking each other have been leaked from personal satellite's. The borders to Mexico and Canada have been closed, as well as flights to other countries such as Australia, Britain and-"

Keith shut the radio off.

While Dave listened to the news like it was a life line, it made Keith feel like he was drowning. If you paid attention to every bad thing the news talked about you'd think the world was about to end.

He stopped at the empty road, no one was coming from any side. The anxiety of what was happening in other cities with the green flu lead to quite a few people staying home. Of course while a lot of people in this city would likely be walking around even if it was illegal, the number of those who stayed inside was enough to mess with the normal traffic flow.

it didn't help that the news of the green flu and the following riots were scaring off tourists.

It would be REALLY easy to go through that red light. Keith delved into his pocket. Dave had left a note for when he had thoughts like this. He pulled out the small note, upon it read.

"NO. love Dave <3"

Keith sighed.

"The things I do for love."

(4 days until Savannah outbreak)

"You look amazing darling!" Keith assured

"Are you sure?" Dave asked, he was wearing a pale red suit to go to the Savannah counsel meeting.

"Of course! Even if you didn't, which is quite a feat for you by the way, those guys love you."

"Can't say the same for them" Dave muttered.

The majority of the Savannah council were racist.

Dave had originally not wanted to join, but eventually did to help weed out the old men who really had no business being there. (without murder)

The meeting was about how to deal with the approaching Green Flu and the rumours surrounding it. The news was all over the place with what was happening in the quarantine zone, with different stations saying different things about the lethality of the green flu and how it spreads, even what it did to someone once infected. CEDA denying a lot of things didn't help either.

Something the news agreed is that the 'flu', which many were claiming it wasn't one but something far worse, was spreading at an terrifying rate and that the government was organising evacuations for many major cities.

Including Savannah.

Dave and the rest of the council was going to organise with CEDA agents where to put the evacuation points, how many helicopters are needed to evacuate people, etc, to help as many people as possible.

"You'll be great Dave." Keith said, gently pressing his forehead against Dave's.

Dave smiled nervously, "Thanks Keith."

They both kissed and Dave left.

Watching him drive away into the centre of the city, Keith was called by Ellis.

"Hey man, how's things?"

"Hey Keith, Dave's gone to the meeting right?"

"Yeah he just left."

"Man, I wanted to wish him luck."

"You can call him when he gets back." Keith shrugged.

"I can't believe that the government's making us leave!" Ellis complained. None of them had ever liked the government and institutes of power in general, for a wide range of reasons. But this was a time that Keith was forced to say:

"It's better than the alternative. You wanna get stuck in Twilight zone?"

That's what people on the street called the quarantine area. On account of no one knowing jack shit about whets going on in it and the info that has slipped threw the cracks was vague and ominous.

"Maybe if they TOLD us what we were running from I'd agree with ya. But Ma's already out of town visiting family in Alaska, I don't wanna leave all our shit alone." "I'll come over and help you hide your stuff under the floor boards tomorrow if it makes you feel better."

"That'd be great, thanks man."

"Anytime."

"I'ma get back to ya later, I'm working on the apocalypse-proof truck." "Alright. Have fun!"

Ellis hung up. Leaving Keith to look into a sky where the city lights choked out stars.

(1 day until Savannah outbreak)

Keith had volunteered to help escort/herd people into the whirly birds. His family was evacuating from Steven's school and had suggested that he come too. But Keith wanted to make sure as many people got out as possible.

There were a lot of zones and from the looks of it the whole thing was a rushed mess. Course he would know, Dave spent an hour crying over how bad it turned out.

"They put one on a hotel that had thirty flights of stairs, THIRTY!" His lover had cried into his arms. "They didn't even have wheel chair access!"

The good news was a lot of people were volunteering to help others. Granted it wasn't an overwhelming amount. The line up was about 10 people including him, but that's was because most people assumed that CEDA could take care of everything.

Keith didn't trust the organisation of something this big left only to CEDA. Especially after Dave crying into his arms about how badly the meeting had gone. Not that it was only CEDA's fault, from what Keith could gather the Savannah council had been unwilling to let people land whirly birds in Forsyth park because "That would ruin the lawn." but allowed places like the previously mentioned 30 fleets of stairs hotel. Some poor souls would be left for dead there because of how long it'd take to get there, he knew it.

The whole thing was a mess and Keith just wanted to make sure everyone possible could make it out safe.

The line reached him.

"Name?" asked the man in front of him.

"Keith Murphy"

"Volunteer or emergency evac?" emergency evac was registering for the priority list. being disabled, immunocompromised, ect.

"Volunteer." Keith answered

"Oh thank god." whispered the man, that was not the reaction Keith had been expecting.

"Ok, you will be evacuating people on evac zone 18, in the business district. You need to be there by 8:00am and be ready to deal with possible unrest. Can you do that?"

"Yes sir."

The man sighed in relief. "Your a life saver kid, there's barley enough CEDA agents to man every station as it is.... You didn't hear that from me." He quickly added.

Keith shrugged, to say the truth he already knew, he had told his family but they all decided that it would be quicker to leave on a chopper than on the roads, as they would undoubtably get blocked with traffic, or at least that's what Paul said. Ellis said that his truck should get threw anything and Keith was inclined to agree.

After signing some forms the man gave him the address of the evac and said to be and Keith left. The card also said an email would tell him of any other volunteers that would be paired with him.

No email came.

(8:00 hrs until Savannah is overrun)

Keith thought back to yesterday, when he had been tasked with evacuating people in the business district.

"God that was a mistake." He thought to himself.

Not that he didn't want to help people. But two people that came to this evac zone didn't understand the concept of a line or sharing.

"I'm getting on!"

"No I am!"

"There's enough space for everyone." The CEDA agent he was paired with assured. "Please remain calm." She slowly moved them to the edge of the building to stop them from blocking the line.

Keith was busy leading people who WEREN'T fighting to get on one of the five large choppers, into said choppers. As the two old people, who looked like two CEO's of rival business, yelled their heads off not to get on, but seemingly so the other gets left behind.

It reminded him of customer service on black Friday and had he been the more vengeful type he'd may of been tempted to leave them both here just for reminding him of that dark time.

But that wasn't his style. He was a live and let live kind of person. Although that didn't mean he'd go out of his way to save someone who wanted someone else dead when innocent people where right in front of him.

So he shook his head and lead the next lot of people in.

(6:00 hrs)

The last chopper was almost full and the two CEOs were. Still. arguing.

Keith wondered if they even noticed that there was a world around them anymore, they were so consumed in their hatred that they didn't notice it.

They didn't notice the other helicopters leaving.

They didn't notice buildings in the distance catch fire.

They didn't notice the sounds of destruction on the streets coming steadily closer.

While the home Keith had grown up in was burning to the ground because of the unknown, those two continued with some petty feud.

They had been auguring for so long the CEDA agent had seemed to give up on evacuating them. Keith wasn't even sure the two would notice if they leave.

But by god, if he did indeed exist, Keith couldn't leave without TRYING to get them to look around and smell the burning reality. He sighed to himself, internally knowing this likely wasn't worth it. Either they'd both get on, or neither of them would.

"Hey, guys?" Keith tried to get their attention.

There was no change in the two.

"You two! The last chopper is leaving! You want on or not?"

One of them got louder and, was the other one growling?

"Um... Guys?"

The one that was growling tackled the other off the top of the building.

It happed so fast Keith didn't have time to react. He stood there for a good few seconds trying to figure out how or why that happened. They were mad, this world had gone mad.

They ran back to the chopper, just as the CEDA agent got on, and closed the door behind them.

"Were are the other two?" The agent asked

"One of them tackled the other off the building! I don't know what happened!"

"Where you close to them?" she asked immediately.

"Wh- No. I was still about 8 feet from them."

"Ok. Pilot! Get us out of here!"

That conversion was... over oddly quickly. Keith's gut told him that something wasn't right, not a common occurrence but never wrong when it's come up before.

But he didn't even know where to start talking about what just happened, and with the CEDA agent going to check on the others in the chopper he didn't feel it was the time.

He turned to the window slits to look at his hometown.

Keith had always loved fire, even if fire loved him a bit too much. So there was an odd beauty to seeing the world burn.

"How had it come to this?" Keith thought in melancholy. "The movies taught us it takes 28 days for the world to go to hell.... I guess they were a week off."

He sighed aloud, there was nothing for it now... God he hated feeling so responsible.

He looked to the street, unable to see anyone still left. from the traffic it looked like people had abandoned their cars to get away. He looked closer in a morbid curiosity.

Then he saw something, something big.

It was a fleshy, sunburnt thing, towering over the car's around it. Keith would of thought that he had hallucinated it due to stress if a women next to him hadn't screamed and pointed out the troll like creature.

(5:00 hrs)

The massive, horrid thing ripped the road out of the ground and threw the heap of rock straight at them.

The pilot tried his best to get out of the way, but there was not enough time to avoid the bolder in the first place. The tail was ripped of the rest of the vehicle like paper.

The impact almost made Keith fall out then and there. The rubble from parts of the asphalt covered him and would of filled his lungs if he hadn't stopped breathing from the shock.

"Mayday! Mayday!" The pilot said as they plummeted to the earth, Keith barely heard him over the screams of the others, he was so fuelled with panic couldn't hear if he was screaming too.

The chopper hit the ground.

.

.

.

.

.

.

(1:00 hr)

Keith woke up in pain. Not a rare occurrence to be fair, but this was a rare time that he woken up not on a bed.

He took note of where he could feel, all of his limbs felt terrible, but they moved when he told him too. So that was good. He turned his head, seeing human hand stick out from-

'Nope. Can't deal with that right now.' Keith's mind went as he turned his head the other way. 'Focus on you.'

He slowly got up, apart from the initial pain, there didn't seem to be anything he couldn't heal from. He felt a buzzing in his front pocket, his phone by some miracle had not been decimated by the crash.

He answered the phone.

"Hello?"

(00:60)

"Keith?!" Dave exclaimed from the other end. "Where are you?! I've been calling you for at least 3 hours now!"

"My whirly bird crashed! It was hit by.- God I don't even know, some huge fucking thing threw a slab of concrete at it! I survived the crash but I don't think anyone else did. I've been out that whole time."

(00:55)

"That's... Oh god that was your helicopter?! I saw that go down!"

"Where are you?"

"In a different one! I have Steven with me."

Oh thank God, was all Keith could think.

(00:50)

"Do you know where Paul and my parents are?"

"No, Last time I checked they were headed for evac with my family."

"And Ellis?"

"I don't know. Said something about his own way out?"

"Stay with Steve. I'll find a different evac point."

(00:40)

"Don't go t҉o҉ t҉h҉e҉ m҉a҉l҉l҉"

"What?"

"Don't go to the mall! I can see it being overrun from here!"

Keith didn't know what Dave meant by that, but he didn't have time to ask.

He realised Dave had said something.

"Dave you're breaking up"

"Steven wants to talk to you."

"Put him on"

(00:30)

"Keith?" said a shaky voice, it hurt his heart just to hear the boy like that.

"Hey Bouncy ball."

"Are you going to be ok?" This made Keith stop, he was never this direct.

"Of course! It's me after all! I always turn out ok!"

"Promise?" Steven sounded close to tears.

"I promise." Keith said. He knew he couldn't stay on for long "Stay with Dave, he'll look after you."

He heard a noise that sounded like a yes.

(00:20)

"OK, I'm going to find my way to you and everything will be fine ok?"

"And you won't let the monsters get you?"

"Nah, No monster could get me!"

His body had turned ice cold, he didn't know what was going on, but he didn't like what he was seeing when he looked between the lines.

But what could he do? He wanted to go look for the rest of his family, but that could lead to him getting into more danger. They could take care of themselves, Keith decided. They were smart people.

He breathed out, then spoke into the phone.

(00:10)

"I love you, ok Steven?" Keith said, knowing those could be his last words to him.

(00:09)

"I love y-" The phone cut out before Steven could finish. Keith quickly checked his phone, The battery was fine, but the connection had ceased to work.

(00:08)

He heard a noise, a scream from down the road.

(00:07)

He turned to look for the source of the voice, to see if he could help.

(00:06)

But the scream was swallowed up by a choirs of maddened roars

(00:05)

As he saw what could only be described as a title wave, Keith saw too late what Dave and Steven had meant.

(00:04)

Now all he could do was run.

(00:03)

He turned to do so,

(00:02)

But found the other side had a similar storm of bodies.

(00:01)

He braced himself, the hoard was upon him.

(00:00)

#left 4 dead 2 #l4d2 keith #ellis l4d2 #left 4 dead #l4d2 dave #l4d2 fanfic #l4d2 #l4d #valve #l4d2 ellis

[browniboxx]

A Kirby Christmas Special!

"Word around Castle Dedede is that the king and a select few Waddle Dees go missing every Christmas Eve," Bandana Waddle Dee says, putting on an oven mit.

"Really?" Kirby asks his friend, tilting his head, the jingle bells on his antlered headband ringing.

"That's what I've heard," Bandana Dee replies, taking a fresh batch of cookies out of the oven.

Kirby sits on the counter and ponders this strange phenomenon. Then, his mind begins to wander and he wonders what his otherworldly friends like to do for Christmas every year. Kirby hops off the counter and begins to walk out of the kitchen.

"Make sure to be back before dinner so we can frost the cookies!" Bandana Dee shouts, placing a new batch of cookies in the oven.

First stop is technically not "otherworldly" as it is also on planet popstar, but Kirby deemed it different enough to ask. After a straining climb, Kirby makes his way around the city in Floralia, admiring the baked goods in various bakery windows. Soon, he makes his way to the grand castle. After making small talk with a few guards, Kirby is escorted to the royal throne room where he meets his friend, the relatively recently appointed king, Taranza.

"Hai!" Kirby says to Taranza with a smile.

"Hello, Kirby!" Taranza replies.

"Merry Christmas," Taranza's secretary, Spinndle adds from behind her boss.

Kirby takes out a pen and notepad, "What's a unique Christmas tradition you have here in Floralia?"

"Why don't we show you?" Taranza replies.

Taranza and Spinndle lead Kirby to a park in the city with a large Christmas tree, various flowers and lights decorate it. In the middle; surrounded by a small white fence and neatly wrapped gifts.

"This is our community tree," Spinndle says, "People across the community donate gifts for the needy."

"Anyone who didn't or couldn't get a gift this year can grab one," Taranza adds, placing a few more gifts down, "Most of the gifts are donated by my staff and I."

Kirby nods and scribbles in his notepad, "Thanks! I gotta go now. Merry Christmas!"

Taranza and Spinndle wave as Kirby leaves.

His next stop was to hitch a ride with his friend Magolor, who had his Starcutter parked nearby.

"Hey, Kirby! What's up?" Magolor asked from atop the ship.

"Hey, Lorie," Kirby replies, "Can you take me to a couple places? I'm doing important Christmas stuff!"

"Sure thing! Consider it a second Christmas gift," Magolor remarks with a wink.

And off the two go, first stop: Ripplestar!

"Hey, Mags?" Kirby asks, doodling in his notepad.

"Yeah, Kirb?"

"What do you guys do on Halcandra for Christmas?"

Magolor thinks for a moment, "I don't remember much, but I do remember making a kind of fruitcake made of fruit from Halcandra."

"Cool beans!" Kirby says, and writes it down.

Soon, they arrive at Ripplestar where they greeted by Kirby's friend Ribbon.

"Seasons greetings, Kirby! How nice of you to stop by!" Ribbon says with a smile.

"Hey, Ribbon! Merry Christmas," Kirby says, stepping out of the Lor, "What's something fairies like to do for Christmas?"

"I'll show you!" Ribbon gestures for Kirby to follow her.

They make their way to the castle and through the bustling halls to a grand living room with a fireplace.

"This is our fireplace," Ribbon says, "For Christmas, we burn exclusively cherry wood! The tradition goes as far back as when the first queen founded Ripplestar!"

"Intra-sting," Kirby mumbles as he writes in his notepad, "I gotta go now, Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" Ribbon shouts as Kirby runs off.

"Alright, Magolor! Next stop: Kandyland!" Kirby exclaims, running into the Starcutter.

"Aye aye!" Magolor says, setting the Lor to go to Kandyland.

Within minutes, they arrived in the courtyard of Kandy Castle. The guards in the front rush over to examine the ship including two familiar faces. Sir Chip and Dame Sundaie. Sir Chip dissuade the other guards from attacking the Starcutter and greets Kirby and Magolor.

"Merry Christmas!" Kirby chimed, hopping out of the Lor.

"Salutations, Kirby," Chip greets, "What brings you to Kandyland this Christmas?"

"I'm asking all my friends what they do for Christmas!"

"Ooo!" Sundaie exclaims, "C'mon! We'll show you!"

Kirby and Magolor are lead to the kitchen where The Confection King and his daughter Princess Sugaree are.

"Why, Hello there," The king says with a smile, "Merry Christmas!"

"We were just about to hand out gifts to children around the valley!" Sugaree remarks, "Care to join us?"

"Correction, dear daughter, YOU were going to hand out gifts. I have business to attend to."

"Yes, yes. I know, father," Sugaree leans down to Kirby's level, "Ignore my father. He's a bit boring."

Kirby chuckles and the three of them go out to hand out gifts, Sir Chip following close behind.

Once they return, they are greeted by Mon Roll and Lady Sugarose.

"Hey, Kirby," Mon Roll chimes, "Wanna get snacks to leave out for Santa with me?"

Kirby nods enthusiastically and Follows Mon Roll, Chip, and Kandi to the kitchen.

"What do you guys usually leave out for Santa in Dream Land?" Mon Roll asks, grabbing a plate from the cabinet.

"Cookies and milk," Kirby replies, "What do you guys do here?"

"Gumdrops and eggnog!" Mon Roll beams, "Or other things. Depends on the region."

"We leave out eggnog here in Vanilla Valley," Kandi adds, "Lemonade in Candyfloss Forest, milkshakes near the mountains, the list goes on."

Kirby nods and writes it down. After a few minutes of chit-chat, Kirby had to leave.

Back At Castle Dedede, Bandee was taking the last batch of cookies out of the oven when Kirby ran in. Kirby decided to spend the night at the castle.

Later, in the middle of the night Kirby awoke to sounds of jingle bells and a jolly, strangely southern, laugh. He runs to the stairs and peers at the man dressed in red from around the corner.

"That'll do it," the man said, the voice was very familiar to Kirby.

"Dedede?! You're Santa?!" Kirby exclaimed, hopping down the stairs.

"Kirby?!" Dedede exclaimed, "Why are you awake?!"

"Oh my Nova! You ARE Santa!"

"Hold on-"

"I knew it!" Kirby danced around happily.

"Uhh…" Dedede looked around and noticed the plate of cookies on the table, "I'll give ya these if ya don't tell nobody!"

Kirby looked at the cookies, "Sure!"

And so, Kirby got to eat cookies at 2am.

The end.

#kirby #sir chip #kandi sugarose #fan oc #fanfic #kirby oc #kirby ocs #kirby original character #king dedede #kirby bandana dee #bandana waddle dee #kirby kandyland #ribbon kirby #kirby dedede #dedede is santa real #they had a huge Christmas feast with the homies after this #writers on tumblr

[leet911]

Imogen/Laudna Sci-Fi AU Ch2 Teaser

[AN: I'm still getting notes on the concept post I made some weeks ago, so I hope people know I actually started writing this. Working on Ch2 got derailed by the events of the last 2 CR episodes. 😜 Read ch1 on AO3]

---

“Shall I take you home?” Laudna offers from the darkness. "My ship took some damage diving into the atmosphere, but once it's patched up I can take you back."

Imogen considers the question, the figure asking, and the dark room around her. Only the faintest safety lights adorn the floor of the ship, marking out paths and walls. Laudna is mostly hidden again, her face having been briefly visible when she stepped forward to shake hands, but otherwise she’s just a lanky shape in the background.

“It’s very dark in here.” Imogen states the obvious instead of saying she doesn’t want to go home. Somehow, it seems safer not to think about that. The music in her mind is still fast, and when she closes her eyes she can see the red storm of her dreams blending into the atmosphere of the gas giant. “Where are we?” She blurts out.

Laudna shifts to one side, slides the cover up a viewport, and the room is bathed in a reflected red glow. Outside the window are the swirling gasses that Imogen remembers so vividly.

In here though, is a sparse room with very little furniture. The walls and floor look almost wooden and decaying, so unlike the gleaming metal Imogen’s always associated with military ships. The bed she sits on is a tattered mattress with threadbare sheets accompanied by a similarly ragged blanket and pillow. On the floor is her crumpled spacesuit, helmet askance as though the whole thing was removed and discarded in a hurry. A little further away is a table facing the wall, and that table is covered with small knick-knacks and bits of material, little ornaments and tools. An assortment of half-completed crafts is strewn about. Imogen sees spools of thread and a pair of scissors, a mug whose handle is only partly attached, what looks like a child’s doll but missing the head and one leg.

The hair on the back of Imogen's neck rises. Goosebumps form on the exposed skin of her arms.

Laudna notices right away. Laudna sees Imogen looking around then looking at her. So Laudna closes the viewport again, hides herself once more in the dark. “Are you cold?”

Imogen nods, somehow sure that Laudna can see her even without light. “Yeah, it is a bit chilly.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t usually have guests.” And she busies herself with some controls near the entrance to the room. Almost immediately, the air begins to warm. “Would you like some food or water?”

“Water, please.”

Laudna opens the door to leave.

“Wait.” Imogen calls out, rubbing her own forearms. “Can you turn on the light?”

There's a long pause. Imogen can feel the thoughts swirling around Laudna's head. And she's not trying to pry, but there's no one else here. It's just them, and Laudna's thoughts are singular and loud even before she speaks them. People say I'm scary. "People think I'm scary."

"People say I'm scary too."

"You don't look scary." You look nice.

Imogen reaches out telepathically and connects with Laudna, speaks straight into her mind. Looks can be deceiving.

Laudna turns on the lights and flees the room

---

[to be continued]

#my fic #sci fi au #this is not a flesh wound #critical role #fanfiction #imodna #laudna #imogen temult

[los-ninos-tortugas]

Previous

"Leonardo da Vinci? The Leonardo da Vinci!?" Donnie exclaimed. Captain Janeway chuckled behind him.

"The one and only" da Vinci replied.

"A holographic recreation," Captain Janeway murmured, "extrapolated from contemporary accounts as well as from da Vinci's own journals. "

Donnie knows that logically, that still leaves a lot of gaps for the computer to fill in. He has to admit though, he finds it oddly comforting that even so far into the future people still hold such admiration for the fathers of the Renaissance to go so far as to try to make accurate AI recreations of them to interact with.

Just the implication of the complexity behind the code that makes up the man standing before him has Donnie bouncing on the balls of his feet just thinking about it. The holodeck is for recreation, surely the codes and subroutines are publicly available? He'll have to take a moment to rifle through the computer core and find the raw data form of this file. (His access has been frustratingly limited thus far, it'd be nice to have a file he can look up that won't have Commander Tuvok coming to lecture him about abusing his computer privileges.)

Presently however, Donnie's fingers are itching to touch literally everything in this workshop, dear Galileo where does he even start!?

"You two have come on a fortuitous day," said da Vinci. "There has been a funeral this morning, now all we must do is wait for dark, tell me, Katerina, how does your young friend feel about a little light grave robbing?"

Before Donnie can even begin to process that, Captain Janeway thankfully steps in.

"Er, maestro, perhaps we should save that for another day. Donatello is much more interested in inventions than anatomy."

Da Vinci seems nonplussed by the apparent change in his plans, giving nothing more than a shrug.

"Then come, come, I will show you what progress I have made on my latest creations."

And so they are led into the heart of the workshop, and not only does Donnie get to witness a true genius at work, but he gets to work with him.

Donnie is not sure how much time passes, too consumed with the satisfying feeling of letting his hands go to work and create something for the first time in a long time. The materials he has to work with are so simple, that it's all the more gratifying when he is able to assemble them into something more complex.

Throughout it all Captain Janeway is a surprisingly congenial presence. She never talks down to him or ever shuts down an idea outright. She offers suggestions and advice, and Donnie is struck by the realization that she is a fellow "student of the sciences" as she put it, and not just a commanding officer.

(And if that doesn't just make her even cooler...)

By the time the artificial day has turned to artificial night and the workshop is lit by candlelight, Donnie feels lighter. And also apparently tired, as he fails to hold back a jaw-cracking yawn.

"I think that's our cue to say goodnight," Janeway said. With that, Janeway saves and closes the program. Donnie almost wants to protest and ask for just a little more time, but she did say he's welcome to come back whenever he wants...

"Come on, I think we've both missed dinner, but I'm sure we can cajole Neelix into scrounging something together for us."

Soon enough they're both lounging by the windows in the mess hall, watching the stars go by at warp speed, each with a cup of hot chocolate for dessert. (He's mildly surprised the Captain didn't go for her usual black coffee, which she seems to drink no matter what time it is. Maybe she's trying to set a good example, the adults here have been annoyingly particular about limiting his own caffeine intake.)

The silence is amicable, the ambient sounds of the ship make for a pleasant hum to fill the space between them. There's no pressure here, in this moment to be anything other than content but, still, Donnie feels like something is released when he murmurs,

"My brother is named after him, you know."

Janeway almost misses the small revelation beneath the gentle buzz of the ship's internal workings. "Pardon?" she asks, curious.

"My twin," Donnie said, now at a regular volume. "He's named after Leonardo da Vinci. Not that anyone besides dad ever calls him Leonardo. We usually just call him Leo, sometimes he calls himself 'Leon'... I call him Nardo sometimes. He's nothing like da Vinci himself but... I dunno."

His eyes stay resolutely on the window but he can tell that the Captain has her full attention on him now. He drums his fingers on his mug, not knowing what to do with that.

"... Donatel-" she starts, "... Donnie." He finally looks at her, mildly shocked. He can tell the informality sits awkwardly on her tongue but she smiles at him anyway.

"Please, tell me about him."

#set a course for home #rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt crossover #star trek #star trek voyager #star trek crossover #rottmnt au #rottmnt donnie #captain janeway #katnip writes

[hallothere]

10 with... whoever first comes to mind :3

10. Comfort after something so angsty we have to do something not angsty with the au/hc that lives in my head rent free

There is something exhausting in restlessness. Roaming without direction, or anchor. He thinks of boats, sometimes. The idea is quite nice, but he could never be a sailor. He would be ever worried over the ship- itself the size and quite frankly the function of a home- at the mercy of the waves. And that for far longer than it's in harbor, if her captain has his way.

Boats of that sort belong on the sea. They were made and equipped and crewed with such a thing in mind.

He felt like a harbor, sometimes.

The cakes were a little luxury. He had his own arrangement with a bee-keeper on the other side of Bree ("The Honey Combe" she had said, eyes twinkling, face creased in glee) for any novelties in the batch. Honey made quite a good icing, or filling, when the mix was right. Of course, guests at the cabin had a bad habit of slathering it on anything. He'd caught them, fingers-in-mouths, trying to clean up the aftermath of anything from honey-dipped carrots to unsuccessfully candied jerky.

Now his pan had cooled, and it was time to take the fluffy fruits of his labor and do something with them. The 'Honey Combe' had provided an interesting batch after the bountiful spring, and he held the jar of deep amber up to the window so it caught the light.

A stifled yawn let him know his guest had woken, and that his foreign footsteps should not be taken as an intruder's. He smiled to himself. Ranger courtesy. The honey jar opened easily and it was the task of a moment to spoon out enough to mix.

"You really ought to bang pots and pans around. Let me sleep in like this and I'll shirk duty like the laziest cadet."

He grinned. "Well, for the first day you're a guest. After that I'll have you--" he stilled his tongue on the idea of mucking the stable, pretending to consider, "-thatching the roof. I'm getting too old to crawl up there."

A snort, of all things, the creaking of his sofa. A boat with anchor shorn, he thought.

"Thatch! Well, I suppose one must have something. Have you ever considered shingles? No, don't answer that, I wasn't volunteering." More movement on the sofa, then the scrape of his dining bench on wood. "Perhaps you didn't wake me for breakfast to ensure I didn't cook it. Dare I put the coffee on?"

He shook his head. "It's already made. You're welcome to it." As if Erebrandir's trough hadn't been filled, or the day's water drawn from the well. It was done earlier than he'd been awake, and for that reason he dared not comment.

"Well, time marches on." He continued. "Tomorrow, I can have you painting the shutters on the front."

Rifling his cupboards for a mug. "And if I'm gone, vanished in the night?"

A ship unmoored. "And miss the chance to paint them some abominable color as a jest?"

"You know me too well! Now I am forced to stay, sworn to the service of my elderly taskmaster. Say- that isn't the wooden horse you stole from Elendil in your schoolyard days?"

He rolled his eyes. "Pour me a mug too, if you would. These feeble hands can hardly lift the pot and my eyesight is so dimmed I can't tell it from the flower vase."

He heard the dramatic sigh and the clink of acquiescence. Ships were made to sail, but how dear a comfort when they were safe in the shelter of the harbor.

#ask games #screaming crying thank yoooooooou #saeradan #radanir #i think there's probably 1 zillion good endings possible but what if: cabin successor radanir #saeradan: ok he's finished babyranger training but can i keep him #halbarad: he's like a wild ferret what are you thinking #fic tag

[burgundybmw]

Guitar String of Fate

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4,062

Warning: Drunken shenanigans, thirst tweets.

Summary: When the band Daughters of Lilith tour bus breaks down in the middle of Indiana, they are left stranded for a few hours waiting for help. Y/N (also known by Echo) sees a bar in the distance with a giant LIVE MUSIC sign in bright neon lights, she tells the girls they might as well find some entertainment while they wait. The local favorite Corroded Coffin is playing, and when she locks eyes with the guitar player for the first time, Y/N can’t help but feel the electricity in the air. Will this be a missed connection? Or will the strings of fate bring them together again?

Author’s Note: Who doesn't love rockstars? I certainly do.

Part II

Y/N knew she'd get an earful after dropping the album early. Murray ran a tight ship and as their manager, it was his job to keep everything in order. There was supposed to be promo parties, meetings with big wigs, a bunch of fancy dinners. That was the plan, but Y/N was so exhausted. The tour took a lot out of her, the rest of the girls too. Chrissy was half dead on her feet after every show. Y/N made the split second decision to release the drop to ease the transition after the Antiquity tour. She knew Murray would give her an earful, but she didn't really care. The fans loved it, the rest of the band agreed, and that's all she needed to know. She didn't regret her decision in the slightest, but Murray's nagging was really grating on her ears.

"I don't see what the big deal is. It hasn't even been a day and the album is already charting in the top 10. You should thank me honestly"

"Thank you?! I should thank you?! I swear when you guys get to L.A-"

"Sorry Murray, you're breaking up. Bad reception in Hawkins. Talk to you later!" Y/N hung up the phone and immediately turned it off.

"You're terrible" Barb chuckled at the head of the bus. They'd only been driving for a couple of hours, passing through Hawkins, Indiana before getting on the interstate. Y/N had begged the driver to at least pass through it since they couldn't make a formal stop. Alexei was always a bit over a pushover, so of course he caved to her whim.

"Please, Murray would have harped on me all the way to California and you know it" Barb nodded in agreement. Murray was like an overexcited chihuahua. Loud, in your face, and had a hysterical temper. Once you got him going it was difficult to stop him.

"I really wish we could have stayed in Hawkins for a bit. It would have been nice to see people" Chrissy sighed.

"Next time we can Chris, we'll make a whole weekend of it" Y/N loved the idea of Hawkins. Barb, Chrissy, and Vickie always talked about how much they loved growing up there. It was quaint, a town almost stuck in time. Old shops and arcades that have maintained their charm over the decades. It was starkly different than Y/N's childhood, she hated growing up in Athens, California. A neighborhood outside the glitz and glamor of Los Angeles. It was busy and loud, where Hawkins had an ease of peace to it.

"Sure I guess, wish we could do it now instead of later though"

It was as if Chrissy's words bled magic, her will to stay in her hometown manifesting into reality. All of the sudden a loud bang rang out on the back of the bus, the sound nearly deafening. The bus came to a slow stop, the wheezing and hissing of mechanics ringing their ears.

"What the hell was that?" Eden yelled through the curtain of her bus bed.

"I'm not sure, I'll ask Alexei" Vickie skittered out of her seat and raced to to the front of the bus. Y/N looked out the window to see a dense array of trees, the evening sun barely visible through them. It couldn't have been a worse place to stop.

"Oh no, is the bus broken?" Chrissy asked, taking a seat next to Y/N on the bench.

"You might get your wish after all Chris" Y/N could hear Eden groan from behind the curtain. They were all drained from the end of the tour, the follow up interviews, dealing with packing up the bus, everything. It wasn't the best time for a break down, a mechanical one or otherwise.

"Alexei thinks we blew a tire!" Vickie shouted from the head of the bus.

"Christ almighty!" Eden complained. Y/N tried dialing Murray's number, but it went straight to voicemail. The petty bastard silenced his phone. It was her own fault, Murray wasn't stupid. He knew she hung up on him on purpose. Normally that would be a small blessing, but now their tour bus was out of action in the outskirts of Hawkins. It was not the time to be spiteful.

Y/N stood up and walked towards the busses exit. If she didn't step foot off that god forsaken tour bus she knew she would lose her shit. The late summer air was thick with humidity, the smell of burnt rubber flooding her nostrils.

"What's the damage?" Alexei was bent over in front of the large bus tire, a large gaping hole in the front of it. Metal kissed pavement, it didn't take an engineer to know they were fucked.

"It looks like we will not make our destination tonight" Alexei replied. Eden, Chrissy, Barb, and Vickie all shuffled out of the bus to look at the damage, the same look of grief written on all of their faces.

"Great. Just great. What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Eden complained, banging her head on the metal frame of the bus.

"Can't we call Triple A or something? We can't be stuck here all night! What if there are bears or something out here!"

"There are no bears in Hawkins, Chrissy. It's all gonna be okay"

"There are coyotes though"

"Not helpful Vickie" Barb chastised. Chrissy was in a near panic, pacing up and down the road. She was always a gentle soul, soft and demure. When she played drums that persona flew right out the window, pounding away until the wood sticks snapped beneath her fingers. Y/N often teased her about her Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde personality shift, but she kept her mouth shut in the moment. It was clear Chrissy wasn't the only one who was nervous about the situation.

Y/N walked up to where Chrissy was pacing and wrapped her arms around her, comforting the anxious blonde before she spiraled. It was then she noticed a large rusted sign sticking out up the road. Half the letters were missing from it, but the Live Music notice below it was crystal clear.

"Do any of you guys recognize that up ahead?" Y/N asked, taking a step away from Chrissy.

"That's The Hideout. It's an old dive bar" Barb replied.

"Is it any good?" It didn't really matter either way. Dive bars meant booze and cheap food, the live music was just a bonus.

"Wouldn't know, I've never been" It was the perfect distraction. They could all pass the time listening to whatever local band played while they wait for help to arrive. Y/N knew if she step foot on that bus while it was shipwrecked it would totally ruin her night. After months of traveling the walls inside the metal machine felt more like a tomb than a mode of transportation. She was nearly claustrophobic.

"Perfect. Let's go" Y/N began to walk towards the bar before Eden reached out to stop her, the iron grip on her arm halting any chance of movement.

"What if someone recognizes us? Chrissy, Barb, and Vickie are locals. We were just in Indianapolis. It could be more of a headache than just staying here" She made an excellent point. The last thing any of the girls wanted was a media circus, especially with no way to escape it.

"We have those wigs in the car leftover from the shoot in Chicago, we could totally use those! It would be a whole Hannah Montana moment! But backwards!" Chrissy beamed, the panic from earlier replaced with giddy joy.

"Sounds good to me"

The Hideout was like any dive bar in the midwest. It was a little worn, a little dated, but comforting nonetheless. A large U shaped bar crowded with people cut the bar in half, and on the other side by the bathrooms was a small merch stand. There was a small stage set up, instruments on display for the live show. A clearly handmade banner hung above the stage, in spray painted letters it spelled out Corroded Coffin.

"Have you guys heard of this band?" Y/N asked above the noise of the bar. The shots she did in the tour bus making her feel warm and loose. The platinum blonde wig on her head was beginning to itch, she desperately wanted to rip it off. Exposure be damned.

"It sounds familiar but I can't put my finger on it!" Vickie shouted.

"Ugh it's driving me nuts! I definitely know them from somewhere! It's right at the tip of my tongue" Chrissy groaned, adjusting her hot pink wig.

The band hadn't entered the stage yet, the crowd at the front of it were all decked out in vintage metal gear. Battle jackets, spikes and pins of classic bands. It was reminded Y/N of when she was a kid, sneaking into concert venues to listen to the music her parents forbade her from. Nostalgia, oh lovely nostalgia.

"I'm gonna get a drink, see you guys in a bit" Y/N walked through the crowd to get to the bar, it had been so long since she had to. When she would go out with the girls, the people would part for them like the red sea, but no one here recognized her. She loved it. To just exist as a normal person, drinking and listening to live music, going back to her roots. When she finally got up to the bar there was a wall of people yelling to get their orders in, all of them towering over her.

'Great. Never gonna get blitzed at this rate' Y/N thought to herself. She felt a soft tap to her shoulder, the hand belonging to a guy she'd assumed would normally never set foot in a place like this.

"Here, take my spot. I'm just getting water anyway"

"Thanks, you're a life saver!" Y/N stepped into his place, the guy stepping away giving her enough personal space.

"No problem, I know how crazy it can get here. The name's Steve" He held his hand out to shake, something she gently returned.

"I'm Y/N. Ya know, if I'm being honest, you don't look like the kind of guy I'd expect to be here" Steve was wearing a polo shirt and a wind breaker, he looked like he shopped at J. Crew, went to private school. Probably drives an Audi or a BMW. That type.

"I get that a lot," Steve chuckled, "this is my friends band. I always come to his shows when I can. I'll be honest, metal isn't my favorite, but he's a cool guy and I like to show my support"

"That's cool. Are they any good?" Y/N said as she held a $20 bill in the air, fastest way to get a bartenders attention.

"Not the best judge of the music, but I think they're really talented. The only metal I've listened to is Daughters of Lilith, but that's only because my best friend Robin is obsessed with them"

Y/N placed her order, barely containing the smirk on her face. Rockstars relish in hearing about people loving their music, always adds a boost to their Jupiter sized egos. Those who don't are either liars or have the humility of Mother Theresa. Y/N was neither.

"Oh yea? Is Robin here tonight?" Get a couple of drinks in her, Y/N would have zero hesitation in exposing her disguise. Especially for a major fan, Murray and the other suits be damned.

"Nah, she couldn't make it. She's at a birthday party. Pretty sure she's listening to the new album now though, she hasn't shut up about since it dropped. Do you listen to them?" The bartender handed Y/N her drink, a captain and ginger. When she took a sip, Y/N quickly realized it was definitely more captain and not so much ginger. Dive bars and their heavy pours.

"Oh yea, I listen to D.O.L all the time. I've followed the band since the beginning" Not technically a lie, not a full truth either.

"Robin's gonna be so bummed out she missed this, she's followed them since the beginning too, I'm sure she'd talk your ear off about them. The only reason I've listened to them was because she wanted someone else to talk to about their music. She did the same thing to our friend Eddie, but he's more into that scene than I am"

"Spreading the metal gospel?" Y/N chuckled, sipping on her drink.

"Oh yea, for sure. She has this massive crush on the guitarist, Vickie too. Robin used to be in band with her back in high school, but she never had the courage to talk to her. Shit, probably shouldn't have said that"

"Trust me, if I had a dollar for every time I said something I shouldn't have I would be richer than King Midas" An idea popped in Y/N's head then. She nabbed the pen from behind the bar and grabbed one of the band's flyers, it was a little wet in the corners but it would get the job done. Steve's back was turned, ordering a glass of water from the bartender. Y/N quickly wrote out a note and signed the bottom, gently sticking into the pocket of his windbreaker. A little something for her band's biggest fan.

The lights in the bar began to dim, shrouding the room in darkness. Cheers erupted from the crowd in front of the stage, the show was about to begin.

"See ya around Steve" Y/N said as she walked away, navigating through the crowd once again. The buzz from cheap liquor flooded her veins, a sense of euphoria firing off the neurons in her brain. When was the last time she went to a show that wasn't her own? To be a face in the crowd instead of the lead on stage? It must have been years. She didn't realize how much she felt the absence of it until she stepped foot inside The Hideout, missed the rush of getting lost in the sea of people, all dancing to the beat of the same drum.

"Shit, there you are! Hurry up the show's about to start! Everyone else is at the front already!" Eden grabbed Y/N's arm and pulled her deep into the crowd, her legs stumbling along like a newborn gazelle. She followed Eden's lead as she steamrolled through the crowd. It was one of the things Y/N loved about her, how she could push her way through anything. Eden was the band's rock, Y/N would be lost without her.

"You made it just in time! The band's about to come out!" Vickie shouted. Eden practically shoved Y/N against the stage barrier, the hard metal digging into her ribs. It was a great spot, off center towards stage left. Y/N was squished in between Eden and Chrissy, a swarm of people behind them. They were all shouting, pushing and prodding to get to the front of the crowd, desperate to get close to the band. Electricity was in the air, a beautiful controlled chaos. Then the members of Corroded Coffin finally walked on stage, it felt like a bolt of lightning struck down through Y/N's spine.

Standing barely six feet in front of her was the most sublime creature Y/N had ever seen. Long limbs dressed in leather and denim, the hands that gripped the B.C. Rich Warlock decorated with thick metal rings. He had a smile that could outshine the beaming lights on the stage, and hair long enough to pull. This man checked every one of Y/N's boxes. She didn't stand a chance.

"I want to have his rockstar babies" Any filter that Y/N had previously possessed was gone with the wind. The booze, the music, the man in front of her, three strikes and she was out.

"What?" Eden yelled over the cheers.

"I said! I want, to have, his rockstar babies!" Y/N screamed in her face, oblivious to the fact that the man himself could hear her. When she turned around she saw him looking straight at her, a wolfish grin on his face. Y/N widened her eyes when he gave her wink, matching the endearing dimple on his flushed cheeks. Done for, she was absolutely done for.

"I'm embarrassed for you" Eden groaned.

"Be embarrassed then. Doesn't make it any less true" Y/N was sure Eden had another oh so clever quip to add, but was interrupted by the screeching sound of the mic reverb.

"Sorry about that, Gareth always fucks up the the mic set up" the man behind the mic teased.

"Fuck off, Jeff" the drummer, Gareth Y/N supposed, replied.

"Love you too man," Jeff began, "anyways, we're Corroded Coffin and we're gonna put on a bitchin' show for y'all tonight. We're gonna start with something all of you should know, if not, why the hell are you guys here? Hit it!"

Y/N instantly recognized the guitar rip, the opening chords to Master of Puppets blasting her ears. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought it was done by James Hetfield himself. The man had an insane amount of talent, too much to be wasted in some old dive bar. His fingers waltzed against the warlock's strings like he had it with him in utero. Y/N was entranced, fully underneath his spell. She had never felt this way before, never felt this moved watching another person play. Not even herself.

Eden watched Y/N gaze at the guitarist on stage with a knowing look in her eye. She knew that by the end of the night, one of three things would happen. One, Y/N would make a damn fool out of herself in front of mystery guy. Two, she'd chicken out and just stare at him while he played. Or three, a locked tour bus and a suspiciously loud speaker playing inside, leaving the rest of them stranded on the road. The last one was very unlikely, for as long as Eden knew her Y/N never hooked up with strangers. A serial monogamist at heart, poor thing. So it was either option one or two, if Eden was gonna bet money on it, she'd go with the first.

It made her miss Argyle all the more, he had left to go back to California halfway through the tour. He was the perfect partner, always attentive to her needs, constantly lending a hand to anyone who needed it, could lighten up a room the moment he entered. Eden wasn't a hopeless romantic, that was all Argyle, but she loved him with everything in her. A part of her wanted that for the rest of her friends too. Chrissy had a bad break up before she left for Los Angeles, some douchebag zealot she dated back in high school. Vickie always mentioned some girl she used to have a crush on back in the day, but never did anything about it. Barb was harder to read. She never mentioned anyone she was interested in, but Eden did notice the eyes she gave Fred Benson during the MTV interview. The same eyes Y/N was giving the guitarist as he played through the set, and if her eyes didn't deceive her, a similar look on Chrissy's face as she watched the drummer, Gary? Gareth. Definitely Gareth. Who knows, maybe Hawkins, Indiana had better luck than Eden previously thought.

"I'm gonna throw my bra on stage" Y/N slurred beside her.

"Don't you dare!" Eden's words fell on deaf ears, especially with Chrissy chanting do it, do it, do it, beside them. Corroded Coffin had just finished up some original work, it was pretty good. A little unpolished, but with the right set up and practice they could tune that right up.

"It's already in motion Lady Eden, can't stop me now. I shall give the fair warlock knight a favour, a token of my appreciation" Y/N replied as she stealthily unhooked her bra beneath her shirt.

"I'm banning you from Medieval Times for the next month"

"Oh, boo" Y/N slipped the black lace fabric off her skin the moment before the band began to play once more. She tossed into the air, the bra taking flight like a bat in the night. The guitarist caught it before he it landed on his face. He looked annoyed at first, as if he was used to people throwing things at him, before he realized what it was. A look of pure excitement consumed him, like a kid getting his favorite toy on Christmas morning.

"Dude, is that a bra?" Jeff voiced into the mic.

"Sure is"

"Can I see?" Eden rolled her eyes, men were so predictable.

"No way man, it's mine now. Probably wont look as good on me as it would on the lady who gave it though" The guitarist attempted to fit his arms through the straps, giggling like a school girl. He quickly gave up the endeavor, his shoulders were too broad for it to fit, deciding to tie it around the strap instead. Y/N looked like she was having a religious experience, Eden wanted to gag.

"Oh my god his voice, I can't, I just can't" Y/N whined, her knuckles gripping the metal barrier as if she would blow away at any moment.

"Y/N, you're like, one of my bestest friends ever, and I say this with all the love in my heart because you're like, the sister I never had, but you seriously need to get laid"

"Chrissy!"

"Am I wrong?"

"Nope" Eden, Vickie, and Barb all replied at the same time.

"Stop killin' my buzz. Let me fantasize in peace!" They all turned back towards the stage, ignoring Y/N's protest. Corroded Coffin started their final encore of the night, it was only a matter of time before Eden found out which of the three options would come into fruition.

As the song came to an end, Eden's phone buzzed in her pocket. She wanted to ignore it, content on enjoying the music, but it kept ringing. Over and over and over again. Whoever it was, was desperate to get ahold of her. With an annoyed groan she pulled out her phone, Murray's face popping up on her lock screen.

Eden:

Murray?

Murray:

Where the hell are you guys?!

Eden:

A bar.

Murray:

Is that what all the racket is? I can barely hear you!

Eden:

What is it Murray?

Murray:

The tire has been fixed. All of you need to get to the bus pronto, we're late on schedule as is!

Eden:

Oh come on, the set is almost over!

Murray:

Now, young lady!

Eden:

You're not my dad!

Murray:

UGH!!

Murray hung up the phone, leaving Eden alone to deal with the girls. She knew it would be an olympian size tasked getting them all to the bus, especially Y/N, but it needed to be done.

"Bus is fixed. Let's go" Eden grabbed onto Y/N's arm, pulling her away from the barrier.

"Noooo Edy! Come on we can't go yet!" Y/N was whiny when she was drunk, and stubborn as an ox. Something that always tested Eden's paitence.

"Now! Before Murray gets on our asses even more! Chris, give me a hand"

Both girls had to drag Y/N out of the Hideout. She was ranting and raving about wanting to talk to guitar player. About halfway down the road she started waxing poetic about his Bambi eyes and big hands. Eden couldn't wait to get her back on the bus, get back home to Los Angeles. She knew Y/N would be a dragon in the morning, she always was with a hangover. This would be the longest bus ride ever.

In retrospect, Eden should have taken Y/N's phone away when they finally managed to get her to bed. If it weren't for the pure exhaustion that riddled her bones, that's exactly what she would have done. But Eden didn't take Y/N's phone away from her. She left the girl to her own devices, and that mistake lead to one of the biggest social media headaches Daughters of Lilith had ever experienced. Worse than dropping the album early, worse than the time Barb called the former president a fascist, although none of the band members complained about that one.

It was the tweet read around the world, and all hell broke loose.

Tag list:

@onlyangel-444 , @kikis-writing-world , @sweetpeapod , @cevans-winchester , @hopingforromanoff , @nativity-in-black , @esoltis280 , @celestialsxturn , @magicalchocolatecheesecake , @penny4yourthoughts , @thatredlipped-classic , @panagiasikelia , @glitteringraccoon , @elleeeee21 , @bitchilli , @fangirling-4-ever , @cottagecori , @seasonsofstyles , @andromeda-andromeda , @porcelaindoll-exe , @shinydixon , @elleeeee21 , @thatredlipped-classic , @panagiasikelia , @pistachoz , @streamafterlaughter ,

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson #stranger things eddie munson #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #eddie munson social media au #eddie munson smau #eddie munson rockstar au #eddie munson modern au #eddie munson fluff #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #stranger things fanficton #stranger things fic #stranger things x reader #stranger things social media au #stranger things smau #stranger things fluff #stranger things rockstar au #stranger things modern au

[moon-sang]

ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪʟᴀᴄ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ

Series Masterlist

CHAPTER 9 / CHAPTER 11

SUMMARY: You live with Din on the Razor Crest. You babysit the kid and he gives you shelter and food… It was a good deal. Little did Din or the other Mandalorian’s know what you truly were, and just how dangerous you could be.

WARNINGS: Mature language, fear, general violence, pls tell me if I miss anything.

~ heavily inspired by marvel. 

A/N: This chapter kinda goes against the plot of the series as I skipped a few episodes and removed a person or two from this but it still follows the plot of an episode - I can do that tho, this in Fanfiction 😉

~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 10: The Betrayal

“The crest needs repairs” you confirm after your quick sweep. “It doesn’t look like she’s gonna last much longer in this condition, what’s the closest planet?” You ask, hand resting on Din’s arm rest. “Mon Cala…is the closest.” He replies, manoeuvring the Crest through space “Mon Cala? We should look somewhere else, at least a local moon, they’ll rip you off and give you a shit repair.” You admit, recalling your past experiences there.  “Yes…but a reliable recourse has told me that others of my kind were spotted on that planet, they may know who to give the kid to… so I need to go there anywa-“ Din cuts himself off when everything in the ship shuts off. Levers got stuck where they were, and the familiar flashing of multiple buttons became nonexistent. The Crest went completely dark with the lights busted. You decide it was probably best to make your way to your seat and buckle up, to be safe. Din slams his palms on every button he can get to, but to no avail. “I told you she wouldn’t last much longer.” You mumble, voice echoing through the deadly silent ship. Din sighs, not giving up on trying to get everything back online. Then the Crest drops. And I mean it drops. It takes your stomach along with it as it falls through the clouds. “Hold on!” Din yells through the harsh thrash of the wind slamming into the windows of the Crest. Your hands grip the armrest of your seat impossibly tighter and it creaks under the pressure of your fingers. As you neared the landing platform of Mon Cala, everything conveniently came back online and transmissions came through, one over the other. “Razor Crest, slow down, you are going too fast.” A robotic lady repeats multiple times. “I’m trying!” Din yells, pulling as hard as he can on the levers. You decide to help and hold one lever in pace, whilst Din focused pulling the other, backwards to slow the Crest down. It seemed like forever, until Din got it, and the lever was freed of being stuck in place. The crest instantly slows down and you stumble forward at the impact. “Here we go, nice and easy.” Din reassures, as he landed on the platform, gently. You let out a sigh of relief, in tune with Din, when the legs of the Crest made a stable contact with the ground. That was until the ship fell into the ocean of water next to the landing platform. For a few moments all you could see was a thick blue and foam bubbles forming, until shortly after, when the Mon calamari pulled the ship out. The Crest was absolutely covered in seaweed. It was draped all over the windows, and wrapped around the whole ship. You wouldn’t be surprised if the kelp made its way into the engine.

~~~~~~

“Can you fix it?” Were Din’s first words to the docking man. “Fix it?” The calamari scoffs. “Naah, but I can make it fly.” He prompts. “Do what you can.” Din dryly says, chucking him a generous pouch of creds. “I’ll fuel it up!” He shouts as you and Din begin to walk away, the child hovering closely behind. “If it still holds fuel.” You distinctly hear him snark.

~~~~~~

The three of you make your way to what you can only assume as the town square. Din strolled about, taking in his surroundings. It left you alone with your thoughts. You were hungry. Really hungry. It had been a while since you last ate, and after what happened in the covert, you were rather drained. You were good at hiding it though, the kid on the other hand, was a gurgling and squirming mess in his cot. “I know you’re hungry.” You whisper to him, hand intertwining with his tiny claws. “We’ll get you something to eat.” Din promises, suddenly behind you. You offer him a faint smile before returning your attention to Grogu. The child’s tiny arm outstretched and a small finger pointed in one direction. Your eyes followed his finger, along with Din’s visor, till, what he was pointing at, came into sight. “A restaurant!” You cheerfully exclaim. “let’s go.” The Mandalorian huffs, before leading the way to the food court.

~~~~~~

“Have a seat over there.” A red calamari states, carelessly pointing a finger to a table in the corner. You and Din follow his directions and take a seat. The Mandalorian lifts Grogu onto a chair before settling down himself. “What can I get ya?”

“Nothing for me, two bowls of chowder for my friends.” Din blankly states, gesturing to the two of you. “These seats are scarce, buddy, everyone seated needs to eat.” The Calamari insists. “I can buy something else.” Din offers. He goes silent for a moment as his fingers dip into his pocket and fish for what you assumed was credits. “Information.” He continues, sliding a thick pile of creds on the table.

“Have you seen others that look like me?” Mando gets straight to the point. The Mon calamari sighs, reaching for a tube above you. “Others, with beskar have been through here.” He whispers, whilst filling both of your bowls with a thick white liquid. “Who can take me to them?” The Mandalorian asks as the calamari goes to fill your bowl. “I know someone who might help.”

Quickly the red calamari scurried over to another table, and began to converse with a Quarren. The babbles and gurgles of protest from the kid, made you break eye contact with the octopus like creature. Wrapped securely around his little green face was an octopus. Before you could do anything, Din pokes it with his viroblade, causing it to splosh back into the bowl. “Don’t play with your food.” He says.

Soon after the Quarren took a seat at your table. He was uncomfortably close to you, and he smelt horrible. “You seek others of your kind? He whispers in a throaty voice. “Have you seen them?” Din asks. “Aye.”

“I can bring you to them.” He continues.

“Where?”

“Only a few hours sail.” He grumbles.

“It’ll cost ya though.”

~~~~~~

The sight of the ocean calmed you. It was so peaceful, yet it could be the most dangerous thing as well. Din on the other hand, was even more weary than he usually was. It was probably because he didn’t exactly have a love for Mon Cala or any species on it.

“You ever see a mamacore eat?” A Quarren asks. Din doesn’t respond so out of respect you shake your head. “Quite a sight.” He exclaims. “Your friends might take an interest.” He says, turning his attention to the Mandalorian. “You should take a look.”

Din is about to say no, but when he looks into your hopeful eyes, how could he? They had a sparkle in them that just pushed him into saying ok. The kid had the same effect in his own way too, it worried Din sometimes.

The Quarren smirks at himself when Din nods, knowing the rest would be easy. “Come over here.” The Quarren yells over the thrash of water.

He presses a few buttons with his slimy fingers and the floor in front of you slowly creaks open, revealing the indigo ocean beneath you. “Get a good view, let the kid see.” He exclaims. Guiding the three of you closer. “Alright, close enough.” Din cautiously tells you. You halt in your tracks and offer him a small smile, before turning your full attention to the small space of water. “There we go.” The Quarren strangely affirms himself.

After pulling a lever a load of fish dropped into the small waterway with small splashes. Within a matter of seconds the water began to bubble and foam, drawing a small ‘woah’ from you. Grogu was quite interested himself, leaning forward in his pram. “She must be hungry.” He squabbles.

“Oftentimes we feed her in the morning, but we missed that cause we were goin’ out of port!” The Quarren yells, before smashing the back of Grogu’s floating pram. It went flying into the water, and the huge mouth of the mamacore swallowed the pram whole. “No!” You shout, but before you could dive in after him, slimy arms wrapped under yours and you found yourself being dragged away from the small waterway. You thrashed in the Quarren’ hold, but to no avail. “Let me go!” You shout, just as Din dived in the water. “Lock it up!” The Quarren holding you shouts to his teammate. Three other Quarrens begin to spin a wheel, and over that small opening, a cage slowly connected. “The beskar is ours!” The leader Quarren cheers. His grip on you was unbearably tight and just shy of bruising. After a few minutes Din comes up for some air, but quickly realises he’s locked in the water. He coughs and splutters in the small amount of room of air he has, whilst all the others laughed at him. “Drown him!” One of them yells. Everyone gathered around the opening and whacked his fingers with what you assumed was a rod. “Stop it! Din!” You scream, still thrashing in the Quarrens hold. After one particularly strong hit, the Mandalorian dunks completely under water. “We’re rich brothers!” Exclaims the leader. Your breathing becomes ragged with anger and your fists tighten, impossibly tighter than they were before. Your shoulders bounced up and down with every strong breath until you shot them back and a lilac energy exploded out of you, sending the captain flying, landing somewhere in the long stretch of ocean. Your eyes slide close as other Quarren’s began to circle you. They were talking but it was muffled by your own rage. It was like a white light searing through your head, fuelling your anger. Your legs closed together and your feet lifted off of the ground. Your arms were outstretched by your sides and in between them a lavender coloured blade of energy formed. The Quarren’s watched in fear and amazement, but when your feet touched the ground they knew they were screwed.

One by one you took down each and every Quarren on the ship. You had no idea where this skill was coming from, you were never a fighter, yet you felt so in tune with what you were doing, it almost scared you. By the end of it, the ship was a blood bath- and you’re pretty sure at some point a few Mandalorian’s joined in on the fighting. You pay that no attention to the Mandalorian’s as you rush to open up the small hatch on the floor. “Din!” You shout, peering into the water, desperately. You call his name again, and it took a few seconds for him to appear, gasping for air before you. “Din.” You sigh in relief, extending your hand out, for him to take it. He was drenched in water, which made the gloves he wore slightly slippery, however, you still managed to help him up, out of the water. “T-The child.” Din splutters out as you help him over to a make-do seat. “On it!” One of the Mandalorian’s shout, before diving into the water.

In a matter of minutes the air fills with high pitched screeches and blaster shots, followed by the Mandalorian bursts out of the water with her jet-pack, holding Grogu’s small orb-shaped pram. Urgently, she places it down in front of you and Din. You felt a wave of nausea fall over you at the sight of it. Seaweed was draping off of it and a large dent was engraved in the side of it. You begged the maker, Grogu was safe. The Mandalorian, you learnt to be Koska, wasted no time in tearing open a rusty piece of metal, revealing one, safe, and healthy green bean. You let out a shaky breath of relief as he stared at you innocently. She hands Grogu into the safe, wet arms of Din and he seemed to ease a little, as his shoulders slightly fell. “Thank you.” Din thanks, through a raspy voice. “I have been searching for more of our kind.” Din admits. “Well, luckily, we found you first.”

#Din Djarin x reader #din x reader #mando x reader #the Mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian #the lilac witch chapter 10 #the lilac witch #din Djarin x you #din x you #mando x you

[law-iess]

❝ dear felix, ❞

pairing: hyunjin x felix genre: slice of life, angst, slight romance, hyunlix-centric, eventual idol au synopsis: he was the sunshine in a very dark place— hyunjin's pre-debut letter to felix, his sunshine and ever sky. tw/cw: major character death, hospital, terminal illness, heavy (?) angst word count: 2.01k

author's note/s: wrote this initially for a collab event last 2020, and was my first time writing a ship for a fic. let me know if i missed anything!

Dear Felix,

The hospital walls have always looked so dull. To say that I hated them was an understatement. Especially when the sickly, puke green walls of my room seem to loom over me each night that it suffocates every fiber of my being. There isn’t anything to see here, just white men in suits and lab gowns, nurses and their clipboards, and dying people.

I wasn’t supposed to be here. 

And neither should you.

“There’s a newbie,” Han had said once weeks ago over the breakfast table we had chosen to share since the first week we came in. I pick at my food, uninterested.

“You’re awfully excited,” Seungmin comments.

“You’re awfully boring,” Han snaps back. “It’ll be a nice change, to get see a new face. I’m sick and tired of my doctors going in and out of my room. And another FortNight player doesn’t sound so bad, yeah?”

It didn’t.

You moved in at the hall across from mine. The architecture of the building shaped it into a long H, and my room was directly across yours. I saw you come in that day, watched you through the glass of my windows while still in therapy. You had some lights strung up on the windows, blinking warm little spots that looked like stars and fireflies from the distance. I thought it was silly to decorate since being here meant you were probably on death row too. Your parents, though dejected to leave you there, eyed you with a great amount of passion. I was jealous for a second. My parents rarely visited. You looked happy—too happy— to be there, like an emanating ball of sunshine that just didn’t quite fit in.

I almost scoffed. This place isn’t one for sunshines. This place is a dark, cold, black hole. No light survives.

Except, maybe, you.

“Hi,” you greeted us. Your accent was thick, foreign. “I’m Felix.”

“Hyunjin,” I said, extending a hand to shake. We do. Your touch was warm, soft. It had been a while since I’ve felt something other than the needles and cold plastic pill bottles. It felt nice.

You sat with us at breakfast. You sat with us at lunch. You sat with us at dinner. It was awfully convenient to have Seungmin’s room so close to yours that we could freely move about the halls just to hang out. Of course, there wasn’t much to see but puke green walls and white suited men and nurses and dying people but we stuck together like glue and you blended in seamlessly with us; like it was meant to be.

I wanted you there. But not in just the way the others did. I never really was sure if you noticed the fleeting glances or the subtle nudges that I would throw your way. It never really came up in conversation nor did we try to push it any further. But your presence was addicting. The warmth was addicting. And it has been a while since I’ve felt like that. It felt nice.

The more you stuck around, the more radiant you became. And the more I looked at you, the more I felt that warm, sweater-fuzzy feeling in my chest that I am so, so addicted to.

But it seems the most radiant people also have the darkest shadows.

“What are you in for?” I asked you that night. We dared to venture to the rooftop when Han and Seungmin had decided to grab a few snacks from the kitchen downstairs. We wanted to prank them into a fright, but decided the air upstairs would be nicer and the view would look much better than shocked faces.

“Same as you,” you replied. You had trained your gaze upwards to the stairs, shutting one eye as you traced the belt of Orion with an index finger. “Stage four. The doctors don’t tell me but I know it’s only going to go down from here. I’m just sitting here, waiting.”

“I-I didn’t know,” I stammered. You didn’t seem weak. You had always looked so fun, so alive, so warm.

“It’s okay, mate,” you said, slinging an arm over my shoulder. I leaned into your touch, nestling my head on the crook of your neck into a half hug. This was normal here. Just two dying people comforting each other while waiting for the inevitable end.

“I reckon I’d still go earlier than you,” I half-joked. One could never truly tell, could they?

“Are you ready to?”

I tilted my head up to meet your eyes. Shrug.

“I was,” I confessed. “I mean, we’re like sitting ducks. We literally don’t know when it’s gonna hit, or how painful it’s gonna be. I think I’ve thought about it so much for so many nights that I’ve just gotten tired of wondering and just accepting the fact that I’m gonna go. But now…” I hesitate. My lip curls into the inside of my mouth.

“But now?” you prodded. Were you really going to make me say it?

“Well, now I’m not sure I want to. Not yet.” 

I held your gaze. It opened up the weight of vulnerability for me but I didn’t really mind. It was a new kind of weakness. It was the kind of weakness that I wanted there. It was the kind that couldn’t be cured by chemo, or by drugs, or any kind of surgery. It was the kind of weakness that I brought upon myself and the kind that I allowed myself to fester and grow until it became more powerful than the cancer; even more powerful than myself.

“Tell me something,” you suddenly said. It was so out of nowhere that it took me a few seconds to digest. “Come on. Tell me something about you. Something you’ve never told anyone.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s the point? I’m already an open book.”

“I don’t care,” you said. “Tell me something. Anything. Like introduce yourself again. Your name, age, what you like to do, stuff like that. But also make it into the things you want to do if you weren’t locked up in here.” When I looked at you with that face you make when you can’t believe what the other person is saying, you only made those puppy dog eyes of yours and whined a long “please.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wishing stars,” you said. “The universe might hear and give us a shot.”

“Fine,” I conceded, clearing my throat. “Hi,” I began. “I’m Hwang Hyunjin. I’m twenty-one. I like to dance. I’d like to graduate. I’d probably go to a performing school and study music. Or I’d be an interior decorator because why not?” You laughed at that. “And I’d also like a dog. I’d probably name it Kkami.”

“Why Kkami?” you asked. I swatted you away. 

“Just because I can.” I nod towards you. “Your turn.”

“Okay.” You rubbed your tiny hands together like you were so nervous and I laughed. Our breathes formed nice little clouds in the air. I shrugged my coat and hung it over the both of us. You grinned your thanks.

“Hello. I’m Felix. I’m twenty-one, surprise surprise. I like to dance and play games. I like dogs too, but my parents probably won’t let me have one until I move out of their place. I want to keep dancing too, and like, touch people with my dance. I might want to be a professional gamer or like an artist.” You paused. Moved your head to look at me.

“I’d be taking you out, and we’d find the perfect Kkami, and eat a lot. I actually know a really great pork belly place just around the corner of this hospital and we could take Han and Seungmin. Or it could also be just the two of us.” Your eyes had trained upward, towards the stars again. I couldn’t speak, nor move. I could only watch you. Listen to you. And to my heart that was beating so hard against my chest.

“I’d love to watch the stars with you, and curl up with you like this on the cold nights. I’d probably get you Americano in the morning because you wake up way later than me. And I would have wanted to fall asleep to you playing with my hair because it feels so calming. I’d probably spend the rest of my life loving you.”

“Felix—” My throat is dry when I find my voice.

“I don’t know when,” you told me. “I don’t know how, but somewhere, between the little memories over the very little time, I think this is the most I’ve felt human. And as cheesy as it could sound, I’ve only ever felt like that around you.”

“Felix—”

“Let’s make a swear then,” you kept cutting me off. You held out a pinky. “Let’s promise each other to ride out our dreams. To the best we can. No matter what. For ourselves and for each other.” My eyes glued to your little finger. I found myself wrapping mine around it. The smile on your face was brilliant—it was blinding—but even if I were to go blind staring at it, I would still do.

You were quick. You had pulled me closer, resting your forehead on mine. I could feel your breath against my face, could hear the pounding of your heart in sync with mine. The reality of the world collapsed over us like a tidal wave. There was a clock in the back of my mind and no matter what I did, it would not stop ticking down.

“Always find me,” you whispered. I felt your lips against the top of my head. So soft, so featherlight. The side of your finger comes up to my chin. You push my head—my eyes up at the twinkling little lights in the distance. “No matter where we are, or what we might be doing, don’t forget we’ll always be under the same sky.”

—

They cleared out your room two days later.

I can still feel the ache in my chest, even now when so many years have passed. The first few weeks felt like absolute hell. It all passed as a blur, Seungmin said I was inconsolable. There are days that I still feel like that, probably because I know that you’re a part of myself that I’m not going to let go. The pain is here, but so is the warmth, and so is the love that is so much stronger than the pain.

I’m about to go up now.

The crowd is crazy tonight. But I’m here, finally, Felix. I’m writing this letter to get all of this off my chest because tonight marks my debut. Somewhere in the crowd will be my folks and our little Kkami. I’ve yet to register her with a collar. I’ve been too busy with practices. I can’t wait to see the proud looks on our parents' faces. I’ll be looking for them.

My diploma also came in today. There’s a little celebration. I thought I’d bring Han and Seung too, at that pork belly place you said you liked. Han is flourishing as a rapper now and Seung is about to make the biggest break as the group’s main vocal. They’re both so talented, you should see them eating up the stage even on practices. You’d be so proud of them too.

I’ll also be looking for you. In those lights and the sea of people, in the wave of lights that look so much like the ones you used to hang outside your window, I’ll be looking for you. And up in the heavens and in the universe, I’ll look at you, still tracing Orion with your finger with the biggest, stupidest, sunshine smile on your face.

And I’ll tell you. Because I know, somehow, you’d still hear me and that the universe wouldn’t be so unfair as to not let me say this.

I’ll tell you, Felix.

I have kept my promise.

We made it.

I love you forever, Hyunjin

#stray kids #skz hyunjin #skz scenarios #skz imagines #skz #skz felix #thoughts #ao3 author #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #stray kids fanfic #stray kids fanfiction #skz fanfic #angst #oneshot #drabble #soulmate au #hyunlix #hwang hyunjin #lee felix

[fourseasonsfigs]

Tian Wen Music Box + Am I Beautiful?

Welcome to the third of these gorgeous music boxes and their fig toppers!

If you missed Day 1 and 2 of the Music Box Extravaganza, definitely check out Tian Ya Ke + Whirling Wenzhou and Wu Ti + Good Sword too, the artist's artistry is not to be missed. These are very special and some of my favorite merch items, hands down. I'm really, really hoping that she considers keeping going - there's a whole soundtrack, after all!

Haha, you're not going to miss THIS pic after this is over...yes my forgiving figthusiasts, this is yet the same pic from the previous two blog posts one last time! I do feel pretty comfortable saying that the red music box storage box is in fact the one belonging to Tian Wen - I mean, it's a pretty safe bet given the box itself is red - but these all arrived together and I unwrapped them all in a blaze of excitement, and I no longer remember which box went with which. I'm 99.9% sure the red goes with this one.

The moment you've all been waiting for - the White Glove Figthusiast 360 Degree Non-Surround-Sound full detail!

You'll notice that the top of the music box kind of wiggled a bit when I first started moving the box. That's because, like all boxes in this series, you wind it up by holding the top in one hand and winding the base with the bottom. The key only is used to stop the motion. It's not as fragile as I made it look - it's actually pretty sturdy when you give it a good set of turns.

The golden inscriptions are different lines from the show. As you can see, the quality is crisp and clear, and it looks beautiful in hand or on the shelf. The darker red background gives it a rich, elegant look.

Here's our beautiful key and a better closeup of the lock keyhole. All the keys in this set are the same, so you could use them interchangeably on each music box if you wanted. They don't really do much, and the music box plays just fine without them, so it would be sad but not disastrous if a key was lost.

Alright, on to the figs! So we're moving from Wenzhou with these figs to the promotional period, where Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun promoted how good this show was and how everyone should watch it, and also how cute the two of them were.

This fig set is inspired, indirectly first by this scene:

Zhou Zishu: 美吗 Měi ma (Am I beautiful?) Wen Kexing: 完美 Wánměi (Perfect)

This is Gong Jun's clever ad-lib to Zhehan's snarky ad lib, and it's so utterly delightful that it became Gong Jun's secret livestream interview challenge mission to complete. You can watch the livestream subbed in English here (part 1 and part 2) and I highly, highly recommend it.

His secret challenge mission was to say 美吗 to Zhehan, and get him to say 完美 back. The first part of the challenge, Gong Jun saying 美吗 to Zhehan, is the image the fig maker designed this fig around:

This image is so great that the fig maker did this incredible thing for the box packaging:

The figs were in a plastic clam-shell for shipping, but I took them out so the figs could be seen better. I love this box so much I'm actually going to keep the figs in it permanently! They're just too, yes, perfect in it.

But regardless of my personal display plans, we're here to talk about the figs, so let's kick this off!

Here we have the figs as they're meant to go, as a topper on the music box. I take all my pics by a window with natural light, so while like us, the sunshine loves Zhehan's beautiful face, it has unfortunately washed it out a bit in all that brightness. That's ok though, because you're about to see it up close and personal.

But before that, let me point out a cool feature of this set. So you know how the other figs had magnets in the bottom of their feet to keep them securely fastened to the music box? Well, these do too, but they also have magnets attached to their backsides to keep them in their chairs, like so:

This is a really nice touch to keep the whole thing as secure as possible. It helps since there are are no magnets at the end of the chair legs of course, so their feet are securely attached to the music box base, and their own selves are attached to the chairs.

Onwards with the 360 degree photo-a-thon. It's a bit harder since these figs, unlike the others, aren't stuck together, so it was me manually moving them in a circle. We'll see how well I replicated them rotating on the top of a music box:

Hmm. Maybe I should invest on one of those plug-in USB rotating lazy Susans!

May I just mention how much I love Zhehan's wiggly mouth shape here - it's wonderful. The fig maker got this pose perfectly.

Speaking of poses, take a look at the full-body detail from the livecast and compare it to the fig (sorry for my monitor's over-exposure of Zhehan's beautiful white robe).

Spot on, isn't it? If I had ever so slightly rotated Gong Jun slightly more to the right it would have been exactly right. I'm just so impressed with this fig maker - I wouldn't even know how to begin doing something like this. It seems incredibly difficult.

The bonuses the seller included with this set are these two delightful items:

Super cute paper clips with some matching art, and a translucent Polaroid-style card with their signatures. I love it so much!

This is the end of the music boxes...but not of this artistic seller's figures. Come back tomorrow for the last one - it's big (quite literally), I promise!

Material: Metal (music box) and very beautiful PVC (figs)

Fig Count: 197

Scene Count: 17

Rating: Perfect.

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

#word of honor #word of honor merch #gong jun #zhang zhehan #junzhe

[astraldrake]

posting a second of these as well splitting them up bcs they're fairly long subject: scene from around the time of d1 vanilla, from Darren's pov. not going to give context for this one because i think no context is needed. i trust this one a little more to speak for itself.

The flowers wave gently in the breeze, red and white petals drifting gently ||they will bloom forever|| .The Vex crawl through the garden like ants, digging their tunnels and building their mounds of harsh geometry, their patterns ||The Pattern|| timeless and unyielding . Over it all, the heart pulses, a rippling shadow that whispers of terrors yet to come. || It grasps at you, draining your strength. Your wounds cannot heal while it remains. It hurts. It hurts. Like the countless knives that stole your body and strength.|| The heart beats again, singing its song of ruin to the Minds that supplicate to it. ||The end comes and you despair. It Hurts. IT HUR-||

Darren bolts upright in his hammock, heart pounding in his ears, his breathing quick and heavy.  His mind races, he’s had this dream before. Whatever keeps trying to talk to him is getting more insistent, louder.

 He’s broken from his thoughts by the indignant meowing of Lucky, apparently unhappy that her nice warm human bed had decided to suddenly move beneath her.

“Sorry about that girl, didn’t mean to scare you.” He mutters, as she hops onto the floor of the ship, and wanders off to find another place to rest. Too awake now to return to sleep himself, Darren tugs off his blankets and clambers out of the hammock.

 The ship interior is dark, lit mostly by a mix of permanently active emergency lights and the ambient glow of sunlight bouncing off the planet below. He makes his way over to the window, staring out at the swirling surface of Venus, clouds shifting over its surface. The crew is here on a salvage run, hoping to snag either enough raw materials for needed repairs, or some fancy golden age tech they can pawn off to the same effect. 

He’s not excited to run recon for this. Most of the place is House turf, and what isn’t is either infested with vex, picked clean, or crawling with guardians. It’ll be a risky job unless they get lucky, and they can’t afford any more bad luck. Not after their last job, an otherwise simple glimmer excavation that went sideways when they ran afoul of a particularly aggressive nightstalker. The bastard had narrowly missed Braltris and Ebreviks with their shadowshot. Ahkris had taken their head off and chucked both it and their body down the nearest ravine, while he’d kept and eye out for their ghost, who’d been smart enough to keep hidden and out of the crew’s way.

Darren sighs to himself. He can save the dread at their circumstances for later. The Albatross and her crew have seen harder times, they’ll get though this all the same.

 He turns away from the window and crosses to the other end of the ship, flicking on a lamp attached to the side of a table. The light illuminates a shattered crow drone, one of several he’d snagged through various means, it’s tracking device thoroughly disabled. 

Beside it lie several pieces of paper, one is rough map of meridian bay, another a series of scribbled notes, a third is a rough sketch of the heart he keeps seeing in his dreams. He knows that it all fits together somehow, that the heart the dreams want him to kill is in the Black Garden, and that the reef awoken know where the gate is. He wonders if his ghost has had any luck picking the drone’s brains.

“Corvi.” he says into the dark. A formality. She already knows he’s awake, and he knows she doesn’t sleep.

“Need something?” She materializes at his shoulder.

“Any luck with the files?”

“Not much so far, this stuff’s encrypted to hell and back, more heavily than any of the others I’ve dug around in.” Corvi twists her shell, fidgeting. “We’re on the right trail, I think, but I’m not sure how far we want to chase this rabbit.”

“The dreams haven’t steered us wrong before.” He argues, rubbing at his eyes. “Besides, it’ll only get worse the longer we take.”

“I know, but whatever this thing is, there’s a lot of important people with eyes on it. I’m worried we’re stepping too close to the spotlight.”

“Ahkris doesn't have to come with me.” It’s a weak argument and he knows it. 

“I know, but she's not going to let you do this alone.”

#destiny 2 #destiny the game #astraldrake's writing #(i think that's a tag i have) #oc lore tuesday #OC: Darren

[tinymoondrops]

Cozy Night (Silver/Blaze)

This is the first of many Valentine’s Day themed oneshots centered around my favorite Sonic ships.  I hope you enjoy! Apologys in advance for spelling/grammer errors 

~~

The ivory hedgehog walked down the path with a spring in his step despite the chilly February air. Silver was more excited and happy than usual when visiting Mobius in the time period in which his friends lived. 

First off, there was no impending doom he needed to warn Sonic and co. about, Second, he was meeting someone very special for coffee, Third, it was Valentine's day! He sniffed the roses he’d bought as he skipped down the path to Blaze’s and his favorite little cafe. It was a charming and quaint little coffee shop that Blaze and he visited whenever they got the chance to meet up. Today was extra special, however.

It would be their first Valentine's day as a couple! They’d started dating only five months ago and it’d been the best five months of his life. Thanks to Tails they’d been able to communicate despite being in different dimensions and different time periods. It had been rocky but they swore they’d make it work if they ever decided to make things more serious.

For now, though they were taking things one date at a time. Silver beamed as the bell jingled over his head announcing his entrance. He quickly looked around and spotted Blaze staring out a window, a small smile on her face apparently lost in thought. 

“Blaze!” he rushes up to her excitedly. 

“Silver!” she smiles her eyes lighting up as she turns to look at him. Standing up she hugs him.

“I've missed you.” Silver smiles holding her close. 

“I’ve missed you too!” she smiles up at him kissing his cheek gently. 

“Hey I got you something!” he hands her the flowers he got her.

“Aww Silv these are lovely! Thank you!” she smiles smelling the lovely roses.

“Of course! Anything for you.” Silver kisses her nose. “I’m going to order something. I’m starving!” 

Blaze giggles softly before sitting down nursing her hot chocolate, taking dainty sips. Silver kisses her forehead before heading up to the front counter and ordering himself some tea and a sandwich. After a moment he heads back with his food. 

“Here we can share this!” he smiles handing Blaze one half of his sandwich. 

“Oh thank you Silver.” she smiles softly at him taking her half and nibbling on it. “I’ve been super busy. I haven’t had a chance to eat!” 

“What? How have you not eaten!” Silver exclaimed. 

“I’ve been busy. I’ve had a lot of paperwork I needed to fill out today. I don’t want to bore you with details. Gardon tried to get me to eat but I was way too focused.” she laughs. “He was very happy when he realized I was coming to see you.” 

Silver chuckles. “I’m glad I’m on his good side. I’m also glad he takes care of you when I can’t.” he takes Blaze’s hand giving it a squeeze.

“Well he tries to.” she laughs smiling at Silver. “But the effort is still appreciated, and there have been many times he’s gotten me to rest or to eat when I’ve needed it.” 

“You work too hard hun.” Silver sighs. 

“I need to Silv. I’m a princess. Protector of the sol emeralds.” she smiles softly at him. 

“Yeah, I know. I just wish you’d take breaks more often. It’s not good to overwork yourself! Just ask Rouge! She sometimes needs to pull Shadow away from work for a nap. He gets really snappy otherwise.” he laughs.

“Maybe your right.” she bites her lip in thought. “It would do me good to just sit in the palace library and read. Or take a nice warm bath when I’m feeling too tense.”

“Those are definitely some good first steps!” Silver beams. “I just want you to take care of yourself. I really care about you Blaze.” 

“I know hun.” she smiles. “It’s sweet and I appreciate your concern. I promise I will try not to work so hard.” 

“Thank you!” Silver smiles. “How about I take you to a spa after this?” he suggests.

“Oh that sounds lovely Silv! Are you sure you would enjoy it as much as I would though?”  she asks.

Silver nods. “I think I would. It’ll be nice to relax and enjoy being pampered. Plus I don’t really mind as long as you’re happy.” he smiles.  

“You are such a sweetheart Silver.” she smiles booping his nose. “A spa trip sounds wonderful!” 

“Ok! Afterwards we can go to a Chao garden and just spend time with some of the Chao.” Silver suggests.

Blaze nods taking a sip of her coca. “That sounds perfect. You really seem to have this all planned out.” she giggles. 

“Well the Chao garden part yeah.” he laughs. “The spa was obviously more spur of the moment.” he waves his hand. 

~~

The couple continues to chat in the cafe for a bit longer until they’re thoroughly warmed up and have finished their drinks and food. Silver stands up and takes Blaze’s hand leading her out through the door and into the sunlight. As the duo walks to the nearby spa they fail to notice the dark clouds in the distance or the nip in the air that always indicates rain. They make it to the spa without any issues and enjoy a very relaxing afternoon being pampered to their hearts' content.

“That really was amazing!” Blaze smiles as she buttons up her winter coat. 

“I know right? I definitely feel relaxed.” Silver smiles wrapping up in his scarf. 

The two laugh as they walk out of the building only to end up being caught in the rain. Blaze lets out a yelp of surprise. Silver quickly pulls her under the awning of the spa. 

“Oh lord! I didn’t expect it to rain.” he frowns. “This messes with my plan.” he looks at how hard it’s raining. “I don’t think we’ll be able to go home either.” 

Blaze sighs. “It’s alright Silver I really don’t mind as long as I get to spend time with you.” she smiles. “We should get out of the pouring rain at least.” 

Silver bites his lip frowning as he thinks. “Maybe we could get a room at a hotel.” he suggests.

Blaze nods. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea. We should get a cab first. I don’t think there are any hotels in the nearby vicinity.” 

“Yeah I doubt that.” he sighs pulling out his phone. “I’ll call a taxi.” he dials a cab company and the two wait, Sliver’s arm wrapped around Blaze’s shoulder. 

Once the cab gets there the two shuffle into it Sliver uses his powers to keep the rain off of her. The two cuddle in the back trying to stay warm until they arrive at a hotel. They thank the driver before leaving and going to rent a room. 

“I am so glad to be out of that rain!” Silver laughs. 

“Indeed. It made everything ten times colder.” Blaze chuckles. 

Silver laughs and walks over to the stove in the room and starts the kettle. 

“They should have some hot chocolate packets in here.” he rummages around the cupboards. “I know we just had hot drinks but I think we need it more now.” 

“Yes your probably right.” Blaze nods sitting on the bed and looking out the window. Her tail sways slowly back and forth as she watches the rain. It’s very relaxing, almost having a hypnotic effect on the royal cat. Silver chuckles when he glances over at Blaze as he waits for the water to boil. She’s so cute. Using his powers he wraps one of the hotel’s blankets around her shoulders. She glances over at him giving him a smile. No words are needed. She turns back to the window letting out a content hum. 

After a bit Silver joins her handing her the hot chocolate as he wraps the blanket around both their shoulders draping his free arm around her waist. The two stay like that for a while. Cuddled together watching the rain as they warm up. 

“This is really nice.” Blaze purrs her tail still swaying as she nuzzles into the crook of Silver’s neck her head now resting on his shoulder their cups of cocoa now forgotten and sitting on the bedside table.

“Yeah it really is.” he smiles rubbing her arm.

“I’ve never been more at peace or relaxed. Thank you for this Silver. I know things didn’t go exactly how we planned them but this has been an amazing Valentine's day.” she kisses his cheek. 

“I’m glad you're having a good day.” he smiles kissing her forehead. “I’d do anything to make you happy.” 

“Silver…” she smiles pure adoration in her eyes. “ I didn’t think I’d ever get this lucky when it comes to love.” 

“Me neither.” Silver sighs contently. “I love you Blaze.”

“I love you too Silver.” Blaze beams kissing his nose.

The two lovebirds spent the rest of their evening cuddled up together listening to the rain before deciding to get sleep, Blaze snuggled into Silver’s arms as the two drifted off into dreamland. It truly was a perfect Valentine’s day.

#silver the hedgehog #blaze the cat #silvaze #sonic ship #fluff #oneshot #valentine's day #sonic the hedgehog

[merryfortune]

After the Storm (in the Backyard)

Written for Multiamory March 2023

Day 2: Supernatural

Title: After the Storm (in the Backyard)

Ship: Saviorshipping | Ryoken/Spectre/Yusaku

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,497

Tags: Alternate Universe - Youkai, Meet Cute, Childhood Friends

AN: I’ve had this AU in mind for a year or two so it was nice to finally write it down

   It had rained all through the night but now, come morning, the skies were clear and an azure blue. Not a cloud to be seen, nor was it even overly windy. Instead, it was fresh and balmy with puddles on the ground, with a breeze that was a charming and cool spritz down below. There were birds singing, their nests having survived the storm but, for all the serenity of the morning, there was a stranger in the backyard.

   He was dressed in a pale purple kimono and standing by the far tree which had taken quite the beating during the storm. It was missing a branch, maybe two, all its foliage had fallen off and already, it looked worse for wear.

   From their vantage point in the kitchen, Ryoken and Spectre had no idea what to do. They were currently hiding behind the kitchen sink, the morning sunlight coming in through the window just above, the curtains fluttered slightly as they tried not to panic. Occasionally, they ducked up and popped out in order to see if he was still there. 

   He was.

   Lingering, almost, looking around left to right, as though waiting for something, his hands hidden in the billowing sleeves of his garb that he wore - and it was rather pretty garb.

   “Where did he come from?” Spectre hissed.

   “I don’t know.” Ryoken hissed back.

   “Should we call the police?” Spectre asked.

   “And tell them what? We have someone peacefully loitering in our backyard? I’m sure they would just tell us to get him to move along on our own.” Ryoken replied.

   “Then… should we try to ask him to leave?” Spectre grimaced.

   “I - I suppose, so.” Ryoken stiltedly replied.

   Neither liked the idea very much but it was the only idea they had so. They rose to the occasion and to their full heights. Together, they slunk out the sliding door and made no sudden movements as they approached the young man in the kimono.

   His serious expression lightened, but only slightly. The corners of his mouth upturned, not in a smile but it was certainly a kinder expression to the dour look he wore before. There was even an expectant light in the green of his eyes.

   “I was wondering when you’d come outside. I didn’t want to be rude and go inside since we’ve never been inside together.” he said.

   Ryoken and Spectre exchanged a very concerned look. With just their eyes alone they asked one another and replied: “Do you know this person?” 

   And a resounding, “No, absolutely not.”

   With just the strain of their pupils and then back unto the youth. He did not look familiar at all, one would absolutely remember someone with such a dashing streak of pink in his hair or his slender frame. His countenance, as well, was rather unique, too, in that it was distant yet overly familiar - on one side.

   He closed his eyes as he bowed forward, “Though we’ve known each other all our lives, please, allow me to introduce myself properly, Ryo-chan, Spe-chan. My name is Yusaku and it is a pleasure to finally say so.” He opened his eyes as he released his courtesy. He blinked, confused, by

   Ryoken and Spectre were very taken aback by Yusaku’s introduction. The pet names, in particular, were not only gauche and embarrassing but were exclusively between themselves. Though, they hadn’t used those pet names at all, in recent memory, and now called forth memories of their halcyon childhood days, playing chaseys in the backyard and playing red-light, green-light… in front of this very tree.

   The one which was now all but dead and had Yusaku standing in front of it.

   Spectre glanced at Ryoken. No, it couldn’t be. Surely that was too odd even for him to say but he had to take that chance.

   “Yusaku, just who are you?” Spectre asked, his suspicions furled in the furrow of his brow.

   “Fujiki Yusaku, the spirit of this wisteria tree.” Yusaku replied.

   “I thought so.” Spectre said but he seemed - and sounded - quite concerned.

   Ryoken glanced between them both. Surely it was not possible but Yusaku’s eerie appearance. It became more obvious as he turned, just slightly, so that he could place his hand on the tree. It was at this profile that the sharpness of his ears were shown off, they were elfin. His hands, too, were odd. There was a glimpse of impossibly purple veins on the inside of his wrists and his nails were more like claws, too.

   So, perhaps it was possible. Spirits, ghosts, and other phantasms in this day and age. Not just horror stories from the frivolity of the past long since gone. Yet Ryoken’s practical mind kept him from entertaining the notion. He was the son of a scientist and that impacted him. He wasn’t ready to take hearsay on such a top. 

   He wasn’t as open to the idea of it, not like Spectre was. Spectre was completely unlike him that way. He had been an abandoned baby, left in the wilderness, and by all accounts, he should have died in those circumstances. From frostbite or starvation but something had kept him protected and he always felt it was the spirit of a tree.

   To have one - in the spiritual flesh and bone, in pure visage like Yusaku right now - it was both a miracle and comforting to him. Thus, Spectre listened intently as Yusaku explained his origins. 

   “I came of age approximately twenty years ago, that’s when my consciousness surfaced and I became aware of my surroundings,” Yusaku explained, he sounded a little airy to be speaking about himself, “and I got to watch you both grow and play. Now, at one hundred years of age, I’ve fully manifested and shed my original vessel. It's sad to be parted from my own being but, look,” Yusaku turned his head, “now my wish has come true.”

   “Your wish?” Ryoken echoed. “Just what exactly is your wish?”

   “I wanted to be with you both.” Yusaku replied, blithe. He reached out and took both Ryoken and Spectre’s hands. “I’ve watched you both grow up and without realising it, I was always there so I’m very happy to have my wish come true.”

   Spectre frowned, he ripped his hand out of Yusaku’s, “So our wisteria tree? Will it recover from having you parted from it?”

   Ryoken wanted to sigh and chide Spectre. There were more pressing questions to ask but it was Spectre and he had to admit. Looking at how the wisteria tree had become so withered, a husk, behind Yusaku, it did sadden him. He could all too easily imagine it in its prime, in its beauty.

   The hanging, purple flowers that made for the perfect shade in a hot summer’s day, a place to play. When it wasn’t in flower, it was a good post for them to involve in their games. Ryoken’s heart ached for those childhood memories with his lover. It even ached, bittersweet, for stories he had been told of previous generations of his family caring and tending for this tree, of picnics his grandparents had had and even his own Father had proposed to his Mother under this tree. 

   A gesture that he had even replicated with Spectre, not just when they were playing house but far more recently than that. He had been so thrilled when Spectre had accepted his proposal but now, he had an inkling something was about to change if the truth really was as the tree spirit said it was.

   All in all, the wisteria tree was an important centrepiece of their little world. And when Yusaku spoke, it snapped Ryoken from his reverie. Though he was still unconvinced that Yusaku wasn’t some sort of intruder or charlatan. 

   “If I remain here, it will recuperate, I promise.” Yusaku said.

   “Good.” Spectre replied, he didn’t exactly perk up but he was pleased with that answer. “Now, would you like to come inside for breakfast? I was just about to begin preparing it before Ryoken and I noticed you out here.”

   “I would like that, thank you.” Yusaku said.

   “Wh-What?” Ryoken stammered. “We don’t know for sure if he is pulling the wool over our eyes or not.”

   “Well, we can’t be perceptive on empty stomachs then.” Spectre said. “But, for what it's worth, I believe him. I’ve always thought trees had spirits, after all.”

   “That’s true.” Ryoken reluctantly grumbled.

   “Come on now.” Spectre said.

   “Yeah, we have a lot of catching up to do.” Yusaku added.

   Spectre turned around and Yusaku padded along behind him, Ryoken was entirely outnumbered. Arriving at the dining room table, whilst Spectre made breakfast and Yusaku seemed quietly excited to be inside at all with the two people he loved most.

   And so beginning, a new and quirky, supernatural love story of two childhood friends and the tree spirit determined to insert himself into their lives after watching for so long. The End.

#multiamorymarch2023 #multiamory march #saviorshipping #yugioh vrains #vrains #yugioh #fujiki yusaku #yusaku fujiki #ryoken kogami #kogami ryoken #spectre (vrains) #writing tag #after the storm (in the backyard)