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neriyon · 3 months

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30 WoL Think Thonkers (part 1)

From this prompt list! I'm planning on answering all of these, and to start with here are the first 6 questions (from the "Warm up" category). It got pretty long right from the first question, so hiding it under read more~

I. Where is your Warrior of Light from? What was their home like growing up and what set them out on their journey?

Hawu'li is from The Black Shroud - more specifically from around South Shroud. Somewhere relatively close to the Buscarron's place (he used to hang out around his tavern as a kid), but outside the playable map area. His home was just some small clearing in the woods, with a few simple small houses, some sheds and tons of kids running around.

Hawu'li's immediate family consisted of his mother, Hawu (the matriarch of the family), her two younger sisters (Khona & Masha), and all their collective kids/grandkids: Hawu'li's siblings (2 brothers, 7 sisters), his cousins (Khona's and Masha's kids) and a couple of toddlers from the oldest kids. They are a very traditional keeper family - matriarch strictly keeps her family in line, the only males around are children or visiting, and the family is mostly self sufficent. What they can't make themselves is usually brought as a gift (from suitors or children visiting their mothers) or traded from travelling merchants in exchange for meat they hunted. All of the kids were taught basics of carpentry, letherwork, cooking and botany, but good hunters were treated with the highest respect.

Hawu'li was always very small and scrawny kid, lot more interested in reading books than sparring with his sisters outside. He learned crafting somewhat easily, but for some reason when it came to wielding a spear or a bow he would keep blundering even the easiest of basics. As a kid most adults just found it funny, thinking he'd outgrow it soon enough.

Years went on, but Hawu'li did not grow big like most assumed, nor did he figure out hunting. His sisters found him pretty useful for babysitting while they were out hunting, but Hawu'li himself grew more and more ashamed with each passing year. His mother's strong disaproval didn't help. What keeper couldn't hunt their own food?

Then one year, one of his older cousins, while visiting her home after few years of studying, thought of teaching him some very basic spells. Surprising even himself, Hawu'li learned these spells very quickly. She encouraged him to go to Gridania to learn more, winning the first hesitant boy over with tales of conjurers helping the townspeople and travelers alike.

2. What city-state did your Wol start in? How did they feel about it then, and how do they feel about it now?

And then he left to Ul'dah inste-- no, just joking. He did set out to Gridania, managed to get into conjurers' guild and started studying.

His experience was pretty mixed: Gridania is not really know for being nice to outsiders, let alone someone from a family proud of their hunting traditions. But for every rude person, there seemed to be a nice one too. Mother Miounne helped him greatly during the first few months, and after settling in the Stillglade Fane he did quickly befriend most of his fellow students.

Now, after all his travels, he still feels that Gridania is his "home" as much as his family's home is. Both have some bad memories, but also lots of good ones, and he'd rather see both prosper.

3. How do they feel about being Hydaelyn's chosen?

Tough one… uhhhh Hawu'li is generally of the mind that the title of Warrior of Light is a positive thing. Maybe because he doesn't need to carry it alone - the overwhelming expectations and responsibilities are split over the three of them carrying mantle together. Being Hydaelyn's chosen has led to him seeing the world a lot more, meeting various people he'd never have met otherwise, and having the power to actually change things. On some nights the weight of lost friends feels very heavy, but overall he is glad for the things he's gained from being chosen.

4. What do they do in their down time? Do they have any hobbies outside of Primal-slaying and world-saving? Are these lifelong hobbies or recent interests?

Hawu'li's absolute favorite way to pass time is to just spend it with those dear to him, but he does really enjoy cooking and reading! Or just going for walks or shopping trips with his loved ones. Lately he's been learning more weaver stuff, mostly how to make little knitted shirts for plushies (and Carby).

5. How do they feel now that “it’s all over” (the story of Hydaelyn and Zodiark)? What do they plan to do next? Or is their story finished - and if you’re retiring them, what does retirement look like for them? Do you have someone else taking the stage going forward?

Story is very much not over for Hawu'li! He can't really think about retiring (like, ever) since it would mean leaving his biggest calling (helping others), but I did plan that he has some tiny vacation between 6.55 stuff and the next expansion. Nothing that big, just spending extra time with his partners and friends, having fun and enjoying not being in a hurry for once. Maybe finally visiting his family?

I've spoken about this before, but his co-WoLs (my friends' ocs) are indeed retiring, and when I can figure out how to work them into the MSQ nicely he'll actually get 1-2 new companions (aside from Scions) for his trip to Tural. So now instead of a cat and two elves we'll have 1-2 cats and a bunny, haha. (Einn and maaaybe N'jinh when I finish his rework)

6. Who was their Azem? What were they like, and were they different from your WoL? Who were their family, friends? Or, if you don’t care for the Azem angle or went in your own direction for their past self, how so? How does your WoL feel about their Ancient identity?

Hawu'li's Azem was named Eleos. The two are rather similar in personality, but with Eleos being a bit more… intense? I often like to describe Eleos as "Hawu'li but turned up to 11". Biggest differences are probably that Eleos is very much not afraid to hit things (thanks Venat), and is in general a lot braver than Hawu'li is, but also more prone to mood swings (Hawu'li is a lot more patient). He's also somewhat of a gremlin, getting in the nerves of his poor coworkers constantly lol.

Eleos was the only kid of a researcher and a farmer in some more secluded corner of Etheirys. Venat also counts as his family - as a kid Eleos hugely idolized Venat for saving his hometown from monsters, but later on during his apparenticeship their relationship turns more familial.

Uhhhh as for other relationships: adult Eleos was dating Hyth and Hades, was generally friendly with other Convocation members (Lahabrea might've felt otherwise lol), treated Elidibus as a younger brother he never had aaaaand had a bestie called Skeiron (Einn's ancient). Lots of other friends too since I specifically wanted every single one of my ocs' ancients to know each other in some way haha, so I'm not listing all of them here.

Hawu'li isn't really sure what to think about the whole Azem thing. It's not like he has any memories of the past, and while he finds it fascinating to learn more about what his soul did in the past he is very much aware that he's his own person.

As a fun little bonus I'll mention that they have actually met! In my version of MSQ events Eleos' consciousness still kinda hangs around in his shards, just kinda looking after his "kids" (spectating everything while sitting on a couch with Ardbert lol). In that Ultima Thule cutscene he actually makes himself properly know for the first time, and kinda just manifests alongside Hyth and Hades to properly say goodbye (and sorry) to them. He also offers some words for Hawu'li, and then kinda retreats back into some corner of Hawu'li's soul.

#oof that ended up being so much longer than i thought akieuwhfiefuh #and i even tried to shorten both the first and last answers lol #also there be ancient talk so obiviously shb and ew spoilers #anyway uhhhh comments...#i've yet to choose names for any of hawu'li's sisters #his brothers are hawu'a and hawu'to bc male keeper names are funny like that #hawu'a is the “good son” who's really strong and good hunter #and visits home the most. usually bringing lots of food along him #hawu'to is the “smart one” who's actually working in sharlayan #hawu'li hasn't seen him in years before randomly running into him during ew haha #about gridania i'll mention that hawu'li's main beef with them is that #he feels every injured person seeking help should be treated #no matter their crimes or background #and my thoughts on it are that it's not the elementals saying no but conjurers either reading them wrong or just blaming them #so hawu'li can hear the elementals too and often uses it to call out bullshit when some stuck up conjurer refuses to help someone #hawu'li has indeed not visited his family after arr stuff #maybe he'll visit before leaving for tural #maybe even take g'raha along to meet them haha #what else uhhhh #i still want to make info page for all of the ancients too but i've been so lazy with that #oh and eleos hanging out in hawu'li's soul is actually the reason he's little less scared of being alone now #since he knows that eleos is there (silently) cheering him on he can spend juuuust a little longer alone than before ew #(not to mention that uh. like half of that separation anxiety of his is directly from eleos)#(final days trauma so bad it transfers to all his shards 😔)#purple catboy #should i tag eleos too? sure why not #wandering sun

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dcxdpdabbles · 10 months

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Alfred's Boy Part 4

"Master Bruce, would it be alright if I had someone over?" Danny's soft voice breaks the chatter around the table. Bruce is honestly surprised to hear the boy speak up without prompting. It takes him a moment to answer how unexpecting the request is.

The boy seems to think his silence is an answer, for he ducks his head and brings up his shoulders. "Nevermind. It was stupid. I'll tell Clockwork to forget it."

"No. No. This is your house as well, Danny. You can invite any of your friends. I'm just surprised Clockwork would allow you to contact guests from your old home." Bruce assures. His eyes flicker to the rest of the table, showing how everyone is focused on their own plates, but all conversation has died.

He is sure half of his children are attempting to develop super hearing with how much they are straining to eavesdrop.

"He's not really a friend, per se." Danny pushes some of his food to one side of his plate. It's a nervous habit Bruce had realized he does when speaking of his old home. Not just food but anything he can fiddle with, as Danny seems unable to hold still when nervous. "Wes and I have....a history, you can say. Clockwork said that he was allowed to visit because he knew what was happening but wasn't too involved with the situation. Not like Sam and Tucker, my best friends, or my sister Jazz. "

A history? Oh no, was this "Wes" an ex?

Bruce looks again at his youngest and fights a wince at Damian's dark sneer as the boy stabs his broccoli. Please let Wes just be anything but an ex. He doesn't want to follow the other kid around to make sure he doesn't have to fight off his children from bringing him harm.

Dick speaks up, likely thinking along the same lines. "I'm glad you can still have someone to see you! When will he be here? Will he be alright with Gotham's....everything?"

A smile is fighting at the corner of Danny's lips, and Bruce swears he can hear his children's hearts shatter as the boy flushes slightly. "Trust me, Wes can handle a lot. Clockwork said he would let Alfred know the details if Master Bruce agreed."

The butler pulls out an old-looking pocket watch. After checking the time, Alfred snaps it close with an impassive smile. "Clockwork will have the boy here in three days. I believe Danny will have a few days off then to enjoy his company?"

It's not really a request, but Bruce still nods. "Of course."

Danny's entire face lights up. It's the most joy he's seen on the boy's face since his arrival. "Thank you, Master Bruce. Thank you, Alfred. Can you please excuse me? I want to prepare his room."

"Of course, dear boy," Alfred nods his head. Danny is gone in a flash, a secret smile pulling at his lips. He waits a few seconds, so Danny's footsteps can fade away before leveling a stern stare at everyone at the table.

Bruce straightens his back out of reflex when that all-knowing stare passes over him. He barely contains a sigh of relief when Alfred slightly lingers on him to transfer his gaze to Damian.

He feels terrible for his son but cannot step between the butler and him. Damian will have to fight this battle on his own.

"I trust everyone here will not give Danny or his guest any grief during his break." It's not a question. It's a camond. Everyone shivers slightly out of fear.

"No."

"You don't have to worry about me"

"I have some stuff to do."

"Of course not Alfred."

Alfred doesn't precisely threaten them, but he does make his eyes a little darker "Danny's guest will not find shadows following him."

A few of his kids look heartbroken, while Jason has an expression of manic glee blooming on his face.

The following night, Danny is asking for ideas on where to take Wes on his tour. Apparently, both are from a small town and are used to having fewer options for entertainment.

"Kids usually either went to the mall or the local burger place. The mall wasn't even that big too, so after a while it got boring" Danny admits.

"You have to take him to Batburger," Jason tells Danny. Bruce fights the urge to leap over the table and punch his child. Jason knows that Danny hadn't gone to the restaurant so a lot of his siblings had been dreaming of taking the boy on a date there.

He's just rubbing salt in the wounds at this point.

"I think I will. I'll take him to museums too. Wes loves history." Danny writes some ideas down in a little notebook. He's taken to carrying it around, brainstorming a perfect weekend there.

Bruce had glanced at it earlier that day, when Danny had been busy cleaning and had read, "Make out point- Dick said the stars are the clearest there."

He almost had a heart attack. For all that Danny was Alfred's boy, Bruce still felt very protective of Danny like his own. He did not want his somewhat son to be going to any place with the name make out point.

No one speaks after that- primarily due to his younger children trying to shift their sobs and the older ones trying to comfort them without letting Danny notice.

Eventually, Cullen gets up from the table, excusing himself with a half-baked excuse of needing to do homework, and Harper chases after him. The two are followed by Tim- whose eyes are glossy- Steph, who looks to be biting her lip. Duke, whose hands are curled into fists, and Damian, who stomps out like a bull about to charge.

Bruce leaps to his feet but is stopped by Dick, who pats his shoulder. "I got this."

"The plot thickens," Jason says before he, too, goes after his siblings. For all his teasing, his second oldest adores his brothers and sisters, so he'll be there in their time of need.

"Is something...wrong?" Danny asks after a moment of hesitation. "I can tell Clockwork and Wes not to do the visit."

"No. You have Wes over. We talk." Cass tells him, giving the boy a wink as she, too, steps away. "Tonight, all ice cream."

"Yes." Alfred sighs. "I do believe that would be best. A frozen treat to soothe the pain of heartbreak. I'll bring up the tubs for everyone in a moment."

Bruce fights the urge to bury his face in his hands as Danny spring to his feet offering to help with the ice cream, unaware he is the cause for the comfort food.

Despite the apparent tension in the manor, the promised weekend does arrive. Danny is beside himself with excitement. He's not wearing a suit for once- he's gotten to copying Alfred in a misguided attempt at a butler uniform- and is wearing street clothes.

Besides, when the first day, Bruce has never seen Danny in street clothes. He's surprised that Danny dresses like a punk rocker- complete with a black leather jacket, big combat boots, and various chains.

He looks like the type of person fathers warn their daughters away from. Bruce hates how that only makes more of his children bestowed.

Danny had given everyone a happy smile when Bruce handed him the keys to one of his sports cars- he saw no reason why Wes and Danny should take a bus to the airport when he had plenty of vehicles to lend him. Alfred had allowed the boy to go alone since Danny needed to go through a particular gate for Wes.

Apparently, Clockwork would be sending Wes on a private plane. It burned not to know who Clockwork was or what he did, but Bruce fought the urge to snoop to get Alfred to stop glaring at him.

"I bet you he's not even that great," Tim grumbles, stuffing a chocolate cookie into his mouth. "Bet you he's ugly."

"With buck teeth" Steph adds stealing her own cookie.

"He likely never even seen a sword," Damian spits.

"Come on guys, I know it sucks, but we can't just dis on Wes 'cause Danny likes him," Duke says though it's not very convincing, seeing as he dropped over the couch in a depressive slouch.

"Why are all the good gays taken?" Cullen sighs, ignoring the meta.

Bruce opens his mouth to offer some comfort or maybe lecture them, but the front door opens before he gets a chance. Everyone sits up only to slump down as Dick strolls in with a cheerful smile. They all glare at him, which makes Dick flauter in his steps for only a second.

"They're waiting for Danny," Bruce tells him. Dicks smile regains his cheer as the oldest throws himself on the couch.

"He's outside with his guest. Lovely guy."

"Is he ugly?" Tim asks hopefully. His dreams are dashed as Dick shakes his head.

"He could be a supermodel."

"Of course, he can."

Jason snorts from behind a book. Bruce knows he is not reading it, simply by the fact he hasn't turned a page in the last ten minutes- his son speed reads whenever he adores a book- and is likely enjoying the show.

The door opens again, this time accompanied by two sets of laughter. An unfamiliar voice wheezes "-Dash then reads out love poems he wrote about Phantom!

"No!" Danny gasps. "Not Dash Baxter. What did the other A-listers do in retaliation?"

"Nothing that's the crazy part. They had poems too!"

The two voices are carrying, so Bruce has a few seconds to prepare himself. So do his kids, who all sit up at attention, a few with not as welcoming expressions as he would like. The voices round the corner, and Bruce looks at Wes first.

Dick was right. He's a handsome young man with ginger hair and flickers of freckles. He is dressed similarly to Danny, but a little less black and slightly more burnt orange to add color to his punk look. A worn-out backpack is swung over his shoulder while the same arm is tugging along a suitcase behind him.

Wes is also holding Danny's hand with a free hand.

Damian makes a slightly wounded sound that digs a dagger into Bruce's heart. His baby's first heartbreak.

Danny looks surprised to see them all, seeing as the family usually prepares to go out as the Bats at this time- but he smiles widely after a moment. "Everyone I like you to meet Wesley Weston. Wes, this is my boss, Bruce Wayne, and his kids, Dick Grayson-wayne, Jason Todd-Wayne, Casandra Wayne, Tim Drake-Wyane, Stephine Brown, Damian Wayne, Cullen Row, and Harper Row."

Wes smiles at them, waving the hand he has interlocked with Danny. Bruce winces as most of his kids give half-hearted greetings. Thankfully Alfred is in the kitchen and misses their terrible manners.

Wes pauses and squits at the youngest of the house before he sighs. "Of course, it happens in this dimension too."

"What?" Danny asks confused

"Danny and I aren't dating," Wes tells the room, ignoring the startled boy he's launched onto. "Danny just needs to have physical contact for his mental health. So we hold hands. He also needs to have someone sleep with him. Otherwise, his core doesn't recharge correctly."

"Wes!" Danny protests. "They don't know about cores!"

"Oh," Wes shrugs, waving his hands at them, "Never mind. Processed as normal, Danny and I will cuddle in his room. Danny lead the way."

Alfred's foster son flushes a bright red but quickly tugs the guest away. Jason shakes from unrestrained laughter as Damian stabs the table on which he is sharpening his knives.

Bruce yells after the two boys.

"The door stays open, Danny!"

"Master Bruce, it's not like that!" Danny yells back, mortified, and Wes breaks into impish laughter.

"I hate him," Duke hisses, and Bruce gives in to the urge to bury his face in his hands.

It's going to be a long weekend.

#dcxdpdabbles #dc x dp crossover #Alfred's boy #Part 4 #Wes is just here for the cuddles #Yes Danny is from a different dimension in this.#Everyone from that dimension is hot #Bruce is trying to dad

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0vergrowngraveyard · 3 months

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The day had started pretty average all things considered.

Eggman had decided to attack yet another poor, defenseless village but at this point, that was pretty common (as depressing as it was to admit).

It was a peaceful little spot. The village was pretty small and had its own little beach a few miles away. Why the doctor had decided to attack this place out of any village on Mobius was beyond Sonic but hey, why question the bad doctor’s plans when he can just wreck them?

Which is exactly what he and his team, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, were doing. Knuckles had decided to get off his island and pay everyone a visit for once in his life so when word got out about Eggman’s attack, Sonic had to bring him along.

Y’know, just for some fun.

The gang had managed to drive Eggman’s attention away from the village and solely onto them. Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy took care of the badniks on the ground while Tails handled a few of the larger flying ones in the Tornado.

At this point, they were just fighting on the beach. It wasn’t ideal for the hedgehog, but it was away from the village at least, and that’s all that mattered. He could begrudgingly sacrifice a bit of comfort in order to keep the people safe.

Didn’t mean he wouldn’t audibly complain about it though.

“Why’d you have to choose a beach to fight at, Eggy? D’you know how hard it is to get good traction on sand?” He charge up a homing attack and shot through three buzzbombers, “Actually, now that I think about it, you probably wouldn’t!”

“Aren’t you the one who led us over here?” Knuckles asked, punching a hole straight through a badnik and tossing it into another one which exploded on impact.

“Maybe, but Eggman’s the one who attacked the village so it’s ultimately his fault!” Sonic responded. Knuckles couldn’t argue with that.

Amy slammed her hammer into the ground, a shockwave taking out at least six of the robots. “Is it just me, or are there a lot more badniks?”

Sonic paused and looked around.

Yeah, there were definitely more than usual, but it was nothing they couldn’t handle!

He pulled up his communicator, “Yo Tails! How’s it going up there?” He asked his brother. The Tornado was flying over the ocean, keeping a lot of the flying badniks away from the ground fight.

“Not too bad!” He pulled on the yoke, driving the plane upwards as two bots crashed into each other. “What about down there?”

“Easy peasy!” He pulled his hand away to spindash through a bot before continuing, “Though it doesn’t exactly reach lemon squeezy criteria.” He held back a snort as he heard the kit groan.

“You sound stupid, I hope you know that.” the fox said.

“I second that,” Knuckles added, “though I’m not entirely sure what this fight being simple has to do with peas or lemons.”

This time, Sonic did laugh, to which Amy spoke up about, “Leave him alone, Sonic. It’s just a saying, Knuckles!”

“Once again, your figures of speech make little sense. Why do they all involve food items?”

Sonic opened his mouth to quip back at the echidna when an explosion rang out, echoed in the communicator.

“As much as I’d love to participate in explaining Mobian phrases to Knuckles, things are getting a little dicey up here! I’ll talk later!” Tails said, performing some tricky maneuvering around a few bots as they exploded.

The Tornado had been getting further and further away from the shore.

“Alright bud! Be careful!” Sonic said, taking notice of how far the biplane had suddenly gotten.

“You too, guys!”

“Don’t know the meaning of the word, lil’ bro!” The hedgehog responded as he lowered his communicator, bringing his attention back to the fight at hand. He could almost hear the kit lecturing him about his hypocrisy from the biplane.

The fight on the ground went on for about 10 more minutes. The three had started making a game out of it. Who could throw/smack Sonic into the most badniks in a row? Amy ended up winning when she sent him flying through five badniks in a row croquette style. Her reward was bragging rights, of course.

As Sonic was recovering from being tossed around like a ball for the past few minutes, he decided to have a chat with the old doctor.

“Ayo, doc! You’ve been a little quiet!” He yelled out, “Is this a defeat silence or a disappointed silence or-“

“Quiet rodent. I’m waiting for the finale.” The doctor said, pressing a few buttons on his control panel and muttering something under his breath.

Sonic laughed as Knuckles and Amy walked up behind him, the former keeping his eyes on the Tornado as it was still fighting off a few of the bots.

Were they getting more aggressive?

“Finale? You mean when I knock you on your butt and—!”

(It all happened so fast.)

There was an explosion, a big explosion. It was loud enough to echo through the entire area (or had it just been amplified in his mind?).

He didn’t register Knuckles cry out and bolt towards the shoreline. He didn’t register Amy pulling up her communicator and screaming at the person on the other end to respond. He didn’t even register Eggman’s triumphant laugh as he said words the hedgehog couldn’t hear.

The world moved in slow motion as he turned his head towards the water just in time to see the flaming body of the Tornado crash into the ocean, sinking to its depths.

Time froze. The world around him muted. He stared at the spot the biplane had crashed.

(It happened too fast. Everything just needed to slow down.)

He couldn’t breathe. A suffocating sense of dread blindsided him, smothering him alive and he didn't have the strength to fight back. His heartbeat pounded in his ear and his legs itched to run.

To run away from the entire scene. To run and not look back because maybe, just maybe, if he didn’t look back, that would mean it never happened. That everything was fine. They would go back to the workshop later and bicker and have movie nights and play fights. They’d complain about one another’s habits and laugh together.

He’d lecture the kit about his sleep schedule (or lack thereof) and drag him to his bed. He’d tuck him in and the kit would later wander into his room after having a nightmare and the two brothers would snuggle up together, fighting off the bad dreams that tormented the little fox in his sleep.

That would all happen. It would. It had to.

It had to because if it didn’t, that would mean Tails was really…

Tails was…

(He just needed the world to slow down. Just this once. He wasn’t ready to catch up yet.)

He didn’t realize he had walked waist deep into the ocean with Amy having to hold him back. Knuckles had tried to swim to the wreckage but soon realized it was a fruitless endeavor.

The crash had been too far out.

There was no way to get to Tails.

All Sonic could do was stare out across the body of water he feared so intensely. It was a fear that was ingrained in him.

The ocean didn’t care about who or what was in its depths. If it wanted to keep you there, it would, and there wasn’t much you could do about it. Especially someone like him who sank instead of floated.

The dark depths were always out for him, wrapping its hands around him and tugging him further and further down whenever the opportunity made itself known. It was like the ocean was determined to make itself his final resting place. It joyfully filled his lungs with water and never allowed him up for air.

There was one person he could rely on to get to him before the water did. One person he knew that could fight off the thing keeping him down.

But that one person had just had his small body grabbed and dragged under by whatever malevolent force lived in those waters. Never to resurface.

It was as if the ocean was laughing at him. Annoyingly tapping at his waist with waves as if to say, “Hey, look what I just did. Did you see that?”

Of course he saw, how could he have missed it?

How could he miss the sight of the biplane he took with him from Christmas Island, the plane that allowed him to meet the kit in the first place, crashing in a flaming wreck and sinking to the bottom of the ocean, taking his little brother along with it?

The waters laughed at him.

They bragged about how they were the ones holding the kit instead of him. That their hands were running throughout the fox’s soft, golden fur, surrounding him in his final moments.

They teased him about how he’d never be able to hold him again. His hands itched with the feeling of his kit’s fur beneath them. He wanted to find him, to rescue him from his captor. Even if he was taking his final breaths, he wanted them to be in the arms of someone the fox trusted more than life itself. To tell his kid how much he loves him and how much he meant to all of them. That he would be missed.

But the kit was alone.

And that’s exactly how the ocean wanted it.

…

Knuckles didn’t know how much time had passed and frankly, he didn’t care.

He didn’t want to think about it because if the kit hadn’t gone quickly in the initial explosion, then the alternative would’ve taken time. Minutes he could’ve spent swimming to get to him. He should’ve been able to get to him. He was an incredibly fast swimmer, he should’ve been able to get out there.

As the seconds went by, the already cavernous pit in his stomach grew tenfold. He tried not to think about the fox kit who was alone in the cockpit of his beloved biplane, possibly conscious and just waiting for his time to come.

He didn’t want to think about the youngest — one of his first friends, someone he had grown to consider to be a younger brother just as the hedgehog had — in that scenario. It wasn’t right, not after all the kit had done for them.

He had managed to pull Sonic a little closer to the shore. The blue hedgehog had fallen to his knees, no longer being able to carry the weight of what just happened. It was haunting, the way he just stared at the horizon. Never in his life did he think he’d see the hedgehog in such a state of despair and defeat.

Then again, he never even began to imagine something like this happening. Not to Tails.

He pried his eyes off of the grief stricken big brother and looked beside him.

Amy wasn’t doing much better, her head was in her knees, fist clenched and body tense as she cried. She was sobbing her heart out. He could only imagine the thoughts going through her mind.

He looked at the sand in front of him and closed his eyes out of respect for the kit, a few tears he didn’t even know had formed slipped down his cheek. His mind flashed with memories of the fox kit, from the one of him first arriving to Angel Island with his hyperactive yet silent blue brother all the way to the call just a few moments ago.

It wasn’t right, they (Sonic) had just been teasing the echidna about his lack of knowledge for common Mobians phrases. How could this have happened? Why did this happen? Why was there no heads up or warning? It was all so sudden and they didn’t even have time to process anything.

Knuckles knew it was foolish to question why people died, he was the last of his kind for crying out loud, he should be used to this.

Except he wasn’t. The kid may not have been an echidna, but he was still part of his tribe. His family. They all were.

And their tribe had just lost their youngest. Their little golden ball of sunshine. The kid who could brighten an entire area with his laughter and knock someone’s ego down several pegs at the same time. The kid he for the longest time just assumed was magical because of how skillful he was with machines, creating their communicators out of seemingly nothing just so they could stay in contact with each other. He created incredible defensive mechanisms and weapons just to keep people safe. He was only 8 years old.

He had done so much for them, and this was how they repaid him? How the world repaid him?

How dishonorable.

#fic #finally finished this holy shit #sorry not sorry #i think this might be the one time my inability to smoothly transition between plot points actually works-#talking about how sudden death can be and all #anyway #happy wednesday :)#i’m coming for you next marie #miles tails prower #sonic the hedgehog #unbreakable bond #the brothers ever #knuckles the echidna #amy rose #they’re a tribe your honor

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runnning-outof-time · 2 years

Text

-> John Shelby Masterlist <-

Main Masterlist

Last Updated: 2/7

Want to be tagged? Let me know!

All works are my own - I do not give consent to the reposting of them in any form.

——— (listed oldest -> newest) ———

x Reader Imagines:

— Unrequited: (Y/N) stuck around to help her late friend's partner out with his four kids when she realized that he was in over his head. She finds herself spending a lot of time with his kids, and with him as well. But she doesn't see him in that way.

— I Can’t Lose You, Too: John and (Y/N)'s marriage wasn't built on love. In fact, (Y/N) didn't even think that John was capable of loving her until the day he showed her.

— Fine: Who knew that pottery could be so dangerous when it breaks? Who knew that (Y/N)'s gangster husband lost his mind at the sight of blood? (Y/N) found both of these out at nearly the same time.

— A Not So Rude Awakening: John and (Y/N) have been on a few dates and now he's asked her to stay the night. They spend a normal night in bed, but the morning after is not like (Y/N) thought it was going to be like.

— Fell Hard For You: On a whim, (Y/N) decides to help a man who injures himself while running away from the police. An unlikely relationship then forms from that accident.

— A House Visit: An errand that (Y/N) thought was just going to take five minutes of her time ends up taking the entire night, but she can't complain. It might have just allowed her to meet the love of her life.

— Like Father, Like Son: John Shelby kept striking out on his attempts to get to know (Y/N) better. He didn't know that his chance with her would come with the help of a one-year-old wingman: his youngest son.

— The Tale of Two Brothers: (Y/N)'s known the Shelby family since she was young. Her connection allowed her to help out with what was left behind when the boys went to fight. She finds herself in a bit of a situation when they return from France. A situation that involves feelings coming from two different directions.

— Some Much Needed Comfort...Food: (Y/N) finds John Shelby slumped against the door to his home and quickly decides that she needs to help him. John finds that the way to the heart is actually through a home-cooked meal.

— What’s Her Name?: John quickly becomes enamored by a woman he meets while he's out causing trouble. After he's finished with said trouble, he hopes to find her standing there, but she's gone. So he begins the quest to find out this beautiful woman’s name. The path it leads him on is rather exciting.

— Just Play Along: When the person who (Y/N) feels has been following her gets a little too close for comfort, she makes a quick decision that involves John Shelby and some good acting...or maybe no acting at all.

— Bring It In: Needing some comfort after a horrible break up, (Y/N) goes to the brother she knows will care for her the most. (Sister!Reader)

— Through the Night: John and (Y/N) grapple with the struggle of getting their son to sleep through the night…amongst the other struggles that come along with parenthood.

— Blood On the Carpet: (Y/N) gets a rather pleasant surprise on the morning of her birthday, one that she can’t quite say she’s surprised by…or maybe she is.

— When The Kids Are Away…: John and (Y/N) Shelby very rarely get a night off, so they were going to make the most of it tonight.

Blurbs:

— Hold Your Own: John’s worried when he heard that (Y/N)’s at the shop when the Lee’s break in. She assures him that she’s fine and can hold her own.

— Don’t Go Just Yet: (Y/N) doesn’t let John leave the snug without one last kiss.

— Out For Some Fun: John finds out the hard way that (Y/N) won’t be making him any special food when he comes home at one in the morning.

— Alone Time: John and (Y/N) try to get some alone time, but it’s hard to do when they have four young children.

— A Brief Lapse in the Way Things Usually Are: John shows up and (Y/N)’s door and they share a moment unlike any they’re shared before.

— Desperate Measures: John and (Y/N) find themselves in the same bed after (Y/N)’s original room floods.

— Wrong Room: (Y/N) and John wake up in the same bed after a night of partying. As expected, John’s family doesn’t let the two hear the end of it.

— Autumn Without You: (Y/N)’s getting ready to go off to nursing school when John decides to share a secret with her.

— The Great Snowball Fight: In which (Y/N) and John push it to the limits during their annual snowball fight…and maybe they get a little more than they bargain for.

— The Christmas Market: In which John falls in love with (Y/N) all over again as he watches her go around the Christmas market; filled with joy.

— Baking With the Boys: In which (Y/N) realizes that maybe baking cookies in a house full of boys wouldn’t be as easy as she thought it would be.

— The Greatest Gift of All: In which John and (Y/N)’s little family grows by one on one of the merriest days of the year.

— Stop Showing Them!: (Y/N) gets the embarrassment of a lifetime when she finds her boyfriend showing his family her childhood pictures.

— A Run In With Her Past: A night out with Ada ends in injury, making John want to do nothing other than seek out the man that cause (Y/N) harm.

— Don’t You Dare: It’s no surprise that things have to get a little messy on John and (Y/N)’s wedding day.

— That’s Not What Dad Said: (Y/N) gets a surprise when she and John’s oldest child asks a rather interesting question out of the blue.

— Gangsters Have Feelings…?: John calls on (Y/N) when he’s having trouble coping with the decisions of his brother, Tommy. (Y/N)’s quite honestly surprised to see this side of him.

— A Happy New Year: (Y/N) meets a charming man by chance while at a New Years Eve celebration.

— But I Got Your Mind Off of It: John manages to talk (Y/N) off the ledge before she blows up the longest relationship she has over something so silly…which happens to be something she’s also done before.

— More Fun to Miss: (Y/N) lets John have a piece of her mind when she sees him (against her wishes) for the first time in three weeks at a club. (Modern AU)

— Run in with a Cousin: Michael hits on (Y/N) one night at the Garrison. Michael doesn’t know that (Y/N) is John’s girl. (Y/N) tries to figure out why John reacts the way he does…in the process she learns of a family member she didn’t know John had.

— Wasn’t Expecting You: After being away for weeks, John decides to surprise his wife. She becomes so surprised by him that her reaction isn’t what he was expecting.

— Exactly Like That: Two friends become a something a little more than that when John lets those three words slip.

— I Don’t Care What They Say: John hears what he needs the most after learning about (Y/N)’s parents’ opposition of their engagement.

Headcanons:

— there’s nothing here yet…

———

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

#john shelby #john shelby x reader #john shelby imagine #john shelby blurb #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders blurb #masterlist update #masterlist

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hargrove-mayfields · 10 months

Text

It’s Disabled Billy and Steve Week

Day 2- Family

My prompt: A family reunion with Billy

Quick content warning, there is discussion of child abuse against a baby and abusive head trauma.

-•-•-•-•-

“Watch out, big bump in the sand.” Argyle warns, in his signature slow drawl.

He’s pushing Billy in his wheelchair, across a beach, heading towards a reunion for Argyle's family, the first since the couple had moved back to California.

The Gaspar family isn’t the biggest, just Argyle's mom, her two sisters, and their kids, the oldest of which have a few babies of their own. It’s still a lot bigger than any family affair of Billy’s, but those became obsolete when Billy was still just a couple of months on this earth.

Everything fell apart around then, the family split into bitter chaos and hatred. See, back then Neil had done something that couldn’t be hidden or ignored. He shook Billy.

All it took was a few seconds, but to this day he’s never regained function of the right half of his body. It’s cerebral palsy, hemiplegic. Along with the paralysis he’s got to worry about seizures and a whole list of cognitive problems, memory loss the most prominent.

Billy’s mom is his full time carer. Now that Max and Will are all grown and leading educations of their own, Ima Joyce can stay home with Billy and help him do all the things he either can’t do anymore, or never learned how to.

Argyle is a big help too, always bringing over giant casserole dishes of food for Billy and his adoptive family, or lifting Billy into the bath. It’s sweet, and fills a void that his childhood had left.

Billy wants to repay some of that with the simple things, tasks he can manage- giving cuddles, trying his specialty pizzas, visiting his family. Still makes him nervous, to be faced with his boyfriend's entire family.

Argyle tells him that’s normal, that he’d been terrified the first time he sat around a table with Max, Jane, and his secondary caregiver, Murray, at the same time, but it seems different. Billy’s terrified of not just making a bad impression, he’s worried about something like having a seizure on the beach in front of Argyle's baby cousins.

And, at the moment, he’s scared of being dumped on his face into the sand because of these bumps Argyle is pushing him over.

“Told you the power chair would’ve been better.”

“I tried my best, dude. It died before I even got it to your room. Like, tires locked, beeping sounds kinda dead, man.” Argyle doesn’t even sound defensive, he just laughs about the absolute train wreck that was their morning.

“Just tell me this thing is close..” Billy keeps complaining, only to be reassured right away by Argyle.

“Right around the corner, blue sky. Just follow the smell of tia Evelyn’s carnitas.”

Another thing that Billy really enjoys doing with his boyfriend is exploring his culture. Argyle hadn’t really been too open about his Mexican roots, since when they met Billy was in the midst of a custody battle between Hargroves and Byers. He said it felt wrong to talk about family when Billy hadn’t really found his own yet.

Now that it’s been a few years, and things are a lot better, Argyle likes to share certain dishes and songs passed down by his family that Billy just loves. It’s his favorite part about living in California instead of Hawkins.

In the same way that Mrs Byers taught her boys to speak the language of their Tanakh, and Billy loves to listen, he loves to hear Argyle and his family speaking Spanish, although he can usually only mentally translate a few words or less.

Argyle's mom is the first to spot them now, calling as they make their slow approach to the perfect spot between the trees, where they’re all set up on a few picnic tables pushed close together, “¡Hola cariños! ¡Finalmente lo lograste y mira, trajiste a tu novio!”

Billy catches that she’s relieved they both made it, but that mostly comes from Argyle's next words, where he restates what she says. That’s they’re tactic, to make sure Billy is never left out.

“Yeah, we’re here mami. Me and my boyfriend. And not just that, but we brought my super delicious world famous brownies!” Argyle sounds excited.

His mom, however, does not. She puts her hands on her hips and raises her eyebrow, “¿Las normales, cariño?”

“Uh, Billy these are plain brownies.. right?” Argyle leans forward, looking at the tray of brownies Billy’s been steadying for him in his lap, a look of sudden worry on his face.

Now Billy’s just confused, but he goes along with it, answering, “Yeah? What else would they be?”

“Well…” Argyle looks sheepish, and Billy realizes just what other kinds of brownies Argyle would be making.

Howling with laughter, he exclaims, “Argyle, you did not!”

Bring pot brownies to a family gathering that is. But by the looks of it…

“It was a mistake, my guy! And uh, I ate the whole tray myself ‘fore anybody else could get messed up.” Argyle defends, face flushed a subtle but deep red, but somehow that just makes it worse.

Accidentally mixing up the trays is one thing, but eating all the evidence? Billy is stumped. Shocked. Almost in awe.

“How?”

Starting to regain a little humor about it, Argyle asks, “How what, sunshine?”

“How are you alive?” Billy clarifies, genuinely curious.

And then there’s another blow to every assumption Billy had made about life ever, in the form of Argyle proudly declaring, “Back in the day, I could eat two trays.”

All Billy can do is stare and look horrified, somewhat unsure if Argyle was joking or not. He’s too bad at social cues to distinguish.

But Argyle moves on, turning back to his mom to explain to her and promise that no, this is not a repeat of last time.

“Si, mami. Sin marihuana esta vez. Prometo.”

“Esto es un alivio. Quiero que te comportes lo mejor posible para tu novio hoy.” She seems to be satisfied with that answer, kissing Argyle's cheek and stepping aside so they can enter the imaginary boundary line of the party space.

Billy’s Spanish skills aren’t good enough to pick anything out this time, leaving him to wonder, “What did she say?”

Argyle shrugs, “Just something about making good impressions.”

That’s confusing. Billy’s actually a little worried he’d imagined last year's picnic while in a hospital fever dream or something. He doesn’t sound very confident as he says, “I’ve met your family though.”

Argyle tells the whole truth now, probably sensing Billy is getting stressed, “Right. She meant me though. That whole tray of hashies fucked me up pretty bad. Mama doesn't want me ruining the party in front of you.”

Billy is understanding, but also, he’s kind of surprised. He didn’t expect her to think Argyle was the problem.

After all, he’s not the one in a wheelchair, who can’t even hold a plate of food for himself, or sit through the whole family party without falling asleep. Maybe it’s leftover fear from being shoved around the house in an uncomfortable hospital lent wheelchair and never let out of the house by his biological family, but Billy is sort of used to being the one people don’t like.

For some reason, maybe because he hasn’t felt this way in a long time, Billy doesn’t hold back in expressing that.

“She’s scared about you ruining it. I’m scared about myself ruining it.”

Argyle shifts the dynamic from standing next to Billy, to crouching in front of him, a gesture that Billy only feels comfortable with when it’s someone he’s really close to. It brings them to an intimate space to talk about this problem neither of them really realized was a thing until now,

“Wait, what? You don’t got nothing to worry about, babes.”

Invited to talk about it, Billy spirals, “What if I get sick or somethin in the middle of everything and we have to go home, and everyone’s upset at me, and-“

“Baby. Mi angel. That’s not gonna happen.” Argyle declares passionately and confidently, holding the hand Billy has feeling in, “They love you. They’ll understand.”

Billy wants so badly to believe it, in spite of whatever irrational part of his brain flared up today, “Promise?”

“From the bottom of my heart, dude.” Argyle promises, impossibly romantic and heartfelt.

Feeling better, and ready to socialize in the way Argyle's family does best- food -Billy smiles, “Could you wheel me to the food table?”

“‘Atta boy!” Argyle kisses his hand, and stands back up to push Billy over. On his way, he calls, “Mami! Pass me a plate?”

“¿Qué dices, mijo?” His mother playfully purses her lips and waits for his answer to her demands about his manners.

“Por favor?” Argyle corrects himself.

The smile she wears is unmistakably full of love and joy for her boy, getting him a paper plate and waving him over, “Of course. Come, come.”

By the end of the day, Billy doesn’t even remember why he was worried. He leaves the beach full of love and good food, and with an invitation to the next one. The little cousins all loved him, one even crawling into his lap to play shark watcher with him.

They accepted him. All of him, abled or not. And one day, when he and Argyle decide they’re ready to take things to the next stage, these folks will be his family too, as William Reuben Ocean Byers-Gaspar.

~~~~~

Thanks for reading! It’s time for todays charity highlight!

This time I’ve chosen The Arc.

The Arc is a US based organization specifically designed to advocate for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Their board protects the civil rights of those with IDD and is working to break down the societal barriers that intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals face.

These include areas like criminal justice, healthcare, employment and education, and travel. The Arc works to provide resources directly to disabled folks so they may advocate for themselves, self-identify issues with language easy for them, access care, and feel safe and protected.

Most importantly, they work directly with disabled individuals to set their standards and align their goals with what disabled people actually want and need. This allows disabled members of their board and staff to be heard, not talked over or told what to do or say.

Fighting against inaccessibility and advocating for the legal and social rights of disabled people is something I’m really passionate about. The Arc is one of my favorite organizations and I’d appreciate if anyone would like to check them out.

So, if you’re interested in supporting The Arc, there are several ways. You can donate money, sign up for their news updates, share your story about programs in your life as a person with IDD, or access and utilize the resources on their site!

For more information or a place to donate (not required of course, I just want to give the option), click here for a link to the site.

#disabledbillyandsteveweek #argilly #billy x argyle #billy hargrove #disabled billy hargrove #tw abusive head trauma #tw child abuse #my writing #ej writer #if the Spanish is awful I apologize #i used my brothers three years of high school spanish and google translate to fill in the gaps

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alolanrain · 1 year

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I need more of Kabu being a better dad to Ash than that deadbeat failure of a sperm donor (*cough*Giovanni*cough*).

their not related but Ash clings to Kabu more then any of the younger gym leaders do. it doesn't help that Centiskorch adores the kid almost more then Kabu who's raised it from a newly hatched Sizzlipede.

you can catch the pair hanging around Motostoke and the Galar News and Gossip rags go wild. because even though they aren't related they almost look identical standing side by side. they especially like to visit the food market that pops up every weekend during the more warmer months. you'll most likely see Kabu out and about shopping for weekly groceries while Ash is literally dancing in the background. Pikachu and a ridiculously big sizzlipede sharing space on his shoulders while Ash is double fisiting two very full kabobs. giving each Pokémon a bite from one of the kabobs before taking one himself from the other one.

it's an every weekend thing and it drags a lot of attention from around Galar since videos and pictures fly about and sometimes the other Gym leaders will show up as well. Raihan cooks a lot himself so he's always asking for tips and trick from Kabu to pick out the best produce and Gordie just likes to fuck around and not be near his mom so he's breaking it down in the background with Ash while holding his Shuckle and one of Raihan's Trapinch. Pier's is there in the background with his hoodie up, as much as it can be with all that fucking hair, and he usually has coffee in his hands. getting tugged around by Raihan when the group moves a few stalls down. just trying to survive off of the five minutes of sleep he's got collectively through the week.

Nessa joins when Milo comes along to bring hand cut meat to Kabu around twice a month and Ash is still dancing but he's recruited by Nessa to be her photographer because she always wear fire af fits when visiting anyone on her days off. she is a model after all. Milo just watches them in amusement with Kabu.

not to say he and Ash don't hang out. Kabu and a lot of the other gym leaders of Galar get a bunch of pictures of Ash challenging off the few Dubwool Milo's family keeps around on their farm. he always looses but his laughter as he's being bucked into the side of the barn or into a pile of hay is nothing but pure joy.

sometimes Kabu invites Ash to come with him too Ballonlea because that's where he gets all his mushrooms to cook with, Opal hooks him the fuck up with the best of the best, and Ash is still dancing in the back with Pokémon on his shoulder's but this time he's somehow dancing with Opal's Togekiss balanced perfectly on his head.

yes Ash twerks, he's good at it but uses the moves to dance to the wii themed music that constantly plays in his head, and the world can't really process him doing that with a 83.8 lbs or a 38.0 kgs Pokémon on his head while he does so.

Melony: come get your son, he's T posing Gordie into a corner and I can't take my sons screaming anymore

kabu: he's not my son *shows up anyways to collect Ash who's giggling like the little fucker that he is*

Kabu and Ash have the same disgusted/annoyed look on their face and the world only finds out about it because Rose and Oleana make themselves known during the pairs daily weekend shopping. Ash only starts dancing again when the two leave.

there's a lot of non fire type Pokémon that show up around the gym and it's just a universal fact that 90% of the time it's just Ash's Pokémon he caught in Galar so far. Kabu just takes after them because Professor Magnolia would kill both of them with her cane if her house was flooded with them because Ash doesn't and will never use storage boxes.

since Kabu is a middle aged man and his home turf is Hoenn he absolutely shows Ash some old ass anime he's watched as a kid/young adult and they make a night of it. Allister likes to join the pair and so Bea gets dragged along. they end up watching a lot of Studio Ghibli works later on in their get togethers.

Kabu can actually stay up surprisingly late without issue but he's a big bitch to deal with in the morning. he only grunts, huffs, and snarls like an grumpy Arcanine. Ash has somehow learned what each sound means and has successfully learned Angry Kabu Speak or that's what Gordie and Raihan call it.

Ash ends up staying at Kabu's actual home with the man as he takes on the Galar league, sponsored by Melony so there's no favoritism even though it's exceedingly obvious. it takes the old man three whole ass months before he realizes that Ash had taken over half his yard and somehow turned it into a blooming and fruitful garden.

there's a lot of Hoenn plants that are native but their mostly house plants. hanging from the ceiling in just the right spots to get enough light or taking over a few of the windowsills. a good quarter are in ports made from Hoenn, shipped with the plants which thank you Steven and Wallace, but the majority are handmade pots that Ash finds during his travels around Galar or from the weekend market.

Kabu totally gets a tiny crush on Delia from just the stories Ash tells him about his childhood in Pallet Town during dinner or when something makes a memory pop into Ash's mind. it doesn't help at all that Ash calls her over the Tv system at least twice a week, Wednesday night before dinner and Sunday morning before Ash is dragged into doing the weekly chores to spruce the house up for when Monday comes.

he would never say anything about it to Ash. Kabu would literally kill himself before speaking about having a crush of any size since Ash would go gossip with Nessa who's always around Milo at his farm after work, who'd then go tell Gordie and he'd go snitch to Raihan and Piers. in the end it would somehow work its way up to Rose and Oleana-

yeah, Kabu's lips are sealed shut.

that doesn't stop the blush that lightly colors his cheeks every time Ash pulls Kabu into frame to say hi to his very pretty and very sweet mom.

#ash ketchum #gym leader kabu #gym leader gordie #gym leader melony #gym leader piers #gym leader raihan #gym leader bea #gym leader allister #gym leader opal #chairman rose #pokemon oleana #dad!kabu

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sincerely-nines · 6 months

Note

you said you wanted to hear about the au?

it's a decently sized one and yet to be completed, I made a couple mcyts fantasy creatures basically. Pearl is a naiad, Lizzie is an axolotl mer of some kind, Witch Gem, and of course cod mer Jimmy.

There's a lot going on in it from human Joel and axolotl Lizzie to naiad Pearl and witch Gem shenanigans, but you wanted to hear a little about scaridarity/jimmy specifically so here we go.

Scar is a faery, living in a treehouse similar to his s9 starter base in a small fae society tucked away deep in the forest. A peaceful life and he usually makes a living selling cookies and baked goods and various trinkets. He's a salesman with a silver tongue and before you know it you've given up half your diamonds, your shoes and your own weapon and you have an "ancient cursed sword" in your hands, that sort of just looks like a lightly used regular iron sword that was dug out of a dungeon somewhere.

Jimmy is a mayor of sorts, but not quite? A leader to a group/small town of human-cod hybrids (like him!) and regular cod in the swamps. The town is the number one producer of slime, but is not very large or well known. Not directly related to Lizzie but definitely sees her as an older sister figure and Lizzie sees Jimmy as a younger brother figure.

Originally, Scar ends up lost from straying from the paths for a bit too long. He ends up at the edge of Jimmy's section of the swamp, and buys up a bit of the slime for a bit lower than what Jimmy would usually have it priced as—but his smile and demeanor were too hard to refuse. Plus, there was no extra issues of packaging and transport, he provided the shoulder boxes himself. A couple diamonds missing wouldn't hurt anyone! He'd just replace them himself if he got in trouble, and how could he ever say no to that pretty face.

He ends up finding his way home, but coming back for more. It might make a new interesting recipe to add slime to his cookies! (Even if Jimmy insists it's toxic for fae or really anyone's consumption. Bit boring if you ask him, why not take a little bit of a risk?) A couple of the odd trinkets Jimmy offers and brings him for his visits would make a pretty penny to resell too.

It develops into more of a genuine friendship and less of a questionably beneficial trading partnership, Scar bringing all sorts of odd things from land, tellings his tales of adventures and introducing his own traditions, and Jimmy introducing him to their traditions from the greater ocean empire along with bringing odd foods, rare plants and other things.

Eventually, I think the realization of feelings would start from Scar's side. I mean, yeah he did kind of scam the guy, and he does feel bad about it, but now he's the one who can't resist the others smile. Jimmy just thinks it's normal, I mean, it's a fae he's talking to. It must just be excitement about learning about things from land! Hearing about the newest tall tale, or having him taste test some new products (some even specifically made to be suited to Jimmy's tastes!).

They'd start doing silly courting rituals, both somewhat subconsciously and then completely consciously, except they're both a bit weird from the other side. Scar can't bring Jimmy onto land to spin him around, Jimmy probably leads Scar into the water and tries to drown him forgetting he doesn't breath water like most normal merfolk do. I haven't decided on what exactly, but they'd both probably work in a way where it's hard for the other to tell what's going on. "Why are they doing that?" Is probably the first immediate thought. Some would be obvious to the other though, like mating dances from Jimmy's side and both bringing each other gifts.

But I think they'd have a silly first kiss late at night with the moon hanging full in the sky, Scar sitting at his usual dock and Jimmy leaning on the dock to reach.

sorry this turned super long, I have so many thoughts about this au :D I promise if you made me explain gempearl or shadowbeans the essay would only get longer (my friend rye helped me come up with some of the gempearl stuff though)

AWWWW THEYRE SO SILLY i love when theyre unknowingly courting each other it's always such a silly trope it always is such a pleasure to hear and read about, it's hilarious Jimmy almost drowned Scar

#I love hearing about aus and world building so dont worry about this being long #I can never be that eloquent or decisive with words so i appreciate it :)

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misspearly1 · 1 year

Text

When Two Worlds Collide Series

Chp1 || Chp2 || Chp3 || Chp4 || Chp5 || Chp6 || Chp7 || Chp8

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader x Arthur Morgan

Chapter Three: The Lady They Both Want

WC: 4.8k

Warnings: 18+ Content. Minors DNI. Joel’s POV & Readers POV. This is more of a filler chapter. Mentions of female masturbation. The guys are getting along now and they’re both very interested in their female companion. Friends to Lovers. Eventual Smut. Love Triangle. Alternative TLOU & RDR2 Universe. Mentions of guns. Light amount of jealousy. Bounty Hunting. (And the usual outlaw stuff).

AN: Ahhh! I really enjoyed writing about Joel and Arthur getting along here. They’re finding common ground now at last. The next chapter will be the kinktober fic, so lookout for the reblog tomorrow! Hope you enjoy the read, thank you.

People sometimes forget the value of the little things in their life. It happens, and it’s ok to forget from time to time, but Joel really forgot about those little things, and it really never occurred to him before just how easy everything was back home. It never occurred to him just how hard it would actually be to adapt in a world where someone like Arthur Morgan thrives.

It’s a different way of life here, and it was most shocking to the man to realize all of those little things that he so dearly misses were a luxury. For example, there are no cars here in this otherworldly dimension. They have been invented, but they’re so incredibly rare that Joel is yet to see one driving around, and he doesn’t particularly favour traveling everywhere he needs to go via horseback.

At least it’s better than walking though, he thought while sitting atop his horse.

It took a hot minute for Joel to get used to the saddle again after it had been a shameful amount of time since he went riding. It was a struggle in the beginning, but he eventually got the hang of it again and now he rides like it was as easy as breathing.

When he was just a young boy, he used to visit his grandpa's ranch and his parents taught him how to ride a couple years after he learned how to walk, so he felt lucky and thankful for even remembering how to ride a horse, otherwise he would’ve had a much harder time getting around with Arthur as they work day in and day out thieving from undeseving rick folk.

That’s another thing Joel didn’t think would be so hard: trying to earn a living. It’s a hell of a lot more difficult gathering money here, and it makes him realize that much more about how easy his life was back home. Of course, he had his fair share of difficulties much like everyone else does and there were a few bumps in the road that he didn’t think he’d be able to overcome, but generally speaking, his life was pretty good compared to most.

The man thinks about all of the good things he once had, and took advantage of, whilst waiting for Arthur around the outside of his campsite. He watched from afar as the members of the Van Der Linde Gang went about their usual daily business and made the most of everything they did have. Albeit, it wasn’t much and they weren’t living an easy going or unproblematic life, but they had each other and their loyalty was unlike he’s ever seen before.

Arthur’s gang didn’t need a roof over their head. They lived freely and comfortably off the land. They were one big happy family without that blood related bond and Joel can understand that. He, too, has friends that are like brothers to him. They would take him in without hesitation and put clothes on his back and food in his stomach should he ever fall on hard times and need the help.

Having said that though, he feels a strong pang of sadness in his gut just thinking about his friends and how they’ll probably be searching the whole of Austin, Texas after his sudden disappearance. He can’t even bring himself to think about his little brother as the pain is too much to handle. Tommy will be worried sick and heart-broken, probably beating himself up over the possibility of never seeing his big brother again. And his parents would be even worse.

This is, undoubtedly, what Joel struggles with the most: trying not to miss his family so much that it makes him depressed. He couldn’t afford to spend too much time thinking about all of those scary what ifs. He had to remain calm and cool-headed. Not only for himself, but for you too.

It’s been almost two weeks now in this otherworldly dimension, and yet there’s still no answers on finding a way back home. Arthur did send a letter off to that man who talks like he’s from the future, but it’s just a matter of waiting until he hears back from him.

While Joel has been putting on a ‘brave face’ and trying to stay positive and hopeful for your sake, he has found some form of comfort and release by working alongside the cowboy. You were right about taking a chance on trusting him. He’s been nothing but generous and helpful ever since that day by the pond, even though Joel is almost certain that Arthur is only helping out because he’s attracted to you. But that doesn’t really matter though. It shouldn’t matter.

What’s most important is making sure you’re safe until he finds a way to get home. Then, and only then, will he ease up a little on being so overprotective over you. He can’t help but feel that responsibility to take care of you and provide everything you want or need. It’s his fault you’re even here to begin with and it’s become his duty to fix everything and make it right again. The man knows how hard this has been on you. He sees you lose a little hope every day that you're stuck here, and although he knows you don’t hate him, or blame him for all of this happening either, he feels responsible.

Despite the fact Joel didn’t really like how much Arthur was attracted to you at first, because there is a fear he’ll take you away from him, he can’t deny that the cowboys presence has helped lift your spirits. You’ve slowly but gradually become less frustrated and anxious about this whole situation. It’s become a little easier for you to cope. You’re still worried, of course you are, but you’ve not been so emotionally overwhelmed and swallowed up by the fear of never finding a way home.

To put it simply, you’re becoming the very thing that Joel was trying to be for you, which is cool, calm and collected while providing help wherever and however you can. You can’t deal with the emotional guilt around robbing folk, and he understands why, so he and Arthur take care of that sort of stuff instead. Besides, he prefers it that way anyways. It’s much easier for him to know you’re safe and secure back at camp instead of being out here doing the sort of things he and Arthur do.

So that’s what you have been doing this last week; keeping busy and making yourself useful with setting up the temporary campsite every day. The location near the pond is long forgotten about now. It was moved to a much safer and more discreet location yesterday morning and it will probably stay there for a few days before moving again.

The campsite is set up along the shoreline of Flat Iron Lake, just beneath a couple trees hanging over the embankment to provide some cover and it’s also just a short ride away from the Van Der Linde’s hideout in Horseshoe Overlook. Arthur chose that spot to stay close in case of emergencies. His gang doesn’t know about Joel and you, but Hosea Matthews does.

Joel has met with Mr. Matthews twice now, and you’ve had the pleasure of his company more than that. He’s a kind old man, wise spoken and open minded to the bizarre occurrence of falling into a different dimension. Hosea has even pitched in to help out too. He’s been finding jobs to ear some cash and set up a connection with someone in Rhodes who regularly hands out tips for stagecoaches to hold up. That’s what Arthur is busy with right now as a matter of fact. He’s chatting with Hosea in camp and gathering a couple more jobs to be completed for the day before meeting up with Joel.

Putting his binoculars away when noticing Arthur leaving Horseshoe Overlook, Joel sat on the saddle of his horse and waited patiently for the man's return. They’ve amassed a comfortable amount of money in the last week, but there needs to be a constant flow of cash coming in to supply everything the camp needs. You have plenty of clothes and a copious amount of food now, but there’s only two tents, one bedroll and one blanket. And you don’t have a horse yet either.

Joel, as well as Arthur, want you to be prepared and ready for every possible scenario, therefore you need guns and ammunition kept in camp, and you need to learn how to use them too. That’s the next order of business; getting you a horse then teaching you how to use a gun, but first, he needs more money to do that.

And since Arthur approached with a hopeful look on his face, Joel assumed there was a handsome amount of money to be earned today, which means they’re going to be busy. “You look very happy.” He pointed out that shit eating grin on Arthur’s face, then jerked his chin outwards in question. “What do we have on the list today?”

“Take a look for ya self.” He replied. Handing the list over then reaching into his satchel for a pack of cigarettes, Joel scanned the piece of paper and nodded approvingly. He was right to assume there’s a lot of work to do. The list was bigger than the last and it looks like they have a long day ahead of them.

First up was heading into town and collecting all of the bounties from the sheriff, which was four suspects in total and they were worth two thousand dollars all together. Next on the list were two stagecoaches with the time and location of their travels. One of them will be passing through Strawberry this afternoon, and the other will be passing through a place called Tall Trees in the middle of the night. Then, the last couple jobs on the list were buried treasures and where to find them.

“Hm. This is nice.” Joel nods again and folds the piece of paper before handing it back over to Arthur – who then held out a half smoked cigarette for him to take. Joel accepted the offer and brought the butt of the object to his lips, sucking on the thing a couple times to take the edge off his nerves. He doesn’t smoke regularly. It’s never really been his thing, but he’d indulge with the occasional cigarette here or there whenever he’d be stressed with life and work back home. And since he’s been feeling extra stressed-out these last couple of weeks, he’s smoked more than he usually ever does.

“Thanks.” He muttered. “And make sure to pass my thanks onto Hosea too. I appreciate all the help.”

“Ah, there’s no need.” Arthur shook his head, waving him off like it wasn’t a big deal. “Hosea already knows you and Y/N are thankful. Old man’s just happy to help.” He took the cigarette back from Joel and puffed on the thing a couple times before flicking it into the grass. “We ready, big boy? I wanna get a chunk of this done before this afternoon. Maybe check on Y/N before heading over to West Elizabeth if there’s time.”

“Ready.” Joel grunted and rolled his eyes over the pet name. Readjusting his position on the saddle to better suit his comfort, he commanded his horse and started heading east. “Let’s go, sunshine.” He called out casually and stifled a smile upon hearing the man chuckling behind him.

Joel didn’t want to admit that he enjoyed the cowboys company just as much as you have. He’s a little rough around the edges and they got off to a bad start with each other, but he’s got a sarcastic sense of humour that Joel likes no matter how much he tries to deny it on the inside. They argue and bicker quite a lot, but they also work well together and get the job done without issue.

The only real underlying issue between them is that you’re the lady they both want.

Much later that day along the Dakota River, Arthur stood by his horse and watched the show unfold as Joel tackled a female suspect to the ground. He tied her hands and feet together behind her back as she tried with all her might to resist, and the man found it rather amusing. She’s a real nasty piece of work who deserved it anyway after kicking him right between the legs earlier.

“Make sure those ropes are tight.” He instructed acidly, still bitter over the fact his balls were aching. “I don’t fancy another run around trying to catch her.”

“You couldn’t fucking catch me, ya slow sack of shit.” The suspect – Darla – replied, making Joel chuckle with the use of her insult toward Arthur. He found it funny that she, too, called him a sack of shit just like he does. But he did as the cowboy instructed and made sure the binds around her ankles and wrists were tightly secured. He didn’t fancy another run around either.

Darla is the last of the bounties and she’s been the worst one out of them all. Arthur was kicked between the legs, and Joel’s face was clawed by her hands. “Why don’t you let me go? I’ll show you a better use for those ropes.” She tried to bargain for freedom, but to no avail.

“Christ almighty. Will yer just be quiet.” Joel sighed heavily, tiredly, then yanked her up off the floor before carrying her over his shoulder. He walked towards his horse and stowed the woman on the back, securing her tightly with some more rope to make sure she couldn’t escape. They’ve learned their lesson once by underestimating her, and they shan’t make the same mistake again. After she was dealt with however, he turned to face Arthur and asked: “Enjoying the show, asswipe? Could’ve helped me out back there.”

“C’mon now.” Arthur winced while readjusting himself then mounted his saddle with a painful groan. “I assume ya got a pair of balls, right? You know how much that shit hurts.” He gave an unwanted explanation as to why he didn’t help chase after Darla. He was too busy laying on the ground, heaving with pain while Joel hunted her down instead. “Besides, she’s the last one and we got some time to waste before heading over to West Elizabeth, so keep ya hair on and cut me some slack, big boy.”

“Big boy!” Darla squawked and burst into a fit of laughter, the sound annoying Arthur so much that reached over and yanked on her binds. “Shut the hell up, woman.” He warned, only it didn’t work. She didn’t stay quiet and proceeded to insult the men all the way back to Valentine. They were quickly pissed off by her remarks about their friendship and the use of their pet names for each other, but once they made it to the sheriff's office and handed her over, they savoured every minute of silence on their ride towards camp on the shores of Flat Iron Lake. It was just after midday now and they were not only hungry for food, but hungry for your attention too.

Approaching camp with a smile on their faces, both Joel and Arthur felt proud of you leaping into action as you assumed they were trouble. You went for the gun and savings box, but relaxed quickly after realizing there was no threat. “Hey.” You waved, but furrowed your brows with concern when seeing Joel’s face. “Oh my…” You sighed then moved towards him and reached out to cup his face with your hands. “What the hell happened?”

“Just a scratch, darlin’.” He shook his head, assuring you that it was nothing to worry about, but you didn’t take your hands away from his face and he began to lean into your touch as you dragged the pad of your fingers over his cheek. It felt so comforting. Your hands were soft and delicate, but beside you though, Arthur cleared his throat and tore your attention from him.

You pulled your hands away and spoke to the man, asking him if he was okay and Joel bit his tongue as Arthur explained what happened and didn’t leave out the details about how he was kicked in the balls either. “Oh, you poor thing.” You sympathized. “C’mon. You should rest a while and eat before getting back to work.”

To Joel’s surprise and delight, you turned back to face him and held his hand, pulling him toward the campfire to sit down on the sandy shores around the lake. You grabbed a little first aid kit and opened it up, instructing Arthur to take a seat and relax. “Let me fix lunch for you both, but first I gotta take care of this-” you gesture to the scratch on Joel’s face. “-Don’t want you to catch an infection.”

Leaning back onto the palms of his hands while you attended to his minor wounds, Joel saw the expression on Arthur’s face in the corner of his eyes and struggled to hide his smile. It spoke of envy and desire, as if he were wishing he had a couple wounds you could attend to.

While you cleaned his face and your fingers dabbed his skin gingerly with a featherlight touch, Joel couldn’t help feel so free and easy, his shoulders slumping with a heavy exhale as he closed his eyes to revel in your attention. He’s been so starved of your company ever since Arthur came along, and as selfish as it sounds, he has missed having you all to himself.

“You look exhausted, Joel.” You point out and rest a hand on his chest, his eyes opening to look at you. “Why don’t you eat something then rest for a while. D’you think you’ll have time to?” You asked, to which Arthur replied instead. “Plenty of time, Miss Y/L/N. We don’t have to leave for another hour or so. But we’ll be back really late tonight.”

You turn to face Arthur and don’t see the way Joel glared at him. “Well that settles it. Both of you eat up then lay down-” he smiled with that, feeling a sliver of victory that Arthur wouldn’t have you all to himself either. “-I’ll keep a look out while each of you rest in the tents. Arthur, you’ll have to get your bedroll off your horse. We don’t have another one unfortunately.”

“Naw, it’s alright.” He shook his head and lay down on his back, resting his hands behind his head before closing his eyes. “I can sleep anywhere. It’s no problem.” You turn back to face Joel now and smile, watching the irises of his eyes expand the longer he looks at you. He smiled as well, and you didn’t miss the way his eyes dropped to your lips either. It was quick, but you caught it and started to burn up under his wanton gaze. “You uhh… You hungry?” You asked bashfully, and he only nodded in reply, his eyes slowly blinking with tiredness… or with something else.

Moving towards the fire and scooping out some of the stew into a bowl, you also asked Arthur if he would like any, but he politely declined and closed his eyes again, opting to get a little more sleep instead. You moved back to sit beside Joel and handed the bowl over. “It’s hot. Be careful.” You said in a whisper, keeping your voice low so you don’t disturb Arthur or the peaceful silence that had fallen over camp.

Joel had the opportunity right here, right now, to have you all to himself, but you were right. He is exhausted and he does need some sleep for the long day that awaits him. The list isn’t even halfway done and he wants to have a day off tomorrow to spend some quality time with you.

After eating every last bite that you scooped into the bowl for him, you took the dish and put it to one side before grabbing a pillow. “Rest up, Joel.” You urge him to lay back and place the pillow beneath his head. “I’m not going anywhere and I’ll keep watch.” You reassured as he closed his eyes, relishing in the warmth of his hand resting on the small of your back.

He didn’t take his hand away, not even after he had fallen asleep and light snores left his lips. It’s like he just wanted to feel that you were beside him; to know that you won’t leave. That’s why you assured you wouldn’t be going anywhere. You’ve spent multiple nights in the tent with Joel before getting a second one for yourself, and during that time you slept together, he would always be so close and feel that you were safely resting beside him. He must be a physically touch kind of guy, and you don’t mind that at all in the slightest.

Although you felt a little weird to stare for so long, you felt confident that he wouldn’t mind you watching over him attentively. You’ve missed gazing at him while he sleeps. It’s been nothing but a pleasure to have Arthur around, and you really like the man, but you’ve not given Joel the attention you once used to give. He needs it; needs your comfort like he would comfort you during your meltdown. It’s obvious that he’s missing his family, his pets and his friends back home, and you worry for his mental wellbeing because he’s quite clearly trying his darn hardest to keep you safe and happy.

Later when the time came around to wake the men, you decided to wake Arthur first and offered him some food. He accepted this time and thanked you for the bowl of stew. He, just like Joel, ate every last bite and you took the dish away to be washed. Once you were finished cleaning up however, he approached with an offer that piqued your interest. “Would ya like to learn how to shoot a gun tomorrow? Me an’ Joel will teach you.”

“Oh yes. That would be really useful.” You nod eagerly, not because you want to learn how to shoot someone, but because you want to learn how to properly use the firearm should you ever need to defend yourself. You can wave the gun around and pretend to be serious about using it on an attacker, but if push comes to shove, you’d miss every shot and very quickly become defenceless.

Arthur is an outlaw. He sure knows his way around a gun, and Joel would regularly visit the firing range with his brother on the weekends. He knows his way around a gun too. But you, on the other hand, do not know how to use a firearm or how to aim with precision.

“Here.” Arthur moved towards you and pulled out one of the guns from the holsters on his belt. “I’ll give ya one quick lesson right now. First thing you’re gonna do is take a firm stance and plant yer feet in the ground. Like this–” he showed you first before moving to stand behind you, correcting your position by pushing your feet apart with his boot. “That’s much better. Keep ya feet parallel to your shoulders,” he instructed with professionalism, then stood closer and brought his arms around you to place the gun in your hands.

You felt your heart skip a beat when he stepped closer, the proximity between you and the man was so small that you could feel his chest mere inches away from your back. It was a breath-taking move that sent a signal straight to your heat naturally with the presence of a big strong burly man so close to you like this. You could feel his breath rolling down your neck as he sighed heavily. “There you go, just like that.” He kept his hands hovering beneath your elbows, re-adjusting your arm ever so slightly to better your aim, only you couldn’t concentrate after hearing him praise you in that thick southern drawl.

Perhaps the real reason you trusted Arthur so easily is because he’s just like Joel in so many ways. Not only do they work similarly with drive and focus, or share the same sarcastic humorous nature, but their voices are deep and rough, yet equally soft like honey and it always reels in your attention in the very best way.

You gripped the gun with both hands and held your breath with anticipation as Arthur leaned in a little closer to place his hands atop of yours, helping you keep the gun nice and straight. “I think you’ll do just fine tomorrow.” He said earnestly. “I bet you’ll surprise yourself. You got the stance nailed down, sweetheart.”

“Thanks, Arthur.” You replied gratefully. “I appreciate your vote of confidence, but I don’t know. I’ve never fired a gun before and I think the kickback will probably surprise me the most.”

“A smaller gun would be better.” Said Joel, the sound of his voice startling as you quickly tilt your head to look at him. He stood with his arms above his head and stretched out his muscles, but his shirt riding up his body a little made your eyes drop to look at the revealed skin. You rolled your lips together and stifled a moan at the trail of hair beneath his belly button. It disappeared into his pants, which were hanging so low on his hips right now that you could see his v-lines and a glimpse of the curled hair above his mound.

Quickly turning away with fear that he would catch you staring and call it out, you don’t really think Joel would mind all that much, but to save yourself the embarrassment of practically stealing a glance and drooling over what you could see, you turned away before he noticed.

Now that you were feeling aroused and hot with passion, you couldn’t even get back to what you were originally doing and lowered the weapon. “A smaller gun would be better.” You agreed with Joel and handed the weapon back over to Arthur. “We’ll pick this up again tomorrow.”

There was a smile on Arthur's face that spoke of mischief and perversity as he drawled in a flirtatious way. “Sure thing, sweetheart.” He winked at you, the gesture making you choke on the moan in the back of your throat before you quickly turned away and busied yourself with something. You needed a distraction, and a moment in privacy to relieve the palpable ache between your legs. Joel and Arthur were both turning you on, and it was driving you feral. It's been a while since you pleasured yourself and the need for relief is growing exponentially.

Once the men had got themselves prepared and ready for the workload ahead, they each said their goodbyes in their own sexy and adorable ways before leaving camp with a promise to be back after midnight. As soon as they were out of sight, you ran straight to your tent and buried your hands between your legs, mewling softly into your pillow with the wishful dreams of feeling their hands working you open instead.

However, as soon as Arthur had a moment alone with Joel, he turned to face the man with that same mischievous and perverted smile on his lips then revealed a little secret. “That woman is head over heels for you friend, and you don’t even see it.”

“No she’s not.” Joel retorted quickly, denying what he yearned for so badly every night. “Y/N and I are just friends. She doesn’t like me like that and besides, it’s you who she’s head over heels for and you’re the one who doesn’t see it.” He said with a slither of spite in his tone.

“You think so?” Arthur questioned optimistically, to which Joel looked into his eyes and nodded with deject. He truly believed that you were head over heels for the cowboy, and not him, but Arthur persisted. “Well, maybe we both can’t see it, then. Maybe it’s because we don’t believe a lady like Y/N could even feel such a way about us, but I’m telling ya. She likes you. Didn’t you see the way she was looking at ya back there?”

“And I’m telling you the same thing.” Joel persisted as well. “She likes you. Didn’t you see the look on her face when you winked and called her sweetheart?”

With sudden realization striking the men simultaneously, they each slowed their horses down to a complete stop and turned to look at each other with disbelief etched on their faces. “Y/N likes the both of us?” They asked in unison, hopeful that it was true. They both wanted you. That’s a fact. But the thought of sharing you and that beautiful attention you give them didn’t cross their minds.

Until now.

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lovebillyhargrove · 7 months

Text

Wake me up when July is around

Chapter 13/?

***

Steve might not fully realise it, but the vacation, forced on him by his parents, isn't actually that bad.

At first he doesn't expect anything good to come out of the whole idea, cursing it on the morning of December 27th when he's being dragged out of his warm bed, made to pack and subjected to a 9-hour drive, only to arrive at their lake house, lost in winter wilderness, in complete darkness. The house is warm though - apparently, dad called the guy who keeps an eye on their estate during the year and told him they'd be coming, asked to turn the heating on. The way leading up to the house has been cleared of snow, and when the lights are turned on, and Steve together with his father start a fire in the fireplace while mom is warming up some food to eat, it makes Steve feel .. like a kid again. In a good way. Like there's something new ahead of him, different surroundings, new experiences. It makes excitement bubble in his chest. Of course, he'd never admit it, "I'm suffering" and "Why?" and "I'd rather have stayed home" written all over his face.

He even catches a moment alone with mom to hiss at her

"If dad is going to start lecturing me, I swear I'll take the car and drive back alone!"

"No-one wants to lecture you, Steve, we just want to spend some time together, as family."

Mom has probably discussed it with his father and specifically asked him not to nag cause, that's true, parents do not say a single word about uhm .. certain issues. All of them have more important stuff to tackle now, like bringing warm blankets from the car to the house and making beds, and generally making sure the house is liveable enough for this and for the following eleven nights.

When morning comes and the bright sun shines in his window, the air and the smells are so different from what he's used to waking up to back in Hawkins, Steve again doesn't hate the idea. He's stretching his body, long and slow, and falls back asleep.

Maybe mom's right. A change of scenery might do him good.

The place where their house is located, is beautiful. Steve knows it well, he's spent some time here almost every summer since he was little. However, now when he's visiting Lake Michigan’s beaches and trails in winter, he sees them in a whole new light.

They spend their days driving around the nearby towns. Turns out, it's not a bad way at all to start a winter’s day in the South Haven area with a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate from a local cafe and then head down to South Beach to see the frozen lighthouse and lakeshore. If it's a sunny day, it's dazzling and Steve has to put his Ray-bans on.

On New Year Day the whole family set off fireworks near the lake and drink champagne by the fireplace, watching TV.

During their time here Steve goes snow hiking and cross-country skiing on quiet trails, sometimes together with both mom and dad, sometimes only with dad. When Mr. Harrington has to go to Indianapolis for two days in the middle of their vacation - which makes mom unhappy, Steve can see it - they go hiking just with mom.

Normally Steve would whine about having to spend so much time with parents fucking hiking, but he right now he feels like he needs it.

When dad comes back, he takes Steve snowmobiling and downhill skiing. The speed and the risk get Steve's heart pumping, though mom worries too much about them doing it cause it's all "too extreme and dangerous."

They also get to see most breathtaking sunsets, and spend the dark evenings burning wood in the fireplace, watching movies and eating popcorn, mom has brought a lot of video tapes along, and although Steve has to watch some classics like "It's a wonderful life", the usual one around Christmas and New Year, he is also pleasantly surprised to see both of "Indiana Jones" movies among the tapes, "Never say never", "The outsiders", "Footloose" as well as "The Terminator" and many more, even "Gremlins."

Wow, mom has come prepared. Who knew his parents actually watched stuff like that.

One day, at the end of their holiday, they drive to Saint Joseph, the place that is famous for having some of the largest waves on Lake Michigan. They get to watch the mighty waves crash against the two old St.Joseph lighthouses creating a quaint formation of ice along the pier. It is windy and slippery as fuck, but the views are unusual and kinda cool.

For some reason the image and the sensation of Hargrove crowding him during basketball comes to Steve's mind.

Like those waves, feral and unrelenting. Like Billy has no control over it himself, subduing to the powers of nature that never asks or conforms

Or, Hargrove's still just a regular douchebag. Who does look good, but in a flashy irritating way. Whose attitude is the worst. Who's just the stupidest, and the sooner he fucks off from Hawkins, the better.

During all these days Hargrove's existence doesn't bother Steve at all. He's not on Steve's mind that much. Just one time he has a fuzzy dream featuring Billy's hot lips. Steve doesn't remember the details - his sleep is so deep and untroubled here - but he recalls the overall feeling when he wakes up in the morning, hard and on the verge of coming.

The feeling of want and .. fervour and something forbidden and ..

Steve's always liked girls, alright? This asshole is messing up his game.

He does come though, sleepily humping the bed, relishing the bits of the dream, powerless against primal urges, which he's not gonna fight when he's alone in the room.

Harrington's not even in a relationship anymore. He's free. He can do the fuck he wants.

***

All in all, Steve's having a great time these holidays. Who would've thought.

He might not realise it, but he thinks a lot during the winter break. It is quiet up here, cold and serene. The nippy fresh air and the whiteness of the untouched snow have cleared his mind, have helped him see certain things differently

Looking at the vast spaces and listening to the silence have made him take a look back.

Okay, he got his heart broken, he did. Steve doesn't deserve it, he tried to be the best boyfriend he could be. He was a good boyfriend. Wanted to give Nancy the world, had so much to offer, to share. To enjoy together.

The only thing that he couldn't help Nancy with was coping with Barb's vanishing. Apparently, Byers who went through a probably similar story with his brother was able to find the way to .. to understand her better? comfort her? say the right words at the right moment? Steve thinks it's unfair, he still hates the freak. He's still not over it, he doesn't know when he will be. If ever.

The pure whiteness shines bright under luminous sun rays, it hurts Steve's eyes, it's blinding him

He reaches for the sunglasses to shield his eyes.

Little by little he understands

He shouldn't have said and done some things. He went too far in his desire to hurt back.

He shouldn't have brought up Byers' family during that fight with him. Byers is a creep and a stalker, but the stuff Steve said about his family and especially his brother was just vile.

Steve's not above admitting his own mistakes.

He shouldn't have listened to Tommy and sprayed Nancy is a slut, black and ugly across the school wall.

Yes, she cheated on him and never explained anything, and it's fucking dishonest and humiliating, but Steve had to keep it private. He shouldn't have made it public, brought it into the open, let the crowd have their cheap fun.

Tommy is right though. The original idea belonged to Hagan, but Steve said yes and went along with it.

He could've said

Nah dude, seems too harsh

But he didn't.

Something is changing inside Steve.

The realisation that maybe everything is for the better is beginning to slowly settle in his heart.

Their relationship was doomed from the start, Steve can see it so clearly now. From that first night they spent together. The first time they made love. Nancy didn't and doesn't even care about it anymore, that night is the night her friend went missing, not their first night -

Her first time with a guy -

to remember, the gentle passion, the sweet tenderness. Steve gets it, but understanding doesn't ease the pain.

That unfortunate night defined their whole relationship, and all that time Steve was just chasing something impossible, something that had already been broken.

He couldn't repair it.

It's also .. you can't make someone love you back. It's either there, or not.

Steve should let himself ache.

And then

It's time to grow up and let go.

***

On the night when they return to Hawkins from the vacation the whole family immensely enjoyed, Steve's thinking about having to go back to school tomorrow, and among other stuff, a little thing emerges from Steve's memory and sets off a slight concern.

What did Hargrove mean that night when he said that "Steve might have a pretty face but that's not enough..?" What were the exact words .. "Not enough to make him .. not enough to give him any ideas?"

What the fuck was that? Sounded like utter disrespect. Like underestimation. Like Steve's not the most good-looking guy at Hawkins High. Cause he definitely is.

The nerve ! .. Not pretty enough, uh-huh.

You sure about that, California?

Since he's back to Hawkins and his usual life, Steve might get himself something to be busy with.

He's not just a random pretty face.

Steve accepts what seems to be like a challenge.

On the first morning of school after the break, Steve wakes up earlier than usual not to be in a rush.

He turns on the music in his room, 84' hottest hits, and the day starts with

I want to break free

I want to break freeeee

God knows

God knows I want to break free

Steve styles his hair with even more precision than usual. Chooses his clothes more carefully, the colours that bring out the best in his appearance. Probably the forest green sweater that goes so well with the dark brown of his hair and eyes .. or the mustard yellow one .. light coral? one of his pastel polos maybe and a gray cardigan on top?

Hmmm ..

Steve makes his choice in favour of a warm-red sweater, the colour's not too bright, it's deep and exquisite, and it looks terrific on him. Also red will make him stand out.

Honestly, all his clothes look dope, he'll just wear something new every day.

But I have to be sure

When I walk out that door

Oh how I want to be free

Beige pants that hug his ass just right. He looks fucking good.

Let's apply some perfume.

Now he smells divine, too.

Steve winks at his own reflection in the mirror and smiles

Got to make it on my own

So baby can't you see

I've got to break free

His face is even a bit tanned from all the sunshine he was lucky to enjoy at Lake Michigan, and it makes him look even better, rested, fresh.

Mmm yeah. Who's not pretty enough now.

Oh, that's a nice one as well, Steve hasn't heard it in a while

I lose my cool when she steps in the room

And I get so excited just from her perfume

Electric eyes that you can't ignore

And passion burns you like never before

Steve finally unglues himself from the mirror and takes his letterman jacket out of the closet, he should totally take it to the dry cleaners on the way to school.

Nancy didn't like it but he looks too good in the jacket not to wear it.

He's not captain anymore, but he's still in the team and he's kept the number, so the jacket is still relevant.

He'll wear it tomorrow.

And our hearts they beat as one

No more love on the run

Steve gets in the car

Tunes onto the same radio station, turns up the volume to the maximum.

I was in search of a good time

Just running my game

Love was the furthest

Furthest from my mind

He looks great, feels fantastic, got his head straight.

Oohhh that's the new song, he heard it a couple of times in December last year, and hey, it's a catchy one. He likes it.

Taaaaaake ooooon meeeee

Take on me

Steve's singing along, loud, he can, he's alone in the car and no-one's gonna judge him

Taaaaaakeee meeeee oooon

Yeah so, Hargrove.

Back to Hawkins, back to its realities. Everything can actually align quite well with his initial plan. Remember the plan? Cause Steve does, but it's kinda vague now.

What was it even? To make Hargrove a lesser pain in the ass, show him who is who, make him humble? Honestly, so many things have happened since then. It's not the first item on the agenda.

Steve barely remembers the guy's name.

Har-grope? .. Har-drove?

Harr-asshole? Heheehe, that's a funny one

Anyways

I'll beeee goooone

In a day or twooooo

He knows Hargrove's secret now - but it's not a secret, really. It's not like Billy is gonna beg him not to tell anyone they've kissed.

Might be interesting to see the big bad Billy actually begging. On his knees

Harrington can end up compromising himself, if anything. He still doesn't know how he feels about the whole drunk smoochies incident.

The incident that has occurred twice.

Everything that has happened - not much, nothing meaningful, just drunken moments - should stay between the two of them, that's for sure.

So needless to say

Of odds and ends

I'll be stumbling away

Slowly learning that life is okay

Really like .. why the hell not? Steve can keep Hargrove merely as a way of distraction while he's going through serious stuff.

A little harmless game that gives him adrenaline rush.

It's even .. it's kinda good for him, you know? Keeps him on his toes.

The music is perfect this morning.

I'll be coming for you anyway ..

Taaaaake oooon meeeee

Take on me

Upon arriving at school, Steve can feel it -

Eyes are on him.

He opens the car door wide, music blasting another 1984 charts favourite

She's an easy lover

She'll get a hold on you, believe it

Steve isn't in a hurry to get inside the school. Takes out a white Parliament, smokes lazily, ass on the still warm hood if the beamer

She's like no other

Before you know it you'll be on your knees

Whose car does Steve see slowly rolling into the parking lot

The blue Camaro

She's an easy lover

She'll take your heart but you won't feel it

The driver's door opens and the messy mullet is back in Steve's peripheral vision. New year, same fucking stupid haircut.

There's screaming music coming from Billy's car too, but Steve can't make out what the song is.

Ah, like fuck he cares. The dude's got no style. Not with anything.

Harrington has a feeling that Hargrove's turning his head and staring in his direction

But maybe not

Steve's not gonna check

He can ignore the prick for now

"Steve, my man! How you been?"

"Hey, Harrington, someone told me you quit school? Went to Massachusetts?"

Whaaat kind of gossip is that, jesus

She'll take your heart but you won't feel it

She's like no other

Girls are looking. Guys high five him. Tommy is by his side. They are walking towards the school, him and his pack. Carol is smiling. Nicole is staring like she wants to lick him from head to toe. Katie, the girl he used to date ages ago, looks very much interested again. Roy keeps asking dumb questions.

It's a fucking excellent morning. It's good to be back.

Steve again catches Hargrove out of the corner of his eye, standing near the locker now. Steve laughs at Nicole's joke just a little too loud, and that gets the job done - it gets the other boy's attention, he's definitely watching the King, again

Billy's stare lingers, and Steve smiles at Nicole, flashing his dazzling white, slides a hand through his hair and casually puts it on his hip.

Hargrove can't help himself, it's so obvious.

Wipe the drool, sweetheart

Cause it's dripping

You're making a mess

During the day - shared classes, hallways and lunch break - he sneaks a peek, more often than earlier, and Steve keeps a loose track.

Not pretty enough huh?

Don't look then.

Oh, but you are.

Looking.

Get fucked, asshole.

***

Billy's mouth runs dry - that's definitely the cigarette

and his heart skips a beat - no explanation

when he notices Harrington in the parking lot. He hasn't seen him for about two weeks, since Andy's party. The rich boy looks too good on the first day of school. The vacay with mommy and daddy must've been awesome.

It's like he's a different person - the mopey bitch that Harrington was for the most of November and December, is gone, and here is King Steve again, shining in all his royal glory.

He looks even better than in the early fall, no joyless girlfriend hanging on his arm, sucking the life out of him, it definitely makes him sparkle bright like a medieval queen's precious jewellery

Classy.

Expensive.

Billy shouldn't be staring

It's rude

Hargrove's never rude without a reason.

So he looks the other way.

When later Billy's digging in his locker, three minutes before the first period

He catches the sound of Harrington's laughter - why is the fucker laughing so loud

Too fucking loud, shut up

Billy throws a glance.

Did someone finally get over his broken heart lame crap? Or is that a part of some kind of show?

Hargrove notices how pretty Harrington looks when he smiles so wide, so careless

Outright beautiful.

Hey, it's rude to stare, dammit

Billy finally forces himself to avert his eyes, and they fall on the box

Behind the stacked books

Shit, he almost forgot about someone's - definitely Harrington's - welcome gift that's still lying in his locker.

The fucking dildo.

It's so stupid. He should probably just throw it away.

Yeah, he should. Why the fuck is he still keeping it? Honestly, he kinda forgot about it lying there

Suddenly

Out of the blue

Billy's face feels hot

He's blushing like a fucking virgin, getting caught imagining stuff

Fucking shit

Billy slams the locker shut banging his fist on it, loudly. People are turning their heads in his direction. He just walks to class

Harrington's annoying laughter still ringing in his ears.

Fucking rich mama's golden baby going on vacation and coming back looking like that

Who does he think he is.

Billy liked it more when Steve just ghosted through the school hallways not causing any trouble.

Cause now it's trouble.

What comes next, is two fucking weeks of trying not to look too much. Two weeks of this maddening smell of the sweetest perfume in the gym locker room, during practice and around the whole school.

Billy is grateful for the weekends cause he, at least, doesn't have to smell this damn scent everywhere he goes.

Harrington even plays differently. More graciously

More in control

More like .. fucking baiting Billy.

Like a fucking long-legged gazelle

Hopping around and kicking those legs in front of him

Hargrove's got a feeling a couple of times like he is that big angry clumsy bull coming at Harrington but Steve dances a waltz around him and even takes the ball from Billy, without applying much effort because he gets too distracted for a split second and finds it hard to follow ..

The fuck, the fuck is happening?

Billy jerks off thinking about Harrington almost daily.

No, that's not the right way to put it. He jerks off to Harrington every time he actually slides his hand into his boxers lying under the blanket, or grabs his dick in the shower, all his skin magazines collecting dust under the bed

He recalls how exceptionally delicious Steve looked on that particular day

Fuck, every day now

That wave of his hair, so meticulously styled, Billy wants to put his paws on it, break the wave, tug it, pull it, mess it all up.

Thinks about Steve's smile. His cool. Like he doesn't care. Like he's that catchy tune that's on everyone's mind and everybody is in love with him. Billy sees the way girls are following Steve with their dreamy eyes in school hallways, the endless flirting, and it's .. frustrating?

Somehow, it is.

Billy remembers the kisses. He doesn't want to admit it, but he wishes for .. more?

When?

When the fuck is the next high school party?

***

Alright, the whole break up and everything and Steve almost sliding into being depressed and shit sucks one big motherfucking hairy ass.

However, he's feeling much better now, and it's time to make amends. He can still be civil about the whole thing. A little bit civil, not too much though.

Jonathan is still a creep who took dubious pictures of them searching for clues .. okay, look, Steve has never been in a situation where someone from his family went missing and, he gets it, it can really screw you up, but like .. my guy, don't stalk people. Steve will die on that hill, he's filled with indignation when he recalls Nancy asking him to buy a new camera for Byers. Fuck no, he's glad he didn't buy shit.

What's more, Byers hit on a girl who was taken. But Steve can actually overlook it - all is fair in love and war, or something like that

Harrington sees the couple at school, they seem happy together. Always looking so serious, but hey, Nancy has never been much of a fun girl, so.

He feels that his ex-girlfriend still owes him an explanation though. Why did she dump him? When did this thing between her and Byers start? Steve needs clarity, once and for all, a clean slate.

The thing is, he's been thinking of inviting Nicole on a date, and uh .. Steve just needs to turn the Wheeler page over and start afresh.

He also wants to say sorry about the "slut" graffiti.

It wasn't his best moment.

Let's take some responsibility, shall we?

When Harrington gets to the Wheelers and rings the bell, Nancy's dad opens the door and says in a bored voice

"She's at her new boyfriend's place."

With the usual undeterred expression on his face.

How insensitive.

It's the realisation though that hits Steve. He's officially not her boyfriend anymore. Everyone knows and all are fine with that.

"Do you happen to know his address?"

Mr. Wheeler looks as if he just wants to get back to his recliner and not have any kind of conversation with literally anyone.

"It's Kerley Road. Last house, right near the woods."

"Thank you, Mr. Wheeler."

The door is slammed in his face.

Wasn't my dream to be your son-in-law, thank you very much.

Steve drives to the Byers. It gets dark so quickly these days, Steve never liked that about winter.

He'll be civil. He'll apologize but he'll also tell Nancy the way she handled the breakup, sucked.

Jesus Christ, Byers lives in a creepy house .. Like it's okay, it's run down, not everyone gets lucky with loaded parents, but the whole atmosphere around this place? Straight out of a horror movie.

Steve knocks on the door

"Nancy?"

Silence.

Steve knocks again.

"Nancy??"

He hears her hesitant voice

"Yes?"

"It's Steve. Nancy, listen, I just want to talk for a second."

The door opens, and it's her, but she's holding the door not letting him inside

"Steve, listen to me."

She is pale and looks ..

"Nancy, what .."

"You need to leave."

"Hey, I’m not trying to start anything, okay? I came to apologize."

"I don’t care about that."

Wow, really ??

"You need to leave."

Wait, what .. why is there a bandage on her hand?

"Nancy? What happened to your hand? .. Is that blood? Are you .."

"Nothing. It's nothing, Steve."

Nancy talks quietly and Steve can she that she's scared.

She's so scared.

"It was an accident."

She's lying. Over and over again, it's all fucking lies with her!

"Are you sure? What’s going on?"

Steve peeks inside the house.

Why is she not letting him in?

"Nothing."

"Wait a sec. Did he do this to you?"

Is this a .. cult or something? Is this a cult ??

"No."

"Nancy, let me in!"

They might be broken up, but .. he still cares for her, alright? The whole situation looks shady as fuck.

Steve pushes the door and his ex-girlfriend out of the way.

"No! No, Steve!"

What on earth .. the place looks messy and creepy as hell, there are .. there are weird lights all over it, like it's still Christmas time, and ..

Oh my god, Byers is standing by the couch looking spooked as fuck, holding .. holding a bat ??

With nails ?? ..

What is ..

What the ..

Well, that is certainly not what Steve expected to see. He just wanted to have a normal conversation.

Nothing looks normal in this house

"You need to get out of here."

Why does she keep telling him to get out ?? .. there's a can of .. gasoline on the floor?

"Whoa. What is all .."

Byers suddenly comes up to Steve, shoving his shoulder. Is he trying to push him out from the house? The goddamn fuck??

"Listen to me. I’m not asking you, I’m telling you, get out of here!" The freak can speak when he wants to.

Not so quick, buddy.

Steve has to find out what's going on, what kind of sick shit is that, has Byers roped Nancy into something .. dangerous?

"What is that smell? Is that... is that gasoline?"

"Steve, get out!" Nancy's raising her voice

The whole situation .. jesus fuck, it's giving him the heebie jeebies. Something is very, very wrong here

"Nancy!? What is going on?"

"You have five seconds to get out of here."

Nance is holding .. a fucking gun??

She's pointing a gun at him?

"Alright, is this a joke? Stop. Put the gun down."

"I’m doing this for you."

Is she out of her fucking mind? Byers is looking around like prey, and .. and the lights ..they start flickering

"Nancy." It's like Byers is telling her to get ready

"Wait. Is this a... What is this?"

Why is no-one listening to Steve? Answering his questions?

"Nancy!" Byers is gripping the bat tighter

"Three. Two."

His ex-girlfriend wants to shoot him so bad??

What in the fucking hell is happening ??

"Nancy! The lights! It’s here!"

Nancy is finally putting the gun down and looking around

"Wait, what’s here?"

Can somebody maybe answer his question?

"I don't know. I don't see it."

"Hello?? Will someone please explain to me what the hell is going .."

Okay.

Steve has seen his fair share of horror movies. He's seen vampires, aliens, zombies, monsters ..

On screen.

What happens in the next ten seconds is uh .. life-changing?

Yeah, most definitely.

It changes Steve's vision of the world completely and forever.

Because a real fucking monstrosity crawls its way down from the ceiling and

It's a blur.

Everything is one smudge of a horrifying blur.

The screeching and roaring sounds, coming from the monster, are deafening.

They run, jumping over .. oh my god, a fucking bear trap?

Hide in a room. Steve's shaking all over.

"Jesus! Jesus! What the hell was that? What the hell was that?"

Both Nancy and Jonathan yell at him

"Shut up!"

and then

It's quiet.

Awfully quiet, and when they creak the door open, there's no more monster in the hallway.

***

The three of them are back in the living room.

Steve's pacing back and forth

"This is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy."

Fucking hell. The monster. There was a fucking real monster right here.

Why aren't they running?

"This is crazy! This is crazy! This is crazy!"

"Steve, stop!"

Why are they so calm ??

911. They should definitely call 911, or .. or Hawkins police, or somebody! Please, help ! We need help !!

Steve's grabbing the phone receiver hanging on the wall

Before he dials even two numbers Nancy snatches the phone away from him

"What are you do .. What are you doing? Are you insane?"

Yeah, both of you and everything here is insane!!

"It’s going to come back!" She sounds angry - she's angry at him for interfering with .. whatever's happening?

"So you need to leave, Steve. Right now."

Nancy's voice is made of iron, and Steve thinks - to hell with this shit. If she wants him to leave so bad, he will. He's outta here.

He's too young to die.

He'll drive to the police, tell them what's going on here on Kerley Road.

The lights start flashing again, and Steve turns his back and fucking runs.

The car keys are falling out of his trembling fingers when he's trying to open the door of the beamer. He picks them up from the frozen ground

And sees the house glowing

The screeching is back, and he hears screams and gunshots

Nancy and Byers are gonna die in there.

Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god

Just get in the fucking car, Steve!

Go get help.

Come on, Harrington !! Fucking drive already!

Something - like recklessness ? ..

Is standing in his way, is not letting him run.

Steve's swallowing convulsively, his fingers twitch, grasping the door of the car

They are going to fucking die.

If Steve leaves them there right now, he'll blame himself for the rest of his life.

You can't really live easy with something like that on your conscience

Oh god, please

Oh god

Make him brave

That's it. He's doing it.

Oh god

Shit. Shit !!

Steve rushes back inside the illuminated house

Jonathan is on the floor with the monster looming over him

Nancy is pointlessly firing the gun.

The nail bat. Where .. ?

Okay

Steve grabs it from the floor, twirls it and feels blood rushing through his veins

He can hear Nancy yelling

"Steve!"

He's fucking terrified and maybe he and they are really all gonna die right now, but to hell with that, at least he'll die .. not a coward

He hits the monster once, twice, the third time

Disgusting squelching sounds fill the room

The creature lets go of Byers and moves in the direction of the hallway.

The trap snaps and there is a metallic noise of a chain being dragged around. Jonathan lights up a Zippo and

"Go to hell, you son of a bitch!"

Hot flames are reaching for the ceiling

The stench of burning flesh is nauseating

The screeching and growling roars become unbearable, it's like their ear-drums are gonna burst right this second

As well as all the light bulbs that are pulsating so intensely, the whole place is about to explode

Everything is like a scene out of the scariest nightmare

Only, it's fucking real

The loud noises finally stop and low grunting faints away in the distance

All three are breathing heavily, trying to see through the smoke

"Do you hear that?" Nancy's whispering

She steps forward to take a closer look, but Byers grabs her arm and yanks her

"Get back!"

He's panting and all of them are coughing

Wait, where is the monster ??

"Where did it go?" Nancy says and Steve echoes

"Where is .. the corpse? Is .. is it still alive?"

Jonathan is shaking his head as if trying to assure himself in the first place.

"No. It has to be dead."

"It has to be." He adds firmer.

However, not firm enough.

#harringrove #harringrove slow burn #harringrove fic #billy x steve #s1steve x billy #harringrove high school shenanigans

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shushiyuii · 2 years

Note

I'm very intrigued about trust the process Au please go into deep about it.

Thanky you for the ask! And AAAa guess I could talk about how the vampires work and characters in the au?

Also just kind of a warning for blood.

Honestly, the SBI are kind of just your typically misunderstood vampires who have good intentions but the way they go about it is a bit odd because well, they’re no longer human.

Although they size-shift, they feed like ordinary vampires with just usual amounts of blood. And another thing I guess would be interesting is that the vampires behave like literal predators despite being sentient.

Like vampires, they rely a lot on their instincts. For example that one incident with Wilbur *cough cough*. They’re a bit different appearance-wise for example, they are sharp claws, red eyes etc though they are able to disguise themselves as humans, the key indicator would be their eyes.

And now SBI backstory! I’ve talked a little bit about it but I’ll go into a bit more detail here.

Back in the day, Philza was just your average guy working as a butler for the king at the time. And at that time, a noble lady happened to be visiting the kingdom, known as Lady Kristin.

Lady Kristin was remarkable in beauty, anybody could see that yet she always wore a black veil along with her sun hat. And many found that mysterious, yet it only added in her captivating beauty.

Philza was assigned to make Lady Kristin’s stay as comfortable as possible. And soon, they began to talk more and more to a point the two of them decided to run away from their duties and start another life together.

Their attempt was successful and so, they started a new life in a different kingdom. The two of them lived in a subtle cottage that also worked as an animal farm, Phil would take care of the animals whilst Kristin did a majority of the house work as she didn’t like to leave the house.

Sometimes Kristin would leave during the late nights, it concerned Phil but she’d always return with a smile on her face. And the two of them were really happy together and even started a family.

A pair of twins, Wilbur and Techno. Life was stable for a good couple of years until Kristin came home late night from one of her midnight trips, gathering her young sons and telling Phil they had to run.

It didn’t take long for Phil to spot the upcoming mob, and distantly he could hear them yell “Kill the vampire!”. Phil was beyond confused at thought of Kristin being a vampire as he’d never noticed any fangs, eyes or anything.

Despite his confusion, it was still his Kristin and so the two of them ran away from their comfortable home. Wilbur and Techno were about 10 years old at this point and terrified.

It didn’t take long for the villagers to burn down their home, and continue hunting down for them. With a bit of distance, Kristin suddenly stopped. And turned to Phil, embracing him.

“Kristin, my dear. What’s the-”, she bit down keep into his neck. And soon, nearly all his blood had been drained. Turned. Kristin looked down at Phil as he collapsed to the floor, his sons trying to catch their father’s fall.

“I’m sorry.”, was the last thing she ever said to them as she disappeared. Never to be seen again.

And in his weakened state, the lost of his home and disapearrence of his wife, Phil was heartbroken. And powered through as much as he could for the two most important people in his life.

It was difficult as he was a growing vampire, having to rely on blood rather than food. At times, he couldn’t get out of bed and had to rely on his sons to bring him an individual to eat.

His change was not only difficult on him but also their sons because they were so lost and confused. Their father had become increasingly sick and didn’t exactly understand how to help, and needed to fend for themselves.

It took a while but things soon became a bit stable. Wilbur was quick and sneaky and if anyone came for a fight, Techno was able to handle them for his age. Though, after a couple of months. Their father was found out as a vampire also.

Not wanting the same thing to repeat, Phil chose to fight. So, he hid his sons somewhere safe and slayed a majority of the villagers. And then fled to the forest with his two sons.

After some days, they encountered some creatures. Humanoid and they were known as the Fae. As it turned out, fae and vampires had good relations between each other so they were welcomed by them.

The fae they met were known as Niki and Tubbo. Niki was a kindhearted fae whilst Tubbo was rather mischievous and young, he got along well with Techno and Wilbur.

And as time passed, the fae became anxious of the growing danger of humans so, Phil agreed to protect the fae and rid of the humans. With the fae grateful, they granted Phil a gift.

A gigantic manor for vampiric size and many smaller room for his two human sons. As time passed and they grew, they two became vampires and aid their father in protecting the fae.

Headcanons!

Wilbur

When Wilbur first turned into a vampire, a fletchling. He was rather adventurous and eager to leave the manor after staying there for so many years. And one day, he snuck out to the nearby village.

Though he grew hungry and dug into one of the villagers. That was his mistake as the villagers grew angry with Wilbur, calling him a monster for something he couldn’t control.

Alone and afraid, Wilbur was forced to fight back and killed many in the village. Once he had the victory, a human on his last breath looked at Wilbur. They made eye contact.

Wilbur was terrified at what he had done, sobbing. And the human who looked at him and drew his final breath, calling him a monster. Wilbur doesn’t like being called a monster anymore.

After that incident, many would believe Wilbur to have abandoned his humanoid emotions like his other relatives but he clung to his humanity, hence why he’s more hyperactive compared to the others.

He’s also quite the mother-hen, reminding his family to feed when necessary. And that mother-henning is doubled when it comes to Tommy. He grows extremely protective over the boy, especially after that one particular incident.

Techno

Techno growing up had to look out for his more foolish twin. And often when Wilbur snuck out from the manor, it was Techno’s job to bring him back before Phil woke up and punished the two of them.

And because of it, Techno would often take on the dangers for his twin. Saving him in multiple times. He fought many fights, some with humans and with other creatures and always emerged victorious.

One time, he got into a fight with a pack of wolves when he had turned. Now, he’s managed to tame the pack of wolves with respect and now they guard the manor.

Techno is probably the most cold out of the vampires but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. For example, if Tommy were to put his life in danger. Techno would be there to protect him in an instant, he wishes to look out for his younger brother.

Phil

Philza actually has a unique ability as a vampire, having a strange connection to bats. He’s able to shift into the form of a bat, but mostly just has his wings appear on his back.

He’s also got some bat-like behaviour, for example, he has more sensitive ears. He’s caught Tommy hiding in his office multiple times thanks to this hearing. He also sleeps like a bat.

He can also communicate with bats as they work like his third eye, keeping an eye on things for him. Tommy calls him the batman though he doesn’t quite understand the reference.

He’s forced to take his kids flying a lot, especially Tommy because he really seems to enjoy the skies.

This is over 1K words aaaaaaa

#shushi stuff #shushi answers #mcyt g/t #mcytg/t #dsmp g/t #aperson #shushi's writings #trust the process au

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erigold13261 · 1 year

Note

:3 again sorry for asking so much but 1010 what do you when you're S/O's are sick? (In In Eloni, Haym and Purl Hew's case what if both of them are sick?)

No worries! And it depends on the sickness. An average cold is going to be a lot different from a life threatening illness. I'll go with the common cold one since that's the usual one people default to when asking about sick headcanons I think.

Rin was a medical bot in the war and still retains a lot of that knowledge, so it would be very well prepared to take care of Zuke. A bit too well prepared. Zuke is the type to just sleep a lot while sick, and not eat much. So Rin is more of a bother, trying to make sure Zuke gets the proper amount of water, fresh air, vitamins, and food in him. Zuke appreciates it but really just wants to be left alone while sick. He does get better quicker though, especially since Rin changes his sheets and bedding everyday before Zuke goes to sleep so the germs from the previous sleep are gone.

Purl on the other hand is not as nice and gentle. They are more of a suck it up, shut up, and sleep kind of carer. They will force West and/or Cyril to take medicine and sleep. Especially Cyril who usually wants to be up and active, even if he is so sick he is almost passing out. If both of them are sick then Purl will visit both if they are in separate places, or just invite them to Barraca Mansion to get better. Cyril is definitely a playful asshole to Purl while West keeps asking for more stupid shit he doesn't need, and doesn't get most of the time. The two are just happily annoying and teasing Purl. Thankfully Purl doesn't mind too much, and will snap back comebacks and stuff at the two, but in the end it usually just ends up with Purl sleeping between two sick idiots.

Zimelu is very clingy emotionally and worried about Celine. Not a lot of touching as Zimelu doesn't like to touch a lot, but will hold Celine's hand or rest the back of her hand on Celine's forehead for as long as she is asked to. At one point she might just look up Celine's symptoms while Celine is sleeping at some point and then have a small freak out just for a sick and tired Celine to try and calm her down. Other than that, Zimelu just listens to Celine and gets her what she needs and just offers to do extra things or get snacks/presents to make her feel better. Which all Celine wants to do is lay on the couch and listen to shows while Zimelu comments on stuff about it as she has her eyes closed.

Haym is not dating Eve, only Mayday. May is dating both Eve and Haym, but either way, that won't stop Haym from making them their favorite foods when they are sick and making sure they eat a lot. He'd probably try to drag them outside for a walk or to sit out in the sun, while both are just trying to rest. May would be more welcome to the fresh air while Eve ends up having to grab Haym's face and make him look at her while she tells him directly she just wants to sleep (he would then carry her back to bed and tuck her in). Haym has good intentions but just messes up on delivery a lot of the time. The best thing he is good for in this situation is making Eve and May laugh along with making sure they eat well.

Eloni probably doesn't take care of their partners that much. Both Barbara and Joey are pretty self sufficient and won't really be asking for much. Eloni would definitely be there at a moments notice if they did ask though. He'd probably bring a care package and a gift he knows they like. Clean up around their house and do some chores they can't do or finish because of being sick. If they are both sick at the same time then Eloni would visit them each in their respective homes (Joey still lives with his family and Barbara is in a single apartment, the three are planning on moving in together one day), and take care of them each for a few hours. Eloni would have to basically force Barbara and Joey to relax whenever she did go over there though, since I see the two as working from home while sick a lot.

So yeah! 1010 would be very thoughtful of their SOs and try to take care of them so they get better faster.

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shimenawas · 2 years

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i’m so glad i stumbled across this event—!! i love both genshin and pjsekai~ thank you for doing this!!

may i have a comfort letter (from both genshin and pjsekai) and be matched with a male character? and maybe something that’s like: “i’ve seen the worst parts of you, yet i still love you.” or "it’s alright if you’re like this, i love you, and i’ll always be here for you.” (ahhh but these exact words don’t need to be used!! just an example!!)

my PERSONALITY is basically a small part of each niigo member, but combined together into one person:

1.) kanade — self-blame, hikikomori, physically weak, likes cup noodles, likes anime & manga

2.) mafuyu — double personality, kind on the outside & empty on the inside, good reputation, unsure on what to do/can’t make own descisions, people-pleaser, good at acting, lowkey always 1 second away from breaking down

3.) ena — older sister, talentless, jealousy over those with talent, stubborn, not good at waking up in the morning, sleeps late

4.) mizuki — afraid to get close with others, fear of separation, draws an invisible line with everyone, likes anime & manga

in order of who i relate to the most: mafuyu > ena > kanade > mizuki

some fun facts!!

my favorite pjsekai character is kanade!! she’s just so kind and selfless.. i want someone like her in my life. i love kanade so much, i tiered t500 in her lim event!! she’s also character rank 44 in my account~

and my favorite genshin character is kazuha!! i really admire him, he’s just so?? calm?? and perfect?? idk i can’t describe it..

ahh i’m sorry this ended up being kinda long.. when it comes to genshin and pjsekai i kinda ramble a lot.. thank you very much for your hard work in advance!! i’m sorry if this was too long..

To my sincerest love,

It's been quite a while since we've talked, much less see each other. How have you been fairing these days? Staying in your home too much can't be good for you sometimes,

How about we go out for a walk tonight? I've heard the wind is colder than usual so make sure to bring a coat with you,

Are you worried that I'll leave you that day? Perhaps I was at partial fault for happened, apologies my love, I know it isn't appropriate to be apologizing in a letter so I hope you agree to meet with me tonight.

Leaving you isn't an option I'll ever consider on doing, I've seen you in your worst and have loved you still— and it will remain that way no matter what.

The world be damned, I won't let go of you that easily.

Love, Diluc

For you,

The great tsukasa tenma is here sending you a letter! How have you been feeling? It's good to take sometime to yourself and rest!

Saki once told me that sometimes loving someone won't be enough to help make them feel better,

So I'm sending this letter with a bunch of food you like! Saki also told me to give you one of her plushies, something about it being along the lines of "it helped me feel better when I was alone!"

She cares for you so much don't you think? Sometimes I feel like she loves you more than me!

I know how you are, and how you feel; but I hope you know that even if you're like this, I'll still be by your side every step of the way!

I'll come visit you soon, text me okay?

The great tsukasa tenma ✩

#(📌— events)#(📌 — asks)#(♦️— anonymous)

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ateez-amanda · 2 years

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Amanda’s Family

disclaimer: none of the photos are mine but the collages are and none of these photos included the actual face claim of my oc. this is just to give a idea of the relationships

warnings: briefly mentions drinking and antis

a/n: i did this for my other oc (@svt-vivi) and decided i should do one for amanda. so here is amanda's family and their dynamics

masterlist

taglist: @skzfairies, @3nhyp3nn [send an ask if you want to be on/off the taglist :)]

❀Dad❀: Rohan Madduri

age: 1966

career: indian restaurant owner

contact name: dada🥸💖

she has a very close relationship w/ her father

he kept her in touch with her indian heritage by teaching her the language and cooking some spectacular indian food

they go on movie dates often -> he usually calls her when there's a new indian film out and now that she's of age they go for drinks after to catch up

although it took him some time to fully accept her becoming an idol (he wanted her to be a doctor), he always supported her and cheered her up on tough days while she was a trainee

her mom sent a video of him crying when atz got their first win

atinys absolutely love him bc like father like daughter he is a totally savage

when he calls her on her bday lives it often them bickering and atinys find it hilarious

also when he comes to atz concerts, he's always friendly w/ atinys and dancing along and having a blast

he always says the boys are the sons he never had

although he says she is his favorite, she catches him calling jongho more often than her

mostly bc they both are huge soccer fanatics

❀Mom❀: Shin Bora

age: 1970

career: accountant

contact name: mama👑💞

her mom is a tad bit more overprotective of amanda compared to her dad as her mom considered amanda her miracle child

they can communicate w/ each other w/o even saying anything

both of them aren't really the type to say ily openly often

instead they do it through actions such as checking up on each other, making sure the other is healthy, bringing food, etc.

her mom was also against her becoming an idol mostly bc she knew how hard idol life is and she knew amanda would face strong backlash for her skin tone

she didn't want to see her daughter suffer bc of that

but once she saw how determined amanda was and when she saw her perform for the first time, she became incredibly proud of her daughter

they also spend a lot of time together watching mystery/crime shows and doing jigsaw puzzles

always monitoring on atz's schedule, knows their schedule better than amanda does

her mom loves all the members and treats them like her sons as well

but she has mention she is a fan of yunho bc she thinks he's really sweet correct

❀Grandma❀: Shin Eunchae

age: 1937

contact name: grandma eunnie👵🏻💕

she has always been pretty close w/ her grandma since her family would try to visit her yearly

amanda would help take care of her grandma when she wasn't busy with school or training

her grandma loves to spoil her like crazy and always want to buy her things

but amanda isn't a very materialistic person instead she likes spending time w/ her

so you can often find the two together in the living room making commentaries while watching korean dramas

her grandma was the one that helped convince her parents to let her audition as an idol when they were fully against it

she loves all the boys equally and always openly expresses how handsome they are correct

❀Dog❀: Shin Oreo

breed: Maltese

age: 2012

after years of begging, her parents finally gave in and brought home Oreo for her one day

12yr old amanda was ecstatic to come home from school to find a dog laying on her bed

12yr amanda also wasn’t the most creative when coming up w/ names for him but she still loves it nonetheless

growing up w/ amanda got Oreo to have similar personality like her such as a sassy attitude

honestly she should have named her prince instead bc he think he is one

since amanda lives in the dorm and she doesn’t get to see him often and he’s slowly becoming more of her parents pet than hers now

but when she visits home he’s over the moon and it so precious when they meet again

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frantzenandresen34 · 1 month

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One Will - Follow Up Of Man Has Only Love Will

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peace-coast-island · 7 months

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Diary of a Junebug

Snowy blossom tea, lava cake, and an unexpected trip to several centuries in the past

When there’s a chill in the air, tea is a must. Mamoru and Ayaka weren’t exaggerating about Nakatoro Teahouse. I can’t say I’m an expert on tea and its qualities, but I can at least say that this is definitely some fancy high quality stuff. Along with the tea, the food there is pretty good too. This place definitely feels like a VIP type thing with its private rooms and the fact that you either have to make reservations far in advance or have connections who can get you in.

I’m tagging along with Raiden, Qingmei, Lian, Dainn, and Makoto to spend a couple weeks in Sango. We’re mostly staying in Tsukiko, though we’ll be spending a couple days in Kaede too. Raiden says if we have time - which we probably will - we’ll explore some of the other islands in between. Sango has a lot of islands, but when most people come to visit, it’s usually either Tsukiko or Kaede. That’s not to say the other islands aren’t worth checking out, it’s just not what you’d want if you want a more touristy or fun travel experience. They’re worth exploring if you wanna get away from the city, but there really isn’t much to do there for a passing traveler.

Since it’s been really cold, we’ve been spending a lot of time at the teahouse. Mamoru’s been helping with expanding the pastry menu, so he’s been looking for people to help test some new recipes. The chocolate lava cake has been a hit so far and it perfectly compliments the snowy blossom tea. The chocolate truffle macarons are good too, but the recipe needs some tweaking as it’s a bit overly complicated at the moment, which means it’s impractical to make in large quantities.

While Makoto, Lian, and Dainn are here to meet with Mei, the rest of us are just hanging out. Well, for Raiden and Qingmei, it’s a little bit of both. They’re kinda here for backup, though the others don’t seem to need the extra help. Raiden invited Connie and Pai too, but they’re tied up in Marippe, which Mamoru says is a shame because he and Ayaka were looking forward to catching up with them. I wonder if it has to do with the thing Connie and the Justice’s secret plan that Pai mentioned.

The story is that Mei and Dainn go way back. As in, she knew him when he was a baby and he spent a couple months in Sango before he was taken back to Karephira. The Qingqiehui - Dainn and Qingmei’s ancestry - has roots in Sango. More specifically, the Shinyako, an ancient civilization underneath Kaede. Dainn and Qingmei are likely the only two remaining Shinyako descendants, something they stumbled on by accident when they got lost in the Shinyako ruins.

There’s still a lot of unanswered questions regarding Dainn’s origins, but at least Mei was able to fill in some gaps. Qingmei, however, is still a mystery. Though, based on what very little we do know, maybe it’s better to leave her past alone. There was a reason why Qingmei willingly blocked out a lot of her memories before Lian took her in. While she’s recovered some, it didn’t sound like a good experience.

Yeah, I don’t blame her for not wanting to delve too deep into that, especially since that part of her life is no longer relevant and bringing it up now would probably do more harm than good. She was severely abused, and that alone explains a lot.

As for Dainn, his origins was a well-kept secret. He was raised by “the streets” which is what they called those who grew up in a certain children’s home. Despite having earned the title of Stardust Warrior and becoming the second ever Street member to become part of the royal knights, he had to work at least three times as hard to be acknowledged. Basically, he went from being a nobody to a somebody - and suffered from severe impostor syndrome because of it.

According to the official records, Dainn was an orphan of the streets, which is what they put down for anyone who was abandoned as an infant. In reality, he was the illegitimate child of Linna, a previous captain of the Karephira Royal Knights. Mei doesn’t know the exact circumstances other than the royals and Linna had their reasons for concealing him - political reasons, she speculates.

Linna is an even bigger mystery, and one we’ll probably never really know more about. She was said to have been born to an ordinary middle class family, though there was speculation that she was actually adopted. She and Mei were able to conclude that she was of Shinyako ancestry, which explained the unusual powers she possessed.

Due to politics between Karephira and Sango at the time, Linna and Mei often communicated in secret. A lot of their secret correspondence had to do with maintaining the Shinyako ruins, specifically the seal the priests left behind. In other words, if that seal breaks, it’s safe to say that the surface, specifically Sango, is fucked.

Linna and Mei had taken an interest in Shinyako for many reasons, the main one being that an outside faction had deliberately tampered with the seals. Linna had some encounters with that faction and wanted to settle a score with them for unrelated reasons. Over the next few years, Linna, Mei, and the youkai studied the seals and ruins to prevent a calamity from breaking out.

When it came time to directly face what those seals were trying to conceal, they ran into an unexpected difficulty. Linna successfully closed the seal, but she took a direct hit of the volatile elemental energy behind it. While undergoing treatment, it was revealed that she was pregnant. She knew the risks and yet she disregarded the safety of herself and her unborn child.

Both survived, just barely. Linna never fully recovered from the blast and her health steadily declined. A few months later she nearly died from complications after going into premature labor. It was apparent that no one expected her or Dainn to pull through. Once it was certain that Dainn would survive, Linna voluntarily gave up custody.

Mei didn’t hear from Linna for over a year when she surprised her with a visit, taking Dainn with her. By then, Linna was forced to step down as captain due to her poor health. She told Mei that her time was running short and she had a lot of regrets piling up. Not being there for her son was one of them. Mei figured that was all there was to her sudden trip to Sango.

As for the full story, that too will remain unknown. Sango and Karephira covered up the incident, mainly because they didn’t know how to explain it. From what they could piece together, Linna was out with Dainn when she ran into Svanhild, one of her comrades who came to Sango for unknown reasons. The two went out towards the woods, leaving Dainn behind where the kitsune later found him, apparently unbothered by his mother’s disappearance. A fight later broke out, resulting in the two knights killing each other.

With little to nothing to go off on, Sango and Karephira were backed into a corner. Since Mei wasn’t as involved with Sango’s politics and diplomatic relationships at the time, she was tasked with caring for Dainn. Well, it was mostly the kitsune who took care of him, but she admitted that she sort of formed an attachment to him as well.

When Dainn asked if it was possible that he might have seen something, Mei said they looked into it and concluded that he couldn’t have since he wandered off into the opposite direction. She also noted that he didn’t seem to have much of an attachment to Linna like she would expect between a mother and child. Although he could say a few words at the time, she could never recall if he had ever referred to Linna as mama. So it’s safe to say that Linna wasn’t actually involved in Dainn’s life.

While both nations were working things out, the kitsune insisted on keeping Dainn in Sango out of concern that his life might be in danger, especially with the political climate in Karephira at the time. Because of Linna’s status, it’s possible that her death was an assassination plot, especially since she had built up quite a number of enemies over the years as she was known to be outspoken and critical. It wasn’t until much later on when Mei concluded that Linna’s murder played a role in the disaster that would fall on Karephira decades later. The investigation didn’t really resolve anything, but at least Mei and the kitsune were able to spoil Dainn for a few months before the children’s home took him back.

A couple hundred years passed and it seemed like the incident was widely forgotten. Mei was the only one still alive, and though there were other pressing matters on her mind, she never forgot about Linna and Dainn. Even as a toddler, Mei noticed that he had an aptitude for the spear like his mother. She had been secretly keeping an eye on him as he grew up, but then lost track when the Karephira disaster hit.

Somehow, she suspected that he, by some strange miracle, survived the calamity. Her intuition was spot on when she unexpectedly ran into him while with Raiden and Qingmei. She was also the one who shed some light on why he was unusually resistant to high concentrations of elemental energy, something he became aware of after the disaster and later used to his advantage.

That part of their journey was a major turning point for the three of them. At the time, Raiden and Qingmei were doing their own thing, running into Dainn occasionally and then parting ways not too long after. Again, the ruins of Shinyako were disturbed, which was why Mei and the Divine Priestess were investigating. Raiden and Qingmei heard about what was going on and offered to help. Then, by a strange coincidence, they ran into Dainn fighting off monsters in the ruins while trying to apprehend the person responsible for the disturbance.

At first, Dainn refused to collaborate with Mei. It wasn’t anything personal, mainly politics, which Mei doesn’t hold against him. She recognized him right away because of how much he resembled Linna, but obviously he didn’t recognize her. It wasn’t until he came across one of the kitsune’s bells when he started to question why that item looked so familiar After realizing the possible reason as to why Dainn was able to withstand an indirect hit of volatile energy with slight side effects, Mei decided to open up to him.

Although Dainn was able to trust Mei, he was still on guard about her. Mei told him that he has no reason to completely take her at her word, but no matter what, she will look out for him. Sure, a lot of it has to do with her guilt over what happened to Karephira - a heavy burden that had no right to be placed on the shoulders of the innocent was how she saw it - but also because of her personal relationship with Linna. She even went as far to say that had things worked out differently, she would’ve been willing to raise him as her own. That would’ve been an interesting turn of events.

It took some time, but Dainn was eventually able to trust her. She actually got into a lot of trouble for that, resulting in Lian stepping in. At some point there was an all out custody battle between Mei backed by the Dānchún Lǔmǎng versus Raiden’s brother and his group of rebels. The fight was more of a stalemate than a victory, but at least Mei was able to use her authority to protect Dainn and Raiden.

Hearing about Mei’s past made me wonder what the hell was going in Sango with the war a while back. It was a short but tumultuous period that nearly divided the nation. I don’t know what exact role Mei played in the conflict, but she had expressed regret for letting things end up like that. It’s almost like the Mei Dainn knows and the Mei Connie knows are different people. Then again, Mei’s lived for thousands of years and has been through a lot, so I can’t really judge her on that as I don’t have the full picture. At least she’s actively trying to right her wrongs by taking direct action rather than hoping the conflict would burn itself out.

These days, it’s safe to say that Mei and Dainn are getting along better. I wouldn’t say they’re all buddy-buddy like Mei and Makoto or Mei and Mio, more like a mentor-disciple kind of relationship. Like a distant older relative who keep as eye on the younger one from afar.

The Shinyako seals haven’t changed since they last checked, so that’s a good thing. No news is good news. Aside from that, really the main reason why Dainn’s here is because Mio wanted to check in on him since it’s been a while since they last spoke.

Once they both understood that the Karephira disaster was out of their hands and that they shouldn’t shoulder the burdens it left behind, it became a lot easier for them to communicate, especially when they realized that they shared the same goal of averting another calamity. Like I’ve said, the past is complicated, and so there’s only so much I, as an outsider, can get out of their interactions.

I’ll admit that I’m a bit surprised that they’re kinda talking about some things openly, though I suppose enough time has passed that it’s not like sensitive information or something. And besides, like Raiden said, we’re all friends now, so it’s about time we learned a bit more about each other.

I have to say, though, we were all kinda caught off guard like that. Not in a bad way - and I’m sure the others felt the same too - more like a pleasant surprise kind of thing. Even though I’ve really gotten to know Raiden and her friends over the past couple years, it’s just that we live in such different circles. I’d never imagine that our lives would cross in a way that she and Qingmei basically went from being casual acquaintances who talk once in a while to being good friends who keep up with each other often.

And as for Mamoru and Ayaka, they’d never expect to be close to Mei like they’re friends. They technically work for her - or under her, more accurately - but that was about the extent of their relationship. Then when Mei began taking her duties more seriously - especially since it was Akira who decided to take action when Mei failed - she began to make more of an effort to form relationships with humans rather than distancing herself from them.

She said that had she not detached herself from society as a way to cope with the grief and trauma she experienced over the centuries, she would have intervened much sooner, easily averting the political crisis and preventing the war. Unfortunately, what’s done is done, and so it’s up to her to own up to her mistakes, as well as make sure her successors don’t fall into the same traps like she had.

It sounds like Mei’s been through a lot. And somehow, she seems more at peace with herself. My first impression of her is that she seemed kinda intimidating, someone who puts up high walls to protect themselves after being burned so many times. I got the impression that she was kinda sheltered, the kind of person who doesn’t really go out and has a limited view of what the world is like. In a way, it turns out that I wasn’t entirely wrong, the only thing I was off was that she has indeed seen a lot, but that doesn’t mean she had a good understanding of it.

Once Mei put her walls down and began interacting with the world around her, I’ve noticed how she’s changed. Ayaka admits to still being a bit intimidated by her, while also gradually getting comfortable enough that if they see each other in the streets, they’d stop to chat for a bit. and it’s not just people she works with, Mei is said to have even made the effort to mingle with the common folk, though she unintentionally scares them off. I mean, with her status, it makes sense that people would be intimidated by her presence, especially those who don’t know her at all.

Well, at least she’s trying her best to sort of bridge that gap. But I think it’ll take a lot more than showing up randomly and trying to strike a conversation with whoever passes by. I mean, I don’t blame others for being uncomfortable - I’m sure I’d be if Mei randomly approached me for no reason. At least Makoto’s helping Mei work on other ways to interact with the common folk without making them feel like something’s wrong.

To think that all of us would be here just hanging out over tea and cake while talking about some heavy stuff from the past, it’s funny to think that a scenario like this would’ve never crossed our minds a few years ago. Like Mei said, no matter how many centuries she’s lived, the world never ceases to surprise her in some way. And as she witnessed from recent events, these surprises - miracles - should never be taken for granted. You can’t change your past mistakes, but you can use the present to pick up the pieces and try to make things right for the future.

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#animal crossing #animal crossing pocket camp #headcanon ramble #diary of a junebug

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