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krashlite · 5 months

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The brainrot took over and I spent all morning rambling/psychoanalyzing BigB and Grian cause they make me crazy

So it’s been established that Grian + Scar and Ren + BigB are soulmates. No matter what they will find each other- even outside of DL. Fate chose them and continues to choose them

Grian + BigB on the other hand are not soulmates, they just chose each other. It’s rare that they cross paths but typically they’ll stay nearby whenever they do.

3L had blue sword boys (BSB) which was the two of them and Martyn, though Martyn was the only one out of the three that called on the alliance. The desert’s first plan happened at BigB’s castle- an action that steered Scar away from BigB and towards Dogwarts even though aiming for BigB probably would’ve gotten them more immediate results- something I know damn well Grian shoots for. I like to think this was because B was Grian’s backup plan if Scar did die. “Your job isn’t to steal cookies, it’s to do murder” if that was the sole reason for changing targets then why not just attack BigB instead of stealing his cookie?

They didn’t cross paths on the battlefield iirc, even when the desert stormed Dogwarts for the final time. BigB was absent when the desert went sky high and was largely uninvolved in most of the war. Though he sided with DW he didn’t fully stand against the desert, he didn’t stand against Grian. And when the desert stormed DW, BigB was mostly on the outskirts of that fight, which I think was because he’s scared of combat. EDIT correcting myself here but BigB was in fact shot by Grian, even if unintentionally

The next time they see each other is when Scar comes along to sic Bdubs on BigB. The whole time Grian is begging BigB to “do something!!” And saying he can’t watch. EDIT 2 I watched the clip back and Grian specifically told him “don’t go out without a fight.” DON’T GO OUT WITHOUT A FIGHT.

Even after BigB panics and attacks him, Grian is still distraught over the fact that he’s gone. He even justifies BigB attacking him as it being revenge for the arrow

I’m also fascinated by B’s decision to attack Grian instead of the other two reds. Grian was the only yellow name left, which was probably the reason why B went for him over Scar or Bdubs. It could be a fun idea for BigB to see that he was never truly on the desert’s side and attack Grian as a response to that. Yes Grian was pleading for him to do something, but he made no actual attempt to save him. Grian was going to let them kill BigB, and B knew this

Anyways

LL they didn’t really interact much- which does come into play during DL

In DL Grian and BigB found each other day 1, but alas, not soulmates. But there’s a couple things established in their first interaction. Grian suddenly dropped like 6 hearts bc of Scar and started panicking asking for food. This established pretty much immediately that Grian’s soulmate wasn’t going to save him and BigB was.

BigB, on the other hand, though Grian’s disappointment, reads that Grian would have truly valued his company- not to mention how he knows that G would’ve taken the lead on things B feels he’s weakest at, considering they have past experience

Enter Ren! Ren is someone who truly does value and care about BigB but he is very bad at actually expressing this. He tries spinning negatives into positives instead of working through them- which isn’t a flaw necessarily but it is something that clashes with BigB

I would like to specifically point out that instead of listening to BigB when he said he doesn’t know how to build and teaching him some basics- Ren instead leans into the fact that BigB is bad at building. He decides they should make the ugliest base as a sort of inside joke but I can’t help but feel like BigB was a little hurt by that. He laughs along, but damn.. Ren intended this as some harmless fun but fails to recognize that it’s not what BigB wanted, nor what he needed. BigB does learn to love the base for all its goofiness because he loves Ren, and wants to be there for him

Box pretty quickly becomes about what Ren wants- not through malicious intent but because they have different personalities. Ren is very loud and outgoing while BigB is more reserved.

Ren is someone who tends to jump into things headfirst while BigB tends to follow. Ren also has a habit of not listening to people- something he did in past seasons as well. DW almost crumbled because he failed to listen to Martyn, he got tunnel vision in LL while building the shadow fort and failed to save Cleo- not even realizing she’d died when the betrayal happened on his front doorstep

BigB, on the other hand, needs to be listened to. Again, he’s a lot more reserved than other people but truly shines when he has a spotlight on him. LL was wonderful for this since, after his betrayal, the main plot thread of the fairy fort centered on him- on how his mistakes led to their demise and how it was up to him to fix the situation he caused. BigB stayed closer to his team than ever before, making sure that they knew he was trustworthy. However, B also ran away from the true issue, which was that he had betrayed Cleo. BigB was too scared to try to make amends with them after Cleo burned the fort to the ground, fearing for both his safety and the safety of his team.

Back to DL! BigB overcompensated for past mistakes by fully mirroring whatever Ren did, all the way down to getting a matching pair of sunglasses and dog ears. He didn’t agree with Ren’s decision to ban Pearl from Box, but stood by the decision since Ren had made it. Largely, BigB didn’t feel heard in the relationship- something that’s later discussed in couple’s counseling

Putting a pin in that!

On Grian’s side of things he is in! An entire mess. Not only is he paired with a past fling, but Scar is almost constantly causing problems for him. He’s taking large chunks of damage, getting himself into stressful situations for Grian, and Grian has to drag him everywhere in order to get them to get along. Scar wasn’t even going to base with him, he was perfectly content in them living in separate bases when Grian needed to stay with his soulmate. It comes down to safety for Grian- he doesn’t think he can rely on Scar to keep the both of them out of harm’s way. In fact, Grian has to hurt himself to be with Scar, even in their first interaction with the stalactite!!!!

Grian feels less like Scar’s partner and more like Scar’s mother, having to constantly watch after him and make sure he’s out of trouble. I think Grian even remarks that being with Scar is like watching over a toddler.

Scar’s behaving like this both to try and get Grian to be less uptight about every little thing and also as a means of getting back at him for said little things. Grian didn’t want the pandas in the house? Fine, he’ll hop in some powdered snow. Grian’s upset by him taking damage? Fine, he just won’t eat for a bit. Scar knows it’s not as serious as Grian’s making it out to be but does nothing to reassure Grian.

All this does is push Grian away, so it’s absolutely no surprise that Grian runs off. He tried! So hard! To fix the relationship and doesn’t see Scar putting in the same amount of effort. Again, Grian is his partner, not his caretaker. He shouldn’t be expected to constantly clean up after Scar

No G wasn’t perfect but goddamn

BigB on the other hand, has already been established as a Safe person. Both this season and in past seasons. Remember, Grian was completely absent from the fairy fort plotline, never actually crossing paths with the consequences of the betrayal. This affects both of them. Not only does Grian perceive him as safe, but BigB knows he has nothing to prove to Grian. He is loved regardless, while with Ren he feels the need to prove himself CONSTANTLY with little acknowledgement.

They both felt undervalued with their soulmate but were valued with one another. However, neither one of them wanted to actually leave their soulmate, which is where things get tricky. They were fully in the wrong for cheating on their soulmates, even if they did have a reason for doing so

But anyways

BigB got caught between Grian and Ren, the more he leaned to one side the more he lost the other. This is the same issue he had in 3L- coincidentally landing between the same people.

Both of them kept the other a secret to protect their peace more than their soulmate. Grian even goes as far as to gaslight Scar when Scar clearly knows he’s being cheated on. BigB also lies about Grian’s involvement in his and Ren’s 2nd death, leading Ren to focus solely on Bdubs.

Ren does this to find a target to defend BigB from rather than actually addressing the root of their problems- Ren’s inability to listen. He thinks that if he just Shows BigB how good of a soulmate he is, he can keep BigB at his side when that’s not what BigB needs. So now Box is caught in a cycle of trying to prove themselves to the other

Scar, on the other hand, doubles down on his behavior instead of making any changes. The only thing he does change is how much he listens to Grian. He basically becomes Grian’s lackey, which was meant to address the fact that Grian feels like he has no control over his circumstances. However, he fails to recognize that the reason G thinks he lost control is because Scar himself is a rogue element.

So both sides continue to get worse in trying to course correct- which causes both of them to get into increasingly dangerous situations

Also side bar, in writing this I realized if you swapped Grian for Ren they would be perfectly functional on both sides- since Ren’s course correction matches what Scar needs and Scar’s course correction matches what Ren needs. Ren needs support while being a protector and Scar needs someone to stand by him. Grian needs someone who’s safe and BigB needs someone to guide him

It’s a really funny coincidence but anyways

Ultimately it was Grian’s impulsiveness that did them in- all four of them. He set the trap at Box trying something ambitious, and he went to get a warden for a last hoorah. I like to think he was emboldened by the fact that the soulmate feature had less emphasis to him in those final episodes. He was thinking about BigB and not Ren and considered Scar entirely separate from him. It also doesn’t help that two of the three soulmate couples that stayed together- were either dead(ranchers), or distant from him(clockduo). Boat boys fed into his chaotic nature through being silly goofy guys

Even after Grian ended his season, BigB still forgives him. He still cares!!

I’m not normal about this season whatsoever

In LimL they really don’t properly interact until the very end but we’ll get to that.

BigB’s POV really reinforces that Grian is a loose canon. This was established in DL but LimL reinforces this in a more Romanticized kind of way. Grian’s sort of framed as being dangerous in a fun way and not the “oh this one’ll kill me and dump my body off a bridge” kinda way. He’s a Bad Boy, not a Bad Guy

On the other side of things, Grian’s POV reinforces that BigB is “safe.” The only conflict he has with the Nosy Neighbors is the Judge Judy and Executioner plotline- which Grian doesn’t take seriously whatsoever. Meanwhile, the Bad Boys have conflict with literally everyone else on the server

So when Jimmy and Joel die, it is zero surprise that Grian comes running to BigB again! BigB can’t save him, he can’t even save himself, but goddamnit Grian still trusts him and BigB’s too nice for is own good

And once again!! It’s Grian’s impulsiveness that gets them killed

I would like to also point out the moment where B has 45 seconds left on his timer and while Pearl is desperately trying to save him, Grian sort of stands off to the side and gets ready to crit BigB out if he has to. Remember- Grian was fighting a losing battle to save his boys, it getting to the point where it just wasn’t worth the cost. He hesitated because he didn’t want to lose BigB but wasn’t quick to save him like Pearl was.

And honestly it’s no surprise that Pearl was so quick to give him time. She spent the last season completely on her own and had nobody to turn to. Everyone she tried to stay with turned her away, and BigB was arguably the only person who didn’t outright shun her. Remember, he was only going along with Ren’s decision and I think she knows this. Now in LimL, Pearl has him as someone she can fully rely on, someone who stays at her side no matter what and I also think she panicked at the idea of being alone. Grian has a habit of making selfish decisions, and she knows that won’t bode well for her if it’s just the two of them. Plus she fully understands the power of a sacrifice and what it means to others. Hell, her victory was given to her THROUGH A SACRIFICE. Pearl knows damn well the amount of kindness it takes to do something like that, so her jumping to save B makes complete sense

I also like to think this calls back to 3L, with Grian not moving to save him from Scar and Bdubs. In both situations, Grian thinks BigB was going down anyways and is too scared to do anything to save him. But while BigB couldn’t do anything then, he can do something now. Grian is grateful for the extra time but I can’t help but think this pushed BigB away

Pearl was the last of that trio iirc, with both BigB and Grian dying in clumsy ways

SL they coincidentally wound up on the same corner of the map and most of BigB’s silly goofy behavior was directed at Grian but I really need to watch their POVs again to do a proper analysis so we’re putting a pin in that until later

#anyways this is barely proof read so sorry if I come across as a rambling lunatic #DL was an entire mess for them and their soulmates and they did not handle it well #trafficshipping #including that for DL mostly #grian #bigbst4tz2 #trafficblr #life series smp #I’m normal about them I prommy #these two are The toxic yaoi for me rn so don’t mind my insanity

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evewasheretoday · 2 months

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Accidents Happen: Prologue

Your mother was a hardworking woman with high hopes and your father was an honest man.

The love that your parents had for each other was unconditional and strong, it shouldn't have been a surprise that with such a love — they'd been blessed with twelve children, six boys and six girls.

While being the youngest in your family certainly had its advantages and disadvantages, this was certainly not one of them.

“I can't believe the lot of you are kicking me out!” You screamed at the top of your lungs, your voice hoarse from all the yelling. “And after everything I've done for all of you?”

“This was not our decision to make” Your oldest sister—Camelia—replied, crossing her arms to her chest.

“I told you being a slob was bound to get you into trouble someday” Your second oldest brother—Daniel—sighed.

The rest of your siblings were inside the house, smiling happily at the sight of you leaving home and being sent away to Castle Dimitrescu from the windows.

Lady Dimitrescu's home — where most women would come to work as a maid.

You gulped. “This is not a fun experience” You told them. “You are sending me to my own death!”

Camelia and Daniel shared a look.

“You're exaggerating” Camelia responded to you. “If anything — we're doing you a favour” She grinned cheekily to you.

“Besides” Daniel added, walking toward you and ruffling your hair. “It will be good for you”

“If I don't come back, I must be dead” You mumbled.

Daniel laughed while Camelia just smiled.

“Oh, don't be ridiculous!” Camelia rolled her eyes at you. “You will survive” She said.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Counting the days since you first stepped into Castle Dimitrescu and started your work, you've been under Lady Dimitrescu's employment for two years.

Yet you still cannot get used to the screams of pain that come from the castle's dungeons nor the fear of any day being your last.

You've rarely ever seen any of the women living there. I mean, you see the other servants every now and then but the daughters?

Yeah, no. You did your best to avoid them as much as possible. Emphasis on the word did because no matter how much you tried — it just wasn't possible to avoid them entirely.

“I feel terribly sorry for that girl,” One of your coworkers spoke up.

You never believed it to be true but Lady Dimitrescu certainly did not employ any man into the castle.

All the faces you've seen and all the voices you've heard during your time here were all women.

“She has a name, Lucille” Looking around the dinner table, everyone's attention was settled on one person.

“Had,” Lucille corrected. “After her little incident with Lady Daniela, I doubt anyone will be calling her other than a fool or a slattern.” She chuckled softly. “And you know that all too well, Gabriela”

Everyone's eyes were still fixated on one person. And that was Gabriela.

“I would watch my words If I were you, Lucille” The ginger-haired woman warned. Her lips pursed into a thin line as she stared directly at Lucille, the dark brown-haired woman who glared back at her.

Dinner was usually quiet for every single woman who worked at Castle Dimitrescu under Lady Dimitrescu's employment. But today seemed like a bad day to say the least.

Lucille and Gabriela were one of the oldest employees in Castle Dimitrescu.

They were both already here before your own family had decided you would be better working at a place that paid so well rather than at home where you only did the bare minimum at best.

“I am but stating a fact, Gabriela” Lucille rolled her eyes. “Had she been more careful with her work, she would not have ended in the dungeons” She sneered.

Gabriela slammed her fist against the table, every other maid flinched at the sudden noise. “If you'll excuse me,” She gritted out through clenched teeth. “I shall eat in my room” She said before storming out of the dining hall.

“Well,” You mumbled, wiping your mouth clean. “That was something”

~~~~~~~~~~~

If you could kill someone with your bare hands without a thought, you'd have done it by now.

“You!” Beatrice, the head maid, called out. “Clean the library” She ordered, pointing at you with the broomstick in her hand. “And don't come back unless it is spotless”

Beatrice was quite a lovely woman.

Only if you weren't the one she was yelling at and making orders to.

“Yes, ma'am” You sighed exasperatedly before hurrying to the library.

Today just couldn't have been worse, you thought.

A shadow following you from afar, quiet like a mouse, unbeknownst to you.

#resident evil #resident evil 8 #resident evil the village #alcina dimitrescu #bela dimitrescu #cassandra dimitrescu #daniela dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x reader #alcina x reader #alcina dimitriscu x reader #bela dimitrescu x reader #cassandra dimitrescu x reader #daniela dimitrescu x reader #alcina dimitrescu's daughters x reader #and yes #I'm deprived #so I decided to feed myself and my fellow deprived people of dimitrescu women

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doudouma · 4 months

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can you do nakime x amab reader headcanons where reader has invisibility as a his demon blood art. and reader and nakime like to play a game to pass the time where she has to guess where reader is? I thought this would be cute lol. especially if you wrote it

“you’re invisible, but visible to my heart”

m!reader and nakime playing together to pass time!

_______________________________________________

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

nakime, the all-knowing infinity castle owner, has to guess where m!reader, with the bda of invisibility, is located! which team wins〜？

there are no warnings, my dear lotus.

reader is male.❀ 〜

a/n : i believe it’s canon that nakime knows where everyone is in the castle, thats her blood demon art after all〜 but for the sake of this, lets say that your BDA hides your presence too♡

this idea really is cute! I’m happy i got a male reader request, especially with nakime! she’s quite underrated. and thank you for your kind compliment! fluff is something i enjoy writing♡

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚ ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚

oh, just how adorable this is♡?

another long day at the beautiful fortress with nobody around, nobody doing anything.

the only thing going on is a few uppermoons that pass by every once in a while.

the only two sticking around, really, is you and nakime (of course)!

nakime doesn’t talk unless she’s spoken to, so you two aren’t speaking much. but definitely, she’s watching you in adoration♡

shortly later, you ask her if she wants to play you two’s favorite pass-time game!

she almost instantly responds, like she was waiting for you to ask her〜

“yes, i would love to, m/n. today is quite slow moving, i enjoy passing time like this.”

don’t forget that it’s been shown in the anime that they can talk quite normal and hear each other just fine〜

with that being said, nakime talks in a softer and quieter tone, only for you to hear her♡

but just with that, you smile and her and stand up, and activate your blood demon art of invisibility.

with the endless amount of time and patience you two have, the game is on!

nakime knows she can teleport people with her biwa. so to keep the game more fun, she describes the spot you’re in, instead!

if she wins, you turn off your BDA.

she starts off by guessing your favorite spots, and spots you’re most commonly seen in.

when you don’t appear or say a word, that’s how she knows she has guessed incorrectly.

she even guessed the special spot that she made just for the two of you, and only you and her having access to it!

what do you mean you’re not there this time?

she’s puzzled, but quite patient〜

to switch things up this time, you decided to keep changing your spot! poor nakime

“m/n, are you located in the special space?”

“are you near the smallest lantern in the castle, dear?”

“maybe you’re in the vicinity of akaza’s domain, sweetheart?”

nothing, nothing, and nothing again! where are you, invisible boy〜?

eventually, you make your way closer to her, just to hear her voice closer to your heart♡

you end up going back into your hiding, incase she says “are you in front of me?” hehe

on your way back, you find another spot, but this time it’s kind of out in the open.

you sit down, just smiling at your beloved nakime♡…

when just then… wait, huh? you sense another presence about to turn on the corner you’re hiding on?!

daki is trying to make her way past! but she obviously cannot see you, and ends up stumbling over you!

out of shock, she exclaims,

“dude, what on earth are you doing?! you almost made me fall! move it!!” (storms off)

nakime, the know-all-see-all, of the infinity castle, clearly witnessed that whole situation.

quickly, you change your location before nakime claims her victory!

when she calls out to your spot, it’s only followed by silence. speedy demon, you are!

(silly enough, from nakime’s perspective, she could just see it as daki being in on your silly antics, or daki just going insane.)

you sit somewhere else, this time being more thoughtful about demons using it as a travel way.

she starts to get creative with her answers! however, she’s not hitting the hammer on the nail〜…

a few more guesses goes on, until nakime falls silent, just smiling?

have you won?

did nakime give up?

or does she want to switch things up, too?

no one said that couldn’t use her biwa! she just always chose to not use it!

she would let out a little laugh, a laugh that sparks a light into you, but also confuses you.

after long hours of you two playing, and with you changing your spot frequently, she decides you strum you right into her lap!

she has defeated you with the power of her heart.. finally wanting to see her lover again♡!

now you have to turn off your blood demon art, because she found you her own way〜

she places a hand on your face, with a simple sentence,

“my m/n, i have found you♡”

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚ ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚

my, my! i really enjoyed writing this, and i hope it’s good for my first time writing for biwa-lady〜 i truly do enjoy the creativity you all come up with! thank you for your patience and continuous support, my precious flowers❀ 〜

#doudouma #kny #kny x reader #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #kny x male reader #male reader #nakime #kny nakime #demon slayer x reader #kny x you #nakime x reader #male!reader #m/n

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serenescribe · 6 months

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Bit of an odd request but I was listening to a bit of music and I was hit by an idea-

Idk if you know the tale of the Snow Queen, but essentially snow queens powerful ice mirror shatters, all but two pieces are recovered. One shard lands in a boys eye making him turn icey and Queen snatched him up.

However consider- Snow King Silver dragging a “mortal” who has a piece of something that was his. Unaware said “mortal” is actually a fae whose intrigued by this King’s combination of harshness yet tenderness.

the snow prince Twisted Wonderland | 3.9k Summary: A mysterious spell afflicts one Lilia Vanrouge, encasing his heart in frigid cold. AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51960883

FREED FROM UNI, I AM! I actually had this written for a while, but put off posting it to save it for a more appropiate season. I really love Snow Queen retellings and AUs, so this was a LOT of fun to write! Thank you, Olive! :D

(An aside: There are extremely minor spoilers for TWST CH7 in here; they're all under the cut and mentioned in passing. If you're trying to avoid every little detail of CH7, I'd suggest passing up on this!)

In the heat of a sweltering summer that sweeps Briar Valley like a storm, Lilia feels a prick of something sharp enter his eyes.

It happens so fast, so swiftly, that had Lilia not been one of the fair folk, he likely would not have noticed it at all. If he were a human, for example, with their sluggish reflexes and oblivious tendencies, lacking a natural affinity for magic in comparison to the fae, Lilia would have chalked up the prick in his eye to a stray lash falling in, rubbing around until he feels as though he’s flicked it out before moving on with his day.

But Lilia is not human. He is fae.

He knows, at once, despite trying and failing to dig out whatever it is that has entered his eye, that it is not a stray lash or a speck of dust. There is a strange magic emanating off of the tiny sharp splinter, an aura he picks up on in an instant. It’s peculiar, the way it makes him shudder as he brushes against it, the sensation likened to the cold of a dead winter. It is unlike anything he has ever felt before.

But gradually, Lilia has to put a pause on his efforts. He is out on a journey to meet with humans for talks of peace, for their centuries-long wars are slowly crawling to an end. His soldiers look at him in concern, clicking their tongues as they ask him, “General, are you alright? Do we need to stop for a while?”

“I am fine,” Lilia says, waving his hand in dismissal. “I simply got something in my eye, is all.”

It is not wrong to say that, for it is not a lie at all. But Lilia knows as well as anyone else that the strange prick of magic infesting his eye warrants further inspection.

Later, he tells himself, as they continue on with their journey on horseback, for the stalemate in their war has allowed for easier travel through ways of steed.

Time ticks by, the lazy heat of summer dipping into the beginnings of a chilly autumn. But despite the changing seasons, the months that have passed since that fateful summer day, Lilia comes no closer to discovering what it is that ails him so deeply.

He is not oblivious to the changes occurring to him; quite the opposite, in fact. Lilia has carried about him a strange self-awareness about his shifting attitude, only realising the differences in how he’s been acting when he reflects on the changes in hindsight. He’s never exactly been the pinnacle of warmth, and especially not after his beloved friends died, but he’s always held a fondness in his heart for the few he opens up to — namely his second in command, Baul Zigvolt, and the young heir to the throne and son of his deceased friend, Malleus Draconia.

But now?

Lilia stifles a sigh as he reminisces, trudging through the gardens of the castle. The leaves are shifting to warm hues, leaves fluttering in shades of vermillion red and golden yellow, and the fallen leaves give a satisfying crunch when his boots stomp into them.

He exhales, twisting his lips as he raises his head up to the world around him. It looks as it always has, Lilia knows that well. And yet… something about it has felt different since that day.

Everything has begun to feel… boring. Banal and bland at best, wickedly ugly at worst. The crunch of the leaves irritates his ears, the drought of the autumn air makes his nose feel too sore. He turns his nose up at the food the castle staff serve, wrinkling his nose at the pungent smell of a dish he used to love, and he turns down whoever offers him a mug of beer, the foam that guzzles over the rim leaving his hands sticky and gross.

Lilia knows he’s changing. It’s not just his emotions, but also in the way he sees the world — everything is so intimately different in the worst way, and every waking hour he spends feels like a chore, an obligation he drags himself through. Where he used to spend time with Baul and his fellow men, or with Malleus most of all, being the one to raise him since he hatched, he now spends it all… alone.

But knowing something logically is different from knowing it emotionally. There are only so many apologies he can force out with his insincere tongue, schooling his expression into a facsimile of sincere regret. At the end of the day — of each day — Lilia truly feels nothing at all except the vacant void of a howling gelidity, frostbite nipping through his very veins.

At the very least, his men have respected this change, regardless of how perplexed they seem to be. Baul had pulled him aside once or twice to ask if he was feeling fine, but had he not been so preoccupied with his daughter’s sudden interest in the Valley’s newest dentist, a peculiar human who’d chosen to move here, of all places, he would have surely pressed the matter further.

On the other hand…

“Lilia!”

He sucks in a breath at the sound of that familiar voice. Once, it had lightened his heart to be greeted to such a cry upon returning to the castle from one of his many campaigns. But now?

“Hello, Malleus,” Lilia greets, making a deliberate effort to soften his voice as he turns to greet the young prince. Malleus has grown a great deal since he first hatched, now towering slightly above Lilia. Still, the boy has an inclination for continuing to call out to him childishly — something that had endeared Lilia in times past, but now only serves to irritate him by no fault of Malleus at all. “Is there something you require of me?”

“Not require, per se,” Malleus answers, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He toys with the chain of his cloak with one hand. “I was merely hoping that you could spare the time to join me today for some tea. It has been quite a while, after all. I understand you’ve been busy as of late, but you do not appear to have anything on today, so I thought—”

“You’re rambling again.” Abruptly, Malleus’ mouth snaps shut. Lilia winces internally at his misstep; why had he interrupted the prince like that, in so cold a tone? He sighs. “Apologies. I have been under… a great deal of stress recently.”

“It is no matter, Lilia.”

Well that’s good, at least, Lilia thinks. Averting his gaze, he says, “Unfortunately, I do not believe I can join you today.”

A pause.

“Truly?” He hears it, the surprise in Malleus’ voice, mixing in with a forlorn misery. “I was certain that you had nothing to do today, given your schedule…”

“I—” Pressing his lips together, Lilia thinks before he says, rather stiffly, “It is true that I may not have anything on. But I would like some time to myself if you would be so kind, my prince.”

Ah, another slip up of his. To refer to Malleus by his title rather than his name… the gap between them only widens, and the only reason why Lilia worries about it is because he fears that he may go too far, say the wrong thing when it’s far too late to take anything back. But what’s done is done; Lilia raises his head in time to see Malleus recoil, hurt glimmering in those chartreuse eyes of his.

If Lilia stays longer… will he continue to mess up so miserably?

Before Malleus can speak, Lilia cuts in. “If there is nothing else that requires my attention,” he says, “I would like to return to my walk. Good day, Malleus. Give my regards to the queen.”

And, abruptly, he turns on his heels and leaves.

Oh, Lilia knows that Malleus is displeased. He knows it because, within mere moments, there is a gentle flutter of snow wafting down from the skies. He raises his head, blinking up at the fluttering snowflakes — so delicate and fragile, a byproduct of the prince’s tumultuous emotions, his magic far too powerful for him to properly handle when his emotions explode past his limits.

And yet, when he sets his eyes upon the swirling snow, Lilia feels…

Something.

He raises a hand, watching a snowflake land on his finger — so tiny, so delicate, an eight-pointed speck weaved into such an elegant pattern. It melts almost instantly against the warm flush of his skin — and yet, Lilia is transfixed, mouth parting slightly as he steps back, watching as the snow begins to flurry down faster and faster, cascading through the skies. How long has it been since he’d felt anything other than such apathy, such revulsion, such irritation and disgust? Now, Lilia only feels a sense of childlike wonder.

When was the last time he stopped to stare at the snow as it fell? He cannot remember. Has he ever stopped to observe it like this? Or had war stripped away such inconsequential pastimes from his life?

Lilia does not know how long he wanders around, watching the snowflakes dance until he goes numb, so numb with the cold. He only knows that his fingers are frozen and his lips are blue when he finally returns to the castle in a daze, barely cognisant of the way his entire body is battered, pushed past the natural limitations of his faerie strength.

Winter crashes into Briar Valley like an enemy ambush, a sudden attack spurned from the shadows of nothingness. It is the worst winter they have had in an eternity, everyone says, peering outside the frost-tinted windows as they bask within the toasty walls of the castle grounds; the fire-spells keep everyone warm for as long as they stay inside.

With the thick layers of snow barring any method of safe travel, the ongoing talks of their peace treaties with the humans have been temporarily suspended — more for the children of men’s sakes than that of the fae. If she so willed it, Queen Maleficia could wash away the snow with a flick of her wrist, but such matters, in her opinion, are trivial; nature is not something to be fixed at an instant, so why should she expend her energy for such things?

So during those days, cooped up within the castle walls with little to do, Lilia winds up lounging in the cushioned nook of a window, a little alcove tucked away in a winding tower towards the murky corners of the castle. Few fae ever roam here, save for a scant few servants pattering about cleaning the dusty hallways, and Lilia spends many languid hours with his head pressed against the cool glass, so intensely transfixed on the dancing snowflakes outside.

They are beautiful. Perhaps they are the last bits of perfection he shall ever witness in his life.

He has found no information about the shard that pricked his eye, nor has he found any sort of cure. Lilia has spent many a month searching, sifting through the treasure trove of books in the castle’s library to no avail. He had, at one point, considered going to the queen and telling her of his predicament — “In the month of summer, I believe a magical spell of some kind has afflicted my eye.” — but his own apathy stops him every time; there is simply no point in dragging others into this matter, not because Lilia does not wish to trouble them, but because, try as he might, the larger part of him just doesn’t care.

So, with his head pressed against the cold glass, Lilia closes his eyes and sighs.

The winter solstice is approaching, the longest night of the year. As nocturnal fae, creatures of the night, it is a joyous cause for celebration for their kind. Despite the blizzard that rages across the Valley night and day, many servants, guardsmen, people of their kingdom have been looking forward to the events; the castle town shall be open to all, shielded from the elements. All fae, young and old, can look forward to a night of dancing and festivities, dining on the finest food at the banquets, and celebrating the longevity of the night.

In years past, Lilia would have looked forward to it. But now, like everything else in his life, he feels nothing at all.

“Lilia? Are you here?”

He stifles a groan at the sound of Malleus’ voice. Again and again, the boy continues to scour for him, to seek him out and spend time with him. Lilia tries to indulge him, he really does! But each occasion spent together, needing to force himself to fake sincerity the whole way through — “Oh yes, Malleus, I would like to try the new blend of tea! Thank you kindly for the offer. How is your grandmother doing? I heard she has spent some time with you as of late—”

He can’t stand it. He can’t. It gets harder and harder with each passing day, the chill that permeates his skin sinking deeper and deeper, turning his heart into one carved of ice. His eye prickles with pain whenever he grits his teeth in a false smile; across the table from him, the young prince looks detestable, a selfish beast with far too much time, uncaring of what his servants are subjected to in their indulgence of him.

So he avoids him. As soon as Lilia hears him, he flicks his wrist, a swell of magic surrounding him. Bat-formed, Lilia takes to the rafters, huddling away in the corners of the ceiling as he listens to Malleus come and go. It is only when he hears that familiar voice fading away that he dares to leave, flapping his little wings as he makes a break for another isolated corner of the labyrinthian castle.

The day of the winter solstice arrives, and with it comes the worst blizzard the valley has ever seen.

Cold winds lash against the fortifications of the castle, howling and rattling. Snow crashes from the sky, piling higher and higher upon the dead ground. And yet the castle is alight with the buzz of festivities — the many servants bustle about, wrapping up the last of their preparations, ensuring the banquet is ready with food for all, that the decor floats about in place, that the spells wrapping the castle and its town in a bubble of warmth remain solidly intact.

Throughout the day, Lilia sticks to the shadows, hovering out of sight. Today he feels… he doesn’t know how to describe it. Cold and dead as usual, his heart no longer the warm, affectionate thing it was before — but beneath the thick layers of apathy, there is something nestled beneath: the barest twitch of a muscle, a flutter of something. Lilia finds himself distracted with it the entire day as he meanders about, waiting for the clock to tick to a point when the festivities can start.

And when they do begin, the many residents of the valley teleporting into the castle en masse… Oh, how does Lilia even begin to describe them? Laughter rings freely, the merry melody of music from a string band sweeping the air as dancers circle across the floor. Wine glasses clink as people toast to prosperity and magic, hoping to see the weather ease up soon, and even the queen herself is out and about, walking amidst the crowd, a smile on her face as she mingles with the few faeries bold enough to approach her.

But Lilia—

He feels nothing watching all this. Nothing at all.

And yet… there is something else. That peculiar emotion buried underneath… it sings to him, calls to him, as though someone’s voice were tugging at a string. It only strengthens as the night goes on, likened to an unbearable itch; it is the first blissful thing he has felt in what feels like an eternity, and Lilia—

He misses it. He misses being able to love, to feel something other than apathy at best, and all these horrible, miserable emotions at worst — a repugnance, a rage, an irascibility that sparks every time someone tries to converse with him. Lilia misses being able to love freely, his heart softening as he grows older, brought on by the loss he’s experienced, and the love he mustered up to be able to raise Malleus into the man he is today.

So who can blame him for slipping off, for finding a way out of the castle grounds? Lilia answers the call, sneaking past guards who are far too drunk on wine, laughing and shouting as they play games at their stations. He does not bother with whisking up thick clothes for himself; Lilia merely plunges into the blizzard, battered at once by shrieking winds and a pelting of snow against his face, of a storm so deadly chilling that it would ravage even the strongest of faes.

And yet, he does not feel cold.

He grits his teeth as he presses on, dragging his legs through the thick boughs of snow. Lilia knows not how long it takes for him to trudge, only that it feels like forever — but he knows he is getting somewhere, because with each step he takes, the tugging in his chest grows and grows, the intensity of the emotion exciting him for the first time in months.

Is this the answer to his ailment?

Is there a cure tucked within the heart of the storm?

Lilia takes one step, and then another. He takes a third, and—

All at once, everything stops.

The wind dies away. The blizzard softens to a gentle snowfall. Little flakes of snow dance through the air as Lilia walks forward, head turning to and fro. How peculiar this is! He raises a hand, watching a flake fall into the open palm of his hand and rest there, and it is only the sound of hooves clumping against snow that snaps him out of his reverie.

Lilia turns his head, and sees a child.

A boy, who gazes at him with wide eyes that reflect the northern lights — auroras of shifting veins tinted shades of pink, purple, and blue, lights that Lilia has only gotten the chance to see once during a journey across the world. His hair sweeps across his forehead, locks of the purest silver as though spun from the nighttime stars, streaked with white like the pristine paleness of snow. He sits on a white stag, ice-spun crystals hanging from its glacial antlers, and around him is a fur-lined cloak and hood that swallows him whole, far too big for his tiny body.

Lilia’s breathing hitches—

Because the boy before him is the most beautiful thing he has seen in a long time.

“Hello,” the boy says after a while, a glimmering curiosity in those wide eyes of his. His mount trots forward, bringing him closer. “I’ve never seen you before,” he says, looking at Lilia closely.

At that, Lilia laughs. “I could say the same to you, little one.” He rests a hand on his hips, relishing in the joy, the curiosity, the emotions that flood him in full force; it has been so long! “It is a rare sight to see a young boy riding a stag in a storm like this.”

The boy’s face falls, and Lilia feels… worried. Did he upset him somehow? “I’ve been trying to stop the storm for a while now,” the boy explains, auroral eyes flicking to the storm that rages outside the bubble they’re within, continuing to ravage the valley to no end. “B-but it’s my first time really trying such a thing, and I don’t… really know how.”

Ah, Lilia thinks, finally coming to understand. A lost child. A boy with power over the very elements itself, who can control the season of cold and snow. And yet, who would place such responsibility upon a child, one so very young? He feels the fervent urge to lean in and coddle him, to reassure him that it’s alright, you’re trying your very best, I can help you if you just let me.

And why shouldn’t he do such a thing?

“I can help you, if you would like.”

In a flash, those pupils lock on him. “Would you?” the boy breathes. “I-I wouldn’t want to trouble you, mister—”

“It’s no trouble at all!” Lilia insists, stepping forward with a beaming smile on his face. He reaches out for the stag, feeling the beast nuzzle against the palm of his hand as he strokes it gently. Why should he return to the castle, to that unyielding, endless void of apathy and misery? Here, with the boy with eyes like the auroras and hair like the stars, Lilia feels something — the warm glow of parental affection, already growing so attached to such a young child.

“Then…” the boy mumbles, “would you come with me?”

Lilia only smiles. “Of course.”

And as he clambers onto the back of the steed, he asks, before they leave, one final question: “Pray tell, little one, what is your name?”

“My name?” the boy echoes, furrowing his brows. “I… I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

Lilia arches an eyebrow. What kind of a lonely life must this boy live, if he has not even considered his lack of a name? “Then would you mind if I gave you one?” he offers. Oh, it is such an incredibly forward move to suggest such a thing, with how important names are to his kind. But already, he is attached, his very soul bound to this child who gazes at him in wonder at the possibility of wielding his own name.

And the boy nods.

“Silver,” Lilia says, the name coming to him at once. Like the shine of the gleaming moon, the glitter of the stars, the wispy fall of the snow around them. Love blooms in his chest, the warmth cradling his very soul; Lilia curls his arms around the boy, his body so cold even through the chilling fabric of his cloak, pulling him against his chest into a hug. “That shall be your name.”

“Silver,” the boy echoes, testing it out on his tongue. He tilts his head back, a small smile gracing his rounded cheeks as he looks up at Lilia. “Thank you, mister. Could I ask what your name is?”

“It is Lilia, dear one,” he croons, relinquishing his name without a second thought. The two of them are bonded in mere moments, Lilia filled with a fulfilment he has not felt since that prick of a shard entered his eye.

There is nothing left for him here. That is what he tells himself as Silver leads them away, commanding his steed to take off into a prancing gallop, bursting from the tranquil heart of the storm into the raging blizzard, whisking them back to their home.

(Lilia fails to notice the figure that bursts through the clearing, chartreuse eyes widening in horror as a mouth parts to scream his name. He does not notice the horned boy who shivers in the cold, eyes wide as the wind whips at his long hair, watching the stag prance away, the boy who leads it ripping his guardian away from his grasp.)

#twst #twisted wonderland #lilia vanrouge #malleus draconia #twst silver #my writing tag #writing requests #twst fanfiction #twst writing #uhh i'm gonna start moving my fics to ao3 in the future so. rip tumblr drabbles tag? aha #need to do housekeeping when i have the energy...#anyways hi i'm listening to a 3 hour video of 50+ languages of let it go from frozen while prepping all this #help me :')

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dragonwritersblog · 6 months

Text

Royally Screwed!

Prince Jax of the Kingdom of Laphria was…well, he was a jackass. He kept pranking the servants, threw the wildest parties within the castle and always kept trying to run away from his duties. King Kaleb and his wise Queen Quinn were at their limit, hoping for something to turn their son’s head around. Their prayers were answered when a traveling circus visits the kingdom, including a talented jester named Pomni. Jax’s breath was taken the moment he laid eyes on her, he knew that no matter what, he had to have her. It would be a lot easier though if she didn’t hate his guts.

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1/2/3/4/5

we have a new fic!!! this might not be part 2 of 5+1 but think of this as a little treat until that comes out in the new year. truth be told, this au already had a life of its own before I started writing, artiesrump on twitter came up with the idea on one of their posts and then allhailthequeenuwu continued with making some awesome concept art for it. one thing led to another and I started planning this out during writing the last chapter of 5+1 and here's the first chapter! I really hope you guys enjoy this cause this au is gonna be a lot of fun!

Nothing You Can Take From Me

The kingdom of Laphria.

It was a place of peace and prosperity. Home to beautiful rolling fields and meadows, a sanctuary to its residents and weary travellers and cherished each time the sun and moon would rise, for it was the sign that another beautiful day was upon them. This land was ruled none other than the beloved King Kaleb and his wife Queen Quinn. A couple with the kindest hearts that anyone had ever seen, and I love so strong that it could be seen from oceans away.

Truly, Laphria was perfect…apart from-

“That’s it! I’ve had it!”

The bedroom door of the king and queen’s bedroom slammed open, with the two-chess piece’s rubbing sleep from their bleary eyes as a maid with rubber skin and pink hair stormed in, covered from head to toe in confetti and leftover pudding.

“Oh dear,” once they king’s eyes were focused, he realised the state that the maid was in, “Another party?”

“Yes!” she snapped as a few other servants came in behind her, all covered in the same mess as she was. “How did he make it worse than the last one?! There were spiders in the chandeliers your majesty. Spiders! What kind of party does the prince need that involves spiders?!”

“Well that’s definitely new,” the queen mumbled, not pleased with this at all. She turned to her husband, “I believe we owe our son a chat darling.”

“Agreed,” he nodded, “That boy needs his head screwed tighter before someone knocks it off if he’s behaving this recklessly.”

They threw their comforters off, with the servants and two stationed guards following behind as the couple trekked to their son’s room.

When they arrived at the prince’s room, they had hoped to find a lazy lump of purple fur within the blankets and sheets of the bed. However it seemed that Prince had different ideas. The sheets were still there, only they were tied together into a rope and thrown out his open window.

“Oh no,” the queen groaned as her husband facepalmed. “Not again.”

From a small distance they could hear the boyish and cheerful whoops of a young man along with the stomping hoofs of a horse running further away from the castle.

“Guards!” the king spoke up, alerting the two next to him. “Gather a search party and go after him, I’ll save the chat for when he gets back.”

“Yes your highness,” the wooden toy soldiers chorused, saluting their king before running off.

The king groaned, “Why did the lord make our son so difficult?”

The air, oh just smell that fresh air! That party last night was the perfect distraction for him to get out of there. And the spiders! That was so much better than the centipede trick he pulled last time! And now he was out of the castle, away from his parents pestering him and the servants eyeing his every move. No lessons, no fencing and best of all, no responsibilities. Just him and his freedom.

He eyed the sun rising from across the field, he had been out for a good few hours, making the guards lose their trail of him was the highlight of his morning. Anyway, now was not the time to think about that. He was free to do anything he wanted right now, what should be the first thing he could do? There was the bakery down the street, he could snatch a few loafs down there. Or maybe he could go the seamstress down the street and see if her daughter wanted to ‘spend some time with him' and maybe buy a new dress for his sweet mother. Wait, no, he had a better idea! The firework shop down the street, those would be perfect to create a little show for everyone! Oh this was going to be perfect!

He took off again, lifting up the hood of his cloak over his head to conceal his identity. Once he arrived in the village, he took his horse into a spare stable and kept him there before making his way to the shop. He was able to sneak in and out thanks to his combat training (and he begrudgingly left a few coins behind because damn his lovely mother and her teachings of morals).

He ran to the village centre, laying the fireworks in an upwards motion before striking a match and running into the nearest alleyway to watch the show go down.

Boom!

The confused and petrified screams of the villagers were nothing but melodies in his ears. He couldn’t hold back his cackles as some ducked for cover at the loud boom, others had dropped their shopping and started sobbing, some even jumped at least ten feet into the air and landed on the rooftops. An obnoxiously loud snicker escaped him when a spare firework failed to soar into the sky like its siblings, instead it chased someone around until he fell to the ground and it smashed into a shop window. Truly, this was the best morning he had in a while.

His fun was ruined however when the familiar sound of clanking armour and huffs of horses made him snap out of his trance. The castle guards were coming, great. And that little light show was definitely a massive help for them to find him. Only Prince Jax of Laphria could pull off a stunt like that. He didn’t want to be caught, not yet anyway. He wanted to have a little bit more fun before going back to his gilded cage. There was a pile of crates and an old market stall with the cover still on top, if he could climb on those and blend into the shadows of the walls, he could be able to hide until the guards leave. Hehe, Jax you are an absolute genius he smugly thought to himself.

And so he did just that, he climbed on the crates, jumped on the old stall and grabbed the edge of the roof while resting his feet on the side of the wall. Hidden within the shadows and from the guards. He was truly too smart for his own good. But just before he could properly pat himself on the back, there was a tiny meow above him.

He looked up, and right next to his hand gripping the roof was a small brown tabby kitten.

Mew

“Uh, hi?” The prince gave him an awkward wave.

Mew!

Jack cringed, that was a little bit too loud. The last thing he needed was to be outed to the guards by a tiny round ball of fluff. “Keep it down, would ya!” he hissed at the kitten, “You’re gonna blow my cover!”

The kitten tilted his small head, turning to look at the guards and then back to Jax. The prince sighed in relief when he kept quiet, returning his focus to the soldiers when he felt a tug at his sleeve. He whipped his head back round to see to kitten pulling at the cuff of the fabric with its teeth. “Hey, hey! Quit it!” he tried to shove him away with his free hand, but the feline had a tight grip and refused to let go.

Jax bit his lip, trying to keep an eye of the search party. There was no way he was going to get found out because of a stupid stray cat!

He let out a yelp when he felt a paw swipe at his hand, along with a hint of claws. Now the kitten thought his hand was a toy, and that this little interaction of theirs was now a game. “No, no!” Jax pushed him away again, but the feline just kept coming back with his claws now fully out and leaving little scars on the prince’s hand. “Piss off!”

The kitten pulled back, Jax swore he was literally glaring at him. He gulped when the kitten leaned back on his haunches and wiggled his tail as though he were a little lion hunting his prey. “Don’t you dare,” Jax growled.

…mew

The feline wasn’t put off by the empty threat however, launching himself onto Jax’s hand, biting and scratching as though his hand were nothing more than a scratch post. “AAAHHH YOU LITTLE-” he cried out in pain as he let go the ledge to escape the attack on his fingers, unfortunately that action sent him face first in the pile of crates – which were filled to the brim with grapes, soiling his clothes.

The guards turned at the sudden noise, only to see their prince covered in purple stains and looking as if he emerged from the greatest battle of his life.

Jax lifted himself from the squashed fruit underneath him, cringing as he felt the fruit’s liquid seeped from his clothes and onto his fur. He dramatically groaned when the guards crowded him. “So, did you have fun with your wild goose chase?” he remarked at the soldiers glared at him.

Jax practically stomped throughout the castle as the guards guided him to the throne room, there was no doubt that his parents wanted to have some colourful words with him about the recent stunts he pulled.

The doors of the throne opened, revealing a disgruntled King Kaleb and a disappointed Queen Quinn. Jax winced, he could tell that he was in for an earful.

“You! Young man,” Kaleb got off from his throne and descended down the steps below it, “You are restricted to the castle grounds. Until I give my word, you are forbidden to step one foot out of these walls unless you have my permission.”

“Or what?” Jax rolled his eyes as he plopped onto the last step, slouching in an un-princely manner. “Are you gonna force me to play a metaphorical game of chess and how ‘my attitude is a disgrace to the people of our kingdom and it somehow represents the chess pieces’ of the game and all that other shit.”

“Don’t mock me Jax,” Kaleb grumbled, making his way closer to his son. “You are the crown prince and heir to Laphria, you must treat your role with respect!”

Jax turned suddenly, glaring at his father, “It’s also my life and I should have the freedom to do what I want with it.”

The king was about to say another word, a slight growl leaving his throat before he was stopped by his wife’s voice.

“Kabel, please sit down. The last thing we need is for you to have a stroke.” Quinn stood and made her way towards the two men. “Jax, you were born to privilege and with that comes specific obligations. You are an important figure to our people, one day the crown will go to you. You have to know what it truly means to be leader. But first, you have to accept the responsibility that comes with it, not just as a royal, but as one of your people.”

Jax sighed, he could deal with his father giving him lectures (it was rather funny seeing the old chess piece get riled up), but his mother was an entirely different story. If the rest of the world was cold stone, Quinn was a diamond. His father was a good man, kind and caring to his son while teaching him everything to know about the kingdom’s past present and future, but Quinn was always there to hold him whenever he was sad, help him with a hard lesson when he got to frustrated if he didn’t know the answer, taught him the values of human kindness even if the world kept spitting it back out. Just seeing that look on her face, knowing he did the complete opposite of what she taught him, it felt as though he were carrying the worst plague known to man.

“Forgive me mother, but shouldn’t I be the one to carry out how I choose to live my life than be restricted with what I’m expected to pick and choose?” he stood, facing Quinn. “And have you ever considered that perhaps I’m not worthy to be given the crown?”

“No, I don’t,” Quinn admitted. “A normal person who wasn’t worthy would not be trying so hard to fail.”

Shit. His mother always read him like an open book. “And what are you gonna do to stop me?” he retorted, trying to reel himself back in order to save whatever natural charm he had left.

“I will simply deny you the crown and…um, live forever!” Kaleb declared, his wife shaking her head at his ridiculous outburst.

“Finally,” Jax cheered, clapping his hands. “Thank you father. Now there’s something we can both agree on.”

Kaleb grumbled under his breath as his sudden mistake, letting his pride getting in the way of his logic were incidents that happened on the odd occasion, but it still meant that they did happen despite the rareness of it. Surprise, surprise, it was caused by his son. “You’re dismissed,” Kaleb waved his hand, “Take this time to at least attempt to reflect back on your actions.”

“No can do,” Jax bowed mockingly before the guards came back in to escort him to his room.

Once their son was gone and the doors were shut did Quinn turn back to her husband, “Seriously? Telling our son – who is doing everything in his path to avoid responsibility – that you’re going to not make him king was your best idea?”

“I know, I know,” Kaleb sighed. “Our son has a talent for making me lose my head sometimes. I just…I’m at a loss here Queenie, I don’t know what to do.”

She took his hands in her when he said his nickname for her, a silent calling for help. “Kinger,” She replied with the nickname she had for him in return, “I know how you’re feeling. It’s hard seeing him act like this, but he can only be helped if he allows someone to do so. But I have a feeling that something will strike that boy with realisation soon. He’s a good man and will be a great leader someday. We just need to let him find his sense of self first.”

“I hope you’re right,” Kinger sighed, “I think Jax is making me age faster than I should be.”

Queenie let out a small laugh, “Don’t worry, you’re still that same young man I met by the lake at midnight.”

“I still remember it like it was yesterday,” he said, letting the memory play behind his eyes. “You looked so beautiful, and I kept getting tongue-tied trying to figure out what to say to you.”

“It was adorable though,” she cooed. “Just wait until Jax gets his head turned, that will certainly be fun to watch.”

“Huh, now there’s an interesting thought,” Kinger chuckled. “Our son tripping over his feet over a girl or boy.”

“Perhaps that will knock some sense into him,” Queenie suggested as she rested her head on her husband’s shoulder.

“Only time will tell my dear,” Kinger patted her hand, “Only time will tell.”

Jax slammed his door, throwing back the curtains of his canopy bed before dumping himself face first onto his bed, letting out a load groan into his pillow. He was almost free, almost able to do anything he wanted without fear of consequences. If it wasn’t for that puny little stray he wouldn’t have gotten caught. That’s it, he now deemed cats as the worst animal in the world.

And what his mother said?! ‘Trying too hard to fail?’ Oh please, why couldn’t his parents except that he just wasn’t fit to be king? It would save them all both stress and time. There were plenty of other worthy noble figures in the kingdom, just toss them the crown and everything will be fine! He flipped over in his bed and onto his back, rubbing his hands over his face. He may be stubborn, but he would be damned if he didn’t inherit it from his parents.

He jumped when he heard a faint scratching sound at the doors of his balcony. He turned slowly to see a small blob at the bottom of the door window. He got up from his bed, going over and opened the doors. His stomach sank, sitting right in front of him was the stupid kitten that got him into this mess. “Oh no!” he glared at the tiny feline, “Absolutely not! You can’t come here after backstabbing me like that.”

Mew

The kitten ignored him and pattered inside, roaming around the room and taking in his surroundings. “Hey, get out!” Jax chased after him and picked the cat up by the scruff of his neck. “Don’t walk around as if you own the place!”

Mew

“Oh I get it,” Jax scowled at him, “You think you can act all cute and get whatever you want after what you just did. Well guess what fleabag? That shit won’t work on me.”

Mew

The kitten gently pressed a paw on Jax’s cheek, no claws and no malice. Just a small kitten reaching out for some affection. A lonely tiny creature…scared a hungry…despite how feral it seemed at first, all it really wanted was warmth for another being. Jax shook his head, “Nope! You are not cute,” he pointed his finger to the feline, “You hear me you are not-”

The kitten gave his finger a little lick.

Mew

Jack exhaled slowly, “I’m not gonna win this one, aren’t I?” The kitten purred against his finger, with the rabbit giving him a scratch behind his ears. “Alright fine. If you stay here at least you won’t be terrorising anyone else. I’ll accept ‘responsibility’ or whatever it was mother said. See, I’m able to do that.”

Mew

Jax shifted the kitten, sliding an arm under his chest and held him with his hand. “You’re gonna need a name first. If you’re staying here, the staff is gonna need to know what to call you,” he took a good look at the brown tabby, thinking for a moment what the best name would be for a small little feline like this. “Hhmm. How about…Motley?” The kitten only titled its head in response, “Yup, you look like a Motley.”

Motley let out a meow, purring as the prince scratched behind his ear again. Jax grimaced as he noticed dirt under the kitten’s fur, he must’ve been on the streets for some time if that amount of dirt had built up. “But first, a bath,” he declared, “The last thing we need are your paws trailing mud everywhere. Just be lucky my mother didn’t catch you, the last time I did that was the first time I believed the phrase ‘if looks could kill’ was about to become real.”

Motley went silent at that, seeming as he were choosing not to test if that were true or not with the queen. “Come on,” Jax carried him to the bathroom, “Time for a bath.”

The kitten let out a protesting mewl at that, Jax rolling his eyes. To be fair, he showed some resistance to baths when he was younger as well so he couldn’t fault Motley for that.

He stepped into the marbled bathroom and moved to the porcelain tub, turning on the water and testing the temperature before putting in the plug and plopping Motley down. The kitten was not happy at all with the sudden change, already hissing and clawing at Jax’s hands, trying to get out of the bathtub as the rabbit grimaced at the new scratches.

Yup, cats were just delightful.

Despite the gruelling process, he finally managed to get Motley clean. The kitten was glaring at him the whole time he was getting dried off. Honestly, Jax felt a little smug about it. Revenge for selling me out you little shit.

Although, there was something quite heartwarming about all of this once the kitten was dry. He lay on the mattress, nuzzling the soft blankets underneath him as he though it were the first time he rested on a bed. Fully trusting someone with his safety after a life on the streets.

Jax felt a smile on his lips, before shaking it off and picked up Motley under his chest again, “Come on. You can sleep later, let’s get some food in you first before my parents send the cavalry to my room just so I get to dinner.”

Mew

Motley seemed to like the sound of that, climbing up Jax’s arms and curled himself around the prince’s neck, with the rabbit automatically giving his head a scratch. “Yeah, yeah. Little attention whore.”

The cat didn’t seem to take notice of the prince’s comment, rubbing his face against the prince’s cheek (Jax was desperately trying not to coo at the adorableness of it all).

He made his way down the halls, not caring for the servants who stared at the new little creature round his shoulders. All he wanted was food and then sleep, maybe plan another escape plan if he had the energy for it. Finally, he made it to the dining room, his parents already waiting for him while chatting excitedly in hushed voices.

Now that intrigued Jax, not by much but still, “What are you two going on about?”

His parents turned at the sound of his voice, suddenly gawking at him as though he had grown a third head. “Uh…Jax?” Queenie spoke.

“What?” Jax placed a hand on his hip.

Kinger raised a finger to the feline, “Who is…um, your friend?”

Jax switched his gaze to Motley, the kitten staring at the two monarchs with wide eyes, “Oh him? This is Motley, he’s the worst thing in the world but I guess he’s my cat now. You don’t mind if he sticks around, would ya?”

“I-” Queenie was genuinely at a loss for words. Yes Jax had brought back to the castle much odder things – and people – but never once did she expect that he would bring back a kitten. “Well, he does look very sweet.”

“Here,” he lifted the cat off his neck and placed him down in his mother’s lap, “You can take him for a while, I need a minute to get away from the stench of kitten breath.”

The queen was about to say something to Jax, before Motley rubbed his head against her hand, silently requesting for her to pet him. “Oh,” Queenie cooed, unable to resist the small creature’s sweet eyes peering up at her as she ran her fingers down his back, “Well aren’t you adorable.”

“Adorably annoying,” Jax muttered under his breath.

“And yet you still chose to keep him,” Kinger retorted. He didn’t have a mouth, but if he did Jax swore he would definitely be smirking at him right now.

Jax scoffed at his father, pulling up a chair and immediately slumping once he sat down. The chef’s brought in the dishes and lifted up the lids to start serving the royal family their food consisting of mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, freshly baked bread and a whole chicken - along with a little bowl of food for Motley once they heard about the surprise guest. As soon and Jax tucked into his meal, he turned back to his mother, “So, what were you two giggling about before I walked in?”

Queenie perked up at the mention, “I’m so glad you asked! There’s a travelling circus going around and is coming to visit our kingdom! There are lion tamers, tightrope walkers, even a contortionist!”

“Sound the same as every other circus,” Jax muttered as he played with his food.

“Your mother has been really excited for this,” Said Kinger, “Apparently they have a star performer that everyone is obsessed with.”

“Oh please,” Jax stabbed his fork into a carrot, “What could be so special about them that they’ve got everyone tripping over themselves for?”

“Word says that she has a special talent with magic tricks, so good that no one can tell how she pulled it off,” Queenie explained, “That and she has a beautiful singing voice.”

“So she can sing a little and show someone their spade card, so what?” Jax said, “Anyone will put a label on someone to promote something because they know it’s gonna attract an audience. Like dangling a toy in front of a cat…no offense Motley.”

Mew

“Regardless,” Queenie sighed, “As the royal family, we’ve agreed to watch them on opening night when they arrive. And you’re coming to Jax, no exceptions.”

“You’re kidding?” Jax groaned, slamming his fork onto his plate at his mother’s words.

“Please Jax,” Queenie’s eyes softened towards him, “I understand the apprehension, but this is something that I really want to do with us all together. Not just as an expectation of us as royals to see an event, but to spend time as a family to see a fun show. Please sweetheart, for me?”

Jax’s heart twisted at the look on his mother’s face. He sighed, he didn’t like putting on all this stress for his parents, for his mother took it harder the most. She saw so much good in him, so much faith in him in both as a prince and son. His father still expected more from him, but his mother – no matter how many times he was an absolute prick to her – always saw the best in Jax, somehow knowing that deep down there was that light that needed to be reached. It was annoying…but that was what he loved about his mother. He should at least to this for her, she’s been through enough as it was.

“Fine,” Jax sighed, picking up his cutlery today, “For you mother. But I’m bringing Motley too, he has to suffer with me.”

Mew

“I think I would enjoy his company very much,” Queenie nodded, petting the kitten, “After all, he’s part of the family now.”

“Oh, great,” Jax muttered, sipping some water.

“You’re the one who brought him home,” Kinger teased in a sing-song voice.

The prince scowled, muttering, “Shut up Dad.”

The theatre was packed. Anyone who was anyone in the kingdom had all been invited to see the travelling circus, but more so, they were curious about the star performer that no one could stop talking about. The whole theatre was built as a circle, for the audience to watch while a door on the far side of the circular ring was connected to what people theorised to be the tent.

The royal family had a special booth reserved only for them to oversee the show from the best angle, wearing their best attire and crowns. Jax slouched in his chair, ignoring his father’s bickering for him to sit up. He really didn’t want to be here, but his mother looked so excited. At least he brought Motley so that he was forced to indulge in the prince’s misery. Although he wouldn’t bet on the cat being that upset, after all he was well fed, groomed and sat on Jax’s lap to watch an amazing show.

“You’ll see Jax,” Queenie whispered to him amongst the chatter, “There’s gonna be something in this show that’ll leave you breathless.”

“If that happens, I’ll eat my crown,” he muttered, folding his arms over his chest.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Kinger retorted, stifling his laughter at Jax’s annoyed expression.

The lights dimmed, spotlight centring the stage as the crowds went silent. Jax scoffed, everyone got excited way too easily over a room doing dark. He ran his hand over Motley’s head, the kitten’s eyes entranced by the bright colours. Honestly he should have expected it from him, he was a cat after all, you could swing a necklace in front of him and he would think it was the best thing in the world.

The drums rolled, and from the back of the set-up tent, a clown ran out onto stage. “Welcome one and all to our circus!” he bellowed, the crowd applauding madly in response. Jax clapped slowly in an unimpressed manner while Kinger and Queenie gave out a cheer. “My name is Kaufmo and I will both your ringmaster and clown for this evening! We have a very special line up for all you lovely folks! From lions! To tightropes! And our own special star that I know you’ve all been waiting for!”

The crowd went rapid at that sentence. Jax just scoffed, everyone was such a sheep these days.

“But I won’t keep you waiting any longer, let’s get right to the sho-woah!” Kaufmo suddenly slipped on a conveniently placed banana peel before landing face first into the ground, making the crowd erupt into laughter.

Really? Jax thought to himself, this is what gets people going?

“Oh, sorry ladies and gentlemen,” Kaufmo brushed himself off with a goofy smile, “But I’m sure we can move on from here.” As if timed perfectly, a bucket of water fell on his head, soaking him to the brim.

Jax sighed at the audience overexcitement of the shenanigans. “Everyone knows that this is rehearsed, right?” he whispered to his mother, “This is so cliché!”

“Oh shush,” Queenie waved a hand at him dismissively, “It’s funny Jax. Just have fun.”

Jax feel back into his seat, trying to seek an accomplice in Motley, but he seemed to be as addicted to this as the rest of the crowd.

The clown continued with that as his act, tripping and falling while telling jokes left and right at the same time. Jax found the whole thing pretentious, why was everyone acting like they hadn’t seen a clown before? Were they really that desperate for entertainment?

As soon as he finished with his act, a ragdoll with red hair wandered on stage, waving and smiling sweetly at the audience while carrying a couple of hoops over her shoulder. Kaufmo patted her on the shoulder as she set up the hoops before he went back into the exit of the tent. It seemed that the ragdoll seemed to be caught up with her setting up, for two lions prowled out with her back turned.

The crowd murmured as they stalked closer, sitting back on their haunches, ready to pounce. Everyone’s cries to the Ragdoll fell on deaf ears as she continued to hum and prepare. Suddenly, the lions pounced! The crowd screamed! The ragdoll whipped round, and raised both of her hands, placing it each on the lions’ noses respectively. The audience gasped. She moved, the lions going backwards with her as she led them to the corner of the ring.

She reached into her pocket, pulling out two strips of meat. “Stay,” she commanded, the lions obeying her word.

From the top of the ring, there were jumps set up, each one of them a different height and climbing up like a staircase on each side until meeting at the same height in the middle. Both lions went on each side of the steps, jumping and climbing until they reached the top. With a snap of a finger, the first lion jumped down, standing on all fours in a circle while the second lion jumped on its back, balancing there for a few seconds as the audience applauded.

But it wasn’t over yet, the second lion jumped down and both trotted and separated themselves to the two set up rings respectively. With another snap of her finger, both lions jumped through at the same time. Jax put his elbow on the arm of his throne, resting his cheek in his palm. Woah, animals jumping, so revolutionary. The ragdoll disappeared off stage for a moment, returning with a flaming torch as the audience murmured. Everyone faces dropped once they realised what the flame was for. Without sparing a moment, she lit both the rings on fire.

She snapped her finger, the lions ran, without a moment of hesitation, they jumped.

The crowds held their breathes, some even shutting their eyes out of fear.

Both lions came out unscathed and the fire went out. There was a beat, before the audience cheered and whistled and the ragdoll and lions bowed before going back off stage.

“That was incredible!” Queenie exclaimed, “I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it!”

“Imagine the courage one must have for that!” Kinger agreed, “That young woman was fearless!”

Jax shook his head at his parents’ antics, “Oh come on! No one actually believed that they were gonna go on fire! There wouldn’t even be a circus at this point if that happened!”

“Jax, you have to admit that her skills were impressive,” Kinger pointed out.

“You’re just easily amused,” the prince huffed. Motley was kneading Jax’s trousers beneath his paws, copying how the lions kneaded the ground each time before they performed a trick. Jax patted his head, “Sorry to break it to ya buddy, but you’re only gonna be the size of a foot when you’re older. Might as well give up on those lion dreams of yours.”

Mew

Someone new came on, a pink and yellow amalgamation of parts who looked as though they were going to fall apart any minute. Their routine was simple enough, twisting and stretching their limbs in the most unbelievably flexible ways. The audience oo’ed and aa’ed at how far he could take it without even showing a wince on her face.

“He’s cheating,” Jax muttered, “He can literally detach himself, it doesn’t count.”

This time it was Motley’s turn to shush him, swiping his paw at the prince’s shirt with a mewl. Jax pulled a face at the kitten but quieted down anyway.

Once the contortionist went back off stage, the lights started to go upwards, revealing a tightrope with two performers at the top. The first seemed to be a woman with the head of a Moon on her shoulders, while the other was a man around her age who shared the appearance of the Sun. Nodding to the Sun, the Moon began her routine. Tip toeing across the rope, seeming as though to fall off – to the audience’s collective shock – before breaking out into a pirouette, as though there wasn’t a fifty-foot drop beneath her.

The Sun started to do the same, spinning on one foot before both of them stopped at the same time. Both of them ran to the middle, taking one another’s hand before producing canes from their sides. The two began to perform a little tap dance on the rope, waving their canes around without a care in the world with grins on their faces. While the audience was losing their mind, Jax inspected his nails to make sure there wasn’t any dirt in them, far less interested than everyone else.

The Sun and Moon ran off back to the ends of each side of the rope, pulling out a unicycle and mounted them before cycling back onto the rope. They went back and forth, pulling out a few small balls from their waistcoats and began to juggle them,

Jax was sure he had read about this scene in a book before, nothing new here.

Finally, the duo finished and bowed for their cheers before running back off again.

The next act seemed to have the entire circus cast out, including a new member, a body of ribbons and a mask on her face. A few tables and chairs were set up as well as some sort of makeshift kitchen area. The ribbon girl seemed to be playing some sort of waitress, stumbling and shaking in an exaggerated manner. Jax groaned, realising that this was going to be a slapstick act, just great.

The act was predictable, a couple played by the ragdoll and clown were on a date, the sun and moon were bystanders and the contortionist was the owner of the pretend restaurant. The ‘waitress’ was attempting to get a meal out to the ‘couple’, but was constantly messing up. Whether it was tripping over a ‘customer’s’ foot, absentmindedly eating the food herself, even forgetting which table to bring the food to. Each mistake would lead her back to the start of her journey. It all escalated when she tripped one more time, bumping into the clown and making him get on one knee, as though he were proposing. The act ended with the ‘couple’ getting together, the other ‘customers’ being happy for them, even the ‘owner’ was happy for them and the ribbon lady keeping her fake job.

The crowd clapped again once the act was completed, Jax however felt as though he was about to fall asleep. At least there was only one act left and he would be down with this fiasco.

“Just you wait Jax,” Queenie leaned over to him, “I’ve heard far and wide that this star performer has entranced every audience she’s come across.”

“I for one am very excited,” Kinger said, “She must be very talented if she’s the most talked about.”

“As long as it’s the last act, then I’m fine,” Jax sank further in his chairs, Motley now sitting straight instead as he prepared himself for the final act.

What he didn’t know was said star performer was currently hiding within the shadow of the ceiling, taking a breath to calm her trembling nerves before she had to go on. She looked to Kaufmo within the tent, behind the scenes on the ground. He looked up to her, mouthing to her if she was okay. She nodded and closed her eyes, she could so this.

The lights dimmed one more time, as two red aerial silks fell from the roof. Jax’s eyes wondered to the top, a small trapeze swing between the two silks. He could barely see what was up there, there was a shape of a body but it wasn’t even visible. Why would anyone get excited over someone they couldn’t see-

-You can't take my past

You can't take my history

His ears perked. A voice rang out into the empty quiet like a melodic bell.

You could take my Pa

But his name's a mystery

It had to be the most beautiful thing he ever heard in his life. Soft and delicate yet commanded everyone’s attention, including his.

Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

Oh nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

The body stood, grabbing both silks in her hands and startled twirling down, the strum of a guitar started playing and the audience clapped along with the upbeat tempo. Once the lights shone on her, Jax stiffened, his voice caught in his throat and his heart started throbbing madly in his chest.

The woman holding and sitting on the silks was a jester, with short and shiny brown hair, mesmerising red and blue eyes, along with milky skin that seemed to be smooth to the touch. She wore a regular jester hat, only the bells were replaced with two gold spheres and wore a glittering red and yellow leotard with long sleeves instead of a usual get up he’d come to expect from that line of work.

And her voice, of her voice. How it charmed him, like a river, both calming yet ready to be powerful when needed. His lips began to quirk into a smile as his foot involuntarily tapped along with the music.

You can't take my charm!

You can't take my humour

You can't take my wealth

Cause it's just a rumour!

Putting her body weight into one of the silks, she let go of the other one and started to swing round the ring, putting out her hand to the audience as they tried to reach her. Once the silk slowed, she used her other hand to grab it and twirled upside down as she kept singing.

Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

Oh nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

She lifted herself up, twisting the ribbon until she was in a sitting position one knee up to her chest and her other leg pointed out.

Thinking you're so fine

Thinking you can have mine

Thinking you're in control

Thinking you'll change me

Maybe rearrange me

Think again if that's your goal!

She uncurled the silk, twirling back down to the ground in a graceful manner until her feet hit the ground and she faced the crowd. The audience went wild, shaking one another in their seats as the jester continued to dance. Jax found himself cheering along as well.

Queenie took a moment to look at her son, bewildered by the fact that he began to enjoy himself. Sure the act was amazing, but there was something else about him. His posture became more relaxed, his smile seemed to be genuinely happy and free of malice, and his eyes were locked in and focused on the jester…wait a minute. She looked back to the jester and then back at Jax before letting out a gasp of realisation.

“Darling? What’s wrong?” Kinger asked, worry lacing in tone for his wife.

“Nothing, nothing my dear,” she reassured him, “I think our son is in love.”

The jester stopped for a moment, bringing her bare feet together before lifting a hand again. She waved it around her head, a navy night blue mist appearing from it. Just like lightening, she vanished!

The crowd and Jax gasped, whipping their heads round to find where she could have gone.

Cause you can't take my sass

You can't take my talking

They followed her voice and found her in the right corner of the ring, continued her song with her harmonic voice. She waved her hand and disappeared again. This time, appearing in the royal family’s booth. Both Queenie and Kinger exclaimed in surprise and delight.

The jester made her way towards Jax, reaching out to him. His pulse thundered in his ears and heat began to rise to his cheeks. To his shock, she pulled her crown over his eyes and disappeared again, making Jax snap up and push his crown back as he tried to look for her again.

You can kiss my ass!

Then keep on walking

She was back in the middle of the ring, strutting as if nothing has happened. She waved her hand one more time, making the silks levitate on their own, surrounded by the blue mist as they neared her.

… Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

Oh nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

As they travelled slowly, the red silks slowly faded into the same colour as her mist, the crowd awing at the trick. Jax noticed her leotard and hat doing the same, the yellow and red disappearing, replacing it with a diamond-sequined deep blue with spaghetti straps instead.

No sir, nothing you can take from me is worth dirt

Take it cause I give it free, it won't hurt

She grabbed the silks again and lifted herself, twirling them around her until she was sitting on them like a swing.

… Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

No nothing you can take was ever worth keeping

The music quickened as she climbed up the silks again, Jax’s eyes following her every move, too entranced to look away. Both she and the music got faster, climbing and climbing and climbing until she grabbed and pulled herself back onto the trapeze swing, saluted the audience – and with one more wave of her hand, sparks erupted from her place, dazzling the audience. Once they had faded, the crowd looked back. She was gone, as if she was never there in the first place with the silks returning to their original red colour.

There was a beat.

The audience stood, cheers and screams ripping from their throats as a thunder of applause ripped through the crowd. Jax couldn’t stand due to Motley in his lap, but he was still just as loud. Motley meanwhile was looking at him, titling his head from the prince’s reaction to the jester. It intrigued the little kitten to say the least.

The entire cast ran out, including the jester, giving one final bow as the crowds cheered louder before disappearing back into the tent.

The lights went back on as everyone began to murmur and whisper to one another about how amazing the show was. Jax was left awestruck, frozen in his chair, unable to process the complete and utter dazzlement that was the singing jester.

“I take it my son has a crown he has to eat now,” Kinger chuckled, brushing his robe a little bit.

Jax didn’t reply, still stuck in his own head.

“Jax, are you alright?” Queenie asked, getting a bit worried.

“That jester…” he breathed.

Oh, now Queenie understood, her suspicions being confirmed. “I see,” she nodded slowly, “I take it you like her?”

Jax turned his head so fast that he nearly got whiplash. “Like her?” he questioned his mother, “She’s incredible! Her voice! Did you hear her voice?! It’s not like anything that I’ve heard, and the fact that she can sing while doing all that in the air! And her magic tricks! Oh mother, she was amazing!”

He caught himself when he saw both his mother and father raising both their brows at him. He decided to save himself further embarrassment, he already knew that they would tease him about this enough as it is. An idea went off in his head. The circus had a while before they went back to whatever inn they were staying at to rest, perhaps he could pay the little jester a visit before he left.

“You guys hold onto Motley for a while,” he stood, picking up the kitten as he mewled while being placed in his mother’s arms. “I’m gonna go give that jester my congratulations.”

“Uh, Jax?” Queenie said, but Jax was already running out of the booth, “Jax!”

“Oh dear,” Kinger muttered, “I believe we made a mistake.”

Pomni sighed with relief, her blue leotard reverting back to its yellow and red while talking off her hat as soon as she was back behind the scenes, everyone hugging one another and giving each other high fives.

“You guys did great!” Kaufmo grinned, “I’m so impressed of how are far you’ve all have come!”

“Not bad for opening night,” Zooble placed a hand on his hip, “Although I think most of it is owed to Gangle and her creative skit idea.” She gave the woman a wink, the ribboned woman blushing at her partner.

“Zooble,” she giggled as they pulled her close, “You were great too.”

“Being out there has never made me feel so alive,” Moon let out a relaxed breath, recalling the euphoria of being on the tightrope.

“I agree!” Sun beamed, practically jumping up and down with joy, “It was spectacular, amazing, show-stopping, fantastic, spectacular- oops, I said that already, didn’t I?” He rubbed his neck bashfully.

“Don’t worry about it Sun,” Ragatha patted his shoulder, using her other hand to pet her lions. “However I can’t deny that Pomni stole the show, as she always does.”

Pomni gave her a shy smile, shuffling her feet a bit, “Stop, you’ll make me flustered.”

“Because its true!” Ragatha exclaimed, the rest of the cast nodding their heads in agreement, “You’re a stable of this show!”

“A true star, and trust me, I know a lot about them,” Moon gave her an amused look.

“You were like a million stars at once!” Sun cried, “Though if you think about it, stars are also suns, so you were like a million suns! Wow!”

“I mean, I agree…I still liked Gangle the best though,” Zooble murmured.

“I always love hearing you sing Pomni,” Gangle took her hand, “You have the voice of an angel.”

Kaufmo came up and placed a hand on her shoulder, “I for one couldn’t be prouder.” He gave it a reassuring squeeze, with Pomni placing her hand on his.

“Thanks Kaufmo,” she smiled back.

“How are you doing kiddo?” he asked softly, “I saw you shaking up there before you went on. Did you have those nightmares again?”

Pomni paled. It was quite jarring how easily he could read her. Kaufmo had been her rock since day one after all, he knew better than anyone when she had hard nights. She opened her mouth to answer when someone barged into the room.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the cast of the show,” Prince Jax jeered, making himself at home, “Don’t mind me, I just wanted to thank you guys for an awesome show. Especially you little lady.” He winked at Pomni.

Pomni choked, why on earth was the prince waltzing in here unannounced? Didn’t he have princely duties to attend to? And why the hell was he calling her little lady?!

“Oh well, that’s very kind of you-” Gangle began to walk up to him but was pushed aside by him and she fell right into Zooble’s arms.

“Hey!” Zooble snarled, checking Gangle for any injuries. “What’s your problem?!”

“Excuse me,” Ragatha placed a hand on her hip, “You can’t just do that to one of our own. Not when we travelled all the way here to put on a show for you and your kingdom!”

“Look doll-face, I didn’t ask for you to be here,” he sneered, before turning his gaze back to Pomni. “Not that I’m complaining though.”

Pomni scoffed, gaping as she looked to Moon and Sun, the former of the duo looking furious. “I have the right mind to drag you out by the ears of you don’t apologize to Gangle right now,” Moon hissed.

Sun gulped, hiding behind his twin sister.

Ragatha’s lions had even began to have enough of his presence, growling and baring their teeth at him as he backed away slowly.

“Now, now,” he tsked, “We don’t want the crown prince of Laphria to go back out with his handsome face all mangled, now do we?”

Everyone’s faces fell. He was right, one wrong move and they’d all be imprisoned.

“All I want is to speak to your little jester here, is that such a crime?” he pouted.

They all turned to Pomni, awaiting her decision on what to do with this situation. “Kiddo, Pomni, you don’t have to do anything he tells you to do,” Kaufmo reassured her.

“Don’t worry Pa,” she said, a little nickname that she saved just for him, “I got this.”

Kaufmo’s eyes flickered to Jax, glaring at him before going back to Pomni. He smiled at her and let her continue.

Pomni walked to Jax, the prince was already acting smug about it too. “So, Prince Jax of Laphria,” she raised a brow at him, “In the flesh.”

“Ah, so you’ve heard of me,” he grinned, it seemed to be starting off well. She looks even lovelier without her hat on.

“Oh I’ve heard of you,” Pomni confirmed, “You’ve got quite the reputation it seems.”

“All good things I bet,” The prince smirked, looming over her.

Pomni didn’t move a muscle, the height difference didn’t affect her for what she was going to say next. “Actually,” she began. “I heard you’re a no-good son of a bitch who spends his days disrespecting those who sacrifice their mornings and nights just to serve whatever little thing he wants.”

Jax’s eyes widened, this was not how he thought this was going to go.

“Awful to the people who not only rule this kingdom but spent every day of their lives raising you just for you to turn out to be a jerk,” Pomni continued to list it off.

Jax was going to admit it, that one stung a little.

“You embarrass those you deem beneath you and refuse to take responsibility when their reputation is ruined because of your words and actions!” she scowled.

Okay yeah, he’ll admit it, he took that one a little too far.

“You cause destruction and mayhem in your own home with the worst of the upper class because you feel like it!” another flaw she pointed out. “And what was your most recent one? Let me think. Oh yeah, you set off fireworks and nearly set fire to a village you’re going to rule over one day!”

Jax rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Word really got round fast about that, huh?

“So excuse me your royal highness, but I would like nothing for you to leave this tent and never step ten feet toward me again,” she gave him an exaggerated bow, still glaring at him. “Now if you don’t mind, leave!”

He opened his mouth to speak, only to be faced with the glares of a protective clown, a ragdoll with a knife, a Moon holding a noose and two lions looking at their next meal. Yup time for him to leave.

Pomni sighed with relief the moment he left. She didn’t think she would have the courage to stand up to someone as important as the prince like that, but she was glad she did. Everyone patted her on the back, impressed with her accomplishment as well, including Kaufmo. “Great job kiddo,” He murmured.

Pomni smiled warmly, “Thanks Pa.”

Jax walked out the tent, meeting the dissatisfied looks on his parent’s faces. “Well, we did try to warn you,” Queenie muttered, handing him back Motley, “But I’m afraid this is one of those cases where your heart is bigger than your brain.”

Motley mewled in seemingly agreement with the queen, rubbing his head against Jax’s palm so he could pet him.

“Let’s head back home,” said Kinger, taking Queenie’s hand lovingly before whispering in her ear. “I have a feeling that star performer won’t be leaving his head anytime soon.”

Queenie nodded subtly in agreement and the royal family headed out of the theatre.

During the carriage ride back, while petting Motley, Jax couldn’t stop thinking about that jester…no, Pomni was her name. That was what the clown said, right? The bite of her words, the ice within her eyes, the sharpness of her tone. All of it was meant to push him away…it was a good thing that Jax was determined and stupid.

He would show her that she wasn’t what she said he was! He’s a prince, he could do anything! He was going to shower her in the most lavish gifts known to man. Whether it be gowns, food, new equipment for her shows, anything! He was going to show her that he was worthy of her time.

In fact, he sure that be the end of the week, she would be fawning at his feet. Jax chuckled, he was way too good at this.

Motley could only watch in despair as his new master set himself up for failure.

Song Credit: Nothing You Can Take From Me by Rachel Zegler.

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plaguethewaters · 3 months

Text

@thetiredyuk i am having more Thoughts about that one - ranboo is the sone of death beeduo au. I was about to just send you an ask but also this is almost 2k words so it may be better off as a post lmfao

So like. bullet points time, this is an approximate summary of what i think the Plot would be like - wordbuilding aside

(Temporary mcd, suicide warning)

Year like, 1500 something (to be more well researched but i do want it to be like. something something renaissance. it works) we've got two poor ass kids born of the same year. Except tommy is pretty much a normal guy, liked by his family and such. His parents have enough children they can gamble for at least one to be successfull, so they send him to be a painter's apprentice in the hope he'll make some kind of money. There, in the slighter bigger town thats almost a city but not quite, he meets tubbo. Now Tubbo would have been a normal guy, except he was born with facial deformities so now everyone thinks he's a demonic freak hated by the gods (this renaissance world is politheistic bc kristin needs to be there and also i wil not do christianity if i dont have to lmao.)

Tommy is not intimidated by any gods. obviously. also his dad is really into the goddess of death and he prays enough for both of them, so he's like. protected and shite. And he immidiately hits it off with the cursed boy

surprise hes not actually cursed but people are dicks anyways. Tommy makes him a fancy mask to cover his face - even thought its totally cool as shit, but its cool enough only tommy should ever get to see it - and that eventually does help him. Because tubbo wasnt like, a shit guy. Hes a damn good builder and knows how to read, which are talents big enough that the costruction workers for that church out of town are ready to ignore the whole probably cursed thing. As long as he as the masks.

Tommy: makes him the first genuine gift hes ever received in fifteen years of life Tubbo: never takes it off again. like never Tommy: shocked pikachu face

anyways so tommy dies like. super young. They have their fun for a few years but at like seventeen tommy is called to be the artist for this very fancy duke of the town over - and at the start they'r super happy bc that means Money and Food and Roof over your head and shite. its a very good fucking deal.

except the noble is a bastard. His town revolts against him, and when they storm the castle they aren't exactly asking names or faces: tommy gets immidiately like, super destroyed by the crowd, and dies a few minutes later.

Tubbo hears of this like five months later bc its the fifteen hunderds and hes poor.

He does Not take it very well ngl

He goes a bit murdery - basically hes like "im not living without tommy, might as well burn down a village while im at it right, right."

Now ranboo, in all of this, freshly the equivalent of seventeen for an immortal death being, is starting on their training to actually become death- His mom send him on a quaint little village in europe thinking "hey, the most those guys die of is like. malaria. consumption maybe. itll be easy as hell"

And now like two hundred different souls are around him with FIRE written on their foreheads and Ranboo feels distinctly outside of his range, to be really honest.

he steps a couple ethereak planes down just to see what the heck is the matter - if this is another of those voide beings his mom will be Super Pissed and they want to see that reaction

And it isnt the void people

Instead, in front of their eyes, the singular most beautiful person hes ever seen - and hes seen lots, in this line of work.

He cant see their face, but their actions speak enough. The sheer rage, the almost dance like movement of their body perfectly framed by the light of their torch, seeing no humanity or mercy in whatever their searching for. their hair look angelic in its softness, burnt by the worst flames of hell and yet tended by the same hands who wield it - strong hands, clearly forged by hard work and dedication. This is a guy who has nothing to lose, and there's little Death loves most than someone who doesnt fear it.

He has to go down, has to speak to them immidiately.

So he does.

There's really no time - his mom had given the singular rule not to interact with humans, shell be on them in Seconds- but one question can be asked in the haste: "What brings a mortal to do this?"

"It's all for you, love!" the mortal says. They also say some other things, after, but Ranboo is not very well versed in the human tongue and they are speaking Very Loudly.

(Tubbo actually said "Fuck you, you motherfucker it's Your Fault, you took every single thing i love". Easy mistake, if one thinks about it.)

Their mom is Pretty Pissed but she does undesrtand stupid things done for young love. So she's like "eh, ive loved mortals too. go have fun" and everything

Except a year passes, and ranboo still hasnt even spoken to the guy, and she remembers suddenly Mortality Exists.

Shes never had them take a soul who died naturally - for lack of occasion, mostly - and they may have been. a tad sheltered. They most definitely do Not know what death actually is like for humans, nor how long does it take for them to die

she wonders if it would be a tad overprotective to take this over for them

she thinks about seventy years in the future, at most, when the boy dies. She thinks that her son cannot cry but can definitely cry. she thinks of their screams of sadness ringing through her ears-

Tubbo wakes up in the river, alive.

He did not Intend to be alive, and it's actually quite unfortunate for him to be so.The survivors are quite angry and probably close to him, now. Welp, no way to die is reallt any worse than another, he thinks. Ill just wait here for them.

When the pitchfork collapses his heart and he continues breathing, he understands something might be a little bit wrong.

And like, a good five hundred years pass like this.

Things Tubbo has learned in his five hundred, twenty three and two halves years on this demon forsaken earth:

Clothes get so much shittier over time. he has One (1) tailored shit from the 1800 and Nothing has even barely compared to it ever since.

getting stabbed does not hurt less just because youre not actually dying. Poisoning is actiively way worse since you're not actually dying. Diving off cliffs is Not Fun. In general, try not to do dying things even if youre immortal

theres a hole in his heart where his loved ones were and it will never get filled

Food gets esponentially better over time. Lord bless whoever decided curry should go on chicken because they were Cooking For Real. Chocolate was still better before though.

Working for soulles bosses has not changed At All in all of this time tho.

he works at mcdonalds because no college would accept his non existant resume, and being immortal dosent deprive him of his needs unfortunately. The manager took one look at this kid dressed from like three different centuries with a goat mask on his head and was like. why not. at least youre not a stoner and you know how to read.

His coworkers firmly believe hes a criptid and have a full going investigation to prove it. The highest bet at fifty dollars says hes mothman in disguise, there to eat the fliest that live on their shitty food. The lowest bets hes an angel waiting for the right time to brign down armageddon.

Every night he goes in the woods to an almost forgotten Death altar and he prays. Half of his prayers consist of insults and the other half are pleas for her to fucking kill him already

This does not help the criptid chronicles

Kristin also has like. only so much patience. Hes holding up the prayers line - which is actually still pretty fucking used in central asia - and hes generally annoying as shit.

She takes ranboo by the scruff, gives them a passable human form, and throws them down there. Get your shit together boy youre like a thousand years old. Get your man (to stop fucking with the phoneline)

Ranboo is Not Enthusiastic about this but cmon. Hes death. How hard can working at a mac really be?

Spoiler it is

Spoiler it does Not matter, because awkwardness aside ranboo is funny, and easy to talk to, and compassionate and caring. He doesnt want to kill tubbo, he doesnt look at him like hes a fictional creature (and yes marcie, hes seen the bet table), he isnt his soulless boss. Tubbo is grieving but he also very desperstely wants a friend.

One day someone stops at his shitty apartment at like three am

Ranboo stands in fron of his door drenched from head to toe, holding the possibly smallest kitten tubbo has ever seen in his Life. Hes miserable but the cat is miracoulously dry, screaming their head off - and ranboo is panicking. Are they okay are they dying? Do you have any food i dont know what he eats but its so small and i didnt know where else to go- please i dont want it to die or something and-

The moon shines on their long, wet hair and their stupid fucking suit is as wrinkled as ever. They look like they desperately want to rub their hands against each other but there is a kitten in the way and it probably makes them even more anxious - theres very little messes bigger than him, right now.

Tubbo falls in love.

They heal the kitten and keep enderchest in their now shared apartment.

They grow closer, and closer, and something is forming. Ranboo is aware a relationship cannot be based on lies, as much as it worries him how tubbo will react.

so he prepares like a romantic ass evening

roses and candles and a nice dinner with a fancy wine

tubbo almost gets flustered

except at the end of the night the confession isnt "i love you" but "im the guy who took away your only ffamily".

and he sees Red.

Ranboo doesnt remember what tubbo screamed, not exactly. He remembers grief, and crying, and feeling worse than he ever believed he could. He remembers the endless guilt sitting in his chest, and the slam of a door - maybe from the inside out. Hes definitely outside, now, and the house ifìs far away enough eh cant see it, but that could also be the tears.

His mother finds him crouched in a patch of grass, tears steaming down their cheeks in a constant flow. Shes not aware if they'd returned to death form to feel safer, or because they believed they deserved the burn. Shes not sure what option makes her feel worse.

shes aware that this is. pretty much her fault

TO HER DEFENSE she was not really aware humans were so touchy about death. The souls she reaps arent very talkative and the guy shes with is chill about it so like. maybe this one is weird

(the guy she's with is Phil, whos Decidly not a human but has also decided not to tell her yet. For the bit, yknow? He's been a live a couple thousand years, it would be awkward to drop it now. He's also somewhat a serial killer and Not Normal about death At All)

BUt this is still here fault and she does have to set it right a little bit

So she summons Tubbo to her persnoal room in the palace and goes like. "oi. why r u so mad little guy"

And hes like: you took away the single person whos ever loved me ever

"Wait that's the only problem?"

"What the fuck else would it be"

"thought u were mad at him cause he lied lol"

"LYING IS NOT WORSE THAN KILLING A GUY"

Anyways Kristen is so relieved rn. She thought tubbo was phisically like, repulsed by the concept of death and all, and he was mad that Ranboo lied to him and all. Which he is, but the rage is so so much less than the grief yknoe. And she knows how to fix it if its just one (1) measly soul

Tommy is so fucking confused

Th modern world is full of sounds and weird textures and the food is fucking fantastic but also Too Much, and Tubbo introduced him to this weird ass potion hed called a bong and now hes seeing gods the likes of which had never been discoveres

Over all hes just happy to be alive and with his best friend

He kinda hates ranboo. The fucker threw a scyte at him for no reason when tommy would have Almost Certainly survived because he is simply That Cool. Ranboo didn't believe in his awesomeness enough and is thus a Bitch

Tubbo is. iffy

He cant deny he has a teensy tiny crush now, because hes far too deep in this for that

But also ranboo did like. lie straight to his face

but also tubbo would Not have believed him if a random guy showed up at three am at a mcdonalds saying they were the child of death

and he Did trust that what he saw in ranboo was real, betrayal aside. No one fakes looking That much like a wet cat

so it does take a while. couple years in fact, to get back at the level of trust they had before (inster a cool anime montage where they have lots of fun together as roommates and cats coparents and all)

One night when they are - not back together, because they hadnt been dating before, but back to that almost definitely dating just not officialized stage- ranboo asks him if would ever want to be mortal again.

And tubbo thinks of it. His time on earth had been so plagued by grief hed never really ecperienced anything it had to offer. Hed never seen the sights or did anything at all besides praying for death, and thats kind of a shitty way to pass five hundred years

'But tubbo what about your humanity? wouldnt it be irrevocabily lost by giving awau something so fundamentally human as death" someone would ask. And tubbo would anser "ehh who cares"

He hasnt been fully human since hes burned that whole village down, anyway. And he likes the benefits of this life more than whateer moral superiority a Normal human would have over him

just-

"and tommy too, obviously. I get the feeling you dont like him dead" Ranboo jokes.

There's no decision at all then. Fuck yeah, immortal boyfriend and immortal brother what more could a fucker want.

They get to cause chaos on earth and probably kill a bunch of rich people for a long long time

the end :)

Im like. very tentatively calling this Deathless Death, in the vane hope that i will write something for this better thant bullet points. But for now bullet points it is

#beeduo #cbeeduo #ctubbo #cranboo #ctommy #dsmp fanfiction #dsmp fanfic #this is the longest thing ive written in Months #plague writes

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spikedsoul · 9 months

Note

Hold turtle son in both hands, apply forehead kiss before sending him off to do evil with his father, who also gets a kiss. Don't forget to hand them both the lunch you packed them.

The tenderest kiss for father and son both, along with a big lunch made with love.

And then it turns into that scene from the princess bride: "Bye, boys, have fun storming the castle!"

#bowser #bowser x reader #bowser x y/n #super mario bros #bowser jr #bowser junior

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livsoulsecrets · 6 months

Text

1989 (Taylor’s version) songs as BL/GL Characters - Part 2

I know places - Palm and Nueng (Never let me go)

‘Cause they got the cages, they got the boxes and guns

They are the hunters, we are the foxes and we run

Baby, I know places we won't be found and

They'll be chasing their tails trying to track us down

‘Cause I, I know places we can hide

[…] Just grab my hand and don't ever drop it, my love

Clean - Akk (The Eclipse)

Hung my head as I lost the war

And the sky turned black like a perfect storm

Rain came pouring down

When I was drowning, that's when I could finally breathe

And by morning

Gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean

[…] The water filled my lungs, I screamed so loud

But no one heard a thing

Wonderland - Top and Mew (Only Friends)

Didn't it all seem new and exciting?

I felt your arms twisting around me

I should've slept with one eye open at night

We found wonderland, you and I got lost in it

And we pretended it could last forever

[…] And life was never worse but never better

[…] So we went on our way, too in love to think straight

All alone, or so it seemed, but there were strangers watching

And whispers turned to talking

And talking turned to screams

[…] Didn't you calm my fears with with a Cheshire cat smile?

[…] It's all fun and games 'til somebody loses their mind

You’re in love - Nomoto and Kasuga (She loves to cook, and she loves to eat)

'Cause you can hear in the silence

You can feel it on the way home

You can see it with the lights out

You are in love, true love

Morning, [her] place

Burnt toast, Sunday

You keep [her] shirt, [she] keeps [her] word

And for once, you let go of your fears and your ghosts

One step, not much, but it said enough

New Romantics - Not Me Gang (Not Me)

We're so young, but we're on the road to ruin

We play dumb but we know exactly what we're doin'

[…] 'Cause baby, I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me

And every day is like a battle, but every night with us is like a dream

[…] Baby, we're the new romantics

Come on, come along with me

Heartbreak is the national anthem, we sing it proudly

[…] The best people in life are free

[…] We need love, but all we want is danger

Slut! - Mhok and Day (Last Twilight)

Got lovestruck, went straight to my head

Got lovesick, all over my bed, love to think you'll never forget

[… ] Adorned with smoke on my clothes, lovelorn and nobody knows, love thorns all over this rose

[…] The sticks and stones they throw froze mid-air

Everyone wants him, that was my crime, the wrong place at the right time

And I break down, then he's pullin' me in

In a world of boys, he's a gentleman

We'll pay the price, I guess

[...] Half asleep, taking your time in the tangerine, neon light, this luxury

You're not saying you're in love with me, but you're going to

Half awake, taking your chance, it's a big mistake

I said it might blow up in your pretty face

I'm not saying do it anyway, but you're going to

Say don’t go - Kim and Chay (Kinnporsche)

Why'd you have to make me want you?

Why'd you have to give me nothin' back?

Why'd you have to make me love you?

I said, "I love you", you say nothin' back

Why'd you have to lead me on?

Why'd you have to twist the knife?

Walk away and leave me bleedin', bleedin'?

Why'd you whisper in the dark just to leave me in the night?

Now your silence has me screamin', screamin'

[…] I would stay forever if you say, "Don't go”

Now that we don’t talk - Todd and Black (Not Me)

Did you get anxious though on the way home?

I guess I'll never, ever know now that we don't talk

You grew your hair long, you got new icons

And from the outside, it looks like you're tryin' lives on

I miss the old ways, you didn't have to change

But I guess I don't have a say

Now that we don't talk

[…] I cannot be your friend, so I pay the price of what I lost and what it cost

[…] Truth is, I can't pretend it's platonic, it's just ended

Suburban Legends - Boston and Nick (Only Friends)

You had people who called you on unmarked numbers in my peripheral vision

I let it slide like a hose on a slippery plastic summer, all was quickly forgiven

You were so magnetic, it was almost obnoxious, flush with the currency of cool

I was always turnin' out my empty pockets

And when it came to you, I didn't come here to make friends

We were born to be suburban legends

When you hold me, it holds me together

And you kiss me in a way that's gonna screw me up forever

Is it over now? - Sand and Ray (Only Friends)

You dream of my mouth before it called you a lying traitor

You search in every maiden's bed for something greater

Baby, was it over when [he] laid down on your couch?

Was it over when he unbuttoned my blouse?

"Come here, " I whispered in your ear in your dream as you passed out, baby

Was it over then? And is it over now?

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ravensliterature · 2 years

Text

Best Punishment Ever

A/N: This one was a request! Feel free to send me one!

pairing: Draco Malfoy x Reader

warnings: Couple of curse words, makeout I guess

w/c: 2992

Prompt: Snape assigns you Draco as your potions partner but an argument in class gets you both detention. How will you survive?

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

You were potions partners with the meanest kid in the school. Great. Just great. Now you had to suffer through his insults and mockery on top of being annoying. He was probably the most popular in the school besides Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but you weren't sure if he even liked anyone outside of his group of friends, which was just as bad as him. Draco Malfoy.

You were all in your fifth year and you never really got to know Draco besides the Hufflepuff insults he threw at your house. He was a Slytherin and that's about it, which you expected given how awful of a person he is.

"Malfoy!" You gasped, quickly swiping the vial from his hand. "We aren't using that for the potion!"

Draco sneered at you. "Oh yeah?" He asked mockingly. "Well maybe if you didn't act like such a bloody dimwit all the time then I'd actually be doing my work properly."

Your eyes widened in shock as your mouth fell open.

It took you a moment before you regained your composure and scowled back at him. You opened your mouth to snap something at him, but someone cut you off.

"Malfoy, you were the one who wasn't listening when Professor Snape was lecturing!" You countered.

Harry stood next to you in his Slytherin robes, fists clenched angrily.

"Yeah! Well, at least I don't have a mudblood for a father!" He snapped.

A hush fell over the class as everyone turned to look at the pair. You could feel your heart beating hard inside your chest. The tension thickened as a few Slytherin snickered.

"Well, at least my father isn't a bloody death eater!"

You spat, trying not to let the heat rise into your face.

His jaw dropped in surprise as a few more Slytherins started laughing. The class broke out into whispers as they pointed their fingers at them. It felt like the entire room had frozen.

In the silence, footsteps began to approach you both as you continued to glare at each other.

A throat clear broke you both out of your eye battle as you turned to see Snape looming over you both.

Your face burned red with embarrassment as you glanced up, only to meet his piercing gaze. You looked away quickly, focusing on anything other than the professor.

"What are you two doing?" He said flatly.

Neither of you answered.

You wanted to run away and hide, knowing that you were in big trouble. Your face was starting to hurt from how hard you were blushing from embarrassment.

"A week's attention" Snape scolded. "For both of you. "

He walked away, not sparing either of you another glance.

Draco Malfoy sucks major butt.

---

You didn't want to think about what happened during Potions, so instead of going to lunch, you went to sit outside in the courtyard. Your friends knew better than to try and talk to you now, which was fine because you didn't want to deal with them either.

You sat down on the grassy ground, leaning against the stone wall. All around you students were laughing and having fun. No one would notice if you left, no one ever did. You closed your eyes and sighed loudly. Maybe some fresh air would help clear your head.

You heard footsteps approaching and you opened your eyes again. Standing before you was Draco Malfoy. You couldn't say you were surprised, he always seemed to find trouble wherever he went. Still, this was new. Why was he even here?

"Y/N" he greeted coldly. "Are you enjoying your little relaxation time?"

You narrowed your eyes, getting ready to retaliate.

"Will you just leave me alone, Draco?"

You growled at him, pushing yourself up off the ground. "And why does it matter to you anyway?"

The blonde boy's expression didn't change as he watched you stand and storm off toward the inside of the castle. His voice stayed cold as he responded.

"It matters because you're the one who got me detention."

You stopped short once you heard those words. You turned back slowly, staring at him. Was he serious?

He met your stare for a brief moment before continuing. "My father wouldn't tolerate someone behaving in such a way towards me, especially not someone like you. I can't imagine what he'd do if he learned of how horrible of a student you've been."

"Your ability to not understand the consequences is unbelievable." You sneered, "You were the one who wasn't paying attention. You were the one who started throwing insults. You are the common denominator. Don't you dare blame me for this?"

Draco looked taken aback by your words, taking a step back. "How dare you-"

"Tell you the fucking truth? Someone had to."

You spat, crossing your arms.

Draco blinked slowly, taking another step back. You were too quick for him to respond and you made your way heading back into the castle. You ignored the shocked expression on his face and made your way toward your common room.

---

"For the first day of your week-long detention, you both will be sorting my potions storage. Check for expiration and document inventory. Have fun. I have a professor meeting to attend. I will know if either of you left." Snape spoke as he disappeared from the dungeons, leaving you and Draco standing there with the boxes filled with potion ingredients.

You glared at him, feeling a bit annoyed. How dare he make you do something you already hated doing? You could hardly wait to get this whole thing over with.

Draco sighed and reached forward to grab a box. He pulled it closer to himself, inspecting every inch for any imperfection before looking up. You copied his actions and found a few creases in the bottom corners that needed fixing.

Draco placed the box down and grabbed the nearest shelf, lifting it off its brackets and placing it on the floor to look closer at the vials. He frowned and picked one up, turning it over in his hands before dropping it on the shelf again. You rolled your eyes at him and reached out, grabbing it himself before examining it closely. As much as you loved potions, you couldn't help but be a little annoyed about being stuck handling them.

"L/N... I wanted to... say something to you." Draco began softly as he continued to sort.

"About what?"

He shifted uncomfortably before saying in a small voice, "I'm sorry about earlier..."

"You should be." You mumbled under your breath.

The blonde pursed his lips together as he tried to think of what else to say. "I also think that we should stop fighting in Potions. It doesn't serve us any good."

He looked up at you expectantly. You gave a noncommittal grunt in response, choosing to ignore what he said. Instead, you examined the bottle you chose to inspect.

After a few minutes of the silent treatment, Draco spoke again, this time with a hint of desperation in his tone.

"L/N..."

You sighed and finally looked up from your examination. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

You crossed your arms, glaring at him.

"Can we start over?"

That surprised you. A part of you still wanted to hate him. After all, he has been making it his goal forever to make life miserable for you. But deep down, you could tell that he meant well and you couldn't blame him for wanting to apologize after everything that happened today. Even though you didn't want to give in, maybe this could be the start of a friendship.

"Alright," you replied, sighing. "But promise me that this never happens again, Malfoy."

---

Today was the third day of your detention. Yesterday actually went pretty well and Draco may have actually been interesting instead of a complete bully. The thought was mind-blowing.

When you entered the dungeons, you saw Draco seated on one of the desks resting on a box full of vials. When you approached him, his head perked up from where it was resting on his folded arms. He lifted his head slightly and smiled at you.

"Hey Y/N!" He greeted cheerfully. "Come to watch me work?"

You raised an eyebrow in amusement and walked over to sit on one of the empty desks across from him.

"I thought I would. What are we sorting today? More potion supplies?" You asked.

The blonde shook his head with a sigh. "No actually. We're supposed to experiment with different potion combinations and record our findings. Basically homework."

He paused for a second, glancing up at you, "We can work together if you want?"

Your eyebrows rose and you nodded slightly. That definitely sounded like fun. If you were honest, he really intrigued you. Besides, it wasn't like it would be boring anyways. And besides, you weren't sure how much longer you were going to be stuck in this dungeon with Draco.

You stood up and stretched before walking over to Draco's desk. He followed your movements, watching in awe as you leaned over his desk and looked over the ingredients.

He cleared his throat slightly as you stared at the list of ingredients.

"You'll need the mandrake roots, the fennel, garlic, parsley, rosemary, basil, chamomile, mint, thyme, bay leaves, and wormwood for the Draught of Peace. I already marked it on the list" he informed as you continued to stare at the list. "Also, we can't add werewolf spit. Apparently, it makes it explode."

You laughed softly as you glanced up at Draco. He gave you an awkward smile.

"Sorry, it's funny seeing you laugh. You deserve to." He muttered quietly.

You shook your head quickly before speaking. "Don't worry, I haven't actually laughed at your jokes yet, Malfoy. I can't promise you anything."

"Fair enough" he grinned.

He watched as you grabbed several plants, putting them into the cauldron. You added them carefully one at a time, stirring them around occasionally. Once you were done adding them, you put the lid on and grabbed a mortar and pestle from beside you. After grinding them together, you poured them onto the other ingredients before proceeding to stir them together until they were completely dissolved. You removed the lid and placed the bowl in front of Draco, sitting in front of him. He took the bowl from you and started to mix the mixture in it before adding in the rest of the ingredients.

You then disappeared into the back and returned with a box of vials in the hopes of finding the final one needed for the potion. As you made your way to the table, you felt your ankle begin to buckle underneath you and you fell towards the table with a couple of vials accidentally falling into the cauldron.

You groaned as you pushed yourself up, rubbing your ankle a bit. Your eyes scanned around the table to see what fell in the cauldron and Draco was already trying to look in to see if any alarming changes were occurring. To his dismay,

the contents of the potion had begun to bubble and froth with the color changing from green to red.

You glanced up at Draco, who was looking worriedly at the potion in front of him and then at you.

"Oh no," you breathed as realization set in.

"Get down!" he shouted, pushing you down to cover you with his body as you scrambled down. A loud bang caused you to glance up toward the ceiling. Smoke filled the air, and a large boom from the cauldron could be heard as pieces began to fly from it exploding. Your hands were shaking as you held onto Draco tightly, as he continued to shield him from some of the debris flying around the classroom. His eyes seemed wide with panic as the smoke surrounded the both of you, forcing you both to cough.

Slowly, the smoke dissipated and your coughs died as Draco still was covering you as a human shield. You opened your eyes and both of you sat there panting, staring into Draco's eyes as he stared down at you. He looked nervous with his brows furrowed.

"Are you okay?" He whispered.

"Yeah." You said as you slowly.

He looked relieved when he realized that you were okay but he still had that panicked look in his eyes that was slowly starting to relax. He decided to break the silence, which you knew would probably bring a blush to his cheeks, "Um, I can get off of you now if you'd like...?"

"O - oh! Sure." You stuttered, jumping out of his spot as he began picking up all of the scattered ingredients off of the ground. You got up and began helping him pick up everything from the floor, not wanting to leave things lying around any more than necessary.

Once everything was gathered neatly, you placed the items back in the box along with yours before putting your hands on your hips. Draco was staring intently down at the ground as he gathered the fallen ingredients back into the box once more.

"So... Um... Who is gonna tell Snape?" he said.

---

It was the final day of your week of detention. You were actually sad because you had become quite fond of Draco.

Not just because you were becoming friends, but because you actually found yourself developing feelings. He seemed to care for you genuinely and you enjoyed spending time with him, even if it was only working on potions. At first, it was just sarcastic comments here and there, but as time progressed, his insults became more playful. He seemed to find more reasons to speak to you and was interested in what you said.

"Since you both can't seem to make potions, I will leave you both to peer evaluate your fellow students' work. I have a fire to put out so I will leave you to it." Snape said as he exited the classroom without sparing you or Draco another glance. Draco turned to face you.

"Well, what shall we do first?" He asked.

"Well, we can start with this pile of papers, I guess," you suggested.

You picked up a stack of papers and began looking through them.

"Do you think we should go through these together?" Draco suddenly asked.

"Uhm..." you stopped and glanced up at him with uncertainty. You didn't know why but your stomach did a little flip whenever he was near you.

"Okay..." you said, nodding slowly. "Let's start with this one."

You pointed to a pile of papers in front of him. He grabbed a piece of parchment and proceeded to take notes while you tried to figure out what to do next. This was going to be harder than you had anticipated.

After a good few minutes of struggling, he finally managed to finish making notes about the first problem on the paper. With a sigh, he put the quill pen down.

"Y/N..." He spoke hesitantly. "Do you think we could hang out even outside of detention?"

You blinked your eyes a couple of times. Did that mean...?

"Of course, we can Draco." You said, smiling a small smile at him.

A bright smile appeared on his face as he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

After a quiet moment, both of you went to grab the quill but ended up accidentally grabbing each other's hands. Neither of you pulled away as you both stared at each other for a brief moment before you both looked away awkwardly, blushing.

"Uh... sorry-" you began to apologize, but he interrupted you by cutting you off again.

"No, Y/N," he paused before looking deeper into your eyes. He lifted his other hand and cupped your cheek, lightly caressing the skin there.

Your heart raced and butterflies started to flutter wildly in your stomach as he closed the small gap between you two, his lips hastily against yours again. His lips were softer than you had imagined, and he tasted vaguely like peppermint. It was intoxicating as you responded immediately. Soon the two of you began leaning into the kiss, gently pressing closer to each other. His arms slid from your face down to your waist as he pulled you further into his chest.

You wrapped your own arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue into your mouth before deepening the kiss even more. You couldn't help the moan that escaped your lips at the feel of his tongue darting in and out of your mouth as your tongues moved against each other. The two of you broke apart for breath as a low, rumbling sound emitted from his throat. A shiver ran through your entire body as the sound of his voice, low and deeper, sent tingles through every inch of your being.

"I have to admit that I always thought you were gorgeous Y/N, but right now, you are breathtaking." He smiled brightly at you, his eyes shining happily at you. He brushed his fingers along your jawline gently before leaning forward and placing soft kisses on your lips.

"Are we actually going to do this? What will all your friends think, Draco? They'll never let you live down dating a Hufflepuff with muggle lineage not does that even fucking matter." You said.

"Don't worry about them," He replied with a slight grin. He then reached over and pressed a quick kiss to your temple before taking your left arm in his hand and wrapping it across his shoulder, allowing his hand to travel downwards to hold onto your hip. "Besides, I'll protect you from the asshole Slytherins." He said before leaning forward and kissing your forehead.

With that he leaned forwards slightly, his free hand lifting up to brush away the lock of hair that fell in front of your eyes.

Best punishment ever.

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#harry #harry potter #potter #draco #draco malfoy #draco imagine #draco malfoy imagine #draco x reader #draco malfoy x reader #draco x y/n #draco malfoy x y/n #hufflepuff #hufflepuff reader

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humanpurposes · 4 months

Note

i often think of how different your writing style is to your fellow writers, and I wonder if you are very picky about what you consume/read because of it.

Do you often venture outside of your own writing style to read fics that are different and yet, good? If yes, would you recommend them?

It's interesting thinking about style because it is obviously subjective and very personal to each writer. I like to think I have quite a distinct voice as a writer and fanfiction has really helped me settle into that after not writing anything for a long time.

I think you learn a lot from the stories around you, if it's fics, books, movies, plays, history, music, whatever, especially when you branch out of your own style or comfort zone. I love exploring other people's writing and comparing it to my own, seeing what details they focus on, how they describe people and settings. I think essentially, the most important thing for me as a reader/consumer of media is that the story and the characters are interesting. As long as you've got a good story (and smut and yearning and pining), I'm happy.

I've specifically thought this about Sam (@randomdragonfires) and Justine's (@theoneeyedprince) writing, that they're very different to mine but that's why I love reading their fics. They both have a really classic, poetic feel to their writing, and internal, if that makes sense? I personally struggle with internal monologue because that's just not how my brain works, I think I focus a lot more on actions and dialogue. But that all really lends itself to the stories they tell, love you guys 🥺❤️

Also Ange @ewanmitchellcrumbs is one of my favs on here because the level of detail and the subtleties that go into her fics make for such immersive stories. Her writing feels very grounded and real and I really admire that about her. And her dedication to character is something I really appreciate 🥰

I have some more specific recs just because I wanted to ramble about some fics I like. Also because it's me, these are all a bit DD;DNE

I could see your shadow in the water (beneath the castle where you broke my heart) by Rueluxxx This is a fem!Lucerys fic told from the pov of Aemond and Lucerys' son. It's not a love story at all, it's very traumatic. But THE REASON WHY I am obsessed with this fic is the tragedy of loving someone and never being able to make amends. Aemond reaches a point where he realises how much he's made his wife suffer and starts living in this delusion where he tries to win her back but it will never be enough. They loved each other as children, they work well together as rulers, they have their own children now, and she will always do her duty as his wife, but no matter how hard Aemond tries, Lucerys will never want him. Chapter 6 in particular broke my heart, some of the best dialogue I've read.

Moon Song by @randomdragonfires We're following a pattern here of Aemond's doomed marriages but this was made specifically for me!! This focuses on Aemond's guilt after he murders Luke at Storm's End, only to come back home to his wife, Luke's twin sister. I love how this fic creates the juxtaposition of Aemond's suffering and guilt, how he still longs for a relationship with his wife and is haunted by the image of her twin brother. And it's told from his pov so you're left wondering about his wife's lingering longing and hatred, if she wants to salvage their marriage, if she fears him and just wants to appease him? Anyway, Aemond feels like he's losing her to the brother he murdered, and no spoilers but the ending is WOW.

Rumours by @adragonprinceswhore Oh boy, another failed marriage. Fun fact about Inka, she actually owns my soul. I'm so emo for Fleetwood Mac and this fic combines my two favourite things to ever exist. Despite definitely being in the wrong here, Aemond is my favourite character in this, his struggle to express his own feelings and the love he had/still has for his ex-wife. He feels betrayed because she left him, guilty because he hurt her, and the way the music is woven into this just adds a whole other level of emotion. AND HE WAS THE ONE TO WRITE STORMS??? I can't deal. "I'm your family now, Aemond." Liar. Will never not get me.

Ok that's all I have for you, ta ra x

#inbox #me when i overshare

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queen-rainy-love · 5 months

Text

The Revenge of the Captain Part 14

Final part! Let's go! (Also, big thanks to @nightmyst14-blog for the ideas that help shaped this part 😁)

*We pick up two days later, where Crunchy Chip is washing his Cream Wolf in House Oyster's balcony. He's mindlessly scrubbing the wolf's fur when he felt a tap on his shoulder.*

Crunchy Chip: Ah! Who goes-! *Quickly turns around, ready to throw the sponge, only to see Bubble Pearl standing right there. He starts blushing* A-ah! B-Bubble Pearl! Sorry! I didn't hear ya.

Bubble Pearl: *giggles nervously* That's alright. I didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to let you know that your coat is almost done.

Crunchy Chip: *smiles* Still can't believe you wanted to fix my coat.

Bubble Pearl: Of course. I felt bad that it got ruined because of me. Besides, *blushes and smiles* we got to spend more time together. And you have made an impression to mother, father, and my siblings. Mostly mother.

Crunchy Chip: It has been fun these past few days and...um... *sees the necklace that he gifted her. He shyly smiles.* I see you're still wearing that necklace.

Bubble Pearl: Of course. You gifted this to me. It would be rude to my partner that I don't wear this. It must have cost a bit.

Crunchy Chip: Oh, no. It took me two days to make.

Bubble Pearl: *shocks* You made this?

Crunchy Chip: Y-yeah. It's a tradition back home to exchange homemade gifts like jewelry with your partner and if they wear it for more than three days, then it means they wish to have a bond with you.

Bubble Pearl: Like King Dark Cacao Cookie and Aunt Sablé? She got a bracelet from him. So does that mean-

Crunchy Chip: Yeah.

Bubble Pearl: And that means for us-

Crunchy Chip: *blushes* Y-yeah.

Bubble Pearl: *smiles shyly* I see. Then I should return the favor soon. I'll make a necklace worthy of the Captain of the Cream Wolves. *kisses his cheek* You have my word.

*Crunchy Chip starts babbling like crazy. He only got more flustered when Cream Wolf barked in excitement and leaped on top of both of them, still wet from his bath, pushing them to each other. They both yelped and fell before giggling.*

*The scene changes to an underwater castle where three jellyfish Cookies swim toward it. They entered the castle and swam all the way to the throne room. Sitting on the throne was a red Gem Mermaid.*

???? Magenta: Queen Crimson Coral Cookie. We have a report to tell you that involves your little sister and her descendants.

Crimson Coral: I see. Please do tell. (I hope White Pearl is doing alright.)

???? Mauve: We also have some bad news regarding...him.

Crimson Coral: What of him?

???? Ivory: Well...um...

*The scene cuts to Braised Abalone sitting alone in the jail cell, cursing up a storm.*

Braised Abalone: (Those cowardly crewmates...How dare they betray me!! They allow me to rot in here while they get to have a free pass! And that damn House Oyster heir! I'll make her pay for everything!!! Once I'm out of here, she's first on my list!!!)

????: You've brought shame to House Abalone. Getting caught and thrown in jail. How pathetic.

Braised Abalone: *whirls his head up to a hooded figure* I will rip your head off if I hear another word mocking House Abalone!!!

????: *chuckles* Good. Ya will need that rage for our plans.

Braised Abalone: Plans? What plans?

*The hooded figure didn't say anything. He lifted his hand up toward the prison lock...only to phase straight through it. The door slowly opened and before Braised Abalone could say anything, the hooded figure immediately appeared in front of him and placed the same hand on his shoulder. A chill went down his spine and fear formed on his face.*

Braised Abalone: Who...are you?

????: *smiles* Now boy...*pulls down his hood to reveal a very, VERY familiar face* Don't you know yer elder when ya see one?

#cookie run kingdom #crk headcanons #crk oc: bubble pearl cookie #crunchy chip cookie #crunchy chip x bubble pearl #crimson coral cookie #crk oc: braised abalone

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rocknrollsalad · 6 months

Text

☃️ characters/pairings: steddie, clarkson

❄️ @it-gets-worse-at-night "requested" some snowed in steddie and I felt too compelled to deliver. So here's the boys going to get supplies after a few days snowed in the munson trailer

🛷 content/trigger warnings: being trapped inside, snowstorms, loads of discussions about various sexual activities, implied sex, injury discussions, couples fighting, heavily implied drug use, pov switch

😚 word count: 4660

“Wayne practically threw you off that porch,” Steve said as he crowded into Eddie’s space.

“That’s just how he is, you wouldn’t understand.”

“We’ve been trapped inside your trailer with him and Scott for three days, I kind of want to push you out the door and send you on a meaningless chore.”

Eddie stopped to look at Steve, “You don’t mean that.”

Scrambling to a stop of his own, trying not to regret the borrowed boots, Steve gave Eddie a wide-eyed stare. “We’re all on top of each other in a tin can, Ed. There’s no power, no hot water, and we're running out of food. We can hear Wayne chew from your room. With the door closed. Where's the fun?”

“Oh, that’s nothing new,” Eddie said with a laugh and got himself started again, carefully taking steps on what they were hoping was the road. “You’d have never survived the storm of ‘78, things were out for a week. I had to climb on the roof so many times.”

“I was alive in ‘78,” Steve tossed back, not even trying to hide the annoyance.

“Yeah, it was probably real tough in that castle.”

Steve didn’t miss that Eddie wasn’t looking at him. Obviously, he’d made a misstep here and not the expected ones into a ditch or on some patch of ice. However, they had been caged up and Steve wasn’t the sort to just sit and take shit either. “If you want to know the truth, your trailer is way easier to keep warm and I didn’t pay enough attention in science class to know the fire I’d made was trying to heat the whole house.”

“Yeah, but your parents knew.”

“Maybe, they were in Boca. It’s sort of their thing. They don’t really like winter.”

“And why weren’t you with them?”

“Because I was thirteen and the last thing I wanted to do was go hang out at some resort with a bunch of grandmas. I asked to stay.”

And like that, Steve had Eddie back. With a little jump and turn, more than he should have been trying, Eddie was walking backward. Huge grin on his face as he said, “Good to know you’re not one of those guys really into old women.”

“I was thirteen, my tastes hadn’t formed yet,” Steve scrunched his features together, mocking Eddie.

“So that’s why you asked Mrs. Allaway if you could get her anything while we’re out. God, I’ve got to be one epic disappointment.”

“At this point if it were between you in this storm and the grandmas on the beach, I hate to say it…”

Clutching his chest in a gesture that brought the disc sled they were towing up to smack him in his knees, Eddie played his part. Wounded and not walking, it would normally be amusing but Steve wished there were bushes to be seen so he could shove Eddie into them.

Stopping just short of colliding, Steve rolled his eyes. “Mush! Let's go.”

“You’re so cranky. Where's this guy been all my life? Like, yowza. Who needs all these layers with you making me this hot?”

“I’m just not used to being s-so supervised,” Steve snapped. Immediately he flinched at the sound of his own voice. He hadn’t meant for that to come out but they’d been circling it enough the compliant sprouted legs.

“Oh, alright, yeah. Let it out, man,” Eddie laughed, unbothered.

“I was supposed to take you out but Wayne said the weather was gonna turn and, whatever, yeah. Sure, he was right but, man, we should have gone to my place. They know everything we do, I can’t even kiss you without a comment.”

Eddie pressed closer, as near as he could get without them touching. Or they might have been, they were both wrapped in enough layers that Steve couldn’t be sure. “You could now.”

“You know what’s why they kicked us out right?”

“Because you want to kiss me?” Eddie said through a laugh.

“No, because they were smart enough to get the trailer to themselves. Your uncle is absolutely giving it to our old science teacher right now.”

Gagging, Eddie stepped back. “Thanks for that image.”

An evil grin flashed in place of laughter, poised in his growing frustration. “I'm just saying and it could have been us if someone hadn’t ruined it.”

“Who, Scott?” Eddie asked with that innocent confusion he was too good at faking.

“Yeah, him,” Steve deadpanned, pushing past Eddie to carry on. It was a long walk to civilization. “Definitely not you with your ‘you can borrow clothes! We’ve got enough to fit you!’ eagerness.”

“How was I supposed to know?”

“If it was any more obvious, Wayne and Scott would have caught on. I mean, I wouldn't have had to say anything. I mean, what? 'Why do YOU two go and we’ll stay here because I haven’t got off in four days and, well, ya know what? Really if you just check the mail the problem would be sorted' It wasn't even subtext, man.”

Eddie covered his mouth but Steve still heard the laugh. “Look, I wanted to get out of the house.”

“I know and you needed to, you’re climbing the walls, but also we could have used that energy in a better way than a two-hour quest through the snow or whatever you called it.”

“We could…fool around out here.”

Steve didn’t respond, just waved his hand over his body to present the biggest obstacle. Whether he meant all the layers or being without them, he wasn’t sure. Perhaps both.

“Alright fine, then we do a little over-the-clothes action. It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve cum in your pants,” Eddie said with a level of pride that did things to Steve.

He was almost willing to take him up on the offer. Again, it wouldn’t take much effort. “As much as I’d love to spend the rest of the walk to the store with my dick frozen to my leg hairs…”

The act dropped as Eddie paused to entertain Steve’s statement.

“I wouldn’t love that,” Steve whispered, glaring at Eddie. Shocked that needed to be said.

“So, fine. We go back then.”

“And say what? Mr. Munson? Mr. Clarke? I really need to fuck Eddie right now so if you could go get the groceries we were halfway to, that’d be swell.”

“Why did you call him Mr. Munson in that scenario?”

Steve scrubbed his hand over what stinging cold skin he still had exposed.

“And we’re not halfway. A quarter of the way at best.”

“Eddie, I’m going to murder you. I’m going to murder you and leave your body in the snow then I’m going to jerk off in your bed when your uncle comes out looking for you.”

“I mean, that sounds like an amazing night.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

“Him too, huh?”

“You know that movie where the guy goes crazy and tries to kill his wife in the tree maze?”

“You’re so close but yes.”

“I get it.”

“All work and no play, huh?”

There wasn’t anything Steve could say. He was aware of his sour mood which was because of so many things other than his ability to have a bit of fun with Eddie. Being trapped was huge but they were out walking around so maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked.

Hearing over and over how it’s just a snowstorm and everything would be fine was also going to bring Steve to murder. Like Wayne and Scott had any clue what they’d been through, the horrors Steve knew and the way feeling helpless ate at him. Sure it wasn’t the same but the feelings were too close for Steve’s liking.

Add to that Steve didn’t think people were meant to spend this many consecutive hours together. He was ready for his solitude back. And for the snow to leave.

Wayne was taking care of them and well. He knew all the tricks and how to make things work, he kept the peace pretty well, and Steve likely was being as difficult as Eddie. They probably both needed to be kicked out.

“I think I’m just gonna walk back to my place after we get you loaded up.”

“What? Why? You’re going to make me carry everything back by myself?”

“You have the sled.”

“It’ll be heavy though! You have all those muscles!”

Steve rolled his eyes but took the compliment.

“Look, it’s not a full plan,” Eddie started. “But maybe you’re right. We can go back.”

“How?”

“If you faked hurt.”

With a shake of his head, Steve said he didn’t understand and waited for Eddie to offer more.

“I was thinking about it, right? You have to be the one who’s hurt because you’re a guest and my uncle can’t demand you go to the doctor since you’re not his kid. Even though I’m the better actor.”

“You’re more dramatic, it’s not the same thing.”

“One day we’re going to be stuck in the snow without Wayne to save u-no wait, that wouldn't be a problem wouldn’t it?”

“Probably not.”

“Well, being bitchy now doesn’t melt the snow or whatever so we’ve got my plan or we go to the store and return. Together.”

“Let’s hear it,” Steve resigned.

“You’re hurt, right? Something easy, no broken bones or anything, so you just have to have bed rest and aspirin. I get you back to the trailer in one piece since I'm obviously the hero of this story. Wayne and Scott go get supplies since we failed. Blammo! The house to ourselves.”

“So, what? We were goofing off when we weren’t supposed to be, I got hurt, and we didn’t make it to the store.”

“Perfect, right.”

“More than enough for me,” Steve said, spinning on his heel and heading back the way they came.

Getting out of the trailer wasn’t all it was cracked up to be in this sort of cold. They’d made it a considerable distance and Steve felt like that part was out of his system. Maybe he just needed to take a little walk every day like some sort of pet. However, he was nearly sprinting back to the trailer. Desperate for warmth and the promised alone time in said warm trailer.

Eddie struggled to keep up but his snowsuit didn’t fit like it used to, he claimed. Limiting his movements. He had to shout to stop Steve before he rounded into the trailer park, they had to sell this. And Eddie was right, acting wasn’t Steve’s thing so he called upon everything he had. This rested on his performance. So he climbed onto the sled and let Eddie pull him from there.

Alerting the whole place to the problem, Eddie called out Wayne's name long before reaching the Munson home. Steve wanted to needle and make jokes about getting into Eddie’s head and what the men were up to but he’d done enough damage today.

As expected, Wayne came scrambling out onto the front porch, nearly kicking through the snow that had piled up from the roof. Steve watched the emergency response turn into disappointment.

“What the hell have you boys done now?”

“If you didn’t want us to play in the snow you shouldn’t have given us a sled,” Eddie said.

“Here I thought you were grown up enough,” Wayne mocked. He stuffed a hand into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

“Wayne,” Eddie said with so much seriousness. “It’s a sled. It’s bright green. I’m an adult but I’m still human.”

Steve shrugged a shoulder, it was a valid point.

As Wayne exhaled the first drag, he waited for an explanation. Something people seemed to do a lot around Eddie. Steve wasn’t sure if it was annoyance or understanding they all had but it was neat that they all shared it.

“Maybe we were goofing off a little bit, whatever. We’ve been inside for days! If I crashed into him because no one can control one of these things then that’s between me, him, and the woodland creatures. Especially the birds that all scattered at the deafening sound of his knee…”

“Dislocating,” Steve filled in.

Steve’s contribution stopped Wayne and he looked down at him on his pathetic sled, snow-covered and freezing. Again, he waited for more to be said.

“My knee popped outta place. It’s happened before. I was a bit worried about it because, ya know,” Steve motioned around him to the snow, “But it popped back in so I knew it wasn’t gonna be that bad.”

Wayne grumbled.

“It’s not a big deal, everything kind of goes black for a minute, like,” Steve held his hands out past his head and brought them to a point.

Scott appeared over Wayne’s shoulder looking like he’d run a few laps around the trailer to get here. “Is he alright?”

“He’s an idiot but he’ll live,” Wayne said, tapping the cigarette over the snow and having Steve oddly feel like part of the family. “Get him inside, Ed.”

They’d pulled it off. Steve was really starting to doubt things for a second but it looked like this was working. The hardest acting of all of this was not celebrating. Talking about his knee was easy, he retold a basketball injury, but this was different.

Not as hard, though, as having to act like he couldn’t walk. Wayne wasn’t looking at them but he was always watching. Eddie wasn’t much help. Had Steve seriously been hurt, crawling into the trailer would have been easier than this Three Stooges brand entrance into the home.

Steve ended up moving himself up the stairs though, backward and very carefully. Eddie crashed into the walls of the trailer trying to get Steve on his feet, and a very doting Scott came and helped Steve hop to the couch. He prayed he was selling this but between the concern and the clown, his performance was overshadowed.

The performance was worth it when Scott helped Steve get his leg up on the coffee table (with a few pillows, of course) and then instructed Eddie to “help Steve get out of some of those layers”. The overzealous “gladly” that Eddie rushed out had Scott turning several shades of red and spinning in a circle, not sure if he should chastise Eddie or leave the room. Steve wondered if now was the right time to tell him he’d skipped a button in getting dressed. Really pile on the embarrassment.

As usual, he was saved by Wayne who showed up dressed in his winter gear. It wasn’t anything close to Eddie’s navy blue, puffy overalls but it looked as old and well-used. Mission-driven Wayne was not a man one talked to. Eddie fell back immediately, getting out of the way.

Scott moved forward. “You’re not going out there alone!”

“You stay and tend to the boys, I’ll be fine,” Wayne answered, not welcoming a discussion as he grabbed his scarf and gloves.

Risking their whole plan, Eddie and Steve’s heads whipped toward each other. They hadn’t planned for this.

“I’m a science teacher, not a nurse, there’s nothing I can do for him that Eddie can’t. I’m not having you wandering around in the snow alone.”

“Nothing your teaching stuff could do for us out there either,” Wayne offered.

Again, Eddie and Steve shared a look but it was sympathy for Scott. And a bit of guilt for bringing this on.

“We’re absolutely going to pretend you didn’t say that because I doubt you mean it. Give me two minutes.”

Wayne growled but he stopped wrapping his scarf around his neck. As Scott dashed off to find things to stay warm, Wayne turned his attention to the boys. “He alright?”

“I dunno, I think we might have to amputate,” Eddie answered.

Steve looked up at his boyfriend confused but it brought a laugh from Wayne. Things weren’t as bleak as they looked and somehow Eddie knew that. He deserved a bit more credit than he got sometimes. Steve probably owed him an apology or two.

“Well, I trust you know what you’re doing. Give him a belt to bite down on and remember bone is harder to cut through than you think.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Eddie said in a way that made it sound like he’d done it a dozen times.

Whatever was going on made the room feel lighter. Steve may not have understood but he was thankful.

“We let a lot of the heat out getting you two inside so-”

“Yup,” Eddie said.

“And…sorry for before. You two were just having fun.”

“We were being dumbasses too. We knew better.”

“Nothing wrong with that you just, you gotta be careful. You both are more fragile than you used to be.”

Eddie’s shoulders dropped but Steve stared at Wayne in disbelief. Was all of this because they’d gotten hurt and not because they didn’t finish the mission? The guilt started to weigh enough Steve feared an actual injury. He wasn’t hurt and they were dumbasses. Not anyone worth this much fuss.

Scott showed up looking ready to explore the Arctic, he even had goggles. He was too easy to make fun of. How this man survived middle school on a daily basis had to be a miracle. Steve knew he was at his meanest then, honing the craft if you will, and Scott begged to be mocked.

As if reading their minds, Wayne shook his head but nodded toward the door. Moving things along in a way only he could. Giving them another look, a nod of their own, Scott followed Wayne.

Hot on his heels, Eddie stood in the doorway as he sent the troops off to war. “We were going to spend all the money on beer and sour candy so, ya know, don’t do that. Or do. I still want some candy.”

Steve didn’t need to see Wayne to know the eye roll the comment received. “Close the damn door, boy.” was the parting comment.

Like that, Steve and Eddie had the place to themselves. They got out of the grunt work and they got a weird bonus of being cared for. Maybe Steve could cook dinner or something. At a minimum, he could stop complaining. He was building quite the debt for this and didn't have a clue how to pay it off and ease his conscience.

Eddie peered through the window, fogging up the glass as his uncle stomped his way out of the trailer park. While Eddie kept watch, Steve shed some layers. Waiting for the go-ahead, the all clear. If there was going to be this much guilt, they better do what they came back for!

---

Scott stood on what he thought was the Munson’s driveway, looking back at the homestead he’d been lucky enough to have through this storm. Normally he weathered the snowdays alone. It was never a hardship, there were plenty of projects calling his name and even the loss of electricity didn’t stop him. Spending the days trapped inside with three other people didn’t look like the preferable choice but Scott hadn’t minded.

At least until cabin fever started to claim everyone else. Steve was the first to go. They were twelve hours away from rash decisions or a knife fight. Wayne was next but it was hard to know if it was cabin fever or the teenagers they were crammed in the trailer with. Eddie seemed to not have an off switch and Steve was teetering on the brink. They'd drive anyone to madness.

Thankfully they had their own space but without the distraction of music, television, and the hum of general appliance usage, Scott and Wayne could hear their every conversation. To make sure they didn’t fall victim to the same, Scott and Wayne kept it light and did a lot of reading.

Watching Wayne stomp down the steps to blow right past where Scott stood, they were either going to find a way to say even less as they walked to the store or too much was going to be said. As weird as it was, Scott hoped for the latter. Wayne wasn’t great at talking about what he felt but there was more going on here and it shouldn’t stay in.

Scott struggled to find the boy's tracks, the wind filled in most disturbances. Soon it’d all be compacted and turned into a slushy mess. For now, it was almost majestic. The sort of stuff that made Scott wish he was better with a camera.

He slipped a few times, the soft snow crunching down further on one side than the other and costing him his balance. Wayne would have caught him, surely, or at least laughed along but he was already in the next county. If he’d gotten any farther ahead of Scott, he’d have to take offense. The neon green sled helped Wayne stay visible at least.

Near the end of the street, Wayne turned around and closed the gap. “We shouldn’t have asked them to go, they aren’t responsible enough.”

“Try again.”

“They’re just kids, Scott. It’s our job to go and what’s worse, we’re fooling around like we’re the teenagers.”

There was a drastic shift in attitude from one comment to the next. Scott was pretty sure the problem here after that second addition but he stood tall and firm. “Keep going.”

“What if something serious had happened? Eddie was in the hospital for eight months, Steve half that time. They could have done something, who knows. I mean...”

“They could have but they didn’t," Scott said firmly. "We can’t worry about the could haves.”

“I just saw Steve on that sled and thought they could have been hit by some idiot thinking they could drive in this and we wouldn’t have known. We’d’ve been at home complaining about how long they were taking.”

“Okay,” Scott said, nodding and taking this in.

He didn’t have any kids of his own, adoptive or biological. Scott had far too many opinions on raising kids but he dealt with parents choices day in and day out. Of course, there were ones he worried about sending home each day but it was nothing like this. Eddie was Wayne's responsibility, his burden.

Wayne was an amazing parent and this showed why. Doing his best to take in the concern and not respond too coldly or calculated, Scott touched the sleeve of Wayne’s coat to let him know he was there.

“You wanna say something ‘bout them being fine, don’t you?”

“Is that going to change how you feel?”

“No.”

“Then it’s not helpful. At some point, you’ll have to let the boys make their own mistakes. They’re adults now and they aren’t always going to have you to come home to but that doesn’t mean you have to stop worrying.”

“Hmmm.”

Scott smiled, “Those two boys know that no matter what happens, they can call on you and that’s not something most have in life. You getting a few extra gray hairs means they know they’re loved.”

“Well, we don’t gotta go that far.”

“But it means you have to let them try to fly too.”

“Y’know, I’ve never been able to stop Eddie from doing much but it really should have been me and you that did this in the first place.”

“Aw, are you saying you didn’t have fun being the ones left behind?”

“Now, don’t fight dirty, Mr. Clarke.”

“I’m simply pointing out that sometimes it’s okay to let them try. Fun, even.” though it couldn’t be seen, Scott raised an eyebrow.

It all earned a laugh from Wayne that felt like a major victory rather than a half-a-second reaction. This wasn’t going to ruin their day, it was barely going to ruin the next five minutes, so Scott walked along quietly and left Wayne to his thoughts. Enjoying the peace of mind that things weren’t going to explode any time soon. The volatile conditions weren’t going to go away but if they continued to be careful, they’d survive this.

By the walk home, Scott was tired but filled the crisp air with words. Lamenting the state of the store and how overly optimistic it’d been to think there’d be anything worthwhile left this deep into the storm. If they couldn't drive Wayne's truck through town, deliveries weren't getting in either. Which brought on other worries but it was too late for any preventative measures.

There wasn’t a drop of liquor left in the store, not even cooking sherry, but they did get sour candies for the boys. Wayne had to suffer and get a different brand of cigarettes but Scott wasn’t about to add withdrawals to this situation so he'd put them in the cart and silenced the complaints. Just because he had more patience than the rest of them, didn’t mean it couldn’t run out.

Back at the trailer, things were suspiciously quiet. They’d made good use of their time alone given it smelled like a family of skunks had a party under the trailer. Wayne shook his head, not a battle he wanted to (or could) fight. It was something Scott was still getting used to, especially the reflex of years spent with the expectation he would kick down doors and put a stop to recreational drug use.

Wayne traipsed into Eddie’s room with the comfort that comes with “I pay the bills here” and gave the boys the rundown. What was out, what they got, who they’d run into. Steve was lying on the bed with his knee propped up on every spare pillow the trailer had.

As Wayne spoke, Scott glanced from Steve to Eddie; something happened here. Nothing looked out of place and neither of them seemed different but Scott knew something was going on. For a moment he thought about asking, to point out the way things felt, but he’d spent too much time scurrying after Wayne in the snow to ruin the good mood it’d brought back.

Instead, Scott listened to Wayne talk about some guy he knew from work. Through narrowed eyes and finally unfogged glasses, Scott watched the kids. Trying to decide if it was the weed or they’d broken grandma’s heirloom vase or whatever the Munson equivalent was. Scott waited for Wayne to make his exit. The promise of some meal that didn’t make sense to Steve or Scott came as Wayne walked out to hang his winter clothes up to dry.

“I don’t know what you two are up to,” Scott whispered, pointing a finger from one to the other before settling it on Eddie. “But I know it’s something and your uncle is out there feeling like a failure as a parental figure because he sent you two out in the storm. Which means whatever it is stays a secret. You hear me?”

They both nod, wide-eyed and sitting a little straighter in the bed.

“Good. Because if he finds out–”

“There’s nothing to find out,” Eddie said, falling so easily into that cornered cat persona.

Meanwhile, Steve looked like he’d been stopped by the police. Caught mid-crime and coming to terms with the terrifying prospects of prison, he shifted his injured leg. Scott silently emphasized the warning before saying “Good.”

With that, he left. He’d spent so long trying not to be Mr. Clarke and to not see those two as former students but it was the only way he knew how to do something like that. Rather than sit around and watch it implode, Scott fell back on the skills he’d honed. If he used them for good it couldn’t possibly be a problem, right?

And the man standing in the kitchen clutching a cup of coffee like a lifeline, with its warmth and normalcy, as he assessed their haul was the best cause of them all.

#will i remember to put this on ao3 later??? probably not #steddie #clarkson #not for a challenge but possessed by the spirit #hey everyone come see what i wrote now #also i could be easily pushed into another over lapping third part

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