#i wore a cubs shirt yesterday and everything

[plushii-gutz]

Part 4 of Thorns - may have gotten a little silly here for my own entertainment. Thank you to my lord and savior Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven-way 🤭 you may recognize another character here owned by @bear-cubs-art-things and a new fellow owned by @plantsaredabest

꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶꒷꒦˚꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶꒷꒦˚꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶

Light has yet to shine outside. The horrible storm had seemed to pass, or in the least, the worst part of it. Viola's powdery blue eyes flickered open, woken by the sound of the creaking floor. Pereskia walked past, carrying a freshly cleaned hoodie. The bowgart stretched her arms and rolled partially off the couch, lazily sitting up with her hands patting against its soft fabrics aimlessly before coming across her glasses. She put them on, blinking a few times to adjust to her returning vision. She hadn't noticed the human kid on the floor, observing her. She looked kind of sticky, red and blue stains on the shirt she wore

"Eh? Never seen someone with glasses before?"

Lily tilted her head. Viola copied her move mockingly.

"Is it the hands? Four arms? It's not unknown among monsters, but I get it. Not a common characteristic on Amber, other than maybe floogulls and Bowhead."

She moved her arms as she spoke, adding a bit of body language to every word.

"You'd think having more fingers would make it easier to count, but no. Can't juggle well, either. They're great for climbing, though. And surgery. Once did a whole amputation on my own."

Lily seemed a bit grossed out at the comment, giving a nasty "bleh!".

"Oh yeah, the medical field is disgusting. Had a mammott come in with an abscess the size of a quarter on the side of his face. The stuff that came out was straight green."

"Ew!"

"Viola!" Pereskia yelled, returning to the living room. She held the now patched-up hoodie Lily had arrived in. The stitching wasn't the best, but it held together - including the blue ears. "You better not be botherin' that kid!"

"I'm not, I'm not. Where's Enya?"

"They're finishing breakfast. If ya want something, I'd recommend hurrying. It's getting cold."

Perry offered the hoodie back to the kid, who happily tossed it back on. With another yawn and a final stretch, Viola followed the barrb to the kitchen. Lily stood behind, cleaning her mind of the disgusting visuals.

Pereskia had made quite the breakfast. Stacks of pancakes, fresh fruit on every plate, syrup spilling onto the tablecloth. Enya was a sticky mess but seemed delighted.

"Wow. You really outdid yourself this morning," Viola commented.

"I might as well clean out the cabinets," Pereskia sighed, cleaning off Lily's plate. "I'll be honest, though, I doubt the new owner of this shop is moving in. The island is a mess."

"Shocker."

"Yeah," Enya chimed in, wiping her face clean. "The next ship will be arriving soon, too. Hopefully, there's enough room for everyone."

"Speaking of which, what's the plan for the kid?"

The kitchen fell silent. Pereskia turned to the table, taking the empty plates and adding them to the sink.

"I've been thinkin' of that all night," She spoke her thoughts. "I thought of making a disguise, but I don't have much to work with anymore. Sold most everything last night."

"I mean, we can look around outside," the bowgart suggested. "If I can find the right stuff, I might be able to throw something together, albeit terribly. Hey Perry, you know how to sew, don't you?"

"Not much - just what my mama taught me. I'm more than willing to learn a couple of things for th' kid, though."

"You seem to know what you're doing. I'll take Enya with me, they know the island better."

Enya agreed to the plan, though it held a bit of hesitation. She wasn't sure if the island's residents had stopped their brutal revolting against her, despite their anger being towards Cecilia. Perry seemed to pick up on her worry like a breeze in the air.

"You make sure to keep Enya safe. You remember the situation we got 'em out of, don'cha?"

"It was yesterday, Pereskia."

"I'm bein' serious."

"So am I."

With an agitated huff, the barrb excused the two. She ordered for them to take the shop exit, though, to keep Lily more hidden. They agreed, leaving Perry behind to resume packing her belongings and a few more things for the kid.

The shop was a mess. The windows had caved under the pressure, now shattered alongside the human's entrance. Pots had fallen over and broken apart, gardening tools laid about. Enya led the way, clearing the glass and making a path for Viola to cross. She thanked them, reaching the outside world. The sight was hardly any different.

Trees with sticky sap had snapped in half, stones tossed about. Buildings had collapsed inwards or fallen, leaving monsters to sit out on the gray island in the cold. Others pulled blankets from the remnants of their homes, warming the weaker. They walked along what remained of a stone path, taking in the state of the land.

"Viola!" A familiar voice called. "Over here!"

It was Jaiden, standing near a destroyed house with Baloola reaching inside. She can't seem to grab whatever it is she needs. Dragging Enya, they rushed over.

"She's trapped! We can't get her out!"

"Who? What?"

"Tabby! My cousin! She can't breathe in there!"

"Alright," Viola kept her cool, taking action. "Jaiden, Baloola, you hold up the wreckage best you can. I'm not short, but I'm small enough to fit in. Enya, you go back to Perry's and get the medical kit."

"But we just-"

"Go!"

"Ok."

The two sisters held up either end of the collapsed house. Viola crouched down, barely able to squeeze into the tight space. It's a claustrophobic hell, suffocating with jagged wooden spiked poking from every angle. Her arms pushed aside rubble, inching her forward until she found a blue furred hand. She used her horns to move aside anything hanging, making the monster more visible. She was crushed but alive. With a firm grasp on both of their hands, Viola pulled Tabby from the unseen debris that trapped her. She moved back carefully, hoping nothing was being pulled or broken.

The outside light began to seep in. Viola freed her legs and hind arms, only to find herself stuck with her horn caught onto something.

"Are you ok?" Baloola asked. "Why'd you stop moving? C'mon, it's cool out here!"

"It's.. hold on."

The bowgart looked around, taking a rag and wrapping it around one of the many broken wooden boards. She bit onto it, put her legs against the ground, and began to rip both herself and Tabby out of the wreckage. With a sharp yell of pain, Viola tore her horn off in a harsh jerk and snapped free. The Sooza is rested on the ground, Enya standing prepared.

"Holy shit, your horn!" Jaiden worried, helping Viola to her feet.

"It's fine - Enya, the kit."

"Right h-here!"

Viola got to work, having Enya support the patient upwards to make breathing a bit easier. Tabby jolted awake, tense. The two held her down, trying to keep her still.

"Tabby - listen to me, Tabby. You got caught in a collapsing building, and you're in a state of shock. You're riddled with adrenaline and can't recognize pain."

"Pain, I'm not in pain! There's no pain. Let me go!"

Viola moved back, revealing a horribly broken leg. Tabby stared for a long time, mortified. It was enough for her to allow the doctor to get to work.

"It's a compound fracture. We need to get them to a hospital, this requires surgery for a fix. I can suture other open wounds, but this will need something I don't have."

"How do we get her there?" Baloola asked. "Will she be ok?"

"Next ship," Enya answered. "It should be here soon. They might have stuff to help her on board, too!"

Viola wrapped the wounds as much as she could, biting the excess bandages off and keeping it tight.

"Enya, do you have any updates on when the ship will arrive?"

"Uh - I-I'd give it another 30 minutes?"

"Alright, that's not too bad. Keep them off the leg until the ship arrives. I'll try and get someone on board to bring out a stretcher. Until then, I've done all I can."

Viola took a step back to make sure her words were true. Baloola had dropped down, giving Tabby a strong hug that surprisingly didn't seem to hurt. Must be stable enough.

"All I can do," She echoed. Her attention turned to the fallen house, poking her head back in and finding the missing horn. A couple of harsh tugs, and she yanked it out. Gross, but It will come in handy. She checked around, grabbing a piece of wood that was a relatively good match of colors and taking it too.

"Hey, Viola," Jaiden said in a soft tone, pulling her friend aside. "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do. Quite literally, actually. If I had the right stuff, your cousin would be doing backflips in minutes, but I digress - you're welcome."

"Heh. Hey, would you be up to hanging out? As a thank you."

"Tabby's bone is poking from her leg, and you're asking someone you've known for a whole hour if they want to go out?"

The pompom shrugged. Viola quirked an eyebrow, looking Jaiden up and down.

"You're weird. I'm down."

"Wait, really? Sweet! Uh - you happen to be going to Plant Island?"

"Yep."

"Alright, cool! I'll be making plans. Do you want my number?"

Enya looked to Baloola, to Jaiden, then back to Baloola. They share an expression that was barely readable to anyone other than themselves. They pull the purple monsters apart, Viola needing to return to Pereskia's as soon as possible. Before they reached her shop, Enya is able to find a couple of blue blankets. This should help!

Inside, Perry had set up the sewing machine. Thread twisted along her fingers as she looked over instructions, printed on old paper that had browned over the years. Lily wore one of the barrb's old coats, laughing at the oversized sleeves and flapping her arms. As stressed as Perry was, she couldn't help but smile. How sweet of a child she was gifted.

"Did ya find anything useful? Oh - honey, your horn.."

"I know, don't rub it in. I have an idea, though."

Enya laid the fabrics down as Viola rolled out their plan. Enya and Pereskia were tasked to work on making a pair of extra arms, as well as two sets of matching gloves and one pair of slippers. While they were doing such, she planned on carving the block of wood to match her other horn.

"So we're making her into a bowgart?" Enya asked.

"Yep."

"Now hold on," Perry stepped in. "Why not a barrb? Or.. a Flowah, maybe. Just makin' suggestions."

"Well, we don't have the right colors, and I feel that may be a bit harder to do. For our level, at least."

"Your horns are far lighter than a normal Bowgarts. Wouldn't that throw others off as well?"

"Wouldn't putting thorns on her be uncomfortable?"

Enya had to split them up. After a bit of reasonable arguing, they agree to do the bowgart disguise. It was easier and involved the materials they already had. Work began on the arms, Viola carving away at both the wooden block and her horn, making them smaller to match Lily's size. Perry soon learned that she had quite the knack for sewing. She adapted quickly to the loud machine and tedious work of thread and patterns, allowing Enya to branch off and work on the slippers. Lily stood tall for the measuring and fitting. Soon enough, their work was finished. Viola added the last part: the headband with curled horns.

"Not bad," she praised herself.

Lily shook her head, shaking the horns and having them clink against one another. They were far from stable, but a couple more drops of hot glue did the trick. She seemed to find the whole outfit more silly than serious, but whatever made her happy made Perry happy, too.

"We really need to go," Enya warned. "The ship is probably about to leave."

With a collective agreement, the four monsters ushered out the door. Perry dropped her hat on Lily, hiding her rosy face behind it, and kept her close as they were finally able to leave.

Jaiden stood near the islands edge, seemingly waiting for Viola. They chattered as they walked on board, the rare monster not questioning who the monsterling was once. Though annoyed, Pereskia followed behind with the kids hand in hers.

"Wait.. Enya?" She turned back. "Are you comin'?"

The kayna stood behind, accompanied by a group of fire monsters offering her their apologies. They had plenty of time to recognize their mistakes and their anger. They were remorseful for their actions, wishing deeply for a second chance.

"I think.. I think I'll stay here."

Their warm amber eyes met Perry's.

"Maybe Amber Island has a chance. We'll need a leader to help rebuild it, won't we?"

Viola looked back at Enya, putting together her expression with ease. She gave a nod of approval, almost looking proud of them.

"Well, hun.. I'll be sure to send ya letters," Pereskia promised. "I wish you the best of luck."

As the ship began to move, the two monsters waved their goodbyes as the island was left in caring hands. Another flame that will never be smothered, and a new flame that only now began to grow.

꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶꒷꒦˚꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶꒷꒦˚꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶

Plant Island had a far less disastrous storm, though this didn't seem to surprise anyone. With Viola's help, Tabby was taken into Plant Island Hospital minutes within arrival. Baloola chose to stay by the sooza's side, bidding the group farewell as they left for their homes. Pereskia carried Lily with the kids head on her shoulder, worried of being singled out by Jaiden. Even with the worry, the walk was calm.

"I don't live too far from the hospital. Moved closer since I worked there, made the drive easier, if at all. I guess it's just for convenience now."

"Being a doctor must have been crazy. I've seen and heard the stupid stuff my family gets into. Can't imagine having to work with it every day."

Viola reached into her scarf, pulling her phone from it as it played its default song.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Jaiden asked.

"The scarf has pockets," Viola answered plainly, accepting the call. A bit of talking and planning goes by before the cell is tucked away once more.

"I have to stop by a patients house. Might be a while until I'm bale to get back."

"Didn't you say your licenses were suspended or something?"

"Oh hey, my house is right there to the left! Here, Perry, these are the keys in. How about you make yourself at home while I go deal with this boring work stuff. Jaiden, you said the house you're staying at is a little farther down?"

"Uh - yeah, but -"

"How about I walk you home? I'll meet up with you in a little while, yeah?"

Though confused, Jaiden nodded and went along with it. Viola left her behind, mumbling every annoyance she had in her head as she left to the castle hidden deep within the woods.

Many hours passed before Jaiden had even gotten so much as a text from the lilac-furred monster, updating her that the bowgart was on her way. She couldn't help but be a little upset, yet her excitement pushed through it. She waited eagerly at the door, waiting for the expected knocks. The wait wasn't long, Viola arriving quickly.

"Hey!" She said, panting. "Sorry about that. Got a little caught up in a.. situation with the patients."

"It's fine," Jaiden assured her. "Come on in! I wanna show you something. And uh, don't mind the mess - this is Baloola's place, not mine. She likes her colors."

The interior is as weird as the exterior. It was overly colorful, white walls covered in a sprinkle-like pattern and plenty of decorative paintings of sweet treats and family photo's. Rainbow lights hung from the ceiling, confetti covering the floor and sticking to their fur as they walked to the pompom's room. It was different than the rest of the home, having warmer and darker colors and cool air. A table sat near the back, covered in material and an abundance of sewing supplies, and a lazily decorated bed with gray and purple sheets.

"So," Jaiden began, "I didn't really make any exact plans. Just playing it by ear, you know? But I do have a question."

"Shoot."

"Wanna look awesome?"

Jaiden opened her closet, revealing rows upon rows of hand-made jackets, shirts, pants, everything. Only a few contained tags, indicating they were store-bought. Viola looked through, inspecting the amount of detail and care put into each.

"Wow.. did you make these?"

"Yep. Started as a way to pass the time and pay less. Made a few things for family and friends. Years of practice later, I think I'm pretty good at it."

"Well, this would have been useful earlier."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Do you have anything for four-armed monsters?"

"Oh yeah, plenty."

They laid out the many options, Viola picking what she will and won't wear. There wasn't a particular theme, just having fun.

"Your fur color goes well with most of these if you ask me. I think the easiest way to start is with a white crop-top and a black leather jacket - it's an easy kill."

"I'm not really looking into killing any more monsters."

"What?"

"I'll take the jacket."

The rare monster laughed to herself, setting the items aside for the other to slip into. Viola was weird, but she was digging it.

"Alright. How do you feel about stupidly ragged pants?"

"Not happening."

"Shorts?"

"Depends. Chain?"

"Yep."

"Deal. Give me a belt as well."

"Your words are my command."

Another item was added. Viola debated on fingerless gloves, still unsure of how all-out she was going. She wasn't one to dress up, not knowing what goes good with what. In the end, Jaiden assured her that it shouldn't and likely wouldn't matter. All that matters is whether or not Viola enjoyed it.

"Your lashes are naturally glorious," she commented, "but if you're up to it, how about some make-up? Just extend things a bit more, yeah?"

The bowgart agreed, letting Jaiden work her magic. A bit of eyeshadow, a bit of mascara. She added a simple spiked choker around Viola's neck to bring more silver to the outfit, letting her get a look in the mirror.

"Damn. That explains my social media following."

"You look great! Shit, I even impressed myself."

Jaiden put together her own outfit, relatively the same as Viola's, with the shorts swapped out for a red plaid skirt and matching red choker with a silver heart instead of spikes. She also debated on swapping out the top as well, only deciding against it moments before leaving.

"Where to first? You're the one who asked me on a date," Viola teased.

"It's not a date!" Jaiden snapped back, shaking herself clean of the statement. "Ahem. I really appreciated your help back there with Tabby, and I was thinking we could go somewhere to just have fun. Initially, I planned on going to Barry's because it's karaoke night and the drinks are cheap, but I thought it was a bit.. weird. I mean, you're a doctor! Aren't you supposed to be against drinking? If I'm being honest, I kind of rushed asking you."

"Oh, I could tell. About the drinking, It's not that we're against it. It's all about moderation and not waking up in someone's backyard the next day, if at all. I'm personally a bit indifferent on it, but as a professional, I can easily push it aside. I'd be lying if I said I haven't gotten tipsy myself."

"So.. Barry's later tonight? Until then, if you want, we can stop by the arcade nearby. Their pizza is the best!"

"Sounds good to me. I don't have a lot of cash on me, though."

"Never said you'd need it."

"But-"

"Nuh-uh."

Viola chose not to argue, though she still planned on using a bit of her own money.

The arcade, titled "Pixel Playground," seemed surprisingly lively inside with monsters young and old. The front half of the building was nothing but the classic retro games and machines that were to be expected, the back having the iconic white plastic folding tables and chairs and holding a birthday party. They did pick-up orders as well, which Jaiden began to put in as Viola went to purchase some tokens. The tokens were an old, almost rusty looking silver, stamped with the arcades mascot.

"The pizza will be another 30 minutes 'cause of the party, but at least that gives us time to break some joysticks," Jaiden joked.

"Hell yeah. I got us 20 tokens each, so that should be enough to keep us entertained."

Viola scanned over the many games with Jaiden by her side, finding a particularly dusty one to play. It was a fighting game with fuzzy speakers and a chipped screen. Its name and logo were faded, barely able to read 'Critter Catastrophe!'

"Sweet Galvana, I remember playing this all the time!" She praised.

"Critter catastrophe: the perfect game for 10 year old monsterlings."

"I was 12, actually."

"Oh yes, my bad. Wanna play a round?"

They each slip in a coin, the screen going black and booting up the character select. Viola chose the same critter she had when she was younger, the Cold Island bun, and Jaiden selected the Plant Island bird. A sense of nostalgia washed over her as her mind moved back to older times.

She remembered how he always chose the Earth Island critter because of its firey abilities, always having the advantage over her snowy creatures. She only ever chose it because it was where she lived - Cold Island.

"You're cheating!" She'd accuse.

"Nope," he would answer, "Just better at the game than you!"

Viola would get mad, even more so when he'd ruffle her hair afterward and take his winning tickets. He'd promise to get her a soda, finally getting her mood back up to continue searching for other games to play. They would try the claw machine, only once ever winning something. They would climb around in the play place, making friends with whatever monsters were there. After the day had passed, they left before it got too dark. He'd offer her his gloves, even when she brought her own. It was always so cold..

"Viola? Hey, the game's over."

The bowgart blinked a few times, having to remember and recognize where she was.

"Oh. Shit. Sorry, I sort of blanked out."

"You also kicked my ass in this game! How about another round?"

Viola nodded in agreement with a small grin, starting up another match. They spent the remaining time swapping between games and giving a few claw machines a chance and failing. They took the pizza out to the sidewalk, enjoying it in all its unhealthy glory and debating their next stop. It was around noon now, so it would probably be smart to begin their walk to Barry's. They did such, knowing it would likely be crowded if they were to arrive late.

The front of the building had its iconic green and purple neon lights, displaying its name proudly behind a glass barrier. The two walked in, taking a seat on the barstools and being introduced to a drumpler named Lars. He asked what they would like to start off their night. Simple margaritas will do! They came in at a good time, getting their drinks before a plentiful of monsters began to pour in.

The stage is taken on by other Plant Island residents, the music filling the room and their voices with joy. All singing is good singing if it was joyous, is it not? Viola remembered the tales of how monsters were made to sing a song in unity, praising the island and the Celestials. Sometimes, it was just for fun.

"Hey, you should go up there," Jaiden nudged Viola's side.

"I don't know.. I'm not exactly the most vocal of monsters."

"Neither was I, but it's nothing a bit of practice can't help with. And drinks, of course."

"Sure, sure."

"Hey, we all have our ways. Lars! Hey, give me something a little stronger, bud!"

The drumpler took their empty cups, bringing them back the stronger drinks they desired.

"Try an' be careful with these, ladies," his coarse voice jokingly warned, snickering.

The rare monster downed hers in seconds, sitting up and requesting a turn. Viola sat back, watching as her friend took the stage and began to sing. The song sounded familiar, perhaps something from a cartoon she had watched in her younger days. It was clear she knew the song by heart. Jaiden had quite the vocals, definitely experienced. Or perhaps it was natural? It didn't matter - it was lovely. She seemed to be enjoying herself, too, adding a bit more movement to every lyric. She finished with open arms, accepting the crowds applause and returning to Viola's side.

"I'm a bit of a celebrity here," she laughed.

"I can see why. I might need a few more of these before I get up there," the bowgart said, shaking her now empty glass.

"Whatever helps you find your voice!"

With a bit of alcohol and a lot of encouragement, Viola agreed to the challenge. They pondered on what song to choose, what kind of music. Should it match her appearance or be the polar opposite for the sake of comedy?

"Just remember what I said earlier: it shouldn't matter what others think. Just do what feels right."

Viola nodded, leaving to the stage after finalizing her decision. Her worry shot up at the many eyes, only being drowned out by the first few beats kicking in through the speakers. She took a deep breath, facing this obstacle the same way she had every other. Soon, she felt nothing in the room but herself and the music. As it went on, a sense of accomplishment seeped into her blood. She felt.. proud? It was hard to tell - it's been a while since she had to really think about it rather than accept it at face value.

Viola twirled the microphones wire in her hands as she sung her song, giving most every monster a glance of the eye and particularly Jaiden, who voiced their support from the barstool. Viola wasn't one to show off, but for once, she held the stage in a positive light. The air felt clear as day and carried every lyric with ease, bringing the bar the show of a lifetime. Any anxiety she held had washed out into the night. Maybe it was the drinks. Maybe it was Jaiden. Why does it matter? She wasn't seen in this moment as any of the negative things she had done. She was just another singing monster - and seemingly a good one at that! She was digging the attention, really.

She finished her song with a bow, passing the mic off for the next monster and returning to her friends side. The pompom slid over a couple of waters, making sure both of them would be at least a little sober before their leave.

"Damn, Viola. Didn't know you liked karaoke that much!"

"I don't," she chuckled with a shrug. "That's the first time I've done anything like this since high school."

"Shit, really? Dear Galvana, my high school years were spent blowing shit up behind a Leafy's!"

The two chattered back and forth, Viola seeming to drift more towards present stories rather than the past. She learns of Jaidens parents, an epic pompom and a rare mammot, who weren't particularly strict with what she did but disapproved of her hobbies. Viola spoke of her work in Plant Island Hospital, the many wild patients she has had to deal with in the past and the ones she deals with now.

"I can't go into much detail about them, but this guy has maybe ten monsterlings? All in one house. They're the ones I had to check in on earlier. Don't get me wrong, they're well behaved, but he's really young and it's a huge responsibility. Not that I have a kid of my own."

"What about the kid you watched over on the ship? The bowgart - I thought she was yours."

"Eh. Well, sort of, but she isn't mine, she's Perry's. I just keep her from.. getting sick."

"Oh. By the way, are you and Perry like a thing?"

"Oh no, not at all. It's a long story. She hates me, but she lives with me. That's all you really need to know."

"Ah, gotcha."

From the corner of her eye, Viola could pick out a familiar face within the crowd, growing closer. She could recognize that deep colored coat of fur anywhere.

"Holy shit. Hey, Blue!" She called out.

"Viola, hey! It's - it's been a while!"

"Damn right, it has. Get over here!"

The bowgart took a seat with the rest, happy to reunite with an old friend.

"Wow, you look.."

"Different, I know. I'm trying something new - Jaiden made most of this, actually."

Jaiden gave a small "yup" to the words, seeming a bit distant.

"It's - uh, I think it's nice! it looks good. Really good. It suits you." Blue stammered. Viola couldn't help but pick up on something she admittedly didn't expect.

"I didn't know you drank," she changed the subject.

"Oh, I'm not here for the drinks - Twig is."

It wasn't long until the aforementioned monster made his presence clear. Seems to be somewhat known around these parts.

"Heh, that's Twig, alright. How about you? Haven't been able to give you a check-up either."

"Well, not much, really. I was able to visit Cemila not too long ago for her birthday! She and Indigo are doing well, too. As for me, I'd say im doing alright. Per usual, Twig got himself in another scuffle, so i had to get him patched up. I noticed you were gone.. Did something happen? If - if you want to tell me, of course."

"Long story. My medical license aren't suspended or anything, and there's a chance I'll be back at the hospital soon enough, but I have a while until they figure it out. I don't think I can go into detail. Legally, at least."

Blue nodded along as Viola spoke, adding in his own commentary occasionally. It was fun to catch up, nerding out on random topics along the way. Twig took a seat on the other side of Blue, chiming in now and then to reinforce he was present. There was a bit of hostility at first, but he seemed to mellow out quickly with a couple of drinks. The deep blue bowgart had a hard time speaking to either, feeling a bit overwhelmed and an obvious increase in stuttering. The two wouldn't admit to it, but they found it hilarious.

"Oh no," Jaiden spoke up, lowering her head to the counter.

"What?"

Another monster seemed to be walking closer to the group - a pompom, to be exact. She wore a long blue tie, matching the blue marking of its eyes. Instead of the deep orange and yellow markings most pompoms had, it was more red. Along with this, her abdominal area had a unique white coloration to it.

"There's this one pomily member - we don't really talk about her much, she's.. we don't really know. It's kind of like the case with Baloola where we aren't sure if it's a pompom or a whole other species. She's.. weird. Her name is Creature."

The monster reached the bar, practically knocking Jaiden from her spot and taking it.

"Hey," it spoke, trying to hold a grin.

"Not going to happen," Viola hissed, turning her attention to the bar.

"Oh come on, pooki- Please! I meant please. I said please."

"She's not interested," Blue sat up.

Creature hopped from her stool, staring right into Blue's eyes. They didn't break the stare until she was mere feet away from him.

"Uh.. what's going on?"

"I'm so sorry, Viola," Jaiden sighed with embarrassment, hiding her face in her palms.

Creature dropped onto all fours, chasing after Blue and barking up a storm. Viola squinted, watching the chase circle the entirety of the room and into the back. It doesn't seem as though any actual harm was done, but annoyance was a different story. Tables fell over, and many drinks were spilled. Twig ran behind, cussing and threatening the whole time until Creature finally stopped and fled to the door.

"..Jaiden? What the fuck?"

"Oh my god. I don't know which one, but oh my god. Look, if you want to call it a night, I can walk you back to your house."

"Hey, hey, it's alright," Viola assured her friend. "It's nothing new. You'd he surprised how much attention lavender fur can get you. Besides, I'm dressed like.. this. Not to toot my own horn, but I feel awesome."

Jaidens mood seemed to change with these words, muffled laughter coming from her.

"Hehe.. you do look pretty great."

"Heh.. how about we go get some fresh air? It's getting weird in here."

Viola gave Lars a 20 dollar tip, leaving from the front door and feeling cold winds brush through her fur. Blue and Twig followed behind, cleaning themselves of spilled drinks and other sticky residue.. Gross.

"Well.. I would say that was new, but you never know in the monster world," Blue chuckled awkwardly. Twig picked a few things from his friends hair, dusting him off.

"Yeah, I'm done being out and about for tha' night. I think that thing bit me."

"Oh, it definitely bit me."

"Can we go home?"

"Yeah.."

"Hey," Viola walked over. "It was good seeing you again. My schedule is probably going to be really open, so.. you know where to find me."

The other bowgart nodded, glad to know an old friend was back.

"Ahem," Twig brought the attention back to himself. "Home?"

"Ok, alright - let's go."

As the two began to leave, the taller stood back for a bit longer.

"So. That was fun and all, but uh.. just lay off the Blue talk. How 'bout it, doll?"

Viola's smile flattened immediately. She rolled her eyes with an agitated sigh.

"Oh, please. If Blue liked you so much, he's more than capable of leaving my side for yours."

Viola grabbed onto the leaves of Twigs head, pulling him down to her level.

"And don't call me doll.. Alright?"

She let go, the shrubb jerking himself back and shaking himself off. His mind boiled with every horrible thing he could do, but Blue's presence cooled him off as he caught up.

"Wow, drama alert!" Jaiden laughed.

"They love each other. I just keep him on his toes so he'll make a move sooner."

"Wow. You're insane, you know that?"

"I do. So, still need a walk home?"

The pompom smiled, putting her hands into her pocket as they made the trip back home. They joked and teased, agreeing to keep in touch. Viola thanked her for the encouragement, though she wasn't sure how often she would show off again. Jaiden thanked her back for being a friend, as well as a huge help.

"By the way, do you need this back?" The bowgart asked, tugging at the choker around her neck.

"Nah. It looks good on you."

The sun lowered slowly over the distant buildings and mountains, the lights of the surrounding streets illuminating the sidewalk in a cool teal. Cars sped pass. Critters began to sing. The song never left - it only changed.

#fanfiction #thorns msm #msm oc #fallen stars msm #writing a characters outfit was way more fun than it should be #im cringe but im free #my singing monsters #msm #msm au

[ameth18blog]

Unexpected Encounters. Chapter 10: The Search (Part 3)

Washimi and Gori were in the east of the city, they had just left Gori's apartment. The two friends reflected calm in their faces and ways of walking as when they were at work. They passed everywhere with their eyes fixed ahead.

"How long do you think it will take us to find them?" Gori asked.

"I ignore it. This city is very big, so they could be anywhere. We could take hours on this," Washimi replied.

"Well, if that's the case, then I think we should start there" said the gorilla pointing to the park, which was the same one they had visited the day before.

"And why there?" asked the eagle.

"If that was where Koka and Hana found the emeralds, perhaps we could find some clue of the others who came to this dimension because of them" said Gori.

Well, not a bad idea. Then let's go" said Washimi.

Both friends came to the park. It was not as crowded as the day before, and more considering what had happened the day before. It was noticeable that for that reason there were not many children, but there were few. Although it was noted that they were being cautious for some situation that seems suspicious that put them in danger.

"Washimi I have thought something" said the gorilla.

Her friend watched her without saying anything.

"Maybe those beings if they want to use my App when they find out about it."

"Don't tell me you've been thinking about that since yesterday."

"Of course, after years ago the app said that Haida and Retsuko were soul mates and it was 100 percent correct. And since it has come to unite other couples, I thought it could be extended to beings from other universes".

"Perhaps you think that the beings who are lost in this universe are at this time more interested in finding a partner than in going home."

"Of course there is, there is always time to find love and be happy with that other person."

"You never change".

Washimi lowered her head when she suddenly noticed that her communicator and Gori's were blinking.

"Gori, our communicators" said the eagle as she and the gorilla looked at her arms.

"That means they are close. I'm going to show you my application".

"Concentrate."

She could see those who were in the park were a lot of parents with their children, but she could see that some of them had unusual coat colors. They thought it must be them, so they calmly approached. There were a total of 5 families and each of them had children.

The first was a family of two male spouses who had two sons:

One was an orange bear and afro hair with dark orange sideburns. He wore a yellow disco shirt and pants and cream and orange platform shoes.

The other was also a bear, but he was cream-colored, wearing a red hat, a red robe, red pants, and red slippers.

One of the children was a cream-colored bear like the second adult bear. He wore a small yellow and red cap with a propeller on top, a long-sleeved yellow shirt, red pants, red and yellow shoes.

The other child was also a cream colored bear like the second adult bear and the other little one, although unlike the other bear this was a baby, it also had orange hair like the first adult bear, only this baby had curly hair and it was not an afro. He wore a long-sleeved red button-down shirt, yellow pants, and red and yellow shoes.

The second family if it was of two male and female spouses who had a son:

One was a green bear. He wore a green beret with a colored logo of varying shades of orange. He wore a button-down shirt and green military pants, black shoes, and a gray identification tag. On his shirt were orange stripes on his shoulders denoting his rank as a sergeant.

The other was a red porcupine, his quills were a darker red color which were full of flake-like dander. He wore a pink shirt and skirt and light blue shoes.

The boy was a red bear, which had a green abdomen. He wore a green beret with a colored logo of different shades of orange like his father's. He wore a white shirt, black pants and shoes, and a blue jacket.

The third was another family of two male spouses who had a daughter and a son:

The first was a green chameleon with three dark green lines between its eyes, above and below them. He wore a green beret with a colored logo of varying shades of orange. He wore a green military button-down shirt and cream pants, black shoes, and a gray identification tag.

The second was a cream-colored mouse with black ears, they had a stereotypical French-style mustache and black eyebrows. He wore a green beret with a colored logo of varying shades of orange. He wore a green military button-down shirt and cream pants, black shoes, and a gray identification tag. His ears were wrapped in white bandages.

The girl was a dark purple cat, she wore an orange long-sleeved shirt, a green skirt, pink socks and black shoes.

The boy was a green mouse with three cream-colored lines between his eyes and black ears, although unlike the girl, the boy was a baby. He wore a long-sleeved green shirt, blue pants, and black shoes.

The fourth family was another of two male and female spouses who had a daughter:

The first was a sky-blue boar, which had black hooves instead of hands and feet. He wore a dark blue sailor suit with white, including a white hat with a pink stripe, and black shoes.

The other was a purple sheep, with some white woolly hair on its head. She wore a white wool sweater, pants, and white shoes. She wore a purple bow on her head.

The girl was a hybrid, her fur was purple, she inherited her mother's nose, shaggy hair, hands and feet, while she inherited her father's ears, tail, and fangs. . She wore a dark blue dress, with a white ribbon at the waist, and black shoes.

The girl carried in one of her arms a green pickle that had arms, legs, eyes, a mouth and a stereotypical French-style mustache. She also wore a black top hat with a blue stripe. At first glance the pickle looked like a toy.

The fifth and final was another family of two male spouses who had a son

The first was a sea-water-colored sea otter, which had three whiskers on either side of its head. This otter was missing his right hand, instead he used a hook. Both legs were missing and instead had wooden legs. He was missing his right eye and instead had an eye patch. He was wearing a red and white striped shirt, which was ripped at the sleeves and bottom. She is wearing black pants and a black pirate hat with the design of a skull with white crossbones.

The second was a purple deer, whose antlers were pink. He wore white mime makeup, his cheeks were pink, over his eyes he had dark purple makeup. He wore a purple and white striped long-sleeved shirt, black pants, and purple shoes.

The boy was a hybrid, his coat was aquamarine, his cheeks were pink, he had a deer tail, but it was aquamarine on top and purple on the bottom. He had small horns that were beginning to grow on the top of his head and three whiskers on either side of his head. He wore a torn red and purple shirt on the arms and bottom, black pants, purple shoes and a black pirate hat, but without the skull and bones design. This child was a baby.

Something that all these families had in common was that most had rabbit teeth that protruded from their mouths, with the exception of the chameleon, the wild boar, and the hybrid between wild boar and sheep. They all had heart-shaped pink noses, except the chameleon and the boar. The irises in everyone's eyes were shaped like a pacman, except for the chameleon, the two mice, and the cat.

Just when they were about to reach the families, four of the children began to run in various directions while playing, while the three babies stayed playing with their respective parents watching the other children.

"Remember, you have to speak calmly with them, maybe they are still not used to being in this place" said Washimi.

"I understand" Gori said with all seriousness.

They both approached the adults. When they noticed their presence they were watching.

"Good morning" said the eagle.

"Good morning" all the adults replied.

"You come from another dimension and have been trapped in this universe for 3 months, right?" the gorilla said suddenly.

"Gori, I told you that we had to talk things calmly" said Washimi.

"Umm, excuse me. You know what that white light was that brought us here" asked the green bear.

"Yes, those who sent us to look for them explained it to us" replied the eagle.

"Well, before you explain it to us, wait a moment," said the aquamarine sea otter and then called the children who were playing.

When they heard them, they approached.

"Something happens?" asked the little cream-colored bear.

"These ladies are going to explain how we got here" replied the cream-colored mouse.

Really?" said the 4 children sitting on the laps of their respective parents.

Gori and Washimi told everything they knew to the 5 families in front of them.

"So we have to wait for the missing emeralds to be found?" asked the green chameleon.

"Yes, at the moment those who sent us to look for them have 3 in their possession" replied the eagle.

"Well, now that you know everything, you could tell us their names," said the gorilla.

"I'm Disco Bear and this is my Pop husband" said the orange bear with orange afro hair.

"Pleasure. And they are our two sons: Cub and Rory" said the cream bear, pointing first to the little cream bear with a hat on his head and then to the cream baby bear with orange hair.

"I'm Flippy and this is my wife Flaky" said the green bear.

"And this is our son Fluffy" said the red porcupine pointing to the bear with red color and green abdomen.

"I'm Sneaky and this is my husband Mouse Ka-Boom" said the green chameleon.

"This is our adopted daughter Denisse and our son Bomb" said the cream colored mouse pointing first to the dark purple cat and then to the baby green mouse.

"I'm Truffles and this is my wife Lammy" said the sky blue boar.

"This is our daughter Bella and this is Mr. Pickles" said the purple sheep pointing to the purple hybrid and the pickle.

"I'm Russell and this is my mate Mime. And this is our son Robby" said the aquamarine sea otter pointing to the purple deer and the aquamarine hybrid.

The purple deer didn't speak as it was a mime, but still he greeted them with a hand gesture.

After Washimi and Gori introduced themselves. They didn't find it strange to meet same-sex couples and with children, since they already knew several such families.

Then they asked how they got to that universe.

"Well, most of us had gone to pick up the children from school after classes finished, everything was normal. We are all neighbors, so we would go home together," said Lammy.

"Along the way they met Mime and me who were walking Robby and were on our way home. Everything was normal like any other day" said Russell.

"But when we were in front of our house, that strange light appeared that enveloped us all in less than 10 seconds" said Flaky.

"When we woke up, although we were separated, fortunately the children were not left alone, since Flaky and Lammy were with them when they got here," said Pop.

"It took us about two days to meet again, and since we got here we have stayed in a hotel with the money we have gotten by finding certain jobs that we can do," said Sneaky.

"Well, at least we know they haven't had a difficult time here," Washimi said.

At that moment Gori's communicator began to ring therefore he answered.

"Hi. Oh, it's your Retsuko. Yes, we have already found them. And you? How good! They left? Oh I see. Well, if we can meet there. Goodbye" said Gori after finishing the call.

"What was Retsuko saying?" asked the eagle.

"She said that she, Fenneko and Judy already found a group. She also said that they contacted Haida, Ookami and Nick and also found another group. I told them that we too" said the gorilla.

"That is a relief."

"But she told me that Sonic and his friends left, and Jack went with them. It seems they found the location of the master emerald and went looking for it before Eggman finds it."

"I hope they can find it in time."

"I hope so too. He told me that in the meantime we can go to my apartment to meet with the others".

They both turned to the 5 families.

"And what do you say?" Washimi asked.

"Do you want to come with us?" Gori asked.

They all looked at each other and agreed with a nod. The group left the park with Washimi and Gori in front, while behind them were the 5 families carrying their respective children in their arms.

"It's a shame" Gori said.

"What thing?" Washimi asked.

"That all of them are happily united, and they don't need my app and that the children are too young to use it."

"I think you need a new hobby."

After that they continued walking back towards Gori's apartment.

#fanfic #fanfiction #writing #creative writing #action adventure #action #adventure #jack savage #nick wilde #Judy hopps #Finnick #haida #retsuko #sonic the hedgehog #amy rose #zootopia #Zootopia fanfic

[kneesheee]

And So It Begins

                                  Warnings: Avengers: Infinity War Spoilers

“Dad, something’s wrong…”

“Lena? Baby girl, what’s wrong?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“I think I’m dying.”

“No. No. NO. NO! TONY!”

“I don’t want to die…”

“I love you.”

--

“Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good…”

“You’re alright.”

“I don’t- I don’t know what’s happening”

“I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna go.”

“Sir, please. Please, I don’t wanna go.”

“I’m sorry…”

--

“Mom, what’s happening?”

“You’re gonna be alright.”

“What’s happening to me?”

“Mom, no. I don’t want to go.”

“I just got you back. Please, I don’t want to go.”

“Mom…”

Earlier That Day…

The day of the press conference was tiring. All of the children were irritable and cranky. Francis burnt through three quivers alone as he tried to calm himself down before he had to sit in front of a bunch of strangers and pretend to be one of America’s Future Sweethearts. He supposes that was the price to pay to being one of the heirs to the Stark name.

But the problem that he and the rest of his siblings had didn’t come from the press conference; it came from one Steven Rogers. He wasn’t going to be on the panel which all of the children thought was fair. Mainly because he had the audacity to want to tell the world that he was the father of the twins.

And considering that he hadn’t been out of the ice for fifteen years, held no public relationships, and just received a presidential pardon from being an international criminal… lots of questions would be asked and the twins would have to move from the tower to a “safe location”.

Once he realized that was the course of action if he were to tell the public that line, he shut up. For like two hours then came up with the plan to tell the world where they come from an alternate dimension and that this was God’s way of giving them all a second chance to be a family.

The snarl that crossed Selene and Francis’ face put the wolves that Francis kept on the top floors wildlife reserve to shame. (It was mainly injured cubs and a few injured adults but the point remains the same)

“Listen, Rogers, you are NOT my father. No matter what the DNA reports. My biological father died in my dimension. If I were to ever want a second chance with a family relationship with Steve Rogers, it'd be the one from my universe. Not some knock off version. But rest assured I don’t even need that second chance. Anthony Edward Stark is my dad and no amount of times you proclaiming that you’re my father can change that. NOW LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!”

After that disastrous scene, Selene and Steve had to be forcibly kept apart especially since Selene’s eyes hadn’t stopped glowing. Francis glanced to the other side of the room and noticed her levitating in the air meditating. Her hair had curled and braided into some elaborate style that Francis didn’t care to know the name of, but she looked beautiful. She reminded of the sea nymphs that always giggled and laughed whenever he went to see her at Poseidon’s palace on Olympus.

He wanted to be angry at Lady Aphrodite for meddling with his relationship with Selene, but he cannot deny that her skills in makeup made it hard to not stare at Selene. She was just so fucking beautiful.

Unlike their other siblings, neither one of them were dressed yet. Both of them had clothes made from Lady Athena herself and blessed by Lady Aphrodite. The clothes were a strategic move. They’re literally made to keep ones attention on the wearer. Selene and Francis wanted them because neither was comfortable with attention being on their siblings for too long especially not Torunn and Pym. They’d never get any peace if they were to put the clothes on now.

“You’re staring,” Selene’s voice broke him from his thoughts. He focused again and noticed her familiar glowing green eyes pinning him in place.

“Was just thinking,” he mused as he bit his lip and glanced away. He didn’t notice how she cocked her head and her forehead puckered.

“Want to share or is it private?” Selene asked as she stood up straight and landed before leisurely making her way over to Francis. And it was as if a shadow moved its self from her eyes, she noticed details about him that she hadn’t noticed before. Had his hair always looked as bright and white as a fresh blanket of snow on Olympus?

He looked up at her and both of them inwardly gasp. The other just looked so incredibly beautiful that it was painful. Selene paused and shook her head. Francis was her brother. She shouldn’t be having these thoughts about him. No matter how true they were.

“Private,” he tried to smirk in aloof casualness. She returned his smirk before reaching her hand out to him. She looked to what he was doing and noticed that he was sharpening his hunting knives. He grasped her hand and snapped his fingers so that the knives flew back to their places alongside the wall.

“Ready to shut down America,” he teased as he ran a hand through his hair. Selene had to physically refrain herself from licking her lips and messing up his hair herself. She mentally cursed herself. There was no way in hell her extremely old crush on him was coming back.

“It’s my life purpose,” she laughed as he dragged them towards the changing rooms. They split up at the fork to enter the rooms with their names printed across the door. Neither jumped at the sight of Aphrodite and Apollo standing before them in their respective changing rooms. Just sat back quietly as the two gods fussed over them and made them look like the products of the Olympian gods they were.

Once the two were finished, they were shooed out to find their siblings and make their way to the room where the press conference was being held. When they got there, they ignored the intakes of breath as everyone fawned over the two of them. It was the sight of Francis’ eyes gleaming silver that held them at bay. Only Pietro made his way approached them seeing as he was the only other person in the room being able to resist the effects of Aphrodite and Athena (and the favor from Primordial Lord Eros) powers.

“Are we going to start or not,” Francis drawled, but the look on Pietro’s face had him pausing.

“We have a problem,” Pietro mumbled. The other two champions stared at him before he nodded his head in the direction of Steve and Sam who were both being fussed over by Natasha and Bucky. They didn’t see a problem at first until they noticed the small white star peeking out from under Steve’s shirt. No one knew which champion gasped exactly, but Selene and Francis hurriedly made their way over pushing the others out their way.

“By the Gods of Olympus, you’ve been branded also,” Selene stated as she couldn’t help but to pity them. She might not like them but that branding wasn’t going nowhere not even in another life. A soul branding. She cautiously reached out to touch the Falcon symbol on Sam’s bicep, but a force threw her back before her hand could even get close. She flipped midair and landed on the balls of her feet with one hand touching the ground. She snapped her head up and locked eyes with her fellow champions as she slowly stood up.

“Whoever branded you all doesn’t want us finding out who they are,” Francis murmured before he took a step away. “We can’t even get a read on why they branded you in the first place.”

James moved over to his sister who was knocking the wrinkles out of her dress. He looked at her and she smiled back at him as he wrapped an arm around her waist. And then their dad walked into the room dressed in one of his three piece suits.

“Alright, kids, let’s get going. Everyone else, you all know to stay up here and out of sight,” Tony stated as he clapped his hands and gestured for his children to follow him out. Selene caught sight of one of her leather jackets this one stating “If found, return to Tony Stark” and slipped it over her arms as they all poured into the elevator. The only one staying behind is Pietro because well he is technically dead. “Everything is going to be okay. Answer the questions as honest as you can, but don’t give them too many details. Selene and Francis do not use any form of your godly powers. Pym, no shrinking away. Azari and Torunn do not summon any lighting. And James can you not argue with any of your siblings or bring out your shield. Just smile and be adorable as you’re usually are. I’m sure that you can win them over without even having to say much.”

All of them rolled their eyes fondly, “Yes, dad.”

--

Steve watched from the common room on the Barton’s family floor. The Stark family had just entered the room and the cameras were flashing crazily. Selene was smiling (read: smirking) as most of the cameras aimed for her and Francis.

Tony walked the platform with all the confidence in the world. He wore a smile that was made directly for dealing with the press. The children sat down at the table behind him as if they were born into the world of wealth.

“It feels like just yesterday we were here, and I was announcing that I got married,” he joked. The crowd laugh along with him before he continued, “So how about we skip all of the small talk and get right to the good stuff? You’re all here because of the rumors regarding me adopting kids and the fact that they were kidnapped, and I had to go save them. While it is true that I had to lead a rescue mission, I didn’t adopt kids. I adopted six teenagers. Their names are Torunn, Francis, Azari, James, Selene, and Hank. They all have my last name. Any slander written after this conference will be taken care of swiftly and without hesitation, ignore that and you won’t have a career anymore.”

Selene and James shared a look and snickered to themselves at the shock looks of the reporters. Tony stepped aside and made his way to the seat at the end of the table.

“You there. With the lime green tie,” Tony stated pointing at a reporter. The reporter in question straighten up slightly.

“Yes, I have a question for Selene is it? How do you feel about being adopted by Mr. Stark?”

Selene smiled adorably, “It’s the best feeling ever. My birth parents weren’t in James and I’s life and Dad fills that void of disappointment with love and care. I couldn’t ask for a better father.”

The same reporter inquired, “What made you want to be adopted by Mr. Stark?”

The Stark Siblings looked between each other before James stated, “Nothing ‘made’ us. We’ve known him basically our whole lives. Our actual parents all died and Dad’s has been watching over us. He basically had already adopted us without going through the legal work. And he did everything to keep us out of the attention of the media.”

“And it would’ve stayed that way if Selene and Hank hadn’t gotten kidnapped,” Torunn spoke solemnly. The two siblings in question squirmed Selene more so as the magic kept the attention on her.

Another reporter asked, “Does this mean that you’ll be inheriting Stark Industries together or only one of you?” The siblings looked between themselves and looked at their dad before looking back at Francis.

“We haven’t actually had that discussion yet though if I were to guess, Selene would probably take over as CEO and the rest of us would follow with being heads of the various departments.”

Selene slightly narrowed her eyes with a sharp smile at Francis as the cameras once again began flashing.

Another reporter went, “How is Mr. Stark doing so far as a father so far?”

Each of the siblings sat up straighter with blinding smiles on each of their faces. Cameras went off at the sight.

“He’s the absolute best! He built me a workshop and use all my inventions around the tower. Like the cleaning ant bots for the vents and whenever one of the breaks, he’d fix them for me and he looks through all my blueprints and he hangs up pictures of my creations all around,” Pym stated basically bouncing out of his seat. Tony slipped on his sunglasses, so no one would see the tears beginning to build in his eyes.

“He’s the best father any one could ask for,” James said sincerely before a teasing smile danced across his face, “Even if his jokes could be better.”

The siblings laugh before Azari went, “I’m proud to call him my father. I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost him.”

“The media tries to crucify him, but I know that he is one of the best men across the nine realms and I doubt there is anyone who would be a better father than he,” Torunn smiled softly.

Francis turned to look at Tony, “He encourages me to be the best that I can be and to never let anyone put me down. He encourages me to chase after my goals even when the world is telling me that I wouldn’t be able to do it,” when he turned back to the cameras, he was still smiling.  “We’re homeschooled. He teaches us everything we would need to know and tries to make us feel like regular kids in school. We have book fairs. We make reading boards and science boards. And considering our low profile, we can’t go and try out for real teams, so he builds bots and we play sports and hold tournaments at the compound. He had been contemplating on how he was going to ensure our eligibility at colleges and remaining our low profiles because he had wanted to wait until we were older to reveal us to the world. But its better late than never. And I said all of this because the Tony Stark that I know could never be a bad father.”

Tony is not crying, thank you very much.

It was Selene’s turn and she was frowning at the table. Her twin nudged her, and she slowly lifted her head. She had tears building in her eyes and it was all fascinating. “Words cannot even comprehend how wonderful he is and has been to us. How he’s always there for us and how apologetic he is when the world tries to tear us down time and time again. I can’t explain to you how grateful I am to him because I can’t explain it to myself. You see, I grew learning how my mother kept her feelings bottled up and locked down, so I tried to imitate that. I don’t know how to properly convey feelings, but when it comes to this man. When it comes to my father. I would never need words because I know that he knows that me and my siblings are a part of his strengths. When the world loses hope in him. When his friends turn their backs and abandon him. When that shadow of doubt and self-hate cross his face. We will be the ones to pick him and give him the strength to carry on because he does the same for us. Whether it be screaming awake in the middle of night or carrying us to bed because we stayed up late night binge watching Supernatural or sitting aside watching him work in his lab….”

Her siblings are nodding their head in agreement to her words when her eyes snap over to Tony which such intensity that one would think she was his biological daughter if it weren’t for her bright red hair and sea green eyes. She stands up slowly and walks over to him and Tony stands up with her. “You are a god amongst men; a king amongst peasants. You are my father. My dad above everything, and I love you.”

She wrapped him in a hug and wasn’t the least bit surprised that her siblings came up behind her and hugged them too. She could feel him trembling and holding back his tears and she could distinctively hear Aunt Pepper ending the conference even with the sound of cameras flashing in the background.

--

The second the siblings returned home it was chaos. Water rushed over Selene and lightning crackled around Torunn. Pym shrunk, and a blinding light covered Francis. Azari and James took off running. In the span of five minutes, all of them were out of their suits and dresses and back in their regular clothing.

Selene headed for the training room with her twin following her, and Bucky felt a shiver run down his spine at the bloodthirsty grins on their faces.

He still followed them though.

The twins stood in front of each other calmly. They didn’t even look like trained fighters until they moved. It was obvious that Selene was holding back, but with the way James was moving, she started to let go bit by bit. It was a good fight. Selene had a small frame and she was faster whereas James was bigger and strength on his side. It was a dance between the two of them and he was so captivated that even with all his training and experience he didn’t register when Francis stood at his side.

“They’re good aren’t they.”

Bucky did not flinch. “They are.”

He tilted his head to look at the young archer who was staring at his siblings with a smile, “But I’m better. Also, Uncle ‘Challa requests that you return to Wakanda with him. Dad and Aunt Shuri poured over the schematics for your new arm, so you’ll be heading there to get it built and fitted.”

“I was supposed to spar with Azari later?”

“He’s going too. And he’s going to kick your butt when you do spar.”

Bucky nodded his head in understanding and left to find the King and his sister.

--

If there was thing speedsters hated, it was standing still. It was hard for them to do so. They always had to be in movement. And yet, at that moment, Pietro stood ramrod straight and turned his gaze to the morning sky.

His light blue eyes darken until they were the color of burnt rubber. The end was here, and he could run no longer.

--

Torunn collapsed to the ground clutching at her throat. James and Pym were at her side immediately. Tears streamed down her face as she went, “Something is wrong.” Her sword vibrated on the ground sensing her agitation. “Something is wrong with my Uncle.”

--

Bruce crashes.

He feels the adrenaline leave him as Hulk reverts into his body. He blinks as he comes face to face with two wizards? What the hell? Is he even on Earth? Oh right, Stephen Strange and Wong.

“Thanos is coming. He’s coming.”

Honestly, if it wasn’t such a serious moment, Stephen would be inclined to say “who?” As if he didn’t know the monster that plagued the mind of some of his now dearest companions. Yet Banner seems to have seen someone on a level as high as Dormammu. A little fact checking wouldn’t do any harm.

“Who?”

--

“At the dawn of the universe, there was nothing. Then boom. The big bang sent six elemental crystals hurtling across the virgin universe. These infinity stones each control an essential aspect of existence,” Wong explained using his expertise in magic to give demonstration.

“Space.”

“Reality.”

“Power.”

“Soul.”

“Mind.”

Stephen made an elaborate gesture across the medallion hanging around his neck, “and time.”

“Tell me his name again,” Tony demands. A part of him cannot believe that Bruce is back safe and sound, but a bigger part of him is filled with fear and grim acceptance. He knows what’s coming. He’s been prepared for it. But for one of his closest friends to have seen the monster with his own eyes. For Hulk one of the strongest people he knew to get thrown around like a rag doll by him? It’s scarier than he could imagine. He had heard the stories from Nebula and Gamora, but it never really sunk in until now. Maybe it’s because the battle is closer than he ever thought possible. Maybe it’s because he knows that as hard as he may try, he would be losing someone dear to him. And he could only hope it wasn’t any of his kids.

“Thanos. He’s a plague, Tony. He invades planets. He takes what he wants. He wipes out half the population. He sent Loki. The attack on New York. That’s him.”

Loki had said that it was someone else that had sent him. Tony inferred that it had to be powerful. Damn, if Loki couldn’t beat him, how could they? Loki is afraid of him. What chance did they have?

Cause if we can’t protect the earth you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.

“This is it. What’s our timeline?”

“No telling. He has the power and space stones. That already makes him the strongest creature in the whole universe. If he gets his hands on all six stones, Tony…”

He needs to move. He needs to move. Would Ultron have even been enough? The Avengers aren’t. Tony closed his eyes tightly. His kids. Peter. Harley. Kamala. RiRi. His family.

“He can destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of.”

Snark. Don’t Panic. This is bigger than my fears.

“Did you seriously just say ‘hitherto undreamt of’?”

“Are you seriously leaning on the Cauldron of the Cosmos,” Stephen questioned as the Cloak smacked Tony away.

“I’m going to allow that,” Tony nodded at Strange before his mind immediately switched back to the task at hand. “If Thanos needs all six, why don’t we just stick this one down the garbage disposal?”

“No can do,” Stephen said gravely.

“We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone with our lives,” Wong stated grimly. Tony only rose a brow. “And I swore off dairy but then Ben and Jerry named a flavor after me, so...”

“Stark Raving Hazelnuts,” Stephen sighed tiredly.

“Not bad.”

“Bit chalky.”

“A Hunk of Hulk of Burning Fudge is our favorite,” Wong admitted while Bruce looked disturbed. "That’s a thing?”

“Whatever,” Tony shrugged. “Point is, things change.”

“Our oath to protect the Time Stone cannot change,” Stephen deadpanned. “And this stone may be the best chance we have against Thanos.”

“Yeah, so conversely, it may also be his best chance against us.” Dammit, Tony wished he knew sooner that Stephen had this stone. Protocols could have been put in placed. Places across the universe could have been found to keep it hidden. Maybe send Stephen and a team away to stand a better chance at protecting it? Too late now. He can only trust in Stephen’s abilities’.

“Well, if we don’t do our jobs.” Is he this much of smart ass cause if so, he doesn’t know how he hasn’t been punched in the face.

“What is your job exactly. Besides making balloon animals.” Definitely have been hanging around the kids a little too much. A low blow and childish. Wow.

“Protecting your reality, doucebag.” He knows that. But he’s snarky when he’s panicking.

Bruce, knowing that Tony is probably one second from a mental breakdown, steps in. “Ok, guys. Could we table this discussion right now? The fact is we have this stone. We know where it is. Vision is out there somewhere with the Mind Stone and we have to find him now.”

Tony inwardly scoffed. He knew exactly where his synthetic son ran off to. Well who he ran off with. “Yeah, that’s the thing.”

Bruce furrowed his brow, “What do you mean?” Vision had always let someone know where he was going and what he was doing. It was completely unnecessary, but Vision continued to do so despite everything.

“Two weeks ago, Vision turned off his transponder. He’s offline and the kids have no idea where he is. He didn’t say.”

“What. Tony, you lost another super-bot.” Low bow, but Bruce was under stress. He’ll let that comment slide.

“I didn’t lose him. And he's more than that. He’s evolving,” Tony defended. Ultron was still his son no matter how murderous and evil he turned out to be.

“Who could find Vision then?”

Tony rolled his eyes to the heavens and cursed quietly under his breath. “Probably Steve Rogers.” If Selene was here, he would argue that he was definitely not pouting.

“Oh, great,” Strange sneered before turning away.

“Call him,” Bruce insisted. Sure, there had still been tension in the house when he left with the Asgardians a few weeks ago, but Tony knew the risks right.

“It’s not that easy,” Tony shrugged.

“Tony, listen to me. Thor’s gone. Thanos is coming. It doesn’t matter who you’re talking to or not.”

Tony clenched his jaw and looked away. For the sake of the universe, he could work with Steve Rogers. He did it to save his kids. He can do it again.

He sighed to himself before turning away. He pulls out that disgusting excuse for a phone when the extremis in his system registered something in the distance. He looks around him before turning to look at the others. “Say, Doc, you wouldn’t happen to be moving your hair, would ya?”

“Not at the moment, no.”

There was muffled screaming and they all turned to look at the door. Tony walked over and opened the door.

It was pure chaos.

#tony stark and his children au #selene rogers #james rogers #francis barton #next avengers #Stark siblings #not steve friendly #notteamcapfriendly #notstevefriendly #post ca:cw #avengers: infinity war #tony stark needs a hug

[thewintersoldierdisaster]

hall of fame

I visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown yesterday and it definitely inspired me to write something for Peter! A little long, but fun to write! :) 

"Hey, Y/N, come here!" Peter called your name from down the hallway. "Look at this!"

You laughed at his child-like enthusiasm as he dragged you through the Baseball Hall of Fame. You held his hand and stood by his side as he pointed out all the memorabilia of his favorite players.

"I'm not a Yankees fan, but man, Babe Ruth was one of the greats," he said, standing in the middle of the exhibit that was set up especially for the Great Bambino.

"Hey," you poked his bicep, "as a die-hard Yankee fan, I have to point out that we've churned out dozens of amazing players."

Peter shrugged. "There's no heart with the Yankees. The Cubs are all heart - they're the underdogs!"

You rolled your eyes affectionately - this was an argument you had with your husband multiple times a day during baseball season. "Come on, let's go look at something else before we start a scene," you smiled, tugging on his hand and heading for the area with all the lockers for each team.

You made Peter take a picture of you in front of the Yankees' memorabilia locker, grinning cheesily.

Stopping in front of the Cubs' locker, you rested a supportive hand on Peter's lower back. He loved being an ADA, but you knew that he always regretted not being able to play baseball for a longer period of time.

"I played with him," Peter said quietly, pointing at a bat. The little plaque next to it said that the bat was used to hit a career 2,000th home run. "That home run was my fourth - fifth? - game that season. Jesus, you should've heard the crowd go crazy."

You heard the nostalgia in his voice - tinged with a little bitterness - and decided to tease him a little to lighten the mood. "I've been in the stadium for Jeter's career best, I know what a crazy crowd sounds like, Peter."

He shot you a deadpan look. "Not everything is about the Yankees, babe," he huffed, mock-exasperated. But the corners of his lips twitched up in a partial smile, so you considered it a victory.

He started at the Cubs' gear - old and new - for a few more minutes, his mouth turning down in a frown and a crease forming on his forehead. "I always thought - imagined - that I'd be here one day."

"Peter..." you sighed, resting your hand on his forearm.

He shook his head, "I'm okay, Y/N. I made my peace with my baseball career a long time ago. It's just nice to imagine what could have been."

"If it makes you feel better," you smiled, "you're always number one in the hall of fame of my heart."

Peter laughed, giving you one of those gorgeous smiles, and leaned down to kiss you softly. "Thank you, my darling. Even if that's the cheesiest thing you've ever said to me."

You laughed and took his hand again, "Come on, Pete. I want to check out the gift shop!"

-------

Later, in your hotel room, Peter was reclining in bed while you got ready for bed in the bathroom.

"Babe, did you know that the field the Cubs play on now is their 6th field?" he called out, reading from the book you had bought in the gift shop - 100 Things all Cubs Fans should Know and Do Before They Die.

"Nope," you called back. "I guess they'll stay at this one for a while since they won there."

Peter was about to respond when you stepped out into the bedroom. His jaw dropped and you smiled at him.

"You like?" you asked, leaning casually against the doorframe. You had bought a vintage looking Chicago Cubs tee-shirt in the gift shop. It was just slightly too big, the hem resting at the tops of your thighs and the three-quarter sleeves were blue to match the script on the front. You occasionally wore Peter's old jersey or shirts when you were home and wanted the sex to be a little rougher, a little more possessive.

"Christ, Y/N," Peter grinned, setting his book on the night table and climbing out from under the covers. Her crawled towards the foot of the bed and reached out one hand for you. You obliged, stepping forward and letting him pull you onto the bed.

"You bought a Cubs shirt?" he asked, eyes dark. "Thought you said you'd never spend your hard earned money on a rival team's jersey?"

He had pushed you down on your back and was hovering over you. You looped a leg over his thigh and ran a hand through his hair, scraping your nails against his scalp lightly.

"Well," you said slowly, "I like the way you look at me when I wear Cubs gear."

Peter grinned, pressing soft kisses to the side of your neck. "You look good in Cubs blue."

He knew exactly what you were doing - taking his mind off of the Hall of Fame and the injury that had ended his career before it could really begin. He loved you for thinking of his feelings.

"It's not as good as Yankees' blue," you giggled as his nose brushed against your shoulder, "but it'll have to do for tonight."

#peter stone #peter stone x reader #peter x reader #law and order svu #lo: svu

[stayiny0urmagic]

Accidental

A/N: The most random AU Linstead one-shot I’ve ever written. I wrote this super fast after inspiration struck last night in fear of stopping and losing motivation, so sorry for any mistakes!

This might be a little confusing at first, but once you understand what’s going on, I hope y’all enjoy! Also on ff.net here, if that’s your thing. I hope this little piece of fluff cures a little of the Linstead longing going around! Any reviews and/or feedback to help me break out of this writer’s block will be greatly appreciated, as always. Happy reading! xo

“Erin, come on,” Nadia whined. “Just tell me who it was.”

“I told you, I don’t want to talk about it, Nads,” Erin sighed as she rolled up her yoga mat. She had gone on a horrible – and even that was an understatement - date last night. Trying to hold a conversation with the guy had been like talking to a wall. Actually, talking to a wall might have been more interesting. Unless the guy was talking about himself, then he spoke a mile per minute. And the worst part was, Nadia and everyone else in the damn world had told her not to go on a date with this guy, so there was no way in hell she was going to drop his name and give her any satisfaction.

“Just tell me his name!” the begging continued as Nadia placed her dumbbells back on the rack and motioned for Erin to follow her out of the campus gym.

“Jesus, Nadia, stop asking!” Erin snapped, then immediately felt bad as a flash of hurt crossed her roommate’s face. Desperate to fix the situation, she angrily pointed at a random guy on a treadmill who she’d never seen before. “I can’t say his name because he’s right there!”

“No fucking way,” Nadia stopped in her tracks. “Erin, he’s fucking hot. Tell me everything right now.”

Erin shook her head vehemently. “Nope. You know who he is, now let’s go.”

“Nope,” Nadia stood her ground. “If you don’t tell me something, I’ll go ask him myself,”

Erin snorted at her friend’s confidence. “You wouldn’t dare,”

Nadia raised her eyebrows. “Watch me.” And with that, Erin watched her roommate cross the gym and approach the random guy on the treadmill.

Fuck, Erin thought. Nadia had balls, and this was not good. She had to stop this, but she was frozen in shock as she watched Nadia approach the random boy and say something to him that caused him to stop running. His eyebrows rose in shock as he looked at Erin in the corner, then quickly recovered as the hottest smirk crossed his face. Finally shaking herself out of her stupor, Erin sprinted over to the treadmill to do damage control.

“I-“ she began to say, but the hot guy quickly cut her off.

“It’s fine. You reserve the right to tell her it was a horrible first date,” he smiled. “I’m really sorry that my roommate locked himself out and I had to cut out early.”

Erin opened her mouth to respond, but quickly closed it. What was he talking about? she thought, but then realized he was playing along. “It… it’s fine,” she stuttered; back in a state complete shock.

“So?” Nadia continued and Erin groaned. “Before you ditched her, how was it?”

“It was great,” the boy smiled, glancing at Erin. “She’s beautiful, and I’m mad at my roommate for fucking it up.”

“Aw!” Nadia squealed. “That is so cute. I’m sure she’ll forgive you and give you a chance to redeem yourself, right, Erin?”

“Uh… we’ll see,” Erin mumbled, still shook. She was a sweaty mess after spending the last hour working out, and this boy was saving her life and calling her beautiful?

“Did you at least kiss her?” Nadia continued, causing both Erin and mystery boy to blush.

“Nadia!” Erin scolded. “We are-“

“No,” the boy shook his head and interrupted the friends. “But I bet it’d be great.”

“Let’s go, Nadia.” Erin turned even redder as she grabbed Nadia’s arm to physically pull her away. “It was nice to see you again,” she lied as she turned away from the boy.

“Wait,” the boy reached out and grabbed Erin’s arm.

Nadia raised her eyebrows as her grin got even bigger. “I’ll get out of here,” she pulled out of Erin’s grip and crossed the gym, leaving Erin and the mystery boy alone.

“I am so, so sorr-“ she began to apologize, but was quickly interrupted.

“I think you owe me a date now,” the boy decided, his hand still on Erin’s arm.

“What?” Erin asked incredulously.

“I meant what I said,” the boy shrugged, finally dropping his hand. “You’re beautiful.”

Erin shook her head. What was happening? “You don’t even know my name.”

“So tell me it,”

Erin sighed. “Erin Lindsay.”

The boy beamed. “I’m Jay Halstead, and I’ll pick you up at 6. Where do you live?”

Erin’s heart began to pound. Was she really going to agree to this, less than 24 hours after her date from hell with Kelly? “Elder Hall.”

Jay’s smile widened as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and held it out to Erin. “Put your number in,”

Erin shook her head at herself as she reached out and grabbed the phone to enter her number. “Text me so I have yours,” she handed it back.

“Is that a yes to our date?” Jay smirked.

“You get one shot. I really did have a shitty date last night,” she said with a matching smirk.

“I promise to make up for it. Your friend looks really impatient over there,” Jay winked as he pointed to Nadia peaking out from the corner. “I’ll see you at 6.”

Erin rolled her eyes. “I’m going to kill her. This better be worth it.”

A genuine smile crossed Jay’s face. “I promise.”

xo

“I can’t believe you’re giving him a second chance!” Nadia chirped happily as she curled the final strand of Erin’s hair.

“Yeah,” Erin laughed nervously, determined to keep her secret. “Hopefully tonight goes better,”

“I’m sure it will. He seemed really sorry at the gym. And come on, the odds of you seeing him there? It’s totally meant to be,” Nadia smiled as she sprayed hairspray over Erin’s curls.

“Totally,” Erin fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Thanks for doing my hair,”

“I figured I owed you for totally ambushing your man at the gym before,” Nadia winked. “Besides, I left you to get ready on your own yesterday and look how that turned out.”

“Hey!” Erin playfully swatted her friend’s shoulder. “I am totally capable of getting ready by myself,”

“If you say so,” Nadia joked. “You look hot, E.”

Erin rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Nads.” She considered telling her roommate that this was actually her first date with Jay, but she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Fuck, is it 6:00 already?” Erin’s heart began to pound in anticipation as she reached in her back pocket for her phone. Sure enough, it was 5:58 and she had a missed text from Jay.

“Hey, calm down. It can’t be any worse than yesterday, right?” Nadia gave her roommate a wink as she crossed the room to open the door.

“Touché,” Erin smirked as she grabbed her purse and followed Nadia to the door before she could torture poor Jay anymore. “I’ll see you later, Nads.”

“Oh, if I were you, I wouldn’t come home tonight,” Nadia said with a wink.

“Nadia!” Erin scolded for what felt like the hundredth time that day before slamming the door in her roommate’s face.

“Hi, I’m sorry about her,” she said with a laugh, looking up at Jay for the first time that night. Jesus, he was attractive. He wore dark jeans with a gray t-shirt, just tight enough that she could see his almost muscles beneath it. His hair was gelled back, and his baby blue eyes were sparkling.

“No worries,” Jay laughed. “I feel like I should be thanking her. You look beautiful tonight,”

Erin felt herself blushing. “And here I thought you liked my sweaty gym look.”

Jay chuckled. “I won’t lie, they’re both pretty hot.” He began to walk down the dorm hallway, motioning for Erin to follow.

Erin rolled her eyes at his forwardness as she began to follow him. “So what’s your plan for tonight?”

“Do you like baseball?” Jay asked.

“I do,” Erin nodded as they reached his truck. Jay opened the passenger door and Erin hopped in, the door slamming shut behind her.

“Thank god,” Jay continued once he got into the driver’s seat. “I got tickets to the Cubs game,”

“What?” Erin’s jaw dropped. “Aren’t they playing the Cardinals tonight? These games have been sold out for months,”

Jay smiled at her excitement. “They are. My grandfather is a season ticket holder, I had to beg him to steal two seats for tonight,”

“Oh yeah?” Erin smiled back. “How’d you convince him?”

“Told him that I somehow got a really pretty girl to agree to go out with me, and this was my one chance,” he answered honestly.

Erin laughed. “You’re off to a pretty good start.”

Jay’s smile widened as he took his right hand off of the steering wheel and placed it on Erin’s thigh, then got even bigger when she laid her hand over his. They rode in silence for a few minutes, Jay enjoying Erin’s humming along to the radio, before he had to ask.

“So… can I have the full story about what happened on the gym this morning?”

Erin groaned in embarrassment, but took a deep breath to tell the story. Jay deserved to know. “So last night I had this really horrible date with the most boring guy I’ve ever met. I didn’t know him that well, but we have a lot of mutual friends, and he always seemed sweet, but for some reason all of my friends and my roommate basically banned me from going out with him. I hate when people tell me what to do, so I obviously had to accept when he asked me out. But I didn’t tell anyone, and I’m so glad I didn’t. All he talked about was himself, and if it wasn’t about him or his fraternity or his intramural teams, he couldn’t hold a conversation. I basically had to talk to a wall for two hours. I would’ve rather watched paint dry, or grass grow. It was literally painful. So this morning, when Nadia found out I was on a date last night, she was bugging me about who it was but I could not tell her it was him and give her the satisfaction about being right by warning me not to go out with him. And she kept nagging me at the gym, so I finally told her to shut up and that I couldn’t talk about it because my mystery man was at the gym and I didn’t want him to hear me complaining. And I may have accidentally pointed to you.”

Jay was in hysterics by the time Erin finished her story. “Hey! It’s not funny!” Erin removed her hand from Jay’s to playfully punch his shoulder.

“It’s pretty funny,” Jay said, still laughing as he squeezed her thigh in hopes she’d replace her hand, and she did.

“Whatever,” Erin said, starting to laugh herself. “Moral of the story is, I am not looking for a repeat of that.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Jay smiled widely as he pulled into the parking lot of Wrigley Field.

Erin smiled back. “So do you use your grandfather’s tickets to woo all of your girls?”

Jay shook his head. “You’re the first.”

“Really?” Erin asked, her smile widening as Jay pulled into the parking spot the lot attendant directed him to.

“Yeah, I just have a feeling about you,” he said with a wink. “Don’t get out yet,”

Erin’s confusion quickly cleared when he appeared on her side of the car to open the door for her. “Such a gentleman,” she smiled, taking his hand to hop out of his truck.

“You know it,” Jay smirked as he reached back into the car and pulled out two Cubs caps from the glove compartment before shutting the car door. “For you,” he handed her one.

“You really did think of everything,” Erin placed the cap on top of her head, not even mad that it was messing up her perfect curls.

Jay just smiled as he grabbed her hand and led her inside the stadium. He was not messing this up.

xo

The game had been great so far. It was currently the middle of the seventh inning, and the Cubs were winning 6-1. Jay and Erin had been pretty focused on the game, but spent time between plays and innings getting to know each other better. Their instant connection was undeniable. They had so much in common; they were both born and raised in Chicago, both were criminal justice majors at Northwestern – Jay was a junior and Erin was a sophomore - and they both preferred to spend their free time at the shooting range. Jay had already mentally planned their second date at Maxon Shooters, in the case that Erin agreed to go out with him again, but he was confident that she would.

They were engrossed in a heated, but playful, debate about the best pizza parlor in the West Loop when Erin suddenly stopped speaking and turned bright red.

“Hey, you good?” Jay asked, reflexively reaching a hand out to touch her cheek. “What’s wrong?”

Erin shook her head and meekly pointed up at the Jumbo-tron that was currently targeting innocent fans with the Kiss Cam. In the middle of the huge screen was her and Jay’s heads with their matching Cubs hats.

Jay didn’t say anything, but moved his hand on her cheek down to cup her jaw. He searched her eyes for acceptance, and a smile crossed his face when he saw her nod and begin to lean in. Jay’s heart was pounding unreasonably fast and his whole body was buzzing with anticipation. He leaned into meet her and watched her eyelids flutter, then close. Then their lips met. Despite the fact that everyone around them was cheering, it was silent. All Jay could focus on was her perfectly soft lips and the fact that she was actually kissing him back. Even though they had an audience of 40,000+ people, it was the best kiss that Jay had ever had. He pecked her lips once, then twice more before reminding themselves they were in public and finally pulling back. He watched her eyes flutter open this time, and a shy smile crossed her face, her dimples popping.

“Wow,” she whispered, glancing up at the Jumbo-tron once more. Once she saw that the kiss cam was now victimizing a different couple and their audience had significantly decreased in size, she leaned in to capture his lips one more time.

“Wow is right,” Jay smiled once she pulled away for good. “I was right before, ya know.”

Erin wrinkled her brows in confusion. “Huh?”

“At the gym. When I said I thought kissing you would be great. I was right,” Jay smiled, wrapping an arm around Erin’s shoulder and pulling her closer to him, despite the armrest between them.

“You were right about a few things,” Erin smiled as she tried to rest her head on his shoulder, laughing when the bill of her cap hit him in the chin.

“What else?” Jay asked, reaching up to take the hat off of her head and running his fingers through his hair.

“When you promised to make up for my horrible date last night. I really am having the best night, Jay.” Erin admitted.

“Me too,” Jay agreed. “Did I earn myself a second date?”

“It’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings, but you’re on the right track,” Erin teased, already knowing there was no way she’d be saying no to seeing him again.

“So hard to get,” Jay joked back, pressing his lips to the top of her head. At the sight of a Cubs batter stepping into the box, he settled back in his seat and tightened his arm around her shoulder as the bottom of the seventh inning started.

The rest of the game went way too fast for either of their likings, and before they knew it Erin and Jay were hand-in-hand, walking back to Jay’s truck.

“Thank you,” Erin said quietly as they entered the parking lot.

“For what?” Jay asked.

“Everything you did today. You didn’t have to play along with Nadia. You didn’t have to actually ask me out on a date. You didn’t have to take your grandfather’s tickets to give me one of the best nights of my life. Just thank you. It means a lot to me, especially after yesterday.” Erin squeezed Jay’s hand.

“Thank you for agreeing to give me a chance.” Jay squeezed back as they reached his truck and he once again opened Erin’s door for her so she could get in before he got in himself.

“So about that second date…” Erin started as Jay got into the car.

“Maxon. Noon. Tomorrow. I’ll pick you up again.” Jay declared as he began to drive.

“Tomorrow?” Erin smirked. “What happened to the whole ‘macho guy waiting 24 hour to text thing’?” she joked.

Jay rolled his eyes. “Not my thing. If we’re being honest, I don’t think I could wait 24 hours to see you again.”

Erin smiled. “If we’re being honest, I don’t think I could either.”

“Thank god for honesty then,” Jay beamed. “So Maxon?”

Erin couldn’t help but laugh at his excitement. She couldn’t believe he already had their second date planned before the first had even ended. She couldn’t believe that somehow the worst date of her life had led her to the best thing that ever happened to her. “Oh, definitely.”

#linstead fanfiction

[ecofinisher]

¡Vamos a España! - Chap 9

Chapter 9

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29442912/chapters/73330644

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13819897/9/Vamos-a-Espa%C3%B1a

https://www.wattpad.com/1034329613-%C2%A1vamos-a-espa%C3%B1a-chapter-9

 Gerda had closing time off the work and left the library waving back at her boss, then spotted across the road the troll Orm standing there looking at Gerda, then he waved at the girl and ran across the street to meet her.

„Hey Orm,“ Gerda greeted the friend. „What brings you here?“

„At the airfield, I met a guy named Craig. He says he saw three cubs, that looked like chubby versions of me and disappeared into the zeppelin, we stood around watching take off. The one Rollan went in, remember,“

„So they‘re actually with Rollan if he spotted them?“ Gerda questioned earning a nod from the troll.

„Yes. He didn‘t say a thing the other days, cause he thought they were supposed to go on the ride until Alfida and I were around asking,“

„Okay and now, what do you think about what we should do?“ The blonde questioned.

„I would really find it important to go after them and get them back as soon as possible. It‘s been almost a week and I didn‘t report anything to King Arrog and if he finds out I lost sight to them I‘m doomed,“

„Don‘t you think it‘s a better idea to tell them, what happened, but he wouldn‘t need to worry, cause they‘re safe with Rollan until we get them back?“ Gerda asked making the troll shrug his arms. „Orm….?“

„Maybe I should. I just would like someone to come with me,“

„If you‘re okay with it, I‘ll go with you. I haven‘t seen King Arrog since the day he opened the portal to the mirrorlands back at lake Gao. I wouldn‘t mind seeing him again,“

„I believe he would be happy to see you. After all, you prevented a war to happen between us trolls and your kind,“

„It was important for me, Orm. Come I can see already the carriage come along our stop, let‘s get to my house,“ Gerda offered earning a nod, then walked along with the troll at the bus stop.

„Where‘s your brother? Is he painting?“

„Oh, he‘s up at the kingdom doing a painting the king ordered. I‘m not sure at what time he will come back,“ Responded the blonde, which got with the friend at the stop and waited for their ride to arrive.

Rollan had changed his winter outfit back and wore as he did before leaving Spain his black trousers and the fiery-red shirt in the morning and went out to try his luck at finding a place to earn money.

In the afternoon he came out of a library accompanied by Luta, which sat on his shoulder, then he removed out a list of his pants‘ pocket and crossed out the fourth word on his list out of 30, then watched on the list wondering what was the closest thing he could pass by.

„I assumed working in a library didn‘t require to have knowledge in books. I don‘t know anyone, that knows everything about the books that are in here,“ Spoke Rollan making the weasel nod. „What do you think, should we try out at the coffee bar? Or what about those five in culinary. I‘m not that great at cooking, but I could give it a try? What do you think?“ Rollan asked watching Luta hold up her paw with all her tiny fingers, making Rollan think what she could be meaning. „Just try them all?“ Questioned the raven-haired earning a nod from the weasel. „Okay I think there‘s a small restaurant near the centro,“ Rollan mentioned moving further on the road to the crossroad, then followed on the right side along the road passing by a few citizens, which were walking in the opposite direction. Luta watched the shops they were passing by, then got her attention caught by a massage shop, the Luta pointed at the shop, which Rollan looked at then shook his head.

„I don‘t think, that‘s my thing,“ Rollan commented making Luta frown. „Look, if I don‘t find anywhere anything, I‘ll try it here. Don‘t worry,“ Rollan said making Luta nod, then Rollan grinned at the weasel‘s high support toward him. Rollan looked across the road seeing a woman walk out along with a young boy, which carried a cage with two mouses in it, then Rollan stopped and pointed at the store.

„What about a pet store?“ Rollan asked. „That would be a good idea?“ Rollan suggested making Luta laugh. „What‘s so funny?“ Questioned the raven-haired boy, then he shrugged his shoulders and moved on taking out his sheet to add the pet store into his list. „Later I could try it and what did we see again?“ Rollan asked himself, then heard a bell ringing of a door and encountered a teenager near his age get out in panic, afterward a triangular ruler flew across the open door and hit the boy on the head causing him to yelp.

„Es muy loca, mujer!“ Shouted the boy making Rollan stop and look at him confused. The boy looked at Rollan, then waved at him. „Hola, you‘re probably wondering what happened, right?“ The boy asked making Rollan shrug his shoulders.

„Uh no?“ Rollan responded, then at the door appeared a thin woman with glasses and a serious face and looked at the foreign boy.

„I‘ve told you. Stay away from Fatima! She‘s not meant to be with you!“ The woman complained making the boy stare at her in fear, then Rollan stood in front of the boy.

„What happened?“ Rollan asked, then the woman glanced at the Spaniard, then growled at his sight and took from the inside of a store a cane, shrieking the two boys and they ran away while being followed by the woman.

„Hey! I haven‘t done anything!“ Shouted Rollan running along with the foreign boy. The boy along with Rollan got at the center, then Rollan slowed down to see a bunch of citizens gather together around a carriage where two guards stood on it preparing themselves for a speech. Rollan stopped and looked at the crowd curious, about what was going on there. The woman got closer to Rollan and hit him on his head with the cane making him scream.

„Ouch! What did I do wrong?!?“ Rollan complained, then watched the woman groan and make her way back to the store, then Rollan looked at the other boy, which came back to check on Rollan.

„You‘re okay, amigo?“ The boy asked watching Rollan pass his hand over his head.

„I‘m fine. What have you done to enrage that woman?“ Questioned Rollan.

„It‘s a strange story. When I still was at the school I used to be in the class of her daughter and it was rumored, that she had a crush on me. Initially, I didn‘t care about it, as she wasn‘t my type. Weird last week I‘ve encountered her and her mother at the fisher‘s market and we talked about how our life was now and I enjoyed talking with her and agreed on going out with her on a coffee. Things got weirder on that day, she assumed we were dating and yesterday she caught me giving a cousin of mine a goodbye kiss on her cheek, causing Fatima to get sad and leave. I went home to her and she didn‘t let me talk to her. I tried it today again, but now her mother was here and did this,“

„Okay and why exactly did she hit me with her cane?“

„I have no idea. She assumed we were friends I guess“ The boy responded, then Rollan looked at the guards on the carriage to see one of them hold a funnel to hold the speech then Rollan moved forward leaving the other boy back. „Hey! Can I know your name?“ The boy asked running behind the boy in the red shirt and stopped behind the crowd.

„Sorry, did you ask something?“ Questioned Rollan earning a nod from the boy.

„What‘s your name?“ „Rollan,“ The Spaniard responded. „You probably heard of me once,“

„Uh no, is it bad?“

„No…...not at all,“ The Spaniard responded relieved at the boy‘s answer.

„Okay and oh, my name is Pastor,“ The boy introduced himself. „My parents work at the fisher market,“

„My mom used to work there. Maybe you know her. Does the name Leticia sound familiar?“

„No, sorry,“ Pastor apologized, then Rollan held his hand up and rolled his eyes at the guards, which were speaking then Pastor nodded and looked at the men along with Rollan to hear the announcement.

„We‘re looking for young people under 30 and above 18 to show up tonight at King Esteban‘s fleet down the port for a meeting. If you‘re tall, brave, swift, and skilled with one type of a weapon, this is a good time to pass by. You‘ll be passing through a few tests and the best ones will be rewarded. Additionally, you‘re honored to be one of the guards to Princess Carmen. Who doesn‘t make it further can still serve the fatherland in the guard of the kingdom or anywhere else if you wish,“ The first man spoke into the funnel and a part of the people inside the crowd discussed with another person inside it the idea.

„Interested persons are expected at 7:30 down at the large fleet of King Esteban. If someone currently has a question about this, feel free to raise your arm,“ The second guard asked watching a couple of persons put their hand up.

„Hmm I wonder how many people out of these ones will make it through,“ Pastor mentioned, then looked at Rollan taking out his sheet to take down notes.

„Oh Luta, thank goodness we came here. I think this will solve our issue back home better,“ Rollan commented looking at the weasel, which shook her head. „What?“

„Who are you talking to?“ Pastor asked, then Rollan showed him Luta on his shoulder and made Pastor open his mouth understanding.

„This is Luta, the pet weasel of my girlfriend,“ Rollan introduced. „Luta, came with me to be the angel on my shoulder in bad times,“

„That‘s cool,“ Pastor commented holding his finger under Luta‘s snout for her to smell it, then looked down at Rollan‘s sheet. „What‘s that?“

„It‘s just my list with the places I checked out for a job. I will go this evening to the port and attend the meeting of the king. I have the feeling this has been waiting for me,“ Stated Rollan.

„I could pass by too and give it a try. Who knows, maybe we really are meant to do this,“ Pastor commented earning a nod from Rollan.

#ecofinisher #ecofinisherfanfics #snow queen #snow queen mirrorlands #snowqueengerda #snowqueenrollan #snowqueen #fanfic #fanfiction #wattpad #ao3 #archive of our own #ficupdate #fanficupdate #Снежная королева

[pen-masta]

Duly Noted Part 4

1  2  3  4  5

Castel has been spending his Saturday morning pacing around his room again and again. He picks up the letter off of his bed to examine it again. He’s held his black-light flashlight up to it in search of some kind of hidden message or hint that this is a prank--he’s found none. He has letters and cards from the past spread out on his bed. He has cross referenced the writing with notes from his mom, letters from the Curtis sisters, and cards from Joy. He’s even looked at ones from his dad and his brothers, just to be thorough. But the tone doesn’t match with any one’s writing.

He huffs and plops down in his computer chair. He just can’t believe this is real, there’s gotta be some kind of catch or something! He skims the letter over again. Your teeth sparkle and shine and are just as luminous as your smile itself, he reads in his head.

Okay so this is obviously from someone who has seen him and she must be from school because she talks about the catastrophe in the lunchroom yesterday. Who has he seen though? He doesn’t really conversate that often with any girls--other than Joy. And anytime he does it normally ends in laughter, but this obviously is a girl he hasn’t spoken to--if he had she probably wouldn’t have laughed at him or anything like that.

He sighs and grabs a pen off of his desk and he begins to click it as he concentrates. The person focuses mainly on his smile, so she’s definitely seen him around. She also mentions his intelligence and humor, no one can make a judgement like that based solely on a smile so she must have heard him speak. So she must be near him at some point in the day, maybe she’s in some of the same classes. And that perfume...he knows he’s smelled that scent before.

He taps his foot to the tempo of his pen clicking. She wants to get to know him better and he wants to know who she is. And there’s nothing else he can get from this single letter so...he might as well reach out to her and hope for the best.

He sighs and spins around to his laptop. He opens an email to the address she gave him and he starts to type. He deletes and rewrites it several times within the hour. When his fingers stop moving he takes his hands away from the keyboard and reads over the email.

Dear Secret Admirer,

Thank you for the compliments and I’m flattered--I’ll be honest you’ve kind of caught me off guard. Your letter came as a great surprise and it really did kind of lift my spirits from yesterday’s incident; but I’m still a little skeptical about all of this. Please understand it’s not that I don’t believe your intentions are true I am just not that quick to trust people--but I do want to trust you eventually. You mentioned that Catch Less Cassie is not a name I like, which is true, but it means I am single. I am single and I’m guessing you are too? And from what I understand the place you’ve seen me is at school, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen you. ‘I know you from school’ is a very vague statement. Is there a more specific connection we have?

You have me at a slight disadvantage, you appear to know a lot about me and I know nothing about you. You seem so interested in me, but I can’t say I am about you until I get to actually know you. I’d really like to get to know you better, and perhaps it seems weird but I think the best way to do that is if I ask you a few questions. Please just bare with me on this.

1. What is your favorite quote?

2. Do you judge a book by it’s cover? Please don’t say ‘no of course not’ I want an honest answer.

3. What’s one thing you hope we share on common ground?

4. If you could meet anyone past or present who would it be? Why?

I’m sure these questions sound strange, but if you really want to get to know me better you will answer. If you respond I’ll know you’re serious and that this is real. I hope to hear from you soon.

-Sincerely,

Castel Cubs

There. Informative, direct, and gets right down to business. He nods and presses send feeling very confident. If he gets a response alright, but if he doesn’t it’s not like it was really detrimental. He leans back in his chair and smiles a little at the thought of getting a response, a little mystery in his life would be exciting.

“Your move admirer,” he says and closes his laptop.

He looks at his watch and sighs a little seeing it’s almost three in the afternoon. He and Joy didn’t really do anything yesterday other than work, he didn’t even stay for dinner. He knew she really wanted to hang out and stuff last night--after all it was Friday night. But he was still feeling kind of depressed and then this whole secret admirer bizz came up; he just wasn’t in the mood for hanging out and having Friend Fun.

When they finished their work she had tried to get him to play some video games, but he declined and asked for a rain check. He looks out his window to see the sun shinning high in the big blue sky. He smiles feeling the warm breeze float through the open window and into his room.

“The orchard just opened up again and everything is in bloom,” he thinks out loud and stands up. “Maybe Jo-jo will want to go for a stroll.”

Feeling energetic and happy he pulls on his jean jacket as he hops down the stairs smiling.

=============

Haley comes down the steps to see Joy sprawled out on the couch dawning her old band t-shirt and fuzzy shorty-shorts she wore to bed last night. Her hair is a mess as she quietly munches on a bowl of Fruit Loops, watching colorful cartoons.

She smiles warmly at her baby sister and hops into the spot next to her.

“Hey short stack,” Haley smiles. “It’s three o’clock, are you not planning on getting dressed anytime today?”

Joy smirks and swirls her spoon around in her half empty cereal bowl, “Nope I’m bummin’ it today.”

Haley nods, “I’m guessing Castel will not be making an appearance today?”

Joy shrugs and sighs a little, “Not today, hose-ah.” She smiles weakly, “He was still really down yesterday so I’m sure he’ll be brooding all weekend.”

“He did seem kind of out of it yesterday,” Haley nods.

Joy hums in agreement munching on another spoon full of colorful circles. Haley can feel her sister’s sorrow, Joy is never herself when she doesn’t get to be with Castel. Yeah he needs his time and she gets that, but when he needs time alone it effects Joy’s alone time greatly. She hates seeing her peppy, energetic, bubbly sister down in the dumps without her best friend. She decides to move the subject in a different direction.

“Did he get the letter?” Haley asks propping her feet up on the coffee table.

“He did,” Joy smiles. “He didn’t share it with me though so I’m not sure what he thinks of it.”

Haley nods, “So do you think he responded to our little note?”

Joy shrugs, “Not sure.”

“You haven’t checked the email?” Haley asks in surprise.

Joy shrugs again, “No I haven’t. I didn’t think he’d respond at all this weekend, what with the way he was acting yesterday.”

“Well maybe he did,” Haley says excitedly. “Come on get your laptop! Let’s see!” She says poking Joy’s side repeatedly until she giggles and bats Haley’s hand away.

“Alright, alright you win. I’m getting up.” Joy giggles and puts her bowl down on the coffee table.

She opens her laptop and logs into the email account she made the other day for Castel’s secret admirer.

“We should come up with a name for her,” Haley pipes as Joy logs in.

“What for?” Joy asks

“Well if Castel is as great of a detective as you say,” she smirks, “he’ll probably start trying to research her soon. So if we make a name for her and set up like an account on some social media cite it’ll kind of throw him a bone.”

“Well I don’t know that seems kind of--hey! He responded!” Joy squeaks and opens the message.

She reads it out loud and Haley skims over it as Joy reads. 

“Sincerely, Castel Cubs.” Joy chews her bottom lip before sighing loudly, “Gosh he’s so smart!”

“This is gonna get tricky,” Haley hums. “If you answer them like you would he’ll get suspicious. You gotta word them very carefully short stack.”

“I thought we were doing this together?” Joy asks

“No,” Haley smiles. “I said you were writing the notes to him, I’ll just be here for help and ideas.”

Joy playfully scowls at her sister and Haley sticks her tongue out at Joy.

“Alright let’s see,” Joy hums rereading Castel’s email. “Well I think we should start out the email just talking, maybe another compliment. Then go into his questions.”

Haley nods, “I agree.”

“I think it’s only fair to ask him questions too,” Joy smirks. “Because then his secret admirer will get to know him better.”

Haley smiles, “Yeah. Oh! How about Abby!”

“Abby for what?”

“Her name,” Haley says.

Joy wrinkles her nose, “Cassie would never be into an Abby.”

Haley scowls, “Ok how about Nichole.”

Joy snorts, “To pretentious.”

“Taylor?”

“Too plain.”

“Mary?”

“Too basic.”

Haley huffs, “Ok Miss Know It All how about you pick a name.”

Joy pauses for a moment searching for the perfect name for their mystery girl.

“How about Robin.”

“Robin?”

Joy smiles, “Yeah Robin Violet Gray. Kind of unique, interesting, and mysterious.”

“Alright,” Haley agrees. “Robin it is.”

Joy smiles and looks back at the computer screen, “Ok so let’s get down to business.”

“To defeat,” Haley smiles.

“THE HUNS!!!” The two girls sing loudly before giggling.

“Alright seriously though,” Haley smiles. “Let’s start with the compliment. What else is great about Castel?”

“Well we’ve already complimented his smile, his humor, his brains, and his body...” Joy hums and twirls her hair around her finger thinking. “I think we can go with--”

Joy is cut off by a loud knocking. The two both eye the door from the couch then look at each other. They have a quick rock, paper, scissors battle to see who will get up to answer the door. Joy growls pouting that she lost as she waddles to the door.

“Little hi little low,” she smiles as she opens the door.

“Little hey little ho,” Castel grins back completing the movie quote.

Joy blinks in surprise, “Cassie! Wow I didn’t expect to see you today.” She grins hearing Haley slam the laptop closed behind her.

Castel chuckles, “I see that.” He says gesturing to her attire.

Joy playfully sticks her tongue out at him, “What the hey hey why you over here?”

“What am I not welcome anymore?” He teases

Joy rolls her eyes, “No dum-dum I just figured you were still upset about the whole...you know and I wouldn’t be seeing ya at all this weekend. Not to mention I haven’t heard from you so...” she shrugs.

Castel rubs the back of his neck and smiles sheepishly, “Yeah, yeah I’m sorry about that. I should have just let it go and stuff.”

Joy smiles kindly, “No need to be sorry I know it was really upsetting for you Casanova.”

He smiles softly before clearing his throat, “Anyways I was wondering if you were busy?”

Joy chews her bottom lip, “Well I’m actually in the middle of something with Haley right now.”

His eyes show his hurt, even though he manages to hold his smile. As soon as Joy sees the darkening of his eyes she knows she’s made a grave mistake.

“Oh well if you’re busy it’s ok.” He nods and turns to leave, but she grabs the sleeve of his jacket.

“Cassie what is it?” She asks concerned.

He shrugs and suddenly finds the ground really interesting, “I was just wondering if you wanted to go down to the orchard with me. It’s a beautiful day out I thought maybe we could just...” he clears his throat. “But it’s ok no worries, I understand you’re busy.”

Sugar! His rain check! Ugh! Why did she say she was busy!?

“Cassie,” she starts but he smiles and shakes his head.

“It’s cool Jo-jo you’re not even dressed to go out. We can go another day or--hey!” He yelps when she pulls him inside the house.

“Give me ten minutes,” she instructs tossing him onto the couch before spinning around to Haley. “We’ll finish up later sis.” She says before dashing up the stairs.

Castel sits up on the couch and readjusts his jacket. He nods to Haley as his greeting and she smiles back at him.

“What were you guys working on? Not something super important I hope.” He smiles a little truly worried he’s interrupted some major project or conversation between Haley and her sister.

Haley shakes her head and tucks the laptop under her arm, “Nothing important at all Cas, I assure you. Don’t worry about it, just some girl stuff.” She stands up and heads to the den, “Go have fun with her Cassie.” She says before disappearing.

He sits alone on the couch hearing the sound of muffled footsteps running back and forth on the floor above him. A smile curls his lips looking forward to spending some long over due alone time with Joy. He’s glad he came over.

[awriterstransition]

Lessons

        If you find any of the sections of stories I write interesting, I’ve tagged every story with “Isen” so if you search for Isen’s name you get every part I wrote.  If you have any questions about my stories, or want to tell me anything, go ahead and send me a message.

        Lessons

         Master Raven woke me up in the morning, he was putting on his over shirt when I rolled over to look up at him…. I barely got any sleep, and he took notice of my tired expression. “Isen I told you to get some rest.”           “I’m sorry sir but I couldn’t sleep after how long I slept yesterday. I couldn’t fall asleep for hours.” An annoyed look came over his muzzle but it wasn’t angry, he just looked frustrated.           “Isen I told you to tell me everything about how you were feeling, if you couldn’t fall asleep you should have fucking told me, I could have given you draught to help you fall asleep. Dammit you’re such a kitten sometimes.” He groaned angrily and he walked away. “Regardless get your ass out of bed you’ve got things to do.”           “Yes sir.” I agreed and I stumbled out of bed, moving to the closet as I slid the doors open. I changed most of my attire, pants, underwear and vest. I kept the stockings on and the garter belt, because I found no reason to mess with them when they were still fine. I pulled on some knee high shorts of the dark brown variety, tied them in place and then looped a belt around my waist. My vest was a dark leaf green and was secured with small wooden latches. I brushed the fur on my head down as I went to the main room as I walked into the main room slightly rushed by the idea that I might be late for work. Master Raven was sitting at the bar in the kitchen, because the table was broken in half from his rage episode yesterday.          I came and sat down next to him, because that was where a tray of food was left out. “After you coming back from the Embassy you’re taking a bath with me.” He simply stated and I looked at the red paste that was in the bowl, and remembering last night’s punishment, I was hesitant to eat it.           “I didn’t spit in it.” Master Raven simply stated as he continued to eat from his own bowl, and with that simple counter to my thoughts, I ate from the bowl as well with a bit more ease. I downed the red paste and chugged my water. Just as I slammed my cup down Master Raven smacked the back of my head.           “You are a noble Isen, nobles don’t scarf down food, eat slowly next time.” Master Raven reminded me bitterly and I nodded.           “Sorry sir, but I should get going.”          “Where? Your lessons don’t start for another hour.” Master Raven asked looking down at me and at that point I felt stupid. In some way I had thought Master Raven had woken me up because I was going to be late. That was why I had eaten my meal so quickly, I thought I needed to get going.           “I thought you woke me up because I was late.” The large male only sighed when I said this and he put down his bowl.          “If you were late I would have said that. Now go to your room and clean it, put your used clothes in the basket in your closet, I will have the slaves come and wash your clothes, but first go take your dishes and clean them in the sink.” Master Raven commanded and I nodded understanding his command, and went off to do as he asked but when I got off the stool he spanked my rear with my firm hand. I stood straight, nearly dropping the tray I had just picked up because of the sharp simple pain.          “You were slouching.”           “Sorry sir.” I simply apologized, not debating him because he had already done this to me plenty; what would be the point? So I took the dishes to the sink and did as I was told, washing them before sticking them on a drying rack nearby, before I left to clean my room. He spanked my ass again as I left the kitchen and stood straight. He didn’t say anything he just kept eating.          I cleaned my room, picking up clothing and putting them in the thin wooden frame basket with vine handles. I made my bed, making sure it was nice and clean before pulling my laptop bag from under the table. I screamed in horror when I saw a large spider come out from the bed along with it, I watched quickly scurry up the wall before watching it look down at me with all of its eyes. The dark brown spider shifted slowly on the walls as I stared at in fear, it hissed at me clicking its fangs.          After I had screamed Master Raven had quickly rushed into my room and barged through the door and into the room whip in hand, and when he saw what was going on he quickly grew annoyed. “Dammit Isen, what is your problem it’s just a damn fruit spider!? It’s not even fully grown!” Master Raven yelled at me in anger as he rolled up his whip and came closer to the large spider as big as his own head and plucked it from the wall, causing it to shake wildly in his grip as he went to the window and tossed it outside. He did all of this without even flinching, he then pulled the window closed cutting out the light. I was shaking and curled up in a ball, I hated spiders, I couldn’t stand them, and I hated how they looked, how they moved; I hated them ever since I was kid.           “Isen?” Master Raven asked coming close to me trying to pull my arms away from my head which they were covering in fear, I just couldn’t look anywhere because I just felt surrounded by them. I had slept in this damn room and one was under my bed. I got dressed in front of it, I felt violated imagine the spider viewing me from under the bed. “Isen look at me…” Master Raven demanded roughly as he looked down at me holding my hands away from my face.           “It’s gone Isen.” Master Raven simply stated and I looked at him with tears in my eyes, I hated spiders, I hated them. I didn’t know what to do, I just felt stiff. “Isen you’re shaking like a leaf in the wind.” Master Raven noticed somewhat worried, and I didn’t say anything to him, I was to distracted by the spider still in my head. I didn’t even noticed him pick me up and carry me out of the room. I just curled up into his chest, because I had simply just reacted.          Master Raven continued to hold me in his arms as he sat down on the couch looked down at me. “Isen, focus, tell me what’s wrong.”           “I hate spiders.” I cried pulling my hands back down to cover my face as I started sobbing uncontrollably, I couldn’t stop myself it just happened, and eventually I cried myself to sleep. -Master Raven-          In all of my years of training, there were times I had come across those that were truly terrified of something, all different things but this was the first time I had seen someone react in such a way to just a simple fruit spider. Isen was shaking as if he shivering from being out in the cold too long, his claws had come out by reaction and latched into my chest. It hurt and drew blood but in this state anything I said wouldn’t have mattered, Isen seemed trapped in his own thoughts. I had seen slaves cry from pain but his tears were from sheer fear. Father had always told me slaves who acted like this were dangerous. They’d do anything just to get away from the thing they feared the most no matter the cost. In the end father had always said the slave had to be executed to protect the other slaves and their masters.          OF course I couldn’t have him killed, so I just waited until he calmed down, that way I could talk to him properly and figure out what was wrong. Also his claws had dug deep into my body, I couldn’t simply move away or he’d cut my chest open. When Isen fell asleep, his body relaxed and his claws had gone back into his fingertips, so I pulled his hands from my chest and laid him down on the couch. I rang a bell in the kitchen and soon enough one of my slaves had come to tend to my wounds. She knew better than to ask questions and she left soon after, saying nothing to me.          I took note of that, I’d have to beat her later to make sure she remembered to ask if she could do anything else, before leaving. But after nearly an hour of waiting for Isen to wake up I looked down at the magical item I had on my wrists, tucked away under the glove I wore on my right hand. This item kept track of the time, and told me the time of day in runes. I wasn’t surprised when the Ambassador came and asked why Isen hadn’t come into work, and before she could let me explain as usual she lectured me on my actions, warning me if I had caused him to run away she’d have my head. However when she asked what was going on, I told Vela Nota what had happened and she calmed down and listened, even more so when she saw Isen on the couch sleeping, though after what she had said she gave me a simple apology. Alongside me the ambassador and her guards waited for Isen to wake up, but I was done waiting I needed to know what was wrong with him. -Isen-          I woke up to soft smacking on my muzzle, I looked up at Master Raven and quickly felt pathetic because I remembered what happened, just thinking how I looked to him and remembering how he held me close to his chest like a small cub. “Sorry Master Raven.”           “Just tell me what wrong Isen, I’m not mad and I won’t punish you.” Master Raven simply demanded kneeling on the floor so his face was the only thing I could see, and then I saw his clothing and the blood stains and I looked at the blood on my hands.           “Sir I’m so sorry did I hurt you? Please let me heal your wounds.” I simply protested and before I could touch his chest, he sat me up holding both of my hands and simply put them in my lap.           “Later, just tell us what’s wrong.” Master Raven countered nodding to the Ambassador behind him, and then I saw the Tigress and the two guards and just felt worse. Because I had involved the Ambassador again.           “Can you promise not to make fun of me?” I asked and Master Raven sat on the coffee table. His muzzle was stern and he looked down at me.           “Just tell me what’s wrong Isen? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me everything.” I couldn’t look at Master Raven or the other Mincridarins, because my fear it would just seem pathetic to them, but I told them regardless.           “When I was seven years old, I was playing hide and go seek with my sister. It’s a simple game where someone tries to hide and the other looks for them. It was my turn to hide, my sister was counting inside the house. I went outside to hide from her. Well three boys from my class saw me hiding in a bush, I was never on their good side they hated me. I don’t know why but they beat me and they dragged me off and into the backyard. My sister was still inside looking for me. I had this shed in the back yard, it was old and run down. They threw me inside gaged me with rope, Billy’s dad was in the navy and he wanted to show his rope tying skills. I couldn’t escape and they locked me inside. It was dark but I didn’t care about that, I cared about the spiders, dad had always told us not to play in the shed because the spiders would get us. There were webs all over the place. I spent hours in that shed I could feel spiders crawling over me and I couldn’t do anything about it. I thought they were going to eat me alive, or kill me with their venom. Because I knew some spiders could kill humans even though they were the size of finger nail. The police found me after four hours, still bound and gagged in the shed.” I explained and when I was done I looked up at Master Raven, just seemed agitated and he looked back at the Ambassador.          “Why was this not in his damn file?”           “We didn’t know, Isen lived most of his life outside of the sanctuary. We only know so much, we never heard of this happening to him before.” The Ambassador quickly protested though she did seem worried, even the guards seemed bothered by my story and looked down at me with pity, the female canine most of all. I could tell she was a female because of her form and breastplate, also her face was smother not as angular as a males.           “I’m sorry I should have told you, I just don’t want people to know because I’m sure they would have laughed.” I simply stated and Master Raven gave me a firm smack across the muzzle.           “Don’t assume how people react Isen, what you went through is not something I’d even do to one of my slaves. Isen are you scared of anything else, no matter how small?” Master Raven asked scolding me as he spoke, and when the guards saw his violent smack, they were about to get involved but when they saw it wasn’t meant to harm they settled. I just looked at Master Raven feeling my muzzle.           “I fear needles, mainly because of the pain, but also because I have too trust the doctor to use the needle properly. I’m scared of being bound in anything other than rope, I don’t know how to pick locks even with magic. I know how to get out of rope, duck-tape, and zip ties, so if something happens and if I’ve ever left bound, I know I can get out and escape. I’m also not really good with heights, I know it’s stupid but I didn’t know that Tarva was a city this high up before I signed.” I explained and Master Raven got up from the table and looked down at me.           “We’ll talk about this later, for now just get to work.” I nodded and looked at the Ambassador and stood up and came closer to her.           “Guards take him to the Embassy and help him get settled, just stay close to him in case a fruit spider comes near him. We don’t want another incident. I need to talk to Master Raven.” The guards nodded and they started to lead me away, but we stopped at my room which I was scared to go in, but I had to get my laptop bag. So when I had to check every wall of the room closely before retrieving the Laptop bag from the floor. The guards didn’t say anything but they seemed upset about how I was reacting, maybe it was pity but it seemed like something more. -Master Raven-           “Master Raven what are you thinking?” The Vela Nota asked coming to face me when I was walking to my room.           “To think that human children would do that to another. Our cubs would never do such a thing, we’ve trained them to respect each other, and express their anger through regulated combat. I wish I could have taught that damn brat some manners. If I could knock some sense into that child’s father.” Master Raven countered in anger, looking back at Vela Nota, she had strange small smile spread across her muzzle that was just irritating to look at.           “What?”           “This is the first time I’ve ever seen you care about someone other than yourself.” The words stung and were revolting to hear, I didn’t care about Isen Dale he was just some pathetic cub who was just around to be trained.           “I don’t care about Isen Dale, I’m simply doing my duty as Master and training him, and now I have to go and think of some way to train him out of his fears. Because we Mincridarins don’t fear the simple things.” I countered just wanting to remove that smile from her face, but she kept it in place and simply nodded as if to mock me.          “Just promise me you won’t break him. If it’s becoming too much don’t push him. We need him sane in order for him to work.”          “I know, but shouldn’t you be elsewhere Ambassador?” I simply countered no longer wishing to talk to the Vela Nota as I went into my room and shut the door. -Isen-          When I got to the embassy I was lead to a fairly large sized class room, with a chalk board at front of the class, an elegant and large wooden desk front and center, and twenty or so personal desks where Mincridarins and two Adestrians sat. The class perked up when they saw me and quickly stood up to bid me welcome, and after I put my bag down I bowed to them in apology “Please forgive me for my tardiness. Things came up and problems occurred. I will do everything I can to come on time, I know all of your time is important!”          The class was rather stunned by this, and there was soft comments about me but in the end I stood up straight and looked at them. “Since we have such short time today, I want everyone to write down their name on this piece of paper.” I simply stated and I pulled a small note book from my bag and opened it up to a single white piece of paper, I had stored this notebook in my bag just to use for such occasions. I took out at thick steel mechanical pencil, with specially made thick black lead. A gift from the doctors before I left the hospital, it was made to not break so easily in Mincridarn hands. I handed the pencil to the first Mincridarn that was closest to the door.           “Try not to take too long staring at the pencil, we’ll talk about it later, just be careful and try not to break it.” I simply stated and the Mincridarn male snake nodded and he wrote his name on the paper, and passed the notebook back.           “I know you have a lot of questions and I will do my best to answer them, but first because of the fact that we have such little amount of time I’m going to put on a movie, so once you have your name signed I want you to grab your chair and move closer to the front desk create a moon around the front so everyone can see, it’ll be a bit hard.” I stated, and sat down at my desk in the front of the classroom and pulled out my laptop. Opening it up made the entire class curious, and they watched me closely following my every movement. Once I opened up laptop I pulled out my CD case and selected a secret agent movie, one of the new James Bond Films. Probably should start with a romance since they’re a bit more realistic, but I wanted to give them something they defiantly enjoy and make up for what I had done.          The class came closer and I saw the guards outside the door way, they were watching me just as closely, and they seemed just as curious as the class. “You two can come in as well.” I said calling out to the guards and when I spoke to them they seemed a little flustered, but the came inside but remained standing. When I got everyone’s name signed on the paper, I tucked the notebook into my bag. But before I started the movie, I quickly started to shift the students around, short students up front tall in back I allowed some of students to sit on desks, which they were really bothered by, but if it helped with the lesson they didn’t argue too much.          With them in place I went to the white board and wrote my name and the homework. “My Name is Mr. Dale to you, and your home work is ten questions on the movie your about too watch, it can truly be about anything, and in this case there is no stupid questions. Every question will help you understand earth and its cultures. But please know the movie your about to watch is Fantasy or not real, all of it’s fake. No one dies in the movie, and nothing is actually destroyed, it’s all just one very well made illusion. I won’t stop the movie, so if you have any questions use them for your homework.” I explained just the knew ahead of time that this was some kind false reality, it wasn’t true human culture. Though with that the class just seemed confused, but nodded and comments of understanding saying “Yes sir, or Yes Mr. Dale.”          I then turned the computer around and hit the space bar to let the movie play, I turned up the volume as loud as it could go and shifted to the side of the classroom. “Also anyone touches my computer is going to fail the homework assignment, no if’s and or buts, do I make myself clear?” I simply and firmly asked taking a page out of Master Raven’s playbook. They all gave their understanding except one student who raised his hand. “Yes.” “What’s a computer?” “The thing playing the movie in front of you.” I simply answered and he seemed to have more questions but he fell silent as the movie and characters started to come on screen. I watched them closely knowing some might react violent in self-defense from seeing the action in the movie, and the hearing the strange loud sounds, but they were all baffled confused, but all the more interested. They stared at the screen intently, some students smart enough had brought boards with ink, quills and paper were already writing down questions on their lap as they watched.            I sat on a desk and watched the students, I had seen the movie before so I didn’t need to watch it. I just enjoyed watching their reactions. They were so enthralled by the actions even the two guards had taken seats on desks nearby to watch the movie closely, spears still in hand. Though the movie ended and twice I had to put up barriers to block violent out bursts. But they were all ecstatic, all of them were just begging me to tell them about the movie, the characters, the world, everything. It was like trying to hold off a class room full of cubs, their excitement purely child-like, which was normal.          When Mincridarins watched anything on TV it was a miracle to them, they had never seen such a things before. They had public plays, fighting in arenas, but nothing like modern human television. Though being the big jerk I was I told them to go home and do the homework, they guards had to heard them out of the room, but they went regardless just talking to each other, purely excited for next class where I would answered their questions.          The guards stayed behind and I couldn’t escape them, so they sat down I told them and answered their questions, telling them about what a movie is, how it’s made, the fact that it was all fake, which they couldn’t believe in any regard because it looked so realistic. The characters and even the weapons James Bond had used, and the technology just scattered throughout the movie.          The Ambassador came to the classroom about an hour after I finished class, she knocked on the door frame to get my attention. When the guards saw the Ambassador, they quickly stood at attention, she had heard enough to understand what was going on, and told them to stand down. The guards were hesitant but did as they were told.           “Pack your things Isen I want you to talk to the guards about what you did in the Market the other day.”          “Yes Ma’am.” I simply agreed knowing that I couldn’t really refuse her since she was my boss. So I packed my things, and the guards followed us out of the hall, and down a few more doors before the ambassador slid open door to another class room. When I entered I saw a room jammed full of guards and mages of varying size and breeds. All of the guards were armed with their plate armor and weaponry in hand or on their hip. The mages wore thin robes of varying colors to show their elemental magic.          The Ambassador introduced me to the guards and mages, they watched me closely as I stood in front of the class room. The atmosphere was entirely different, their gaze was firm and intense. But it left me unfazed, I had been under gazes worse than theirs, so I quickly introduced myself personally           “Well my name is Isen Dale nice to meet all of you, and so let’s not waste time.” I simply stated and I went to the chalk board and started my lesson. The simple seriousness I took with them quickly shifted their focus as they listened to me explain my battle strategy, as well as explain light biology, and the properties of spells, and why I had used  such spells. Though I never once talked about the soul sword I bore.         When I finished with my lecture I took questions, and this led into discussions that lead well into the afternoon, well beyond lunch; at some points it wasn’t even about talking about the Black Queen Snake, but other beasts and how I would face them based on the information provided. Thankfully the Ambassador was watching my lack of energy deplete into nothingness, and had the meeting ended. The Guards and Mages left thanking me for my aid and information, I said my goodbyes as well before slumping on the desk.          “Can I just pass out please?” I begged the ambassador, just wanting to lay on the desk and not wake up, as my stomach growled in anger. The ambassador smiled and came to my side and rubbed the top of my head. “Sure, all your help today has truly been appreciated Isen. The guards can bring you a meal and then take you back home.” The Ambassador said in a motherly tone, and I didn’t resist my bodily urges anymore, I just passed out after a few minutes on the desk.          I felt a prodding, and I woke up still on the desk and looked up at Master Raven who was carrying a large wooden cup of some kind of warm liquid, which was still odd but I didn’t have the energy to question it.           “Sleep well kitten?” Master Raven asked softly as I took a sip of the warm brown tea from the cup in my hands, I nodded with a yawn, I watched him as smiled down at me warmly … That caught me off guard, Master Raven never smiled, and I then looked at the tea in my hands fearing the worst I chucked the cup across the room, and stuck my fingers down my throat to unload my guts on the floor, just in case the drink was poisoned. I had been too trusting of Master Raven’s form, I had to be careful. Lynn always warned me about how powerful Illusions could be.          I heard simple and soft laughter behind me. “Ahh, you were supposed to drink that.” The childish voice stated, and I looked up behind me to see a small very thin and tiny Adestrian male floating in the air above me. Its body radiating soft blue light as it hovered around, I said it hovered, because its back wings didn’t move, and it moved as if it was swimming not flying.          “What was in that drink?” I protested and the spirit laughed happily and elevated in height, my throat burned, and I was weak from unloading my guts on the floor. I slumped to the side and looked up at the male.          “I’ll never tell.” The spirit laughed as it quickly darted through a wall and disappeared from view. Not soon after the two familiar guards saw me on the floor with a vomit nearby and quickly ran away. Not soon later a mage wearing blue robes approached me and helped me sit up.          “Are you alright? What happened?”          “Something I think tried to drug me? It looked like an Adestrian, it was glowing and blue.” I answered tired and feeling somewhat sick to my stomach now. The blue robbed reptile pulled a water bladder from his hip and allowed me to drink from it.          One of the guards found the cup I had thrown and brought it over sniffing it. “It doesn’t smell poisoned, it just smells like tea.” The female stated handing it over to the mage who used some kind of magic on it.           “There was no poison in this, which is good, you don’t have to worry about anything Isen. It must have been a Dragon Sprit playing tricks on you. You’ll feel better soon enough. You two just take him to my office, give him some water and a proper meal. I’ll go and talk to the Ambassador.” The Mage ordered, and soon enough the Canine female picked me up and laid me over her shoulder, the male guard had run off somewhere else.          The guard had taken me into some kind of medical room and laid me on the bed. I just felt weak, tired and hungry, thankfully one of those was sated soon enough because the second guard came in carrying a small tray off food, and sat it down on my lap. I quickly started eating just enjoying the meal as it drowned out the acid flavor on my tongue, and in my throat. I thanked him afterwards and the female guard for carrying me.  The two quickly wrote my comments off, and told me to get some rest, and I soon did as asked.

#Master Raven/Isen #Part 42