#the excuse in question as of recent is my day of birth | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yuikomorii · 2 months

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Happy Birthday, Ayato! ❤️

// Today is the golden boy’s birthday!! Sweet and spicy visual god, you are the reason of my unattainablly high standards… and also of my questionable financial decisions, lol.

This looks more like an Ayayui shrine than an individual Ayato one, but I couldn’t fit all the items in one pic, therefore I chose the ones that were the easiest to find in my room. :”)

Nevertheless… I did try to prepare a SCENARIO too! I used my nsfw edit as the cg, although I didn’t show everything. The romantic part is really cheesy and cringe, but if you’re into fluff, you will like that. 💕💕

~Operation: Ayato-kun’s birthday~

Yui: ( Haa… it feels as if there’s no ending to these anymore… )

( I woke up earlier today, hoping to finish all these exercises, yet I really can’t bring myself to understand how to solve them at all…! )

( My mind is completely in a whole different place right now. Today is Ayato-kun’s birthday after all. )

( Unfortunately, all the assignments kept me so busy this week that I wasn’t even able to bake a cake for him… )

( However, it’s still not too late for that, right? )

( Once I’m done with this page, I will definitely try my best to prepare it as soon as po—)

Reiji: Komori Yui, are you slacking again?

Yui: …!

R-Reiji-san!

( Oh no, he picked up my notebook! )

Reiji: Good grief, there are mistakes everywhere! Do I need to remind you that you are not permitted to bring disgrace upon the Sakamaki family as long as you reside under this mansion's roof?

Yui: Uuh… I-I’m really sorry, Reiji-san. I promise I’ll—

Reiji: Silence. I recently received your report card as well, and I must admit that I’m not pleased with your performance in the slightest. I was expecting such indifference from my brothers, but it’s rather disheartening for a human girl not to care about her education.

Yui: Y-You got it wrong! It’s not like I don’t care about school, but… simply put, the teachers have been giving us much too many tasks lately, and I find them quite difficult to solve, which stresses me out a little, to be honest.

Reiji: Hmph, excuses. I find it incomprehensible how such simple exercises cause you mental difficulties.

Nevertheless, I shall teach you then. Even if it requires the whole day to achieve that.

Yui: You will? Woah, thank you so much, Re— W-Wait, no! We can’t do that today!

Reiji: Pardon? Are you rejecting my offer to tutor you?

Yui: No, no! Not at all! It’s just that today is Ayato-kun’s birthday, and well… I would obviously want to celebrate it with him.

Reiji: Denied.

Yui: Eh—?

Reiji: You truly are a fool. Vampires show no interest in the day of their birth. Now, take a sit.

Yui: …

( I know Reiji-san is not in the wrong, but… I really do want to celebrate Ayato-kun’s birthday. That day may not be special to him but it’s so special to me. )

( Am I being selfish, I wonder…? )

*Timeskip*

Reiji: It appears that you’re finally able to understand how to solve this exercise. The next ones are similar to it, therefore there shouldn’t be any obstacles.

Yui: Yes, I see…

( I appreciate Reiji-san’s help, yet too many hours have passed by and baking a cake from scratch is not possible anymore… )

Place: Living room

Yui: ( Hmm… apparently I still have enough pocket money to buy a cake. I know a self-made one would have been more meaningful, but I really couldn’t… )

Kanato: Yui-san, are you spacing out?

Yui: Eh—? Ah, Kanato-kun, I didn’t see you there. I’m fine, but I’m a bit in a hurry, so… see y— Kya!

( He grabbed my wrist! )

Kanato: You’re going to buy a cake for my brother, aren’t you?

Yui: Uhh… well yes, I mean, it’s his birthday after all.

Kanato: My birthday was yesterday and I didn’t see you get any cake for me, nor for Laito. Teddy thinks you forgot about us. Tell me, Yui-san, is that true?

Yui: T-that’s not it!

Kanato: So you’re going to buy a cake for me as well after all? I might forgive you if you do that.

Yui: ( What did I get myself into…! I’m sure Kanato-kun will throw a tantrum if I say “no”. )

But… I don’t think I got enough money for two cakes.

Kanato: Please don’t worry about that, Yui-san, I know my ways. Or what, are you doubting me now?

Yui: …!

— shakes head —

Kanato: Good, now let’s go.

Place: Demon World Cake shop

Yui: Woah, I’ve never seen such big cakes before!

Kanato: Please don’t shout. Your looks already make you resemble a servant, you don’t have to act like one as well.

Yui: ( Hey, that’s mean! )

Cake shop owner: Welcome, how can I help you?

Yui: We’re searching for a birthday cake, but uhm… one a bit smaller than the ones displayed here, if possible.

Cake shop owner: Any flavor you got in mind?

Yui: ( Speaking of flavor, I don’t think Ayato-kun has ever told me anything about his favorite. He would probably say Takoyaki but a Takoyaki cake… that doesn’t feel right. )

I think he likes straw—

Kanato: Raspberry!

Cake shop owner: Wonderful! We just finished a raspberry cake a few minutes ago!

— brings cake —

Yui: ( It truly looks delicious…! Besides, it’s red as well, which is Ayato-kun’s favorite color, so I believe he would truly like this one! )

Kanato: Alright, we’ll take it!

Place: Mansion

Yui: Phew, I’m glad the cake didn’t get crushed on the way.

Kanato: It’s time to eat!

Yui: Wha—! No, Kanato-kun, you can’t!

Kanato: Excuse me, but who do you think you are? This is my cake, therefore I’m allowed to eat it whenever I want!

Yui: W-Well, don’t you want to wait for Ayato-kun too? This way, you two will be able to eat it together like bro—!!

(He pushed me in the cake!?)

Kanato-kun, why did you do this!?

Kanato: You ruined the cake!

Yui: Me!? But Kanato-kun was the one who pushed me there!

Kanato: Teddy says you’re annoying, and I agree. Now how will you fix your mistakes?

Yui: ( I can barely see anything…! )

Kanato: Fufu, look at her Teddy! She’s full of cake from head to toe! Now, let’s give it a taste che—

Yui: You can’t!

— moves cake away from him —

Kanato: I can!

— moves cake back —

Yui: No!

— moves cake away —

Kanato: Hmph, just give up already, will you!?

— pushes her away —

Yui: Wait, no—!!!

???: Oi, what the—!

— cake falls on them —

Kanato: Noooo, the cake!!!! Ngh, this is no fun anymore!

Yui: Uuh… Why is the floor so soft…?

Ayato: ‘Cause it’s not the floor, you idiot.

Yui: Ah! A-Ayato-kun!

Uhh… Happy birthday…~?

Ayato: Geez, c’mere, you’re an even bigger mess.

— picks her up —

Place: Bathroom

Yui: ( This is so embarrassing…! )

Ayato: Haa… You’re finally not covered in cake anymore.

Yui: I… I’m sorry…

Ayato: Huh? What are you apologizing for? I’m not mad that you dropped that cake on me.

Yui: That’s not the only thing I’m sorry about…

If it weren’t for my carelessness, you would have gotten a nice birthday, but now… you don’t even have a cake anymore.

( Ah, I’m feeling as if I’m about to cry right now… )

Ayato: Hey, c’mon that’s not worth the tears. I’m a vampire, remember? I don’t care about my birthday, so there’s no need to worry about such stuff.

Yui: Maybe you don’t care about it but… I do. I know that I’m about to sound selfish, but your birthday is very special to me. It represents the day you were born and I… I simply can’t imagine not celebrating it.

Ayato-kun is important to me, therefore that automatically makes his birthday important to me too.

Ayato: You klutz…

— hugs her —

Yui: W-Wha—! Ayato-kun…!

Ayato: Seriously, are all humans really that sentimental? Or does this only apply to cute girls like you?

Yui: …!

(He… he called me cute! )

— blushes —

Ayato: The day’s still not over, y’know? There’s still time to celebrate it if you’re really that obsessed with it.

Yui: …! So, are you really okay with that?

Ayato: Yeah? If I weren’t, I would have told you, idiot. On top of that, it’s not like I got anything better to do anyway.

Now tell me, Chichinashi, what exactly do you have in store for today?

Yui: Hm… uhm… nothing comes to my mind at the moment, but for now… I can’t say I mind spending time like this with Ayato-kun.

Ayato: Heh~? You suddenly don’t mind being in my arms while naked?

Yui: P-Phrasing it like that…!

Ayato: Well, if that’s the case, then… you wouldn’t mind if I sucked your blood either, right?

Yui: Go ahead.

Ayato: Hah? No talking back? Are you really that easy to convince today? Or, could it be that you finally admit enjoying the pleasure these fangs give you?

Yui: It’s not only about your fangs, Ayato-kun. I really like you as a whole.

I wasn’t even able to find a gift for you, therefore giving you my blood is the least I can do.

Ayato: Heh, I see… I don’t need your blood as a gift though.

Yui: You don’t…?

Ayato: Nope, ‘cause I already got the best gift ever.

Yui: Is that so?

( Did someone already give him something for his birthday? If that’s the case, then who could it be? )

( Ah… I guess I’m just overthinking, but now I’m really curious. )

Ayato: You really wanna know, don’t you? It’s already written on your face.

Are you getting jealous~?

Yui: T-That’s…—!

Ayato: Pfft, you really did get jealous, huh?

Yui: ( Ugh… he’s making fun of me now! )

Ayato: Anyway, there’s no need to. After all, the best gift I’ve ever gotten…

It’s you, Yui.

— Smooch —

The end

#diabolik lovers #ayato sakamaki #sakamaki ayato #Yui komori #komori yui #dialovers #admin #my edit #(I hope I wrote Reiji and Kanato well)#(they were fun to write at least)

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b0xerdancer-writes · 7 months

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The Moon Only Glows When Kissed By The Sun

Helion x Inner Circle!Reader

Summary: The younger sister of Rhysand, sick from her birth finally gets her chance to work as a courtier for her older brother. On her first mission she meets Helion, the lord of the day court, the two hitting it off and becoming attached at the hip. But maybe there's another reason the two are pulled towards each other.

Warnings: Sick! Reader, Near Death experiences, foul language, illusions to and possible future smut, not proofread we die like men.

Word Count:4,907

Notes: First fanfiction here we go, time to get back into the swing of things. hope everyone enjoys!

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It was the solstice when they met, the small frail sheltered sister of Rhysand and the High lord of the Day Court.

The war had been over for nearly six months now and it was the first large celebration that had been held since. Emissaries, Courtiers, Representatives of all varieties were here at a party in Summer Court on Tarquin’s pleasure yacht. When Helion had spotted the smaller unfamiliar member of the inner circle talking to Rhysand. If you asked him, Helion wouldn’t know what compelled him to go over and speak to the two, maybe it was just curiosity, maybe it was something else that ached and throbbed deep in his chest.

As Helion approached he caught Rhysand’s attention first who greeted him quickly, he watched as Rhys placed a firm hand on the smaller female’s shoulder a sign that seemed to cause the smaller one to relax. Helion held a wine goblet in one hand and extended his free hand out to the small female.

“Helion, High Lord of the Day Court,” Once the quite smaller hand was placed in his he brought it to his lips placing a kiss to the knuckles there. “It's a pleasure to meet you my dear.” He looked up at the now flustered female through his lashes.

The smaller fae cleared her throat before introducing herself, trying to push away any embarrassment or fluster that would come out in her voice, Helion was an attractive male and he knew it, oozed it. “It's a pleasure to meet you as well my lord, I've heard many stories from my brothers.”

The two continued easy back and forth chatter leaving Rhysand to dismiss himself from the conversation with the excuse of finding Feyre and Nyx. Both found the flow of conversation easy, Helion offering to show the other around the boat and introduce him to anyone that might be of importance.

“So I take it you're close with Rhysand he seemed to offer a kind of comfort to you, apologies if I'm asking too personal of a question.” Helion took a sip from his wine glass and glanced down at the small female that was just taller than his elbow.

“Actually he’s my brother! Not in the way Cassian and Azriel are brothers with Rhys, no we actually had the same parents. I'm just years younger than them, I was 10 when Rhys took over as High lord.” The female looked up at the taller one smiling brightly. It caught Helion’s attention how bold and brightly she showed her emotions in comparison to Rhys.

“Then if you don't mind my curiosity why haven't I seen you around? Especially during high lord meetings or on the battlefield even?” The Brunette asked but immediately regretted it as the female seemed to deflate.

“I was born incredibly sick, I was months early and my mother was incredibly sick the entire time she carried me. So in my younger years I was rarely allowed out of the house, my father constantly calling in healers for me. I had many near death experiences when I was younger, if I caught even a cold it was cause for worry. So when the title of High Lord passed to Rhysand he was incredibly protective of me as well. So I just rarely left the House of Wind, spent all my time in the library learning as much as I could about politics, strategies, anything I could to help my brother. In recent years since the war stopped he's let me act as a courtier. This is my first big gathering where I'm getting the privilege of actually working.” She seemed to slowly light back up as she rambled, Helion smiled to himself finding it cute, almost innocent and took a sip of wine.

“Congratulations are in order then, It sounds like you’ve earned it. Let me buy you a drink from the bar as a gift for your new title?” Helion placed his hand on the other's lower back and led her to the bar. “What's your poison my dear?”

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That’s how the two’s friendship started anyways, nowadays they often exchanged letters and sought out each other's company at parties. Drinking and laughing with each other throughout the night. Which leads to now the smallest of the inner circle holed up in her room trying on various dresses for her newest mission: Attend Helion’s eclipse party and represent Night Court. Rhysand had his hand busy with war camp issues and was unable to attend himself, she would be attending this one by herself.

She stood in front of her floor-length mirror, holding a black and gold lace maxi dress against her frame, gold strappy heels set on the floor by the edge of her bed. The dress was a gift from Mor, all the blonde had said to her was “Trust me, you’ll thank me later.” before she disappeared back to wherever she had appeared from.

The dress was a bit more revealing than she was used to, having a sheer section that covered her midriff and had gold feather and plant lace details on it. A large slit that would reach almost to her hip on the right side. Her face was flushed as she fought with her own thoughts on if the dress would be appropriate to wear in Helion and other High Lord’s company due to the plunging V neck it had as well.

She was pulled from her thoughts as a note popped into existence with a faint soft white glow, a note from Helion. She laid the dress against the bed and grabbed the note from the air and smiled as she untied the soft pale yellow ribbon that held it closed. She walked over to the padded couch leaning back on it and pulling her knees under her as she read the finely written letter. From the way Helion wrote she could tell he was excited about the upcoming party asking her things like ‘What color will you be wearing? That way i can have a piece of accent jewelry that will compliment it so we dont clash standing next to each other’ and ‘I simply cannot wait to see you my dear, i have the funniest story about those two high fae that were at my last party who we found sneaking off together even though they were married to others!’. She smiled to herself reading over a particular sentence multiple times, ‘Those tea cakes from the last time you visited the cheesecake ones, you favored that flavor over the other ones right? I wanted there to be something special for you.’ It caused her heart to flutter, he wanted there to be something special for her?

The house summoned a quill, ink, and paper onto her coffee table, and she thanked the house quietly as she began to write back to him in a curling fancy scrawl taking time to show her appreciation for his care. As she finished the note by making stars as the dots above her I’s, she stood and pulled a small silver ribbon from her side table to tie the note shut, willing it back to Helion. Reassured she picked the dress back up, holding it close to her again and spun watching as the edge of the skirt flared, she imagined dancing with Helion like she had done so many times before every time he managed to impress her with his talents and flair for the dramatics.

She hummed happily, setting the dress back down onto the bed and slipping into the attached bathing chamber, where steam rolled off the water filled with oils and bubbles. She rid herself of her morning clothes and slipped into the bath, thoughts drifting to how this evening would go and how Helion would look and act. It didn't take long before she felt her brother's talons scratching at her shields, she greeted him in her thoughts and was relieved when he wished her luck and told her not to have too much fun. Her face bloomed in red as she stumbled over her thoughts asking what Rhysand had meant by his comment. She felt his laugh echo in her thoughts with a simple ‘forgive me if i found the way you look at Helion to be like that of a female in love is all’ before he had wished her well and pulled away from her thoughts.

Even though her brother no longer remained in her thoughts, his words echoed there, “Like that of a female in love” she repeated his words in a hushed voice as her eyes widened. Did she love Helion? They had only known each other for almost a year now, was that enough time to fall in love with him? Yes she found herself sticking to his side more so than that of her own families at parties, but she argued that was because he made sure to include her in every conversation he had even if she knew nothing about the subject he made an attempt. Yes she cared about what the male thought about her looks, always making sure she was dressed to impress, but she would argue that it was always at a party and she had to look her part of her court. Then she thought about how much it meant to her that Helion had remembered her favorite tea cake from his court she had several parties ago. Fuck, she realized, i am in fact in love with him, Rhys was right.

She rose from the water, wrapping a fluffy towel around her body and moved back into the main portion of her room. The dress seemed to mock her now, like it was pointing out her effort to impress the dark-skinned male. Something registered to her then, what Mor had said “You’ll thank me later” what did she mean by that?

If it was obvious to Rhys that she was in love with Helion the rest of the inner circle must have known as well, so did that mean that Mor was gifting her a revealing dress like that trying to get her and Helion together? She sighed loudly sitting on the edge of the bed before leaning back into her fluffy comforter and covering her face groaning loudly. She didn't have time for this; she had to face the male in a few hours, now was not the time to get caught up in her own head.

After a few moments she rose from the bed and took the dress into her hands, looking closely at the intricate golden detailing of the lace, feathers and swirls like that of sun rays, Mor had to have picked the dress on purpose if not had it custom made entirely. She dropped the fluffy towel from around her body and moved over to pull on her black lace undergarments and the dress adjusting it on her body. She took a seat on the foot of her bed and pulled on the strappy gold heels Mor had brought with the dress, the ties reaching just below her knee in a small bow. She looked at herself in the mirror looking like a mix between the court she called home and day court, she released a shaky breath and moved to her vanity.

After a while she had settled on just some simple makeup and simple hair styling, looking herself over in the mirror of the vanity she picked up a golden necklace Helion had gifted her at their last party, a simple golden chain with a black crystal wrapped in golden swirls and clipped it around her neck. She stood and looked herself over in the floor-length mirror once again smoothing out her skirts, giving herself a small peptalk and rolling her shoulders she turned to make her way to the main hall of the house, where Mor always waited before she winnowed away to make sure every part of her outfit was perfect.

As she came down the stairs and rounded the corner of the hall into the living room Mor sat in her classic wine red dress, she looked up from her book when the smaller female had caught her attention. The blonde stood from the padded couch, eyes scanning the other’s frame, her eyes locking on the small accent necklace. Her finger came out to toy with the small black crystal, her eyes sparkling as she took it in.

“This,” she smirked. “This is a nice touch. Helion gave you this at the last party you attended with him right? It's good, I like it, it ties the whole outfit together.” The blonde dropped the necklace back into place between her collar bones and turned.

The younger female nodded,”Yeah he did, said it reminded him of me.” Mor smirked, brushing her hair over her shoulder as she moved back towards the couch.

“Have fun at the party hun, I would recommend staying there for the night if you have too many drinks I’m sure Helion wouldn't mind you staying over, you two are practically attached at the hip.” Mor shrugged, moving her skirts out of her way as she resumed her spot on the couch.

The smaller nodded and made a small hum of acknowledgement as the blonde winked at her and blew her a kiss from her spot on the couch. “Stay safe, love you!” was all the young female heard as she made her way out onto the balcony to fly herself to a spot she could winnow herself to Day Court.

Much like her brothers her wings summoned themselves from the shadows weaving themselves into existence. However, unlike her brother’s wings, they were much smaller causing her to tire easily and she only really ever used them to get between the balcony and the base of the stairs thanks to how much energy it exhausted to use them. As she threw herself into the air the chilling breeze reminded her of the night she had met Helion on the yacht, the way the chill of the sea breeze caused the tip of her nose to numb and the way Helion held her close so she wouldn't freeze. The way his eyes sparkled at the brightly colored fireworks that littered the star covered sky, and the way the artificial colors lit up his skin and caused him to smile as he took a sip of wine.

As she landed the closed eye smile the brunette male gave her when he asked if she had enjoyed her night stuck in her head. She took a few steps away from the steps, her wings unmaterialized back into the shadows, and took a sharp breath in as she shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts that plagued her mind since her brother's earlier words.

A dull ache settled itself into her shoulders and she rolled them back to loosen up the muscles there as her mind ventured to where she would be going. The world around her seemed to still as shadows folded themselves around her and through each other till no more light could be seen amongst them. Then as if a pressure had lifted from her the air becoming easier to breathe, the shadows unwound themselves from around her being and revealed the gorgeous scenery of the day court gardens.

Sunflowers towered over her and she heard a small laugh from behind her. She turned to be greeted by the tall male leaning against the doorway between the gardens and the castle-like manor Helion called home. He was dressed in a more intricately designed and patterned white and gold robe than he normally did, golden lace borders depicting suns and moons overlapping each other.

He took several brisk strides down the steps into the garden, taking her hand in his he spun her and pulled her into him in a waltz stance. “Well hello there darling, you never cease to impress.” He winked moving to nonexistent music with her.

She smiled falling into step with him, all thoughts of stress from earlier seeming to fall from her shoulders. “Well thank you my lord, you don't look too bad yourself.” She laughed as he dipped her before pulling her back up to stand.

“Not too bad? Oh, come on now I think I look spectacular!” He smiled brightly pulling her into a tight hug. “Did you miss me much?”

She snorted a little as she giggled “Sure let's go with spectacular then, save your old man ego.” She wrapped her own arms around his waist best she could, head tucked under the tall male’s chest. “Oh, so so so much, I could hardly sleep without thinking about how much I missed you.”

The two fell into fits of laughter as his hands gripped her shoulders to hold her arm's length from him, his eyes scanning over the outfit and locking in on the necklace that sat snug between her collar bones. “That's the necklace I got you the last time I saw you, my dear may i say you have excellent taste, I couldn’t think of a better piece to tie your outfit together tonight darling.”

His hand came up to toy with the necklace as he smiled to himself, making a small hum like noise as his eyes sparkled slightly as light reflected off the small black crystal. Her face lit up as his hand fell to her lower back as he led her towards the large glass doorway. As they reached the top of the small stairs his hand fell from her back as he pushed the door open for her to pass through, she smiled softly and nodded in thanks coming to a stop past the doors waiting for Helion to catch back up.

It was a practiced movement at this point though every time he greeted her it was different. He greets her, leads her up the stairs, holds the door open for her, she waits for him on the other side and she takes his arm as they walk through the manor.

He slows his much larger gait to match her own stride, offering his arm to her which she loops her own arm in, the two falling into easy conversation and laughing on their small walk from the gardens to the main ballroom. She looked up at him smiling brightly as she watched his features scrunch up and he laughed loudly, she caught herself admiring the male's features and it clicked in her mind ‘this is what Rhys meant by the look of a female in love’.

As the two neared the ballroom doors, soft enchanted piano music played and he slipped his arm from hers to hold the door open for her yet again. The scene revealed to her reminded her of books she had read in the library as a child, she had yet to see such an extravagantly decorated ballroom. As she took in her surroundings, her eyes widening, he smiled down at her and moved to step behind her; his hands coming to rest softly between her shoulders and her neck, his thumb rubbing against the back of her neck sending goosebumps through her body.

“You like it?” he rubbed her shoulders gently. “I know I probably went a bit overboard but I thought I might as well, just in the party spirit.”

She watched as servants moved around the ballroom putting on final touches, some closer to the two turning to acknowledge her and Helion with small curtseys, or bows, or even as simple as a nod. Helion pulled her towards one of the tables and pulled a soft white flower from the vase that sat there, bringing it to his nose to small it before reaching up to tuck it behind her ear.

A servant approached, dressed in a butler's outfit, apologizing for the interruption but informing Helion guests were starting to arrive and were awaiting him to greet them. As he bowed and stepped away he made a motion to dismiss the servants from the room as others dressed in less intricate butler outfits entered the room carrying various golden trays of food, champagne, and wine.

Helion smiled offering her his hand and nodded towards the door. “Join me darling?”

“Of course my lord, how could I ever deny your company?” She smiled and giggled, watching as his nose scrunched as he joined her in laughing at her sarcasm as she intertwined her own hand with his.

As the two made their way towards the grand hall doors they were approached by an older looking male, his once dark hair speckled with white throughout. Helion greeted the male, his current advisor she remembered, she had met him plenty of times and knew this was his last big party before he retired and Helion would be without a courtier for a bit. Helion had plenty of emissaries but only trusted the one man to act as an extension of himself, she knew for Helion this was bittersweet, the man had been his advisor since he became the high lord of this court.

Helion wished the man well in passing, the elder male patting the other on the shoulder, as he laughed and wished Helion the same with a wink. Helion smiled at him affectionately like one would a father or grandfather, and continued to escort her through the room where 2 guards stood waiting to open the doors for Helion, saluting him as he approached.

Helion tucked her close to his side and rolled his shoulders back, before nodding at the guards who turned and pulled the large doors open; Helion greeted the high fae that waited behind them with open arms, a grand welcoming gesture. He shook hands with several of them, the partners of those who spoke with Helion greeted you in turn. Some faces you recognized like the newest high lord of Autumn, Eris, you'd met him a couple times now at parties and saw through his mask much like that of your own brothers.

As the final couple of fae filed in, Helion offered you his arm and led you across the dancefloor to the dais, where the enchanted instruments played softly as Helion stepped into position to address the large crowd that gathered around the large room. He cleared his throat before straightening his posture and welcoming the room to the Solar Eclipse celebration.

He said a few more words and the crowd cheered, as he moved down the dais the music began to swell, and she looped her arm in Helion’s as was their little tradition. Like the first time they had met he led her around the large ballroom to meet people of importance, she smiled softly as Helion waved to Eris coming to stop beside the red headed male. She watched as some excited younger females pulled their partners onto the dance floor as a faster song began playing, she imagined Helion lifting and spinning her like the males spinning the excited females. Helion made a small, startled noise that brought her attention back to him, Eris himself slightly startled by Helion's sudden noise, Helion began fanning his own face that slowly bloomed into a darker color.

“Im fine, im fine sorry just got caught off guard by something.” He motioned for a nearby butler to bring him a goblet of wine, which he happily drank down the second it was in his hands.

She worriedly pressed a hand to Helion’s arm rubbing softly to sooth the male. Eris and Helion exchanged a few more words before the next song started and Helion asked for the fiery male’s pardon, who smiled and turned to leave with a small, “of course”.

Helion turned to her, swallowing a breath back down and offering her a hand. “May I have this dance my dear?” He smiled softly as a few more couples joined the dance floor as the music finished fading and took a second before a new song slowly began to swell.

She smiled back at him before nodding and placing her hand on top of his. “How could I say no to a gentleman like yourself.”

The dark-haired male led her to the center of the dancefloor, the other couples moving to accommodate their lord and his partner. The two fell easily into step with the song and the rest of the dancers, a fast-paced waltz almost. Helion held her close to his body as they pranced around the dance floor, the smaller of the two looking up at him with an adoring look in her eyes, a similar expression on the male's face. As Helion pulls her back into him after a spin one of her hands lands on his upper arm and she giggled softly to herself, enjoying her time in his arms she noticed how his hand slowly drifted lower on her back.

“So, you told me you had more on the story of those two fae we caught, spill it.” She giggled up at him as he spun her away from him and pulled her back into him, her back against his chest.

Helion laughed for a split second “Turns out they had just found out their mates,” he stilled for a split second as the word sunk in and the music began picking up slowly. “Just brought their divorce paperwork in for their spouse's last week.” His voice was slightly colder, and it faltered a little bit like he was lost in thought.

She was spun in his arms again, her eyes finding his and noticing how he seemed a little distant though as his eyes found hers, he was brought back into the moment. “How lucky they must be, I almost seem to envy them,” she looked away to the crowd as the music began to swell towards a crescendo. “I mean, what I would give to find my mate; I watch my brothers with theirs and I'm just constantly surrounded by it. It would be nice to have that for myself.”

She didn't catch the way he swallowed or how his eyes lingered on her lips, as the music crescendoed one final time and Helion pulled her into him, dipping her towards the floor with one arm. Had she seen that she might not have been caught off guard for a split second when Helion's hair curtained her face from the world, his hand coming up to rest on her cheek as he pulled her into a fervent and passionate kiss. As he felt her tense up in his hold, he pulled away his eyes searching hers, the entire ballroom quiet in suspense. He watched as tears brimmed her eyes, as they widened like she had realized something; he stood her up from the dip worried, quickly being caught off guard as she jumped into his arms pressing a kiss to his own lips.

He pulled her closer, the dull ache that had once settled into his chest suddenly flooded with emotion as he felt all of her own emotions. “You feel the bond now? I was scared for a second you didn’t and that I was going to scare you off with that kiss.” Helion’s hands shook slightly as they settled on the small female’s waist, the ballroom erupting into cheers.

She nodded rapidly, sending a calming emotion down the bond to him. “I do Helion, how long have you known and kept it secret?” Her hand found the male's cheek and he pressed back into it.

“I guess I’ve known since I saw you that night on the yacht, something about you called to me but I just assumed it was curiosity at seeing a new face around. Thank the Mother I was wrong” He tugged on the bond just to test it and smiled as he felt her tug back.

“Yes, thank the Mother indeed, and the Cauldron” She pulled him into another kiss. The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves as a magical hum invaded the air.

Helion looked up to the ceiling watching as the large glass observatory dome began opening revealing the solar eclipse that was beginning to cross the sky. The room darkened and a ring of light around the two lit up around them, a mesmerized whisper was heard across the ballroom and Helion pulled her into a kiss. As he pulled her into the kiss she felt a warmth against her chest, as she pulled away from the kiss, she noticed the small black crystal of her necklace had lit up revealing a small moon and sun etching inside of it. Helion smiled as he watched her eyes sparkle, as she realized why he had gifted her that necklace. He swiped some hair behind her ear and leaned close, pressing their foreheads together gently.

“You know what they say darling, the moon only glows when it's kissed by the sun, trust me you'll be glowing every time i see you from now on.”

“Fuck, I have to tell Rhys he was right.” The two erupted into laughter while holding the other close.

There was much to be handled now that they both were aware of the bond that had snapped in place, but that was a problem for the next morning. For now, however, the two could be content in each other's arms, drinking and laughing the night away.

#helion spell cleaver #high lord helion #helion x reader #helion acotar #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fandom #acotar x reader #acotar fanfiction

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yxstxrdrxxm · 2 months

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POLL RESULT—! > Yes.

...

Then it is decided. Good luck.

ALBEDO'S ROUTE: THE BIRTH OF IMPERFECTIONS [ DAY 7: BEGIN ]

It had been days since they've seen ALBEDO again.

Now, YESTERDAY is no fool. They spent the past few days assessing orders and making sure they were well taken care of. That was something they weren't going to forget so quickly.

Maybe he forgot his order, they thought, shrugging as they focused on their job.

Though, it was short lived when they heard the familiar chime of the bell at their door, signifying that someone had came in their shop.

"Excuse me," ALBEDO said, adjusting the coat he wore with a nod. "I'm here to receive my order for the flowers."

"Ah, of course! I'll be right there with you," YESTERDAY replied, raising their head to look at him before they looked away to get to the bouquets.

"Let's see, they're... Chrysanthemum and Gerbera Daisies..." they murmured, retrieving the two bouquets and handing it over to the blonde. "Here they are, wrapped and ready. I made sure that these are as fresh as I can get them."

He nodded in response, retrieving the flowers without fuss. Though, he did raise an eyebrow at the arrangement.

Oh, no. Is there an issue in them?

"... How curious," he said, his lips quirking up to a small smile. "I wasn't expecting for you to choose white chrysanthemums. you seem to have some particular tastes in your arrangement."

Oh. It's just the flowers.

"Ah, well... I thought that the meaning fits you, sir," they replied, scratching the back of their neck. "You seem to be the type to be honest, so it would only make sense for me to choose that, no?"

"Perhaps," he nods in agreement, humming. "As for the Gerbera Daisies, I'm quite intrigued. What made you choose these, and in pink as well?"

The florist paused. There was a lot of reasons for them to say why, but that may not be something that he wants to hear. Pondering over his question, they closed their eye to think.

"... Well," they began, pondering over what to say carefully. "I chose these flowers because I want to..."

This poll will receive answers until 11 PM (GMT+8). Keep in mind that the majority will win, so vote what you think is right.

Additionally, any poll after this with additional votes WILL be null when the results are out. Choose wisely, focus on the recent poll, and ignore the past.

FLAWED TAGLIST: (send an ask to be added for Flawed!) @beloved-blaiddyd ; @mixed-kester ; @mochinon-yah ; @fffiii ; @leftdestiny-posts ; @ambrosia-divine

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redrobin-detective · 2 years

Text

its not easy (to be me)

With his hearing, there was no way for Conner to escape the arguments. Especially when all the arguments were about him.

It had started two weeks ago with a question, a simple question but a big one. The Kid knew about the Batman of course. Seen him and his dorky sidekick in passing during battles. But they’d never, like talked. Bats had asked who was taking care of him, who was training him and frowned when he’d said no one. He asked about Superman, if he was helping. Kid had shrugged and told Batman the truth, that Superman hadn’t even given him a name much less any help.

Batman frowned in a way the Kid would soon learn was his Fixer Frown. A frown that said there was a problem in front of him and he would fix it however possible. His solution was to bring the Kid home and give him care, training, a name. A family. As much as the freedom of Metropolis and later Hawaii have been, the Kid was lonely. He loved his powers but wanted to belong somewhere, to someone, to be more than a gimmick in a leather jacket. He said yes.

And that’s when the arguments started.

“What the hell are you playing at, Bruce?” Superman yelled at Batman, who he now knows is Bruce Wayne. The man applying for custody of a recently invented, on paper and in reality, young orphan named Thomas Smith soon to be Wayne. The Kid mouthed the name to himself hundreds of times and it never fit quite right. He supposed he’d get used to it soon enough. They’re at the Watchtower while the Kid has been staying while they got all the paperwork settled. He’d been studying a map of Gotham when his ears picked up raised voices a few halls over.

“What do you think you’re doing? Do you think this is a game? That you can just steal any child that crosses paths with you?” Superman yelled

“He was living on his own in another state with only an unscrupulous manager and a reporter who made uncomfortable advances on him caring for him,” Bruce said in a clipped voice. “I understand the circumstances of his existence are uncomfortable to you-”

“Uncomfortable? Lex defiled my dead bodied and used it to make a- make a-”

“A child,” Bruce explained. “A child who is not at fault for the circumstances of his birth and deserves care, respect and a place to call home. I stayed my hand this long because I expected you to step in.”

“What? So I don’t get time to cope with coming back from the dead? I need to put my own life back together before I can handle this, Bruce!” Superman exclaimed.

“You had options, your mother has been fighting with Alfred on the phone for days to get Thomas to Smallville. But you didn’t, you left him alone.” Bruce said in a menacing tone, the Kid is kind of awestruck. He doesn’t know much about Batman but he does know the guy is human and he’s challenging Superman. For the Kid. Someone is defending him for the first time ever. It makes his chest hurt in a weird, but good, way.

“You are allowed to see him, Thomas will need your help with his powers. But he will be my son, in my care not because of any petty reasons but because someone has to care about him. He doesn’t deserve to wait for you to decide if you’re ready to be a parent. I didn’t with my other two children and I won’t now.”

“Fine,” Superman huffed and a part of the Kid broke a bit. Some part of him still hoped that the man he was cloned from would fight for him but well, you can’t have everything. “You’re a good man, a good father, you just don’t have to be an ass about it. I’ll talk Ma down down but she’s insisting he visits the farm at least once a week.”

“Of course, he can come over this weekend and you, me and your mother can come to a workable arrangement.” Bruce nodded, “If you’ll excuse me. I’d like to check in on him. I’m sure he’s been listening in to this conversation.” The Kid yelped and ducked his head in guilt though Bat- Bruce- couldn’t see him.

“Oh, right, of course,” Superman said clearing his throat. “Thank you, for taking care of him.”

“He’s a good kid,” Batman replied. “We’ll be in touch.”

“I’m also glad to see you’re doing better,” Superman said suddenly. “After, well, you know died. I was really worried. Robin has really helped you, I uh, I hope you take care of that kid in kind. I mean with the all changes happening.”

“Robin will be fine, this adoption should not affect him.” That said, he left and his footsteps approached and the Kid went back to studying the map upside down.

XxX

“What’s your angle with this B, please explain it to me so the world starts making sense again!” The Kid tensed up at the sudden screaming coming from down in the Cave. He was hanging in his room, his real, proper, all to himself room when he was distracted.

“Nice to see you too, Dick,” Bruce said sarcastically.

“What the hell are you doing adopting another kid and a Super at that? Uncle Clark sounded miserable on the phone, what are you playing at?”

“Clark is wrestling with his guilt and sense of relief, he’ll get over it,” Bruce explained blandly. “The boy was in need of help no one was proving, I could walk away.”

“Of course you could have!” Dick yelled. “You don’t have to take in every sad story you come across! And you don’t but this one is special, isn’t he, Bruce?”

“Dick...”

“You’re still barely standing after Jason’s death and now the next kid you slot into place has super powers and is practically invulnerable. I bet you’re already cooking up excuses to oust Tim and put that brat into the Robin costume. No more worrying about taking your little bird out, no more chances of losing partners.” Dick scoffed.

“That is not true!” The Kid curled in on himself a bit on the bed. He put his hands over his ears to try and block out the fighting but his hearing was too good.

“Don’t bullshit me, Bruce, I’ve known you pretty much my whole life. I know how you think.” Dick sighed. “Look, you probably think you’re doing the right thing. You want to help this kid, that’s great but you can’t save everyone. Nothing’s official yet, you can send him to Smallville or the Fortress. I probably can swing to have Cy and Gar watch him at Titans Tower. You don’t... an invulnerable kid won’t bring back Jason or help Tim, who’s doing a great job as Robin and doesn’t deserve to be treated this way.”

The Kid had met Robin once or twice but he’d only heard about Tim. Tim hasn’t come over since this whole thing began. Tim probably hated him for replacing him even though that’s totally not what he was doing. He buried his head in his knees. He just wanted some place to belong.

“Thomas is staying Dick, he is my son as much as you and Jason are,” Bruce said sternly. “I know you admire Clark and I respect his right to admit this isn’t what he wants but Thomas still needs this. And he’s not going to be Robin, Tim earned that position and it will stay with him as long as he chooses.”

“Yeah, well, how much will he want it when you’re parading a newer, better model in front of him,” Dick grumbled. “You keep making the same mistakes, B. Lets hope this one doesn’t end with a body count. I’m headed back to the ‘haven. I’ll send a card when I read about your new addition in the newspaper.”

XxX

“Thomas? Dearie?” The Kid looked up to Martha, “call me Ma”, Kent. “You alright, son?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled, towing with the ends of the homemade sweater Mrs. Kent had given him. It’s warm but big in the shoulders and a bit itchy. He looked around the small but cozy kitchen. Looked past the walls to the sprawling farmland of Kansas and a little beyond that to the tiny specks of Bruce and Super- Clark- talking about him just out of earshot.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” he wriggled in his chair. “It’s just a lot to take in, y’know?”

“I do,” She sighed and pet his shoulder. “I know Bruce has a huge heart and I can see he already cares for you but it is your decision if you want to go with him. Living in his house means a lot of responsibility, both in public and private.”

“Yeah,” He shrugged.

“You could stay here,” she offered tentatively. “Smallville High is only a few miles down the road, lots of open space for a young boy to spread his wings.” He a second, he could almost see it. See himself helping out with chores, helping Ma cook, practicing moves at night in the empty fields. Maybe one time, but not now.

“I’ve had people give up on me, ignore me, use me but I’ve... only had one person fight for me and mean it. I appreciate it Mrs. Kent but I wanna go with Bruce.” She smiled and grabbed his hands to kiss.

“I understand but no matter what you are to Clark, you’re my grandbaby. No matter what happens going forward, you’ll always have a place here with me.”

“Thanks,” he sniffled and she patted his hands again before standing up and turning so he could collect himself.

“Now those cookies ought to be done by now. I know Alfred has been spoiling you but I make a mean snickerdoodle myself and you’re not leaving until you tell me who does it better.”

XxX

“Thomas?” The Kid jumped at the voice behind him. He’d been so busy focusing on Bruce’s aggressive argument in the study below with the adoption lawyers on the phone he’d missed the boy sneaking up on him. They were in the second floor family room where visitors weren’t allowed, how’d he even get in? “Hey sorry, I just uh assumed you heard me.”

“No uh it’s okay I was uh-”

“Eavesdropping?” The other guy smiled, “You’ll fit right in.” The smile turned sad but reappearing. He stuck out his hand. “I’m uh Tim Drake. We’ve met technically but I was, you know,” he held his hands in front of his eyes miming a mask. “At work, I guess.”

“Oh!” The Kid lit up, “you’re Robin! That’s so cool. Sorry I was so rude that first time, I’ve been watching watching Youtube compilations to get a feel for Gotham and you have some sick moves. Good to finally meet ya, I’m uh Thomas I guess?”

“Bruce pick out the name?” Tim said with a grimace. The Kid shrugged. “No surprise there, kinda creepy to be honest. Plus you don’t even look like a Thomas.”

“I don’t?” the Kid moaned, Bruce gave him this name and if the name didn’t fit then maybe he didn’t fit.

“Nah,” Tim said thoughtfully, bringing his fingers to his chin in thought. “Thomas is kind of old fashioned, you need something cooler. Like Danny or Brad or uh,” he blushed. “Conner. That was my uh best friend when I was in elementary school. He moved to Canada the next year but I thought he was the coolest kid around.”

“Conner,” the Kid said, tasting the name. It sounded nice. It sounded right.

“Thomas Conner Wayne but because of the uncomfortable associations, you go by your middle name,” Tim smiled but once again it was kinda sad. “It sounds nice, I think you’ll be real happy here. Bruce was... struggling after Jason died, I think you’ll help him heal in a way I can’t.”

“What do you mean? You’re Robin dude!” Conner said incredulously.

“I’m the neighbor kid with weird hobbies who doesn’t know how to take no for an answer,” Tim deadpanned. “You’re the adopted kid with superpowers. You don’t need to be a genius to work that math out.” He ducked his head. “Look, sorry, that was rude. I get it, this is a good thing. I knew this gig was temporary, until Batman got himself together and now... now you can help him.”

“Tim, I’m gonna be straight with you, man,” Conner said, gripping Tim’s shoulders. “I’m happy to be here but I am also scared shitless. Your city is insane and Bruce gave me a gas mask the other day to carry when I’m out of the house. He asked if I wanted to learn to fight and that’d be wicked but I don’t know what it means and if I’ll still be able to be a hero if I gotta hide my powers and please.” He begged, “you can’t leave me alone. Superman doesn’t want me, Dick thinks I’m some sort of experiment and who knows with B. I need someone to help me. Please, Tim.”

“Oh I mean,” Tim blinked, “Of course yeah. I’ll show you what I know, I think you’ll be going to Gotham Academy same as me so I’ll help you there. Teach you how to live to Gotham. How to interpret B’s grunts and growls. And Dick is nice but he’s got a temper, you gotta know how to work around it.” He smiled, “as long as B lets me stay, we’ll be in it together.”

“Together,” Conner said with a smile feeling the tight ball in his chest start to relax. For the first time since this began, he finally felt heard. He grasped Tim’s hands and held tight. Tim seemed cool, willing to help someone he thought would replace him. He’d do anything to get Tim to stay, would beg B if he had to. Dick may not like him but Tim seems like he’d make a pretty awesome big brother. “

“Hey I found some secret passageways with my xray vision, wanna check them out?” Conner suggested.

“I think between Dick, Jason and I, not to mention baby Bruce, we’ve found them all but I’d be curious if you found an extra one. Let’s go, I’ll show you the squeaky floorboards to avoid when we’re sneaking around B.”

#super robin au #ive been obsessing on this concept all day #the old au where bruce adopts kon early on raises him as a bat alongside tim and they tag team robin #with kon hiding his powers #me and Tally have been talking in the discord for hours about it until i couldnt wait any longer #title from five for fightings Superman #Im too tired to edit or add anymore #I'll look at it again tomorrow but for now here it is unedited over uhhh 2 hours

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peach-and-bugs · 2 years

Text

💚Martha My Love, Martha My Dear - Abby Anderson x Gen!Reader (they/them pronouns)💚

Fanfiction master list

Summary: Abby's always liked animals, dogs especially. But this love turns into something similar to worry around smaller creatures, especially the newborn puppies that y/n works with every day. She loves visiting y/n during her off time, but that worried feeling always sets in. it must be because of the puppies, right?

Warnings: minor mention of blood (dog just gave birth to puppies, but other than a little bit of blood nothing graphic)

Word Count: 2, 898

A/N: hello lovelies! so, I went a little MIA but that's because I'm getting ready to move into my freshman dorm in two weeks and my mental health has to come first. it's been an extremely anxiety-inducing time and writing just can't be a priority right now. so, I'll probably be missing for a little while, but once I've settled in and have the time, I can assure you I'll be back to work! I love writing for you all and it brings me so much joy. but besides that, here's something for Abby! I absolutely adore ms. Abby Anderson, but it didn't really occur to me till recently that I could write for her, yet here we are. anyways, I'll let y'all get to reading and as always, feel free to leave questions or comments in my comments or ask box, and happy reading! 💚

Abby Anderson Tag List:

General Tag List: @summergeezburr

-💚-

Abby walked with her team, her hand firmly wrapped ‘round a dog leash connected to the german shepherd mute that had come along for their patrol. She watched as her group began to disperse through the base, disappearing to wash up. Owen stayed beside her and nudged the blond with his elbow.

“Want me to take Pyro back?” he asked, gesturing to the slobbering dog at Abby’s hip. She glanced down at the dog, with his wide grin and panting tongue, and smiled, shaking her head.

“I’ve got him,” Owen arched a brow ans smirked knowingly.

“Need an excuse to see ‘you know who?’” he asked with a burning smugness in his voice. Abby tensed but made no inclination to acknowledge his suggestion. She knew exactly what he ment and hated that he’s caught on, but no way in hell was she going to let on that he was right. The satisfaction would eat into his ego too much.

“As I said, I’ve got it,” it was pretty clear she’d failed to disclose her true motivation and left Owen before he had time to gloat. So what if she was going to see you? She liked your company was all. Was there something wrong with that? Pyro could feel her discouragement and offered comfort by licking Abby’s tightening hand. This pulled her from her spiraling head and a relaxed smile found her lips once more.

The dog at her hip began to wag his tail as they approached his quarters. He knew he was getting a treat upon his arrival and the anticipation was eating at him. Abby hat to tighten her grip again as he began to tug the leash and much to her surprise, he let out an eager bark as they walked into his quarters.

“Pyro! Pipe down!” a familiar voice called from the back of the area, which had both Abby and Pyro turning their heads. The pair stayed put and listened to the muffled rustling from a back room, along with the occasional barks of dogs in their pastures. After a moment more, a familiar face poked out from one of the storage rooms and offered a bright smile. “Abby, hi! Nice of you to visit,” you said, shuffling out of the room with arms full of blankets. You turned around and shut the door with your foot, making a loud clang that had Pyro perking his ears up.

“Hey, can you let him into his pasture? I’ll get him his treat in a bit,” you said as you began backtracking down the hall as though you were in a hurry.

“Everything alright?” the blond asked with a tilt of her head and a mildly anxious smile. You chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah. Martha just decided to give us all a surprise,” your pace quickened and you turned on your heels, heading in the other direction towards some of the smaller dog spaces. Biting her lip as a nervous feeling tickled he stomach, Abby did as she was asked and took Pyro back to his pen, much to his dismay as he seemed to want to go with you instead.

“Don’t worry, buddy. They won’t forget your treat,” she murmured under her breath as she walked past the outdoor kennels with Pyro. Some of the other dogs yipped and barked at the chainlink fence, excited to see someone and hoping to play. Abby offered them each a warm smile till they reached Pyro’s kennel that was shared with his brother. “Alright, be good boys,” Abby chuckled as opened the gate and unhooked Pyro from his harness, letting him run in to tackle his brother with excitement. She shut the gate with a chuckle and ran her fingertips along the chainlink of the door before she headed in the direction you'd disappeared.

Abby wasn’t one to travel very far into your unit of work. You mostly worked with the animals in the stadium, notably the dogs, (obviously) as well as some of the livestock. You were almost in a veterinary position if she thought about it. You helped take care of the animal's needs and health and you were passionate about advocating for them. She smiled thinking about it. You were kind of like her father in that way. He wanted to care for and preserve as much life as he could in such a messed-up world. You did that too.

“Hey, you good?” you interrupted her inner monologue once again as you poked your head out of a small, makeshift kennel. Abby hadn’t even realized how far she’d walked into your space and was quite surprised by the sight before her as she leaned around the corner and over the baby gate, into the room. “Suprise,” you said with a wide grin. You were crouched down by a beautiful white and brown spotted dog who was breathing quite rapidly. The sheets and blankets covering the floor were stained with blood and Abby would have been quite concerned had she not noticed the feeble mewling at the dog's side.

“Martha decided she was ready to be a mama. Didn’t you girl?” you cooed, running your fingertips under the dog's chin. She looked up at you with her dark eyes that had such a human touch to them. She could practically see the trust that the animal had for you.

“You helped her deliver?”Abby asked rather out of the blue. You looked up and nodded with an eager sparkle in your gaze, as though someone else showing interest in your job was some miraculous thing you never would have expected. Your smile practically brightened the room as you answered.

“Yes, I did. Martha’s been showing signs of pre-labor since yesterday afternoon, so I was up with her all night prepping. It’s not often nowadays that I get to help mama’s with their puppies, now that I think about it,” you chuckled under your breath, eyes shifting back down to Martha and her litter of mewling pups.

Abby watched the wiggling balls of white and brown fluff with a knit brow. Logically, she understood that they would be dogs eventually, but right now they looked so small, so strange. They felt like foreign entities of some kind and it made her rather nervous. Her thoughts wandered as you began to coo something unintelligible to one of the squirming creatures and before she knew it, you stood in front of her with one of them in your hands.

“Wanna meet one?” you asked brightly. Abby shook from her mindscape and her eyes locked onto the puppy held securely in your grasp. Its eyes were screwed shut, brows furrowed like it was angry as it whimpered and protested, squishy paws wiggling ever so slightly. She took a step back, about to decline the offer, but you took her hand before she could, giving it a tight squeeze. Abby’s eyes flickered to Martha, anxious that the mother of the crying pup might get upset at her presence. But the mother seemed quite content, given the circumstances. She periodically looked up to you and Abby with her puppy, but for the most part, she attended to the brood squirming at her hip.

When Abby hadn’t been paying attention, you'd let go of her hand to open the baby gate door of the small room. Your hand found her fingers once more and a shiver rushed through her nerves, urging her to step into the tiny space. You coached her to the floor beside you sitting with your legs crossed. Abby stayed tense and unmoving. She didn’t want to risk any wrong move regarding you or Martha, who sat behind your back. The puppy in your hands wiggled as he was moved and Abby froze completely, except for her tongue darting out to wet her dry lips.

“Abby, relax,” you murmured, running your fingertips up and down her open palm. The blond looked up at you and swallowed thickly as you eyed her with curiosity. “What are you afraid of?” you asked her. Your eyes wandered her face, tracing the natural edges and curves that made up her. She tried her best to relax and looked down at the puppy snuggled into your hands.

“He’s so small,” she managed to utter. You only nodded. “And I don’t want to hurt him on accident,” you smiled now and let go of a small laugh. Abby looked up at you with an expression that could best be described as offended.

“I’m sorry,” you said first, biting your bottom lip, your thumb had begun to brush over the puppy's scruff, rhythmically lulling him to sleep in your hand. “But I can’t believe that for one second,” you smiled at her fully.

“Why?” was the only thing the blond could ask. You tilted your head again and shrugged.

“It doesn't seem like you. You aren’t careless,” the puppy made a whimpering noise in his sleep and you both looked down. “And yes, you're strong. But I’ve always thought you were mindful of that,” you finished quietly. Abby didn’t know what to say, but as she watched, you opened her palms, your fingers soft against her calloused skin, and transpired the sleeping pup into her hands. He flinched once, then twice, but his breathing evened out once again and all was well.

“He’s soft,” she managed to say after a moment. The white puppy’s soft claws brushed against her skin as he twitched. He took up only one of her palms, leaving the other free to pet him if she liked.

“He’ll be a big one though,” you murmured, scooting in close beside her.

“How do you figure?”

“He’s got a big daddy and a big grandma,” Abby smiled gently and nodded. “Bot for now he’s one of the smaller ones,” you finished with a sigh.

“Will he be alright?” You nodded, your cheek brushing against Abby's shoulder as you leaned in.

“Yeah, he’ll be good. He’s got a great mom and we can bottle feed if necessary,” Martha let out a shallow sigh and you smiled, turning your attention her way. “Wanna go see some of the bigger babies?” you asked, gingerly taking the puppy from Abby’s hands and returning him to his mother and siblings. He wiggled for comfort but settled in nicely by his mother’s paw.

“I don't want to take more of your time,” Abby started, but you brushed her off.

“No way! You're just helping me with my rounds is all. I need to check in with them anyway. They should be waking up from naptime and will be ripe and ready to play in their field,” you explained as you walked farther down the hall. Abby was still hesitant but followed nonetheless. Despite some of her anxiety, she was enjoying her time with you, which was strange, of course. Maybe what you'd said about the puppies had helped her feel less nervous after all. You walked around a corner with Abby in tow and were greeted by a chorus of squealing and yelping puppies eager for playtime. Abby watched your gentle smile grow brighter if that was even possible as you began to laugh.

“Hey, furballs! How was that nap?” you asked, knowing you wouldn’t get a response other than more barking. You gradually opened the pen door, worming your way into the kennel without letting any puppies out. Abby watched with amusement as some began jumping at your legs, almost pushing you over. You giggled the whole time, biting your lip as you tried to get Abby into the room without letting the puppies out.

“Ok, how about you just sneak past-” you began trying to guide her in and opened the gate just a bit more while stretching your leg out to keep the wiggly ones on. Abby managed to squirm past and the gate was slammed shut behind her. You stood up in full with your hands on your hips and began to laugh, Abby doing the same. That is till one of the older and bigger puppies ran up behind Abby with an excited bark and jumped up. His paws pushed into the backs of her knees and they gave out, causing her to stumble forward. The next thing she knew, she was tightly gripping both your upper biceps, and your hands were planted flat palmed and quite firmly to her chest. You both stood frozen for what felt like a matter of minutes till an excited bark shook you from the daze. You took a long step back and smiled an awkward grin, turning from her rather quickly.

“Alright, let's get y’all out of here,” you barked, walking towards the back gate that let the puppies out to their grassy playpen. Abby felt excruciating embarrassment burning the skin of her neck and she had surely turned bright red. She tugged at the collar of her shirt, which was suddenly feeling too tight, and bit her tongue before she cursed her awkwardness.

However, unbeknownst to the blonde, you found yourself in a similar state. You began to fiddle with the hair behind your ears and take deep, quick breaths to relax your racing heartbeat and cool your hot skin. You hadn’t ment to grab her like that, it just happened so fast- you stopped the spiral before it could start. You walked out to the grass line, arms crossed over your front as you watched the rambunctious older puppies run a muck in their outdoor playroom. Abby eventually awkwardly approached, taking her place by your side. You smiled, but said nothing about it before, choosing to leave it alone and move on to save you both some dignity.

“They’d love another playmate, you know,” you suggested, tilting your head to the oleander pups. Some had begun to wrestle while others played with various homemade toys lying about the small yard. Abby chuckled but shook her head.

“No, it’s alright. I don't wanna be too rough,” you wholeheartedly laughed at that and shook your head.

“Trust me, they would be much rougher than you,” Abby chuckled, watching some of the wrestling pups, and agreed with your assessment as one began to bite at the other scruff, causing it to whimper in a submissive manor rather than an aggressive one.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” she murmured. She continued to watch with you when she felt something bump her shoe. Looking down, a red ball had rolled her way. Or, rather, it had been dropped by one of the german shepherd pups who looked up at her with wide brown eyes and a toothy puppy grin.

“You wanna play fetch with Abby, Turkey?” Abby smiled at you with an arched brow.

“Turkey?” you shrugged and bit the inside of your cheek.

“I had a sandwich for dinner when the littler was born and was running out of name ideas. Give me a break,” the blonde chuckled and leaned over to pick the ball up. Turkey jumped with excitement, yipping as the ball was raised. The ball was sent flying across the yard and Turkey was keen to grab it. However, a flying ball catches quite the attention in the puppy yard ans soon enough there was a decent-sized horde running and wrestling to be the one to bring it back. Abby chuckled as she watched the affair, and after some time the one and only Turkey was the one to prevail, running back eagerly with the ball held tightly in her jaws. Abby crouched down to meet her and the other few puppies running at her side.

Turkey and her friends barreled into Abby with eager paws and a dropped ball, knocking her over with more force than the blonde would have expected. In a matter of seconds, her back was flush with the ground as puppies began to crawl over her chest and lick at her face. She began to laugh louder than she had in some time as she tried to push the puppies away, but when one was moved, another took its place. One was even biting at her braid, growling as he played with it like a tug of war rope. You crouched down to try and help but were similarly ambushed by small paws and slobbery coffee breath.

When she got the chance, Abby turned her head to the right. With grass tickling her cheek and a wiggly puppy between her hands, she found herself feeling only bliss. But with a little thought, she realized that feeling wasn’t because of the grass or the puppy, but you. She realized she adored the way you laughed and how you scrunched your nose when you smiled. She loved how playful and gentle you could be and how much you cared for all the animals in the compound. And then, she noticed that worrying feeling again. But it wasn’t queasy and tight like it normally was. It was padded and buffered by a warm sinking in her belly, and despite the concern, it was comforting.

She found you comforting. Comforting like a puppy curled up in your lap or sharing space with another person you cared for. This sudden realization was new and nauseating but in a brewing-with-anticipation kind of way. She chuckled lightly under her breath and returned her gaze to the puppy wiggling between her hands. Maybe she’d have to visit more often.

#the last of us x reader #abby tlou #abby anderson #abby anderson x reader #oneshot #fluff

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a-crash-in-time-collection · 3 months

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Chapter 50: The Moonjumper Rises

No one knew the events that would unfold that day. It was a day many would look back on, and ask others where they were that day. No one would even realize things at first. No one would know today was the day spoken about, whispered in legends. A myth which lost more and more of the truth as time went on. As societies fell and rose. As the planet changed. Most only heard bits and pieces their entire lives. Today was the day where the stories of Subcon would come to life. A prelude of things to come.

The question that would end up being asked, for those of Subcon, was going to be the same. The forest, like they always were. Snatcher wasn't there at the moment, having left early in the morning. He apparently had some spells he wanted to show their neighbors. A strange excuse knowing the phantom, but the dweller and minions shrugged it off for the most part. They were kids. They didn't notice the hidden bit of stress in the yellow eyes of the ghost. Even if they had, they may have thought they were wrong.

The kids would play along the woods. They did that everyday, but lately it felt like their spirits were rising. They had overheard rumors about something that might happen, and it made them excited. Some souls even ventured across the bridge, now repaired after Snatcher decided to fix it, into the snowy part of the forest. It was a grim place, but it had been the way it was for centuries. For the braver souls, it was hard to tell this place once brought tragedy for them. Besides, there was still some innocence in the snow.

However, the carelessness would go too far. As some of the minions laughed and played, one pushed another a little harder than they meant too. They were fine, but they hit the bell that held up the ghostly purple wall. The shift in the air was immediate, as before they even had a chance to ring it again, a black hand forced its way past where the wall was, summoning a spike of ice from the ground. The minions froze in fear, only a few snapping out and managing to drag their friends out of the Queen's path.

The Queen paid them no mind other than a quick glare. She could freeze them in place, use them for testing her dark magic. She could freeze the entire forest now that she had access to it. But she wasn't here for that. She was here for something else. Something she could see faintly in her dreams. She wanted to know what it was, and how it would help her. So she stepped out into the forest, ignoring the shaking spirits that fled from her sight. She had to be quick, before the one ghost showed up.

"Where is the cursed-" She had started in annoyance, but paused as she got near the end of the path she took. The large tree of subcon, it's centered craved with the face of the annoying pest. How was it even still alive? No matter, she had a feeling what she was looking for was here. What she needed to get what her heart carved, her heart ached for. She bent down, reaching for the water and freezing it over. "I am not getting my dress wet." She stated as she walked into the tree.

The ghost wasn't here, neither was the smaller one who taunted her in her home. Perfect.

"Now where is it?" She hissed as she looked, as if her words would make it appear in front of her. Truthfully, she didn't know exactly what she was looking for. She had a vague image in her head, but it wasn't of the item itself. It was the memories the item could bring. Memories that never got to happen. Her happy ending her prince ripped from her with the help of that cursed florist. "I should have just frozen her like the rest, if I knew the adults wouldn't rise from their icy shells..."

She glanced at the stairs nearby. What looked to be a more recent addition compared to the walls they were connected to. She stepped on one, and took a peek into the room above. She had to face away at the child's room she was met with. She never got to give birth to her heir, never got the chance to have one. Her selfish prince took it away before she could. So why did her heart still ache, still wishing for his arms around hers. She let out a frustrated shout and slammed her hand into the bookcase nearby. Some of the books came out. One quickly caught her eye, despite blending into the rest.

She caught it before she could lose sight of it. "Now why have you been appearing in my dreams?" She spoke as she opened it. Even as she began to scan the page, she had her doubts. Maybe she had truly gone crazy, like so many said she had over the years. Maybe she was just desperate to sneak out of where she had been kept, and her brain came up with strange dreams as an excuse. That was until she caught the word 'recreation' on one page as she had scrolled through. "Wait." She went back to it.

It was a powerful spell. One most people would never be able to perform. With a few items and enough power, one could summon a soul from the spirit world and bring them back to their body, bringing them back to life. It had been tried many times in the past, yet only a small group of attempts were successful. In most other cases, the user's time had been taken as punishment, resulting in their deaths not long after the failed attempt. But Vanessa had lived longer than any human should. Even she wasn't sure she was alive anymore. Her beautiful red glow suggested otherwise.

"I could try and fail as many times I want." She felt a bit of pride as she came to that realization. But then she paused. The Prince. Her Prince. He was dead. She hadn't seen his ghost, if he had one. Likely faded away like the other adults of the forest, leaving the pesky kids behind to fend for themselves. She could bring him back. She could have him again.. if that was what she wanted. "I don't NEED him." She spoke to herself, closing the book, her arms shaking a bit. "He hurt me, I don't need him."

She had spent centuries telling herself that. That's why she ordered her guards to lock him away. He was technically a villager in status, so she could. She had planned on checking on him after she had taken care of the town, the florist. But once she had come back from dropping off her painting at their getaway manor, he was gone. He had tears stained on his face. She remembered him calling her. She ignored him at the time, but he seemed genuinely upset. Like maybe, he wanted to make things right.

Maybe this was her sign to give him another chance. Give them the happy ending all royals should have.

"My love for you never faded..." She said as she glanced to the sky. Part of her hated to admit it, but it was true. He was her everything. He just didn't see she was doing what was best for him. But surely once he awakes and sees a new life granted to him, he will understand. Apologize, and they could be happy. She walked out of the tree, beginning to walk down the path again. "We're going to have our happy ever after." She said to herself. "You'll just need to prove you've earned it first."

She began to hum as she walked back into the snowy area of the kingdom. The most cheerful tone she had hummed in years. It sounded haunting to the ghosts who could hear, all in their hiding spots. But she paid no mind, even as the sound of the bell crackled like thunder when she had walked past the annoying wall. It was no worry to her. She had a path to her getaway manor. Anything she needed but didn't already have, she would be able to get there. She was sure of it. She glanced at the book once again.

"Did you call for me my Prince?" She asked. "Or did the gods? Perhaps the book itself heard my silent cries."

Nothing but the wind responded. She didn't need an answer.

She was already picturing the life she could have with the prince. She would need to explain the tragedy of the frost. But deep down, it was his fault. He couldn't hold the actions against her. She knew it would take some time to get that in his head, but she was sure it was possible.

And maybe, once she had finished the spells she had been working on, they could have their subjects again. Whether they wanted to play along, or not.

-------

Snatcher had spent longer than he expected with the Toppats. Shadow Kid had played with the kids, them talking about the stories that Macbeth had told them not long ago. He showed off some spells he had been practicing to Hat Girl and some of the others. Most notably, a spell that allowed him to mess with an environment no matter how far away he was. He could do less the further away it was, but he was able to show the mess he managed to mess with a few paint cans in the metro, which was all that was needed to get a smile on the alien girl's face.

He had a bad feeling part way through his trip, like something had happened. He hadn't even gotten to talk to Macbeth like he wanted to, apparently, the ghost had been spending more and more time in his room. He eventually convinced him to come out, and acted like he needed him to help with some task in subcon. They both know what he really wanted to speak about however. They were silent until they had gotten far enough away from the crash station, before speaking of the myth they had been facing.

Snatcher had been speaking about how his traps just kept failing, when ice met his vision as they came closer to his tree. It made the two freeze, with Shadow Kid shaking a bit at the mere sight.

"No.." Snatcher spoke, before quickly placing Shadow Kid down next to Macbeth, and diving into the ground to teleport and check on the village. There seemed to be some frost but nothing and more importantly, no one, frozen. He then scanned the path, eventually finding a trail of ice that led to his home. Macbeth had already gotten to it by the time Snatcher dashed over. "What happened here?!" He shouted, startling to minions. He hadn't even noticed them, but he was reviled to see it was safe.

"I-I'm sorry Boss, it was my fault!" The one holding some books said, his eye twitching and it sounded like he was holding back tears. "Me and the others were playing in the snow, I-I knocked one of them into the bell and s-s-she." Macbeth walked over and bend down, placing a hand on the Minion's shoulder, allowing him to grab it while Alexsandera came out of the Conductor's hat. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, I swear! I-I'll never do it again, I didn't thi-ink she would-"

"Try and calm down." Macbeth said, patting the Minion on the head while Alex wrapped around their shoulder. "We know you didn't mean it. I doubt you even knew she was there." The minion sniffled some more, but took some breaths.

"D-Did she hurt anyone?" Shadow Kid asked as she poked out from behind Macbeth, the other minion shaking his head. "Are you sure?" She got a nod in return, and she let out a small breath of relief. Snatcher had begun to pick up the books. It was his home for one, but it was also something to try and keep him from screaming in fury. That crazy lady couldn't just let him or his daughter be... "Where is she now? Did she go back to her manor?" Her eyes widened once shea got a nod. "Really?"

"Based on what I saw, it looks like she came right here and left." Snatcher said as he glanced out of the house at the path. It was going to be annoying to clean the ice up later. He took the books from the minion and began to put them back on their sleeves... only to pause. He quickly counted once, twice, and thrice in his head. One book was missing. And he knew which one. "Shadow, you know the one book we used to bring back Macbeth? Is it in your room?" She shook her head. "The Dwellers wouldn't have..."

"Wait, did she take that?" Macbeth asked, getting a nod from the ghost. Alexsandera went back to Macbeth as if worried. "Why would she need that? It's not like she needs to be brought back."

"Papa, which spellbook was it?" Shadow Kid asked, as if she came to a realization. Snatcher glanced over at her with his head tilt. "Was it the same one that got the toppat stuck in the painting?" He shook his head. It was the one he had for years, the one that once taunted him with the spell of restoration, a gift he couldn't manage to give to the children.. She let out a gasp. "What if she's trying to bring you back to life so she can trap you!" She asked. "I don't want to lose you."

Snatcher froze for a second, before taking a breath and offering her a smile. "That's thankfully not a worry." He explained, gaining some confused look. "The people who made the spell added an extra rule to it. If someone tries to bring back someone who is already wandering the realm as a ghost, it will not work... kinda." He shrugged. "It will still bring someone back, but it won't be the intended soul. I guess at that point in the spell, it's too much just to completely shut off if done correctly."

"So, you'll be safe even if she tries." Snatcher nodded, and Shadow let out another breath of relief, him picking her up and placing her in his chair. "Good... I still feel bad for whoever is gonna be brought back, if that's what she's doing."

"Don't worry your little head about it. Whatever happens, we can handle it." He bopped her on the nose, gaining a giggle. "I'm gonna finish talking with Macbeth real quick, you just rest." He got a nod, and then headed out of the tree, Macbeth following with a small mumble as he slid a bit on the ice that replaced the water. Once they were out of earshot, Snatcher turned to him. "Great, we have my ex trying to bring me back despite everything else we're trying to get this Moonjumper stopped."

"Still haven't even caught a glimpse of it, huh?" Macbeth asked, getting a small shake from Snatcher. Macbeth sighed as he looked up at Subcon's eternal moon. It didn't matter. Moonjumper was going to arrive... Macbeth could feel it more than ever. He was sure Snatcher could feel it too. The ghost had slammed his frist into the nearby tree suddenly as the anger built up, Macbeth didn't even flinch. "I appreciate your help, but I think I just need to accept my fate... I should go home, tell the others."

"Hey, I'm not just doing this for you." Snatcher said. "This is MY forest after all. I don't want-"

"And I don't want my fate chosen for me, yet here we are." Macbeth raised his voice as he glared daggers at the ghost. The ghost paused. Like he had forgotten how much this was going to affect Macbeth if what the statue said was true. He eventually let out a sigh. "Just please... let me have however many nights of peace I have left... That's all I'm asking." He said as he began to walk away. He did stop and turn back. "I will put in a good word for you if it does come to that, Snatcher."

"I don't want a good word in for me. I just don't want some deity trying to dictate this place his own way." Snatcher admitted. "I don't think he's going to harm us, it would go against his entire purpose. But I could easily see him doing more harm than good... But I suppose at least I can fight for the forest to stay how it is, if the need comes..." He glanced at the train conductor. "Please, don't tell anyone, at least not yet. We still have some time. I might be able to reset the traps after I handle the ice."

Macbeth hummed, but gave a nod. "Do so if you wish. Just don't get yourself hurt." He said as he glanced at Alexsandera, who had rested on his shoulder. "Just... let me know when he comes." He turned away.

"Macbeth-" Snatcher started, but the toppat walked away, back in the direction of the orbital station.

He glanced away. He couldn't be too upset by Macbeth acting this way. How different would a prophet be from a puppet afterall. Worst case scenario for Snatcher, he'd just move to the clearing the Toppats currently residing in... Not that he wanted it to come to that.

He glanced back to the ice, and floated to get his book on fire magic. It was going to be a pain to get it removed. He almost wished a fire spirit would show up now...

-------

Vanessa hadn't been up here in years, it pained her too much to do so. But she needed to be up here. She had almost everything the spell needed. The last thing was hidden up here, in the closet at the end of the hall. She walked up to it, each step and movement of her body careful as she opened the door. She removed the cheese wheel she had placed as a distraction for any nearby thieves, and bent down, opening the long box that she had placed it on. Icy mist rising from it.

Her previous prince. His body still perfectly intact, perfectly persevered, all these years later. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw his soft face. Even drained of all life, it was handsome, perfect. She carefully reached under him, lifting him up into her arms. She didn't know how fragile his body was. She didn't want to break it before she could bring him back. She hummed a small song as she slowly walked down and down into the manor, until she reached the cellar. The one he died all those years ago

And where he would be born again. Where their happy ending would start.

"Oh dear AJ, we'll have our happy story. I know you'll make it all up to me..." She said as she walked up to the wall. Right to the spot he died once before. She gently laid him down, and took out a mask. A mask based on the stories of the Moonjumper, something personal to the prince in his youth. She placed it on his head gently, and then paused, glancing at the nearby chains. "Perhaps I should take some precautions in case you aren't in your right mind." She said as she reached for them.

She clapped both onto his wrist, and took a step back. He looked exactly how he did all those years ago. When she first found he had left her truly alone. Well, she wouldn't be for long. Nothing was going to take her prince away again. Not even death itself. She took out the potions she needed for the spell, gently pouring some over the body. She tried to be careful with it, she didn't want her prince to wake up to a mess. With everything ready, she pulled out the book, and looked at the spell.

"You will be mine, my love." She whispered as she looked at the body. "Even death will not bring us apart."

She took a breath, and began to channel every bit of energy she had inside of her. Every spect of power. Everything she could. Her prince's body was fragile, she may only have one shot at this. She began to read the words she was to repeat throughout the spell. She didn't know exactly what they were or how to say them, so she tried to speak with pure power. She eventually took a small glance up, seeing the prince's body had gained a faint glow. So faint she barely noticed it. But she did.

"Y-Yes.." She said, before focusing her construction back on the pages in front of her, repeating the words. She could feel life filling the room. Spinning around her. She could do this. She could have her prince back. She kept glancing up, seeing the light slowly grow more and more. Each little light brought joy to her heart. She wanted to hug him already. But she needed to finish. "Stay with me now, we will never be apart again!" She claimed with joy during a break between the words.

The body didn't respond. It became harder to see its features. It started to look like it was... fading, almost. Every detail being slowly absorbed into the white glow. That wasn't right, was it?

"W-What-" She stuttered once she had looked up and noticed. He should have been breathing by now, right? So why wasn't he. She panicked, still saying the words. She kept using her power, increasing how much she was using. Her own hands began to feel the effects, the tips becoming frozen in ice. But she didn't care. She couldn't rest until her Prince was here, until he was hers once again. "Don't you dare leave me again!" She shouted as she held her eyes close. She didn't notice the little pink light being drawn into the cellar by the spell, making contact with the body.

The second it hit, an energy wave came from the body, knocking the Queen back. The book fell into the beer of the cellar, the words on it fading at last after the years of use. The Queen hit her head hard against the wall, and she almost was knocked out. But she did her best to focus, stay awake, take some breaths. She didn't need to stay awake for her, but her prince... her prince. Her vision had become blurred, but she slowly glanced up as the body once it started to clear.

"My.. Prince?" She spoke as the details began to clear. And then she paused, in awe at the sight.

He was there, but he was different, very different. His clothing had been restored, and his skin hand gained a blue shade to it. His head was the most different, in the shape of a crescent moon with red stripes near his mouth and one of his eyes. His legs were completely gone. He appeared to be floating in place. His eyes were closed, his nose was gone, but he was breathing. She could tell from the movement of his mouth, showing a blue interior and little fangs. He looked just like the stories of Moonjumper...

"My Prince..." She said, joy and awe picked in as she walked up to him. He didn't respond. Still just floating there. His breathing almost sounded like a faint snore... Of course. Vanessa remembered the spell said it could take awhile for the person brought back to wake up. There were a number of factors for why, but she shouldn't have been surprised. He’d been dead for centuries, and adding in a change in appearance... "I did like your old face a bit better." She hummed. "But I couldn't care less about the details. You're home! Oh, I should wake you myself!"

Oh, but that would be rude of her, wouldn't it. She didn't know exactly what happened to him after his death. She didn't know how he'd react to being forced awake. And his body could be in pain right now. She could let him rest, allow his body to recover. That was what any good partner would do, wouldn't they. And it would show more how much she loved him, despite how he wronged her in the past. If he still had knees, he would be begging on them for forgiveness. Oh, she would love that.

"Alright then, my Prince. I'll leave you be for now. But I'll be back." She said with a smile. She backed away, and headed to the stairs. She could start baking. Her prince always had a bit of a sweet tooth. It would make him feel so much better once he woke up. He would feel so guilty for trying to cheat on her. They could talk afterwards, catch up. Plan their wedding. "Oh, I haven't been this happy in years. I cannot wait!" She giggled to herself. "My my, I sure am chatty today aren't I? I might want to rest my voice. Me and AJ will have so much to say."

She could already picture it all in her head. Her Prince, slowly waking up in confusion and guilt. Maybe a bit frightened by her change in appearance since they last spoke. Her explaining what happened, how she meant to get him but how her guards turned on her and refused to let her get to him in time. A lie. Him eventually breaking down, begging for forgiveness, and pleading for them to start their new lives. A promise to never ever leave her sight again. Be chained to her, be hers and hers alone.

She smiled as she looked out the window at Subcon. "If I have time, I should try and get the garden clear. He would love to see how the Aruma flowers are doing." She spoke to herself as she headed to the kitchen, pausing once she noted the statues of people who wandered into the manor before. "And perhaps I should clean these up. I don't think he's dumb enough to believe they're just ones I commissioned." Not that he should care. If anything, he should be grateful she protected their home...

She didn't know the body sitting in the cellar was no longer her Prince's. That her fantasy would not come true.

Up in the sky above Subcon, the yellow moon took on a blue hue, the sky around it taking a faintly more pinkish glow. Signaling the start of a new era.

-------

Carol didn't know what was wrong. Macbeth had come back from Subcon forest and went to her room, asking if she could watch Alexsandera for him. She agreed, she could handle watching the dweller for a while. But she knew something was wrong. He hadn't ask anyone to do that since he got the child, at least to her knowledge. They were always together, the Dweller could easily just ride along in Macbeth's hat or on his shoulders. So the fact he asked her to watch them and just left...

Her suspicions were proven two hours later. The Dweller had fallen asleep while watching a movie, so she gently picked them up and went looking around the station for Macbeth. The Moon was slowly rising in the night sky. And she found him near the makeshift bar.

"Were you intending on me watching them all night?" She asked as she went over to him. He glanced over with a sigh. He appeared to be at least a little tipsy at most. Knowing him, she only assumed he planned to get black out drunk. She glared at the man tending the bar, a silent order to back away and let them talk alone. She then softened her look as she laid the Dweller on the table. "I appreciate your hindsight to not let Alex see you that way, but I don't think you should just drop them off for a whole night."

"Yo' right... My only thought was 'Someone needs to watch them for me.'" Macbeth sighed.

"I want to know what's going on. Do you think none of us notice how off you been the past few weeks. This isn't just you wanting to be gloomy either, we know you." She stated, and Macbeth sighed as he nodded, whipping some beer off his face with his sleeve. Honestly, the fact he drank pure beer alone should terrify her. Did he truly get that used to the taste? "I know I'm not the best at this emotion stuff either... But you know I can keep a secret to the grave, and beyond..."

"The reason I was revived is because I'm the Moonjumper's prophet." He spoke barely above a whisper, but the words felt like thunder in the dead of night. She froze, he rolled his eyes as he took another swig from the bottle he had. She placed a hand on his shoulder as he shook his head, mumbling about not wanting this. She didn't blame him. She didn't want him to go. "I could try to run from my fate but, why try? The Moonjumper is all powerful, if he wants me.."

"We're not going to let that happen, you know that right? At least not without a fight." She said, slamming her hand on the desk. Both froze for a moment and glanced at the Dweller, still thankfully asleep. Macbeth sighed as he reached over to them, patting them on their head gently. She glanced over to where some Toppats were repairing the system's nearby. "You were brought back because you affected everyone here. If that Moon tries to get you, we'll beat it. Deity or not."

"I don't want you all gettin' yourselfs killed over me. We can't bring everyone back." Macbeth stated as he glanced to the side, resting his hands in his lap. Carol paused, the sides of his eyes seemed brighter. Had he been crying? She didn't want to ask. So she didn't, just garbed a cloth nearby and handed it to him. He brought it up to his eyes and wipe a bit. "You know once you all are gone, I'm never gonna see you again, right?"

"Don't worry about the future, just try and focus on the present." She said, It sounded cliche, but it was true. Macbeth just turned away from the bar before he could grab the beer bottle again. She turned away as well, glancing at the trees that lead to Subcon nearby. Maybe she could find this Moonjumper before he found them... but she had this feeling he wouldn't hurt them. "Macbeth, you're gonna be ok." She said. "Besides, the Moonjumper isn't even here yet. We don't have to worry."

"That statement could be false any second, Carol. He's close, if he's not already here." Macbeth sighed, standing up. He paced back and forth a bit, only a faint wobble at first. That worried Carol more. Macbeth didn't start moving strange until he was extremely drunk. He usually had more focus, in the chance someone did something dumb and he needed to act. He truly seemed like he was trying to let it all go. He stopped. "I suppose I should be happy I had the chance to know you all in the first place."

"Uh, guys." The bartender said as he walked back up to the desk, earning a quick glare. In response, he just pointed to the moon above. The Moon that had a faint, but noticeable, blue hue it didn't have before.

They both froze at the sight of it, before Macbeth gave a small sigh. "I suppose time is already up then..." He glared at the weird look he got from the bartender, who only heard his last statement. He began to walk away, motioning for Carol to follow. By now, more had noticed the change in the Moon. Some seemed worried. Others seem to shrug it off. Blue Moons were an occurance on their original planet after all, even if rare. "I don't.. feel any different. I thought I would be a puppet by now."

"Listen, you just need to stay here. Ok?" Macbeth turned to Carol once he said that, raising a brow. She seemed... more emotional than he ever recalled her being. Even if it was silent. Even if it was just the way her eyes look. The faint tears in the corners. She couldn't lose him again, it seemed. He didn't know why. They were only slight friends at most.

"Are you still guilty about that night? It had to have be a year since you made that statement." Macbeth said. Carol didn't respond. She reached one hand out, pulling down her hat just a small bit to hide her face. Macbeth didn't know how long it truly had been. He tried not to ask exactly how long he was dead for. A few months at least, but he didn't wish to know the exact details. "I didn't hate you for it. You were just annoyed and being your cocky self." He place a hand on her shoulder.

"I didn't know.."

"Look, me running from my fate isn't going to do anything good. Even the original Moonjumper believed in that idea, so I'm told. You think he would have willingly walked into his death otherwise?" He questioned, before pausing as Alexsadnera slowly woke up, a faint sound coming from them as they looked over at him. He held out his arms, and they floated into them. "If the Moonjumper gives me time with you, I'll be grateful. But I need to be careful... And do what's best for all of us.."

"I don't want to see you go. None of us do." Carol glared at the nearby wall. "It's not fair. Why should you serve this person you never even met? They weren't even the one to revive you, it was Snatcher!" She took a breath before her voice got too loud, before it could draw attention to others. She glanced at the floor, giving it a glare. She then looked up at Macbeth. "I promise. We'll find a way to make things ok, for all of us. Even if I die to do so." Macbeth shut her mouth, moving his hand other hand her jaw. "Hey-" She said once she pulled it away.

"Don't say that, ever." Macbeth said. "I already lived my life. I was lucky to even reach forty considering everything I went through. And I'm not going to give up without at least a little fight. I just know I'm going to lose. What's the ghost of a man compared too..." He sighed as he garbed the side of his head. "I think I'm just going to lay down and sleep... if he comes to claim me, let me know." He said as he began to walk away, holding the Dweller close as he did. A small hum came from him.

Carol watched him for a moment, waiting til he was out of sight. "It isn't FAIR-" She threw her fist at the wall, barely acknowledging the pain that poured into her hand. Macbeth was supposed to be with them! He didn't deserve to die in the first place! Why did he have to be brought back only to be pulled into a life he didn't want. That was a fate worse than death! Or, could be... "I need to tell the chef. We need to be ready for when this thing comes." She said, standing up and beginning to head to Reginald's room.

She wasn't the only one upset by the sudden change in events. She knew it, even without being in the haunted woods.

-------

Something had grabbed him. He had just been walking in the forest, minding his business, when something grabbed him. He tried to fight back, but he couldn't. But strangely, whatever force seemed to grab him couldn't move him. Eventually, it let go, and he fell to the ground, catching his breath. He stayed like that for a moment, confused. He stood up, he needed to tell his princess what happened. But before he could try and walk to the manor, there was a wave of energy, knocking him to the ground once again.

And then he woke up, gasping for air. It felt like he was being crushed for a moment there. It frighten him. For a moment he didn't realize he was in a dream. He normally picked up on it when he had dreams of his past life, but this was different, for a minute, he truly thought he was still AJ. The nice prince who walked straight into his death trap without even realizing. He groaned as he floated out of his chair, planning on watching the woods as he calmed down. He glanced up at the sky.

The moon was blue. He froze. Ever since this natural night fell upon Subcon, the Moon was a cheesy yellow. Not the light blue that shone through the.. pinker sky? The change of shade was faint, but he noticed it immediately. Oh no.

"So soon?! But how?!" He checked his traps he set up. None of them had gone off. None of them even had a hint that something came near it. He took some breaths, his eyes were shaking. There was no way he had failed so easily. How could this have happened? The same day that the witch left her manor, and could've destroyed the forest before he’d gotten back. Was this some bad omen? "I-I must be seeing things." He forced a smile on his face. "I must be seeing things, that’s all!"

"Seeing what?" Shadow Kid's voice called with a yawn as she came down from her room. Snatcher paused upon seeing her. He didn't mean to wake her up. She hopped onto the ground floor and took a glance outside. Her eyes gained a sparkle to it, and Snatcher felt his heart sank. She dashed out of the house and onto one of the stones, looking up and pointing at the sky. "Papa, look at the moon! It's so pretty!" She turned around, the biggest smile on her face as she held a hand close to her chest.

"Yes... I see." He said as he floated next to her, looking up at the sky again. He was quiet for a moment, thinking about his words. "I think the Moonjumper is here." He admitted. "Somewhere, right now."

"Really?!" Shadow Kid asked with a gasp, it almost looked like there were stars in her eyes. She jumped up. "We should go find him, welcome him!" She stated. Snatcher tried giving her a smile. He really did. She was happy, and that should be all that mattered to him. Yet his face stayed blank, and she noticed, her own face falling a bit at the sight. She tilted her head. "Aren't you happy, Papa?" She asked. "This is the thing Subcon's been waiting forever for! Everyone's going to be so excited!"

"I wish I could be Shadow, believe me." He sighed. He didn't want to try spinning a tale. Not right now, not to his child. She seemed confused, there was even a hint of what seemed to be judgment in her eyes. Oh, to be so naive not to understand the true grasp of all this. He missed those days. He glanced at the water below, poking at a floating shard of ice that remained. "I'm sure if things were a bit different, I would be excited. I used to love the stories of the Moonjumper and his feets."

"I thought he didn't have legs?" Shadow Kid asked, that causing Snatcher to let out a giggle. He needed that. "But why are things different now, Papa? Why are you so worried? I don't understand."

"There's a million things in my mind Little Shadow, this isn't something I want you to worry your little head too much about..." he sighed as he looked around the forest. "This forest has recovered the best it could from what happened all those years ago. The bushcats are a sign of that, at least to me." Shadow Kid gave him a smile as he glanced at the water. "I just don't know if the Moonjumper will understand. What if he tries to change things for his own gain? Make things worse?"

"I don't think he would do that. He seems like a nice guy. Or, the old one did." Shadow Kid said, sitting down and kicking her legs a little as she spoke to him. Snatcher could see why she would think that. It was just the other powers of the Moonjumper that scared him. It was said the Moonjumper only used a fraction of his magic in his entire life. What could happen if this Moonjumper was willing to use all of it. "Still, I guess I can see why you would be a little worried."

"I don't want my worries to bug you, little one." He said, gently poking her hat off so it fell into her lap for her to catch. She gave a little giggle and he smiled. "If you think the Moonjumper will be good, then I suppose that's true."

"Papa, you don't have to lie to me." Shadow Kid said. "I can tell when you are." Snatcher paused for a moment. He supposed it wasn't realistic for him to change his option that quickly, just based on what his daughter thought. She got up and held his hand, and he adjusted the hat back on her head. She glanced at the Moon's reflection in the water nearby. She gave a hum. "You've been here longer than me, you know more than me. You know if there's a need to be worried or not. I still need to learn that."

"That's something you don't need to learn too quickly." He said. "Allow yourself to just be a kid." She gave a small smile, before giving a nod. He gently picked her up and carried her back into the tree. He took a second to glance at the clock on the wall. It wasn't even that late. He just was tired after cleaning the ice and went right to sleep. Shadow must have done the same to not wake him. "We'll take care of whatever Moonumper is like when he shows his face. Then we can plan there."

"Maybe we can do a stakeout or something?" Shadow Kid asked as Snatcher placed her onto the floor of the upper room. Snatcher gave a small hum, that wasn't too bad of an idea. Of course, it was too late for it to really work. "Or maybe we can have a nice chat with him. Show him we did our best?"

"We'll see, that's not a bad idea." He said as he rested on the stairs near her room for a moment. You think he would have shown up by now. When he first heard of the second coming, he pictured him bursting from the Moon in the sky. A sight everyone on the planet would take note of. And yet, it was nothing but quiet... was the Moonjumper being humbled? It wouldn't be too surprising, knowing the past version of him. "Just, maybe stay close to home until we do see him. He could practice his spells and you might get hit."

"Oh yea, that is something that could happen." Shadow Kid said, giving a nod at the thought. She then went back over to her bed, taking a second to clean up where she had played earlier, before Snatcher went to the station with her. Snatcher began to head down the stairs, but when Shadow called a sudden "Papa?" that made him turn around, head tilted. "If we see Ivy, can we have her stay with us for a bit? Like for a sleepover?" She asked, tilting her head. "The toppat kids told me what those were, and they sound fun."

"You know what, I'll see about it." Snatcher chuckled as he began to head down the stairs, snapping off the magical light they used in place of an electrical one. "Good night my little Shadow. Don't like the statutes bite."

"They don't even have heads." Shadow said, earning him a small chuckle.

Snatcher paused, losing the smile as he got to the ground floor, glancing outside of the tree again. He glanced at the sky. At the new Moon. He had one hope. And that was once the Moonjumper herald of the queen's action, she would never see a speck of snow again.

-------

Vanessa was thankful she had the foresight to place a spell to keep most of her ingredients fresh all those years ago. She didn't eat too often herself, so she still had plenty. She had just finished mixing up the perfect cookie recipe after the past attempts were too wrong in one way or another for her tastes. Putting them in the oven, she decided to head down to check on her lovely prince. Make sure his body was warm a safe amount. When she entered the cellar though, she was met with a sound.

Turning over, her prince was letting out a small grone, his eyes opening slightly before closing. She could hardly contain her glee in that moment. It took everything to not rush over and hug him in a single second. He was awake! Alive and awake. His eyes slowly opened more and more, before widening in one sharp movement as he gasped for breath, one hand shooting up to his head, before scanning around as if in surprise. Confused. Terrified. To see them dart around the room with high life brought her joy.

"Oh, my prince! Dear AJ, you returned!" She said, his eyes locking onto her and widening. "It has been centuries. Oh I missed you my love!"

"Did I take something? Where am I?!" He asked as he looked around the room. Not the first words she expected or hoped to hear. She felt a bit of anger in her, but chose to keep it under wraps. She was a little surprised by the voice. She didn't remember it exactly, but she thought it sounded different. AJ's voice always had a formal glow fitting of a royal, the tone of his voice now felt way too casual in comparison. "Why am I here? And Who are you?! What are you?! Where is my-"

"Oh, you mustn't have recognized me. I apologize, I have had a makeover since your death." She gave a small chuckle as she walked over to him. Her prince shook a small bit, seeming to move back in what almost seemed to be fear. It was cute. She took his hand, being careful not to freeze it as she leaned in close to him, him glancing down. She faintly noticed his eyes widening in horror. "Do not worry, You're safe now. I saved you from death, so we can be happy, like we were supposed to be."

"W-Where are my legs?!" He shouted, making her pull back. He reached down, his arm stopped by the chain, which made him take more notice. "Why are my hands blue?" He reached for his head shuttering at the horn. "Wh-What's wrong with my head?!"

"Oh, bringing you back had some effects on your appearance... here, let me show you." She turned around and pointed at a spot on the ground, a large sheet of ice forming from it. It wasn't the best mirror, but it did its job well enough. The Prince's eyes widened as far as they would go once he saw his reflection, looking down at himself again as if to confirm the change. "You look just like the Moonjumper, our myth. You used to love that story." She giggled. "Do you remember, my darling?"

"No! I'm not who you think I am!" Her Prince cried out in distress, a bit of anger in his eyes as he looked at her. Anger that was overtaken by fear as she rose a brow, him cowering a bit as he glanced down again, before pulling his hands as far as they chains would let him. It was nowhere close to making it too far from the wall. She was slowly getting more and more annoyed. "Look at me! I'm some jack-o-lantern like thing but, Moon based? Oh god, how is the clan going to-"

"Clan?" She asked, tilting her head. Genuine confusion in her voice. Where could he have heard of a clan. "What clan? Was there one near that dumb legal school you had to go to."

"Legal school? Lady, I'm the last person to go near legal anything!" He gave her a glare, anger in his voice. She was surprised. Did the spell mess with his memory a bit? She hoped so, because that was the only reasonable explanation for why he was acting like they never met. He tried to reach a nearby barrel, but it was out of reach, and glared at his lack of legs. "Listen, I don't know what you think yo’ doing, but I'm leaving. So you need to let me go-" He paused when she grabbed his arm.

"YOU ARE NOT!" She shouted, her hand beginning to freeze him as if on autopilot. Luckily, she managed to catch herself before it got far, and pulled away. He looked stunned, terrified, holding the partly frozen hand to his face. She garbed the nearest metal object, the key to his chains, and cracked the ice off with some effort. She did poke his flesh, making him bleed. "You will not leave me again." She said, more calmly this time. "It's clear you are suffering from some memory issues."

"No, I remember everything!" He said, backing up as much as he could as she glared. "I-I was just.. I..." He held a hand to his head. Why was everything so blurry all of the sudden?

He remembered just testing out one of his sets and then... everything was a blur.

"W-Why can't I remember?!"

"Oh, don't you see now my dear?" Vanessa spoke, garbing his hand, rubbing gently at where the blood had slowly leaked from the surface. He looked a little surprised by his blood, taking some breaths. It was a light blue color, and had a glow to it that lit up the dark cellar. "I promise, I will not harm you, we were meant to be together. We have known each other since we were young.”

Her Prince opened his mouth to speak, but bit his tongue. Quite literally, as he coughed, moving his free hand to his mouth. He felt his fangs and quickly pulled his hand away. He didn't even bother glaring at the queen when she chuckled.

"I know your change in appearance has frightened you, but fear not." She caught his eyes drifting to the direction of the key for the shackles, and gently put her finger to his lower jaw, making him lock eyes with her again. "You will get used to it, in time. While you stay here, forever. Never to run away to some other women. Never to betray me again. Or else you'll wish you remained dead." Her tone lightened as she blinked. "Is that clear, my Prince?"

She watched the gears turn in his eyes, as if thinking. Eventually, he glanced at the floor, at his shackles, and sighed. He then glanced up at her, a sheepish smile adorning his face. "O-Of course, my dear."

Finally, he was listening. She gently took the back of his head, before quickly pulling him in for a kiss. He seemed more caught off guard than normal, he had a hand placed on her shoulder for a second as if to push her away. But he didn't, eventually caving into the kiss. He let out a quiet shutter when they parted.

A faint ringing sound came from upstairs, making the 'Prince' flinch. "Oh, I’ve almost forgotten!" She spoke as she backed away. "I made some cookies for us, I know how much you loved them."

"Well... I always had a sweet tooth?" He spoke with a small chuckle.

Vanessa smiled as she headed to the door. "I'll be back in only a few moments, my sweet Prince." She called before she headed up the stairs, humming.

The second he was sure the creature was out of earshot, he spit out, coughing and scratching his tongue to try and get the old, cold, somehow dusty taste from his mouth. He only stopped out of fear whoever this was would walk in on him doing so. He needed to get out.

He turned his attention to the keys nearby. However, not only were they out of reach, but they were placed on the other side of what appeared to be a foundation wall? He didn't know the terms. It was just sitting there, so tauntingly. His freedom was so close!

Freedom to.. what?

He slowly glanced down at his new body again, still with so many questions in his mind. Why did his body change to this... thing? Could he even still move anywhere on his own? He was able to move his arms freely, so it seemed like he still had legs. But they couldn't just be invisible, he couldn't feel the ground. Where was this place? It wasn't some normal jail or government base? Could he even find his way home, or to anywhere he knew of if he got out? How would people react to something like him?

He didn't know. It was as simple as that. He had no answers to these questions and no way of getting them. At least as long as this crazy lady thought he was some prince. Her prince.

How was he supposed to know in that moment, that he had been chosen to become the second coming of a deity? That his mere existence now was something to behold?

He looked down, resting one hand on his head, still shuttering at the shape and feel of it. As he heard what he could only assume was the footsteps of this person, he only managed to whisper one thought under his breath.

"Randy Radman, what on earth did you just get into?"

#a hat in time #the henry stickmin collection #a hat in time fanfic #henry stickmin fanfic #henry stickmin mr. macbeth #mr. macbeth #ahit snatcher’s minions #ahit snatcher #queen vanessa #moonjumper #randy radman #ahit subcon dwellers #carol cross #shadow puppet #shadow kid

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angst-king · 4 months

Text

Wish come true

((This is a piece from my MHA Adoption AU, I might start posting lil side fics from it on here. CW Mention of substance use/addiction, child neglect, death during child birth, loss of a partner/parent. Child abuse, & sexual abuse))

“Aizen, earth to Aizen~” Called out Hizashi, Aizen jolted from his daze and looked up at Hizashi.

“Huh yeah sounds good, dude” Hizashi sighed and set down his drink, Aizen saw this and asked if he did something to upset him. Hizashi shook his head and asked his own question.

“Aizen, what’s on your mind?” Aizen furrowed his brows at the man and took a swig of his drink.

“What do you mean man?” “You’ve been Spacing out a lot recently especially during our practices and during the radio show. The other members of the band nodded in agreement, then one of them asked if he was using again and Aizen knew it was bad for them to ask if he was using again.

“No no I’m not using drugs again, I’m clean I promise….sometimes I wish I wasn’t but…you guys wouldn’t care, it's nothing I promise.” Mic shook his head once again as he crossed one leg over the other.

“Aizen I know you, I know it's not nothing. We’ve been here for you since the beginning dude, I’ve been here since day one, so there's no way in hell am I letting you walk outta here without you getting whatever’s messing with you off your chest.” Aizen knew Hizashi was serious and he knew if it was too personal then he could ask to speak with him privately. Aizen huffed as he felt the entire room’s attention on him.

“I-I miss Natsuki and I miss Kyoka, I miss them so damn much.” He stammered out his eyes unable to look at his bandmates. He could already feel the tears welling up.

“Sometimes I regret sending Kyoka away, I feel like a coward and a shitty excuse of a man for giving up on my little girl! I wish I could have told those doctors off and made them check her out sooner! I wish I kept her, I know it's probably selfish of me but,” He took in a shaky breath and put his hand over his head interlocking his fingers.

“I would have quit the band, dyed my hair, taken out my piercing shaved, cleaned up, and gotten a proper job. I’d do all of that if I had to do it again…I just…I miss her and Natsuki so fucking much it hurts! It hurts to wake up and not have my beautiful wife by my side or to wake up to my daughter jumping on me.” They could hear his voice breaking and tremoring with each sentence. They sympathized with him deeply. Many of the band members were there when Natsuki died. Natsuki died after childbirth due to hospital negligence and discrimination. She died of hemorrhaging because the doctors didn’t believe she needed medical attention due to how they were perceived when he was 25. Natsuki and Aizen were punk and goth and very out about it. They didn’t care if people stared or gawked at their tattoos or at the way they dressed. Well, apparently it made many doctors not see them as someone worth helping. It took calling up Mic and an older band member to berate and beg a doctor to help them and by then it was too late. Natsuki had died leaving Aizen to take care of Kyoka all on his own. They all remember the night Aizen took Kyoka home they offered help and for a while he took it.

He seemed to be doing well but when Kyoka got older he started getting overwhelmed with the responsibility and his lack of money didn’t make it easier. When she just barely turned 4 he took her to a foster agency and signed away his parental rights. He battled with himself every day on whether he had made the right decision. It was now eating him alive!

Hizashi placed a gentle hand on Aizen’s back as he thought about telling Aizen everything. He hated to see his friend so torn up when Hizashi could let Aizen see his daughter again. He decided enough was enough and cleared his throat.

“Aizen, what if I told you I could let you see your daughter again, what would you do?” Aizen looked up and chuckled.

“Don’t play with me man, there’s no damn way you’d be able to do that. She’s probably off in some god-awful place, she probably hates me and wouldn’t want to see me anyway.” “I’m dead serious Aizen.” Aizen raised a brow at his statement and asked Hizashi to go on.

“You are right about your daughter ending up in a ‘god-awful place’. Remember when I had to take a break from the band again due to pro-hero work because of a foster home case?” “yeah, I remember that you looked ready to fight when you told me.” “Well, one of the children from that case was your daughter…Kyoka Jirou.” Aizen’s face went pale, he asked what happened to her.

“The home she- along with many other kids- were placed in was awful the caretakers, if you could even call them that, were abusive beyond belief. When we came to get her she was just malnourished and had very few injuries. From her records, she did have many past injuries.” “Oh my god!” Many of the members shared a look of sadness, to hear that someone so young and small went through that. Aizen was on the brink of breaking down, his hand over his mouth as tears ran down his face,

“Currently she is selectively mute but is doing better, still learning to feel safe around adults and unlearning trauma habits but all of them are doing that. I will say, I think she remembers you. She mentions your hot pink guitar and a lullaby you would sing to her.” “r-really?” “Mhm, I don’t know what it is but she uses it to calm herself down or the other kids.” A small smile cracked its way through Aizen’s sorrow at this knowledge. Hizashi rubbed small circles into Aizen’s back as he made an offer.

“How about I see if Kyoka would like to meet you, and if she says yes, then I’ll bring her over here so you can meet her. She loves music just as much as you, Aizen” Aizen looked surprised and asked Hizashi if he was serious.

“Y-you’re serious, you’d do that for me, Hizashi?” “Yes Aizen, I’m 100% serious.” Aizen then pulled Hizashi into a tight hug and sobbed into his chest but this time it wasn’t tears of regret or shame, these were tears of appreciation. Hizashi just smiled and continued his soothing gestures for the younger mate.

“Hey Kyoka hun, can I ask you something?” Kyoka nodded not looking from her drawing as Hizashi sat beside her and went through his phone.

“Do you remember your dad?” Kyoka shrugged and nodded again.

“Can you tell me what you remember about him?” Hizashi slid his phone over showing a picture of a man with long purple hair and a light amount of matching stubble on his jawline. He wore a pair of glasses and had a hot pink guitar. Kyoka took the phone and examined it for a minute before quietly saying.

“Daddy was..sad v-very sad, he didn’t smile much.” Her voice never went above her hushed tone, even when she spoke about her father. The thing wasn’t always so quiet, trauma was the reason for her selective mutism. In the old house, she grew up with the narrative that speaking or making noise meant people knew you were around and it was better to remain silent and invisible than to speak and be harmed. She was slowly letting herself talk again and Hizashi and Shota encouraged her to take her time. They were just happy she would talk to them. It took them a while for her to even look at them without crying or relying on her siblings to communicate for her.

“Do you remember anything else?” Hizashi didn’t wanna seem pushy but he was genuinely curious about it.

“Daddy apologized a lot, he’d always say that he was sorry he was a bad daddy. He said he wanted to do better but didn’t know how to.” Mic could feel his heart-shattering piece by piece as he listened to her. She was one of the only kids in the group whose parents were still alive or around. Hitoshi’s parents were dead, Izuku’s mother was dead and his father was never in the picture, Katsuki’s parents were dead, Hanta’s parents were dead, and Ochako’s parents were also dead. Everyone else’s parents weren’t involved by choice or by law.

“He was nice though, when he did smile it was good. He was playing his guitar or teaching me how to play it.” Hizashi waited a second before asking his main question.

“Kyoka, would you ever want to see your daddy again?” She looked back down at her drawing, bit her lip, and nodded. She seemed hesitant to say that but Hizashi didn’t want to point that out knowing me might scare her out of talking.

“How about my next band practice I can take you with me, and you’ll meet him. You’ll also meet the rest of my band.” Kyoka looked back at him with a surprised but happy look.

“Y-you’re actually gonna take me?” “yeah kid, I wouldn’t lie about that. Besides, your dad really wants to see you again” “i missed him” “I know ya do kid, you’re gonna have a good time.”

“Alright kids are all in bed now” Shota says as he walks into their bedroom that night. Hizashi scoots over to their bed and lets the man in.

“So i heard you talking to Kyoka about Aizen” “Yeah, she misses him and AIzen practically broke down in my arms today. I think them seeing each other again will be good.” “I agree, it's gotta be rough for the both of them, she remembers him very well but I know she can’t put it to words.” “Mhm, she’s almost 6 too, so depending on how their relationship goes maybe he’ll come for her birthday” “oh yeah knowing him, he’d come. Though i think the other kids might get a lil nervous around him. So we’d have to introduce them to him when they’re ready.” Laying down beside each other, Shota rolled over onto his side and pushed Hizashi’s hair from his face softly.

“for now let's just worry about what’s in front of us”

“m-Momo” “yes Kyoka” “c-can we t-talk?” The 8-year-old girl sat up in her bed and went over to Kyoka’s bed and climbed in. Even in the dim lighting of their room, she could tell something was wrong.

“What is it Kyoka?” “Papa says I get to meet my daddy, th-the one I used to live with.” “Do you not want to meet him?” “n-no it's not that… ’m just nervous what i-if he doesn’t like me, or he’s still sad…or if he got a new girl?” Momo pulled Kyoka into a hug after listening to her.

“He wouldn’t ask to meet you if he didn’t like you. Why would he still be sad though?” “Remember a-at the old house, th-they said I w-was the reason mommy died. S-so why would he want t-to see me?” “Because he loves you, plus you know the caretakers there liked to be mean and say mean things, what if it's not true?” “M-maybe, I just want him to like me” Kyoka noticed she was crying and hid behind her blanket while apologizing. All Momo did was hold her younger sister close.

“Do you want me to stay in your bed tonight?” “You don’t have to, if you don’t wanna…” Momo got herself under the covers with her plushie and stayed snuggled up to Kyoka for the night. Gently running her fingers through her hair as a way to help her sleep through the night. Momo hated seeing any of the others upset, they all saw each other as siblings and she was one of the oldest. So she took it upon herself to be the one to help out in these situations. It was a survival tactic she developed in the old house. If the kids weren’t safe with the adults, she would step up and do what she could!

For right now that meant cuddling Kyoka to sleep.

When the night for band practice came, Kyoka packed her little backpack that had her ukelele that Hizashi had bought her and a teddy bear named DJ. She never left home without it. She had Momo pick out her outfit. The little girl was a mix of excited and anxious both hyperactive emotions she didn’t know how to deal with so the entire car ride with Hizashi was completely silent just nodding and listening to him sing. When they arrived at the studio which was the same place the radio show was held, just in a different room. Hizashi walked her inside, her smaller hands holding onto his finger tightly.

When they walked inside she hid behind him seeing everyone else in the room.

“Hey guys, we’re here!” He announced, the group smiled and called out while setting up. Aizen looked over with an excited look on his face and asked where Kyoka was. She peered out just a bit to look at the man and was surprised to see that he looked just how he remembered. Long purple hair that went down to his shoulders, his eyes were black, he still had that stubble beard, and the wedding ring.

“Oh she’s behind me, just a bit skittish. She doesn’t have the best memories of being around adults. So be careful please” Hizashi warned gently, Aizen noticed the flash of violet and gently approached squatted down to her level, and waved.

“Hi there, Kyoka” Kyoka waved back but didn’t move from her spot or say anything.

“D-do you remember me?” Aizen asked, she nodded and he sighed with an adoring smile. Kyoka had hardly ever seen that man smile before. Even when he did it was never genuine but she could sense that it was now.

“I-I’m sorry that I left you in such a terrible place, Kyoka. I truly am, I just couldn’t take care of you, and I didn’t want you to be caught up in my mess any more than you already were. You deserved someone who could and would take care of you. Who had their life together in some capacity, and would put in the work to keep you.” The purple-haired man smiled through his words even as he could feel the tears starting up again.

“I love you, I always did and I still do, you are the best daughter I could have asked for.” Kyoka tried to find the words to say but the only thing she could think of was.

“I-I’m s-sorry about Mommy, i-I know it's my fault.” If it were possible, you would be able to hear everyone in the room feel their hearts crumble to pieces at her apology. It even brought them to tears as they heard her say this. Aizen was crestfallen that his daughter blamed herself for the loss of her mother. Hizashi himself was a little shocked to hear her say it too.

“K-Kyoka honey, wh…it-ts not your fault, your mommy dying isn’t your fault. Who told you that?” Asked Hizashi, he tried to make sure he didn’t sound like he was scolding her. He just wanted to know where this was coming from as she never talked about it to him or Shota.

“B-back a-at the old house. One of th-the adults said if I died instead of mommy, then daddy would be happier.” She stammered out anxiously, Aizen wanted to pull her into the tightest hug that he could when she explained where she got this idea from. Hizashi knew that all of the kids had gone through awful things such as sexual assault, starvation, and physical violence, but he never knew about this! Everyone in the room was dead silent, many of them put down whatever they were doing to stay engaged in the conversation to show their sympathy for the little girl. Aizen shook his head at her and wiped his eyes.

“No no no, sweetheart you are not the reason Mommy died. If would not have been happier if you died, I would have been just as sad if not worse if I had lost you even if it were instead of Mommy. I’m not upset with you, I do not blame you. Your Mommy died because the doctors weren’t being nice and refused to take care of you and Mommy. It was never your fault.” Aizen then went digging through his pocket pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture of a woman with long dark purple curled hair, who looked almost like an adult version of Kyoka.

“This is your mommy, this is Natsuki, my wife.” He turns the phone to show Kyoka the picture, Kyoka had only seen small pictures of Natsuki, though those pictures were given to Natsuki’s parents after her death.

“Mommy was pretty” “Mhm, and you look just like your mommy, just as pretty as her.” “Really?” “mhm, do you remember that song I used to sing to you?” Kyoka nodded

“That was a song Natsuki would sing to you when you were still in her tummy”

Kyoka hummed the song that Aizen was referring to and it excited him that she remembered it herself.

“I-I hum that song when people at the old house would get too loud” Aizen hesitantly opened his arms asking for a hug though he said she didn’t have to if she didn’t want to. Kyoka hesitated for a second before slowly coming out from behind Hizashi and going over to him wrapping her small arms around the man’s neck. Aizen held her close to him just taking in the moment he finally got to hold his daughter again, afraid to let her go and if she’d disappear if he wasn’t careful! There was a soft ‘aaw’ that rumbled through the room as the bandmates watched.

When the hug ended Kyoka smiled back at her father happily as he smiled back.

“I missed seeing you happy, daddy.” “I missed seeing you happy too, Kyoka”

#mha adoption au #class 1-A family au #dadzawa #dad mic #kyoka jiro #kyoka jiro centric fic #class 1-a as little kids #class 1-a as siblings #adopted class 1-a #king's fanfic

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