#Angst

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sidneyshmidney
sidneyshmidney

Apple Juice - Sidney Crosby x Reader - Pt. 1

Sidney Crosby x Reader (romantic/sexual)

Summar
y: You find our you’re pregnant and have no clue how your boyfriend will take it.

Warnings: implied sex, spiraling, pregnancy

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Word Count: 3,300

requests open :)

[[MORE]]

Three weeks.

Your period is three weeks late.

Not a few days. Not something you can brush off or blame on stress or travel or your body just being weird for no reason.

Three full weeks of waking up every morning with that quiet, creeping thought in the back of your mind. Three weeks of checking your phone calendar like maybe it’ll magically change. Three weeks of telling yourself it’s fine, it’s probably nothing, even while your stomach twists a little tighter each day.

At first, you ignored it.

You told yourself your cycle’s been off before. You told yourself you’ve been stressed, that Sid’s schedule has been crazy, that you’ve been sleeping weird, eating weird—your body just needed time to catch up.

But then a week passed.

Then another.

And suddenly every little thing started to feel suspicious. The random wave of nausea when you woke up two mornings ago. The way your chest felt sore, heavier than usual. The exhaustion that didn’t quite make sense.

You tried not to google it.

You did anyway.

That was a mistake.

Now your brain won’t shut up. Now every symptom feels louder, more real, more terrifying. Now there’s only one thought that keeps circling, over and over and over—

What if you’re pregnant?

You bought the tests yesterday.

You told yourself you’d take them this morning, when Sid left for skate. When you’d have the apartment to yourself. When you wouldn’t have to look at him while you found out something that could change everything.

You almost didn’t do it.

You stood in the hallway for a full five minutes after he left, just staring at the bathroom door, your heart pounding, your palms damp. Like as long as you didn’t take the test, it wasn’t real yet.

But you had to make yourself move.

You lock the bathroom door behind you, even though you’re the only one home.

Your knees are trembling, your hands are gripping the edge of the sink. he morning light slants in through the blinds, but it doesn’t warm you. It just makes the white tiles look sterile, uncomfortably bright.

You stare down at the tests in your hands. Two pink lines. They’re clear, undeniable, and impossible to ignore. Your stomach twists in a way that has nothing to do with nausea.

You sink to the floor, letting the cold tile bite through your sweatpants. Your hands tremble as you wrap them around your stomach. There’s nothing to feel yet, nothing moving, nothing tangible, and yet you know there’s a baby in there. Your baby. Sidney’s baby.

Everything is about to change. Sid’s still at a morning skate. He doesn’t know. He wouldn’t even know for days, maybe weeks, if you don’t tell him. You press your palms harder against your stomach, fighting to make the panic stop, trying to breathe through the sudden hotness in your chest.

You think of the one time—just once—when things got heated one night and kissing turned to grinding and hands started to wander. He warned you he didn’t have a condom. “We can stop if you’re not okay with that,” he said softly. You’d said you were on the pill. Mostly true. Mostly. But some nights you forgot. Sometimes you just doubled the dose the next day, and it always worked.

Until now.

Your mind started to wonder.

Sid is thirty-eight. Thirty-eight. He’s thirty-eight and he’s Sidney Crosby. He’s not showing any signs of slowing down with hockey any time soon, either. He probably has other priorities. He should have other priorities. Kids? He’s never even had the kid conversation with you. Why would he want one now? Why would he want one with you?

You grab the test again and stare at it as if the lines might change or fade.

You shove it into your pocket, and your hands keep trembling. You catch your reflection in the full-length mirror mounted on the wall. Your hair is messy, your eyes are wide and rimmed with red, your shoulders are hunched like you’re trying to disappear into yourself.

You’d always wanted this. You’d always wanted a family, you’d always wanted a strong man taking care of you, you’d always wanted to be a mom. This isn’t what you expected it’d feel like.

You lift your shirt slowly, almost afraid of what you’ll see. Your stomach is still flat, obviously. but your fingers trace over it, soft and hesitant.

Tears slip down your cheeks before you can stop them. You lean your elbows onto the sink, pressing your hands to hands over you face.

You don’t know how long you stand there. Minutes? Hours? Time doesn’t exist in the bathroom with the sun glaring through the blinds and your mind screaming at you with a million what-ifs.

You almost can’t move, but then a thought strikes you: you can’t hide this. You could never forgive yourself if you kept it from him. But how do you even begin to tell him? You panic, hyperventilating slightly, and the idea of talking—saying the words to him, making it real—feels impossible.

So instead, you do the only thing that makes sense in the moment.

You leave.

You grab your coat and purse, your legs unsteady, and leave the bathroom. You walk through the house quietly, holding your breath, every step toward the door feels like moving through molasses, but somehow you make it to the front door.

The bakery down the street comes to mind. It’s almost absurd, but your mind latches onto it. You can make it tangible. You order a simple white cake, yellow icing. You ask them to write “Congrats Daddy” in black letters and almost laugh at the ridiculousness of it. But you can’t. Not yet. Not when your chest feels like it might explode with panic and hope all at once.

The bakery clerk gives you a warm look, like she’s the one who just found out she’s pregnant, as you pay, but you’re barely aware of her. You’re already back out on the street, clutching the box like it’s a lifeline. Your fingers are trembling so badly that you have to balance it carefully. Every step back home feels like a countdown, every car horn or passing footstep makes your stomach twist.

Back in your home, you set the cake on the dining table, pour champagne for him and apple juice for you, since you can’t drink anymore now, and place the tests in front of them like fragile evidence.

You sit in the chair, hands folded tightly in your lap, and just stare. One hour passes. Maybe two? You’ve lost track. Every creak in the house, every muffled sound from the street, makes your chest jump.

And then you hear it.

The garage door.

Your body stiffens. Your hair suddenly feels like a mess. Your palms feel clammy. You smooth your shirt for what feels like the hundredth time, try to steady your breathing.

Your eyes flick to the table again.

The cake.

The glasses.

The tests.

It looks ridiculous. Like some weird prank instead of the most terrifying moment of your life.

This was a mistake.

Your heart starts racing.

Your should hide the cake. You should just tell him normally. You should say it casually. You should—

But before you can even stand up, the front door opens.

Keys hit the bowl on the side table in the entryway.

His voice carries down the hallway, warm and familiar and completely normal. “Baby? I’m home,” he calls.

Your throat tightens.

For a second you can’t make a sound.

You stare at the cake like it might answer for you.

“Baby?” he calls again, a little louder now. “You here?”

“In the kitchen.” You respond, almost too quietly.

Footsteps.

The steady, familiar sound of him walking toward you.

Your pulse starts hammering so hard you can feel it in your neck.

This is it.

He’s about to find out his 23-year-old girlfriend accidentally got pregnant.

He’s thirty-eight. He still wants to play hockey. He has a career. A life. A schedule. He didn’t sign up for this.

He didn’t sign up for this.

Then he appears in the doorway.

His hair is still damp from the locker room shower, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He looks tired the way he always does after morning skate, but when he sees you sitting there he smiles automatically.

“Hey—”

But the word cuts off halfway through.

He sees you first, he always sees you first, but then his eyes move.

To the table.

Then to the cake.

Then the glasses.

Then the pregnancy tests.

You see the exact moment his brain starts trying to piece things together.

His brows knit together slowly.

“…What’s this?” he asks.

Your mouth goes dry.

You had practiced this in your head. On the walk home from the bakery. In the hour you sat here waiting.

You can’t remember any of it now.

Your fingers twist together in your lap.

“Um,” you start.

Your voice cracks.

You clear your throat.

“Surprise?”

It comes out sounding more like a question than a statement.

His eyes flicking between the cake and the tests again like he’s trying to make sure he’s seeing them correctly.

He sets his bag down.

Walks a little closer to the table.

His voice is quieter when he speaks again.

“You’re… pregnant?”

The word hangs in the air.

Your chest feels like it caves in.

You nod again.

“Yeah.”

Your voice barely exists.

“I—I found out this morning.”

Sid doesn’t say anything right away.

He just stands there.

Looking at you.

The silence stretches.

Your brain immediately fills it with the worst possibilities.

He’s in shock.

He hates this.

He’s thinking about how young I am.

He’s thinking about how stupid I was with the pill.

Your throat tightens.

“Please say something,” the words spill out suddenly.

Sid’s head snaps up.

“What?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know, I’m sorry,” you repeat quickly, panic starting to climb up your chest. “I—I was on the pill, I swear I was, I just, sometimes I forget and then I’d double it the next day and it was always fine before and I didn’t think—”

“Hey,” he says quickly.

You keep going anyway.

“I know you didn’t sign up for this and I know you’re still playing and you probably don’t want a kid right now, I think I’m excited, but you don’t have to be excited, we haven’t talked about this, and I should’ve been more careful and if you don’t—”

“Hey.”

His voice is firmer now. Louder.

Before you can keep spiraling he closes the distance between you in two quick steps.

His hands come up to your arms.

Not tight.

Just steady.

“Look at me,” he says softly.

Your eyes lift slowly.

He studies your face for a second, like he’s trying to understand how you got from cake-announcement to full panic attack in under thirty seconds.

“You’re pregnant?” he asks again, steadier this time.

You nod.

“Yeah.”

Your eyes drop automatically.

“I took two tests.”

A shaky breath leaves you.

“They were both positive.”

There’s another pause.

You brace yourself.

Your mind is already racing through what happens if he says he doesn’t want it. If he says he’s not ready. If he says—

Then suddenly he pulls you into him.

It happens so fast you gasp.

His arms wrap around you tightly, one hand coming up to the back of your head like he’s instinctively trying to steady you.

“Hey,” he murmurs into your hair.

Your brain short-circuits.

“I’ve got you.”

You blink against his shoulder.

“…What?”

He pulls back slightly, just enough to look at your face.

Then his hands slowly slide down your sides.

And settle on your stomach, with his thumbs near you belly button.

It’s completely flat.

There’s nothing there yet.

But his palms stay there anyway.

His expression is something you’ve never quite seen before.

Wide-eyed.

Soft.

A little stunned.

“You’re really pregnant?” he asks again, almost like he still can’t believe the words.

Your voice is small.

“Yeah.”

Another pause.

Your heart starts climbing into your throat again.

“Sid, if you don’t want—”

But before you can finish the sentence he leans forward and presses a kiss to your lips.

It’s not rushed.

Not panicked.

Just warm.

When he pulls back his forehead rests against yours.

“You scared yourself half to death waiting for me to come home, didn’t you?” he murmurs.

Your eyes burn.

“…A little.”

He huffs a quiet laugh.

Then his hand slides back to your stomach again, thumb brushing lightly over the fabric of your shirt.

There’s still this stunned look on his face.

Like his brain is catching up to the reality.

“You got me a cake,” he says slowly.

You glance weakly toward the table.

“Yeah.”

The corner of his mouth lifts.

“Congrats Daddy?”

You wince.

“I panicked.”

He actually laughs then.

Soft.

Disbelieving.

Then he looks back at you.

And squeezes your side gently.

“You’re having my baby.”

It isn’t a question this time.

And the way he says it makes your chest feel tight for an entirely different reason.

Your voice shakes when you answer.

“Yeah.”

You’re watching him too closely now, searching for any flicker of doubt, any hesitation you might’ve missed in the shock of everything. But it’s not there. He looks… overwhelmed, yeah. A little stunned.

But not upset.

Not pulling away.

If anything, he’s leaning in.

His thumb brushes absentmindedly over your shirt again, right over your stomach, like he’s already memorizing the spot.

Then his eyes lift back up to your face.

“Hey,” he murmurs.

Your breath catches.

“You’re okay,” he says gently, like he’s reminding you. “You’re okay.”

You let out a shaky laugh that sounds more like a breath breaking. “I didn’t think you were gonna say that.”

“Yeah?” he asks softly.

You nod, eyes dropping again. “I thought you were gonna freak out. Or—like—shut down or something.”

He tilts his head a little, studying you.

“I mean,” he exhales, a small smile pulling at his mouth, “I am a little freaked out.”

Your stomach drops instantly.

But then he squeezes your side.

“Not in a bad way,” he adds quickly. “Just… big. This is big.”

You nod, swallowing.

“Yeah.”

There’s a small pause.

Then his gaze drifts over your face again, slower this time. Like he’s really looking at you. Taking you in.

And then—

“You look different.”

Your heart stutters.

“…Different how?” you ask carefully.

He steps a little closer, one hand coming up to brush a piece of hair away from your face.

“Good,” he says immediately. “Really good.”

You blink at him.

“I literally found out like two hours ago,” you mumble. “There’s no way I look different.”

He huffs a quiet laugh, shaking his head.

“I don’t know,” he says, softer now. “You just… do.”

His eyes flick down to your stomach again, then back up.

“You’re glowing.”

You let out a small, disbelieving breath. “Sid—”

“I’m serious,” he cuts in gently. “You’re… you’re beautiful.”

Your chest tightens at the way he says it. Not flirty, not teasing—just honest. A little awed.

“This is—” he gestures vaguely between you and your stomach, like he can’t quite find the words. “This is the most attractive you’ve ever been.”

Your eyes widen a little.

“Okay, that’s—”

“I mean it,” he insists, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “You’re carrying my kid.”

The way he says it makes your stomach flip in a completely different way now.

Not panic.

Something warmer, something heavier.

You look down at your stomach again, almost instinctively, like maybe this time you’ll actually see something.

“I don’t even look pregnant,” you murmur.

“You will,” he says easily.

Your head snaps up.

“What?”

He shrugs slightly, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“You will,” he repeats. “And you’re gonna be even more beautiful.”

Your face heats a little.

“You’re biased.”

“Well, yeah,” he agrees without hesitation. “Obviously.”

That pulls a real laugh out of you this time, shaky but genuine.

There’s a small pause after that.

A quieter one.

The kind where the reality starts settling in instead of crashing.

Sid’s hands slides from your stomach to your hips, but he doesn’t let go of you. Not completely.

His eyes drift around the kitchen slowly.

The table.

The cake.

The space.

And you can practically see his brain shifting gears.

Planning.

Adjusting.

His gaze lands on the glasses.

He pauses.

His brows knit together slightly, and he gestures toward the table.

“Wait,” he says, looking back at you. “You— you can’t drink that.”

For a second you just stare at him.

“What?”

He nods toward the champagne glass, a little more serious now, like this is suddenly a very important detail.

“You can’t have that,” he says. “You’re—” he gestures vaguely toward your stomach, like the word is still settling in his mouth, “—pregnant.”

There’s a beat.

And then you laugh.

It bubbles out of you before you can stop it, light and a little disbelieving and so relieving after everything.

“Honey,” you shake your head, reaching past him to pick up your glass. “It’s apple juice.”

He blinks.

“…What?”

“Well, mine is apple juice, yours is champagne,” you repeat, holding up you glass slightly. “I’m not an idiot.”

There’s a half-second where he just looks at the glass.

Then back at you.

And then he lets out a breathy laugh, one hand coming up to rub the back of his neck.

“Okay—yeah,” he huffs. “Yeah, that makes more sense.”

You smile a little, setting the glass back down.

“Wow,” you tease softly. “Already policing me?”

He looks at you again then.

Really looks at you.

“Just making sure,” he murmurs.

The way he says it—gentle, almost absentminded—makes your stomach flip.

Because it doesn’t feel like panic anymore.

It feels like care. Like instinct.

Like he’s already thinking about you differently.

About both of you.

“…We’re gonna have to change the guest room,” he says suddenly.

You blink.

“What?”

He nods toward the hallway like it’s already decided.

“The guest room,” he repeats. “We can turn it into a nursery.”

Your breath catches.

“A nursery?” you echo.

“Yeah,” he says, like it’s obvious. “It’s the biggest extra room. Gets good light in the morning too.”

You just stare at him.

Because he’s not hesitating.

He’s talking like this is already happening.

Like the baby is already part of your life.

“We can move the bed out,” he continues, thinking out loud now. “Maybe put a crib against the far wall… dresser over by the window…”

Your heart feels like it’s swelling in your chest.

“Sid,” you say softly.

He looks back at you immediately. “Yeah?”

“You’re… you’re really okay with this?”

The question hangs there, fragile.

He doesn’t even hesitate.

“Yeah,” he says.

Simple.

Certain.

Then, softer, “Yeah, I am.”

Your eyes sting a little.

He squeezes your hip gently.

“We’re gonna figure everything out,” he adds. “One thing at a time.”

You nod slowly.

“Okay.”

Another small pause.

Then he tilts his head slightly, like something just clicked.

“We should find you an OB.”

You blink again.

“An… OB?”

“Yeah,” he says. “Doctor. For the pregnancy.”

“I know what an OB is,” you mumble, still trying to catch up.

He smiles a little.

“Good. Then we’re on the same page.”

You let out a soft, overwhelmed laugh.

“We’ve got time,” he murmurs. “We don’t have to have everything figured out today.”

Your shoulders relax just a little at that.

His hand drifts back up to your stomach again, almost unconsciously now.

You don’t feel panic when he touches you there.

Just something steady.

Something real.

“…We’re having a baby,” you whisper.

Sid smiles softly.

“We are.”

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winchesterslamb
winchesterslamb

🔔🔔🔔 dean winchester grabbing the keys to baby after a particularly bad fight with sam over what to do with his rapidly declining mental state and the demon blood that courses through his veins…dean ending up trapped in a field and being killed by a demon after getting angry and deciding he could do the hunt on his own, stubborn stubborn stubborn dean winchester going out feeling unloved, misunderstood and horribly alone. sam winchester showing up moments too late and falling to his feet, he’s lost jess, his father, his mother, and now his brother. he’s truly alone in the world and no amount of bargaining or pleading with higher powers will change that, there is no coming back from this. one fight and one stupid mistake rips the brothers apart, permanently; and sammy will never sleep again.

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keatonstoastedghost
keatonstoastedghost

i know that you got daddy issues (and I do too)

now posted on ao3!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/81296831


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ichhabekeinekraftmehr
ichhabekeinekraftmehr

Ich habe Angst den Platz zu verlieren den ich in deinem Herzen habe.

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roxxyred616
roxxyred616

Erickson calling Donald cute it’s Canon btw

I imagine Donald doesn’t like it that much

Ignore me, I need the angst to live


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tekitothemagpie
tekitothemagpie

Reading heavy angst : fuck.. at least it didn’t happen in the canon

Reading heavy fluff : fuck… why didn’t this happen in the canon

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maries-hearts
maries-hearts

+16 CONTENT ⚠️

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Hey so, this is an angst drawing of the death of one of my OC’s called Haruki, he got murdered by Toshiko because he saw her face. (I’LL EXPLAIN IT WHILE POSTING THE COMIC!!)

1/7

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TW!!! GORE, VIOLENCE, INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE AND DEATH.

You have been warned.

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artyseraphim
artyseraphim

I’m so excited!! Reading angst leaves me feeling so gutted but I click view post the moment I see a hint of it in the tags. I like to make my own happy endings as a writing exercise (also because I’m delusional lmao)

I feel like I don’t say thank you or sorry as much irl, yk? Of course, I like to believe I’m very polite. I think online it’s so much easier to be yourself. I also tend to get way more compliments online then I ever have irl XD

-Arty answers ₊✩‧₊

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ellesfhnnxd
ellesfhnnxd

…. go on Ella.

…. ’ ’ the world is ending. On poor Ella sweet 16 birthday :(… ’ ’

( I’m making a story about these doomed teenagers. ^^ :) )

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spewilicious
spewilicious

Derek “my life is a mess and the only emotion I feel is guilt” Hale

I don’t want to be the one
The battles always choos
e

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ghostofansa
ghostofansa

Goodnight

Love,

Ansa

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yameeri
yameeri

i’m mapping out the plot line for a klance fic where the au is historical in my head n I can’t help but immediately want to skip to the angst 🙂‍↕️


what has the potential to hurt more?

tag theme?

right person, wrong time

forbidden love

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mt-musings
mt-musings

Sick of Losing Soulmates - 63

Castlevania, Alucard x Reader/OC

All Rosalind wanted was to escape her captors.

She hadn’t meant to stumble upon Alucard’s castle, nor infringe on his markedly thin hospitality. Still, she had little choice once he decided to take her in, set on nursing her back to health even though he seemed to find the very sight of her contemptible. Are the castle walls enough to keep her past at bay? Or will she become yet another ghost wandering the crumbling halls?

Masterlist

Read on AO3

Shards

Valion pulled Elyra into his study and locked the door behind them before wrapping her in a hug, careful not to put pressure on her wounds. His fury still raged at the revelation that it had been Riona that had sent the assassin, the fact that he knew Róisín would have done nothing more than argue with her aunt in Council to try and prevent the murder of an innocent child, should Colm had not revealed her parentage, that she would have left her to die as her aunt wished, had she not been Orlaith’s.

Still, he pushed it from the forefront of his mind, instead scrabbling to find a way to comfort his poor daughter, to get her to understand that nothing that had happened to her mother was her fault. She already held so much misplaced guilt over Orlaith’s death, but she’d just seemed to shatter under Róisín’s rage in a way he’d never have expected.

[[MORE]]

“Moonbeam, darling, none of this is your fault. None of it,” he said, forcing his voice to stay soft and even, even with the way his throat constricted at the sight of her tears.

If today hadn’t already been a misery, Róisín had to make it all worse.

She could be as angry as she wanted at him, but to do it in front of Elyra was inexcusable. Surely she had to have brains enough to realize any child whose mother had died giving birth to them would carry it as horrible, misguided guilt, that anything she accused him of doing she’d only blame herself for, take it as confirmation that her guilt was founded.

He hated that she’d apologized, apologized for even existing.

“It is! It is, you all lost her because of m-me and everyone wants me d-dead because I’m not supposed to exist,” she cried, but she clung tighter to him, her voice muffled by his shirt.

“It’s not, Elyra. It’s not your fault for being born and it’s not your fault that people are paranoid and shallow and evil. You’ve never done a thing to hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. You are everything that’s good and sweet in this miserable Realm and I won’t let you believe otherwise. Your mother would never want you to think that and I’m going to keep telling you until you believe me.”

She just sobbed, hands knotting in the back of his shirt as if she was afraid he’d leave.

“It’s okay, sweetling. I promise it’ll be okay,” he said, combing his hand through her hair. He waited until she looked up at him, until she nodded before he let go, before he crossed to his desk and began pulling out supplies, pulling more from cabinets and hidden drawers. He stuffed them all into a bag, wracking his head for anything at all he could have forgotten, for every possible ward he could cast over that wretched castle to keep her safe while she healed, while he figured out exactly what he was going to do to Riona, what would stop anyone else from ever thinking of hurting his daughter again.

He didn’t care about politics or throwing the Realm into chaos—she’d done that by trying to kill Elyra, by trying to harm his child.

He’d see her dead, see her fetid corpse go unburied and ripped apart by carrion for daring to hurt Elyra, he didn’t give a shit what titles she held.

“Dad?” Elyra asked, drawing him from his thoughts.

“Yes, sweetling?”

She stared at him a moment before she crossed to his side and hugged him, mumbling something into the fabric of his shirt.

“What was that?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

“I love you,” she said, voice think with tears. He hugged her tighter, fighting the lump in his throat.

“I love you, Moonbeam. More than anything,” he said, pressing his face to the crown of her head.

He never thought he’d ever hear those words from her, never thought he could, not after all his mistakes, all the damage he’d allowed. She shouldn’t, he knew, shouldn’t, but he wanted her to, more than anything.

Wanted his daughter to love him, wanted to be worthy of her love. To finally be the father she deserved, instead of the husk she’d been left with.

“I—I didn’t think you’d hear me,” she cried, voice hardly more than a whisper. “I thought I was going to—thank you. Thank you—”

“You don’t have anything to thank me for, Lyra.”

“I was so scared.”

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t—I don’t know why she wants me d-dead. I just—I just want to be left alone, I’m not trying to h-hurt anybody.”

“Because she’s cruel and paranoid and weak. She’s scum, rancid, cowardly scum.”

“I just—I don’t want to be in Faery anymore. I just—I want to go home, I want Adrian,” she sobbed, hold tightening.

“Okay, we’ll go,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I have everything I need to strengthen the wards.

“What—what about Grandad and—?” she broke off, voice breaking. Valion couldn’t help the face he made, was glad she didn’t see it.

“I’ll deal with Róisín,” he said, fighting to keep his voice neutral as possible, even though the mere mention of her filled him with such rage.

She’d have let his baby girl be murdered under the guise of politics, wouldn’t have tried to stop it, to warn them, if Elyra hadn’t been Orlaith’s daughter. He’d never forgive that, never forget it.

He’d already lost Orlaith, he wouldn’t lose his daughter, his Elyra, no matter what it took to keep her safe.

Alucard looked up at the unmistakable crackling of magic in the air, the faint scent of ozone. He got up, setting down the book he’d been going over with Mihai, and crossed in front of the table, putting himself in front of the younger children working on their morning lessons.

“Al—Alucard?” Mihai asked, voice wavering as he turned in his chair.

“It’s—it’s okay, just—” he broke off, not wanting to frighten him. He glanced back at the others, noting Florin and Adelina at a table off to the side, working on their writing, Petru sat under the table behind Mihai, nose buried in a book. He turned back towards the door, fingers twitching to call for his sword—

The door banged open, revealing a more-furious-than-usual Valion. His hair was in disarray, face hardly glamoured, great shadows smudged under his eyes.

“There you are,” he said as his eyes landed on Alucard.

“Who’s that?” Florin asked from behind him.

“He looks like the Lady,” Adelina replied.

“He looks scary,” Mihai said, voice small.

“I’ve been looking all over for you,” Valion said, ignoring the children, though his eyes swept over them, brow furrowing deeper.

“Where’s Rose?” Alucard asked, blood turning icy.

“She’s in her apartments, she wishes to see you,” Valion said, tone clipped.

“I—I’ll be back later,” Alucard called over his shoulder. “Sypha will be by in an hour to work on your maths.”

“Is Miss Lady okay?” Petru asked, crawling out from beneath the table to search their faces. Valion gave him a strange look, but didn’t answer.

“I’ll be back, okay?” he said to the children, forcing a smile before following after Valion back towards his and Rose’s chambers.

“What’s going on?” he asked the moment he drew level with him.

“There are people all about, the door just left open,” he snapped at him, not bothering to answer his question. Alucard glared at him, grabbing his arm to pull him to a stop.

“What happened? Why are you here, where’s Rose?” he snarled. Valion stared back, face unchanging.

“I told you, she’s in her chambers.”

“What happened?”

“She was attacked,” Valion replied and tugged his arm out of Alucard’s grip.

“What?” Alucard said, eyes going wide. Valion just turned on his heel and continued stalking towards the east wing of the castle.

“She asked for you,” he said, by way of any sort of explanation.

He followed, rather than arguing anymore with Valion—it was clear it would be pointless to try and wheedle any information from him. He tried to calm the slamming of his heart against his ribs, though it was useless.

Someone had attacked Rose, someone had hurt her—how? She was only going to Faery to tell Valion about their wedding, what could have possibly happened?

He’d thought her safe, at least, in that strange house in the woods.

He’d thought Valion would at least have made sure she was safe.

Valion swept his hand through the air as they strode into his and Rose’s hall and he felt something dissipate—some ward, though he wasn’t sure what sort. He could hear Rosalind’s heart beating from the sitting room, too fast, and pushed past Valion to get to her.

She sat on the sofa, arms wrapped around herself. He catalogued the bandages around her hands, around what little of her chest bared by her dress, the specks of red that stained the fabric, hinted at worse below.. He hardly spared a glance at Valion, barely registered his presence. She looked up at him, eyes watery, lower lip trembling, and he was at her side in a breath, pulling her oh so carefully into his arms.

“Adrian,” she cried, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder.

“Rose—Rose, what happened?” Alucard said, stomach flipping as he raced to her side, feeling as if he might throw up. He could feel tears pricking at his eyes, feel panic rising acidly in his throat.

“I—someone broke into the house,” she said, voice hardly more than a whisper.

“I’m going to work on the wards, Moonbeam,” Valion called, though Rosalind didn’t respond, not beyond tightening her grip on him as she cried. Valion stood there another moment, eyes locked on Rosalind, before he turned on his heel, door snapping shut behind him.

Rose,” he said, voice barely more than a breath as he held her close.

“I just—I woke up and they were there,” she sobbed, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. “They had a knife. They—they had a knife and I couldn’t—”

She broke off, sobs redoubling. He ignored the feeling of tears slipping down his cheeks, pressing his face to her hair. He felt her shake with sobs, though she kept them silent as much as she could. He traced up and down her spine, feeling so utterly unmoored.

“Dad—I didn’t—I didn’t think he’d b-be able to h-hear me, they were choking me and—” the rest of her words were lost in a wave of hiccoughing sobs, hand pressing to her mouth.

She’d nearly died. Someone had tried to kill her, simply because they were afraid of what she might do with her magic.

He’d nearly lost her too. Again.

“It’s alright dove, you’re safe. I promise—I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you, not while I’m here.”

“I know,” she said, voice breaking. He hugged her tighter. He could almost feel something break in her chest, like when she’d found Valion drunk in his study, a sob tearing its way from her lungs.

“I—I was s-so scared,” she cried.

“I’m so sorry, dove. I’m so sorry.”

“I—I thought I’d never s-see you again. All I c-could think of w-was never s-seeing you again.”

“I’m here, I’m right here Rose. You’re safe, it’s over, now.”

“It’ll n-never be over,” she sobbed, burying her face in his chest. “They’ll just be someone else who wants me d-dead.”

“I’ll make sure you’re safe—”

“What if they hurt the children?” she asked, tears streaking down her cheeks as she looked up at them.

“We’ll make sure there’s extra wards, make sure they’re safe—”

“What about you? What if they come after you? Adrian, I couldn’t bear it—”

“I’ll be fine, Rose, I promise. I’ll protect you, protect the children—”

“You shouldn’t have to—”

“You’re my family, Rose. Of course I’ll protect my family.”

She stared at him for a long moment, another tear slipping down her cheek. He thumbed it away, cradling her cheek.

“I love you,” she said, voice breaking as her face crumpled. She buried her face in his chest, curling in on herself as she clutched him tighter.

“I love you, Rose. So much.”

“I just—can we just stay here?” she asked, voice muffled by his shirt. “Just—just today? I don’t—I just want to stay here with you, I don’t—I don’t want to answer questions.”

“Of course—of course, dove.”

“Thank you,” she said, voice so terribly small. He drew back enough to press his lips to her hairline.

“How about I read to you? We still have that novel we picked up in Florence, we could start it?”

She nodded, arms tightening around him.

“Okay. Do you want to read in bed? You should rest—”

She shook her head violently. His stomach flipped uncomfortably—he wondered if she’d be able to sleep in their bed after being attacked in her sleep again, if he could do anything to make her feel safe enough to.

“What about the sitting room, then?” he asked softly. She nodded and he hugged her tight, trying to steady his racing heart, to blink back the tears pricking his eyes.

“I know you’re angry with me,” Róisín said without looking at him. She just stood, staring into the fire, its flames growing taller and more erratic as they fed off the swirling miasma of her emotions.

Colm pressed his lips together, unsure if he could find the words he needed. He understood her anger—of course he did, they’d lost their daughter—but all he could think of was the way Elyra flinched back at the sound of her words, at how she’d sobbed, blaming herself for everything, for Orlaith’s death, blamed herself for existing at all, right after Riona had tried to kill her.

All he wanted was to go find her, to pull her into a hug and ensure she was safe—he wanted to speak with Valion, to ensure he gave any help he was capable in making sure she was safe, in warding her from any possible future attacks.

He wanted to comfort his granddaughter.

He hands had been so thickly bandaged, and he didn’t know if that was the worst of it, if that was all of it, only that she’d been hurt, that she was so, so frightened, that everything had been made so, so much worse by Róisín’s anger.

“Just say it, Colm.”

“You shouldn’t have said any of that in front of her,” he said quietly. He stared at the bookcase in the sitting room without really seeing it, without cataloguing any of the titles on it as he usually would.

Neither of them said anything for a long time. Finally, Róisín broke the silence.

“He stole our baby.”

“He didn’t, Róisín,” he said evenly, chest aching. Regardless of what he thought of Valion, of his and Orlaith’s poor choices when it came to delivering Elyra, he knew he loved Orlaith.

Colm—

“They were foolish, they didn’t have a healer because they didn’t want anyone to know Elyra was of both Courts.”

“So he said—”

“I don’t want to argue,” he said, exhaustion hitting him like a brick. “I don’t care if you rage at him, but you shouldn’t have done it in front of her.”

“I hadn’t meant to—”

“I know, but—you hurt her, Róisín. She’s—she doesn’t think any of it is Valion’s fault—”

“How could it not be?!”

“She’s a child, Róisín, a child whose mother died bringing her into the world. Of course she thinks it’s her fault. And that’s without the fact that she’d just been attacked—”

“I didn’t know. We didn’t know—”

“That’s not—it’s not something you say in front of a child. You should have held your tongue in front of her.”

He turned then, when the silence dragged. Róisín still stared into the fire, but he saw tears streaking down her cheeks.

He crossed the room and swiped them away before pulling her into his arms. She let out a choked sob, knotting her hands in the fabric of his jacket.

“I didn’t mean to,” she said, voice horribly small. “I just—”

“I know,” he said, pressing his cheek to the top of her head.

“You—you should have told me when you figured it out,” she said, voice muffled by his jacket.

“I know.”

“She has your eyes. I don’t know why I didn’t see it. I—I should have known. How—how could I not have known? She was my daughter, how could I never have known?”

Colm didn’t have an answer for that, just held her tightly, ignoring the tears rolling down his cheeks.

It was all such a terrible mess, and he didn’t think there was a book in all the Archives that could tell him how to fix it.

Valion strode into the kitchen, mind still whirring. He wanted to know what was with the whole mess of people that had seemingly taken up residence in the boy’s castle, wanted them sent far away where he didn’t have to worry about one being a spy, or replaced with Riona’s agents, or merely a cruel, murderous human. He doubted that would go over well with his daughter and her bleeding heart, though, knew it would only further upset her.

She was too kind for her own good.

She’d always be too kind.

He hardly spared a glance towards those gathered at the table, expect to note that one was Elyra’s friend, the Speaker.

Sypha, he reminded himself.

It was such a shame that she’d allowed herself to settle for a Belmont, of all people. He knew she could’ve done much better.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” the Belmont in question snapped as he strode to the pantry to see what there was to work with.

“Trevor!” Sypha snapped.

“Do not test my patience today, boy,” Valion shot back, pulling out a handful of ingredients. They weren’t quite right, but he hoped they’d do—he knew he could return back to the Gloomveil house for the proper ingredients, but he didn’t he didn’t want to leave Elyra, not yet.

And he wasn’t sure he was prepared to return to their home yet, to deal with the broken wards and the blood in her room, the carefully crafted peace of it shattered.

He’d thought it his sanctuary, thought it the one place in all of Unseelie where he could be free of all of it, all the danger and scheming, had thought he’d be able to keep his family safe.

He should have at least been able to keep Elyra safe.

He didn’t know what they’d done to get past his wards—he’d put up three times as many after the boy had mangled those on the gate and forced his way in, had made sure no one could do the same.

Or so he’d thought.

“So, are you here to kill Alucard, or what?” the Belmont asked.

“It’s nice that you came to visit,” Sypha said, louder than necessary, as if she meant to drown the Belmont out.

If only.

“Did you see the books Rosalind has been working on repairing? She’s done quite a few I thought were beyond help,” Sypha said.

“I haven’t, yet. I will have to,” he said, focussing on preparing the ingredients. Usually he’d be more interested in hearing about Elyra, about the work she was so humble about, but he was too anxious, too overwrought.

It was enough just to force himself not to think of her fighting for her life, of her blood splattered across her room as she sobbed.

He focused on his work, on the feeling of the knife in his hand as he chopped vegetables, on the timing of different dishes, on the precise gaging on temperatures and rates of stirring, on whatever banal trivialities that would stop his mind from wandering, stop him from remembering that he’d nearly lost his daughter again, that he was quite sure it hadn’t been an ordinary dream he’d woken from, or at least not a natural waking. He ignored the chattering of the two behind him, did everything he could to pretend he was alone, to pretend everything was fine, if only for a few minutes, pretend that he knew what he was doing.

He wasn’t sure there was a thing that could make him feel truly better—not even Riona dead by his hand, along with every advisor who’d told her to kill his daughter.

It wouldn’t stop him from doing it, it just wouldn’t do a thing to fix any of the damage they’d already inflicted.

His poor little girl.

“Here,” he said, setting down a plate in front of Sypha, along with a cup of tea. “Lyra said you’ve been struggling with nausea with the baby. It should be mild enough not to make you ill. Her mother suffered greatly with morning sickness the first few months, it took a while to find dishes she could eat comfortably.”

“Oh—thank you,” Sypha said, smiling at him. He just nodded, turning back to the stove. He could nearly feel the Belmont glaring at him, though he couldn’t find it in himself to pretend to care.

He found a tray and set the dishes on it, making sure to include the little tea cakes Elyra favored and sweet tea.

She took after him, with her sweet tooth. Orlaith would have found it funny, no doubt.

“So why are you here skulking around? Are you planning on poisoning the villagers or has Rosalind got you wedding planning?” Trevor asked, tone mocking. Valion couldn’t help but stiffen at the mention of marriage, mind flashing back to her reaction to the Head Healer trying to remove that unfamiliar ring from her finger.

Valion closed his eyes, hard, before turning back to the cabinet. He pulled out a mostly-empty jar and dumped the contents into the sink before he turned back to the damn Belmont boy.

One more word. I’m warning you.”

“Oh yeah, I’m so scared of you and your fucking jar—”

Valion murmured a few words under his breath, reaching over to grab the jar’s lid as he yanked the Belmont’s voice from his throat. He screwed it on tight before placing it on the tray with the rest of the meal and turned on his heel, letting the kitchen door bang shut behind him.

Elyra looked up as the sitting room door opened, hands knotting tighter in Adrian’s shirt as fear rose hot and acidic in her throat.

It was only Valion, though, carrying a tray of food, face no less stormy than when he’d left. She let out a shaky sigh of relief, trying to force her heart to slow. She saw him pause, something flashing across his face faster than he could put a name to it.

“You need to eat something, Moonbeam,” he said, setting the tray on the coffee table in front of her and Adrian.

“I—I’m not hungry,” she said, curling smaller on the couch, even as she leaned even more into Adrian’s side. Valion just stared back at her, looking so terribly sad.

“Please? Could you just try, sweetling?”

She opened her mouth to tell him that she thought she’d be sick if she tried to eat, that she already felt nauseous at the flickering memories of the shadowy figure pressing her to her bed that kept flitting through her head, unbidden, no matter what she did. She hated the look on his face, though, the scared, pleading look as he pushed the tray just a little closer to her, as she saw that he’d made her favorites from Faery, made the little cakes he always insisted were too much of a pain, but made anyway, though it looked like he used raspberries instead of sweetberries.

She hesitantly picked one up and took a small bite. She hated the way it made him smile, like she’d done anything of note. She felt craven and small and awful, more so even, than when his brother had been tormenting her.

She’d frozen, completely forgotten all her lessons and her magic, been nothing more than the same scared shop girl she’d been when she’d been dragged out of her bed by those monstrous men all those months ago. She’d forgotten how to fight, how to defend herself, had only reached out instinctually to block the knife, to try and rip the hand from her throat.

Even after all her lessons, all her hard work, she was just a silly changeling girl.

Didn’t they know she was just a silly changeling girl? That she didn’t want to cause problems or deal with Court, that she just wanted to leave them all alone, wanted to be left alone? Clearly she was of no real danger to anyone, couldn’t even defend herself when it came down to it.

Except the danger she attracted because of what she was.

“Can—can you ward the children’s rooms downstairs?” she asked, voice hardly more than a breath. Valion opened his mouth for a moment before he nodded.

“Of course, Lyra.”

“Can—can you show him?” she asked Adrian. He smiled at her, giving her hand the gentlest of squeezes.

“I will. Before he leaves, I’ll show him.”

She nodded. She noted, though, the way Valion’s eyes lingered on Adrian for longer than usual, jaw clenched, before he turned back to her.

“You must keep the doors shut, to this place. You can’t let just anyone wander in, not if they could be one of Riona’s agents, or some Undercourt scum. It’s not safe.”

“I don’t—they’re using the library, they’re—”

“We’ll figure out something, dove,” Adrian said softly. “He’s right, we have to make sure you’re safe, that everyone’s safe.”

She just nodded, wishing she could somehow make herself smaller.

Even now, even in the Mortal Realm, she was just making things harder for the people around her.

She wished there was somewhere she wouldn’t be a burden, somewhere she could belong—really belong—that she wouldn’t have to wonder who would try to hurt her next, who might hurt those she cared about to get to her.

She was so tired of hurting people.

“I—I’ll have to go back to Faery and deal with this, but I’ll be back in a day or two here.”

“You—you’re going to talk with—with them?” Elyra asked, dropping her gaze to her knees. She didn’t want to say their names, not when she felt so wretched, when she’d just seen a scrap of the pain she’d caused.

She supposed that made her a coward.

“Yes, we have quite a bit to discuss,” Valion said, jaw tight. Elyra made a face, but tried to hide it.

She set the little cake back down on the plate, feeling utterly sick.

“Moonbeam—”

“I don’t—I don’t want you fighting with them, because of me,” she said softly. Adrian gave her a strange look, trying to read her face.

She hadn’t been able to tell him about Colm and Róisín, about how she’d so thoroughly ruined their lives, just the same as Valion’s.

“Lyra, it’s not—I won’t fight with them,” he said, and she knew he was saying it to placate her, hated it.

He should be angry with her too.

She stared down at her wrist, at the tiny gold bracelet that was still clasped around it, even with all the bandages. She felt a lump rise in her throat, felt tears pricking at her eyes as she stared at it, the bracelet her mother had had made for her, before she’d ever even been born.

“I—I’m tired,” she said, rising abruptly and nearly running from the room. However much she didn’t want to be in a bedroom, didn’t want to be seen by anyone but Adrian and her dad, it wasn’t more than her need to flee, to put a wall between her and the man whose life she’d ruined.

He’d loved her mother so much, loved her like she loved Adrian and she’d taken her from him.

“Rose—Rose, wait,” Adrian called, but she slipped into their room without replying, sinking to her knees next to the bed so she could bury her face in her hands. She couldn’t stop herself from sobbing then, the desolation overwhelming.

She’d never wanted to hurt anyone, least of all her family, but she just kept doing it. She didn’t want to be different, didn’t want to change anything in Faery, but she couldn’t stop. She didn’t want to be afraid anymore, didn’t want to be helpless and weak, but she still was, just as she’d been before she knew about vampires or Faery or Night Creatures.

She just felt as though she was spinning out of control, no matter what she did.

She stared at the bandages wrapped around her hands, wrapped thick under her dress and couldn’t help but think how similar it was to the first time Vranos had tried to strangle her with briars and iron wire, how Adrian had carried her to his room to wrap her wounds, how she was still the same frightened girl as she’d been then.

“Rose, love,” Adrian said, pushing the door open and crossing to her side. He knelt next to her, pulling her into his arms. He was so gentle with her, it only made her cry harder.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, voice soft. She shook her head, not sure she could voice the words even if she could find them, could bear to have them cross her lips.

Adrian hugged her tighter, though nowhere near tight enough to hurt. She clung to him as if she’d drown if she let go.

“Your Majesty, I thought you should see this,” Draeven said, nodding towards the body of the assassin that had tried to kill his granddaughter. He glared at it, eyes narrowed. They’d been more brazen than he’d anticipated, to attack her at Valion’s house—he’d added half the wards to it himself, had done everything to make it as impenetrable as possible, seeing as Valion refused to remain in residence at the palace.

He froze, though, as he spotted the assassin’s arm, the rot that had taken hold, the grey, bloated skin that had begun to slough off, even as mushrooms rooted themselves to bone. Magic still clung to it, though it was unfamiliar, almost alien feeling.

It was Death magic.

It had been nearly beyond memory that Death had last held any hold over Faery, that he’d been banished to rot in whatever Realms his remains had landed. His cruel magicks held no sway over the fae, and yet—

His rot was plain, even if it had only taken root in a single limb.

There had to be more Valion wasn’t telling him about his granddaughter, more he was keeping from him—

It was the only explanation. Though why he would when he knew what was in the Rift, what had been laid to rest all those millennia ago—

“Hack the arm off and see it burned,” he said, jaw tight. “Hang the rest as planned.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“Who else has seen the body up close?” he asked. “Close enough to see this?”

“Only myself, Sir Rodrix, and one of my assistants.”

“Deal with them. We can’t risk word getting out.”

Draeven stared at him a beat before nodding. “It will be done.”

“Are you any closer to revealing their identity?”

“If I might retain my assistant, I believe we are getting close. She is working on reconstructing the face. His Highness did quite the number in it.”

“Retain her until her work is finished, though she is not to leave your work chambers.”

He nodded, though Veylon could tell he wasn’t pleased. He cared far too much for his subordinates, hesitated to purge them more than any Spymaster should.

He was lucky he was so competent or he’d take more issue with his softness. He still might, should he not produce results by the end of the week. 

He wouldn’t chance his granddaughter’s safety, not when he knew she’d be the only heir Valion would ever provide. He’d been too lenient with that boy, allowed him too much freedom, allowed him to grow used to shirking his duties, and where had that gotten them?

No, he wouldn’t allow Elyra to follow in his footsteps—Valion might have been able to get away with ignoring the strictures of Court, if only for his fearsome magical talent, but she couldn’t, not if they wanted to hide her parentage. She’d have to learn its politics, learn its games and conciliations, play the part of a proper princess. 

That would at least give her more protection, cement her place in Court rather than simply hiding her away as if they’d all forget she existed.

Sometimes he wondered if Valion had any sense left in his head. There couldn’t of been much, considering who he’d chosen to mother his child. 

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crescencee
crescencee

another BNHA fic tonight :)

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ko-glitch-101
ko-glitch-101

I love error sans

Yes i do want him to suffer super badly, emotionally and physically

Yes i also want him to be happy and loved and comforted and to get a chance to heal

Im sure every error fan switches between these 2 options :3

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schamhoch3
schamhoch3

Jedes Mal, wenn ich kurz wirkliche Entspannung fühle und im Moment sein kann, kommt kurz darauf eine Situation, die mich komplett überfordert.

Mittlerweile kann ich besser damit umgehen, mich zum Nachdenken zwingen und meinen erwachsenen Part hervor holen und mich beruhigen.

Meist dreht mein Körper jedoch total frei, mein Blick wird verschwommen, ich bekomme Kopfschmerzen und werde müde.

Früher hätte ich mir gewünscht, in meiner jetzigen Situation zu sein, doch ich will mehr. Mehr Ruhe, mehr im Moment und weniger Drama.

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k1loveuof
k1loveuof

just wait until I know how to animate


Sad

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janeythejaney
janeythejaney

A partner for life.

Answer
ashthewaterghoul
ashthewaterghoul

Joke’s on you. The angst fuels me >:)

That’s a beautiful edit though omg

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my-cup-of-coffeee
my-cup-of-coffeee

no i get that you guys almost just died or whatever but you should totally kiss