Being an omega in The Run is dangerous. Some street rats get snatched up by slavers due to this; cleaned up and polished before they’re sold to the highest bidder. Many escape to brothels in hopes of some protection. Some attempt to brave the cursed woods and run. Some hide in plain sight.
Kingsley swipes his wrist over Lucien’s nape, frowning when his brother shivers against Molly.
“He’s out of it,” Molly murmurs, brushing the sweaty bangs from Lucien’s face. He focuses a bit, the lavender scent that was filling up the area slowly shifts into teakwood and tobacco leaves. Lucien’s pained expression seems to ease a bit, burying his face deeper into Molly’s neck.
Lucien’s scent is usually spicy, the kind that nips at your nose. Pricky like the tiefling himself. But currently, his heat is twisting his scent into a sweeter note that those with a keener nose could clock his true gender. For now, Kingsley’s sandalwood and patchouli scent is enough to hide under and Molly’s faux alpha scent will be enough to soothe the pains until Kingsley gets back.
He snatches a clean rag and scrubs his wrist clean of Lucien’s heat scent. “Stay with him, Molly. I’ll go with Cree.”
For a moment, Molly looks like he was going to object, but Lucien stirs in his arms. “Ah, shite, shh, shh. Go back to sleep, Luci.”
“‘m not Luci.” Luci grumbles before settling back down, slipping back to slumber soon after.
Molly turns to Kingsley, clearly unhappy with the arrangement, but what can they do? Lucien signed up for the job, only for the timing of his biology to kick his ass. But they need the coin. Of the two of them, Kingsley is the best of impersonating Lucien. Molly values his self-identity too much to last longer than an hour.
“I’ll be back,” Kingsley promises.
Molly nods. “Be safe.”
He takes another glance at Lucien, taking in his feverish appearance. They need the money. There’s no hope for medicine in this dump, but for food at least. Kingsley slips out of their hidey hole and silently makes his way to meet up with Cree.
Lucien notices he gains a power boost if the Somnovum feed on his dreams. He used his shared blood with his brothers to connect them together to get more power. Molly and Kingsley are understandably not happy. Kingsley bolts for the sea. Molly helps him sever he blood bond.
Lucien makes Molly take his place in the ritual out of vengeance for Kingsley. The way it backfires leaves Molly dead and Lucien catatonic. The Somnovum are not okay with suddenly only feeding on Lucien's dreams, so they make him stay asleep, while sustaining his body, so they don't lose their large meal.
Kingsley and Molly are presumed dead. Cree is devastated.
Then she finds out Molly is alive and starts scheming on how to use blood magic to put Molly to sleep so Lucien can wake up and do what he wants.
NOTES: Now that CR Wildflowers reveals are up, I can officially link the two fics I wrote. Here's my gift for @circuslollipop. HI GI, I GOT ASSIGNED YOU TWO YEARS IN A ROW.
Mollymauk Tealeaf does not know many things on purpose. Knowledge is an exhausting burden. It’s far more liberating to just say I don’t know and move on with your life without any sort of expectations from other people. He benefits from the assumption that he’s stupid (which he isn’t) and assumptions are the cornerstone of a good con.
But there are exactly three things he knows by heart, written into the very fabric of his being. He knows the moors belong to the Moonweaver; he knows his Tarot cards are not bullshit; and, most importantly, he knows that no one ever chooses to be a monster hunter.
(Lucien says that’s an assumption, but given that the only monster hunters they know are each other and neither of them- nor Kingsley- had actually set out with this in mind, it remains uncontested.)
All three are relevant in the here and now. The first because he and his brothers are riding through the moors with Catha and Ruidus both overhead, the former obscured by a few errant clouds and the latter flashing like a faulty lamplight and painting the thick mist on the ground bloody red. As for the second, Molly has to believe the Moonweaver blesses the open spaces where her glow isn’t hindered by tower or tree because to think otherwise is to face that the Tealeaf triplets are willingly wandering through dangerous territory with nothing on their side (and she has been on their side since the day they were born, Ruidus-blessed or cursed, and taken in by a halfling woman wearing a silver moonbow when they could have been thrown down a well for being devils- Lucien tried to say it was just luck, but Molly has always known better).
The third is obvious- if there were any other option, not a fucking one of them would be here on the moors tonight listening to the werewolves baying at too close a distance for comfort.
What would Molly, Kingsley and Lucien be like in a modern AU? What would they like to do with Jester in the modern day?
!!!!!! yay thank you!!!
............tbh i havent put a ton of thought into what they'd be like for a modern au but i HAVE for some reason put a lot of thought into what social medias they would all have:
lucien: the only one still on tumblr. also has a tiktok where he makes edgy thirst trap videos. constantly gets in twitter fights with molly. his only followers on tumblr are the other tomb takers and he'd like to keep it that way. blew up on tiktok after molly made a video making fun of him. also frequents reddit
molly: youtuber, instagrammer, tiktokker. has a decent following on all three. gets into twitter fights with lucien. makes clickbait-y youtube videos called "STORYTIME: I DIED TWICE (NOT CLICKBAIT)", "MY HARVEST CLOSE FESTIVAL HAUL <3", "I MADE MY HIMBO ROOMMATE DO MY MAKEUP", and "REACTING TO MY BROTHER'S EDGY TIKTOKS". used to have a tumblr but got flagged as explicit after the Ban and has left ever since
kingsley: only ever uses snapchat. king
as for what they like to do with jester? well i had a cute idea where she takes them to a bakery since it's implied lucien has a sweet tooth and i like to think that's true for all three. also i think molly and jester would have a lot of fun at the arcade together! they get super competitive playing dance dance revolution hehe. jester also makes frequent appearances in his videos (and vice versa!) theyre also both art students so they're in each other's classes a lot
not sure what kingsley's major would be. lucien is a business major.
thinking of doing a little collection of alternative universes for Kat’s Cradle when it’s done where other little wacky hijinks happens.
Like a three leaf au, where Kingsley straight from the sea drags Lucien out for coffee to drop the bomb that Mollymauk, their middle brother who is absolutely the least responsible out of the three of them, has a kid now.
like on one hand, they are both like, wtf. On the other—
smash cut to Lucien and Kingsley squabbling over who gets to spend time with their niece. Katlynn, who operates 110% on the “who I currently feel bad for” is torn, bc Uncle Lucien looks grumpy as hell but Kingsley pouts when being ignored.
Mollymauk has his head in his hands while Caleb is just standing behind him, confused.
