Once upon a time there was a snake and a prince. There was also a teacher, a dad, an emo, and occasionally, a duke. There was a villain, a story, and eventually, a happy ending. Masterpost
This is a bit random, but what exactly does Hecate look like when she shifts into a human form? As a dragon I know she has black scales and red eyes but I'm not sure how she looks when shes in a human form. (Like skintone, hair color, hairstyle, etc).
Hello there! You can see how Hecate looks like in this post
AAAAAAAA Look at these happy bois!! Roman's little finger pat of Tony!! Tony's little snake grin!! The soft colors and the style and just!! all of this is amazing!!
Hold the fucking phone- are you saying we are gonna mayhaps get a trequel?
Anon friend, there’s currently five main fics planned including TGoYH and you may get even more depending on how canon goes plus whatever side stories I cook up ;) So yes :D You’re going to get a trequel (bonus answer: tentative title for it right now is Even Purple Bruises Fade)
“Yeah, only a week,” Roman said, “Just, be careful? I don’t want-” Roman voice caught. Tony felt his annoyance melt just slightly at the worry in Roman’s voice.
“I promise I won’t do anything stupid that would put me in danger,” Tony said. “Does that help?”
“A little,” Roman said and let him go. “Thank you.” A pause. “I love you.”
Tony pressed a kiss to his fingers and waved it at Roman before sinking out. He didn’t head back to his room, not quite. It wasn’t the safe haven that it had been before. Not now that Roman and Remy knew where it was, and all the blocks and wards he had put up around it having crumbled. Instead, he headed to a place that everyone else would avoid for a completely different reason.
Perhaps it was time that he dropped in on the other Creativity.
~~
Tony took a deep breath as the vine wrapped around his chest and raised his arms. One escaped the vines but the other ended up pressed against his chest. He lunged for Remus as best he could but felt the vines drag him back an inch. Not the whole way. Why not the whole way? Something wasn’t-
He gasped as they tightened and the thorns bit into his skin.
“You can’t leave me for him,” Remus muttered. “You can’t. I won’t let you. I won’t-” And finally. Finally, Remus turned to look at him. His eyes widened and Tony wanted to scream. Were both of the Creativities really that moronic?
“Ce-ce-!” Remus reached out for him. Tony tried to lunge for his arm one last time only for a strangled scream to escape his throat as all the vines constricted and yanked him back. Blood dripped down his chest and arms. Remus didn’t even come close to reaching him and Tony watched his mouth open into a scream.
The long piercing sound hit Tony right in the chest as the darkness swallowed him and he lost consciousness.
Coming this Christmas: Green Means Envy (But also Guilt and Growth)
i heard somewhere that the sequel might be intrulogical? did you say that or is it fake? you don’t gotta answer, but intrulogical is a squick of mine, so I thought I’d ask beforehand. (also if it is don’t feel bad or anything i will always reread gold of your heart endlessly either way)
You heard right, anon friend :) the ships for this series are going to be Roceit, Intrulogical, and Moxiety (provided that the Orange side doesn’t show up and throw a wrench in it) and Green Means Envy is going to be focusing on the Intrulogical part of it.
I am endlessly glad that you enjoyed TGoYH even if you’re not going to read GME :) I am honestly expecting a smaller reader-ship for GME, not just for the ship but also for the tags and content. I hope that no one feels like they have to read it since it’s going to be a very uh,,,, Remus fic
TGoYH has a few very small hints to a larger series plot but it was honestly first written to stand alone. So by all means, please enjoy it in whatever way is most comfortable and fun for y’all! <3
i love this fic and im excited for the sequel but,, does it have unsympth remus? because if it does i might have to step out but i wish you the best!
Oh man, this one’s a harder ask to answer. If you mean unsympathetic as I’ve seen it around the fandom as in you’re supposed to hate Remus and the writing only encourages that then, no, I’m not writing Unsympth Remus. But Remus is a highly flawed and complex character who has the capacity to do some real bad. He’s also a character that I think has the capacity to do some real good.
I would say that this fic is about his redemption and growth in a sense. He is the focus and catalyst. He’s done some real bad. He’s going to do some real good. He’s going to trip up and make mistakes. He’s going to hurt people, but eventually he’s going to help people. Much like how Tony/Janus has and will. They’re grey shaded characters and that’s why I love them.
You’ll also see Patton make mistakes and wrong choices and do some bad. Virgil, Roman, Thomas, and Logan are all flawed characters. More flawed than Remus? Well that depends on your views. Watching someone who has done bad, made mistakes, had the wrong view on something learn and grow?
That’s one of my favorite kind of stories. So :) I guess in the short of it, no, Remus is not meant to be unsympathetic, but I’m not going to be watering him and what he does down either.
What you mean with "this Christmas"?!!! Nuooooo, I need to wait that long??? You can't be serious (ç A ç)
I am honored that you are that excited to read my writing ;) However, I would like to gently remind you that I am a full time student with a job on top of anything else that comes up in my life. TGoYH took me seven months and clocked in at 200k+ words. Green means Envy will likely be just as long if not longer with even more characters to balance and more ground to cover. As much as I would love to get it to y'all earlier (believe me, it's an ongoing debate with my betas and partner how much is too much and could lead to burn out) Holiday times is about seven months from now which gives me about the same amount of time it took to get TGoYH done :)
I'll do my best to keep y'all updated, and again thank you for the hype!
aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA OH MY GOD I NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON, OMG I *KNEW* TGOYH WAS GONNA GET A SEQUEL BUT LIKE IT WASN'T REAL UNTIL **JUST NOW**
oh man oh man anon, do i have news for you *drops voice to a whisper* I can tell you for sure, that the sequel? Will also have a sequel :D
"Yeah, only a week," Roman said, "Just, be careful? I don't want-" Roman voice caught. Tony felt his annoyance melt just slightly at the worry in Roman's voice.
"I promise I won't do anything stupid that would put me in danger," Tony said. "Does that help?"
"A little," Roman said and let him go. "Thank you." A pause. "I love you."
Tony pressed a kiss to his fingers and waved it at Roman before sinking out. He didn't head back to his room, not quite. It wasn't the safe haven that it had been before. Not now that Roman and Remy knew where it was, and all the blocks and wards he had put up around it having crumbled. Instead, he headed to a place that everyone else would avoid for a completely different reason.
Perhaps it was time that he dropped in on the other Creativity.
~~
Tony took a deep breath as the vine wrapped around his chest and raised his arms. One escaped the vines but the other ended up pressed against his chest. He lunged for Remus as best he could but felt the vines drag him back an inch. Not the whole way. Why not the whole way? Something wasn't-
He gasped as they tightened and the thorns bit into his skin.
"You can't leave me for him," Remus muttered. "You can't. I won't let you. I won't-" And finally. Finally, Remus turned to look at him. His eyes widened and Tony wanted to scream. Were both of the Creativities really that moronic?
"Ce-ce-!" Remus reached out for him. Tony tried to lunge for his arm one last time only for a strangled scream to escape his throat as all the vines constricted and yanked him back. Blood dripped down his chest and arms. Remus didn't even come close to reaching him and Tony watched his mouth open into a scream.
The long piercing sound hit Tony right in the chest as the darkness swallowed him and he lost consciousness.
Coming this Christmas: Green Means Envy (But also Guilt and Growth)
Its past 2am and I just reread the last few chapters of tgoyh and now I have many questions. Did Tony like the room Hecate made for him in her lair? Does he still use his old room? Is his core still stored in the tulip, or did he move it back to his room? We know Patton can call him Dee and Logan can call him Anthony, but what about Virgil? Did the others tell Thomas about his new name? Does Tony still turn into a snake to chill with Roman?
I have answers to all of these :D
HOWEVER, as at the moment I’m not sure how many of these questions are going to get answered in the sequel (several at the very least) so I’m gonna hold of on answering them
BUT I can answer a different question that has come up and that people may have been wondering:
The Sequel, Green Means Envy will be completed and posted before Christmas :D
I really liked the name you picked out for Deceit before Thomas revealed his name was Janus. Are you going to keep his name as Tony or change it to Janus?
ooooh man that’s a very good question, that I have been thinking about since the name reveal. Thankfully it’s also an easy to answer one. Tony is going to remain Tony :D Beyond the semi-coherent essay that I wrote on my main tumblr about how I could explain it as canon divergence, Tony not having a name and Roman being the one to give it to him is a huge part of the plot and character development for Tony.
It would also feel weird to change it at this point so :D Tony it is!
Every time I need a Good Read I reread TGOYH and I swear it gets better each time, this is the 3rd time I've finished it and I'm probably never gonna get over how much I love your writing. I just saw you're doing a sequel, too and *GOD* am I excited already, hell yeah. Please keep up the amazing work!!! -🐞
Aaaaaa thank you so much! I’ve really been getting the ball rolling for the sequel lately and I am excited, and hoping that from the reaction of my two betas its as good as I think it’s going to be! With any luck, I’ll be able to make major progress and maybe get another one or two of the side story ideas that I’ve been tossing around done!
August ground his teeth together. His feet echoed against the hardwood of their- his house. His fingers curled against his palm. He relaxed them. They curled again. Ants crawled under his skin, and his eyes landed on the pile of dishes in the sink. Cleaning would help. Pacing would help. Doing anything– especially the dishes– would distract himself from the thoughts in his head.
Like the fact that it was supposed to be Seth’s turn to do them-
August whirled on his heels and stormed out of the house. He could hear pictures rattle against the walls. Part of him hoped they’d crash to the ground. Shattered glass would fit his mood better than the taunting image of Toby’s smile and Seth’s arms around his shoulders and-
August’s fingers curled around his jacket. He couldn’t even stand to look at the picture by his bed - not that he had slept; though if Remy found out, he’d be dragged to a bed by his ears - the one that had been taken when they first moved into their house. And god, did that thought hurt too. Dragging more kindling to the fire that licked at his chest.
They moved because of him.
When the little house in Anton’s village didn’t fit them anymore, they packed everything up and moved to the capital. Toby had chattered about how excited he was to see Nate more often. August had followed Seth’s directions on where to put everything, wanting to make himself useful. Still a little confused, but already coming into himself.
When two became three.
He was the youngest. August swore and kicked at the nearest tree. It rattled and leaves fell down around him. Fragile, like everything else in the Imagination at the moment. Fragile, like him. He wasn’t meant to be alone.
From the moment he went from faceless to August, Seth and Toby had been there.
Roman’s proud face echoed back at him, but more than that, the pair of arms that wrapped around each side of him stuck with him more.
“Ha! I’m not the youngest anymore!”
“Technically, you never were-”
“Let me have this, Seth!”
Seth’s chuckle vibrated through his new form and August blinked at the feeling. Toby’s face covered Roman’s, eyes sparkling and grin wide. August stumbled over his feet as Toby pulled him forwards.
“Come on, we have so much to show you!”
Toby’s hand held his left. Seth gripped his right. A trail of three that Roman laughed with as he tagged along behind them. August’s wide eyes darted around to take in the sky and the buildings and the warm feeling of Seth squeezing his hands. Clothes brushed against his skin, a brand new jacket declaring him to the world. He glanced back at Seth. Seth grinned at him.
He twitched. Logan appeared in the corner of his eye and August kept his head facing forward. He followed familiar paths down the empty Capital. It would take a while for the faceless Constructs to start reforming, and even longer for the fully-fledged Characters to trickle back into their homes. He nodded at the few Constructs he saw here and there, but otherwise kept his hands shoved in his pockets. Logan’s footsteps echoed with his own.
A coal of anger sat on August’s tongue, but the weight of silence held it down. The glass that held the whole world in a bubble burned at him. August bit down on his bottom lip. He vibrated with each step. He walked even faster, mouth turning down into a sneer. He wanted to chuck his anger at the glass, but he didn’t know if he’d be able to pick up the pieces when he shattered.
Seth and Toby would be so disappointed.
He turned abruptly down another street. Logan’s footsteps stumbled and hurried to keep up with him. August had heard the news. Logan was the reason they still had Roman; Hecate had been clear on that. He should feel grateful; losing Roman would have hurt just as much. He bit down on his tongue, tasting the salt of his own blood bloom.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to ask why Logan hadn’t helped everyone else. He glared down at the fresh cobblestone. It wasn’t-
It wasn’t home anymore. He’d have to relearn the marks along each street. New Constructs would come back. August’s fingernails cut into his palm. The pale emptiness held nothing. No smell of fresh bread from the bakeries, no wind from witches and pixies flying overhead, no music from musicians. No Nate up at the castle. No Toby waiting for an adventure. No Seth waiting with dinner at home.
No Anton to visit.
Logan’s hand pressed against his and August jerked away from the touch. He didn’t realize that he had stopped in the middle of the street. He clenched his fists even tighter to keep from shaking.
“What do you want?” he snapped. The injuries along his back that were still healing ached. For a wild moment, he thought it had been a mistake. He should have died. He should have bled out and joined his brothers wherever they ended up. He was never meant to survive.
“To assist,” Logan said simply. August snarled at him. Logan’s steady eyes felt like ice water on his anger, creating an explosion of steam. August took a threatening step forward, but Logan held his ground. His eyes narrowed briefly, and in that moment he looked so much like Seth it took August’s breath away. He spun around and stormed down the streets again. Logan followed.
“And to apologize,” Logan said softly. August twitched. He glared up at the sky. Nothing wheeled through the blue and August wondered when they’d get birds again. Birds or dragons or anything really.
“What for?” August kicked at the ground and cursed, bitterness curling around his tongue. “It wasn’t like you killed them or anything.”
“I didn’t do much to help either.”
August squeezed his eyes shut. He turned and slammed his fist into the nearest building. Blood dripped down his knuckles, and pain raced down his arm. It didn’t help with the fire. He wondered if Hecate could turn him into a dragon, one that could roar out the fire in his chest and burn everything down. Until even the pain and grief went up in smoke.
“Just fuck off, why don’t you?!” He spun to glare at Logan, blood hit the cobblestone, just like it had that day. “You got what you wanted from me, what more could you fucking want?”
“I told you: to assist and to apologize,” Logan repeated.
“I don’t need help!”
Logan’s head tilted to the side. August’s shoulders slumped. His hands trembled. He reached up to press his hand against his face. Tears prickled in his eyes. The memory of smoke drifted passed him, and August swallowed thickly. He wanted Toby. He wanted Seth. He wanted someone, anyone.
He wanted his big brothers.
“Just leave me alone.”
Logan’s hand wrapped around his arm again. The warmth of his fingers felt starkly gentle. Logan’s eyes softened, and August’s chest went numb. He let Logan tug him back towards his house. Logan’s grip tightened on him, just enough to keep him from stumbling.
“I am sorry,” Logan said, “for the loss of your family.”
A choked sob escaped August’s throat.
“And I apologize for intruding into your space, but I believe that you should not be alone at this point in time.”
Toby’s hand wrapped around his wrist, adjusting his grip on the sword. August shuffled back as Toby nudged his feet gently apart. Seth waited patiently, his own sword pointed towards the ground in front of him.
“I don’t see why I can’t just learn how to use a gun,” August scowled down at the metal stick in his hands.
“Oh we’ll get to that next!” Toby grinned at him. “Swords are just, like, traditional. That and some things are immune to guns. Others are immune to swords. We’ll get to play a fun guessing game of what is what once you’ve reached that point!”
“I don’t see-”
“You’re the one who wanted to join us on Quests with Roman,” Seth pointed out reasonably. August turned his scowl to Seth. He hadn’t thought that it would lead to this. Quests had sounded like one big act. Swing a sword, spend time with his brothers, help his creator and friend. Not whatever the hell this was.
“There’s a little more to what we do than, like, acting,” Toby said. His grin split his face. August twitched, anger dying in the face of his brother’s glee. He let out a slow breath, blowing the hair out of his face. Toby had been made to be likable, popular, the one everyone paid attention to, and he certainly lived up to that.
August wanted to be like him.
“Fine, fine!” August tightened his grip on the sword. Toby poked at his fingers until they loosened. “Just one more round.”
“Oh yeah,” Toby’s eyes danced, “Just one.”
They left him bruised and sweaty in the grass, panting for breath. Toby also coaxed laughter from his throat, and Seth promised to bake his favorite for dinner that night. August figured it all evened out.
August blinked slowly at the wall across from him. He flexed his fingers against the blanket around his shoulders. He would be more comfortable if he moved to the side of the couch where he could curl up in the corner. But that was Toby’s spot. Toby sat on the left, Seth sat on the right, and August sat in the middle.
He wouldn’t say that he slept, but his mind drifted. A cool grey emptiness that hovered on the edge of rest and waking. He could almost convince himself that the shuffling from the kitchen was Seth. Toby would walk through the door at any moment, and throw himself onto the couch. August would complain, but rearrange himself so his brother could lean his head on August’s lap while he prattled on about his time with Nate and Remy.
Logan crossing his line of sight killed that dream.
August twitched as Logan set a plate down in front of him. He stared at the pasta and vegetables laid out in front of him. His breath caught in his throat. He knew that Roman wasn't the best cook; Toby had joked about it enough after all. Something about seeing a different Side cook just as easily as Seth had-
Logan didn't sit down next to him. August hated that he was grateful for that fact, for the fact that he could play pretend a little while longer. He wanted to pretend that they were still in the middle of that crisis. He would have preferred that they were still discussing the best way to get Logan's core from Apathy to save Roman than sitting in this bleak aftermath.
Anything over missing his brothers.
“I admit,” Logan said as he sat stiffly in one of their- his chairs, “I didn't recognize some of the spices in the cupboards, and I'm not entirely sure if Constructs need to eat to survive, but-” Logan paused and fiddled with his ties– “it does help us Sides in a mental capacity, so to speak. So I would encourage you to have regular meals.”
August stared at him. “You don't need to eat?”
“No exactly,” Logan said slowly, “We eat in the sense that Thomas eats. Any nutrients that he gets are what we get, along with however he pictures us. Much like how I assume that your physical capabilities are based less on your appearance and more on how Roman believed you could perform. We eat in a mental capacity, as I said, for mental health. The act of consuming food helps us feel as if we are alive. Hence,we are more balanced and, in turn, healthier.”
August didn't get it. Logan's face slowly turned red and he pushed his glasses higher up on his face.
“Thomas believes that we need to eat,” Logan said finally, “and so we do.” August made a noise of understanding the back of his throat. God, you'd think being imaginary would make life easier, not more complex. Seth would have-
August clenched his jaw.
“If you don't mind,” Logan said softly. “I am willing to help make sure that your house is in order and clean up anything that needs-”
“Don't touch their rooms.”
Logan shifted back slightly at August's growl. August glared at him, refusing to feel guilty about it. He wasn't- it had only been a couple of days since they had died. He didn't want to think about funerals, about what to do with their rooms, to-
“Alright,” Logan said simply, easily, with the same sort of breath that he had confronted Apathy with. “Their rooms will go untouched. May I check out the rest of the house?”
August gritted his teeth. He nodded, if only to get Logan out of the room. He listened to Logan's footsteps retreat and stared at the plate of food in front of him. Alone again, even with someone in his house, August curled in on himself and tried not to cry.
The blanket around his shoulder slipped away, just like his happiness. It fell down and away. Fell like the way that his world had fallen to pieces around him. August couldn’t find the energy to pick it back up. He curled in a tighter ball and drowned in the darkness around him.
August blinked at the sudden voice. He looked up from the map in his hand and made eye contact with Logan. He frowned at the Side and looked around the alleyway.
“Is it alright for you to be here?”
Logan nodded, a sharp certain gesture. August shrugged. Alright then, so long as Roman didn't end up in danger because of it, August couldn't care less. They had shit to get done after all. He looked back down at his map.
“Yeah, I have two brothers,” August said, letting his eyes cut over to Logan. “Seth and Toby. September and October.”
Logan hummed to himself and August reached out to tug on his arm to lead him down the twisting alleys of the Capital. Finding something that would work between the Imagination and the rest of Thomas' mind was a pain. Constructs didn't leave after all. But if Logan's plan was going to work they needed one.
Their best bet would have been Roman or Hecate, but Logan insisted that they couldn't go to them so here August was. Scouring the back alleys for someone who did the stupid or impossible or just plain weird.
“Do you-” Logan cut himself off. August waited. No one spoke slower than Nate. August could have patience. Sometimes. “Do you get along with them?”
August felt a grin spread on his face.
“Depends on what you mean,” he stopped to look Logan in the eye. “I would die for them, if that's what you mean. They're the most important people in my life. I love them.” He reached out and flicked Logan in the shoulder, “I also want to murder Toby every time he tries to foist dish duty off on me because he has another party.”
The tip of Logan's ears started to turn red, the exact same way that Roman's did. And wasn't that adorable? They were related in a sense.
“You'll figure things out with Roman,” August said, waving the map through the air, “Now come on, this bog witch is said to have figured something similar to what we need out, maybe you can modify it.”
He gripped Logan's arm and dragged him deeper into the Capital.
“You'd die for them,” Logan said under his breath and August tilted his head to the side. That one probably wasn't meant for him. Well, too bad for Logan that he was the Construct that he picked rather than Seth.
“Yeah, but more importantly,” August shrugged, “I would live for them. You know?”
“Fuck off,” August snapped at Remy. Remy stared at him and took a long sip from his drink. August tried to glare him down, but broke first, glancing away. He stepped away from the door and let Remy into the house. His house.
“I hear, like, you have a new friend that, like, has been the reason you're not falling apart.”
“Logan's not my friend,” August muttered. He could feel Remy's eyes on him again, heavy and judgmental like they always were. He could never leave well enough alone could he? “He just- feels guilty.”
“Least the hoe is taking, like, some responsibility,” Remus said. August turned to look at him, something light and airy about his ton that screamed Remy was pissed about something. Remy waved off August's narrow eyed gaze. “He's also like, totally tattled on you.”
Remy threw himself onto the couch, and spread his arms out headless of the drink in his hand.
“So! Come on, like, I'm here to talk and whatever. Spill your like, goddamn heart out bitch. Talk to momma, we'll make it alllll better.”
“Fuck you.” August didn't move from the doorway. He clenched his fist and wished he hadn't let Remy into his house. Not if this was how he was going to act. “Not unless you want me to ask about Nate.”
Remy flinched. August let the action slide down his throat in satisfaction until it landed with heavy leaded guilt at the bottom of his stomach.
“At least like, I'm coping,” Remy said softly; dangerously. “I'm doing better than like, both you and Roman.”
August froze at the name.
“Roman? Is he-”
Remy waved his hand through the air again and took a long sip of his tea. His eyes roved around August's house. The dirty dishes had been cleaned up (by Logan), the dust and debris from the attack had been piled and bagged into a corner (by Logan), and the house had been scrubbed down (also by Logan). August shifted his weight on from the heels of his feet to the balls and back again. Waiting.
“He’s like, not the best,” Remy finally said, setting his drink down on the table in front of him, the cape around his shoulders rustling. “Rushing off looking for like, a wild goose chase? Maybe? I dunno. He's got, like, that hope of his again.” Remy looked at August over the top of his sunglasses. “Logan like, thinks it's not gonna happen anytime soon. So like, we could say he's like, sorta coping.”
“Great,” August said. “So why are you here and not with him?”
For a moment, Remy just looked tired, and August finally took a step forward. He sank down on the couch next to Remy and sighed. August slouched down, and Remy leaned against his side. It felt wrong, to have someone other than Toby lean against him. It felt so right to finally have someone do it.
“You're my fucking friend.” Remy paused. “Bitch. Where else would I be?”
August shuddered against him.
“‘m sorry,” he whispered, pressing his face into Remy's hair. “About Nate.”
“Yeah, well.” Remy fell silent. They didn't speak for the longest time, but then again, August wasn't sure if they needed to. There were holes that would never be filled, silences that would never end, and pain that couldn't be changed. At least they still had each other. August lifted his arm and wrapped it around Remy's shoulders. Remy wormed an arm behind him and tightened his grip around August's waist.
August blinked as Remy finally broke through the silence of their steady breathing.
“So like, Hecate has like, jobs for you to do now,” Remy said, reaching for his drink. “If you like, want them.”
August looked around his empty house. At the pictures on the wall and at the window. The Capital sat still and quiet. Toby would have wanted to be out there. August took a deep breath
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Yeah, where do I start?”
August’s grip on the hilt of his sword tightened as the sun finally disappeared beyond the horizon. A few of the trees around them creaked as the shadows lengthened enough that they all blended together. In the distance, because Roman was that sort of drama queen, a wolf howled.
“Are you sure about this?” August asked. Toby laughed and shoved another tree branch out of the way. August’s hand snapped out to stop it before it flew back into his face. Bastard.
“Yeah!” Toby bounced on the balls of his feet. “Nate said that he’d meet us there and that like, it was the best place to see the meteor shower.”
“If there’s even one in the first place,” August grumbled.
“Well,” Seth said mildly, “If Nate’s there, probably. After all, he probably asked Remy which means-”
“Remy would do anything to make that happen for him.” Seth and August chimed together. Toby rolled his eyes.
“Guys, dudes, men, bros, brothers-"
“Shut the fuck up already,” August shoved him forward a little more, and Toby’s pout turned into a grin. He waved a finger in August’s face.
“You can’t make fun of him for it,” Toby told him, “If only because then he’ll get sad and we won’t get to see the meteor shower and Seth made all those like, great snacks for us to eat while we’re here.”
“Oh yeah because-” August cut off as they stepped out of the tree line. The sky spiraled into stars above them, the clearest that August had ever seen. Impressive considering where they lived after all. Nate waved at them, and August waved back on autopilot. Toby laughed at him. Bastard.
“Come on,” Toby tugged at his arm, “It’s only getting started.”
August tugged lightly at his horse's reins and stared out at the village below him. It didn't look too different from here. He only had brief memories of Anton's village though. From adventures with Toby, Seth, and Roman. The lights from the houses still looked the same and from this distance, it didn't look like any of it had taken the same sort of damage the Capital had. August had heard the School had some high casualties as well, even if it hadn't been torn down. He shifted in his saddle and patted the neck of his horse.
He took a breath to steel himself and nudged him forward. Hecate wanted him to check in on some new Constructs, help them get settled in and make sure they were alright, the usual. Since Roman was caught up in something with Tony, and Hecate and Remy had to get things reconstructed, that left August. Normally it would have been Anton, or Nate, or even Seth-
August shook his head. He could do this. Seth used to greet new Construct; he wouldn't shy away from that. His hands gripped his reins even tighter, until the tips of his fingers started to tingle and lose feeling. It couldn't be that hard.
A few of the older Constructs nodded at him as he rode by, and he nodded back. He didn't stop to talk, heading towards the house that Hecate had told him to head to. He slid off his horse and gave him a gentle pat on the flank before tying him up. He adjusted his jacket, and ran a finger through his hair.
He could do this. This was fine. He was fine. If he did this, maybe he could prove that to Logan and Remy.
He took another deep breath and knocked on the door.
All the air in his body rushed out of him as it swung open. Surprised eyes blinked back at him. August's eyes skimmed over the label on the Construct's jacket and spun on his heels. No. Nope. No fucking way. He couldn't-
There was no way he could deal with his right now. August swung himself back onto his horse and urged it into a gallop. Hecate and Remy could both burn in hell for all he cared. He wouldn't.
August rode away as the new September called after him.
Seth's hands wrapped over August's and August bit his lip in order to keep his growl from escaping his chest. He could feel Seth's chuckle against his back as he manipulated August's hands into the right pressure and movement for the pastry dough under their combined palms.
“This isn't like bread,” Seth said, tone even as the example he set. “You don't want to over work it or it'll fall apart once it’s in the oven. It’s delicate.”
“It’s dough,” August said, fighting the urge to simply curl his fingers around it and squeeze. Kneading bread dough was easier than whatever strange ritual this was. “It can’t be delicate. Delicate is for glass or for emotions or-”
“Or dough,” Seth cut in and August debated on the merits of turning around to strangle him instead of the pastry dough. The warmth of Seth’s hands left his own and his heart jumped to his throat. Wait, he wasn’t ready, he needed more direction and-
“You’re getting it,” Seth said, taking a step back to give him more room. August narrowed his eyes at the pastry dough. It didn’t seem any different from the other batches that they had made so far, but then again, he didn’t spend that much time in the kitchen. He preferred the sword practice with Toby. He felt his shoulders creep up towards his ears in frustration.
The budding eruption lost steam as Seth’s hand ran along his shoulders and then down until it settled as a warm support at the small of his back.
“Think of it this way,” Seth said, cheerful enough that August looked away to make sure that he hadn’t been replaced with Toby or something had gone horribly wrong or aliens. You could never count out aliens. “After the dough, we get to walk you through making the filling and then you have to wrap it and then bake it and-”
August felt justified in pulling a piece of the dough in his hands apart from the rest and shoving it into Seth’s face. Fuck him and his fucking baking. The next time they hung out, August was picking the activity. August finally let his growl loose and Seth just laughed at him, the sound echoing through the house and drowning out any real anger that August felt.
August ran a hand over the glass of the picture in his hand. Toby's brilliant grin stared back at him; Seth caught in a moment of open, gut wrenching laughter. August himself stood in between them, one arm wrapped around Toby and the other thrown in the air in victory. He could barely remember what the moment was, only that it had been a good one.
Footsteps slowed in the grass as they approached him. August sighed and set the picture down to look up at the Construct. July blinked at him. And god was that a little strange, having a month Construct that didn't look exactly like him. Like Thomas. To be fair, she looked like Valarie and that wasn’t new. Just different.
“Do you mind?” she asked softly. August simply shifted over slightly so that she had room to lean against the tree with him. The shade of the leaves danced and twisted as a wind blew over them both.
“Sorry,” he said, pulling his legs up to his chest. He almost thought that he could pick out the other months below them. The hill that overlooked the village had a good vantage point after all. He remembered Seth explaining it to him. August felt pretty sure in saying that they had made use of it at least once.
“I'm sorry too,” July said, nudging him gently with her shoulder. Friendly, like Toby. “You gave September a heart attack, I do have to say.” August glanced at her from the corner of his eye to watch her face break out into a grin. “He thought December was trying to pull some prank or something.”
August hummed in the back of his throat. Some part of him felt weird to simply hear the names of the months. Maybe some of them would pick names or end up named, like Toby and Seth. Or maybe they'd be like him.
“I never thought there'd be another August though,” July mused out loud, “That's so cool!” Her arms flew into the air, and August turned to look at her fully as she wobbled in place. “You're like twins or something.”
He rolled his eyes, ignoring the sharp twist of pain in his chest.
“We'd have to look alike to be twins.”
“Nu-uh,” July poked his shoulder. He leaned away from the touch. Her excitement faltered and August felt his face twitch. He didn't like it. Toby had been popular and happy. July felt different but similar in a way. They were both meant to be smiling. He reached out and poked her back in the thigh.
“Oh my god,” she breathed, as her eyes widened. “You're like our cousin or something, aren't you?”
August rolled that thought around in his head. His eyes drifted to the village, and then the mountains beyond it. He had a family already, in a sense. He also had friends. But if there was anything he knew about the Imagination, it was that it was always shifting. Always changing, growing, falling apart and putting itself back together.
“Yeah,” he said finally, and poked her thigh again. She giggled and poked him in the shoulder. “I guess that does make me something like your cousin.”
“Well then Cousin August,” she pulled herself up into sitting straighter, her chest puffing out, “Shall we go introduce you to the rest of the family?”
August's lips twitched into a smile as she held out her hand.
“Sure, why the fuck not?” She helped him up, and he couldn't help but ask, “So who's the coolest?”
“Oh!” She bounced on her heels, “It's December without a doubt! You know he said I was going to be in charge of Christmas once? Coolest. Thing. Ever. You'll love him! Then again I'm not sure our August loves him so maybe you won't? I'm not sure anymore-”
August shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, and took a deep breath. July glanced back at him, and he gave her a lopsided grin.
“Coming,” he said, and took a step forward. He'd get there eventually.
August glowered as Toby glanced at him and howled with laughter again. He waited as Toby had to grab the tree to keep standing and the way that Seth’s grin grew and grew and grew and-
August hoped both of them hurt after this. He had claws now, he could make them hurt. Out of all of them, he expected them to have his back. Remy let out a low whistle and August couldn’t help it. He hissed. The fur all along his back puffed up as his claws dug into the earth, all of which just set Toby off once again.
“You’re, like, the most adorable little, like, bitch that I’ve ever seen,” Remy said.
“A- A- A- A kitten,” Toby tried to say, “It- It- It turned him- him into- into-”
August’s tail swished behind them. He hated all of them. He really truly did.
“Fitting,” Seth said, kneeling down to his level. August hissed at him too. Seth wriggled his fingers. “Come on August, let’s go get you fixed up.”
August huffed but climbed into Seth’s palm. After all, between his brothers’ there wasn’t anything that they couldn’t get done. As embarrassing as this was, August wasn’t worried. He curled into a ball in Seth’s hold and ignored Remy’s mocking coo.
Seth and Toby would make it all better. Eventually.
It wasn't the same. August knew that. It would never be the same again. But he was coping. Moving on. Grieving and maybe one day, he'd even let go. The other month Constructs were trying. They promised to check up on him, and August was going to try to check up on them in turn. He wasn't ready to be a brother again, but maybe he didn't have to be. Family didn't end in siblings after all.
He thought that maybe, finally, things were going to be alright.
Asfghklsaafdasgfdhgj I'm probably a dumbass and missed it in the AO3 notes or something but I just??? HAPPENED to stumble across this blog and your main and??? I just DIED INSIDE FROM HAPPINESS I just wanna say I absolutely LOVE this story I'm not an avid commenter so I tend to read quietly but I want you to know I have only ever downloaded as a PDF three stories on AO3 as my all time favorites and this was one of them I love it thank you for writing it you're an amazing writer okay byeeee
aaaaaa you downloaded it?? kjashdfa I can’t quite wrap my head around that and just what that means aaaaaaaa thank you so so much for this, and for reading this fic ;A;
