#minor fluff

{0.5k words}

You were struggling between sleep deprivation and finding a bottle of hot sauce for Baby. You didn't want to go, you really didn't, but who could refuse Baby's wide eyes and his pout? "Where's the stupid bottle..."

Finally, you grabbed the last bottle from the shelf and paid for it. Mumbling curses under your breath, you boarded the lift to your apartment- the penthouse unit, of course. Unfortunately for the boys, you failed to hear them talking to Gwi-Ma. Unbeknownst to you, it was the whole reason Baby had asked you to visit the supermarket- Gwi-Ma had demanded a meeting to discuss on their process of world conquering.

"Hey, I'm back-" you froze in shock. Crowding around a fire, shadows danced across their faces in the dark room- while the brightness from the flame lit up their fangs. Their demon markings even glowed in the dark, like a freaking light show. "What the hell?" You exclaimed. Jinu was the first to react- trying to stand in front of the purplish fire while it slowly dissipated. Abby whipped around, abs somehow even more defined while Romance flipped on the light switch. Mystery turned towards you slowly, his tusks curled just like his bangs. Baby gave an awkward laugh, eyes still glowing golden.

"Thought you would be held up longer..." He muttered. Jinu's eyes started to lose its gold sheen as he apologised, "Sorry... We didn't mean to scare you.." while Abby nodded, retracting his claws- Oh my gods, they had claws- long and jagged, yet somehow still breathtaking.

"Wait. What are you doing?" You asked while the Saja boys internally cringed, waiting for you to comment on their appearance. But they didn't expect your next words.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh, you're so hottt!!!" You squealer, totally fangirling. They were somehow impossibly ten times hotter with their swirling patterns and eyes that absolutely HYPNOTISED you. In fact, you were so busy drooling and nearly passing out due to the level of 'hotness' that you forgot all about the weird bonfire they surrounded earlier.

They were so confused. Like, confused didn't even cut it. The last humans they accidentally revealed their forms to bolted away, screaming their heads off. And here you were, eyes glued to their bodies and faces, ogling shamelessly.

"Don't change back." You coaxed. They slowly reverted back into their demon forms. You practically glided towards Romance before touching his face gently, fingers brushing over his fangs. Then you looked to the rest. "You're all beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful." You breathed, hot sauce long forgotten and discarded on the floor. Baby hesitantly approached you, before pouncing on you and hugging you so tight you couldn't breathe.

The others visibly relaxed, their previously tense shoulders lowering as they silently repeated your words in your head. "You don't think we look.. scary? Or ugly?" Mystery whispered. You gave him a warm smile and a brush of lips across his cheek in response, catching the purr that sounded from his throat.

Anyways, you all found yourselves on the sofa, watching your favourite Disney movies together. You alternated between admiring them, still in their demon forms, and singing off-tune with the songs in Rapunzel. Baby was chugging his hot sauce while draped across your lap, Mystery resting his head on your shoulder, Romance and Abby sharing popcorn while Jinu silently watched. (you, not the movie)

A/N: Oh my gods, this took me so long and I'm so sorry if it sucksss <:

Living in a neglected castle, a handful of leagues from the village, placed perilously on the edge of a cliff, with the roaring and roiling waves of an ocean below, crashing against the rock face and eroding it away, was who the village called, the Bane. He had been the fourth of five children, all brothers, who had all lived happily and harmoniously with their loving and pampering parents. The family was the most prosperous family within nearly sixty leagues of the village, which, at the time, was just as prosperous and bustling, riding the wave of their success.

But, then, disaster struck.

A horrible illness washed over the county, striking the inhabitants of Mintwillow the hardest. The Bane's family, despite their wealth and good standing, also became victims of the disease. Every last one of them became sick with it; bedridden and raving, bodies throbbing, as if all of their bones were shattering, and sweating so profusely from their fevers, that their mattresses were soaked through, and took turns in getting sick. Their servants, also sick themselves, did their best to care for their beloved masters, but it was all for not. First, the mistress of the castle died of the illness, followed by the youngest son and the third oldest. The father and oldest went two days later, but the second oldest and second youngest held out for a fortnight. On the night of the fourteenth day, even after a glitter of hope of becoming well again, the second oldest perished, leaving only the second youngest alive.

Who still fought for his life against the illness.

He had languished between getting better for a day or two, before becoming quite worse and being only moments, if not seconds, from death. But, finally, after nearly another fortnight, the second youngest son roused, his fever breaking and his life safe from the dark tentacles of death that had taken all of his family, all that mattered and he held so dearly to his heart.

It had taken time, and a good many lives, before the plague that washed over Mintwillow to pass away, leaving an ugly scar in the lives and minds of the inhabitants. While a mass grave had to be excavated for the townspeople, the bodies of the dead family were given single graves in their ancestral graveyard, just down the hill from the castle. It was the day of their funeral, even though they had already been in their graves for a month or more, that the second youngest son, now the heir and executor of the family empire, realized the amount of power he suddenly wielded; the mass fortunes of gold he had at his disposal, for every want, whim and fancy he could ever dream of, with no one to tell him no, or hold him in check with the spending.

That was when the Bane came to be.

He threw huge balls for the top families in the land, inviting the prettiest women his staff could find and lived in the county. He spent thousands of pounds on furnishings, decorations and things he had no need for; some he didn't even know how to work and use, but bought, simply because he could. But, within two years of his new found power, the money was starting to dwindle. He was spending more than the family business could support.

So, he taxed the small town of Mintwillow.

Raising the taxes on the goods he supplied them, supplies and goods they needed to live and support themselves, since the next option to do so, was over a hundred leagues away. He taxed them for everything he could, and even thought up new things he could tax them on, because he knew without him, they would all likely starve.

After awhile, spending mountains of gold, throwing lavish parties and having an endless line of women, didn't fill the hole that had been left at the loss of his parents and brothers. Nonetheless, he kept spending the gold and dancing at his parties and bedding every woman he could. It had become a habit now, instead of a pleasure. However, in the third year after the illness, and quite suddenly, he no longer threw lavish parties that lasted for days, he no longer spent vast amounts of gold or entertained a woman. Some in the village speculated that he had packed up and moved out of the county, having slighted some young lady's honor and ran before her father could force him into marrying her. Some said, someone he had overtaxed had become so enraged by it, they murdered him and his body was decaying somewhere in the castle.

But, the impossibly high taxes kept being enforced and collected.

What he had done, was reduced the staff to a single butler, closed up all of the rooms, but his own bedroom, a study and the kitchen; leaving the rest to grow thick layers of dust, cobwebs, moth holes and to fall into disrepair and neglect; leaving the ghosts of his former life to inhabit them.

Shutting the world away and darkening the once bright and full of life castle.

Why would he suddenly close out the world like that? The answer isn't as simple as one might think.

During one of the biggest balls he had ever thrown, the girls were flocking him, as usual, when an exceptionally gorgeous woman approached him, she was so radiant in her gown and her self assurance, that he couldn't help be attracted to her, drawn to her glow, like a moth to the naked flame of a candle. Pushing away all other women, he approached her, turning his handsome charm onto her. She was just as drawn to him as he was to her. They danced and floated around each other, none other existed to them, not the nearly two hundred guests or the jealous women; just him and her.

Before long, the pair were in the privacy of one of the castle's many rooms, sitting close together on a divan, smiling faces so near to each other, they shared the same breath. They shared jokes and quips, flirtations and jests. But, suddenly, her behavior changed and her bright eyes dimmed, like a dangerous storm cloud.

“You like all your fancy things, don't you?” She hissed at him. “Having every woman fling herself upon your feet, like a simpering puppy.”

He blinked at her, taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor. “What are you talking about?” He demanded, pulling away from her; shock and brewing rage in his blue eyes and handsome face.

“Taxing the lands and lives of all the poor souls in this land, while you sit fit and happy upon your mountains of gold and privilege.” Her own rage grew, out matching his own. “Yet, you are as miserable, if not more so, than they are. But, you still tax them, sucking them dry, until they are so far in debt to you, they fling themselves from the cliffs, to end their suffering.”

“Suffering you cause for nothing.”

“I won't be spoken to like this.” He said in a low growl, his upper lip twitching with a snarl. “Get out and never show your face here again! Or I'll show you what true misery is!” He raved, jumping to his feet and pointing a stiff finger to the door.

She stood with him, quite gracefully for a soul so consumed with rage and distaste. “No, you will know what misery really is!” She barked, before roughly kissing him, her long nails digging into the soft flesh of his neck, leaving thin trails of blood in their stead.

“That will be the last kindness you will have for some time.” She hissed, then swept out of the room.

The room was dark and stifling hot, you could feel beads of sweat rolling down your back, as you leaned over the mortar you were currently grinding up a combination of white willow bark, yarrow and marshmallow root in. Another painful sounding and wet cough filled the single room hut your patient lived in with her husband and six children, all under the age of nine. Getting the herbs fine enough, you turned to the roaring fireplace that dominated a large section of the north wall of the hut. You had told her husband not to put so many logs on the fire, she was already badly hydrated, and the overwhelming heat of the fire, combined with her high fever, were causing her to sweat profusely, making her even more dehydrated.

But, being a man and feeling he knew better than you, he kept feeding more and more logs into the licking flames.

You suppressed an eye roll as he tossed another sizable log into the fire, sending up a shower of sparks into the chimney flue. Using the skirt of your dress, you grabbed a hold of the handle to the roiling kettle and pulled it off the hook that held it over the flames. Taking it back to the makeshift kitchen table, you dumped the ground herbs into the battered and chipped teapot, then poured in the steaming hot water, leaving it to brew the herbal tea that would reduce her fever and help quiet down her cough.

“Have her drink the whole pot.” You told him, holding the teapot, and still using your dress as a barrier, while you gently swirl the liquid inside, the heat radiating through the porcelain felt pleasant. “Even if she doesn't want to. But, don't make her drink it too fast either. Maybe a cup every half hour.” You explained to him, setting it back down on its stone coaster.

“If she gets any worse, come and get me.” You added, gathering your little bag full of herbs and other odds and ends you used as a healer for Mintwillow.

“Thank you.” The husband said gruffly, standing stiffly by his wife's side.

“Of course.” You nodded to him, then gave the youngest child, only fourteen months old, and sitting on the hearth rug, gumming on a biscuit, a smile; recalling you helping birth the babe into the world, before going out into the cold and salty air.

It was so much nicer out there, the winds pushing in pungent ocean air, salty and fresh, with a tang of fish and kelp. It was cool and refreshing, an excellent cure all to the stuffy and hot atmosphere of the hut you just left. You were nearly home, when a familiar silhouette appeared in the early evening mist, bringing a happy smile to your face.

“Hello, papa.” You greeted him as he fully appeared.

“Hello, child.” He smiled back at you, his tired and wrinkled face brightening at the sight of you. “How is she?” He asked, eyes flickering to the hut several yards behind you.

“She should be just fine.” You assured him, confidently. “Just a strong cold. Nothing I can't fight.” You chuckled, but you could see the undeniable fear and anxiety in his deep set brown eyes.

Your father, honestly, loathed that you were a healer, but he honored your choice, like he had always done your entire life. If you set your mind to something and he knew you couldn't be swayed on the subject, he would respectfully disagree, but would support you, through and through. You were his daughter, his first born, his only born, and he would move heaven and earth for your happiness. But, his fear and anxiety over your chosen profession came with good merit and reason. Nearly five years before, a great illness had swept over the village, taking so many lives. But, there was one person there, doing her utmost best to try, and at least, slow its progression.

Your mother.

She had been Mintwillow's healer longer than you had been born, before she and your father had even married. Nothing would stop her from healing her fellow villagers, not even that horrid plague. She had worked tirelessly to try and stop it, though, more often than not, she would lose to it. Your mother didn't let that stop her though, she kept trying and trying, mixing every type of herb she had and could get her hands on, looking for a cure. Your father would have to bodily drag her away from her herbalist table, just so she would take a moment to eat or drink something, to sleep, even if it was just for a moment's nap.

Then, she was right back at it.

In the end though, four dozen Mintwillow villagers died, your dearest mother, being one of them. She had caught it, after being in contact with so many of the infected, and died almost a week later; leaving only you and your father. You had gotten the illness, there was barely a single handful of people who didn't get it, but had survived, with very little after effects. Your father on the other hand, had survived, only to be severely affected by it, he couldn't work the endless hours he once had as the village's blacksmith, finding wielding the heavy tools of his craft almost too much to manage for more than an hour or two.

Which affected the household income, making so many things you both needed scarce, like food and clothing. So, taking what you had learned from your mother, you stepped into her shoes as the village healer, hoping that the occasional gold piece would help ease the burden on your father. It still wasn't enough though, and that became abundantly clear, when stiff and high taxes were pressed on the village and its workers, your father being one of them, needing the supplies for his blacksmithing, causing him to be heavily in debt.

Of all the bones in your body, there was only one of them that was mean, and it loathed the life crippling taxes that squeezed and bled every person in the village, man, woman, child and even infants. You glanced across the foggy village, to the shadowy smudge, almost hidden by the charcoal clouds, that were like puffs of wool, against stark purple sky; the castle. You hated that filthy structure that loomed over the village, like an awful eye, bringing nothing be hardship and doom. You hated the creature that lived inside of it, reaping all the benefit of your father's hard-work, while you both struggled to put half a loaf of bread on the table for one of the two meals you could afford a day; if you were lucky.

Shaking the malice away from your thoughts, you followed your father back to your home. It was a little more than the rest of the homes in Mintwillow, it was a story and a half, the kitchen and living area was all one room, there was a water closet and a back room, that was your father's room. The half story was a loft, that was your own room. You loved your room, going up the half spiral staircase to it, it was closed off, so you had the utmost level of privacy. Half of your room, hanging above a writing desk, was an array of herbs that you used for your healing.

“Come on then, climb up, pequeños.” he replied, patting his legs and Daniel and Ellie, both now six and getting slightly too big to be clambering onto his lap, did so at his request.

“Well, I was working in Brooklyn, and I moved to the office in Manhattan.” started their doting grandfather.

“And that’s where you met her.” interrupted Daniel.

“Be quiet, Daniel! Abuelito is telling the story.” replied Ellie sternly.

“Ellie, be nice to your brother otherwise I won’t tell it at all.” both children quiet and staring at him, he spoke again, “but yes, it’s how we met, I had just finished in court and the Captain in charge, introduced her and Aunty Manda to me.”

“Tell us! Tell us what you said!” exclaimed Ellie, tugging her grandfather’s sweater in her enthusiasm.

Rafael threw Noah a smile over the children’s heads. He had heard this story a hundred times, and truthfully, he would happily hear it a hundred times more to hear about his mother and father and their twisting tale to their happy ever after.

“I said, ‘Captain, bring your daughters to work day?’”

Both children burst out laughing, and so did Noah, rubbing a hand over his stubble and then his mouth, trying to hide his amusement at his father’s youthful swagger and his children’s reaction to their silly grandfather.

“That’s so silly, Abuelito, why did you say that?” asked Ellie, her bright blue eyes, the image of her father’s staring up at him.

“I was trying to be charming, you cheeky monkey.” replied Rafael, squeezing her waist as she giggled.

“Did you love her as soon as you saw her?” asked Daniel quietly, he had a quiet observant nature that Rafael loved, watching his mind work things over was magical.

“I think I probably did.” sighed Rafael.

“What was she like?” he asked, in the same quiet tone.

“Oh, she was beautiful. She had the most gorgeous smile, and her eyes, her eyes were always my favourite thing about her.” smiled Rafael, closing his eyes, and squeezing them tight.

“How did you make her fall in love with you?” asked Ellie curiously.

“I don’t really know, it’s hard to explain.”

“Love isn’t hard, love is love.” spoke up Daniel.

“You’re quite right, Danny. But I still don’t know how it really happened. But I know I fell in love with your Abuelita because she was the best person I had ever known; she was my best friend. She was fearless, and had a heart of gold, and…and a beautiful soul.”

He paused and stared up at the ceiling, frowning and trying to figure out how on earth he could verbalise what it was he felt for Olivia.

“And I think she loved me because I believed in her. I would have followed her to the ends of the earth. And even on our worst days we would talk, and everything felt right. And when we got married, I told her how special she was, and I did everything I could to show her how much I loved her. And obviously, I am very charming.” winked their grandfather.

“Tell us how you told her you loved her.” chimed in Ellie.

“Well, we were friends for years and I left my work for a while. I did something that upset a lot of people, including your Abuelita. So, I said goodbye and we were both very sad, but we kept in touch because we were still best friends. I would send postcards and skype her and your dad. Then when I came back to New York I told her how I wish things had been different, and I said sorry, lots and lots of times. I told her how much I loved her, and I told her that I would never love anyone the way I did her. And she told me I was stupid,” he and Noah both laughed at that, “and that she had loved me for a long time, and she was just happy I had finally come home.”

“Wow.” whispered Ellie, “it’s like a fairy tale.”

“Tell them what else she did, Dad.” laughed Noah from the couch and Rafael frowned and sighed heavily, before grinning as he spoke.

“She told me if I ever ran away from New York again she would kick my ass, then she smacked me across the head and kissed me.”

Everyone burst out laughing and Rafael cuddled the children close, breathing them in and savouring them being small enough to hold like this.

“I wish she was here.” whispered Ellie.

“Oh, honey, me too. But you know she’s always watching over us. You know she loved you both so much, just like I do. And you know what, I did lots of things in my life I was proud of. But the thing I am most proud of was her and loving her as much as I could till the day she left us.” murmured Rafael, resting his cheek on her hair and looking over at Noah who held his hand up and pressed his palm to his heart.

Rafael nodded and smiled.

“We love you too, Abuelito.” whispered Daniel, kissing his grandfather’s cheek before rubbing his nose where the older man’s beard had tickled.

“Now, pyjamas, teeth, go on.” said Rafael, tapping them both on the back and sending them off to their rooms.

***

“Papi, are you alright?” asked Noah quietly.

“Mm-hmm.” nodded Rafael, his gaze straight ahead.

“I’ll ask them not to ask for that story again.” muttered Noah quietly as he came to stand next to his father, looking out of the kitchen window and onto the yard.

“No, no. Please don’t do that, Noah. It’s alright.” he replied, shaking his head.

“I miss her.” murmured Noah.

“God, me too, mijo, every day. I would give anything to see her face just one more time. I can’t believe she’s…missing all of this.” sighed Rafael, his voice cracking as he wiped a tear from his cheek.

“At least she met them before, you know…she always said that was tied in a top three best moments of her life.”

“What were the other two?” his father asked curiously.

“Adopting me, and,” he took a deep breath and gave his father a small smile, “and meeting you.”

“She would be so proud of you, Noah, she was so proud of you. Just like I am. I know biologically…”

“It doesn’t matter.” said Noah firmly, “remember what Mom always said? Family is what you make it. And you are my father as much as I am your son, blood or not.”

“God, you remind me so much of her.” chuckled Rafael through his tears.

“She always said I reminded her of you.” laughed Noah.

Rafael turned to Noah and clasped his shoulders tightly, looking him dead in the eye. “I love you, son.”

“I love you too, Dad.” replied Noah, pulling his father into a hug, and closing his eyes, breathing him in.

He still smelled the same all those years later, his cologne was the same, and if he tried hard enough, he was a kid again, and his mother was there too, her eyes and her smile.

“Let me get the kids to bed and how about we have a glass of scotch, and you can stay here tonight? Your room is made up anyway.” said Noah, pulling back and patting his dad on the shoulder.

“That sounds like just what I need, thank you, mijo.”

***

The picture of Olivia was still on the nightstand, taken on their first wedding anniversary. She had been stood on a balcony at sunset and had looked back at the camera as Rafael had called her name and she had given him that gorgeous smile that was reserved just for him, her eyes sparkling in the glow of the dusk light.

This room had always been their room when they stayed with Noah and the children on weekends, or occasionally babysat so Noah to take his lovely wife, Charlotte, out for the evening. Or nights like this, when Charlotte was working double shifts and Noah was alone with the kids all weekend.

“I miss you, cariño. If you could see Noah, Lottie and the kids now.” he sighed, “I would never have known the joy of any of that without you, mi amor, to have a family. I love you, always.” he sighed as he closed his eyes.

***

“Dad? Dad, are you awake?” called Noah as he knocked on the door lightly, “I brought you coffee, Cuban blend of course.”

But Noah knew as soon as he walked into the room, that something was wrong. He watched his father for a second, he looked asleep, but Noah knew he wasn’t. He was curled up on his side, one hand resting on the pillow next to him, his beloved wife’s necklace with the word ‘fearless’ still clasped in his hand, and the tiniest smile still on his face.

“Be at peace, Dad.” whispered Noah, the tears stinging his eyes as he kissed his father’s head for one last time and took a deep breath. He pulled the chair by the bed closer, and reached into his pocket for his phone, dialling the first number on the list.

“Uncle Fin?”

“Hey, kid, everything alright?” came the familiar deep tone of his mother’s oldest friend through the phone.

“I-I have some bad news, he, uh, he’s...” stuttered Noah as he rested his head on the bed and sobbed into the bedspread, the phone abandoned next to him. His hands clutched his fathers for one last time, and he could only hope that at least now his parents could be together again.

***