#Even if his brother seemed to move more on instinct with the curiosity of a ten year old despite technically being the same age as him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

orbital-inclination · 1 year

Note

I requested more of the scenario Molt meeting og nightmare

I'm sorry for the wait anon! For a change of pace, you get a one-shot this time! word count: 3411 general content warning for canon typical violence and angst.

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Something grainy, like gravel and sand, crunched under the soles of his boots as he shuffled back a step. One looping tendril made contact with a roughly cut boulder behind him. The height of the stone reached his hip. Clumsily, he ran his phalanges along its surface. He stepped around it and stopped once he stood on the south side, uncertain of how to proceed from there.

It was rare that he found himself in a space so wide open without someone nearby. He’d like to think he was better at navigating now than he had been when he was younger. Yet, regardless of how much time passed, he could never seem to quite outgrow the sudden spike of anxiety he felt whenever he entered a space that seemed... empty.

He didn’t know what he was walking towards or away from. He could be approaching a canyon for all he knew.

A steady, lonely wind howled above him. It caught the tail of his tunic and the fabric slapped against his side. Something rustled in the distance.

The wind turned cold.

Ley lines of magic, negative and positive, wrapped around this world in a vast net of ever-shifting ripe tides. Instinct had directed him to follow the nearest positive swell but now he felt it move again. Bending as though to make way. Just as suddenly as the air had turned cold, a well opened up, and negativity cascaded down the pit and condensed into a single point of black frost.

A shiver ran down his spine. “Nightmare…?”

Something about Rem’s magic didn’t feel right—

“How unlike you to make the first move. Was it not enough for you to…” his brother’s voice trailed off. “You are not my brother.”

No... no he was not. Rem’s magic felt cold, but not this cold. Though, the undercurrent of bitterness was painfully familiar.

“… the sentiment is mutual,” Molt murmured. He steadied himself on the boulder behind him. Silently, he tried to gauge the other’s intent.

An air of suspicion and curiosity rolled underneath the cold. He had the sense he was also being appraised.

“And yet, you are Dream.”

He did not sound—did not feel happy about that.

“If it were not impossible, I would wager you were from a divergent timeline.”

“Our world had only one timeline,” Molt confirmed cautiously. His voice remained low. “… it’s tied to the multiverse itself. No resets. Just the one.”

“Ah, so you are informed,” his brother's voice mocked. “Your presence here suggests a paradox, then. For all my searching, I have never met another iteration of us who could breach the confines of their AU on their own. It seemed there was some law restricting the role of Guardian to Two.”

He nodded because that more or less described the situation back home. With a renewed sense of scrutiny, Nightmare said, “Can I assume then, that instead of your brother, you were the one who bit the apple?”

And Molt stalled. The question was so direct. It felt a bit like a verbal slap to the face.

Nightmare hummed. “I see. That expression you’re making... It makes sense for my alternative self to have other motives if you are like this yourself.” He heard the grin in his tone, even if he could not see it. “Tell me, Dream. What do you say to adding to that collection of yours?” He— he couldn’t be serious.

“In this multiverse, you have the opportunity to increase your power. If you collect the last apple from my brother, perhaps we can reach an agreement.”

His mouth felt suddenly dry. He had to consciously still his tentacles to keep them from lashing defensively.

“You… you want me to kill my counterpart.”

He struggled to wrap his mind around that. Less so the threat itself and more so that it was Nightmare who was asking him to do it. He felt sick.

His brother’s alternate rumbled a low laugh. “It would not be difficult for you. You dwarf him in raw power. I’m confident you could easily subdue him... Ah, but I see I cannot convince you. The thought distresses you. A pity.”

Gravel and sand crunched underfoot. The sound came quietly. “ … hmm just as I thought, you are blind.”

“...what are you doing?”

Nightmare was amused by the question. Dread washed over him. Nightmare had been speaking to him civilly until that point, and while this mirror of his brother gave off an ambient feeling of danger, he had not taken the feeling as seriously as he should have.

“I am considering what to do with you. Since it seems you are reluctant to cooperate. But you would be of a dull mind not to suspect that already. If you are anything like the thorn I have in my side now, I’m sure you will quickly surmise why I simply cannot let your existence go unchecked.”

Molt slowly shuffled a step back.

“… where do you think you will escape to? Are you even aware of what is behind you?”

Molt froze.

He sensed no one behind him but— the subtle rustle of fabric. A step was taken closer and it dawned on him that Nightmare had been trying to distract him.

Molt’s hearing was keen. It had to be. He learned to rely on it when sensing nearby emotions, and the flow of positive and negative wasn’t enough. But his haptic memory was better, and with one tentacle brushing against the boulder behind him, he knew which side he stood on and which direction he originally came from.

He darted around the boulder, squarely placing it between himself and Nightmare. His brother’s alternate self stood still, contemplative and mildly surprised.

“Hm. You cannot see, and yet you are able to pinpoint my position. Interesting.”

Molt didn’t feel like providing a reply.

Nightmare didn’t move for a width of time that felt like years. And then, he vanished. The cold sucked out of the air in a blip of distorted space-time.

Alarm seized him. Given no time to think, he picked direction and distance at random and took a shortcut through. As he felt his bones materialize in reality again, a dense frame of cold magic solidified where he had stood seconds prior.

Displeasure radiated off of Nightmare in waves. “Come now. Don’t run. It’s unbecoming. We can discuss the terms of your departure from this world with maturity.”

Molt shivered. “Don’t. I would return to my reality if I knew how.”

“Then allow me to assist you,” Nightmare said, and the malice in his words sent needles crawling up his spine. He vanished again in a wash of cold. Molt leaped back, grasping at the nearest tide of positivity to carry him away.

He found his feet again on the sand. The sudden incline made him stumble. The seconds it took to catch his balance nearly cost him. A frustrated growl and the sensation of ice to his right was the only warning he had before a sharp object whistled past his skull. He teleported again and Nightmare followed.

“Enough! Cease this childishness.” The burning cold struck his side. Molt tumbled to the ground. He rolled, gasping in pain, and launched himself to the side. “Stop! I don’t want to fight you.” A loud crack sounded where he’d just been. Gravel pelted his arm.

“Then what happens next is your own fault,” His brother’s voice snarled.

He took another shortcut. Aiming north of the dense vortex of cold desperately trying to put some distance between himself and his brother’s counterpart. He needed that distance to escape this AU. If he attempted the jump too close to Nightmare he might unintentionally drag him along, or Nightmare would be able to sense where he went and this fight would never end. The temperature plummeted. In a split second, a cold tendril snapped around his middle. And then he was flung. His body hit the ground once, twice, and his skull was knocked against something hard.

A hiss shuddered through his ribcage. Molt clenched his teeth as the world spun, attempting to swallow back the sound.

“You brought this on yourself, Dream.”

Gravel and sand crunched at a steady pace. Malice approached slowly.

He struggled to push himself upright. The ground beneath him swayed dangerously. His tendrils lashed, writhing in defense of their host. But the ground beneath him lurched, his arms buckled, and the ground swung up to meet the side of his skull again.

His soul pulsed so fast and hard in his chest, he thought he was going to be sick.

“Poetic, isn’t it? I wonder... did the same desperation drive you?”

Cold wrapped around him and slammed his back into a hard, stone wall.

Claws dug into his jaw, roughly pinning his skull to the stone slab behind him. A strained hiss tore from his bared teeth. He found the strength to wrestle one arm free and dug his claws into the wrist pinning his head down. Nightmare’s strength didn’t waver, but an involuntary noise rattled through him, a jolt that was close enough to a flinch to be nothing else.

Faintly, Molt felt the phantom echo of a hot brand race up Nightmare’s arm, starting from where his claws dug into his wrist.

“W-why are you doing this? I am not from your timeline, so why?”

“The distinction is irrelevant,” the grip on his jaw tightened. “This fate, it’s the least you deserve. For everything you put me through. For every day I was left to defend myself while you selfishly basked in undeserved praise.”

Exhaustion crept into his limbs. He felt weaker and heavier by the second.

“Would you have always resented me?” Molt gasped out. “If things had been different... If our lives had been better—”

Nightmare barked out a bitter laugh. “Even as you are now, you are naive. No. I cannot imagine a world where I did not hate you. For us, no other outcome was possible.” Molt flinched. “... you doubt me? Do you actually believe my alternate self doesn’t resent you?”

The knife in his heart gave a sharp lurch. It would make sense... wouldn’t it. For all he hadn’t done, who wouldn’t resent him?

“N-Night...”

“You neglected your responsibilities, Dream. You were selfish. I’ve always wondered if you had known what I stood to lose that day. If you had known what they had planned to do—” “Nightmare!” Molt snapped. He was terrified, his soul shook, and he was painfully cold. “That was my home too!” Something snapped. He felt the abrupt, quaking shift in Nightmare’s demeanor. Rage colored all rational thought. Molt didn’t know what he intended to do and he didn’t have time to think about it. That rage solidified into a single, sharp tool. Malice soaked the thing so vividly, he could almost see it. A serrated bone dagger.

Molt jerked his head to the side, the claws on his jaw slipped, and something sharp and blisteringly cold scraped the side of his skull.

He might have blacked out for a few seconds. He couldn’t be sure. One moment, his vision was black. Then it was white. He’d yanked a tentacle free in the next. A resounding crack thundered through the stone lab behind him. Nightmare’s grip on his head slipped, caught off guard. Molt kicked his shin, and as Nightmare staggered, snarling, he flash-stepped out of immediate reach.

A safe distance away he sank to the ground.

Head swimming, he lifted a shaky hand to the side of his skull. He felt bone. The dry, clean surface of a malar bone. The muddy, blurred shape of his palm swam in and out of focus.

Nightmare stood very still for a long moment. His emotions felt stunted and Molt could not identify the feeling that had rendered him so still. Moments ago, Nightmare had been content to hurt him in every possible way.

“Get up,” Nightmare said. And he couldn’t identify the emotion behind that command either. It felt like anger but brittle. “I said get up!”

A tremble racked through his body. He felt a forbidden spark of anger ignite in his throat and shakily rose to his feet.

As he slowly lifted his gaze, palm still pressed to the side of his skull, he saw black tar and went still.

It was one thing to guess the shape of the magic that had tossed him around the field like a rag doll, but it was another thing entirely, to see it.

The ground felt like it was tilting. Nightmare was taking too long to respond. And though he hid it well, he was clearly in pain. Head swimming. Pounding. Red-hot needles. Nausea pricked through his brother’s bones.

Nightmare took one step closer. Molt flinched back, and a bitter smile crawled over his brother’s teeth—

“NOT SO FAST!”

A sharp ping. His vision was eclipsed in hazy blue. Before Molt could blink, he found himself yanked to the side, several feet away.

He was released, gently at that, and stumbled once as gravity resumed its normal weight. The world erupted in a cacophony of noise. With color and light sloshing together, it was difficult to make out shape and form, but the stirring magic immediately in front of him was familiar.

“Blue?” Molt whispered, but like Nightmare his magic felt just slightly off. The hope in his soul withered. He was surrounded by strangers.

“MWEH HEH HEH FEAR NOT STRANGE INTERDIMENSIONAL CITIZEN! WE ARE HERE TO SAVE THE DAY. NIGHTMARE! YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS!”

Whatever his brother’s mirror said in reply it was drowned out by noise.

“Wait.”

But his voice was too low. Too quiet. And his plea went ignored.

Too much happened at once after that. The Swap Sans launched himself into the fight. Light. Movement. A flash of white. Bones summoned then shattered by the furious sweep of a black arm. Nightmare’s strength was weakening. The balance had tipped. And battling three by himself? Nightmare couldn’t keep this up for much longer.

Most of the fight happened too fast for his barely stable eyelight to track.

So he did what he always did when the world around him became too chaotic to follow. He reached for the cold pitch of his brother’s magic.

He followed the current of cold as it funneled into a singular point. Pushed back, and back again by a burning white star. Hope. Concentration. Concern for the other, yet the courage to see his actions through to the end. The familiarity of the magic here was disconcerting. But his head already ached something awful and he didn't think his nausea could get much worse. The phantom lashes he’d endured at Nightmare’s hand still burned. But... Nightmare. He felt his twin’s exhaustion, felt the unsteady slip to his heel, and his alternate was closing in now and—

The shortcut was rough. Poorly executed. And finding his balance on the balls of his feet was not fun. He raised his arm defensively, anticipating the attack seconds before, and found his hand closing around the pole of a golden staff. It smacked into his palm with a solid clank. It hurt only a little bit. His own magic absorbed the brunt of the blow to feed itself. To lessen some of his own pain. And staring into the wide eyes of his own face was...

Dizzying.

Everything was dizzying.

That startled look melted into one of fear, and it didn’t make sense. His own rib cage hitched, sharing that fear second hand and then it dawned on him how this might look. Oh. He thought. …oh.

He released his counterpart's weapon and yanked his hand back. The other skeleton flash stepped out of reach, his soul pulsing with the rhythm of a terrified rabbit.

Within the pool of frigid cold at his back, he felt a spark of something that felt suspiciously like gratitude. Nightmare struggled to stand for a moment, winded, then laughed. The sound was not pleasant. “Recklessness must be a universal trait.”

“That’s enough,” Molt rasped. “Please. Just stop…”

“You should have taken my offer when you had the chance,” Nightmare sneered, words bitting. But more than anything, they felt defensive. The darkness pinched into a small, black star, and then he was gone.

“I SEE. WAS I MISTAKEN THEN? ARE YOU AND NIGHTMARE ALLIES?” Blue had taken a defensive stance beside his teammate. His weapon was drawn, but he didn’t move yet. His soul hummed with grim focus. The suspicion hurt.

Molt struggled to speak for several precious seconds. Unsettled. He was reeling from the fight, from everything he had learned about this reality and the cruelty of his brother's words and actions and he was trying ever so hard not to let a tremble snake its way into his voice. It was very hard... to hear someone say those awful things in Rem’s voice.

He shook his head and said softly. “We aren’t.”

Blue’s brow furrowed. “THEN, WHY DID YOU DEFEND HIM?

The words ‘because he is my brother?’ were on the edge of his teeth but the hostile edge to Blue’s magic and tone made him pause. It was less a question and more of an accusation. And that answer wouldn’t have been exactly true besides.

The tendril on his back coiled defensively.

He hadn’t stopped to think before he leapt in front of Nightmare. It hadn’t been a “should I or shouldn’t I” situation in his mind. In that moment he was unable to look past the pain and hurt his brother’s mirror was experiencing. In that moment, the distinction didn’t matter. He had to put a stop to it, that’s all. He couldn’t fight his brother. In any form he took. He just couldn’t do it. It reminded him of too much. And he couldn’t stand to watch that either.

But how could he possibly explain that?

A step behind his teammate, Dream was trying to calm down. Blue’s presence helped but he was struggling. Molt took a step back. He was causing someone pain and distress. He didn’t want that. Blue’s stance shifted. Bracing.

That felt like betrayal too. Molt swallowed something bitter behind his teeth and tried not to think of it that way. Ignored that small part of him that hissed and felt a little bit angry. It didn’t make sense. He knew the person in front of him wasn’t his friend.

“FRIEND, I WANT TO GIVE YOU THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT BUT... YOU ARE ACTING SUSPICIOUSLY.”

“I’ll leave,” Molt said. His head was pounding, and the last thing he wanted was to be dragged into another fight. “Wait...” Dream took a breath. “You’re hurt. Stay for a minute, let’s talk.” “DREAM IS RIGHT, POTENTIAL ENEMY OR NOT, IT WOULDN’T BE RIGHT TO LEAVE YOU THIS WAY. NOT TO FEAR HOWEVER, I AM ALWAYS PREPARED!” “It’s okay. I don’t need candy,” Molt said and felt vaguely like he was reading the lines of a script. If Rem or any of the others were here, they’d be calling his bluff. “Then, what do you need?”

“Somewhere calm, with hope. That’s all.”

The two exchanged a look. Surprise, suspicion, resignation, dread. “I SEE. SO YOU ARE LIKE DREAM THEN. BUT SURELY THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. I... I CANNOT SEEM TO CHECK YOU FOR SOME REASON, BUT YOU DO NOT LOOK WELL.”

Blue seemed to ask to Dream something silently. Concern. Suspicion. Acceptance. Dream sighed. “I know somewhere. It’ll be okay. We’ll be keeping an eye on him together, right? The place I’m thinking of is isolated so...”

“IT’S SETTLED THEN.” he finally dismissed his weapon, and Molt felt the tendrils on his back slowly lower. “SO THEN, NEW FRIEND, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO A TRUCE? WILL YOU COME WITH US?”

He gauged their intent for a moment. Rem had sometimes remarked that his empathy made him gullible. But Molt was tired, and sore, and aching. The others weren’t here. And he let them make decisions for him too much anyway. He hated to admit it but Nightmare was right. Dream wasn’t a physical threat to him. He was scared and trying so hard to be brave, and Molt was trying equally hard not to feel rattled.

“Okay,” he said.

Blue made a noise, something between acknowledgment and mild confusion. Dream offered a strained smile. He supposed they had a lot of questions.

#orbital chatter #moltendreams!au #molten!dream #nightmare!sans #nightmare sans #OG Nightmare meeting Molten!Dream situation but its longer #it doesnt go well #ink arriving late w/ starbucks: so what did i miss?#everyone is gone #ink: wow so alot #one shot

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whitedarkmoonflower · 11 months

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Saved Part 2

Part 2 – Sihtric x reader

Authors note: while rewatching the Season 2 of TLK and going wild with exploring my newly acquired skill of taking and editing screenshots I became obsessed with the idea of writing my own version of how Sihtric met Uhtred. The story seems somehow complete, but from the other side there is still something missing. I am thinking about an epilogue…

I hope you will like it.

Summary: reader is Uhtred’s sister and a skilled healer. She travels with her brother’s men and after the unsuccessful attempt on Uhtred’s life gets curious about the young prisoner, the sole Dane from the group of assailants that is left alive.

Word Count: 2,615

Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3

Sihtric raised his head, his eyes filled with surprise as he looked at you.

"Okay, I know it was somewhat strange question," you chuckled, a sense of curiosity driving you forward, "but what would you be willing to do to earn mercy from my brother?"

Without a moment of hesitation, Sihtric's response was firm and resolute, devoid of any doubt. "Everything, lady," he replied, sincerity and commitment lacing his voice, "I would offer Lord Uhtred my life and my sword until death and beyond, if only he would accept. It would be an honour to serve him and to die for him."

You continued to question him, your eyes searching for the truth. "And what about your current lord, Kjartan? Will you break your oath to him?"

"Kjartan is not my lord. I am his bastard son, and my mother was a slave at Dunholm. I have never sworn an oath to Kjartan; he never deemed it necessary. I was merely his property, nothing more than a dog to be whipped into obedience," Sihtric's voice trembled with a mix of shame and vulnerability, as if he feared that revealing this truth would repel you. "I will understand if you now consider me unworthy to serve your brother." As he spoke, his handsome face underwent a transformation, his jaw tightened, and a look of disgust etched upon his features when he mentioned Kjartan being his father. Once again, he averted his gaze, lowering his eyes in submission.

Unable to ignore his distress, you instinctively reached out, gently gripping his chin, and raised his face to meet your gaze.

"Gods, I am sorry... I couldn't know. But why would I judge you for that?" you were wondering and wanted to reassure him.

"I didn't want you to pity me either," Sihtric sighed, refusing to meet your gaze, and instead keeping his eyes lowered so that his line of sight unintentionally fell upon your breasts. As soon as he realized this, he quickly lifted his eyes in embarrassment, finally meeting yours. Though the dim lighting prevented you from seeing it clearly, you could sense a slight blush colouring his cheeks.

"That's not the case either," you smiled reassuringly. "And I do have a plan," you continued, maintaining your smile. "But first, we need to stitch your brow."

As you began stitching his brow, Sihtric didn't even flinch, proving that he wasn't exaggerating when he claimed not to fear pain. With eyes wide in surprise and awe he kept following your movements his anxiety and impatience openly visible to hear more about your idea. The whole time you worked on his pretty face, you had been kneeling just beside him, so close that you could feel his breath on your neck and feel the tension of his body. Nothing could have prevented him from grabbing you at your throat even with his hands tied up and demand to release him. But there was not even a single motion from him that could hint that he was even considering it. Your closeness and your touch on his skin made his breath accelerate and his heart to pound faster, betraying the effect your presence had on him and the air between the two of you seemed to be getting electrified with anticipation. He did not move as if afraid to distort the magic of the moment. Knowing that he could have used your kindness and forced his escape any moment, but never made a single move to do so made you even more sure you wanted to help him.

"Are you skilled with the sword?" you asked once finished tending to his wound. You retrieved some honey salve and gently applied it to his brow, knowing it would aid in healing and reduce the visibility of the scar.

"I am a warrior, lady," Sihtric replied with a hint of pride in his voice.

"But you were captured, weren't you?" you pressed further, not going easy on him.

"I was fetching the horses. I wasn't even there when the fighting started, and by the time I arrived, it was already over. There was no point in fighting your brother's men alone. I didn't even draw my sword before that big Dane struck me down," Sihtric explained, likely referring to Clapa.

You hadn't encountered a man larger than him thus far. At first glance, Clapa appeared terrifying and intimidating, but you were well aware that while he excelled in a shield wall due to his imposing size and strength, he lacked the speed and finesse required for a skilled sword fight. And though Halig was skilled in swordcraft, you were fairly certain that after completing the task entrusted to them by Uhtred, they would not limit themselves to just one drink, which would inevitably affect their agility the following morning. This knowledge brought a smile to your face, and you proceeded to share your plan with Sihtric. However, his response caught you off guard.

"No, lady," he firmly responded, leaving you surprised.

"No?" you repeated, unsure if you had heard correctly.

"No, there is no way I would endanger your life. You may not believe me, but you are the first person who has shown me kindness in as long as I can remember. Perhaps apart from my mother, but she passed away so long ago that sometimes I fear I can't recall her anymore. So, no, I cannot do this," Sihtric shook his head, his eyes darkening, resolute in his refusal.

"Are you intending to harm me?" you inquired.

"No, I would never..." he exclaimed.

"Then what's the problem?" you interjected, a sense of frustration creeping into your voice. "The only danger to my life would be you, and if you have no intention of harming me..."

"You would truly entrust your life to me, lady?" Sihtric remained hesitant, disbelief and uncertainty apparent in his tone.

"Why?" he asked, almost whispering, his voice trembling with perplexity and disbelief. From his tone, it was evident that he expected a trap, a deception. "Lady, please, don't be so cruel as to play with me."

In truth, you weren't fully prepared for this question, as you yourself were unsure of why you were doing this. You were captivated by this stranger, by his soft voice, his composure despite his dire circumstances, and his despair. Moreover, you were captivated by his honesty and gratitude, which radiated from him. The way he looked at you with awe and indebtedness left you spellbound.

"Believe me, there is no deception in what I am proposing, and I am not toying with you. That would be unnecessarily cruel. However, I cannot explain why," you spoke honestly. "I simply have a strong feeling that you deserve a second chance. Fate is relentless, as my brother loves to say, and it seems that destiny brought us together tonight."

"And you are far too handsome and young to be killed by Uhtred for a mere task of fetching horses," you silently reflected.

"You desire my brother's undivided attention, and I can offer you that. But first, you will have to prove yourself against Clapa and Halig. Consider it a test of your sword skills. I won't deny that my life will be somewhat in your hands, but if you were to harm me, you know that your fate would be far worse. So, what is your decision? Actually, you don't have to answer now. I will learn it tomorrow when I come to see you," you smiled at him, taking again the bread from your bag, and placing it, along with the leather water flask, on his lap.

"Good night, warrior!" With that, you turned away and headed to your tent, leaving the young Dane looking after you, his face filled with confusion and indecision.

Your mind whirled with thoughts of the plan you had set in motion, and your heart raced with anticipation. Once inside your tent, a wave of nausea washed over you, causing your stomach to churn. "Why did I come up with this? Is he truly worth it?" you questioned yourself. "I still have the chance to change my mind until tomorrow," you attempted to calm your anxious mind, but deep down, you knew you wouldn't. Sihtric hadn't asked for your help, nor did he want it. It was your own idea, and there was no way you could betray him and leave him thinking you were toying with his unfortunate situation.

You had a restless night, unable to find sleep as your mind raced with thoughts of what you had proposed to Sihtric. You had to admit to yourself that your life would be in his hands and there were no guarantees that he wouldn't attempt to kill you and make his escape. However, you took solace in the fact that you were prepared for such a scenario, concealed behind your seemingly fragile appearance, but harboring a wealth of experience with a blade that Sihtric was unaware of. Over and over again, you contemplated your actions, unable to stop marveling at yourself why you felt responsible for the young Danes life, not wanting to admit to yourself that perhaps, beyond all else, you had simply fallen in love with that youthful and handsome warrior.

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"Good morning, lads!" you greeted the groggy Clapa and Halig. Clapa had dozed off, leaning his back against the side of the wagon, while Halig was curled up on the ground, still clutching an ale cup in his hands. "I must inform Uhtred of your remarkable skills in guarding our prisoner while asleep," you couldn't resist teasing them a bit.

You cast a glance at Sihtric, who remained seated by the wagon wheel with his eyes closed. He showed no signs of acknowledging or hearing you, leading you to believe that he had likely stuck to his resolve of rejecting your unconventional proposal. Clapa and Halig stumbled to their feet, startled awake by your voice.

"We weren't sleeping, lady!" they protested, attempting to maintain their composure. However, their sudden awakening had left them visibly disoriented, unsure of their surroundings and their intended duties.

"The prisoner requires your attention," you informed them as you passed by the wagon. At that moment, Sihtric opened his eyes and his gaze met yours. His expression was one of bewilderment, as if he had glimpsed a ghost. He instinctively raised his hands to touch his stitched brow, shaking his head in disbelief. It seemed as though he struggled to accept the reality before him, unable to believe that you were truly standing there. Perhaps he thought that your conversation from the previous day had been nothing more than a dream.

"He says he needs to go to the woods!" you called out to Clapa and Halig, continuing your way. It was not unusual for you to venture out of the camp early in the morning to gather herbs and mushrooms. You quickened your pace and, once out of sight and concealed by the bushes, you stopped to observe what would happen next.

Clapa and Halig engaged in a brief argument, as expected. Their tendency to disagree with each other was a familiar trait, yet it never hindered their deep friendship. You heard them approaching, and when you peered through the foliage, you saw Sihtric being dragged behind them. Remaining hidden, you silently followed them through the underbrush, eager to see where their path would lead. They didn't go far before reaching a secluded clearing, hidden from direct view of the camp.

"Could you untie my hands?" you heard Sihtric ask. "There are two of you, and I am not armed anyway," he continued.

"No way," Halig cut him off. "You need to piss, so you'll have to manage it the way you are."

And then, you heard it—the clash of swords. Sihtric had somehow disarmed Halig and was desperately attempting to defend himself against Clapa, wielding the sword with his still-bound hands. Halig had fallen to the ground but was scrambling to get back on his feet. At that moment, you approached the scene, wearing a surprised expression as if you were completely oblivious to what was unfolding.

"What's happening? Halig, why are you rolling on the ground?" you demanded, pausing amid the brawl. You stood just a step away from Sihtric, who let out a fierce growl as he kicked Clapa with all his strength in the stomach. He swiftly moved to your side, putting Halig's sword at your throat and positioning himself behind you.

"Don't come any closer!" Sihtric commanded with a firm voice, though it was unnecessary as Halig and Clapa remained frozen on the ground, their eyes wide with shock at the sight of Sihtric holding you hostage.

"Go, fetch Lord Uhtred!" he demanded, his voice commanding, unwavering, and filled with determination. There was no trace of the insecurity that had emanated from him the day before.

"Tell him that I mean no harm, I simply wish to speak with him," Sihtric continued, while Halig swiftly ran towards the camp to alert Uhtred.

"Lady, I swear upon my life, I will not harm you. I would rather die than hurt you," Sihtric reassuringly whispered in your ear and so far, everything was unfolding according to your plan.

You could see Uhtred rushing towards you, accompanied by several warriors, with Halig trailing behind.

"Harm her, and I will flay you alive," were Uhtred's first words as he reached the clearing.

"Lord Uhtred, I merely wish for you to listen to me," Sihtric asserted. "I offer you my life and my sword. Look, I disarmed them both," he nodded toward Clapa and Halig, "with my hands bound. I am a skilled warrior, and I can be of use to you. Please accept my oath, and I will be honoured to serve you. And lord…, I would never bring harm to your sister. I swear it on the Thor's hammer. She is the kindest person I have ever known in my entire life," Sihtric clenched his fingers around the Thor's amulet that hung on his chest and his voice carried sincerity and determination, with a slight quiver as he spoke the last words. He lowered the sword, driving it into the ground with all his strength, and knelt down with a bowed head.

"Sis!" Uhtred called to you with a worried tone, and you rushed into his arms.

"I am fine," you reassured him as you embraced him, feeling him draw his sword.

"I will kill that little bastard here and now," he snorted in anger, but you firmly took hold of his sword hand.

"Uhtred, no harm has been done. Can't you see how desperate he is? He's offering you his life and sword. Listen to what he has to say," you spoke softly yet assertively, causing Uhtred to pause.

"Sis, do you even understand what you're suggesting? I can never trust him. He's Kjartan's man and he just took you hostage," Uhtred replied, completely taken aback.

"Talk to him," you took your brother by the hand and approached Sihtric, who remained kneeling, awaiting his fate.

"Are you Kjartan's man?" you asked Sihtric, already knowing the answer.

"No, I am Kjartan's bastard son and there is nothing that ties me to him," Sihtric stated firmly, his voice carrying a hint of defiance. "I have no loyalty to him," he answered, raising his head to meet Uhtred's gaze.

Looking incredulously between you and Sihtric, Uhtred suddenly laughed.

"Kindest person, my sister?” he repeated Sihtrics words suspiciously. “Sis, you already knew! Don't pretend you didn't. I will want the whole story later," he shook his head at you.

"But those two deserve a beating for allowing the prisoner to disarm them," he gestured to Clapa and Halig.

“What’s your name, young warrior?” Uhtred asked.

“Sihtric, lord!”

"Place your hands on the sword, Sihtric," Uhtred instructed and Sihtric obeyed instantly. Uhtred then placed his palms over his, and Sihtric spoke his oath. As soon as he had finished you took the knife from the small scabbard at your waist and freed Sihtric's hands, sensing that you were now bound together, and only the future would reveal whether it was for good or ill.

#sihtric #sihtric kjartansson #the last kingdom #sihtric fics #tlk #sihtric x reader #tlk fics #sihtric x you

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osleeplessflowero · 2 months

Text

I figured it's time to bring back Classic Sans for a oneshot. Haven't posted about him since Stargazing! My very first Sans oneshot and Undertale oneshot as a whole. - Reader is Gender Neutral as always! Their SOUL type is up to you. - This is a good way to tie these oneshots to another series of mine :)

It's quiet..before a breeze fills your ears. Your senses are overloaded with sound. Soon you can feel the breeze too, gently hitting your skin as you slowly open your eyes and move your hands over the grass beneath you.

How long had you been asleep? What happened? Did you miss anything? Your head is spinning..

A familiar voice pulls you out of your thoughts softly, calmly. Just like he always does.

"heya. glad to see you're back." He greets you with a smile once you look over, just as he always does. You can't help but smile too. Sitting up, you scoot a bit closer to him and abruptly drop your head on his shoulder, to his surprise. "woah there, what's this all about?" He raises a browbone as he looks down at you, feeling your arm move behind his back so you can awkwardly hug him.

"How long was I asleep?" You ask, getting straight to the point. He looks back up, focusing on the rising sun before the two of you. "not much time has passed here since you fell asleep. or, i guess you could say we fell asleep, huh?" He chuckles. "guessing you've had lots of opportunities to explore. i couldn't imagine doing all that."

"..Yeah." You think about places you've been, your consciousness moving about through different timelines and possibilities. It is only right here, in this space, that you can truly remember things..and where you originally came from. You've certainly seen a lot of interesting figures recently. All of them being different variants of Sans, and even his brother, Papyrus. The same two, just..in various different fonts.

"it's kinda weird, when i think about it." You turn to look at him. "how there's so many other mes just..hangin' around in other timelines. that even the smallest decision can make an entirely new form, a new me. up to the point where..it's like i'm a whole other person. they're sorta..physical "what if"s. aaand prove that the timeline theory is real..so..that's complicated. i guess i can see why you like to go see them all. curiosity."

"..Yeah..it's..like a new adventure each time." You earn a nod from him, before you sit up and move so you're in front of him, placing your hands at the sides of his legs. "But..just so we're clear, that doesn't mean I want to see you any less, Sans. You're still you, the original you, that..that I fell for in the beginning." Heat rises to your cheeks, burning even warmer as you watch a shade of blue make its way onto the skeleton's cheekbones to match.

"i mean, i understand if you prefer some variations of me more. i'm not gonna take it personally-" You cut him off, placing your hand on his left cheekbone. He freezes like a deer in the headlights, his eyesockets relaxing a little as he leans into your touch almost instinctively.

"Just because I like to see other outcomes it doesn't mean I'll love you any less. I refuse to leave you behind. I won't leave Paps behind either. I promise."

"seems like a pretty big promise. sure you can keep it?" "I'm absolutely sure." You lean forward, pressing your forehead against his own. "No matter what..you'll always remain in my heart, Sans. The true you, I mean." "why settle for me when you can have so many other mes?" He raises a browbone, a soft smile on his face. "At the end of the day it was the two of you that my heart belonged to first. Nothing will change that." His face is now a prettier, brighter shade of blue..you can't help but smile, seeing him like this.

"You're not making puns." "it's not the time for that." He averts his eyelights, earning a chuckle from you. You lightly tap his cheek. "C'mon..look at me." "i dunno.." "Please?" "what if i fall for you all over again?" You smile. "I'd be alright with that."

He turns his eyelights to you, unable to look away the moment he does. You can hear his breath hitch, the lights shifting into little heart shapes the moment he blinks. "..Can I?..Or would that be too forward?-" You mutter, your face heating up again at the thought. "just get over here, you." He puts his arms around your waist, pulling you a little closer so you can make contact yourself.

You lean forwards, pressing your lips against his teeth..feeling yourself becoming lost in the moment. Your heart pounds in your ears, your faces both madly flushed as you embrace each other's company. Eventually you have to break the kiss for air, softly regaining your breath as he stares at you with admiring eyes. He reaches up his hands, placing them on the sides of your face now. The cool feeling both calms your nerves and makes you even more flushed. "you alright being stuck with me? with us, even?" "Always. Don't ever question that." You smile, earning a grin from him in return as you hear footsteps approaching in the distance.

"There You Two Are! I've Been Looking Everywhere For You!" Papyrus comes to a stop before you, pressing his hands on his hips with his all-too-familiar grin. A few seconds pass before he takes in your states, a smug look crossing his face. "Am I Interrupting Something?"

"nah, you got here just in time. right?" Sans lightly nudges you, earning rapid nods from you in return. If you let him hear your voice tremble or crack you would quite literally die inside.

"so, what's up? something going on?" He asks, putting an arm around you. "I Thought You Might Want To See Our New Neighbors! They Are Quite The Interesting Bunch. And..Oddly Familiar Looking.."

You and Sans give each other a knowing look. "You don't think?.." "awfully convenient timing, universe." "Might as well make a good first impression, huh?"

#sans x reader #sans undertale x reader #undertale sans x reader #undertale x reader #classic sans #classic sans x reader #sans undertale

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natsukicookies · 8 months

Text

Ice cream on the t-shirt

Chapter 9 || love unlock

The sound of rain outside filled your ears as you slowly opened your eyes, only to find yourself in an unfamiliar place.

Instinctively, you reached for the system, but it appeared to be functioning normally, except for one glaring detail - the date.

Confused and disoriented, you rose from where you had been lying and ventured into the house. There, in the dining room, you found your mother.

"Mom, where are we?" you asked, your voice trembling with uncertainty.

Your mother glanced at you, her expression a mix of concern and puzzlement. "We're at home, sweetie."

Your heart sank as you struggled to comprehend her words. "But this isn't our home..."

"Honey, we moved here two years ago," she explained patiently, though her eyes betrayed a hint of worry.

You furrowed your brow, trying to piece together the past two years, but it felt like trying to grasp at fading dreams. "I don't remember moving here, Mom. Are you sure about this?" Doubt gnawed at you, intensifying the sense of disorientation that had settled over you like a heavy shroud.

As your disorientation deepened, you felt a familiar buzz in your pocket. Retrieving your system, you hesitated for a moment before opening the message, half-expecting it to provide some clarity.

ˢʸˢᵀᴱᴹ ᴹᴱˢˢᴬᴳᴱ

ᵀᴵᴹᴱ ˢᴷᴵᴾ ᴰᴱᵀᴱᶜᵀᴱᴰ

ᴰᵘᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵃⁿ ᵉʳʳᵒʳ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ˢʸˢᵗᵉᵐ, ᵃ ˢⁱᵍⁿⁱᶠⁱᶜᵃⁿᵗ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ˢᵏⁱᵖ ʰᵃˢ ᵒᶜᶜᵘʳʳᵉᵈ. ᵂᵉ ᵃᵖᵒˡᵒᵍⁱᶻᵉ ᶠᵒʳ ᵃⁿʸ ⁱⁿᶜᵒⁿᵛᵉⁿⁱᵉⁿᶜᵉ. ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵗⁱᵐᵉˡⁱⁿᵉ ʰᵃˢ ᵇᵉᵉⁿ ᵃˡᵗᵉʳᵉᵈ.

ᴾˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ᵃᵈʲᵘˢᵗ ᵗᵒ ʸᵒᵘʳ ⁿᵉʷ ᶜⁱʳᶜᵘᵐˢᵗᵃⁿᶜᵉˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᶜᵒⁿᵗⁱⁿᵘᵉ ʸᵒᵘʳ ʲᵒᵘʳⁿᵉʸ.

Your heart pounded as you read the message. A time skip? An error in the system? It was almost too surreal to believe. It explained why your memories seemed to have gaping holes.

Now You were faced with the daunting task of adjusting to these new circumstances and resuming your journey...

Feeling a mixture of curiosity and anxiety, you decided to consult your system for more information.

"System," you began, "can you tell me what's happened in the past two years? Why have things changed so much?"

ₛYₛₜₑₘ ᵣₑₛₚₒₙₛₑ

『 ʸᵒᵘʳ ˡⁱᶠᵉ ʰᵃˢ ᵘⁿᵈᵉʳᵍᵒⁿᵉ ˢⁱᵍⁿⁱᶠⁱᶜᵃⁿᵗ ᶜʰᵃⁿᵍᵉˢ. ʸᵒᵘ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵇᵉᵉⁿ ᵗʳᵃⁿˢᶠᵉʳʳᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ᵃ ⁿᵉʷ ˢᶜʰᵒᵒˡ ᵈᵘᵉ ᵗᵒ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᶠᵃᵐⁱˡʸ'ˢ ʳᵉˡᵒᶜᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ. ʸᵒᵘ ᵃʳᵉ ⁿᵒʷ ˡⁱᵛⁱⁿᵍ ᶜˡᵒˢᵉʳ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ᴵᵗᵒˢʰⁱ ᵇʳᵒᵗʰᵉʳˢ, ˢᵃᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ᴿⁱⁿ, ʷʰᵒᵐ ʸᵒᵘ ᵐᵉᵗ ᵇᵉᶠᵒʳᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ˢᵏⁱᵖ. ᵀʰᵉˢᵉ ᶜʰᵃⁿᵍᵉˢ ʷᵉʳᵉ ᵃ ʳᵉˢᵘˡᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ˢʸˢᵗᵉᵐ'ˢ ᵉʳʳᵒʳ, ʷʰⁱᶜʰ ᵃˡᵗᵉʳᵉᵈ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵗⁱᵐᵉˡⁱⁿᵉ.』

The news hit you like a ton of bricks. A new school, closer to the Itoshi brothers? It was a lot to take in, and you couldn't help but wonder about the implications of these changes. Your connection with Sae and Rin, in particular, seemed to be a focal point of this altered timeline.

You couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this situation than met the eye. The system had thrown you a curveball, and you were left to navigate this new reality with more questions than answers.

Now before you could ask anything more a voice called out your name.

"Y/n onee-chan!" You turned around to see rin running in "me and nii-chan are going going to eat ice cream! Wanna come?" He asked.

Your mind was still swirling with questions and uncertainty, but the prospect of enjoying some ice cream with Rin and Sae sounded like a pleasant distraction. You couldn't help but smile at Rin's cheerful invitation.

"Sure, Rin! I'd love to join you and Sae for ice cream," you replied warmly, allowing yourself to be swept up in the moment.

Rin's eyes sparkled with delight as he grabbed your hand, his slender fingers tightly holding yours. "let's go!" he exclaimed.

As you followed Rin, you couldn't help but steal a glance back at the house you now called home, even though it didn't quite feel like it yet. The mysteries of the system, the altered timeline, and the uncertain future weighed on your mind.

"Honestly tho who eat ice cream in rain.." you said as you hold the umbrella in one hand while ice cream on the other.

"Us?" Sae took a bite out of his ice cream as he replied. "We are gonna be sick tomorrow, I'm calling it" you laughed followed by sae and rin.

You noticed rin was getting wet "oi rin get under the umbrella properly" you grabbed him by the shoulder as you pull him closer to you. "Okayy" rin said and turned his kinda red? face away and continued eating his ice cream.

"Oh, I won" Rin showed you and sae his ice cream stick which had "won" written on it.

"Way to waste your luck rin" sae mock, rin just shrugged and threw away the stick.

'We could've gotten a new ice cream with that...' you thought to yourself but decided to not say it out loud.

You sighed as you started to think about your current situation. The two years were skipped and it was really obvious by the how tall sae and rin had gotten.

Hack rin is almost as tall as you now! Did you not grow at all or something? Man was this confusing as hell to you.

You weren't paying attention as you were too deep in thoughts and so The rain-slicked pavement had claimed your footing, sending you into an unintended slide. Instinctively, you reached out to grab whatever you could to steady yourself, but it seemed fate had other plans. Your hands closed around Rin and Sae, inadvertently dragging them down with you.

As the three of you hit the ground, it was clear that it wasn't the most graceful landing. You couldn't help but wince at the sudden impact, cursing softly under your breath.

Looking down, you groaned at the sight of your once pristine t-shirt, now adorned with a smear of fallen ice cream. "Oh no, I liked this t-shirt..." you lamented, your voice tinged with frustration.

"Ouch," Sae chimed in, rubbing his elbow where he had landed.

Rin, on the other hand, was more worried about you. "Y/n onee-chan, are you okay?" he asked with genuine concern.

You managed to sit up slowly, inspecting the damage. Your t-shirt was stained with melted ice cream, and you sighed in disappointment. "I'm fine, just a little sore," you assured Rin, giving him a reassuring smile.

Sae, in his usual teasing manner, added, "At least you saved your ice cream, right?"

You glanced down at your now ruined ice cream with a sheepish grin. "Well, priorities," you quipped, earning a chuckle from both Sae and Rin.

Rin and sae got up and led you a hand to get up, you looked at them with a small blush as you took both of their hands "thanks"

You quickly got up and grabbed your umbrella to hide your red face 'holy crap those two are getting more cuter as they grow-'

"You okay?" Sae put his hand on my shoulder and asked "y-yeah" I replied and started walking.

You got home and went straight to bath since you didn't wanna catch a cold.

Setting in the bathtub you opened the system and went into character profile.

ᶜʰᵃʳᵃᶜᵗᵉʳ: ˡ/ⁿ ʸ/ⁿ

ᴬᵍᵉ: ⁹

ᴴᵉⁱᵍʰᵗ: ⁴'¹¹

ˢᵏⁱˡˡˢ:

ᴺᵃᵗᵘʳᵃˡ ˡⁱᵃʳ

ᴺᴱᵂ: ᶜʰᵃʳⁱˢᵐᵃ ᵃⁿᵈ ᴾᵉʳˢᵘᵃˢⁱᵒⁿ

You pondered the new skill, "Charisma and Persuasion," as you soaked in the warm bath. Your mind raced with curiosity about how this skill might be useful in your adventures.

With a determined expression, you decided to explore its potential. You started by practicing your charismatic charm, trying to exude confidence and warmth, even though you were only nine years old. You flashed a bright smile at your rubber duck floating nearby and said, "You're the most magnificent rubber duck in the world, and I'd be honored to have you on my team."

You chuckled at your own silliness while the toy seemed to nod in agreement, though you knew it was just your imagination, probably..? Right?

As for persuasion, you thought about how you could use it to your advantage in the future. Maybe you could convince adults to give you more candy or persuade potential allies to join your quest. The possibilities were endless.

Feeling both excited and a bit mischievous, you whispered to yourself, "This new skill might be more fun than I thought."

ᴵⁿᵛᵉⁿᵗᵒʳʸ

³ ᵖᵒᵗⁱᵒⁿˢ

ᴺᴱᵂ ᴬ ᵀʳᵉᵃˢᵘʳᵉ ᵇᵒˣ

ᴺᴱᵂ ⁷ ᴱⁿᵉʳᵍʸ ᵇᵃʳˢ

The inventory was an intriguing discovery. You decided to delve further into it, wondering what items you might have acquired in your adventures. You clicked on the "Potions" section first.

Slumber Elixir x1: This elixir can induce a deep sleep in anyone who consumes it, lasting for precisely 46 minutes.

Invisibility Potion x1: A potion that grants temporary invisibility when consumed, with a duration of 10 minutes.

Gender-Swap Serum x1: This serum allows you to swap your gender for a limited duration of 1 hour.

You marveled at the intriguing potions you had discovered in your inventory. Each one held the potential for unique adventures, but you decided to keep them safe for later use, not wanting to waste these precious items.

Turning your attention to the treasure box, you clicked on it eagerly, but to your disappointment, it wouldn't open. A message popped up

ʸᵒᵘ ⁿᵉᵉᵈ ᵃ ᵏᵉʸ ᵗᵒ ᵒᵖᵉⁿ ⁱᵗ!

You scratched your head, realizing you didn't have a key yet. It was a mystery for another time.

Lastly, you checked out the energy bars. They seemed pretty straightforward. You figured they were like snacks, maybe giving you a boost of energy when needed. You left them as they were, not feeling the urge to munch on them just yet.

You head off to the love interest to see whats new there

ᴸᵒᵛᵉ ᴵⁿᵗᵉʳᵉˢᵗˢ

ᴷᵘⁿⁱᵍᵃᵐⁱ ʳᵉⁿˢᵘᵏᵉ

ᴮᵃᶜʰⁱʳᵃ ᴹᵉᵍᵘʳᵘ

ᴵᵗᵒˢʰⁱ ʳⁱⁿ

ᴵᵗᵒˢʰⁱ ˢᵃᵉ

ᴼᵗʰᵉʳˢ ᵃʳᵉ ʸᵉᵗ ᶠᵒʳ ᵇᵉ ᵘⁿˡᵒᶜᵏ

Seeing Bachira's name you wonder how's he doing.. you didn't even get to see him off.

You sighed as a frowned took over. Switch off the screen, you submerged your head in the warm bathwater, bubbles floated around, and a sense of nostalgia washed over you. You couldn't help but think about him. Memories of your time together flashed through your mind.

The thought of not being able to say a proper goodbye tugged at your heartstrings.

"Wait.. What was the last time I even saw nii-chan?" you wondered aloud, your voice muffled by the water.

Your mind began to sift through those moments, each memory a precious gem. You remembered his warm smile, the way he used to ruffle your hair, and the countless times he had been there to protect and guide you.

You couldn't contain your excitement as you hurried out of the bath, leaving a trail of water droplets behind you. Rushing up to your mother, you blurted out, "Mom! It's been so long since I talked to nii-chan!"

Her eyes widened in a mix of horror and amusement as she exclaimed, "Y/n, go put on clothes first!"

It seemed that your enthusiasm for reconnecting with your brother had led you to momentarily forget the importance of proper attire. With a sheepish grin, you scampered off to get dressed, leaving your mother chuckling at your antics.

You quickly returned, now dressed in dry clothes, and approached your mother with a hint of eagerness still in your eyes. You repeated your earlier question, "Mom, it's been so long since I talked to nii-chan, where is he?"

Your mother couldn't help but smile at your persistence. She knelt down to your eye level and gently said, "But, sweetheart, you did call him just yesterday!"

Your eyes widened in surprise as you realized your mistake. "I did? Oh..." You felt a bit embarrassed but also relieved to know that you hadn't lost touch with your brother.

Your mother chuckled, ruffling your hair affectionately. "Don't worry, dear. You two chat so often; it's easy to lose track of time."

You nodded, feeling a bit sheepish but glad to know that you weren't as out of touch as you had initially thought.

"Can I call him now?" you asked with a hopeful look in your eyes.

Your mother smiled and reached for her phone. She quickly unlocked it and handed it to you, saying, "Of course, sweetheart. Here you go."

You eagerly took the phone, your heart brimming with excitement at the prospect of talking to your beloved brother. With nimble fingers, you navigated to his contact and pressed the call button. The phone rang a few times before a familiar voice answered on the other end.

"Hello?" It was your brother's voice, warm and comforting.

"Nii-chan!" you exclaimed, your joy evident in your voice. It felt so good to hear his voice again.

As you and your brother chatted away, catching up on the latest news and sharing stories of your respective lives, he suddenly mentioned something that made you pause.

"Y/n-chan, I hate to cut our conversation short, but I need to go," he said with a hint of urgency.

Your brow furrowed with concern. "Nii-chan, what's going on?"

He chuckled softly. "It's time for my very important match. I can't keep my team waiting."

Understanding the gravity of the situation, you nodded, though you wished you could continue talking. "Alright, nii-chan. Go show them what you're made of, and I'll be cheering for you from here!"

He laughed heartily, and his voice brimmed with confidence. "Thanks, Y/n-chan. I'll give it my all. Take care, and we'll talk again soon, okay?"

With promises to talk again soon and words of encouragement exchanged, you reluctantly ended the call. Your heart swelled with pride for your brother's dedication to his passion. You knew he would give his very best in that important match.

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mysticqueer · 10 months

Text

‘working theory’ - ch.1/?

takes place during day 8 of Ray’s route- what if MC put together the connection between Seven and Saeran all on her own?

Your thumbs hovered uselessly over the digital keyboard.

Zen and Seven were talking in the chatroom, mood far more somber than usual. If you were silent for too long, they might start to get concerned. Which, well-- you almost wish they were. But for the sake of your safety you needed to give the impression that nothing was wrong.

Which made bringing up the next topic of conversation nonchalantly a real challenge.

MC: Hey Seven... can I ask you a random question?

Your heart pounded as you mustered the courage to ask even that. It wasn’t like you had any solid proof behind your theory, just a gut instinct. The hours you spent staring at Seven’s ridiculous cosplay photos, the icy way that Ray spoke about the redheaded hacker...

You knew, deep down, that this was likely a bad idea. But your curiosity always got the better of you. That’s how you’d ended up in this situation, after all. You felt like you were being watched, a constant presence over your shoulder, watching your every move. Of course, you knew it wasn’t just paranoia. Saeran was surely watching you over the cameras right now, just like always. You fought the tension trying to take over your body.

707: I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to answer

707: depending on what it’s about.

707: but you’re always free to ask. what’s up?

Seven’s serious tone, as always, hurt your heart just a little bit. He was normally so upbeat and quirky. The events of the last few days were clearly weighing on him.

You tell yourself, unconvincingly, that it will be fine. It’s not as if you’re sending out a flare for help. You aren’t technically doing anything you aren’t supposed to. You take a deep breath and type.

MC: Do you... have a brother?

...

Silence.

Then...

- 707 has left the chatroom. -

Your blood turns cold in your veins. You weren’t sure what you’d been expecting. You’d been hoping, perhaps, for some lighthearted, joking reply. Something that would disprove your theory once and for all.

Zen is typing something, but you pay little attention, your thoughts racing. Suddenly-

Incoming Call - 707

You should reject it. You should really reject it. You’re almost certain that Saeran knows about what you said, and you doubt he’ll be happy. Talking further to Seven would only be digging your grave even deeper. At this point would it be better to tell the truth, ask for help, and hope for the best? Or to try and play it off as nothing, dissuade his suspicions?

You hit the ‘answer’ button without thinking.

“MC?” Seven’s tone is light, with barely concealed tension and urgency. He’s trying to hide how your question affected him, you’re almost sure. He’s a secret agent, normally so good at hiding his true feelings. Hearing him like this... emotions so barely concealed, was unnerving.

“Hey...” you answer lamely. Play it off, or ask for help? Do you even have time for either? The blinking red light of the security camera in your room feels like hot breath on your neck.

“MC, sorry about leaving so suddenly, but I... why did you ask me that?” Seven asks in a tight voice. He can’t seem to quite collect his thoughts. You can relate.

“Oh- it’s nothing, I just, uh... saw somebody who I thought looked like you...”

A sharp intake of breath, and then... nothing?

“Seven?”

“...”

You look down at your phone, and find the screen blank. No phone call. No messenger. Just error text. Your heart drops.

BANG

The door to your room suddenly slams open. In steps the boy in the suit with white hair, his eyes furious.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His heart pounding, his breaths shallow, Seven-no, Saeyoung, types rapidly at his computer. He’s most certainly Saeyoung now, not Seven. Thirty seconds. It took thirty seconds and a single line of text to strip away his carefully built armor named 707. Now it’s just Saeyoung, his hands shaking as he tries desperately to restore his connection with MC.

Why would she ask him that?

The question itself had been one thing. It could have been innocuous. But MC, and her situation, were unbelievably suspicious at best. Even though he believed MC herself to have no bad intent, her situation and relationship with the hacker was sketchy enough to make him wary of trusting her.

Why would she ask him that?

He’d called her on impulse, which may have been a bad idea. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t how her voice had sounded, quiet and so hesitant. Scared. She’d sounded almost scared.

He hadn’t expected his connection to cut out so suddenly, lines of reckless and aggressive code pasting itself over his screen in almost an instant.

Saeran... Saeran was somehow involved in this.

In what manner, he didn’t know. But clearly, this hacker, who was unbelievably and scarily efficient, didn’t want him to know.

He... he needed to call V.

V. The man’s name was starting to feel like a bitter taste in his mouth.

But first, he needed to get back into contact with MC. He hoped to God that she was alright, but he also knew better. For the sake of MC, and for the sake of Saeran, he needed to find the truth. He needed to find them before-

Connection Restored

Saeyoung didn’t even have time to breathe as he frantically opened MC’s contact and hit ‘call’. It was definitely going through. He’d broken through the hacker’s code, and the phone rang on the other end. He felt like a statue, completely and utterly still.

There was no answer.

#ngl i may or may not actually write more for this #just an idea i had in my head and wanted to jot down #oh how i wanted to cause some chaos in the chat during rays route #mystic messenger #mysme #saeyoung choi #saeran choi #mm 707 #mm unknown #mm ray #fanfiction #fanfic #ff

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herequeerexitentialfear · 5 months

Text

Acceptance.

Anevia is possessed with curiosity about who the document the commander is spending so much time writing is going to. she also muses on their new commander, and the bonds hes formed, especially the one with the purple theifling.

[is this in character for Anevia? idk i just woke up, wanted to write Georgie actually giving Woljif a contract for the cult idea, and then Anevia possessed me and made her n Irabeth adopt Georgie.]

After the party returned from their exploration and had rested up, Georgie spent a good hour head over his desk.

Anevia had been curious, a letter to family? It couldn't be more orders for the army's, as he had ordered them to stand down and rest before he himself had.

He was focusing hard, having changed sheet of paper three times already, A lover? She suppose that telling someone you alive and also telling them your leading the crusade was a hard message to get right.

But given how he had smiled upon being introduced to Sosiel, and even how he started actually looking at a certain count, she doubted that.

Family then? Teiflings don't often have that, well that can have *Familys* but not often the normal ones. She narrowed her eyes at the ring on Georgie's finger, the one that appeared after he ran of after questioning her love about informants.

She thought about Woljifs teasing about the now commander being his little brother. How said 'little brother' had sought out to solve the other teiflings problem first.

Anevia liked Georgie. She didn't like the thought of him seeking out the Family just for some sense of kinship and belonging.

Maybe she should have prompted Irabeth to have her heart to heart with him earlier. He clearly respected both of them, running to both for advice. He was a quick learner and naturally charismatic, but she meant what she'd told him, he was more dangerous now, and they didn't need him running into the arms of criminals just for acceptance of who he is.

And sue her, she liked the kid. Not just because he saved her life, or how he managed to keep his head while being thrust into the lead of their rag tag group, or even how he tried for peace and good at every opportunity, but wouldn't hesitate to summon his pets to their aid. But because he was a good kid, who saw the best in people, a kid who had been picked by the goddess or fate or whatever, and swore to himself that he would do what he thought was right.

Okay, also because she loved Irabeths smile after their heart to heart, loved how she finally had someone she could talk to about how she was immediately discriminated against for her race, who understood.

Merciful Goddess was this the so called 'motherly instinct' people harped on about?

Them and Woljif weren't the only ones, Seelah had silently claimed him as her brother once she had stopped being so preoccupied with worry over the order of the cart. Still, it seemed she was leaning on him just as much as he was her now.

Talking of Seelah, the little bigger girl, Ember, had clearly won over their commanders heart, even if Seelah was slow to warm to her deity disrespecting ways. Still, it should be but a matter of time.

Footsteps shook her out of her musings, their commander finally finished with his document. Shes waiting until the tent flaps fell back down to sneak... To walk out of the tent. As is her right. She's just visiting Irabeth about some paperwork.

Hopefully if the commander questions her he will think she's sneaking some *alone time* with her partner, not trying to find out what he was writing because of her curiosity. Sure she could just ask, but she's bored and this is fun.

And that's not a bad idea, to have some *fun* with Irabeth after.

The footsteps of the other side of the falling fabric finally reaching the end of her earshot signaled her to move. The bright chaos of the kid must have infected her too.

She walked out, schooling her body language into saying she's just checking in on the camp, with papers under her arm for Irabeth.

Both sets of horns and dark hair were together, over by the Quartermasters tent.

Georgie was shoving the piece of paper into Woljifs hands, the purple teifling trying to mask his confusion with humor.

Mm. She suddenly had the pressing need to check the resources available to the crusade...

Luckily, both were still to absorbed in their not a conversation to notice her getting closer. She shushed the Quartermaster and listened.

"-don't want you worrying I'll run off and use your idea without you getting your fair share"

"What?"She hadn't seen Woljif so off spin for a long time, he was excellent at rolling with the punches. To excellent at times.

"You asked for a contract didn't you! And I'm a man of my word" Georgie shoved the paper at him again. "Wouldn't want to chest my little brother out off-"

"- little brother? Your the little brother!" This was clearly a well worn argument and more familiar ground for the teifling.

"And I'm older than you!" Georgie shook his head "anyway I thought is write it up. Make sure you know your ideas are valued." Ignoring the look of shock on his self professed little brother face, he continued, "want to make sure you get your due, you know? You don't screw over family" and he ended it with a bright smile.

She loved this kid. Didn't love the idea they were talking about, or that they had cooked up one, but it was clear Georgie would be taking the lead out of the two of them.

She didn't need to worry about Woljif dragging the commander into a life of crime, *he* needed to worry about the kid dragging him into a life of good.

Her chuckle at the thought drew their attention,

"Hello Anevia! Do you need anything" goddess the kids happiness was blinding.

"Nothing for you to worry about Commander, just checking our inventory after we moved camp" the quartermaster joined Woljif in spluttering.

"Excellent idea! Thank you for your initiative."

Someone needed to get the quartermaster a healer before he choked.

"Well that's done now, so I'll just bring these papers to Irabeth" indicating to the ones under her arm

Georgies smile grew cheeky "Enjoy! Give her my thanks for her assistance, and I will be taking my group to deal with the Hellknights, so get some rest while you can."

She couldn't stop her smile anymore, leaving with a nod of gratitude and a wave, walking towards her love.

Get some rest indeed.

#thebirdwrites #<3 #georgie #georgie heartwood #i love her and Irabeth<3 #some crusaders have rights<3 #*dont be suspicious dont be suspicious*#yea i liked Irabeth anyway cause shes chill af #and ofc the theiflings talking about how shes actually good to them #then she n georgie had the half-orc- teifling solidarity chat and !!!!!#also Georgie and Woljif will always be arguing about whos the little brother<33 #siblings.#and ofc his brotp with Seelah #a whole ass chaotic found family #i fucking love them<3

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knightprincess · 6 months

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Forgive Me (Echo x Medic Reader) Part 16

Words: 2.1k Warning: Hurt/Comfort, suspense, Fluff/Protective Wolffe, Order 66 Pairing: Echo/medic reader - Friendship fluff with Wolffe Pronouns: She/Her - Also mentions reader nickname "Snap"

(Y/N) had been at the military base, going about her normal routine when everything had changed. The base had been locked down, becoming an almost impenetrable fortress, none of the civvi personnel seemed to know what was going on, instead, they wandered the halls in the hopes of finding someone that did or a way out. Snap had been in her little office at the time of the lockdown, at first she hadn't thought anything of it. After the recent attacks and the Chancellor's kidnapping, everything had been different. The Senate building, Jedi Temple, and the Military Base had higher security, to the point no one could enter or leave without going through extreme measures.

What had caught Snap's attention, was the shutters coming down over the windows, blocking out the setting sun and the neon lights of the planet-wide city. The lights inside the base dimmed and turned red as if a silent alarm had been triggered, and the troopers of the Coruscant Guard began to act weird. Becoming stiffer, more rigid, and more determined, as if someone had flipped a switch and changed them completely. The troopers passing by didn't engage in conversation as they normally would have, nor did they wave or acknowledge those they had built friendships with. Instead, they stalked the halls as if on a mission, ignoring all other human interaction becoming droid-like as they become determined to see through the orders given to them.

"Fox" softly called (Y/N) as the commander passed by, he stopped but didn't turn to her, nor did he remove his helmet as he would have normally done. "Is everything okay?" she asked, forgetting the question she intended to ask. He didn't answer, instead, he shivered slightly, his shoulders drooped for a fleeting second before he stiffened once more and continued to walk away, as if he hadn't heard her. Snap was about to call his name again, when a hand clasped over her mouth from behind, another arm winding around her waist before someone pulled her back into her little now dim office.

"Shh" came the familiar gruff voice, Wolffe, his back against the now locked door, his gloved hand still covering Snap's lips as he held her closer. "Listen to me, I'm not going to hurt you, but we need to get out of here now" whispered Wolffe with urgency, slowly removing his hand from her mouth, although not releasing his vice-like hold on her waist. "The emperor sent out Order 66" he added, refusing to move his helmet, as if he didn't want to scare her more than she likely already was.

"Order 66?" questioned Snap, as a shiver rattled down her spine, her gut telling her whatever was happening out there wasn't good. Even less so when her instincts screamed at her, this was what Fives had been on about before his death and what Kix was one to before his mysterious disappearance weeks ago. "The Emperor?" she added with confusion, curiosity getting the better of her when it came to the man who proclaimed himself as a ruler, although of what was the lingering question.

"The chancellor" replied Wolffe, wording it in a way Snap would understand. Almost instantly he felt as her body stiffened in the same way his brothers and even his own had when the initial order had been sent out. Except hers wasn't out of obedience, but fear. "He branded the Jedi traitors and called for their immediate execution" added the Commander of the 104th, still unsure why the order hadn't affected him as much as his fellow brothers. Maybe it was because of his injury, or because of his loyalty to those he called family and cared for.

Without another word, Wolffe let go of (Y/N), before unlocking the door, looking down both sides of the prison-like corridor, before grabbing hold of Snap's arm and pulling her with him. The battle-worn commander hadn't told her about the other order sent out to a select few. How could he tell her the truth about what waited for her, if she didn't get away from Coruscant and hide? The journey was quiet for the most part, (Y/N) didn't dare utter a word for fear of something else happening, whereas Wolffe remained quiet, but also determined to ensure she got away, even if he had to stay behind to ensure it.

Neither could bring themselves to word their fear, to give them the power needed to take over. If the Jedi had been branded traitors and the Chancellor was now the Emperor, then that meant more change was to come. Both worried for their friends within the Jedi Order, Wolffe for Plo and Snap for the wise master Plo, Obi-wan, Ahsoka, and Anakin. At the same time, her thoughts turned to the Bad Batch, to Echo. Would he have been affected by the order, would any of the members of the Bad Batch have been affected? Would they hunt down the Jedi and execute them?

"CC-3636, where are you taking the medic?" asked an almost robotic voice from behind the pair. Instantly the pair stopped, with (Y/N) questioning why the shinny had referred to Wolffe by his number rather than the name he'd long since chosen. At the same time, it became clear to her, that there was something she didn't know, nobody would have questioned her going somewhere before, nor would they have referred to her as the medic. Normally those around the base called her by her name or the nickname Wolffe had given her, what felt like a lifetime ago.

"Orders to take her off-world" strongly responded Wolffe, appearing far more intimidating than normal, his grip on Snap's arm didn't loosen, if anything becoming tighter, as if he was afraid the other trooper would take her away from him. "She's being transferred to the science division" he continued with Authority, recalling the orders he'd received from the Chancellor's office regarding Snap. It was clear the now Emperor had been keeping watch and had deemed her valuable at some point, which in turn had spared her from sharing the same fate as all other civvi personnel within the GAR.

The other trooper simply nodded and walked away, leaving (Y/N) far more confused. Why was she being transferred to the science division, science wasn't her specialty, nor did she intend it to be. She was a medic, with a passion for helping others. This other division had no real need of her. While being lost in her thoughts, Snap hadn't realized Wolffe had begun to lead her down the halls again, towards the docking bays. For a few short seconds, her thoughts cleared, and her mind quickly went to others across the galaxy. Ahsoka was on Mandalore, did the 501st turn on her, did Rex and Jesse? What about Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Master Plo, were they okay? Had they been slaughtered or had they managed to survive somehow?

(Y/N) had been so wrapped up with the questions, and her fear of what was happening around her. A few stray tears ran down her cheeks, the fear that had slowly been creeping into her heart and gripping at her, now formed a lump in her throat, as it started to become paralyzing. Wolffe must have noticed, as he pulled her into a tight embrace the moment they entered an elevator, the moment he could drop his act of being under the inhibitor chip's control.

"I'm not giving you over to the science division" he whispered, wiping away her tears. "I won't lose you too" added Wolffe, barely audible, and more of a promise to himself than a declaration of confidence. "Plan A, get to the rendevous on Saleucami, there's a friend there that can help us disappear. With luck, others who defected will go there as well"

"Then what?" questioned (Y/N), shivering upon hearing the familiar sound of blasters being fired. She didn't want to think who the once friendly troopers were firing at. Surely no Jedi would seek refuge in the base. Reality soon hit her like a wave of ice-cold water, they weren't firing at stray Jedi that had survived any attacks so far, they were hunting the other civvi personnel around the base. Executing them too, if they weren't deemed valuable, to whatever it was the self-proclaimed emperor was building in the shadows.

"When the time's right, we fight back" replied Wolffe, returning to his previous stance when the elevator came to a stop, his grip returned on her arm, as he stiffened ever so slightly. "If it's the last thing I do, Snap, you will survive this and get to live peacefully" he added as they left the lift, quickly reaching a ship, just big enough for the two of them and an astromech, but not really big enough to be noticed, even less so with everyone else seemingly occupied with desimating the Jedi Order, or whatever was left of it at this point.

"What about my sisters?" suddenly asked (Y/N), worry suddenly flooding every inch of her being. Isolde worked within the confines of the base, and although she was terrible at her job, she was considered civvi personnel. Devika, on the other hand, was an aid to one of the many senators, another of the buildings that had no doubt been locked down too. "Devika, Isolde" whispered Snap, as she attempted to hold back her tears, a personal battle she was slowly losing. Sure she didn't have the best relationship with Isolde, but the older selfish woman was still her sister.

"I don't know Princessa" replied Wolffe, his voice calm but determined, as he concentrated on getting them off the planet. He made a mental note to thank Fox if he ever got to see him again, noting the other commander had allowed him to get to Snap in the first place, and had just jammed the bay doors long enough to let them both go. "I don't think the Emperor will do anything to the senate, he'll need it as the power shifts, he won't be able to control thousands of worlds on his own, least of all after the war" wisely spoke the battle-worn commander, attempting to reassure her at least Devika would likely remain unharmed. The same however couldn't be said for Isolde or Octavius.

As they made the jump to hyperspace, Wolffe allowed his own thoughts to wander to his brothers across the galaxy. The Jedi may have been caught unawares, but most would have sensed something was off and fought back. Some may have escaped whereas others most likely padawans would have taken as many of their once allies turned murderers down with them. He couldn't help but wonder how many of his brothers had survived this cataclysmic event. Had Rex, surely Ahsoka would have done everything in her power to save as many as she could. Had Cody survived, had the mad baboon, Gregor, had Jesse, Bly, and the rest of the Wolf Pack survived.

"Thank you" whispered Snap, a small hiccup escaping her lips shortly after. Despite her despair, she still showed her gratitude to her friend for saving her from an unknown fate. "For coming back for me" she added, wiping away her endless flow of tears, knowing despite Wolffe's promise of a peaceful life, it was unlikely to happen. If what he said was true and she was supposed to go to the science division, then whatever power was to replace the republic wouldn't stop hunting her until they got what they wanted.

"Consider us even Princessa, for all the times you saved one of us during the course of the war" quietly replied Wolffe, suspecting any trooper who broke free from the control of the inhibitor chip would have done as he had. They would have gone back for the civvi medic who cared more for them than she did for her own wellbeing and safety. "Get some rest, you'll need your strength" he ordered, catching a glimpse of (Y/N) saluting him, before doing as she was told.

Wolffe on the other hand, allowed his mind to wander again. This time to what the future would hold for the pair. It would be too dangerous to be out in the open for now. Hiding would be the best option but where was the question, both would have to find something to do. Surely both would be able to put their skills as a medic and soldier to good use somewhere. Maybe in an out-of-the-way village, she as a doctor to help those in need and he as a mercenary if needed. Either way, the pair would eventually have to make a plan for the future, as it was clear neither could go back to the places they once called home.

Masterlist

#star wars #star wars the clone wars #commander wolffe #commander fox #order 66 #after order 66 #forgive me (echo x medic reader)#medic reader #reader interactive #reader insert #star wars fanfction #reader interactive fanfiction #echo x medic reader #echo x reader #part 16

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shitpostingiris · 2 years

Text

Wait for me till the end of time

Part 2 Part 3

Fic name creds too @moss-is-a-tasty-snack

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CHAPTER 1

She always knew of her fathers wrong doings since an early age bearing witness to many of his inhumane and barbaric rituals . When her older brother lost his life. She bore witness to his decent into madness. His anger worsening over the years. His desire to have her older brother back. A brother she had missed as well, But she knew deep in her heart and mind it was his time to go no matter how much she loved him. Destiny, fate whatever you wanted to call it was not one to go against or mess with.

She wasn’t allowed to watch her father preform his rituals first hand. The magus as he liked to he called these days. Being forbidden to watch the Summoning of death as well, but no surprise to her. She wasn’t even supposed to know what he was trying to summon, but people talked and she was always listening.

She could hear the ruckus in the basement once her father casted his spell. instantly being able to feel the heavy, powerful presence. The presence felt as if she had been hit by a train, as if all the air had been. sucked from her lungs. It is as if she herself was being summoned when she felt the being appear in the basement. Felt as if someone had ripped her heart straight from her chest. Her eyes widened, and her pupils dilated. Knowing almost instantly she had to get down into that basement as soon as she could. Her curiosity was peaked. Curiosity that always seemed to get her into trouble.

She decided to wait a few weeks to make her trip into the basement. Letting the chaos calms down. Her curiosity making an unbearable itch she could not scratch until she saw what her father had captured. A few weeks after the ritual was completed. Deciding to make her move and sneak down into the basement making sure everyone had gone to their rooms. Crawling through the hidden paths in the house trying not to make disgusted noises as cobwebs collected on her skin and clothes.

Once she entered the basement swallowed in the shadows hiding, and watching. Hey eyes scanned the room widening and tearing up as she laid eyes on the man in the glass sphere. Their eyes locked instantly as if he had sensed her presence. She could see His eyebrows furrow together in confusion had never seen her before. The sheer power she could feel radiating from the man shook the girl to her core. More powerful than what she had felt in her room that night of the ritual. Scared, shaken, and fearful she rushed back up into her room as quickly as she could. Trying not to make her presence known to the guards in the room.

Clearly shaken by the sight she had seen. Her eyes shiny with tears yet to be shead. Knowing how inhumane and ruthless her father and the rest were by keeping the man, no the being. Kept and bound by the Sigils and glass sphere.

The girl kept to her room for the next few nights contemplating on going back to see the being in her homes basement. One night a few after her first encounter with what she had now learned was what people called the Sandman. She decided to make her way through her secret passages and down into the basement.

This rare night no guards showed to keep an eye on the Endless locked in his sphere. Their eyes locked once again. And once again the girl had felt the air being sucked from her lungs. Despite the strong internal instinct to run and hide from this being. She pushed past her fear and approached the man careful not to scrape the sigils as she kneeled infront of the sphere. Tears rolling down her face unwillingly as she held eye contact with the sandman. Finally opening her mouth to speak her voice wavering “This is…..this is so wrong” upon hearing her words the sandman straightened up into a sitting position trying his best to cling to what dignity he had left. Interest and confusion written in his eyes. His face still not showing much emotions but his eyes showing a thousand unspoken words.

The girl sat on the ground tracing the sigils careful not to touch or smudge them. Looking back up to the Eldritch being in man form. “My father is not a good man. I knew that from a very young age. But this….this is worse than anything I could have imagined. All for his own selfish reasons.” Y/n had a problem with rambling when she was nervous. This situation she was in right now was no different than any other. “Sure I miss my brother too. But asking for him back is not something you or any being can do. Just as It is not his to receive. But as we both know he is bound to keep you here long after his last breath if his terms are not met..” she took a deep breath calming her nerves blinking the tears that had accumulated in her eyes away “im Y/n by the way. I have not yet learned your name. Some in this house call you the devil. But you look like no devil I have ever seen”The sandman’s eyes slightly widened at the girls confessions. Not use to anyone speaking to him in such a kind manner anymore. He touched his hand to the glass never once taking his eyes off the girl kneeled in-front of him.

She realized very quickly what the man wanted. Wanted to escape from this prison he was left to rot in. The easiest way he could. By her dreams. She leaned in reaching her hand out as well. Their hands millimeters away from meeting only separated by the glass. Until she heard the doors open and yelling voices. Knowing her fathers rage was not one to mess with. She quickly snatched her hand away eyes widening. Standing quickly brushing her night dress off. She spoke to the man in a hushed hurried voice “I promise. I promise I will get you out. Three days time just wait for me. I will not let my father keep you trapped here any longer than that” with her finishing words she quickly made her way back to her room.

Dream sat in his sphere. Quite perplexed by the woman Roderick burgess called his daughter. He was not one to assume the best of humanity anymore. But despite his best interests he was intrigued by the girl. Deciding to see if she made good of her promise to him. He laid back down in his cage and waited for three days time.

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And that’s chapter 1 folks. I really hope it’s easy to follow and not confusing to your guys. If anyone would like to be a Beta reader for this story just dm or comment.

@mata0-0mata

#sandman fic #sandman netflix #sandman comics #sandman #neil gaiman sandman #dream x reader #dream of the endless #dream #morpheus #tom sturridge

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zuzuexp · 18 days

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stardewvalleywiki.com/reverie . . . loading . . .

dossier.

quick stats :

name : reverie eden aliases : rev ( by friends only ) , rie ( by family only ) gender : agender , gender apathetic ( any pronouns okay ) sexual orientation : bisexual face : khadijha red thunder occupation : ex managment consultant for jojo mart , floral shop owner birthday : spring 28 lives in : pelican town born in : zuzu city address : the stardrop saloon the rooftop apartment family : brother, sister in law friends : caroline, junimos, sandy, linus, evelyn marriage : yes best gifts : cranberry candy, ice cream, pink cake, solar essence, gold bar, daffodil, plush from crane game

personality :

reverie is a deceptively distant person with a stoic yet captivating presence. beautiful, curiously so, perhaps even chillingly. quiet, thoughtful, rarely the first to speak when entering the room. a sharp eye yet a nearly silent tongue, the combination surely draws in one's curiosity. seemingly aloof, perhaps a bit of fear or maybe wise caution. an instinct to hold back and observe. a wise eye. delicate, sensitive perceptions. expressive when inspired and unyieldingly inquisitive. skilled at reading people and conscious of her own limitations, they knows well enough what other's think of them and what obstacles they must overcome to reach their goals. despite their outwardly detached exterior, reverie is an immeasurably caring and selfless individual, putting their own wants and desires ( and even well-being ) aside for those around them. their greatest fear? bringing pain to those they care about. clear and concise when it comes to decision making. goal oriented with ample restraint and boundless self-control. their greatest ambition? to find and live a peaceful life, to do good, and to make a difference for those around them.

appearance :

neat and tidy, in both appearance and words. proper actions, proper order, properly organized. focused, perhaps to a fault. upright posture, poised. perceptive, piercing gaze. the types of eyes that seems to seek the hidden secrets in one's own.

a cold and unapproachable exterior glamoured in gilt. striking beauty, golden bronze basking in an amber sunset. something that draws the eyes of everyone in the room. a quiet confidence. long lashes, set against fox like features. cascades of silken curls, tied casually out of the way. a slender build, waif-like yet graceful. equal parts refined and unsettling.

history :

trigger warning ( mention of bullying, mention of parental death )

reverie's past is not known to many. they were a happy accident. a miracle that neither of their parents expected, nor thought possible. they don't remember much of their parents reverie six when their parents passed, their brother freshly eighteen and now he was the sole guardian of his little sister. he didn’t complain, not once, even though they probably gave him more than enough reasons to.

reverie was eight when the bullying got so bad they could hardly stand it. by nine, they came home crying every day. their brother tried his best to help to alleviate the stress. he comforted them in the only ways he knew how: keep a sharp look, stony face. when they look at you, don't look away. don't let them see you sweat it. reverie took that to heart.

life didn't get much easier, but reverie never let anyone else see how much anything phased them. the whispers continued, and the rumors, but people were fearful to say such things to their face so at least they could feign ignorance to their vicious words. they went off to university and did well enough and got a job as a consultant and rose through the ranks quickly. they didn't want their brother to worry and knew that becoming financially independent would ease any stress that lingered.

they took the position at jojo corp when they were twenty five, thinking they could build some bridges in the community to help both the company and the people. packing up and moving from the city, they settled in the valley with the hopes of making a difference. however, quickly into the position, reverie realized that the corporation had no intention of becoming a part of the community and it's very existence there was antithesis to the heart of the people. they quit their job and started working odd jobs for the business' in the community. after a few years, he got their flower cart up and running.

schedule :

varies by season, varies by year. their home is a spacious studio apartment above the stardrop saloon. it is a simple rooftop apartment that they moved into when they first moved to the valley. reverie spends most of their time at the old community center where they run a flower cart in the little green area next to the center. they share the greenhouse with caroline, helping to tend to the plants there, as well as cultivates gardens around the valley, most notably in the patch outside of the community center, near the bus stop, outside of joja mart, near the caves, etc. each season, their schedule varies. this is based on what flowers bloom in which season as well as what help is needed around town. they may be found volunteering in any shop in town ( the only exception is joja mart / the movie theatre ). most often, they can be found at the community center or pierre's shop. during their free time not spent working/gardening or volunteering, they spend time in the cindersnap forest, secret woods, or on the beach enjoying the fresh air. on rare occasions, reverie may be found in the calico desert visiting sandy. they are never seen at the joja mart.

relationships :

reverie has a very close relationship with her brother and sister in law. they work in the city, although both sometimes travel for work ( her brother is consulted as a veterinarian for the farms in the valley, her sister in law spends time in other cities as well as calico desert for her work in the fashion industry ). both her brother and sister in law are very well liked amongst everyone they meet. she mostly keeps to herself due to having started off on the wrong foot with the community- when she first came in, she worked for morris / joja corp in their management division. immediately upon her arrival, she felt the tension between the company and the local population. she worked to soothe these issues, however she felt a good relationship with the local population was antithesis to the joja mart model. she quit shortly after this realization. she has very few close friends, however she a few of the townspeople developed relationships with her during her time attempting to make a difference in joja corp.

morris is their disgruntled ex-boss. they have a strained relationship with mayor lewis due to him finding them very cold / distant. pierre was skeptical of them at first, however has been more welcoming of them after they left the position at joja corp. caroline took a liking to them right away, despite her closed off exterior, and offered to teach them skills in gardening. reverie enjoys picking flowers to give to evelyn and they often offers linus food they cook since they always makes too much for one person. their sister in law introduced them to sandy, who shares a love of fashion and florals. their friends may refer to her as rev. due to their stoic / frosty exterior, even those that may not think as negatively of them after their leave from joja corp are still unlikely to approach them. during festivals/events, reverie is often seen alone. others rarely speak of them, and when they do, it is often neutrally or positively about their brother/sister in law/transition from joja corp. most of the townspeople know very little of them personally.

gifts - birthday :

loved: ❛ what a wonderful gift. i will cherish it. ❜

liked: ❛ you remembered? thank you. ❜

neutral: ❛ ah, thank you. ❜

disliked: ❛ hmm? oh. ❜

hated: ❛ … ❜

gifts :

loved ❛ this is very kind of you. i won't forget it. ❜ cranberry candy, ice cream. pink cake. solar essence. daffodil. plush from crane game.

liked ❛ thank you for this. ❜ all flowers. all cooked food. all clothing. all art.

neutral ❛ for me? thank you. ❜ coffee / triple shot espresso. alcohol. tea leaves / green tea. anything forged.

disliked ❛ oh? okay.. ❜ furniture. monster items. void items. all minerals.

hated: ❛ … ❜ anything bought at joja mart. joja corp products. trash. scraps.

movies & concessions :

loved: the zuzu city express, the miracle at coldstar ranch. ice cream sandwich. truffle popcorn. stardrop sorbet. star cookie.

liked: wumbus, the brave little sapling. rock candy. sour slimes. cotton candy. cappuccino mouse cake.

neutral: natural wonders. apple slices. jawbreaker. salmon burger. salted peanuts. hummus snack pack.

disliked: journey of the praire king. kale smoothie. black licorice. jasmine tea. fries.

hated: it howls in the rain, mysterium. joja corn. joja cola.

heart events :

two hearts: enter the community center anytime during spring year 1. reverie will be setting up flowers in their floral displays and adjusting the arrangements. when they notice you, they will give you a formal greeting. they explain the business and asks if you are here to buy flowers for anyone special. when you respond by shaking your head no, they offer to help you pick out a nice bouquet when you need one.

four hearts: enter the greenhouse anytime while they are there. reverie is seen tending to various plants and flowers. they don’t seem to notice you at first, but after a few moments they ask if you’re here to tend to the gardens as well. caroline arrives and seems to be continuing a previous conversation with reverie about joja corp, calling them rev. when she notices you, she greets you and offers to teach you how to cultivate a green thumb.

six hearts: enter 2 willow lane between 10am and 12pm during spring year 2. emily and haley will be arguing over some fabric. they notice your arrival and ask your opinion. reverie walks out wearing a edgy modern outfit to which emily and haley take turns styling differently with their fabrics, asking which looks better. you can choose emily’s styling, haley’s styling, or neither styling ( it looks better without ). regardless of the choice, reverie agrees (apparently they mentioned that to the sisters but they hadn’t listened due to the arguing ) and thanks you for speaking up for them.

eight hearts: enter the pelican town between 8am and 10am during summer year 2. reverie is tending the garden outside of the community center, a few junimos bouncing about nearby. reverie notices the spirits don’t run from you and states you must be doing something meaningful to help the community. they explain how they wound up coming to the valley originally working for joja corp and that the junimos came to them while they were attempting to better relations with the community. when they realized the company and morris had no intention of improving things for the local people or ecosystem, they quit their job and opened up the flower shop. they say they are grateful for the junimos and people like caroline who don’t hold their past against them. reverie states that they know they come off as stoic and cold, however the flowers always see them in a warm light. they offer you a flower.

ten hearts: enter the stardrop saloon any night its open anytime after you’ve completed the other heart events. when you enter the stardrop saloon, reverie will be sitting at one of tables off to the side alone. you ask to join them and they agree. you share a drink but when you go to order, gus states the kitchen is out of service. they offer to cook you a meal since they live upstairs. the cutscene changes to rooftop apartment, a rather quaint studio that resides above the saloon. their small, white dog greets you both. reverie states that it was unoccupied for so long before they moved in because no one wanted to deal with the noise from downstairs, but they don’t mind it since it reminds them of the city. they explains how their brother initially recommended they take the job joja corp was offering in the valley since he enjoyed working there and hoped they would to. reverie explains that even though they miss their family, they have made a lot of really good connections and is grateful to everyone for welcoming them in. they make you a random recipe. before you leave, they state you should kiss. you kiss and the cutscene moves to the stars twinkling overhead.

group ten-heart event: reverie does not participate in the group event.

fourteen hearts: exit the farmhouse between 5:30am and 7:30am in spring year 3. you look around the farm for reverie and hear the dog barking. you follow the sound to the shrine for your grandpa. you find reverie exchanging a wilted bouquet for a new one. they state they have been the one up-keeping the flowers at his shrine all along as a way to respect his memory. this automatically gives you 3 points and lights one of the candles on the shrine.

note: if you choose to destroy the community center and replace it with the joja warehouse, there is no way to earn any of reverie’s heart events. community is very important to rev and if you choose the corporation over the community, it will not be possible to trigger any of the heart events in the future or even become their friend.

marriage :

once married, reverie will move into the farmhouse. like other marriage candidates, they will add their own room to the right of the bedroom. they’ll also set up a small studio workshop behind the farmhouse where they’ll sometimes go to admire floral arrangements, play with the puppy, or just enjoy lazy afternoons reading. they may speak to you about different interests they have begun cultivating as they work on finding different passions and seeks a peaceful life. when they leave the farm, its often to go to the community center or greenhouse. on rainy mornings and mornings when reverie stays inside the farmhouse all day, they may offer you coffee or triple shot espresso. on rainy nights, they may offer you dinner: complete breakfast, farmer’s lunch, survival burger, lucky lunch, or fruit salad. on new years’ eve (winter 28), they’ll give you magic rock candy.

quests :

floral arrangement: reverie will randomly request help with an overabundance of floral arrangement orders from the city by bringing them a certain amount of flowers (specific quantity/quality varies) to the flower shop at the community center in the north of pelican town between 6am and 10am. if you walk into pelican town with the items in hand at that time, you will have a cutscene where they are quietly working in a room full of flowers. it is clear the task is too much for one person to handle and reverie is sweating, but does not complain. they will thank you for the delivery. if you offer to help them with the task, you will receive 3x item value and 1 friendship heart. if you do not offer to help, you will receive 50-100 friendship points and 1.5x item value.

fashion assist: in spring of year 2, you will receive a letter from reverie requesting 10 pieces of wool by summer year 2 to assist with her sister in law’s upcoming fashion project. completing this quest will reward the farmer with 1000g and a limited piece of prismatic clothing as a thank you.

#ooc.#long stardew wiki for rev #reverie eden #tw // bullying #tw // parental death

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umbracirrus · 21 days

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Look at these idiots. They're holding hands. I just didn't wanna draw said hands.

As with previous OC sketches, details about them are under the read more. There's a lot of overlap because, obviously, Edwyn and Ingja are a couple.

Edwyn Verne

Edwyn never felt the strongest of ties to his homeland of High Rock. He had no family so to speak of, and never really had the confidence to settle down anywhere for long. It was just him, his handful of books, and his conjurations for company and had been that way since he was a young teen... but even then, he had difficulty controlling the conjurations.

Once the Great War was over, just as he reached adulthood, he decided to try and hone his magic, and ventured over the border into Skyrim, to join the College of Winterhold. His studies were going incredibly well after just a few months there, and he had made extensive progress in taming his wolf familiar, Spectre. But one day, a little rabbit interrupted them, sending Spectre crazy as he began to chase the creature - unfortunately injuring Ingja, who had been out hunting in the frozen lands around Winterhold, in the process.

After helping to return the injured Ingja to Winterhold, she begrudgingly offers to thank him with a drink at the inn. One drink turned to two, and a night out in thanks turns to numerous nights out, and even a few days, as a curiosity in magic had been ignited in her and he had offered to teach her.

He falls for her hard over those few month - just as she did for him. Unfortunately, their first kiss gets disturbed by her brother, and Edwyn ends up with a bounty on his head for 'clearly controlling Ingja with his foul magic', when he didn't know an ounce of illusion magic - not that her family knew or cared for the differences between the schools of magic, it was all the same for them.

But that doesn't deter them from seeing each other. Or running away from Winterhold together, for that matter. Or getting married and even having a child, their beloved daugher Elyse.

They find themselves in High Rock once more, and he takes on various teaching positions to try and earn money whilst Ingja takes on more dangerous tasks as a hunter and mercenary for hire. He would constantly fret about her any time that she was gone for more than a day, though always hid his worry from the ever-curious Elyse, and would relish in the relief whenever she would return home.

As soon as they had enough money to do so, the family moved to somewhere more stable - Chorrol. Life almost seemed perfect... until the love of his life began to fade away before his eyes.

Ingja Frosthand

Ingja had always been taught never to interact with and never trust the mages in the College, and she had no reason not to believe that. Unless it came from her mother, who always seemed to have a bone to pick with her and only seemed to care about her younger brother. She only really cared about what her father thought on matters though, and that was what he believed.

One of her favourite pasttimes had always been hunting from as soon as she was taught to wield a bow, which even in spite of the lands around Winterhold being sparce, she could easily spend days upon days exploring the environment and making sure that her family could eat well for a time. On one of her hunting trips, following an argument with her mother, she ends up getting injured as a result of Edwyn's experiments with his conjurations. He helped her return to Winterhold, and though it went against every instinct in her body, because he was a mage, she offered to buy him a drink in thanks.

Much to her surprise... she realises that Edwyn, and in turn the mages in the College, were just as much people as she and the other residents of Winterhold were. And she found his clumsiness and enthusiasm to be endearing... and she fell in love with him after asking him to teach her how to use magic herself. On the day that she finally created a flame with his tutelage, she couldn't help but pull him in for a kiss... just for her brother to witness it, freak out, and run to tell her parents.

Enraged that her father had the gall to get a bounty placed on Edwyn's head, and to ground her in spite of her being an adult in her own right whilst also planning to have her sent away from Winterhold to distance her from Edwyn, she manages to earn her way into the College before planning to run away with Edwyn so that they could be together.

Putting Winterhold behind her for Edwyn was one of the few reckless decisions she knew that she would never regret, especially from the moment she held their daughter in her arms for the first time. She only returned to Winterhold after thirteen years, Elyse in tow, on the day of her father's funeral. Edwyn kept himself hidden away in Windhelm on that day on her request, knowing full well that the bounty had never been removed from his head.

Though life was incredibly unstable whilst Elyse was young, her jobs putting her into increasingly dangerous situations, the day that she and Edwyn paid for a house of their own in Chorrol was enough to make her cry because she no longer needed to put herself in danger. She actually picked up some hobbies, like alchemy and baking, but never put down her bow... at least until her bones grew weary and weak, before she fell into death's grasp.

To say that she was horrified when her daughter appeared in Sovngarde saying that she was Dragonborn, and there to defeat Alduin, was an understatement.

#meg has done some drawing #skyrim oc edwyn #skyrim oc ingja #unhappy with edwyn's hair but I'm hoping adding colour will help with that.....#i've drawn them at a point in their lives where they've just about started settling down in chorrol? so they're like. early thirties?#about the time where elyse was just about a teenager or thereabouts.#elyse has the same facial features as ingja whereas almost everything else comes from edwyn because fuck the lore #if i had to pick on the spot a part of tes lore that I would get rid of it would be that 'notes on racial phylogeny' book #anyway! these two fuckers!!! they're very in love!!! they make their daughter cringe with how sappy they get with each other #edwyn is freezing cold. he is wearing a shirt which covers his neck and at least two sets of robes.#whereas ingja is just like 'let me just roll up my sleeves to cool down'.#they have vastly different temperature tolerances but he loves his ice cube of a wife and she loves her boiling hot husband #was going to draw the whiterun guard squad but not arsed at this point of the day now!!!! might even leave them be for a time.....#whoops forgot ingja's info added that in now....

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strawwritesfic · 2 years

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Loki Laufeyson x Midgardian!Reader: Firecracker

Summary: Thank Odin he’s only had the one brother and two parents to deal with, that’s all Loki can say.

Rating/Warnings/Tags: All (Domestic Fluff; Big Family; American!Reader; Fourth of July; Post-Avengers (2012); child antics; not canon compliant)

Challenge: “120 Bits of Random” challenge by SugarLandBabyGirl on Lunaescence Archives.

Tag List: @imaginesfire

Firecracker

Loki never really felt like he fully grasped the concept of “family.” His one on Asgard seemed intent only on distant judgment; his one on Earth was tentative at best and belligerent at worst–or so he assumed. Whenever the subject of visiting yours got brought up, he tried his best to dissuade you. This plan worked fine, all through Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter. But when the summer after he moved in with you rolled around, you put your foot down.

“We’re going for the Fourth of July,” you announced, before holding your hand up to silence his protests. “No buts.”

It cost him quite a bit of effort, but Loki managed to prevent himself from reminding you that he was a prince and therefore he could voice as many buts as he wanted. He thought it best to go along with your plans for the time being. Maybe it was just morbid curiosity as to how the families of mortals worked. Perhaps they were more supportive than those on Asgard.

“So you’re the alien freak that destroyed half the country and got our little [Name] stuck in Manhattan,” your father said upon meeting him.

Loki shook your father’s hand, then resigned himself to an unpleasant weekend of loud barbecues. Try as you might to coax him into joining the “fun” over the next forty-eight hours, it never took long for one of your several aunts, uncles, siblings, or cousins to make some remark about him and drive Loki back into terse silence.

It didn’t matter what he did. If he tried dressing more casually, he was trying too hard. If he actually got up to help cook, he ruined the food correctly. If he sat down to play a game, he was obviously going to cheat. By the time the actual holiday itself rolled around, Loki could manage only acidic glowers in your direction while looking forward to finally going home.

As the night fell and the sky darkened, the taunting stopped. He seemed to be ignored rather than derided. Loki didn’t mind. This behavior was an improvement as far as he was concerned. Just to make doubly sure he would be left alone, however, he settled himself at the now-empty picnic table to grumble to himself.

He had only just got started when a small child ran up to him. She stared at him for a good long while. Loki stared back. This one might have been one of your nieces, he supposed, but she looked the exact same as the other eight Midgardian children running rampant through the backyard.

He scowled in the hopes that would get her to go away. It did not.

“What do you want?” he asked testily.

The child did not answer. She simply held out one of the items passed out to everyone earlier in the evening. When it became clear that she wanted him to take the object, he did so with a roll of his eyes. “Lovely. A stick. Thank you ever so much.”

“Loki?” His eyes flicked up to see you watching with concern. “What are you doing?”

Talking, he wanted to answer. Was that a problem now, too?

But too late. The girl had grabbed his hand when he wasn’t looking. The instinct to smack her momentarily threatened to overwhelm him. Had this been Asgard, she might have been a tiny spy capable of injuring him. Given that this was Midgard, however, she probably was just a child, and Loki understood enough of the culture to know that hitting children would not make him any friends. Instead, he got up and followed her at a crouch through the surrounding throng.

“Papi!” the girl shouted–her first words spoken around Loki.

Your father heard and turned around, beaming. “Sugar bean!”

As he drew nearer, the girl held out her own stick.

“Ready to light your sparkler, sweetheart?”

She nodded. Your father flicked on the lighter in his hand and pressed the flame into the tip of her stick. It erupted into silver sparks. The girl let go of Loki’s hand and sprinted, giggling, off toward the rest of her peers. He straightened to watch, only to remember just who she had left with in the tense silence that followed.

He swallowed, hardly daring to shift his gaze enough to see your father.

“You, too?” your father asked, looking pointedly at Loki’s sparkler. When Loki did not answer, your father crossed his arms across his chest. “Not sure if giving you a weapon is a good idea, even if Mimi did.”

Was Mimi the girl? Loki had no idea, but suddenly the sparkler in his fingers seemed even stupider than before. He was done trying to impress your father, let alone the rest of your family. His mouth opened to tell your father as much. Before he could speak, a warm hand touched his shoulder. Startled, Loki glanced back to see you standing behind him.

“Come on, Dad. Give him a shot.”

Your father still didn’t look convinced.

“Dad, do you really think I’m such a bad judge of character that I’d date someone capable of setting our get-together on fire?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time you’d gone for the bad boy.”

You appeared somewhat cross for the first time since arriving, or at least the first time while Loki had been watching. It was your turn to fold your arms over your chest.

“Dad, we only came because you told me you missed me and said I could bring Loki. The two of us are kind of item now. If you’re not going to treat him like family, then I’m not going to get to come to family events anymore.”

“But–”

“No buts! I love you, Dad, but I also love Loki. Unless we break up, it’s going to be both of us or none of us from now on.”

Your father’s eyes narrowed in Loki’s direction. Loki, for his part, attempted to wipe his face clean of any emotion.

After several minutes, it must have appeared to your father that you were utterly serious. He let loose a massive breath, then practically ripped the sparkler out of Loki’s hands to light it. When he gave it back, it was only thanks to Loki’s quick reflexes that the fire didn’t strike his shirt.

“Fine,” said your father. “But only because Mimi likes him.”

With that, your father trundled off. Loki frowned after him, still clutching the sparkler in one hand. He was so focused on feeling dislike that he forgot you were there until he felt your arms wrap around him from behind.

“I’m sorry about that,” you whispered. “And for this weekend. Things’ll get better. I promise.”

He twisted so that you could see him raise a single eyebrow. “And if I don’t want to wait for things to get better?”

“Well…”

You cocked your head to one side as you snatched one of his hands. Busy as he was waiting for your response, Loki was taken aback when you began to drag him toward the children. The one from before–Mimi, Loki supposed–brightened at his return and came racing up to hug his legs.

“You’d probably disappoint your biggest fan,” you said.

Mimi shot him an enormous smile, then darted off to rejoin what appeared to be a rousing game of tag. Since Loki’s sparkler had gone out as well, she disappeared quickly into the dark. His chest did feel a little less tight as he wrapped one arm around you and drew you closer to his side.

“I’m not sure that’s really incentive enough for me,” he said. “But…we’ll see.”

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whatgaviiformes · 1 year

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Fic: Skypod (Kerm/M&W Oneshot)

Surprise! Guess who had another one in the wings? Pun intended, you’ll get it in a second, I promise.

So this one is the mash up of Marks & Wings and Kermadec/vox delphini that no one asked for but made too much sense to pass up. A Christmas gift for @gumnut-logic. This is an AU of the AUs which fits in neither series but was fun regardless. Thanks to Tippy @godsliltippy for the M&W help, as this would be my first foray and I asked a lot of questions and I didn’t want to ask Nutty so I could surprise her. Any discrepancies are 100% on me though because two sets of lore is hella hard.

She and I had a good brainstorming session for one more fun idea in the mashup verse, so let me know if that’s something you want. It wouldn’t be until next year though because I’ve learned NOT to give myself unnecessary deadlines.

Characters: Gordon Tracy, Virgil Tracy, Enki

Words: 1.8

Genre: A bit of angst, a bit of whump, there’s a scary moment with a drift net

Also on Ao3 here if you prefer

Marks & Wings here

Kermadec here

Both highly recommended!!

*****

Skypod

Breathing was overrated.

Gordon’s existence proved lungs weren't all they were cracked up to be, since there were times that he didn’t need them at all. Actually he preferred when he was able to swim underwater for more than a few minutes a dive, thank you very much. But in the case of situations where he might need to rely on the air balloons inside his chest, he’d trained his human form to endure seven minutes easily and up to eleven or twelve on a good day.

It was the fragility of his human self that it could be only twelve, and one of the reasons he preferred spending time in his life aquatic.

Much preferred, especially when heaving with his lungs bursting out of his chest.

His brothers' worry fluttered at the edge of his mind, and, granted, Virgil and John were not so used to him nearly drowning of all things, but the exhaustion had hit him deeply. Pacing himself had not been among his priorities during the last series of changes, when as a dolphin he'd been a bit preoccupied with the illegal driftnet reeling him in. Attempting to shimmy free only dug the ropes in further, so he changed into a species of wrasse small enough to wiggle through the net's holes, and then back to a dolphin for the purposes of chasing the moving motor boat. He realized the drift net easily expanded miles in length, and approaching the boat very likely could mean being captured again. With the dark of exhaustion at the edges of his eyes and the presences in the deep showing their curiosity towards him, he desperately needed to find land before he passed out in a fish form where lack of awareness could put him in serious danger, so it was with his human form he crawled ashore.

In his anger, he’d managed to get quite far from the Island, over an argument he barely remembered anymore. Virgil had prioritized some enhancements to One over the ones needed for Four, and he couldn’t quote any of what Virgil had said at the time, but he remembered how he felt about it. Shifting had been an instinct, a deep desire to escape to the place he could never abandon from his heart, even if Virgil had shown where his loyalties were.

It was less a choice and more a feeling, because his heart needed the speed. He imagined it was like his brothers lifting to chase the clouds with a directionless pull to the skies, except his tether was to the waves, and his flight was that of the aerial display towards the sun that returned him to the water. When Gordon needed to run, he swam, and the seascape between the Tonga-Kermadec arc was as much his home as Tracy Island itself.

It was the speed that doomed him; he hadn’t even noticed the net until it was too late.

The fight that sparked his flight through the waves hardly seemed important now that he knew there was illegal fishing happening so close to his home, to the protected, tropical sanctuary many creatures called theirs.

God, he needed to tell Mel. So close to Raoul, she was going to be beyond pissed. And Kayo needed to know; she’d want to run surveillance. Covertly, she might be able to discover the name of the boat, and then she and Lady P could take care of the bastards.

“Dammit!” he shouted, though there was no one around to hear except just the gentle spray of the Pacific at his toes. His fist closed around a rock, its edges made smooth by the pressure of the deep and the roll of tides and the passage of time, and he used it to pull himself further up the beach where his limbs like jelly collapsed around him and his face pressed into the stone while he heaved and wept. The collection of slick rock he found himself on was barely a landmass, but it had been enough for him to climb out of the sea and catch the breath the net had tried to steal away.

He shuddered, remembering the panic, the scratchy ropes of the net pulled taut around his rostrum, digging where his dorsal fin met the cetacean skin of his back. If he’d been anyone other than a shifter, the drag would’ve killed him, would’ve held him under with no hope for air. He’d avoided his human form for fear the change would dig the ropes in further, possibly around his neck considering he’d found himself entangled headfirst, as distracted as he was over Thunderbird Four. He lamented the lack of his hands to untie himself free, but it was too high a risk.

The ropes had loosened as his form shrank, barely to 15 centimeters of blue-lined scales, but still trapped within the tangle, he’d darted between its fibers deeper into the depths until he was free, crying for the porpoises and sea turtles and seabirds and all the life that had met an end ensnared.

He’d been so lucky. Even now, he felt a twinge along the bridge of his nose where he’d been cut, and he swallowed iron.

“Dammit, dammit, dammit!”

The connections he had to his brothers went wild. Though they could not share words; they understood each other’s emotions. Within himself he felt John’s presence in his mind, like the rumble of an undersea volcano, always present though with as much fire hidden deep below the surface. He felt Virgil too, who was like sea waves, buoyant and steady until the storm blew through. Both of them snapped, and he felt his stomach roil at the flood of thought so soon after his physical body had been sent through whiplash of a type no one could truly understand.

“I’m okay,” he tried to send through their bond, but of course, his words couldn’t reach them, and his racing heartbeat found them on his behalf.

They would’ve felt it. As a mammal, his dolphin form would’ve been sending when he felt the spark of fear. They would’ve sensed their connection drop temporarily when he changed into the more reef-dwelling fish, a different form of biology, a different form of communication, and they would’ve been privy to his struggle to shore, his grief for the souls of his fellow life, his turbulent anger towards those who treated their corrupt business with more value than that of the good of their planet.

Perhaps that was why he felt Virgil so strongly trying to connect with him across the distance with a pin on the direction, but not his location. He felt the warmth of his brother’s hug and the brush of his dark feathers, and Gordon knew his brother was coming.

Virgil would always find him.

It was like the spinning of a lighthouse beacon illuminated that he continued to receive concern from across the waves.

Virgil, please, I really am ok.

And then the pattern changed, not from his assurance, but with the presence of another. A softer concern, without the depth of the storm he felt from Virgil, but curious and confused. He’d never received anyone besides his brothers before, and the mind reached him as the gentle flicker of sunlight on the surface of the water. With brightness and reflection, but with a deep understanding of the sea he only felt within himself.

Where? Who are you?

Gordon stumbled into a sitting position on the rocky shore, glancing out among the blue that surrounded him from all sides for the direction of the touch on his mind.

The eyes that met his were cetacean. Familiar in that he now remembered the feeling of them as he raced to shore. This dolphin had seen him shift, and yet was not frightened.

He remembered that very first shift when he was a young boy trying to save another. His heart had hammered with the rush of adrenaline, but it was also the sense of new, of the sea rushing past him in a way he could never dream, having his senses overturned with the vibrations of echolocation and a sharpness of sight below the waters.

The dolphin greeted him as he would another creature of the sea.

He received a flash of the boat.

No! Don’t go near the boat. He wasn’t sure how much of the words his friend would understand. But he at least could send the feeling of peril.

Dangerous boat.

The creature seemed confused by that, confused by the fact he felt Gordon so focused on the surface vehicle when he warned against it.

There would be other ways, and he had no doubt Kayo would come through. They'd get the name. They just needed to do it before more lives were lost.

This was a rescue. Please get away from here, away from it.

Though exhausted, and knowing he had not the strength to shift, he still found himself in the water, sitting where the tide lapped at his waist. The dolphin edged closer, and Gordon saw in the distance a number of others, hovering further away. He felt a low hum of their chorus supporting the one. Supporting him, recognizing him as one with the heart of the sea.

But you’re ours. He felt it not in the words, but in vibrations as though plucked like a harp.

Ours. His breath hitched at the sensation of being among family. Across his back, his mark sparked with the weight of it, and he felt it in every part of his being, through his sense of self while the echoes mapped him and the distant clicks and whistles welcomed him.

“I’m okay, Enki,” he said aloud, their names exchanged in multiple forms of communication. “I have people coming for me.”

Skypod. Enki’s eyes glimmered in acknowledgement.

And it wasn’t until the clouds dispersed into feathers as dark as night that Enki and the others crested over the horizon, away from the direction of the drift net, though he still felt their tug in his core, his mark tingling with the continuing reverb of the new connection.

He couldn’t look away from them, even as Virgil swooped down from above, his boot nearly slipping on the wet rock in his urgency to land and find out what had happened. But he found his footing, and crouched down beside Gordon to hold him close.

“What happened, Gordon?” Virgil searched his face, wiping blood and tears away from his cheeks.

He heard his name from Virgil’s voice merge with the one he’d been given by those of the sea, a whistle that reminded him of the rays of the sun.

“I think I just got adopted by dolphins,” he answered breathlessly, reaching his heart to the sky and sea where it belonged to both. Thank you.

#Gavii Scribit #vox delphini #marks and wings #Gordon Tracy #Enki #Virgil Tracy #we stan dolphins here

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pepperonibread · 7 months

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Love Song for a Comet - update

Last Update. Start from the beginning. read on ao3 or below the line break

Back to playing "I am never going to update this again" and updating it. I have the next chapter written already, but I haven't even attempted to go through and edit it. If you like what I've written feel free to comment and tell me that. I know beggars can't be choosers, but I am honestly in the middle of moving and having trouble finding different work and all I want to do is WRITE my dumb stories and cry.

Sisterly Interventions

In Kiran's eyes, deciphering her brother's intricacies had always been an advantage. From his unwavering determination to his protective instincts, and even his sometimes maddening stubbornness, she believed she knew him inside out. Although they were still relatively young, their bond had remained strong.

There was one thing she had never lost: her ability to sense when things were amiss with Jessie. Actions and expressions spoke volumes for him, not words. By keeping their inner feelings guarded, their father instilled in them the practicality of withholding emotions. Jessie, in particular, had retained this lesson. For both of them, displaying emotion had been taboo, as if sharing their feelings was reserved solely for women – something Kiran found herself somewhat relieved about. Although she had reservations about their father's teachings, she wholeheartedly embraced the idea of always doing what was right for the people they loved.

She could see from her understanding of her brother that something weighed heavily on him. There was no doubt: the director and whatever odd connection there was between him and Jessie. Kiran remained unaware of the intricate details, but was it really a secret given how much time they had spent together? Jessie's demeanor reflected whatever concerns he had about their situation, leaving Kiran to ponder what was truly happening.

Kiran also took pride in her ability to grasp not only her brother's complexities but also Director Qi himself. In addition to his unmistakable intelligence, he possessed an analytical nature, directness, and humility that were evident in his character. Despite his initial indifference, she quickly formed a friendship with him because of these characteristics. She still remembered the first time she approached him, only to receive a curt response: "Do you need something? I'm busy."

Strangely, she was intrigued from the start by the director's reluctance to form a connection, and his preference to keep interactions concise. No probing questions, no delving into her personal life, no judging her - for he had never sought that information. In contrast to everyone else in town who often wanted to pry into her personal affairs, Director Qi maintained a respectful distance. For as long as possible, she seemed determined to keep it that way.

Despite living in a town where curiosity was common, she felt her privacy had been respected by him. It was the absence of any ulterior motives or hidden agendas that made Qi stand out. He was like a rare gem in a place filled with colorful characters and secrets waiting to be uncovered.

When Kiran first saw what was going on between Director Qi and her brother Jessie, she wasn't inclined to get involved. She had lived most of her life believing that individuals were entitled to keep their private affairs to themselves. This was a perspective that still set her apart from the tightly-knit desert community.

Nonetheless, the evidence was too clear to disregard. His brother was dealing with an inner struggle, and it was becoming increasingly apparent as his attitude became more strained. Jessie's daily routine had been disrupted. Every morning, he would depart to teach, return soon after classes finished, and then pass the time in her home, offering only clipped responses to the conversations she and Logan attempted to initiate. During the mornings, he would go for invigorating runs, and in the evenings, he would go on lonely strolls in the desert. To compound the mystery, he had their mother mail them a school paper he had written, a befuddling action that left Kiran wondering its purpose.

Kiran found herself torn. She was determined to intervene, driven by her own stubbornness. Making one final attempt, she cornered Logan in the hallway, begging, "Can you talk to him?" The look of bewilderment on Logan's face reminded her that her husband was in the same boat when it came to expressing feelings, although he would never openly acknowledge it (but she knew it). It was questionable if he was the optimal pick for this task.

Surprisingly, he nodded in agreement and said, "Alright then."

When Logan came back, Kiran was taken aback by his abnormal serenity considering he had been given a black eye by her brother, and thus she knew that their conversation had not gone the way she hoped. It became clear that she could no longer remain on the sidelines. She couldn't avoid getting involved anymore.

The evening was fresh and the air was chill, along with the unmistakable scent of the desert that lingered in Sandrock. A myriad of stars shone brightly against the darkness of the night sky. The faint hum of crickets provided a soothing backdrop.

Kiran paused at the bottom of the stairwell that led to the roof of the research center and took in a deep breath, her mind filled with anxious contemplation. She had no qualms about making her voice heard, but this particular situation made her apprehensive. Her pregnancy added a new level of complexity, making her contemplate her words and actions in recent situations - hormones had a way of making her furious over everything.

The director was hunched over the railing. When Kiran reached the summit of the stairs, he shot her a sideways glance. "Kiran." It was easy to tell he was lost in thought, yet thankfully those days of hastily disregarding her were gone.

"Hey." As Kiran stepped forward, she paused for a second to regain her breath after the stair climb.

The director, however, kept his typical composed and collected attitude. His vision went back to the stars above, and for a split second, it seemed like he was lost in their enormity.

"What's on your mind?" The stillness was punctured when Kiran asked, edging up to the railing and standing next to him. She transferred her weight from one foot to the other, her digits unconsciously making designs on the handrail.

The director released a slow breath, his vision still lingering on the heavens. His voice was steady as he stated, "I assume you're here to talk about Jessie?"

Kiran nodded. "Yes. He's been... off lately. And it's clear that whatever is going on between you two is bothering him."

A distant meteor blazed across the night sky, leaving a short trail of light in its path. The director was mute, his reflections seemingly escaping into the night sky amongst the stars.

The truth that had been hidden away between them was now expressed in the thick air of silence. The night was still and silent aside from the humming of electricity from the building and the passing breeze.

Kiran couldn't help but be sympathetic towards the director. It was strange to see him powerless to express himself, his usual eloquence and assurance nowhere to be found. For an instant, he seemed more human than ever before.

"I can't even begin to grasp whatever is going on between me and Jessie," he stated. His admission lingered, raw and plain.

Kiran blinked in confusion, attempting to make sense of the uncommon openness of a man who had always been so reluctant to express his feelings. The words poured out of her almost without thought, a sincere reaction to what she saw. "I don't believe that."

The director fixed his gaze on her, and Kiran could sense a combination of resignation and relief in his eyes. This time, instead of his usual response of a cutting remark or an effort to change the subject, he said nothing. He let her words remain as if to recognize their accuracy.

Her inquisitiveness drove her to continue, her voice soft yet searching. "You've never been in a situation like this before, have you?"

His answer was as clear-cut as any of his scientific explanations. "No."

Kiran nodded, her understanding deepening. It was like a piece of the puzzle had been put in its rightful place, exposing a side of the director that not many had ever observed. She could not help but feel compassion for him, realizing that matters of the heart could be as mysterious and problematic as any scientific issue he had ever encountered.

Supporting herself on the railing, Kiran joined her hands together and raised her eyes to the starry night sky of the desert. Regardless of the complexities that had arisen between her brother and the director, she wanted him to be aware that he was not alone in this difficulty.

"Remember," she said softly, "I'm here if you need to talk about it. I am his sister."

The director gave a short laugh, his reply had a hint of sarcasm. "Right. That must be one of the 'best friends' aspects you were referring to.

Kiran couldn't stop herself from smirking as she swiveled her head to face him. "I suppose it is," she affirmed. "You may think these things are out of my realm of understanding—"

Before she could go on, the director rolled his eyes and cut her off with a hint of impatience. " Kiran, you married someone who caused a great deal of trouble in this town and the surrounding area not too long ago. It looks like your understanding is rooted in a romantic novel featuring cowboys."

Kiran furrowed her brow, a mix of defensiveness and determination flickering in her eyes. "People change, you know," she insisted, her words carrying a note of conviction. "And you can change too. Get out of your head and accept that love isn't about genetics or whatever."

The director gave a suggestion without any harshness, his tone neutral and non-judgmental. " It is related to neuroscience. There is no correlation between love and evolution."

Although the answer was correct, it only stoked Kiran's fire. She had no clear understanding of the intricacies of the connection between the director and her brother, yet she couldn't remain silent. "You're a bit of an ass," she uttered, her voice laden with a trace of exasperation. "Did you know that?"

Kiran's pointed accusation caused the director to take his eyes off the desert sky and focus them solely on her. His expression was shocked, as if he hadn't expected such an open-minded response. His brows furrowed and his lips formed a tight line, yet Kiran was determined to express her opinion and didn't grant him a chance to reply.

"Jessie never thought he deserved happiness," she asserted passionately, a hint of protective fierceness in her voice. She thought it best to divulge a detail she wasn't certain the director was aware of, in an effort to illuminate her brother's point of view. "His whole life, he attempted to follow in the same direction our father went. Actually, because of that, I think Jessie never even bothered to wonder what his own happiness could be."

Kiran took a brave step forward and gently tapped the director's shoulder, observing him fidget with her touch. Her voice remained firm and steady as she spoke, her words conveying a sense of caution. " If you're planning to ruin this for him, you should prepare to buy a train ticket for him to leave this place." Her eyes pierced his, stressing the gravity of her words.

Initially, the director was surprised, but then his posture changed to one of defiance, and he stood firm, his eyes locked with Kiran's in a determined stance. It was as if they had both momentarily regressed to a childish argument, their stubbornness locking them in a battle of wills.

"You think I'm trying to mess things up for him?" The director's demeanor was tinged with frustration, his own fiery temperament in equal measure to Kiran's. "I'm not the one who's been acting all distant and mysterious. Jessie's been avoiding me, and I don't even know why. If he's unhappy, it's not because of anything I've done."

Kiran's eyes squinted and she moved in closer, not one to shy away from a confrontation. "Maybe you should try talking to him," she shot back, her voice unwavering. "Instead of analyzing everything to death, have a damn conversation. No peculiar love letters, no overthinking, no science lectures."

His jaw tightened, and the director folded his arms across his chest. "I've tried, Kiran. Your brother does not seem to be very enthusiastic about divulging his feelings."

Kiran huffed, her frustration evident. "You're not any better. You both need to stop being so damn stubborn and just be honest with each other."

In a moment of tension, they both stood there, neither of them backing down.

“Fine. How do I do it?”

Kiran was taken by surprise when the director suddenly moved from being defensive to looking genuinely perplexed. She blinked in confusion, as the usually unemotional and analytical man was now requesting advice on how to express his feelings to Jessie.

"What?" Kiran replied, her brows furrowing in disbelief.

The director, looking a bit exasperated, clarified his question. "How do I tell him?"

Kiran shifted her weight from one foot to the other, still somewhat taken aback by the situation. "You just tell him," she offered, her voice laced with a touch of amusement.

The director's agitation was clear as he persisted, "No, like, what do I say?"

Kiran's lips twitched with amusement at the director's earnestness. "You say, 'I care about you, Jessie,' or 'I love you, Jessie,' or 'I think you're really good-looking, Jessie, want to hold hands in the desert forever?'" she quipped.

The director issued a warning, "Kiran," but there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

She offered him an encouraging smile, hoping to provide some reassurance. "It'll be fine," she said gently. "You'll be able to find the words. Just don't make it sound rude or relate it back to evolution or anything."

The director, seemingly still caught in a bit of self-reflection after their earlier exchange, protested, "I'm not rude. And it's neuroscience, not evolution."

Kiran, who was in the process of turning back towards the steps, abruptly twirled around to face him, her expression of mirthful delight accentuated by the arching of her eyebrow. "You kind of are," she stated matter-of-factly, her lips curling into a teasing smile. She gave the director one last wave, then started her way down the stairs, giving him time to reflect on her words and prepare for the discussion that was to come - she held out hope.

#mtas #mtas fanfiction #mtas qi #ahhhhhh

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nyxirrationalstories · 1 year

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Astros

Summary: A chapter of one of my stories (hiatus, saddly) "Gods of War". I just want to post it because is one of my favorite chapters to write and wanted to share here.

Utena´s songs really inspired me to write. I hope one day, continue the story.

youtube

Antiquity, Perfection, Alone in the desert

Ares was wandering along a path, he doesn't remember how he got there but he kept walking. It was a beautiful day without a doubt, it was one of those days where he stopped to see and enjoy from dawn to dusk. It was not something new, he always did it every time he was in Thrace, but he enjoyed a little more being in the company of his children or with Argenis and Athena. And lately the god of war seemed to become a little more tame and even admitted a mistake to the goddess, leaving her puzzled but accepting his apologies, but he still fought with her about some things, for example: Should Argenis see his "uncles"? No, not after Agnes.

Oh Zeus, that damned bastard; Ares knew that his brothers were not guilty (although he is still looking for proof) but it was thanks to them that Argenis was in danger and it was Agnes who paid the consequences, Evan could not cope with the pain of a broken heart and died of sadness. The soldier dies when the reason for the battle comes to an end. After that, Ares took all he could and took everyone to Thrace where Zeus had no power there, he could not enter without permission of the fierce god of war.

Argenis had no consolation, even when he seemed calmer one could see in the boy's eyes the loss of his sister. Evan's death didn't help the little boy much either, the habits he had vanished and the guilt seemed to tear him apart; there was a time when the boy said to them "Lords Ares and Athena".

Oh, the god of war and blood was always filled with pride when his soldiers called him "Lord Ares" but in the mouth of his son… he repudiated it. It was a long talk with the boy and a hug but Ares was beyond angry but Athena convinced him to save his anger, that Zeus would target the boy if Ares attacked or declared his wrath.

Atmosphere, Atom, A Star of Chance

In the distance he saw Athena sitting with Argenis, but she looked different and Argenis looked a little more cheerful and taller, even though he was bent over. Ares hurried a little to get closer, making the aforementioned gods turn in his direction causing Argenis to run to his side and grab his hand, bringing both gods closer and finally he could see why Athena looked different.

That's when he woke up

Ares looked at how Athena and Argenis were curled up, sleeping peacefully, and he couldn't help but smile at the peace that reigned. Without any problem he carried both of them and put them on a bed so they could rest properly, he thought about letting them sleep there alone… but decided to join them, lying down next to Argenis.

Yes, the child of Earth

Argenis was awakened by a big squeeze from both sides, in his desperation he tried to get free and with great difficulty he succeeded. With a grumble he looked at his parents in their arms and went to his room, annoyed at having been awakened so rudely and, without Helios still standing up, what a sacrilege; he wrapped himself in his blankets and went back to sleep, surrendering himself once again to the arms of Morpheus.

Meanwhile, Athena dreamed that she was surrounded in a field of lilies and a few poppies and violets. The goddess looked around her until she saw Ares and Argenis in the distance, the god was sitting with a bundle in his arms, Argenis seemed to observe the bundle with great curiosity and seemed to talk to Ares who responded with a loud laughter making the bundle move…

It is conceived

… and laughed tenderly, raising her little arms to touch Ares' short beard…

The child of philosophy

An instinct made the goddess of wisdom approach them, it was the laughter of the non-existent infant who called her but as she approached everything vanished and Athena woke up. The owl-eyed goddess did not expect that the first thing she saw in the morning was the chest of Ares, nor did she expect to feel how the bloody god embraced her in her sleep. For the first time in her life, she felt her cheeks redden with an embarrassment totally different from the previous ones she had felt before, this was one where Ares' actions… did not bother her, rather, the embrace made her feel safe. She took a deep breath and with a shyness typical of her she returned the hug, it was strange but it didn't make her feel bad.

Egg, perfection originated in a nest.

--- Hey, haven't you noticed that your parents are getting along? --- Enyo looked sideways at the gods of war, who were minding their own business with the people of their respective villages, while Argenis fished peacefully in a small river mouth.

--- They have always done it, in their own way but they have done it --- Enyo snorted at the boy's response and looked askance at the duo who always looked as if they were going to destroy each other --- sometimes I feel that I am in their way --- Enyo looked with some concern at the little boy, I am not a warrior, I am not an adult and I am not even an immortal --- Argenis looked at the heroes that Athena was leading and then looked at the warriors that Ares decided to train. .. he felt like a little ant that at any point would be crushed --- and Zeus hates me… for reasons I guess --- Enio wanted to explain to him but how to explain everything that was happening to someone who was not older than 11 years old? --- But my grandmother Hera liked me, in fact, she gave me a big cape with peacock feathers and I plan to wear it when the village celebrates her --- Enyo folded her arms and made a gesture at the mention of his mother, although when Argenis saw his aunt's bad mood he gave her a seabream.

---You know you don't always buy people with fish? --- Enyo took a bite of the fish while the boy watched in disbelief as she ate it raw --- Neither will you be tender and small, at least until you grow up --- Argenis was a little annoyed with the comment, maybe he was 10 years old but he was not a brute and he understood perfectly well how some things worked --- And when you grow up you will be someone strong enough to possibly go on adventures or join an army.

--- Or soon --- Enyo looked at him for a second, watching as Argenis continued fishing with a calm smile and humming a song unknown to her. When Enyo looked carefully, this was the tenth bucket he filled with fish, big and small, he even had 3 nets ready to use.

--- Hey, Nike --- called the Destroyer of Cities to the goddess of victory --- Could you keep an eye on Argenis, I need to… give some observation to the gods of war --- Nike, a little distrustful, accepted the strange request of that goddess and stood next to the boy.

--- Why does Charon demand coins, what does he want them for? --- Nike did not know how to answer, she believed that not even the very souls and beings that inhabited hades would know.

--- Why do you ask? --- the boy just answered with "nothing else" and began to ask other questions. Some for a purpose and some to throw him off.

Stamen, pistil, a single seed.

Athena looked proudly at her old protégés while Ares looked with some jealousy at some heroes, mainly Diomedes and Heracles. The former for being Athena's favorite hero and the latter for being officially declared as Zeus' favorite son, although there was also a third: Perseus. Argenis loved the story of Perseus and it seemed that the story of Argenis had gone all the way to hades since Perseus had told the boy that he admired his cunning in having deceived Zeus.

Athena did not know how to feel about Aphrodite's visits, being at first as a lover of Ares and now as a loving advisor to both of them. She was also grateful that she had decency in front of Argenis and changed the subject quickly; the bad thing is that Argenis is cunning, curious and stubborn, her cunning, his own curiosity and Ares' stubbornness, may Olympus protect him when he does something stupid.

Yes, the child of Earth

--- So… haven't you started to get… spicy in bed? --- Athena almost choked on some ambrosia, causing her to spit it out and her face to turn red at the comment of the goddess who was smiling with a certain mischievousness --- Already a year together and nothing, I'm surprised that Ares has endured so much.

--- Please, Ares sleeps with anything that has a dress and a vagina --- Aphrodite laughed at the comment of the owl-eyed goddess and her reddened face.

Grow up

--- I know, I know perfectly well --- Athena wiped her face while looking sideways with some anger at the goddess of love --- But, even knowing how he is, he hasn't got himself a mistress, he hasn't even come to visit me --- Was it a claim? It did not seem so, rather it seemed to give some credibility to her argument and suggested something else --- Think about it, they know each other intimately and, by the way, give Argenis a little brother or sister --- Athena felt that with Argenis was enough and the thought of the sexual act… made her nervous.

The child of philosophy

Meanwhile, Enyo and Nike were arguing with Ares about the strange behavior of Argenis, who was keeping all the fish in two large baskets, Hera's blanket, three toys made of fine wood, a dagger given by Ares and a shield made by Hephaestus and Prometheus, a gift from Athena. The Moiras watched silently as the boy prepared for his second feat, never before had they seen up close the deeds of the great heroes.

--- A little fisherman will become a great adventurer --- said the youngest of the three, preparing the obols and drachmas for the little boy --- A great warrior who begins to forge his own legend.

--- And, on the other hand --- The three Morias watched as a tired Ares and Athena entered, ignoring everyone and going into the room --- Really, they are so adorable when they get along --- said Lakessis as she prepared Argenis' dinner.

Then

--- And when they find out what their little boy is planning --- Atropos was cutting threads of life, ending today's threads --- If he survives his adventure, they're going to kill him.

The cool of the night was beginning to get a little stronger. Into the room entered both gods of war; Ares stretched lazily as he laid his cloak on a chair, seconds later he proceeded to lie on the bed face down.

Athena for her part let out a sigh, it had been a somewhat tiring day and she had to admit that she needed to lie down, so she did, lying down on the bed while looking at the ceiling of the room.

The lunar sky, the mercurian sky, the venusian sky.

The brown-haired man turned to his left and managed to see the profile of the goddess.

--- What's wrong with you? ---He asked as he put his hands under the pillow to lean back. --- You've been kind of… distracted --- The female turned to her right, her gray eyes met the amber eyes of the god. Was it so obvious that she wasn't feeling well? She let out a sigh again.

--- Do you think we'll ever be able to fix this? --- He answered the god with another question. Ares didn't bother, but raised his eyebrows at the question. --- Do you think… we could go back to Olympus?

--- I don't know, you're the smart one --- He joked a little, but it only made the goddess frown in annoyance. The brown-haired man tried to be a little more understanding? --- I do not know Athena, Zeus must still be very angry and you know it is very difficult to make him see reason… Remember Prometheus --- The female couldn't help but let out another sigh. Ares knew that this one was different, this one was depressed ---Do you miss Olympus? --- He asked her, the brunette put her hands on her belly and stopped looking at the god to observe the ceiling --- Athena?

--- Yes, I miss it. I know, Zeus is angry… But, I need to know how they are doing, not for Hermes to come and tell us about it. I want to see it with my own eyes, I want to walk the halls again and see my other siblings there --- The god noticed that the woman's tone was melancholic, sad, to tell the truth. --- I know Zeus only wants me to be well, but… sometimes he exaggerates, I mean, I came out of his head as a woman, so he doesn't trust me? O… Could it be something else? --- Athena felt that despite her efforts, her father still viewed her with some caution because of the prophecy that the son of Metis had.

--- I don't think it's distrust --- Ares commented as he pulled his left arm out from under the pillow and stretched it out to put his hand on the goddess'. --- Not for nothing are you her favorite. I think that goes without saying; honestly the only thing I miss about Olympus is seeing my mother --- Athena, who had sent her gaze to the brown-haired man's hand, turned to look at him when he said the last thing, reflecting on her half-brother. Zeus always seemed to behave rather dryly with the god of war, she remembered how her father had declared his disownment in the Trojan War, even she felt sorry for him at the time.

And the goddess of wisdom herself, with the time she had spent with him, knew that none of what she might have been told was true, or at least not the vast majority of it. Just the odd detail. She felt embarrassed by the same.

The free hand she had she placed over the brown one.

The solar sky, the Martian sky, the Jupiterian sky.

Their eyes collided and they stared at each other for several seconds.

--- I'm sorry --- Athena confessed and then broke eye contact with her familiar. Ares lifted his head slightly from the pillow at the words and gestures of the female, smiled without being able to help it, turned to lie on his side, but without taking his hand away from hers --- Do you think that Argenis… still has the idea that we are his parents --- She asked to change the subject. She felt that it was not the time to give explanations about that apology, she still felt embarrassed about it. The god, although amused, tried to answer the new question asked by the female.

--- It is obvious. It is what she longs for the most and it is normal Athena. She needs parents and found in us that --- The voice of the god sounded calm, calm, without any hesitation, as when he led a troop of soldiers to war. Athena, on the other hand, changed her embarrassed countenance to one of concern.

--- But… I'm not even a person who deals with children, I don't know how to be a good mother, or a mother for that matter --- Ares, who for several minutes had been watching the profile of the chestnut, pulled away the hand that cradled the fine hands of the goddess and brought it to her beautiful face, making her turn to look at him.

--- You can learn it Athena. Just as you are capable of leading humans to victory in a war, you can be the mother that little one desires --- Her cheeks had turned slightly red. The brown-haired man brushed one of her strands of hair behind her ear --- Although it may not seem so, you have changed your attitude towards him a lot. And I've seen him happy because you already accept that he calls you "mom" --- maybe Ares was not a good match, but he was a good father and he knew that Athena was trying hard to be a good mother even though she had never shown any taste for children. And even the gods didn't know how to be good parents, it's something to be learned by heart.

--- Do you really think I will be a good mother? --- whispered the goddess

--- I would take it for granted --- replied the god, giving a sincere smile to the woman. She returned the gesture in kind. --- If not, I could teach you princess --- Athena quickly wiped the smile and frowned, picking up a pillow and hitting the god with it. Ares laughed a little and defended himself with his left arm, stopping caressing her beautiful face --- Calm down. I'm not kidding, seriously, I can help you to make it easier for you to deal with the little one --- He commented stopping laughing and Athena hitting him with the pillow. She still looked annoyed. Ares settled back on the bed so that he was in a more comfortable position, but still on his side.

The gray-eyed one did the same and settled herself so that she was facing Ares.

The Saturnian sky, the stellar sky, the sky of motives.

--- Speaking of Argenis, haven't you noticed that he is behaving strangely? --- Asked the god again. Athena looked at him for a few seconds.

--- Have you noticed it too? I've noticed that he's paying a lot of attention to the warriors' training, when before he didn't do that ---Ares raised his eyebrows in surprise --- Besides that… he's fishing too much. I've been trying to think why… but, I still can't find any reason why Argenis should do that --- They could live without human food, ambrosia was their main food and drink, so the boy's overfishing was too strange.

--- Overfishing? Training observation? No, I hadn't noticed that. I have seen him write something on a scroll, but I haven't really looked into it…. Besides that, I've seen him talking to his reflection, as if he was having some kind of conversation or practicing what to say. --- The goddess made an astonished face; Ares took a blanket to cover himself as the coolness of the night was turning cold and soon after covered his companion. --- I've also noticed that he looks in different clothes…. Do you think the same thing is happening to him as to Narcissus? --- Ares sweat coldly at the thought that Argenis could end up like Narcissus without even having grown up.

--- I don't think so. This is different --- She replied as Ares finished covering her --- It's something else, but I still don't know what it is --- Possibly it was that the boy had been influenced by one of his brothers, the last words of Ares pointed to Apollo, but he would have to talk to each of them.

--- I think we should talk to him --- Ares suggested, to which Athena nodded, agreeing with the brown-haired man.

The bull continues on into endless eternity

Both gods of war looked at each other. There was no heavy atmosphere between them, instead, it was a calm one, something that had not happened between them. Athena averted her gaze, she began to see the blanket with which they were both covered…. It wasn't two blankets, it was one.

She was not the only one who noticed it, Ares barely reacted to the closeness that the goddess of wisdom had with him… too close. Maybe only 10, 15 millimeters was what separated them. They blinked a couple of times when their gazes met again, after the third blink they both opened their eyes in surprise.

And the face of both of them looked a little flushed…. They were in the same bed! Just the two of them! without any third party (a.k.a. the compulsive fisherman).

When? How? How could they not have noticed this detail when they were so close to each other?

A single organ system

But at the same time, none of them moved. As if the first one to do so would put an end to the peace they had. There was no candlelight, because they had not lit one when they entered the room. The moonlight had been enough for them to see each other without problems. Athena looked down really ashamed and surprised…. It was strange for her to be so close to Ares without having approached him for a fight.

The god for his part also averted his gaze, but it was to the face of his half-sister, he did not deny that she was beautiful, but it was the first time he saw her in such detail. He also saw how she blinked a few times in a heavy way, maybe Morpheus was already doing his job.

A single prepetual motion machine

They had always hated each other, they always talked about how both gods who represented the same thing could not even see each other. Athena always beat Ares and considered him a brute while Ares bellowed about his wounded pride and raged.

It was something eternal, prepetual and close, then? why did it feel so ephemeral and distant?

Hate gives strength but weakens the soul, it is hard but hollow. Emptiness is to feel it but it is understood to have it. But in them? what was the reason? Broken pride? It made no sense.

Ah, it's an empty movement

--- You should sleep now. Tomorrow we can talk to Argenis. --- He suggested as he brought his hand back to the goddess and caressed her face. Athena's gray eyes looked up to see him. She did not give birth to him and he did not stop. --- Calm down. We will find a way to solve Zeus and you will be able to return to Olympus.

--- Thank you Ares --- She commented and brought her right hand so that she could hold it over the hand of the god that caressed her face. Another sincere smile came from her to her companion --- For accompanying me… And to the moiras, although you could have gone elsewhere. You stayed --- It was true that both of them could have stayed "married" and away from each other but… fate is capricious, sometimes not even the gods can help it.

Yes, it's an empty move

--- We got into this trouble together and we'll get out of it together. --- Maybe it was a reflex action, maybe it was those words of thanks. He didn't know it yet, he had just let himself go; he had approached the goddess of wisdom and kissed her forehead. He stopped caressing her face to embrace her. --- Rest, Athena. You deserve it --- The aforementioned did not push the god of war away. She felt she needed that show of affection, so she just rested her hands on Ares' chest and closed her eyes.

--- Also rest, Ares --- whispered the goddess.

Then

Zeus could not sleep, for some reason he felt restless, something had happened but he did not know what. Hera slept peacefully, without any remorse, making him envy her; he was still annoyed with her for having dealt with the little varmint, even loving him as a grandson of her own blood. What about her other grandchildren? She tricked Semele to death and wanted to kill Dionysus, not to mention the children of Hebe, Hephaestus and the others of Ares.

If he couldn't sleep, neither would that little spawn.

He summoned Morpheus to cause him horrible nightmares but the god only replied that as long as he was awake he could do nothing. So the child is awake? That he really wanted to see.

The sky of the Moon, the Mercurian sky, the sky of Venus.

Argenis mounted Arion, which he had obtained thanks to Prometheus and Momo, (who helped him to trick Copreo into keeping him); and put the things in his little cart and with the lighter things tied to the saddle. He saw his home for the last time, gave a little sigh, and departed.

The night, the stars and the horse were his only company. His thoughts wandered until he saw Cloto in front of him, almost giving a scream that would surely wake his parents, but she was smiling at him.

--- Argenis, what are you going to pay with? Forgetful child --- the moira said in small laughs making the little boy blush at what she said, turning around so he wouldn't give her any more buzz, but he felt in his hand a bag full of coins and looked back at Cloto --- the obols are enough but the drachmas will make him not question --- the young woman winked at him and Argenis only whispered a "thank you very much, I'll be back, I promise" and left.

The sky of the Sun, the Martian sky, the sky of Jupiter.

Zeus looked with great curiosity at that exchange that he did not notice Prometheus who was sitting next to him, just watching the little one who had also managed to deceive the aforementioned… and then Prometheus had an idea.

--- A very peculiar little guy, don't you think? --- Zeus let out a small squeak when he noticed Prometheus, causing the titan to let out a laugh that could be heard in almost all the hall of the gods --- Brave as his father and cunning as his mother, but stubborn as both, something to be feared if that remains when he grows up.

--- They are not his parents, he is a human and that's it --- muttered the king of the gods angrily, clenching his fists on the table where he saw the little one. His countenance, young and beautiful, reflected the repudiation he had for the child not only for bringing Ares and Athena closer together but also for having been deceived by him --- he is an easy mortal to kill --- Prometheus felt he had to act quickly before Zeus saw that he had the perfect opportunity to kill the child when he left Thrace.

--- Or prove that the child is worthless --- Zeus looked attentively at Prometheus, willing to listen to his proposal --- Do you know what he is looking for? --- The king shook his head and turned to look at Argenis --- Remember Orpheus? the same thing but with his sister --- Zeus looked at Prometheus and looked at the boy again --- You only have to make Argenis not find the entrance... --- Zeus covered the titan's mouth and looked at the little one.

--- I already know what to do: I will tell him where the entrance is, as he won't believe me he will take another path and get lost, causing both of my children to hate each other again --- Zeus patted Prometheus on the cheek and went off to "divert" the child. Prometheus could only think that fate, and the related gods, was as mysterious as it was capricious. When Zeus left the room with a triumphant face, Hera entered from the other side with a bad temper.

--- Your husband is not cheating on you --- said Prometheus, already accustomed to Hera's face that always bellowed --- Zeus is not in bed, he is cheating on me again --- and the comment made her calm down a little --- But he wants to get rid of Argenis.

-WHAT?!

the sky of Saturn, the stellar sky, the sky of the motives

--- …. after a river, on the left you will see the entrance to hades --- Argenis looked at him carefully, trying to remember everything Zeus told him --- Now, I know you must be wondering why I helped you.

--- Because we are family and a grandfather helps his grandson --- Argenis smiled at him in a sincere way, making Hera and Prometheus let out an "aww" in the hall of the gods. --- Either that or you are really bored up there and only something new could fill your boredom in an adventure where my chances of dying inside hades are huge causing my early death and a lesson for mortals not to venture out at a young age --- commented Argenis with some seriousness until his tone became lighter --- Or I get stuck up there and start counting souls until my parents realize I am gone --- Zeus scratched his chin a little and looked at Argenis again --- Well, good, nice to have talked to you grandfather and to have solved everything, now I must continue my journey.

--- Why do you do it? Forgive my memory, sometimes I tend to forget things --- the king and the child looked at each other, both analyzing each other as if they were going to reveal something hidden.

--- Agnes, you killed her because of me? see you later, I must go --- sadness flooded the little one but his determination made him move forward, ordering Arion to move, until he disappeared from the king's sight.

the bull continues in the endless eternity

--- I think your grandson is more perceptive than I thought --- confessed Prometheus, he knew the boy was cunning but trusting…. well, he didn't know if trusting was the right word --- Zeus' face is priceless - the titan mocked when he saw the king's face.

--- I'm not going to lie, that was weird --- said Hera as she came out of her little shock caused by the boy's words. --- I thought I was going to give him false directions. Will you help him?

--- He thinks that if he tells him the true path, Argenis will distrust and follow another --- Hera thought for a few seconds about what Prometheus had said until a certain truth came out.

--- But Argenis believes in his heart that Zeus is helping him --- Hera sighed in relief knowing that her grandson was at least going to reach his destination.

Prometheus was not going to deny that the plan of the king of the gods, obviously flawed, was better than his own that could have caused the boy's parents to fight. Best of all, this time Zeus had fooled himself, so he would have no punishment to endure again and Argenis would not be lost.

a single organ system

The titan was known as a do-gooder, civilizing figure, making possible the progress of mankind and trying to equalize man with the gods. Also for having deceived Zeus several times and for having saved him from his punishments. Taking all this into account, it was not surprising that Prometheus was fascinated with the son of Ares and Athena; that is, a human who deceived Zeus and did what he could not: get rid of Zeus' punishment.

Actually, Prometheus adored his creation, loved humans and would give everything for them. So Argenis already had someone on his side. Fate seemed to be preparing him for something that could turn very dark, it only remained to wait and see what fate's plans would be.

a single prepetual motion machine

Love, like hate, is a force that moves mountains, but it is fragile. It also causes all kinds of emotions: it makes you enjoy life, feel and express gratitude, have moments of serenity, feel curious and interested in the world, live with hope, be able to feel pride in a constructive way, have the ability to have fun, find sources of inspiration and maintain our capacity for wonder.

But Love and Hate have a limit, an end: Death.

ah, it is an empty movement

Death, an inevitable change, to stop or avoid it is impossible, no one can. And no one can raise the dead, only the gods can.

But Argenis had faith, he had hope, he was determined to leave the underworld with the soul of his sister and achieve what Orpheus could not.

Yes, it is an empty move, it is

But for that, he would have to convince Hades and Persephone. No matter what it took, he would show Agnes his gratitude and love for all she had done for him.

#Inspired by Utena´s song #Atenea x Ares #Athena x Ares #Ares x Athena #athenares #arenea #aresthena #greek myhtology #original character

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alumort · 9 months

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ao3

Yippeee updated the fic after like half a year LOL

He couldn't recognize where he was, in a bed that wasn't his and surrounded by pale colors. Every move hurt like hell– it was worse when two people hugged him, and his instinct was to try to free himself from their hold.

"It's us, love," a familiar voice said– Neji was there, accompanied by Tenten who had traces of tears on her face. Lee frowned, not quite understanding what was going on.

"Where are we?" was the first thing he asked, finally returning the embrace to his companions. He let a soft kiss on his boyfriend's cheek, noticing how a relaxed smile appeared on his face. "... did something happen?"

"Gaara happened. He almost–" his sister tried to explain, but she couldn't finish her sentence. The door opened and Lee could see a doctor enter in silence with something to eat, and he tilted his head to the side.

"Tsunade's taking care of you. You'll get better in no time, Lee," Neji exclaimed, carefully caressing his cheek, but he could see doubt on the older woman's face even from the bed. "He won't harm you ever again."

Before anyone could say more, the doctor cleared her throat, and the three looked at her with curiosity on their eyes. Or well, at least Lee was curious– his companions seemed more worried than anything.

"... Lee, I regret to inform you this– but your arm and leg will never recover the same mobility they had before," Tsunade said after giving him some food, and seeing his heartbroken expression made her heart hurt. "I'm so sorry..."

"But I am going to be a knight. I– I have to use my whole body for that, or… Or I will die," the cook mumbled, looking around for some reassurance from his companions, some optimism.

The three of them had gloomy looks on their faces, and they all avoided his gaze in silence.

He could feel tears forming on his eyes, yet he tried to hold them and not show any kind of weakness. Noticing that his sister and partner said nothing for a strangely long time, Lee spoke up, his voice barely audible and revealing his sadness with every word.

"Neji, Tenten… Did you know about this?"

His voice broke in the end, and his lips trembled with no sign of stopping. There was no response apart from nothingness, and he felt his heart shattering deep in his chest. Silence said more than a thousand words sometimes, and that's what was happening there.

There was no hope. That red-haired man had ruined any and all dreams he had, and his sister and boyfriend had known all along– soon anger replaced any melancholia in his heart, and Lee didn't even realize that he began raising his voice.

"You knew about this, and you did not say anything! I am never recovering, and you– agh!" Lee exclaimed, moving away as to not see his sister and boyfriend, a frown appearing on his face. "I do not want to see you anymore!"

"Lee, we didn't want to–" Tenten tried to explain, but her brother just scowled, and she could see tears already falling from his eyes.

"I do not care, just leave me alone!"

And so they did, knowing better than to insist when anger took over the cook– he would just get angrier and someone might end up hurt emotionally. It would be better to allow him to calm down before speaking with him again.

Once they were outside of the room, Neji spoke with the doctor, trying to change her mind somehow.

"There must be something you can do–"

"I'm afraid nothing we do will be able to fully heal his injuries, Lord Neji," Tsunade interrupted, looking down in order to not offend the prince. He went on anyways.

"Money is not a problem. Do anything you must," the brunet said, trying to not show his worry through his expression. But his voice and desperation were what made his heart obvious to the world, and his companions quickly realized even if they didn't make any comment on that.

There was silence for a while, and it was obvious that the blonde was trying to think how to answer that– she didn't seem very hopeful of anything, but Lee was strong and he always found ways to go on no matter how hard things got.

He would be able to keep training and maybe even become a knight, just like he had dreamed his whole life. Nothing would change that, or so Neji believed with his whole soul.

"No, my Lord, you don't understand. Lee will never be able to hold a sword properly with one of his hands injured like this– and if he does, his weaker leg will end up killing him in the battlefield. He reminds me of a knight that wanted to fight even after being blinded in one eye," Tsunade exclaimed, denying with her head. "Kakashi felt like he owed the Kingdom protection after most of the other knights died, and so he refused to listen– until he was almost killed again, that's it. His friends had to convince him to stop before actually dying."

Neji vaguely recalled that name, yet it was Tenten who stepped forward to talk.

"Kakashi's still alive? Where is he?" was all she asked, yet the older woman did nothing but sigh.

"He wishes to spend his last days as a farmer alongside Yamato. I don't think he'd like anyone to pester him…" Tsunade said, looking away as she talked. "But he was your dad's friend. He might like to see you again, Tenten… have you heard of the vegetable farm in the woods?"

Their small trip to the Kingdom's outskirts began soon after, using two horses from the castle with Hizashi's permission– otherwise, it would take them ab entire day to go where Tsunade had pointed, and it only took three hours with the animals' help.

They knew they were close as soon as signs with crudely drawn dogs began appearing on the trees, some kind of warning for visitors to be wary; still they went on until reaching a small house, where two men were working under the sun and eight dogs went to bark at them without wasting a single second.

One of the men looked up, moving his silver hair to see who had arrived– and the vegetables on his hands fell almost immediately.

"Tenten? Is that you?" was all he mumbled, approaching the newcomers; his pets moved aside to let him walk, and soon the woman got down from the horse to go towards him with a huge grin on her face.

"You really are alive!" she said, reaching for a hug which was quickly reciprocated. "We thought you were gone too…"

"I had to leave everything behind– I couldn't stand being in town after Gai…"

He didn't need to finish his sentence. It was no secret that their friendship might have been more than that; much, much more.

After their embrace, Kakashi let go of her, looking at her as if he still didn't believe it was her in front of him– just like Tsunade had said, one of his eyes was pale with blindness and had a scar on it, somehow still being in place after whoever had stabbed him with a dagger of sorts.

"Nobody was supposed to know I'm here– who told you?"

"Tsunade did. We need to talk, Kakashi," Neji exclaimed, crossing his arms against his chest.

Without saying anything at all, the unknown brunet served them some warm tea, going to take care of the plants immediately after. Tenten and Neji observed him for a moment before sitting down, deciding not to ask about that– some knights tended to just… become quiet after a particularly hard mission, and that might have been the case with him.

"Yamato was with me when Gai died, and… he doesn't talk much ever since," Kakashi explained, letting out a soft sigh. "It was brutal, kids. Being a knight isn't easy at all."

"Lee wants to become one. Or… wanted to," Tenten said, and she could see curiosity on the older man's healthy eye. "Someone injured him, and now he won't be able to fight. We thought that talking with you might help him."

Kakashi denied with his head, taking a sip from his cup before replying.

"Maa… I'm not sure if I'll be able to help, I'm not good at that…"

"Kakashi, please– Lee is destroyed. He might feel a bit better if you just… talk with him," Neji said, looking at the ground as he talked. "Just showing up might help. He might try to go on anyways, and– his arm and leg will end up killing him. We need your help."

There was a long, long silence, before the older man let out a defeated sigh and spoke once again.

"Will you be able to take care of the farm for a bit while I'm gone, Yamato?" Kakashi asked his friend, who just nodded in silence, doing strange hand signs to communicate with him. "... yes, I'll bring more seeds from the market. Don't worry."

#nejilee #leeneji #neji hyuga #rock lee #tenten #kakashi hatake #tsunade senju

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