OwO what’s this about Alain having an Abra?

Can't sleep so might as well.

There's some au stuff involved, but I'll keep that explanation quick. Basically, I have this au called the ness and tal au, where Alain has Xerneas(Ness) and yveltal (Tal) as siblings (more info here but you don'treally need to know all that to understand this). They're extremely chaotic and i love them

So Alain starts travelling, right. And at some point very early into their journey they run into an abra. Ness and Tal help catch the abra because abras can teleport and that's convenient. The abra is named Ara.

And Ara is a complete theatre kid. His personality can be summed up as "nothing is worth doing if you can't show off while doing it". He wants the glory. He's gonna go the whole nine yards even to do something mundane.

He also has a mega alakazamite. Just, on him. The trio is excited about that, obviously. Its a mega stone! That's what they set out to search for!

Escept the abra isn't letting them take it so- whoops, gonna deal with that later i guess

Ara loves battling. Ara wants to evolve to be stronger, too. But he doesn't want to just evolve. Because simply evolving isn't good enough. Not for him. Its got to be in style.

Alright then.

They battle train him on and off - tms and stuff, charmander evolves into charmeleon, canon, tsme, yada yada yada you know the general stuff. At some point Ara has to switch the mega stone for an everstone so he doesn't accidentally evolve (we're going to run on the assumption that lysandre doesnt know/care about the alakazamite because its more convenient that way)(same goes for the legendaries or you can assume they start keeping their distance or w/e)

So... yeah. Canon's happening. We make it to the league. The lumiose conference! A competition among the strongest trainers in the region!

You know what's a glorious thing to do?

Win the league

You know what's an even more glorious thing to do?

Evolve while winning the league.

And so. SO. THE PLAN BEGINS

Most of the league goes the same way. Alain just sweeps with charizard or metagross. Until the finals. The finals. The biggest battle of them all.

Ash sends out pikachu.

Alain sends out an abra.

Now, of course, this has to be a joke, right. An abra. In league finals.

Okay whatever we can win this but the abra lands a few psychics and its evolving?? Oh shit- and you know what! Kadabra's dex entry says that its psychic powers can give those around it headaches and a headache is definitely not good for battles so now obviously ashs team gets the headaches

I'm not entirely too sure how the battle itself goes. Either we have a lot of switching or a complete arasweep so by the end of it ara is an alakazam (this is the ONLY reason why its the ness and tal au. Ness messed around a little and gave him a little energy boost so he'd be able to evolve without trade)(sidenote, if we do switching, there is 100% going to be a scene where charizard is absolutely gettin beat down but alain doesnt mega evolve her and she FAINTS AND WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON-)

In any case. The final matchup is Ara the newly evolved alakazam vs ash's super cool greninja! And considering the only moves ara has used so far are psychic and protect, and is extremely weak because of the damage he has taken, it should b an easy win for greninja.

Right?

But Ara isn't done yet. He's going to go the whole ten yards. He has his megastone.

Alain whips out his keystone and its mega evolution time baby

(This also checks out. All lysandre wants is the meg evolution energy. The source doesn't matter)

So now its Ara the mega alakazam vs ash's super cool ash-greninja

:3

And you know how ara has used only two moves so far and is extremely low on health

:33

He knows reversal (they can get it in gen6 by transfer from another gen which, by anime logic, is completely fair game)

And this is the only part of the battle for which I've actually run a damage calc, and yes, at low enough health its a guaranteed ohko

So

Arasweep!

He's very silly, you know?

EDIT i forgot to add. Yes the general public is very confused because alakazam are a trade evo. Yes alain is asked abouf that. No he only evil grins and ignores the question. Yes diantha and sycamore figure it out and find it funny. Yes ash is EXTREMELY confused and may end up having a self doubt arc akin to snowbelle city- but we're not dealing with THAT today

Ultima Ex Nobis | ch. XVI

-all rights reserved-

Nessian AU word count: ~2,8k words warnings: mentions of bad mental health, violence summary: Six years into a global pandemic which was caused by a mass fungal infection that turns hosts into zombie-like creatures and makes the whole of Prythian collapse, the former army general Cassian Cadell is tasked with one very special mission – escorting Nesta Archeron, one of the few immune survivors, across a post-apocalyptic Prythian to a group of people of the name L. Their identity  is unknown but they can make an antidote.

masterlist

A shot strikes the hunter behind her — bull’s eye. But it did not come from Cassian’s gun. It came from a red-haired woman with a fierce expression on her face. She is right behind Cassian, jumped forward from behind the corner a second before. “Bull’s eye,” she says with a wicked grin on her face and steps up to Cassian. Nesta is finally able to see her fully. But she does not know her, has never seen her before. Or has she?

She slips out of Briallyn’s hold when the woman lively slumps down behind her. The red-haired woman catches Nesta in her arms, hoisting her up so she won’t fall to the ground as well. Cassian is still rooted to the ground, his heart hammering in his throat, his eyes wide open, hands trembling around his gun.

Another woman enters the scene, blowing a bullet right through the head of the man that holds Eris down and then rushes to aid Azriel. 

The silence that fills the empty school corridors afterwards is almost unreal, almost unbelievable. Nesta shudders, shaking, rocking back and forth, clawing onto the woman that holds her up. Her mouth opens, but no words leave her. Her breaths are ragged, air whooshing in and out of her lungs and then woman squeezes her tightly.

“I…I…th-tha-tha—“

“Gwyn. And you are welcome.” The woman’s— Gwyn’s— voice is almost like a song, soft and gentle in the chaos around them. Nesta manages to glimpse up at her and finally brings out a real thank you. Gwyn smiles in return and when Nesta finally feels steady again she holds herself up and  lets go of Gwyn. “This is my colleague Emerie,” she introduces and points at the woman who helps Eris up from the ground. 

“We are part of the Starfall. Rhysand told us that we should keep an eye on Keir and Briallyn. And when we saw the latter talk to the hunter siblings, Bogge and Naga, we got suspicious,” Emerie explains and straps her gun to her belt again and wipes her palms down her thighs.

“Especially when they suddenly left the security area,” Gwyn adds and Emerie continues and says, “We followed them. And look who they brought us to.” A little smile that does not really reach her eyes appears on her face and she releases a loud breath. “More hunters are on the way. We are going to make sure they don’t get to you. But you need to leave, be quick and don’t leave a trace again.” “What trace?”

Emerie points at Nesta. “She must have had a beeper, a tracker, somewhere. On her clothing or shoes or so. They knew where they had to go. The signal is gone now, has been gone for a few days, so you have a good chance to escape now. But be quick.”

They all nod, thanking them for their help. Stepping over the bodies of the dead infected and hunters, Emerie pushes open the big doors, letting some greyish light fill the inside. She exhales loudly. The rain has cleared a little, now smaller drops fall down onto the wet concrete. 

“Thank you,” Nesta says again, not quite believing everything that has just happened. It feels absolutely surreal and scary. She shudders at the memories of the past minutes, of everything that has happened in this highschool. Her blood runs cold when images of the big fungus being flash in front of her mind, of how helpfless she felt and that Cassian stood there and did nothing. She is not angry, she is…disappointed. Why did he not shoot? Was he afraid to hit her? Was he afraid— “Thank you, Gwyneth Berdara.” Azriel’s deep rumble sounds behind Nesta and she looks over her shoulder. How does he know her full name?

“Nothing to thank me for. I will never forget that you saved my life in Sangravah, Azriel Gomez.” A smile spreads over Gwny’s lips when the young woman inclines her head at Azriel and then catches up with Emerie who already mounts her bike, Gwyn climbing on top of it after her. “Be safe, you lot!” And with that they head off, dashing away in the pouring rain. 

∙ ∙ • ◦ • ◦ ∙ ∙

Cassian is still in shock. Even minutes after they left the building. He is shuddering a little, his head propped up on his hand, his elbow braced on the car door. He stares outside, his gaze empty. Just like his brain. He should have shot. He should have been the one to safe her. He should have killed the hunter. But he couldn’t. Having his gun pointed at Nesta…it brought back all the memories. He feels how his throat constricts, how the back of his mouth starts to ache fiercely, tears burning behind his eyes. Cassian brings a hand up, rubs it over his face and brushes his fingers through his hair, removing the hair tie and ruffling through them. It is too much, the inside of the car feels too narrow. It is almost like he is getting suffocated, like he can’t breathe anymore. He needs to get out, he needs to leave this place. The tension between him and Nesta is almost as dreadful as the memories as he knows he has hurt her. That she is disappointed and sad. That she expected him to act, to do something. But even in the tumult in his head, the chaos created through his actions, it is her voice that calms him, that grounds him. 

“What was this? This being…this huge fungus being?” Nesta asks out of the blue and into the silence of the car. It somehow calms Cassian, her voice does, her presence and even though he knows how much he upset her with what he did — or rather with what he didn’t do— it is her presence that brings him comfort and makes his rapid heart beat slow down a little. He will explain it all to her, hoping she can somehow understand. 

Cassian turns his head, lifts his gaze a little and looks at her. But Nesta does not deign him a look, her gaze is straight forward, focused on Eris, her jaw clenched, her fingers intertwined in her lap. She stares straight ahead almost as if it pains her to look at Cassian. And that hurts, hurts nearly as much as him knowing he was the cause for her disappointment, her sadness. 

“The call this thing…the Rat King.” Eris’s throat sounds dry when he speaks and bringing one hand up, he wipes his palm over his face and inhales. “The Rat King?” Nesta asks in a breathy voice, her tone so unbelievable. She leans forward a little, braces one hand on the arm rest between the two front seats. “What the hell is the Rat King?”

Eris’ inhales, slowly lets his hand move to Azriel’s thigh which he squeezes gently and then he turns his head so he can look at Nesta. “It is a super-organism composed of multiple Stalker, Clicker, and a Bloater that have been connected together. The Cordyceps Virus does that. It can create those super organisms that connects them all.” He swallows thickly before he continues. “It is a phenomenon that was first discovered with real rats. Their tails get intertwined and from then on the start to grow together, they are constrained together.” 

“That’s…gross…” A gloomy grimace spreads over Nesta’s face and she gives her head a shake when goosebumps appear on her skin. The sheer thought of this makes the content of her stomach sour. Her disappointment about Cassian is not forgotten, but right now disgust gains the upper hand. 

“The Rat King is said to possess incredible strength and resilience, so using the Molotov Cocktail was technically the only way to destroy him. I mean I am not surprised you had one on you, Az, but at the same time I am.”

“I made it the other day at the house, thought it wouldn’t be stupid to have one at hand.” There is a small smile on Azriel’s lips. Eris squeezes his thigh once again while averting his gaze from Nesta and looking at his partner for a long moment. Nesta can see the love in his eyes, can see how happy he is too have Azriel, how much he has been longing for him. And this…this makes her sad. She wants to be happy for them, she really does, but she has to look away as tears start to climb into her eyes. For a small moment, when they woke up that morning, she let herself think and hope that her and Cassian could have something like that. That they could be lovers, partners, maybe husband and wife at some point in the future. But she summarises that this was wrong. This thought was stupid, as she now knows that Cassian…well, she doesn’t actually know. Why did he not shoot? Why didn’t he do anything? Was he scared? These thoughts start to cloud her mind once again and Nesta is tired of thinking about them, of pondering about Cassian and everything he did and did not do. She wants to leave her mind, just shut her brain up. “Can we turn on the music?” she asks, a little hint of hope in her voice. Maybe music would help her shut her brain off. Eris inclines his head and opens the glovebox. He fishes out some old CD, blows the dust away and pushes it into the slit of the radio. (bon jovi - you give love a bad name)

She almost rolls her eyes when she hears the song and what it is about, but she does not want to complain nor tell Eris to change to the next tune. She is tired, and has no energy to talk again.

Her chin rests in her palm, her gaze moving to the outside world where it is still raining a little bit. And then she starts thinking…she thinks about many things. She thinks about the high school again. About the time she got her first car, and could finally drive to high school. She wasn’t specifically popular, she also wasn’t an outsider. Nesta was always somewhere in between. She never really fit in anywhere. And she also never really wanted to fit in with one specific group, somehow. Nesta tilts her head. Her eyes follow one small drop sliding down the whole length of the window. She thinks about how she drove her sisters to school. How Feyre always did her homework in the car on the way to school. How they always had to turn because Elain forgot something at home. How— Oh, Elain. Her thoughts wander and she thinks about Eris having to go through the same, not knowing where his brother is. His brother. She wonders if his brother is nearly as old as Eris, or more like her. How old is Eris actually? she then wonders, only realising then that she doesn’t really know much about her companions. In one of their nights in the tent Cassian told her his age, he is quite some years older, but looks rather young for his age and—

She does not want to think about Cassian, so she directs her thoughts back to Eris and…what is his brother’s name? His name is…Lucien. Lu-cien. L—

“Your brother’s name is Lucien!” Nesta blurts out, her head whipping to Eris who startles a little and then turns. “Yes?” he questions, his eyes wide open. “Yes, it is.” “And you said he wanted to become a doctor just like you?”

Eris inclines his head and then furrows his brows. “Has it ever crossed your mind that he might be L?” Saying it out loud sounds odd, but at the same time would make so much sense. It has caught Cassian’s attention, his gaze ping-ponging between Nesta and Eris. 

“You might be onto something, Nesta,” Eris contemplates. “Christ, how did I never think of that.” Awe laces his features when he lets his eyes travel over Nesta and then slowly shakes his head. “That might really be it, Nesta. How was I so blind?” “Well,” Nesta says and shrugs her shoulder. “I heard that most men only think with two brain cells. One is focused on food, the other on…other primal needs.” There is a small smile on her lips, it does not reach her eyes, but it is there. Azriel releases a low chuckle. Eris bits his lower lip, grinning and shaking his head and even Cassian, in his miserable state, can’t avoid the smirk that appears on his lips. Nesta and her feisty mouth.

“Well,” Eris drawls. “I assume you are right.” With this revelation and the new knowledge, Eris fishes out some notebooks and a pencil and starts taking notes and writing things down. Music is still playing in the background while they drive on until they arrive at some sort of trailer park. Nesta only knows these places form the TV, has never been to one in real life. 

This time the men do not go so blindly into it, and rather set out to investigate, their guns in their hands and they make sure no one is there. They search the whole places, securing everything and make out that the place is safe — they are going to stay here over night. Nesta isn't too happy about staying, but they were driving for hours, they all need rest. And amongst other cars and trailers, their car wouldn’t be so noticeable. One could hardly catch them here. The sun starts to set when Eris and Azriel start to carry a few things into a trailer. It is in close proximity to another which Nesta gathers will be hers and Cassian’s. And as much as the tension between them is killing her, she needs him to tell her what is going on. What happened at the high school. She has to know. 

“Are you alright?” Azriel asks when she passes him. “Is this alright. You two and us—“ “It is,” Nesta quickly answers and forces a smile to her lips. “Of course. Good night, and inform us if something is up!” Azriel nods and closes the door behind him, leaving Nesta alone outside with Cassian. He does not turn to look at her, just opens the door to the trailer, climbing up the stairs. Nesta passes the rusted lawn furniture, the garbage cans with rotten items in them. She does not let her thoughts stray to the people who lived here once. There is only one thing on her mind and that is Cassian. She does no longer know if she wants to talk to him, to discuss what has happened. Can’t they just ignore each other for the rest of the night? She knows if they discuss that now she will mostly likely cry. And she does not want to cry. She wants to—

“We need to talk.” Cassian lifts his gaze to her when she closes the door. His eyes red, and one single tears slides down his cheek.

tags: @helhjertet @moonlightazriel @aayo-whatt@crushedcloudsx @brekkershadowsinger  @girasoli-e-sorrisi @ignite-me @swifti-ed @cassiansbigwingspan @burningsnowleopard @headcanonheadcase @banasheefan56 @a-frog-with-a-laptop

Here’s how good STAR WARS fandom has been this last month: I still have half of Queen’s Shadow to read and yet fic still manages to pull me away and distract me with all these wonderful stories! Sometimes happy and sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes just really fascinating worldbuilding, the fandom has been pretty damn amazing this month and I would like to yell about all these feelings the Star Wars fic has given me with everyone. You know how, when you’ve read a good fic, and you get that sated, lazy, warm tingly in your brain feeling because everything is just so good? That was me about a dozen different times this last month, every time I would go on a fic-reading binge and I need to share that with everyone who will listen for at least five minutes. STAR WARS FIC RECS: TIME TRAVEL RECS: ✦ I thought I fought this war alone by stonefreeak, obi-wan & qui-gon & cast, time travel, 3.7k    Obi-Wan is thirteen years old, just about to start learning Ataru from his Master. Obi-Wan is sixty-one years old, dead and one with the Force since four years back. Obi-Wan is both, and neither. ✦ Grave Accents by primeideal, anakin & leia & mace, time travel, 1.5k    In retrospect, Mace decided, it had mostly been Qui-Gon’s fault. He was measured enough not to blame the master for the entire state of affairs; after all, it was not Qui-Gon but chance or the will of the Force that had brought young Leia to Jedha. ✦ The Road Is Made By Walking by the_rck, obi-wan/luke (maybe), time travel, 6.9k    Eventually, it occurred to Obi-Wan that figuring out Luke’s motives might be some sort of test. Simply understanding that it was a test would mean accepting that Luke was a teacher. ✦ Runaway by Fairleigh, luke & shmi, time travel, 1.2k    Shmi Skywalker befriends a boy who has run away from home. PREQUELS RECS: ✦ Master by CJinn, obi-wan & anakin, 27.5k    Obi-Wan Kenobi had always wanted to become a Jedi Knight. What he didn’t expect was to become a Master merely days after his own Master died. Adapting to his new role as the mentor and Master of the quite unusual Padawan Anakin Skywalker became a bumpy road. ✦ Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi by stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin & padme & palpatine & bail & cast, 6.8k wip    By an old Republic law, all members of the Jedi High Council are senators in the Galactic Senate, and can thus be voted in as chancellor. ✦ Am Bushed by SingManyFaces, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & rex, 1.6k    During the war, sometimes special tactics are required to make sure The Team gets the sleep it needs. ✦ A little idle talk of this and that by victoria_p (musesfool), obi-wan & iroh & aang & cast, 4k    On his way to Tatooine with Luke, Obi-Wan makes an unexpected stop for tea in Ba Sing Se. ✦ Ghosts of the Present by randomlyimagine, obi-wan & yoda & caleb & siri & plo & aayla & jedi & cast, 8.2k wip    Every single Jedi killed during Order 66 becomes a Force ghost, often before their bodies even hit the floor. ✦ The First Trial by Raven_Knight, obi-wan & qui-gon, 2k    Accompanied by his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, young Obi-Wan Kenobi undergoes his first trial and rite as a Padawan Learner on the frozen planet of Ilum. ✦ adust by TheFreakWithTheWings, obi-wan & anakin, ~1k    adust: scorched, burned; Obi-Wan had never liked to think of himself as cruel. Practical, yes. Ruthless, sometimes. ✦ untitled by stonefreeak, anakin & ahsoka & yoda & cast, 2.7k    Returning to the Temple seems almost unreal. Despite everything going on in the galaxy, the Temple has always been a point of calm, the eye of the storm. But now when Anakin walks these familiar halls again—his second home, the one not build of sand and stone in the hottest of deserts, and not the one in an upper Coruscant apartment that smells of perfume—it seems as if the very air of it has changed. ✦ Arrival by CJinn, obi-wan & yoda & cast, 2.6k    Little Obi-Wan was only a few days old when he was brought to the Jedi Temple. His arrival caused some confusion among the Jedi. ✦ Trembling Brightness by Pandora151, obi-wan & ahsoka & cast, 2.3k    “I watched you die—twice. And I just can’t go through that again.” ✦ What Should Be by LessAttitudeMoreAltitude, mace & depa, 1.2k    Depa expresses concern about the effect this war is having on her padawan. ✦ The Song in the Soil by Ria Talla (ronia), aayla & quinlan, 3.1k    He had asked her to stay below in the ship, so she wouldn’t know where they were going, and then to wrap the cloth over her eyes before she could get a glimpse of where they’d landed. He always asked. And Aayla never turned down a challenge. ✦ The Lawful by Raven_Knight, obi-wan/satine & bo-katan & cast, NSFW, 4.2k    With the help of Bo-Katan, certain things go a little differently after Obi-Wan Kenobi arrives to rescue Satine from Darth Maul’s clutches. ✦ Don’t Bring a Blaster to a Lightsaber Fight by FireflyFish, obi-wan & anakin & luke & han & rey & dooku & maul & palpatine, 2.9k    a.k.a A Weekly Meetup for Local Force Users OBI-WAN/ANAKIN RECS: ✦ Wish upon a star by Paper_cut, obi-wan/anakin, modern au, 4.3k    Obi-Wan buys a lamp, gets much more than just a genie. ✦ Ashes of the Republic by mewgirl1995, obi-wan/anakin & obi-wan/padme (& some anakin/padme) & luke & leia & ahsoka & cast, nsfw, 96.7k    In the chaos of the fall of the Republic, the Jedi Temple is destroyed, hiding all evidence of what happened there. In order to protect the Chosen One’s children, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala flee into hiding, hoping that they can find Anakin again. Meanwhile, Vader searches for those that he hopes will still be loyal to him and the new Emperor. ✦ The Missing Part by Nightstar269, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, modern au, 36.8k wip    Anakin Skywalker, a student of mechanical engineering, has always felt that his life was lacking something, a feeling that was made much worse with the deaths of his mother first, and of the woman he loved some time later. Still haunted by the pain and heartbreak, he tries to go on with his life as well as he can. When an initiative of the director of the university has the students attending the classes of another degree so as to enrich their knowledge, he will meet someone that will turn his world upside down. ✦ The Devil’s Own by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & cast, regency au, 11.1k wip    Some whisper the Skywalker family is the devil’s own, and no tutors in the area will take on the orphaned Lord, a young man famous for his excessive drinking, riding, and dueling. The townspeople shake their heads at the arrival of the latest tutor, a London scholar out of money and other options, wondering how long it will be before this Kenobi is run out like all the rest. ✦ Sear me pale sun by liv_k, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, bittersweet themes, 9.8k    “So here we are, a failed Jedi, a Sith, and our imminent deaths. I leave it to you to choose how we will meet our demise, whether fighting or doing something else entirely.” ✦ Bedroom Hymns by orphan_account, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, modern au, spanking, bondage, bdsm, d/s, 26.6k wip    Anakin Skywalker is a young student with some kinky interests, and his search for a Dom leads him to Obi-Wan, a former professional. Obi-Wan has retired, but their purely professional kinky relationship changes the lives of both men. How long can they keep it professional? And what happens when they start falling for each other? ✦ Across the Darkness by xpityx, obi-wan/anakin & anakin/padme & rex & cast, 16.2k wip    Obi-Wan knew they had hit the temple’s inner security measures when Anakin went from calm to clutching both Obi-Wan and his lightsaber between one step and the next. ✦ Miasma by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & rex & cody & fives & kix & cast, dark themes, 15.2k wip    Obi-Wan never believed his best friend and lover Anakin would die first. But he has. ✦ Physical Examination of a Submissive by orphan_account, obi-wana/anakin/padme, NSFW, medical kink, d/s, 2.7k    Anakin’s partners want to make sure he’s nice and healthy. ✦ What An Expensive Fate by FromDreamstoEmpires, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW sith!obi-wan, 1.3k    Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at him, “But you like it when I tell you what to do.” He said softly, hand pulling on his curls until Anakin was forced to look at him, “Don’t you, sweetheart?” ✦ Shaak Herding for the Troubled and Lonely by protos_metazu_ison (larkspyt), obi-wan/anakin & anakin/padme & ahsoka, 22.4k wip    Disgraced Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was content to live out the rest of his life as a hermit until the Prime Minister appeared at his door, begging him to attend the Skywalker clan’s annual party. While reluctant to re-enter society, Obi-Wan’s always wanted to meet Anakin Skywalker, the most powerful Force-user in the galaxy. ✦ Things we never said by Gondolin, obi-wan/anakin, ~1k    “Stop lecturing me for ten seconds and think of yourself! I swear you plan to die still lecturing me. Well, you might as well give up now and rest, because I care, I care, I care! And it doesn’t matter how bad a Jedi this makes me.” ✦ To have and to hold by Gondolin, obi-wan/anakin, 1.5k    “Obi-Wan…” he whispers, focusing on that Force signature that shines like a beacon in the endless night of deep space. ✦ baby, put on heart-shaped sunglasses by destiny919, obi-wan/anakin & palpatine, 1.2k    Palpatine: I’d like to talk to Anakin. Obi-Wan, feeding Anakin bon bons while they lay on a plush chaise lounge: Tragic ✦ Soul by Gondolin, obi-wan/anakin, soulmate au, ~1k    Obi-Wan took a deep breath. He should trust the other Knight. He could trust him. He wasn’t a misbehaving child. “Is there a legitimate reason why you won’t accept my help?” ORIGINAL TRILOGY RECS: ✦ No Snowmen on Tatooine by HiNerdsItsCat (HiLarpItsCat), obi-wan & anakin & luke & han & chewbacca, 2.6k    Luke Skywalker spent his entire childhood on a desert planet. He might be a hero of the Rebellion and strong in the Force, but he isn’t handling the freezing temperatures on Hoth well at all. Thirty years earlier, Anakin Skywalker is in the exact same location… and having the exact same problem. REBELS RECS: ✦ Chess Across the Galaxy by ambiguously, hera & thrawn, 2.7k    Thrawn has his favorite opponent in his custody at last, and he has an offer for her. ✦ The Sea Has Ten Thousand Names by ambiguously, kallus/zeb, 2.6k    Living on a new planet is hard when you don’t know the language. SEQUELS RECS: ✦ we are here and it is now by victoria_p (musesfool), anakin & rey & luke, 3.5k    “So either you’re not here or you’re not living,” she says. “I’m definitely here,” he replies, and there’s amusement in his voice. ✦ find your way (back) by glorious_clio, rose & paige, 2.1k    Paige and Rose are separated by five years and not much else. As a unit, they navigate the rise of the First Order on Hays Minor, and their eventual evacuation and separation from their beloved parents. But they trust in each other and in the future. ✦ Flyboys by ambiguously, poe/jacen, nsfw, 18k    Poe Dameron goes to the Academy, learns to fly, and falls in love a lot. As you do. ✦ That’s Not How the Force Works by imaginary_golux, anakin & han & ben, ~1k    Han wakes up as a Force ghost, and decides to go and have a few words with his son. FULL DETAILS + RECS HERE!

Brimstone In My Garden (Chapter 3)

Chapter Three: our hometown’s in the dark

Summary: When he was five years old, Midoriya Izuku went missing. Now, ten years later, he’s one of the top villains, whether he likes it or not. When an attack on UA leads to him encountering his childhood best friend, new possibilities open up for him.

Pairings: todobakudekukiri

Notes: Villain Deku au, will have quite a bit of violence and gore later on, along with implied/referenced child abuse. None of this is appearing just yet, but I’ll warn when it does happen.

I’m sorry this chapter is so late!! Work has been kicking my ass. However this chapter is twice as long to make up for it!

< Chapter One < Chapter Two Chapter Four >

Read it on AO3, or under the cut!

Planning a rescue mission is so much harder than Bakugo thought it would be.

Rushing in is not an option, as much as he'd like it to be. Bakugo has never been one for strategy and planning ahead. He meets his problems head on, with force. His quirk allows him to act like that - he's never faced a problem he couldn't punch his way out of.

Until now, at least.

Despite what many people may think, Bakugo isn’t stupid. Reckless, yes, destructive, sure, impulsive, absolutely, but even he knows his limits.

His former best friend’s life hangs in the balance, here. If Bakugo fucks this up -

He won’t. He's going to rescue Deku, and nothing is going to stop him. Not some weird bird beaked monster, not some teleporting bartender, not some asshole with too many hands. And he's going to do it all on his own. The teachers wouldn't understand, they'd treat Deku like he's just another villain, and his classmates are too likely to let something slip.

So, for the first time in his life - he takes notes. He writes down what he remembers, though it’s not much. Deku was only five when he vanished. His only memories of Deku are fuzzy childhood memories, insubstantial and blurry, flashes of playgrounds and sleepovers, and that one last day. When he’s out of memories, he scours the internet for more information, about Deku, about Regrowth, about the villains that had been with him.

Regrowth has quite the body count. At least nine deaths can be attributed to him, according to the articles Bakugo finds. His victims vary, from criminals to heroes to civilians, but they all have a few things in common. Most are found with flowers growing from their mouths, the roots stretching into the throat, into the lungs in some cases. The cause of death is fairly consistent, as well - infections, for almost every single one. Something in the blood. Severe infections, that should have been the result of some kind of injury or illness, that lead to even worse sepsis, followed by organ failure, and finally, death.

It's theorized he has a growth quirk, which would make sense, based on his name. Very little is known about him, beyond that. He's only been seen briefly, in glimpses, but it's said he wears hoodies and a white mask that covers his face. Bakugo has seen pictures of him, grainy photos from security footage, plastered on TV, warning people. Even in the worst photos, his eyes are clear. They’re a bright, piercing green.

Bakugo has to take a break from reading. When he closes his eyes, he sees the faces of those killed by Regrowth, the glazed looks, the flowers splitting them open, the rotting limbs.

Is there enough of Deku left to even be rescued?

---

Deku gets by.

It's hard, pretending to be fine when he feels like he's being ripped apart, but he's had practice. He's been pretending for two years, after all. What's one more lie?

He digs out the old magazine article, again. Loses himself in daydreams. Maybe he could have gone to UA and been a hero. Maybe he and Kacchan could have become friends there, along with that other boy, Kirishima. His quirk has a lot possibilities, used properly. He's healed himself with it enough - maybe, if he'd been given proper training, he could have learned to heal other people.

He can almost picture it - instead of cutting people open, putting them back together. Repairing broken bones and skinned knees and then giving patients a flower, just for the fun of it.

Eventually, though, reality reasserts itself. Deku's as likely to heal a wound as he is to create a horrible infection that kills whoever he's healing - in fact, the second option is more likely. That's what he's been trained for.

He's never going to be a hero. At this point, he doesn't even deserve to be. He's not the carefree, cheerful child he once was.

Villains don't become heroes, especially villains like him.

He wonders what his next mission might be. Another murder, or maybe for once something that doesn't make him hate himself as much. Then again, the League is lying a bit low for once, letting the press run wild with theories about the USJ attack. They'll strike again soon enough, but Shigaraki is enjoying the chaos.

For now, he’ll enjoy the break, such as it is. He’ll lay low, and hope he doesn’t get dragged into something else.

Mostly, he’ll hope Kacchan stays safe.

----

Breaking into the League Of Villains headquarters is unsettling easy.

Bakugo’s spent about a month doing research, at this point, digging through crack theories and troll rants, trying to find any nuggets of truth buried deep in.

A lot of theories mention an abandoned bar, where a variety of different villains have been spotted, including a bunch that appeared during the USJ attack. Most notably, Regrowth has been seen there often. Bakugo finds a series of pictures taken by the security camera nearby. There's massive gaps between photos, months between them at times, but still. Regrowth is a consistent presence here. It's the closest thing Bakugo has to a lead.

He waits for a holiday weekend, a rare opportunity where students are encouraged to go visit their parents. Bakugo's never bothered before, but this weekend he tells his teachers he's going home.

He doesn't.

The bar isn't too far, but it's not close enough to walk, so Bakugo takes the train. His suitcase is only for show, completing his disguise of student visiting his parents. All his supplies are in his backpack, and even then, there's not much. Some rope, first aid supplies…..Bakugo couldn't think of anything that would actually help, with this. His whole plan really hinges on Deku being willing.

Well, there is one person he did ask for help, despite his better judgement - Hatsume Mei. He’d offered to test out some of her weird inventions in exchange for her helping him sneak back into the dorms that night. She’d agreed easily, and he’d left out the part about bringing a second person into the dorms.

The bar is exactly where his notes said it would be, tucked away behind other buildings, the neon sign having gone out a long time ago. The front is crumbling, the windows cracked and dirty. It's not an inviting structure.

Bakugo goes in anyway. The door is locked, but when has a lock ever stopped him? One small explosion and he's in.

It's suspicious, but not enough to make Bakugo go back. Inside is surprisingly nice, plush seats and recently swept floors and clean counters. Sure, everything’s kinda worn out, but it’s obviously been used as an actual bar pretty recently.

The door to the kitchen is locked like the door outside, and Bakugo disposes of it in the same way.

The kitchen is not a kitchen. Bakugo grins upon seeing the hallway ahead of him. Now he's getting somewhere. There's windows in each door, revealing a variety of things - closets, mostly, little storage areas, with some blank bedrooms spread out.

The halls are long and twisting. Bakugo starts getting discouraged when he turns down a hall and, for the fourth time, is greeted by the exact same view he was greeted with the last three turns.

He turns a fifth time and sees a shadow at the end of the hall.

Picking up speed, still aiming for silence, he darts down the hall. This one goes in two directions, and he thinks he sees a flash of black hair turning towards the right. He practically sprints after it, following it down a few halls, until it suddenly vanishes.

It's then that he realizes he has no idea where he is. There’s two ways for him to go forward, one way to go back, and he has no idea how to backtrack.

One direction is a dead end, with just a door at the end, so he decides to check that first. The door is locked - of course - so he gives a quick knock, to see if anyone’s inside.

No response. That’s fine by him. The door breaks easily, crumbling under the explosions.

---

When Deku hears the doorknob rattle, he hides.

It’s not a conscious plan, really, more something he does on instinct. The door is locked, but that rarely stops people from bursting in. Within seconds he’s hidden under the bed, watching the legs of whoever’s decided to come in. He can tell every league member apart by their shoes alone.

….Except he doesn’t recognize the pair he’s currently looking at. They’re a pair of plain black sneakers, well worn but still in good shape. The only person who ever wears sneakers is Dabi and his have some distinct burn marks on them.

“Fuck,” the person says.

Deku pokes his head out from under the bed, just far enough to look, not enough to be seen, only to be greeted with -

“Kacchan?”

Kacchan whirls around, looking for the source of the voice. Sheepishly, Deku crawls out from under the bed.

“What are you doing down th-”

“You can't be here!” Deku nearly shouts, interrupting him, before realizing how loud he's being. “What am I doing? No, what are you doing?”

Kacchan glares at him.

“You can't be here,” Deku repeats, standing up.

“And why not?”

“Because - why are you even here in the first place?”

“I’m here to rescue you, you idiot!”

Deku stares at him, unsure of how to even react. “You - I - You can’t. I’m a villain, Kacchan.”

Kacchan’s determined glare starts to slide off. “What, do you like being here?” he scoffs, gesturing at the room around him, the gray walls and lack of any personal touches.

“I’m -”

“You always said you wanted to be a hero,” Kacchan continues, balling his hands into fists. “So what, you changed your mind? You wanna hurt people now or something?”

Deku flinches. He wants nothing more than to sink into the floor, but Kacchan keeps going. “If you do, then fine, I’ll leave. But if you don’t - why the hell are you arguing with me? I’m trying to help you!”

“You could die trying to help me!” Deku says, digging his hands into his hair. “Did you even think this through? What if I did wanna hurt people?”

“So you admit -”

“Listen to me! If I was a proper villain - you’d be dead!”

“But I’m not, and you’re not,” Kacchan says, like that solves anything. “You’re not, and now you can leave.”

“I can’t,” Deku says, some of the tension leaving him, replaced with exhaustion. “It’s not that simple.”

“It could be,” Kacchan says. “What’s stopping you?”

“I don’t deserve it! I’ve done some awful stuff -” and here he can see Kacchan looking away awkwardly, like he knows what Deku’s done and is rethinking things a little, good - “I’ve killed people and hurt people and ruined lives and - I’m not the Deku you remember.” He grabs onto his arm, a half hearted hug. “I’m not Deku at all. I’m Regrowth.”

Kacchan is silent. Deku doesn’t dare look at him. He can’t pretend he’s not tempted by Kacchan’s offer, but he knows he can’t accept it.

“If you’re really such a horrible person, then why’d you let me and Kirishima live?”

“I -” he doesn’t have a reply to that. Kacchan, for once, does have a point there.

But that doesn’t erase everything else. It doesn’t erase the dead bodies Deku sees when he closes his eyes. “I’m still a villain. Villains don’t get happy endings.”

“You’re being a dumbass,” Kacchan says, interrupting the uncomfortable silence. “You know what I think? I think you’re scared. Which I should’ve expected, but also, stop being a self sacrificing little shit and let me fucking help you.”

“I’m being a dumbass? You’re the one -”

“Shh!” Kacchan says suddenly, moving to put a hand over Deku’s mouth, though Deku quickly knocks it away. “I think I hear something.” He moves away from Deku and pokes his head out the door.

“But -”

“Do you wanna leave or not?” he asks, turning suddenly. “Yes or no.”

“I -”

“Yes or no.”

“Yes,” Deku admits.

“Good,” Kacchan says.

Something hits Deku in the head, something heavy, and before he has the chance to try and figure out what it is, the world goes black.

speak now or forever hold your peace

For @lovelunarchron, whose support and commentary has encouraged me to keep writing over the years. LLC, I know I haven't written Cresswell in ages, so here is something that I hope you'll like.

Please note that modern AUs of the soap opera brand are not my forte.

(Read on FFN or AO3 if that’s more your jam!)

Carswell Thorne had screwed up.

Well, that was nothing new. He screwed up all the time, and almost never paid the consequences. It was part of what made him a good businessman: the ability to slither out of a jam that might ruin his reputation or worse, funnel money out of his wallet rather than in.

But this time was different. Carswell Thorne had screwed up something precious. And for maybe the first time in his life, he wanted to fix it.

"Come on," he muttered, pressing the doorbell for the seventeenth time in a row. The way through the city to Cinder's apartment was so deeply fixed in that part of his brain that turned to her in disasters big and small - when he was too drunk to drive, when he'd failed to impress one venture capitalist or another - that he'd come here almost without thinking. How many times had he shown up in the middle of the night with a bloody nose and a sheepish smile to camp out on her couch? "Come on, Cinder, open up -"

"All RIGHT!" came a muffled bellow from inside the apartment. "By the fish, SHUT UP! I'm coming!"

Thorne grinned and stood a little straighter, adjusting his pilot's jacket snugly over his shoulders. There was Cinder that he knew. He hadn't known how much he'd missed her until he heard her voice.

She was one of Cress's closest friends. She would know what to do. And even if she boxed his ears for what a douche he'd been - well, he would deserve it, wouldn't he?

Footsteps thudded through the apartment, the heavy gait of someone used to wearing work boots. "All right," someone growled, "whatever idiot is here at five in the goddamn morning is going to -"

The door swung open, and Linh Cinder stood there in worn shorts and an oversized T-shirt, a familiar sarcastic angle to her brows. When she saw who'd woken her up, the annoyance vanished from her face, replaced with astonishment.

Awkwardly, Thorne gestured at his face with both hands. "Something on my chin? Sauce, maybe?"

"You asshole," she said, and threw her arms around him. And then they were hugging and laughing and somehow he ended up on the other side of the door, which she kicked shut with her bare foot.

Then she pulled back and slugged him hard in the shoulder, through the jacket. Thorne yelped and clutched his arm.

"Jeez, what have you been lifting?"

"Two years, Thorne! Two years of - of cryptic postcards and weird emails where none of us have any idea what you're doing or why you left and now you come back at the crack of fucking dawn and all you can say is 'sauce on my chin’?” She threw up her hands. "What the hell!"

He winced. "I know. I messed up. I'm sorry."

"I know you are," she grumbled. "But I'm not the one who needs to hear th…" Her eyes widened. "Shit. Thorne, you have to go."

He blinked. "But I just got here."

"Yeah, and as usual you couldn't have picked a worse moment to show up. Go and come back at a more reasonable time like, oh, I don't know, noon?" Cinder yanked the door open again and tried to shoo him through it. "Go!"

"But why-"

"What's going on?" said a sleepy voice.

Thorne sucked in a breath and glanced into the shadowy apartment. Beside him, Cinder slumped, letting the door fall shut.

"That's why."

Cress was leaning in Cinder's darkened bedroom doorway, her nightgown slipping off one shoulder. She was yawning, rubbing at her eyes with the heel of her hand, and he remembered guiltily that it was in fact five A.M., even as he itched to back out through that door and disappear for another two years. However long it would take Cress to forget that he'd left her, that she had ever loved him at all.

But then Cress's hand fell away from her face and she squinted through the gloom at Cinder and Thorne standing by the front door. Recognition flashed and faded in her eyes. She froze.

Thorne swallowed. "Hey, Cress."

Emotions chased each other across her face like frightened rabbits. She opened her mouth, shook her head slightly, and closed it again.

"This," Cinder muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose, "is why you call ahead."

"Ah." An awkward pause, before Thorne said in a strangled voice, "Sleepover?"

"Yeah."

Another silence as Cress stared stricken at Thorne and his eyes darted around the apartment to avoid meeting her gaze. Between them, Cinder looked as though she'd rather take a wrench to her prosthetic hand than be in this position.

Finally she asked Cress, "Do you want me to make him leave?"

Cress shook her head.

"Do you want me to punch him, at least?"

"No," Cress whispered.

"Fine," said Cinder. "Then I guess I'll leave you to work things out because someone" - this with a scathing look at Thorne - "didn't stick around long enough to work it out before. Cress, feel free to boot him out at any time."

With that, Cinder turned and marched back into her bedroom.

And then they were alone.

"Where have you been?" Cress said softly.

Thorne glanced up at her. She was watching him steadily through the gloom. At some point in the past two years, she'd shorn off her tangle of blonde hair, leaving it to curl around her chin. He wished it were still his place to tell her how much it suited her. The nightgown left her legs bare down from the knee, duckfeet and all, a sight that made him swallow.

She had never been afraid of him. There had been a time when she'd been shy, almost as painfully awkward as he felt right now, but she had walked fearlessly into love without breaking stride, and pulled him bumbling along with her.

Until Thorne had begun chafing against the feeling of being tethered, and disappeared with his piloting license and a hasty international business plan. Until he'd left her with a stiff farewell and a series of impersonal postcards to remember him by.

He cleared his throat. "A bit of everywhere." And forced a laugh. "You should have seen the kind of crazy drinks they served in Vienna - goat balls, I think. And all the stray cats would have broken your - "

Her eyes shone briefly with pain, and he stumbled over the words.

"- h-heart."

Cress had never been afraid of love, had embraced it with all the joy and pain and peace and chaos it brought to her heart. But he'd been terrified of it. Of her. Of the power they had over him, together.

But maybe this time - maybe now it would be different. Maybe if he showed her the person he'd become, how much he'd agonized over that last goodbye, maybe they could start again, and this time he would do it right.

He would be worthy of her.

"What about you?" he asked, finally meeting her eyes. "What have you been doing?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Same old, I guess."

I miss you, he shouted into the ensuing silence. There was nothing more he wanted to do than sweep her into his arms and spin her, laughing, around the room, bonking his head on all of Cinder's light fixtures, and yet here they were, two people who could barely look at each other. Cress, can we begin again?

But she wasn't listening; she was kneading her hands, rubbing the fingers of her left hand into a fist.

The sight of it tickled unpleasantly at the back of his mind, whispering: something's off … something happened while you were gallivanting around the world … you're too late ...

"Did Cinder tell you everything?" she asked quietly.

"What?" he said, unsettled. "Oh, sure. Of course."

Cress moved as if to rub the sleep from her eyes, but stopped, still clutching her left hand in the right. "It's just … it's been two years, Carswell. Two years and not a word!" Abruptly, she let go and clutched the fabric of her nightgown in both fists. "And it might have been better if you'd just gone, but you just pretended everything was okay and didn't tell me why you left or … or what I did … and you kept sending those stupid postcards!"

Thorne grimaced. "Okay, I admit the postcards were in bad taste. But, Cress - " He swallowed. "I want to ask you - if we could start … over …"

He trailed off. Because he'd finally glimpsed what she'd been trying to hide: on the fourth finger of her left hand, a ring sparkled in the dim hallway.

"Start over?" she echoed. "Just like that?"

Thorne couldn't answer. An icy, leaden weight had dropped through his chest and through his shoes, and it took him a moment to realize that it was the thing that was supposed to beat under his breastbone. The thing that still belonged to her, despite all his attempts to wrest it back.

Did Cinder tell you everything?

"Carswell …" She shook her head, with a small regretful smile. "I think we should at least talk first, don't you? Work through what happened - what you did," she corrected herself. "You have a lot to answer for. I don't know … maybe, in time …"

She was trying to let him off easy, Thorne realized dully, dragging his eyes away from the ring. Maybe in time, she would say, we can be friends again. But it was too late. She had moved on, had found happiness with somebody else … he would spend the rest of his life torturing himself at night, wondering what might have happened if he hadn't been so stupid …

Friendship was impossible. If he had ruined her love for ever, who was to say he wouldn't ruin that, too?

"Yeah, that's fine," he heard himself say distantly.

"Okay," said Cress, smiling. "Could we catch up in the afternoon, though? I have church in a few hours and I kind of need to sleep."

Right - it was Sunday morning, and she would join her Ukrainian Orthodox congregation with ribbons in her hair. Once upon a time, he'd imagined attending with her, shaking hands with her father Dimitriy. But that would never happen. God, he'd thrown it all away -

"No," he said.

She blinked, the smile slipping. "What?"

"No," he repeated, looking at his shoes. "Sorry. I shouldn't have come here. I'll leave you alone."

Cress drew back, brows drawing together in resentment. "Don't do that. Don't flip like that. Why did you come here if not to - to reconcile?"

He waved a hand, feigning nonchalance. "What's the point? All our friends probably will never speak to me again anyway - "

"That's not true," she said, her cheeks reddening with anger. "You haven't spoken to anyone in two years, how do you know what we think of you?"

"I can probably guess." He turned to the door, hating himself, hating the all-too-casual tone of his words. "I'll see you later, Cress."

"Carswell!"

He glanced over his shoulder, chest contracting painfully at the sight of her dishevelled in the nightgown.

"Will you …" She hesitated, appeared to throw one last line of hope. "Will you at least come to the wedding?"

The ring glingted tauntingly on her left hand.

"It would mean a lot to all of us," Cress went on. "Scarlet and Wolf, and Cinder, of course. And Jacin."

And even though he had never known so much regret in his life, he had to raise his eyebrows at that.

"Okay, probably not Jacin," she conceded, awkwardly. "But it would mean a lot to me." She started to wring her hands again, nerves and frustration in every motion. "Will you come?"

"Sure," he said coldly. "Count on it."

Then he stepped into the hallway beyond and let the door swing shut behind him.

That night, he got a text from Cinder:

1000 HOURS, MILLENNIUM GARDENS, MAY 24th.

No caption. No invitation. And by that omission, the message was clear: You can come. Or not. The choice is yours.

Millennium Gardens, Thorne thought, staring down at the phone screen in his hand. The bridal banquet hall with a sprawling orchard and a gazebo that was overrun with flowering vines every summer. A dream come true for Cress.

And then he realized: May 24th.

Two days from now.

He fell back against the wall, finding that his legs would no longer support him.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of the stars …"

Thorne paced in front of the oaken double doors, wrought with ornate designs that were probably meant to signify holy union or eternal soulmateship or some such poppycock. He wrung his hands, and swore under his breath, half-listening as the priest (not officiant, he knew; Cress was Orthodox, and her groom would respect that or they wouldn't be marrying in the first place) began the ceremony.

He paced and paced and paced, ignoring the people milling around him in the grand marble hallway, who kept giving him odd, pitying looks.

He hadn't asked Cinder who the groom was. He was afraid it would be someone he knew, or worse, someone he liked. The stars only knew he'd never imagined marrying her - it felt too domestic, too constraining, too stifling … but he'd never imagined this, either.

And here was his very last chance.

Could he let her go? Could he live with himself, if he ruined this day for her? Cress was a dreamer, a romantic; he might have once found the idea of weddings cheesy and vaguely repugnant, but for her a wedding day was magical, a day for good luck. He shouldn't jinx it by bursting in and proclaiming his love. It was too late for heroics like that.

But he couldn't live with himself knowing he'd walked away, either.

What if there had been a mistake? What if she still loved him?

Thorne tiptoed up to the doors and pressed his ears to the wood:

"Now that the bride and groom have given themselves to each other in solemn vows …"

Wha- Had they skipped the line? They'd skipped it! The priest was supposed to say "Speak now or forever hold your peace" - that was supposed to be his cue! Come to think of it, it was kind of obsolete -

Damn it, he'd been thinking too long!

"I now pronounce you husband and - "

Thorne flung open the doors, the word roaring up out of him.

"STOOOOP!"

There were gasps as heads turned toward him, a crowd of men with gelled-back hair and women with poufy feathery things on their heads. In the front row, Cinder and Iko swivelled around to give him furious, scandalised looks. The priest at the end of the aisle gaped in shock. But Thorne had eyes only for the bride as he jogged up the aisle, his heart hammering in his chest.

"Cress, I'm sorry I left, but I have to tell you that I - love you …"

He stopped halfway up the aisle, the words dying in his mouth.

Cress's jaw had fallen open as though she'd been smacked over the head with a frying pan. And then, impossibly, her face lit up in the most blinding sunlight grin he'd ever seen, her hand bunching in the dark blue fabric of her bridesmaid's dress in a familiar motion.

Next to Cress, at the altar, Scarlet was a vision of fiery hair and white frothy gown, Wolf looming as usual in a groom's tuxedo, staring at Thorne just like everyone else in the room.

Both of them looked ready to murder him.

"You blind fucking idiot," someone hissed in his ear, and then Thorne felt himself yanked aside into one of the pews and forced to sit. Mutters and embarrassed whispers had flooded the church.

"Sorry," Thorne blurted out to no one in particular, when it seemed they weren't going to forget about him and just continue. "Wrong, uh, wrong couple. I mean" - with a nervous smile at Scarlet, who narrowed her eyes - "you are the right couple, perfect for each other, and all. But not … the one I objected to."

"Anyone else?" the priest said helplessly into the silence.

Cress looked away from Thorne, her cheeks pink, biting her lip to keep from smiling.

"I thought she was getting married," Thorne whispered to the man who'd pulled him aside, as the priest finished his sentence and Scarlet and Wolf crashed together in a dizzying kiss. The whole congregation exploded in cheers. In the front row, Iko cupped her hands around her mouth and whooped.

Jacin, who still had a deathgrip on Thorne's wrist as if afraid he'd somehow manage to interrupt what was left of the ceremony, scoffed. "Yes, that's patently obvious. She's Ukrainian Orthodox, remember? They wear their rings on their right ring fingers."

Thorne groaned, tipping his head back. "God, I'm a moron."

"You think?"

But Thorne couldn't bring himself to feel guilty. Cress looked like a blushing flower, glancing back at him even as she was swallowed up by the other bridesmaids and he lost sight of her in the crowd. He'd done it - he'd told her he loved her, that he was sorry. Even if it was in the most ostentatious, dramatic way possible.

"If you ever break her heart again," Jacin muttered through the noise of celebration, "I'll break both your arms."

Thorne patted his knee. "If I ever break her heart again, I'll totally deserve it."

He should have known that it was never too late for those kinds of heroics.