#ONE MORE DAY AND THEN IM GONE FIR GOOD! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

absurdthirst · 3 years

Note

requests open? 👀 can I request a Marcus Pike fanfic where reader and Pike have being tiptoeing around each other for some time (they work together) and it took a while for something to happen because he was insecure and not wanting to jump into anything cause... u know. Traumatized baby. But after they finally get together, it’s been just 3 months but it’s been heaven fir them both and one day she gets offered a better job opportunity like head of a department in FBI but its on the other side of the country, and since Marcus is her boss they offer it for her in front of him. Marcus’ POV he dies inside, certain he is going to lose her too, that he can’t offer to go with her because it would scare her too much but she deadpan says “no thanks, im fine and have good things here” and denies the job offer because she is really invested in their relationship and priorities them over her job, and she is very happy where she is now. Sorry for the novel lmao I just think having somone do something like this for him after Teresa all but called out on him the last second would reduce this man to a tear mess. Thank you ❤️

***Ohhh my soft boyfriend deserves this!!! I don’t know if he would cry, but he damn sure would be more than a little happy.

Next Step

You smile to yourself as you hear Marcus singing in the shower upstairs. He had told you there was a reason he was a bassist in his band and not on vocals. His song was enthusiastic but off key as you scooped the coffee grounds into the coffee maker and switched it on.

It had been three months since you had started dating Marcus. The two of you had been dancing around an obvious attraction for one another for over a year. Not that he had been in any state to get into a relationship when he had come to DC. He was technically in on when he arrived, only to have his heart crushed when his fiancé decided that she was staying in Texas and getting involved with another man.

You had been interested in him from the start. He was funny, polite and God was he sexy. Even when he was obviously going through a rough time, he didn’t take it out on the team. You had gotten to know him over the course of a few cases but he hadn’t asked you out until three months ago after one night working late on a case that was about to be brought before a grand jury. The late night pouring over the case files and making sure all the evidence was airtight had thrown you into each other’s sphere again and again. Until finally he had asked you if you wanted to go get a late dinner.

One dinner had turned into two. Then a movie and then a very sweet night where he had asked you if you wanted to attend the fireworks that happened during the summer at the nation’s capital. That was the first night you had gone home together.

Walking upstairs, you discard your robe on the bed and walk into the bathroom. Watching with amusement as he shimmies in the steam filled shower, his head under the water as he rinses the shampoo from it.

“Can I join you?” Marcus stops moving and opens his eyes, giving you a happy smile.

“The day I say no to you joining me in the shower, have me committed.” He jokes, pushing open the glass shower door to let you in.

Stepping into the hot enclosed space, he immediately pulls you into his arms and leans in to press his lips to yours. “Hmm good morning.” He murmurs, smirking slightly before kissing you softly again.

“Good morning.” It was a good morning. He had woken you up about an hour before, grinding against you and kissing along your shoulder. His intentions were obvious from the very prominent length that was pulsing against your ass. The only way that it could have been better is if you had woken up with him inside you, but you hadn’t had that conversation yet.

“Too bad we don’t have more time to enjoy a shower together.” You tease, making him grin and kiss you again before he pulls away.

“Yeah we have to be at the office early. Director wants to talk to both of us.” Marcus frowns a bit but quickly smiles at you. Neither one of you thought it was because of your relationship. You had informed the director when you had decided to pursue a romantic relationship and had been met with an unconcerned attitude. It was noted in the HR files and that was the end of it.

“You don’t think it has anything to do with the Connley case do you?” You ask as he turns you around so you can be under the shower head. The case that brought you together had finally been brought before a grand jury this week.

He shakes his head. “Nah, we handed them a conviction on a silver platter. If someone messed up it was the AAG.” He opens the glass door and throws you a reassuring look. “It’ll be fine. I’m gonna get dressed and make breakfast.” He winks and grins when you roll your eyes at him.

Marcus’s version of making breakfast was tossing a granola bar at you as both of you were running out the door. Neither one of you mentioned that sleepovers were becoming common. That your dry cleaning was hanging in his closet, or you had conveniently created a space for his clothes at your place. Your travel makeup kit a permanent fixture under his sink. Not acknowledging the second toothbrush in the cups at either house.

Both of you had an unspoken agreement to not talk about those things. You knew why, Marcus was terrified of getting hurt again. The last time had been brutal and you got the feeling that he was just scared of having history repeat itself.

By the time you had dried your hair and gotten dressed, Marcus had your coffee poured for you. Cream and sugar just the way you like it. You take a sip and look at the clock. “Damn, we really need to stop spending so much time in bed in the mornings.”

Marcus tuts, shaking his head. “Hell no. That’s the best part of the day.” He leans in and gives you a lingering kiss, a small smile on his face. “Unless we are counting watching movies on the couch together.”

He loved movies. During the rainy weekends, the two of you would curl up and spend hours on the couch watching some of the older black and white movies. Snuggled together and talking while the the movie played and rain beat against the windows of whichever house you were at. It was also some of your favorite times.

Reluctantly, you pull away. Pecking his lips once more, you take a sip of coffee and stand up to put the cup in the kitchen sink. “We better leave. The Director won’t be happy if we are late.”

You hear him grumble but get up behind you, making you smile when he makes a comment about grabbing breakfast.

****

Marcus feels his heart pullmet down to his feet. He wants to curse the Director for not telling him about this as the head of the Art Department. He should have given him a warning so he could brace himself for another heartbreak.

Realistically, he should have expected it. You were a fantastic agent, something the Bureau desperately needed running the departments around the country. That was why the Director immediate got down to business after the polite good mornings and offered you a position. On the opposite side of the country.

You look over to where he is sitting beside you, shock on your face when the Director spells out why he called you in here. He wants to promote you. Give you your own department to run out in California. It was a big honor, a huge boost to your career. Marcus barely managed to give you a small smile and encouraging nod, even thought he was dying inside.

Just once, he wanted to be in a relationship where someone cared as much as he did. He thought he had found that with you. Instead he was going to sit here and listen to the end of your relationship being announced in front of the Director of the FBI. You had to be excited, hell, if it weren’t for the fact that he was in love with you, he would be excited for you. He knew the feeling, he had experienced it when he had gotten words about heading up this department.

No, it wasn’t fair to be upset, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t follow you. One, he was the head of this department, in the position for two years. Second, he was sure that it would freak you out, giving up his position to follow you. No, this was going to be the end of what was a great relationship, one that he had worked hard to not jump into too fast. To not scare you off by being too eager to dive into commitment.

“Sir, I am honored to be considered for such a promotion.” You tell the Director, making Marcus tense in his chair. Ready fo the axe to fall and for you to accept the job. The next few minutes will be filled with congratulations and Marcus would be expected to tell the Director how well he thought you would do in the role and wish you well. His mouth ran dry at the thought of having to voice that. Shaking your hand like he didn’t love you and giving his official approval to you leaving him.

The inside of his cheek was starting to get raw, worried by the flesh with his teeth as he sat there. His fingers dug into the cushion beneath the leather of his chair and he could swear his heart had skipped about ten different beats as he waited for your next words.

“I’m afraid that I’m going to have to decline sir.” Your words making him jolt in his chair, his head swinging around to give you a startled look.

You don’t look over at him, instead you shift in your chair, your gaze firmly on the very confused Director.

“Agent, you are aware that this is a very good opportunity for you to advance?” The Director asks, looking over at Marcus before glancing back at you. Marcus just sits there, unable to believe that you are turning it down.

“I am very aware sir. However, I am very happy with where I am, the team I am in. There are also personal aspects that prevent me from accepting. While I appreciate the offer and the consideration, I will have to ask that I remain with my current team.” You explain professionally.

Marcus numbly gets to his feet when you do, shaking the Director’s hand again and not even hearing what the man is saying to him before he follows you out of the office. He shakes off the surprise when you are alone in the hallway and cups your elbow, guiding you to his own office a few hallways down without saying a word.

Once his office door is close he turns to you. “What? Why would you give that up?” He asks softly, still unable to believe what happened in there. He doesn’t know how to feel, if he should be overjoyed or upset that you are not taking the position. Selfishly he wants to jump for joy, but what if it isn’t because of your relationship. You have other friends and interests beyond him. “That opportunity doesn’t come around often.”

His heart speeds up when you step closer, just like it always does. Breathing shallowly when you smile at him, reaching up and cupping his cheek.

“You aren’t in California.” Your words make his heart stop before nearly bursting with joy. “I - I know we have been together, dating, whatever for only three months but I feel like there’s something special here.”

Marcus puts his hands on your waist, his eyes searching yours desperately for any hint of a doubt. Any second guesses. Thrilled when he sees nothing that but that calm, warm look you give him. Maybe a little bit more than he had studiously tried to ignore before. “You do?” He croaks out, his voice rough with emotion.

Nodding, you give him a smile. “I do, and I can’t take the next step with you if I’m in California.” You bite your lip, a worried expression clouding your eyes. “Unless I’m misreading, that you don’t-”

“No” He rushes to assure you that isn’t the case at all. “No you didn’t misread. Baby, I - I really want that with you, the next step.”

You look relieved and lean into him, giving him a quick peck on the lips that Marcus swears is better than the first kiss he ever received. “So why don’t we go out to dinner tonight?” You murmur against his lips. “We can discuss what that next step is. I love you Marcus and I’m in this. I want this with you.”

Marcus feels a bit dizzy with the way that his emotions are spinning in his system. His grin is wide and happy as he cups the back of your head. Kissing you once, twice more before lingering over it. “I love you too. Dinner sounds good, as long as we are going home together, I’m good with whatever you want.”

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#pedro pascal #pedro pascal character fanfiction #marcus pike x f!reader #marcus pike x you #marcus pike fanfiction #marcus pike x reader #marcus pike the mentalist

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kacchaneatsass · 3 years

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Ooo, AM prompts you say 👀 What about where a random UA gen ed/business student's quirk is a cloning quirk, BUT it clones a yandere version of the person they touch. Nsfw or sfw 👀👀👀👀

Ifsjhsjshsjsbsbs OOOOOO actually had to age AM DOWN for this one to make it almost Nsfw lmao we dont need studentxteacher stuff in here. Also, SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG IM SO SORRY fir some reason the words didnt want to come out on this one lmao

Also GN! Reader cause theres not actually sekcii times we just get close to it lmao

It was hard enough still not being fully in control of your, albeit dangerous, quirk, but to have accidentally made a duplicate of the up and coming pro hero All Might? That was just downright embarassing.

Though, in hindsight, maybe this version of him would actually pay attention to you.

Not only were you one of the thousands of people across Japan to have a crush on the budding hero, but you had the worst quirk he could have interacted with. Yandere cloning.

Your quirk was simple, really, all you had to do was touch someone and you could create a yandere clone of them, someone who would literally kill for you, and they lasted for 24 hours unless someone else killed them first. When Toshinori Yagi had tapped you on the shoulder, it was totally an accident that you created a clone of said man.

And now here you were, watching as both men stared each other down. “Yagi, let it go. I’ll deal with it.”

“You... cloned me?”

“On accident! I swear! It’ll be gone in 24 hours, and I’ll take care of it till then.” You blubbered, slightly terrified that the man two years your senior would be furious. As a General Education student you never trained your quirk.

“Okay. I trust you.”

Sighing, you nodded at the man and grabbed the arm of your clone, leading the hulking man along. “C’mon. Its almost time to go home.”

The rest of the day was uneventful. That is, until you boarded the train. The original Yagi sat across from you, as he normally did, and you couldnt help the blush that spread across your face. God, you felt like such an idiot.

Clone Yagi leaned over to you, having been silent most of the day. “Does he like you?”

Your blush grew. “No! Not at all!

He huffed, humongous arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you into his lap proudly. A small shriek left you, hands flying up to cover your face. Small kisses peppered your face and if your blush could worsen beyond what it currently was, it did. “Please stop-“

“Why? I love you.”

“No you don’t, you’re a clone.”

He ignored you, instead choosing to tuck his face into your neck and suckle at your skin.

Your hands, dwarfed in comparison to him, reached up to push his face away from you. Most of the time your clones took on the Yandere traits, but never like this, and you had no clue what was going on.

Hands wrapped around your middle again, different ones this time, and yanked you away. “They said stop.”

The real Yagi stood cradling you in his arms, glaring at the clone. Your heart thudded in your chest, eyes wide as your crush protected you.

Before you knew what was going on, you were sat firmly on the ground as the train tipped off its tracks. Both men were now locked in a heated fight, hands around each others necks. A gasp escaped you, knowing your Yagi might be killed at the hands of a clone. As you were able to right yourself again, you along with the rest of the passengers clambered off the train to follow the fight.

Tesrs streamed down your face as you pushed through the crowd, running into the fight with your hands up. “Stop! Stop it!”

Your tiny hands beat on one of the Yagi’s backs, doing absolutely nothing.

As suddenly as it started, the fighting stopped. Both turned to you, eyes wide. “You need to get away from here-“ glares returned as they spoke at the same time, eyes locking again.

Gulping, you blinked to try and clesr the tears from your eyes. “I’m gonna try something.”

Both men stayed silent as you placed a hand on either of their biceps. It was silent for a few moments as your face screwed up in concentration, but after a minute or two the clone of Yagi started to melt away.

He gasped angrily. “But, why? I love you!”

“No, you don’t.”

In moments he was nothing more then a puddle on the ground.

A hand cupped your face, tilting it up to look atthe giant blonde. “Are you okay? That must have been terrifying.”

A blush coated your cheeks again. “I-I’m fine. Its normal. I usually wear quirk cancelling cuffs.”

He smiled, that enormous white smile that almost had you melting. “Let me walk you home.”

“Oh. Okay!”

He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, shouldering you two through the dying crowd. “How was your day regardless?”

You tried your best not to stumble over your words. “It was good. I’m really sorry about that, again. You shouldn’t have had to go through that.”

The two if you approached the front door to your apartment. “Don’t apologize. You were never trained to have control, it was unintentional.”

You nodded solemnly, opening the door. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow Yagi.”

“Wait, (y/n). There’s something I need to tell you.”

Your heart caught in your throat as you turned, eyeing the bulky man warily. “Yes?”

“I-“, he froze, staring down at you. “I really like you.”

You blinked once. Twice. “What?”

“I like you.”

“I like you too.”

A huge grin broke across both of your faces, his arms reaching out to wrap you up into a hug. His lips pressed to your forehead gently as he set you back down.

Your hand shot out, cupping his cheek as you guided his face down to your level. Brushing your lips across his, barely touching, you felt like your heart stopped.

His arms wrapped around your waist, bringing you back in for another kiss, this one much more heated and rough. You took a step backwards, leading the hulk of a man through your doorway and into the hallway. Your parents wouldn’t be home for how many more hours, you had time.

He gasped as you seperated, “are you... is this okay? We can keep going?”

You nodded eagerly, bringing him back in for another gut wrenching kiss.

And you made your way into your bedroom, the door gently closing behind you.

#bnha uncovered #ollie speaks #bnha #bnha x reader #mha #reader insert #mha x reader #all might x reader #all might #toshinori yagi x reader #bnha toshinori #toshinori x reader

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pellucidity-is-me · 3 years

Text

A Plan

Summary: Albus Dumbledore hears of a small boy—Remus Lupin—who was recently bitten by a dangerous werewolf. The boy-turned-werewolf is only five, but Dumbledore has already made the decision that he will someday be enrolled in Hogwarts: a feat which has never been achieved. First chapter from my longer fic (link in blog description)!

Wordcount: 2727

Dumbledore sat in the Hog's Head, trying to avoid the gaze of his furious brother. They never talked now. Dumbledore could understand why, but it did feel a bit childish to be bickering like... well, like siblings. He listened to Aberforth scrubbing the counter in a sort of agonized rhythm. Aberforth was still staring, eyes narrowed—perhaps Dumbledore could not see it, but he could feel it. "Just a few more minutes and I'll be out of your hair, Aberforth," Dumbledore said lightly. "I am afraid that this is the easiest place for secret information to remain secret."

"I had to shut down my pub, just for you," scowled Aberforth. "We can't all be rich and famous, Albus. Some of us have to make an honest living instead of pulling political strings for the greater good."

Dumbledore winced. All of their meetings went like this. "This is important," he said. "And Clark is an honest man."

"Clark Darnall is a werewolf."

"An honest werewolf, then. He is doing good work and he has important information. I might as well offer him a drink at one of the best pubs in Britain."

"Flattery won't work on me."

"I am not trying to flatter. I truly do not mean to bother you, Aberforth—" Dumbledore glanced up at the portrait of Ariana and sighed. "I do not mean to bother you," he said again. "Please. One hour."

"I wish the whole world knew that you aren't the paragon of light they think you are," hissed Aberforth, slamming down his towel. He sat down behind the counter. Dumbledore heard him cross his arms.

Silence. The only noise in the room was the sounds of Aberforth's annoyed huffs and the tapping of Dumbledore's long fingers on the tabletop.

Minutes passed. Suddenly, the door flew open.

"Albus Dumbledore. Oh, thank you fer meetin' me." Clark looked just the same as ever—all mussed brown hair, unhealthy frame, dirty face, and ripped robes. His strange accent was the same as ever. Clark Darnall had been bitten at age nine and had escaped to Greyback's werewolf pack shortly after. The pack, from what Dumbledore understood, was a conglomeration of all kinds of different people and nationalities. Clark's accent was a strange combination of a lot of different places. He hadn't lived in human civilization in a little less than twenty years. Dumbledore's heart ached for his plight.

"My pleasure. Sit down, Clark. Aberforth, if you would..."

"Don't speak to me," said Aberforth, slamming two cups of Butterbeer on Dumbledore's table. Dumbledore stole a glance at Aberforth for the first time. Sure enough, Aberforth looked ready to kill him. Never mind that, thought Dumbledore. He turned his attention back to Clark. Dumbledore's relationship with his brother, he suspected, was a lost cause.

"You said that you had pertinent information, old friend?" said Dumbledore gently, and Clark bobbed his head up and down.

"Yes. Yes, sir, I do. I... werewolves... you know. No one listenin' in?"

"Not a one. Except for Aberforth, but he's a very moral man. He can keep a secret."

Aberforth scrubbed harder and grunted an agreement.

"Tha' man. Aberforth. He doesn't like werewolves much, hunh?"

Dumbledore smiled. Clark wasn't usually this blunt, but a werewolf who had lived amongst other werewolves all his life often misjudged humans' ability to hear spoken comments. Heightened senses were a blessing and a curse. Mostly a curse, according to Clark. "He can hear you, Clark."

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, sir. Ab... Aberforth. So sorry."

Aberforth did not grace this with a reply, so Dumbledore broke the awkward silence. "How much time do you have?"

"'Bout an hour till Greyback notices I'm gone, p'raps less. I should hurry."

"I'm listening." Dumbledore took a sip of Butterbeer.

"Greyback's been excited lately. Dare I say over the moon." Clark chuckled weakly. "There was this man, while ago. Fergot his name. Somethin' like... Loopy, I guess. I'll remember later, prob'ly. But he sort of insulted Greyback... Greyback had a spot of trouble with the Ministry, you see, and was brought in fer a proper hearing. Pretended he was a Muggle tramp. Almost got away with it, 'parently, but... the bloke, Loopy... he didn't buy it at all. Clever man."

"Do you know anything else about this man?"

"Greyback was goin' on abou' Boggarts. 'Parently the bloke was an expert... and then they hired him at the Ministry. Somethin' like Crocodile fer a first name... you know my mem'ry's not all there, Albus."

Dumbledore paused. An expert on Boggarts who had been hired by the Ministry... Crocodile Loopy? Dumbledore's mind started to conjure pictures of the young man whom he had taught years earlier... brown hair, shy demeanor, studied various subjects for fun... sense of humor... got into fights with other Hogwarts students at times. Mostly mild-mannered, but a temper. "Lyall Lupin," he said heavily. "It was Lyall, wasn't it? I taught him." Dumbledore started to picture what possibly could have happened between Greyback and Lyall that made Greyback so happy... a fight, perhaps? Lyall lost? The full moon was a few weeks ago... was Lyall killed? Or bitten? Poor man.

"Yup, Lyall Lupin. Tha' was it, I'm sure of it. Well, Lyall saw righ' through Greyback. His coworkers didn't believe him, and Greyback mentioned... Greyback said they sort of taunted Lupin a bit. Seemed happy abou' it, whatever it was, but I don't know what they said. Ministry let Greyback free and tried to Obliviate him, but Greyback escaped. Ministry knows what 'e looks like now. Greyback was hoppin' mad abou' tha', he was. Face's all over the papers. Can't go undercover anymore. But 'parently Lupin said that... werewolves were... heartless, soulless... creatures? I do'nno. Also implied we should all die."

Dumbledore closed his eyes. Oh, Lyall...

"So I guess Lupin both insulted Greyback and outed his appearance to the media, and Greyback was goin' on abou' revenge for a full day. 'Twas the day before the day of the full, you know. He was tellin' the story to everyone who would listen. Called us all together. Plotted his revenge. Said he was goin' over to Lupin's and killin' him. Said if the whole world knew who he was, he might as well make it worth it."

"And...?"

"And he went over to Lupin's a bit before the moon rose. Came back. Looked pleased. Blood all over."

Dumbledore felt a bit ill. "Lyall...?"

"Perfectly fine. 'Parently Greyback went out and scouted the area. Watched the house fer a bit. S'not just Lyall livin' there, he has a family. Wife. Kid."

Dumbledore felt even more ill.

"You know how Greyback goes after the kids. Ecstatic that there was a little lad there. Big Lupin got away with not even a scratch, he did, but Greyback meant to kill the kid."

So there was hope after all. "Meant to?"

"Meant to. Lad was only 'bout five, Greyback says. Tiny thing. Asleep before half-seven. You know children tha' young don't survive the firs' full, so there was no point in bitin' him and lettin' him live. So Greyback decided to... you know. Rip 'im apart. Leave 'im barely recognizable. Wanted to hurt Lupin, he did."

"Meant to?" Dumbledore repeated. Clark had always had a flair for the dramatic; he certainly liked to draw things out for maximum suspense. It was usually entertaining, but right now it was just mildly annoying. "You said that he... meant to kill the child."

"Yeah, he did. But he says he only got one bite in before Lupin heard noises and scared 'im off. No sense stickin' around when a wizard's got a wand and s'firin' curses at you." Clark chuckled. "Miffed parents are dangerous, and Greyback's not stupid. Says it was still fun, though—lad didn't even scream; too stunned to do anything but stare. Greyback was pretty happy abou' how things turned out. Says it'll be a lot more fun for Lupin to live with a werewolf kid for a month. Said it wasn't possible fer such a young lad to survive the full, so Lupin would either have to put 'im down or let 'im die with the rising of the moon. But he regretted that he didn't get the kid fer himself. Younger ones taste better, he says."

Dumbledore shifted in his seat with discomfort. Clark was desensitized to such talk, having grown up among werewolves, but Dumbledore was not. He wasn't entirely convinced that Clark did not ever bite or kill people on the full moon, but he would never voice his reproaches to Clark. Clark was, after all, a good informant and debatably a good man... yet Dumbledore would not hesitate to protect anyone whom Clark may be willing to attack. "Continue, Clark."

"Righ'. Well, tha' was two and a half months ago, tha' was. Lad's been through the first full. Lupin let 'im live, which Greyback found surprising. But you know what's even more surprising?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

"The kid lived. Had his skeleton torn apart at the age of five, he did, and he didn't die. Mostly they've got to be at least five and a half, and even tha's rare. Greyback says seven is the best age. Greyback also said the kid wasn't even five yet when Greyback bit 'im. Close, but not yet—he was four. Family was talkin' 'bout fifth birthday prep'rations, he said. Lad prob'ly transformed for the firs' time righ' aroun' his birthday. Only five."

That was rare, certainly, but Dumbledore didn't see why it was such important information. "So...?"

"So tha's a big deal! You prob'ly don't understand. Yer brigh' and all, but you can't understand. In the werewolf world, tha's huge. Greyback went and discovered a kid who somehow got past all the laws of the world. Tha's why he's so happy. Got 'imself a protegee, he said. But when he tried to go get the kid and bring 'im to the pack... lad refused."

"Do you know the child's name?"

"'Course I do. Remus Lupin. Greyback's been sayin' it over and over, like it's a song stuck in his head. He gets obsessive sometimes. Scary. The fact that Remus refused made 'im even happier. Usually he can go into the child's room sometime before the second moon, cast a Soundproofing Charm, and then convince the kid to come join. After they've been through the firs' full moon they'll do anythin' to make it better, and Greyback makes sure the parents aren't aroun' to make the decision fer their kid. So tha's what Greyback did with Remus. Sometimes he makes us do it, but he really wanted to do it himself this time. Never seen 'im so excited abou' anythin'. His heart was going a mile a minute, it was."

"But Remus refused?"

"Yup. Greyback did all the normal stuff... promised he could make the pain go away, said it was almost like a cure, said Remus'd meet other kids like 'im. Greyback even said that he tried to act all nice and fatherly, but none of us believe 'im. Anyway, lad heard that Greyback could help an' then flat-out refused. Said he wanted to stay where he was. Also a big deal, Dumbledore... pain's a lot, an' kids don't offen have the presence of mind to make their own decisions."

"I see."

"Greyback tried Plan B, as he always does when the kids refuse. Took off Soundproofing Charms, let parents in. Sometimes the parents love to get the kid off their chests. But Lupin wasn't having it, 'parently. And Lupin can duel, so Greyback left. Lupin still loved his kid, even though he'd hated werewolves just two and a half months ago."

"Fathers do tend to love their children," murmured Dumbledore. "Lyall was always headstrong, but I never had any doubt when he was at Hogwarts that he'd do the right thing."

"Don'no if it is the righ' thing, meself. Remus Lupin's not gonna have an easy life. People're gonna hate 'im. And he's only five. He migh' have been better off with us... plus, I kinda wanted to meet him, I did. After Greyback's said so much abou' him."

"He will be better off here," said Dumbledore. "He will. Lyall is a good father, I'm sure."

"Yeah, well. They moved, after Greyback found 'em the second time, but Greyback isn't worried. Loves that the lad has a mind of his own. Says he'll go find Remus later when he's grown and try again. Says it's somethin' to look forward to. He's always so much happier when he has somethin' to look forward to. We're always scared of 'im after the euphoria of the last full moon dies down and he's got a whole month to go. But now he's practically bouncin' off the walls. No tellin' whether Remus'll survive the next full, but I hope he will. Really wanna meet the kid, I do."

"So do I," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "But I imagine that the family is going through a lot right now. You're right, Clark. This certainly changes things. You always do bring me good information."

"Least I can do after you saved my skin few years ago," said Clark. "Heckin' werewolf hunters. Execution's the worst way to go. Well, I'd better get back before Greyback wonders where I've been. See ya sometime, Albus."

"See you sometime," repeated Dumbledore, smiling. He watched Clark go. The second he left, the smile dropped off of his face. "Aberforth, you needn't listen. But I need to talk things through." Dumbledore stood up and began to pace.

"Oh, joy," said Aberforth sarcastically.

"Armando is set on retiring, and I—forgive my arrogance—expect to be headmaster in a few months' time."

"Of course you do."

"Lyall was always a good man. He will raise Remus to be a good man as well, I am certain of it."

"If you think werewolves can be good."

"I do. And I think that, since Remus is so young now, he will have had a chance to adapt to the curse by the time he is eleven..."

"Oh no," said Aberforth. "Absolutely not."

"I heard that Lyall has married a Muggle. I believe her name is Hope. Remus might be nonmagical... but with Lyall's talent, I suspect that he is a wizard. I shall have to check, but I would not be surprised if his name is already down for Hogwarts. If I can create arrangements for full moons..."

"You're not planning on raising this boy to fight in the war, Albus."

"I thought you didn't like werewolves," said Dumbledore. "Don't worry. That is not my intention. I simply think that he has a right to an education, don't you? I can see many ways that this will be a success... but, if I am as magically competent as I believe myself to be... I cannot see many ways in which it can fail. If this works... yes, indeed, I can see it working," he said, more to himself than Aberforth, "and it could be life-changing for a great many people. Or perhaps just Remus Lupin. Either will satisfy me."

"You say that, but you only care about the greater good. None of that is true at all."

"It is certainly true," said Dumbledore quietly, "and I'll thank you to let me be my own person. I am changed. I have learned. And Remus Lupin will learn as well, if I have anything to do with it... except in a very different sense. He is young still, but in six years... six years. Yes. I shall... what is the expression?... put it on the back burner." He smiled. "Would you like a caramel toffee, Aberforth? In thanks?"

"A caramel toffee will not make up for your mistakes."

"No, but a caramel toffee certainly doesn't hurt..."

"I don't want your toffees."

"A couple Galleons?"

"I am not a charity case."

"A hug?"

"Don't touch me."

"You may have my scarf, but it's a bit old and probably too flamboyant for your tastes..."

"Get out of my pub so that I can reopen."

"Very well. Let me know if there's anything you ever need, Aberforth."

"I need you out of my life," Aberforth called, but Dumbledore was already halfway down the cobblestone street, humming Rossini's Barber of Seville overture.

All in all, it had been quite the productive day.

#albus dumbledore #hp fanfiction #marauders #remus lupin #young remus lupin #hogwarts #little bit of a prologue #tone change from the rest of my fic but i like it #aberforth dumbledore

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bakubitch-minusultra · 3 years

Text

Not Alone: Chapter Three

-> an apocalyptic series with bnha characters but without quirks because im the writer and i can do whatever the fuck I want :3

-> Word Count: 2.4k

-> Warnings: Blood, guns, violence

-> Taglist: @5sosfckss @laudthingcat [if you wanna be added lmk <3]

“Where did you learn to stitch someone?”

Y/n looked back over at her guest and frowned, “My dad was a survivalist. He made me go to survivor camp every summer and took me hunting all the time. When it all started he plannned for us to come here. The book shelves are lined with his survival stuff.

Mina frowned, “Did he come with you or did you come alone?”

In that instant it flashed in Y/n’s eyes. The memory of her father pinned by a truck. His hand reached out for her. She could see them coming as she felt his fingers pushed them away. Her feet listened to him and started to run. They move against her wishes.

She shook the memories off and looked at Mina, “Where are your parents?”

Her eyes went blank like Y/n’s, “My mom died of sickness in the beginning. She went to work and never came home, and dad...well, he’s gone too.” Her voice started to quiver a bit and trailed off. Y/n didn’t press any farther.

“They’re all gone Mina. All that’s left is us and them.” Y/n almost twitched when she said the words ‘us and them’. She included Mina in her ‘us’.

“Mina?” A sleepy voice came from the living room. She quickly got up and out of bed to go check on Kirishima.

“He’s burning up.”

Y/n nodded and walked into the room and stretched, “Good. His body’s fighting the infection. The tree bark from the branch wass really flakey. I tried to flush the wound as best as I could but some bark might still be in there.”

Y/n felt a small spark on the back of her hand when she rested it against the balmy skin of his forehead. He took her hand in his. It was a moment of intimacy that Y/n’s never experienced before. She didn’t pull away but she didn’t know how to react as he squeezes her hand.

“Hard to thank you when I don’t know your name.”

Y/n felt her hand trapped in and looked over the back of the couch and gave him a small smile, “My name’s Y/n.” She felt expressions play across her face and quickly pulled away from his sweaty palm. She walked to the leftover boiled water and poured him a huge glass of it and then passed it to him. “You’ll need this.”

His red eyes sparkled and suddenly Y/n’s stomach ache was back.

“Thanks. Thanks for everything. I know you could’ve left me in that hole.” Y/n broke his stare and looked at the hardwood floor.

“It was nothing.”

Mina looked over at them and grinned, “How old are you Y/n?”

“Nineteen.”

Mina smiled, “I’m eighteen.”

Y/n felt sad when Mina told her that. She realized that Mina was eight when her mother never came home from work.

“Kirishima is twenty.” The room went quiet, Y/n didn’t know how to add to the conversation. She didn’t have conservations. Hades sensed her awkwardness and padded towards her, nuzzlin his face into her palms. “Where’d you get him?” Y/n scratched his face and smiled at how Mina had already won Hades over.

“He was at the doorstep one day. I heard his mother dying in the woods near the house. She got the infection and died just after giving birth. Her cubs started to eat her and got the sickness too. Hades was the only smart one. He never ate her. He found me instead.” Y/n grimaced and tried not to think about having to shoot the baby wolves.

Mina beamed at the large wolf, “He’s huge.”

“Very, but he’s good company and helps out around the house.” Mina laughed at that. She was bubbly, Y/n remembered her grandma calling kids bubbly and wondered how bubbly Mina would be if she had a normal childhood. Y/n looked back at Kirshima who was falling asleep again. “He falls asleep fast. We need to make him some soup.” She walked to the door and looked back at Mina. “Can I trust you?”

Mina shook her head, “No, I like it here and I’ll do whatever you want to let me stay but if it comes down to it I would sell you out to save Kiri.”

“Fair enough,” Y/n liked her candor and pointed to the books on the shelf, “Start with the top shelf. They’re the easiest reads.” Mina nodded and grabbed a book. Y/n knew Mina was a survivor.

The wooden paneling of the outdated cottage was comfortable and bright with the light filtering in through the huge windows. She hasn’t seen her cabin for what it truly was until that moment. Having seen Mina and Kirishima in her house made her realize how lucky she was. She had a fleeting thought and wondered when was the last time they rested on comfortable furniture.

Hades’s yellow eyes met Y/n’s eyes, he spoke to her only with his look. He wanted to stay with them. He didn’t completely trust the new guests either, Y/n could see it in his eyes. She nodded at him and walked out of the cabin.

She needed grouse or pheasant or wild turkey. There weren't a ton of them in the area but Y/n knew a spot. The cabin sat surrounded by huge fir trees and brush, green was everywhere. It made her nervous in the beginning. It was so big compared to her and she felt like there were eyes on her from a thousand vantage points. She could see the infected stepping over the brush, arms reaching for her. Blood running from their eyes and seeping sores covering their skin. Their tattered clothes and the smell would overwhelm her as they pulled her to the ground.

She could see the other. She could hear herself scream as their greedy fingers bit into her skin and dragged her into the woods. The woods where she would scream like the other girls. The tearing of the clothes had haunted her from the beginning. The infected tore flesh and the others tore clothes and the sound could swallow you up.

But now she saw the greenery and listened to the sounds of the forest and knew that she was safe. The forest was her friend. The relationship was tense in the beginning, but it earned her trust over time. Just like Hades, it had become a part of her family. Where she lost one family, she gained another.

The branches broke under her feet but in a way that kept the birds chirping and squirrels nattering. It was a gift that she had learned from Hades. He was able to wander the forest quickly, but in sync with the woodland creatures.

She stopped at the small dip in the forest, she had a great view from there. She blended into the trees and listened as she closed her eyes and waited. She grabbed her bow and arrow and got ready and waited for the sound she was seeking. It was a pheasant.

She watched the bizarre looking face of it and it’s spectacular colors. She could tell it was male. She took a deep breath and on the exhale released the arrow perfectly. It took her two years of constant shooting to be able to down an animal at that distance. The pheasant dropped without a sound as the arrow pierced through his throat just below it’s throat. She waited an extra second before putting the bow and arrow back in a small hole and going to retrieve the bird.

While she retrieved her catch she constantly looked over her shoulder. Kirishima and his friend had been watching her for two months before she became aware of them. Her sense of security in the forest was questioned. Heat flushed her cheeks as she walked back carrying the bird by his feet. She caught herself thinking about Kirishima; his red hair and red eyes and long eyelashes.

A stabbing pain ripped through her thigh.

She looked up to see the reflection of a scope from across the small gully. She quickly dropped to the ground and layed among the brush. Her heart was beating out of control.

Mina.

Y/n was sure that she had shot her. She wants her cabin, she had made that perfectly clear. Y/n’s heart hurt for the smallest of seconds before she hardedned and came to terms with the fact that she would have to kill Mina. Flashes of her pink hair and how much she cared for her friend crossed Y/n’s mind.

Shots whizzed passed Y/n in the brush. Y/n wondered if Kirishima had known that Mina was trying to kill her. Y/n held her breath and waited. She knew Hades would come for her. Then she heard footsteps. The forest was silent as the predator moved through it. She felt a sickening hurt after she realized that she had been betrayed. She regretted helping Kirishima out of that hole. She should’ve never opened the door. She should’ve cracked open the whiskey and listened from inside her cabin and waited for Mina to die or leave.

She knew she would regret it.

Y/n looked around. There was too much brush surrounding her. Any movement she made would give away her location. She could hear the footsteps drawing closer. They were heavy in their step, breaking branches roughly. Y/n was certain that it was Mina. She was certain that she would be shot in the back of the head any minute.

The whizzing noise started again as bullets hit the tree behind her. Y/n wondered what Mina was doing and why she hadn’t just shot her already. Thinking that Mina had lost the spot where she shot her, she thanked the bush for being so thick around her. There was a heavy thump and some rustling near me and Y/n started to panic silently. She had no idea what was going on.

“Y/n,” a whisper filled the forest and Y/n looked around without rustling the bushes. “Y/n?” Suddenly she felt Hades' breath on her. She looked up to see Mina squatted beside her. As soon as Y/n saw the rifle in her hand she was filled with rage. But she knew that the bullet in her thigh wouldn’t allow her to jump up and fight Mina for the gun. She looked at Hades who was on edge. He was hunting as if Mina was his partner and that hurt Y/n more than anything. “Y/n I killed him but there might be others.”

“What?” The words left Y/n’s mouth before she could register her volume.

Mina put a finger to her lips, “He probably isn’t alone.”

Y/n looked at her gun in Mina’s hands, “You never shot me?”

Mina pointed to the bush beside Y/n, “He shot you. Why would I shoot you? What? Where are you shot?”

Y/n tried to ignore the pain as she got up on her knees, almost crying out when she made it onto her feet in a hunched position. She saw the boots of the man on the ground.

“Those are military issue,” Y/n spoke softly, scanning the forest.

“Great.”

Y/n limped over to him and bent over. Her leg was pouring blood now. She took off her outer shirt and tied it around her thigh tightly and then fished the guy’s pockets. The warmth of her blood was already seeping down her leg. The guy was older, forty maybe. He had brown hair and looked like he had been eating well. She took his gun and knife that she found in his boot and tossed some beef jerky the man had at Hades.

“We could’ve eaten that.”

Y/n looked at Mina and shook her head, “Never eat anything you take off another human. Could have the infection or be rotten.”

Mina pointed at Hades, “He could get the infection.”

“He’s immune.”

“No one is immune.”

Y/n smiled sarcastically, “I have downed sick things before and he’s eaten them. He never gets sick.”

Mina made a face as she untied the dead man’s boots, “Oh god, so he ate his mother and lived?”

Y/n nodded, “Yeah probably. I try not to think about it.”

“You said he never ate her.”

Y/n shrugged as she scanned the forest and spoke quietly, “I want to gross you out ir scare you while I was fixing your friend’s wounded leg. We just met. I was trying to be polite- get the bird.”

She took the boots and the bird and walked over to Y/n, “Need a hand?”

Y/n leaned on her and Hades came up on her other side. He was less scared now.

“He got all crazy and started scratching at the door. He tried to open the door himself. I knew something was wrong. He led me right to you.”

Y/n brushed a hand through his dense fur. It wasn’t the first time he’d saved her life and she knew it wouldn’t be the last.

As they walked back to the cabin Y/n felt sick and afraid. There was no doubt that the army guy was not alone.

Her small cabin was under attack and the shirt around her leg was soaked red. She felt weak. She was afraid that the bullet was still in her thigh and thought about the fact that Mina was now the only able bodied person. Her safety and comfort was gone and in her mind she could hear the tearing and screaming again. As she walked through the door, Mina helped her to the other chair. She sat on the edge and tried to not get blood everywhere.

Hades looked worried, his eyes were concerned and full of expression. He nudged her and Y/n scratched his face and kissed the top of his head.

“I can’t believe you thought I shot you. That’s really what you think I’d do after you helped Kirishima?”

Y/n wobbled slightly from the blood loss and tried to muster a smile, “No, but I was scared. I’m glad it wasn’t you.” She felt the chair against the back of her head and the ceiling started to spin. She felt like she might throw up but then everything goes black.

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faunusrights · 4 years

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The scarlatinas are a big family with aunts and cousins visiting a lot right? Have you got an idea of how their house looks? (also could you release the Scarlatina family descriptions you gave me to the public?)

well, really the scarlatina family isn’t big in the, uh, family tree sense; it’s not like Velvet has 100+ cousins and that sort of stuff, but they’re big in the sense that they all live together, hjdshkjfsd. so it’s a big household! sixteen people! it’s nothing to sniff at! so the aunts and cousins dont visit, really, because they literally live next door, lmao.

the scarlatina homestead is split into two houses that keep getting added to every once in a while. the bigger one (aka the first) has georgette, rajah, taffeta, ash, chiffon, velvet, satin and hickory live there, whilst the second (rapidly growing) house has cotton, tenné, hawthorn (+ hawthorn’s wife, saffron, and their kid, fir), ramie (+ her wife, auburn) and birch. that said, the houses pretty much act as one, and people tend to drift in and out of either of em at will.

the houses are similar in terms of their footprint, since they sorta both evolved abt the same time for the same needs (oh shit a kid oh shit a marriage oh shit ANOTHER kid), and save for two smaller second storeys for storage/spare room needs, almost the entire thing is on the ground floor (heat rises, baby). they share a big old shed/workshop which ash lingers in CONSTANTLY, as well as two little gardens where they grow their own produce. they also have some solar panels and a huge windmill out front, both of which usually power their houses since they don’t typically draw a TON of energy, though they do have a generator that runs on fuel as a backup.

okay if we’re describing the whole family im gonna shunt this under a cut this goes on for a while dsfjhgjhskfgd

GEORGETTE SCARLATINA: the matriarch of the family! well, sorta; she’s let her own daughters sort of have run of the place in her stead, because she’s “retired” now and that means she mostly sits back and enjoys not Working all the time. back in her heyday the woman was an absolutely powerhouse, 24/7 on the grind, but even now she’s very… well, she’s still a force to be reckoned with, really, and whilst she isn’t uuuuuuuh Strict, per se, she’s very disciplined, and no matter what her kids and grandkids choose to do, she expects them to really throw themselves into it. weiss is both terrified of her and desperately wants her approval, which isn’t hard to get, but weiss is, how they say, dumbass. georgette is also the reason why taffeta and cotton are… Like That. like what? stubborn loud fuzzy taking zero shit, etc,

RAJAH SCARLATINA: scarlatina women seem to always land themselves timid men and nobody is sure how, or why, but georgette wasnt the first to start this trend and shes def not the one to end it. rajah is pretty mild-mannered, but like georgette, never rested when people needed help. he and ash (and tenné) get on real well because they’re happy enough to mind their own Fuckin Business whilst their wives barrel around with all the grace of rampaging bulls. still, rajah’s also very much a product of his time as an early settler to menagerie; he’s never really… happy with everything, because they lost so much leaving for this shithole, so he’s always kinda… mildly sad about stuff, but the same can be said of any faunus his age tbh.

COTTON SCARLATINA: the older of the two Scarlatina Daughters, cotton is… manic. full of energy, always looking to burn it off. she’s an optimist at heart since she and taffeta came to menagerie when they were ten and therefore are more accustomed to the island, and her primary objective is making a good home and a good start for the family. she’s not too interested in politics or revolution, mainly because she’s the type of woman who plans by meals and mouths to feed, if u get me. she’s also pretty smug because her side of the family are rly growing up (TWO wives. a GRANDKID. its ALL COMING UP COTTON) and it means she gets to spend more time doing stuff she’s passionate abt!!!!!!! nice!!!!!!!!

TENNÉ SCARLATINA: i put an accent on his name and i regret it every day of my life. anyway. tenné isn’t entirely sure how he ended up with just The Most scarlatina, but he did and, well, there’s no backing out now. tenné‘s a deer faunus and was around cotton’s age when he and his family moved with the scarlatinas to menagerie, so he and cotton have always been close. he’s very patient and doesn’t always have a lot to say, but he and cotton are a great team when it comes to managing the entire homestead together. again, he’s not a political type, and just wants to keep his corner of things safe in uncertain times. he always pretty rarely leaves the homestead for anything, so he’s also kinda reclusive, but so is cotton! it all works out!

HAWTHORN SCARLATINA: i won’t go into the partners lest i Die but hawthorne is the eldest child of cotton and tenné. got antlers like his da, and he’s a pretty big fellow by scarlatina standards (that is to say, not thin enough to fly away in a stiff breeze). hawthorn is… well, long and short, he’s a himbo, but he’s also a pretty devoted homesteader (this is a trend! watch this space). his wife, saffron, was from desert sands and they’d been dating for a While before they got married, and they’re the first to have kids of all the first-gen* scarlatinas. he’s got cotton’s love of the family and tenné’s sort of quiet offset nature, though he was pretty rowdy as a kid (he grew out of that once velvet broke his nose tho).

RAMIE AND BIRCH SCARLATINA: twins! twins! oh my god! twins!!! fraternal twins!!!

ramie is the older of the two (my friends who were w/ me when we played the RWBY ttrpg will Remember Her) and she’s. well she’s surprisingly enough like taffeta that cotton jokes that clearly she’s gone and had the wrong kid. she’s very Firm abt things and has a way of naturally corralling people to follow after her, if only because this bitch has enough common sense for herself and, like, five people. she was also voted Best Lesbian Cousin five years in a row, and she and auburn get on like a house on fire. they’re also very into PDA, don’t mind them.

birch is the younger of the two and ramie always calls them the emo one. they’re not really so much into people as they are into their crafts and their plants (their bedroom looks like a greenhouse dont mind them) and they have tenné’s nature and georgette’s focus on working all the goddamn time. they’re good company is you strike up convo in the areas they have interest in, but sometimes it’s like talking to a brick wall. ramie is very fluent in their noncommittal grunts of disinterest, though.

FIR SCARLATINA: he’s one year old. he’s a baby. idk shit.

TAFFETA SCARLATINA: here’s the bitch we’ve all been waiting for

taffeta is like georgette if georgette was somehow more like herself. whereas the other half of the family are more core to the values of the clan, taffeta’s a tribe woman, and when she wakes up in the morning her focus is always on the wider community. taffeta’s very much just a machine of intent; she farms, she builds, she repairs, she trades, she gives, she travels, she does SO much and she’s very much the face of the family at present (which is why ppl hear the name ‘scarlatina and go ‘oh god’ w/o realising the other half wont bother u even slightly djsfggjsdfh). she’s STURDY she’s FLUFFY and she has zero qualms abt putting u in a headlock if u deserve one. dont test her. that said, taffeta’s a very reasonable woman; i’ll eventually go more into that at some nebulous point in the future hdjsgfjghksfd

ASH SCARLATINA: it’s everyone’s favourite da! i’ll TRY and keep this short. ash (MUCH LIKE THE MEN SO FAR) is just. so chilled out. can everyone PLEASE be quiet. well, he didn’t used to be – ash lived in kuo kuana before meeting taffeta and had such severe anxiety abt crowds that the boy could barely put a sentence together, let alone much else, not in the scarlatina household, he’s very calm and hard to ruffle. ash really just likes to do his thing, which is everything taffeta doesn’t do; he cooks, he watches the kids, he fixes stuff in the workshop, and he’s big into photography of the family, which is where velvet gets it from! ash is basically taffeta’s counterbalance, but being with her means he’s also become pretty well known about the town (if not for. entirely the reasons you think,)

CHIFFON SCARLATINA: the eldest of ash and taffeta’s kids! chiffon is a weird one; she takes a lot after ash in that she’s pretty reserved and doesn’t let a lot bother her, and when stuff does bother her, she expresses it pretty quietly. also, unlike her cousins who are all homebodies, chiffon was the first kid to actually leave the homestead for kuo kuana to work on the docks during a biiiig overhaul and extension of the boardwalk. she wanted to get out and see the world, but human tourists really out her off the idea, so after about a year and a bit she ended up returning home where she’s stayed ever since. after taffeta retires, she’ll probably be the next face people know and relate to the name scarlatina, tbh.

VELVET SCARLATINA: do i. do i have to say anything about her. you KNOW this bitch. anyway. velvet’s got taffeta’s stubborn sense and ash’s compassion, wants to travel like chiffon, has enough determination to just keep going when it gets her down. extremely stupid. herbo energy. trans jock. has fists will punch. fluffy. fuzzy. hot. dumbass. seriously, do i have to say anything else?

SATIN SCARLATINA: it’s a baby! just kidding, she’s 11. satin is pretty young but she’s at that age where she’s tryna figure out the world for herself. she’s already shaping up to be a lot like taffeta – bold and brash and determined – and much like her older siblings, politics is already playing into her interests. satin really wants to see vale and her tribelands, but after what happened to velvet at uni, taffeta’s trying to… well, not talk her out of it, but encourage her, gently, to reconsider. it’s not working. she and chiffon get on spectacularly well, and she and velvet get on ever better.

HICKORY SCARLATINA: okay, NOW baby. well………. okay, yeah, he’s 7. hickory is a little dreamer, never really in the present. he’s super into making stuff and helping out the adults around the homestead, and he’s not really noticed enough to be infuriated like satin, so he’s got that youthful, uh, innocence, let’s say, that means right now? life is GREAT! eventually he’ll find out that no, it’s not all that great, tbh, but right now he’s a champ at feeding the rabbits, pulling up veggies, and finishing his plate. good job hickory!

AND THAT’S THE FAM (save for the inlaws). theyre great and i think abt em all the time. could u tell? could u tell, sharkie,

*so i looked up the whole ‘generations’ thing to check if i was right and it turns out both first-gen and second-gen have incompatible definitions (thanks america) but for the sake of not going nuts, all of cotton’s and taffeta’s kids r first gen and fir is second-gen. u could also argue cotton and taff are first-gen on account of being pretty young when they came to menag but honestly it’s too complicated. lets just leave it at that sdfjhgksdf

#rwby #ask #the scarlatina family #murphy's lore compendium #that's the tag for it now lmao #god this took FOREVER #subw00f3r

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geo-winchester · 4 years

Text

DEAR BROTHER (11)

A/N: hello everyone! So here’s part 11 from this story, OMG I didn’t think I will go so far, but don’t worry there’s still more chapter I had to write but I also want to write more oneshots, but sometimes I don’t have the imagination or the inspiration, so if you like my writing and if you want to send me a request, I’ll be so glad to write about it. Anyway I know this one is a little long, sorry if you have a problem with that and I hope you like it. Lots of love and I also hope you be safe from the Covid-19 and take care of yourself

Tag list: @thescarletknight2014 @chloe-skywalker @reading--mermaid

Dear Brother masterlist

—————

Yn feel like she has been in the meeting for the hole day, most of the generals were debating about what they should do witt Tehran the firs order, should they need to be worry about the fact that Kylo has been quiet?, they keep talking about they got an informant. As Yn keep hear all the fear about her brother, she become more confuse, the only thing she remember about her was the love and protection her brother give her not the fear and killing things they all said about him, or at least that’s what she want to believe. After a moment she start to feel that someone was staring at her, she look at the people around the table and she met with Poe’s eyes, he immediately look away, she couldn’t help to smile when she saw the blush in his face, and now she was the one staring at him, he look as he try to get attention about what the generals were saying, she had to admit he was good looking and she didn’t know why but she could feel her heart race every time she saw him and right now she couldn’t keep her eyes from her lips, she was so focus on them that she didn’t notice he was watching at her until he smile, now she was the one blushing, she try to pay attention to the conversation.

-General we have information about Kylo Ren- Yn wasn’t the only one who look at Leia at the mention of that name, Leia sight before she make a sign so the General proceed -Our informant told us, he is planing to go to Tatooine, apparently he think Darth Vader hide something there, we don’t know what is it- the General said, Leia stay a moment in silence.

-Commander Dameron, are you ready for another mission?

-Of course General.

-Your mission would be to go to Tatooine and see what Kylo is doing there, don’t get to close, we don’t want to repeat what happened in Jakkun- Poe nod -Well If there’s anything more to do, you can go now- Leia said and start to walk to the door follow by C3-PO.

-General... mom- Yn said as she run after her mom-I would like to offer to help with the mission- Yn said, her mother look at her worry, the last time she saw her brother she follow the dark path.

-Commander Solo, I don’t think that’s a good idea- the droid start to said -the probability of the mission fail if you go is .4 of 1...

-The good thing is that I didn’t ask for probabilities...

-Yn...

-No mom, listen, you told me that I have to start to get back on my feet and I’m trying, I still training with the force and do all the physical training, I been flying with R2, and this... this is the kind of things I know I do before, so let me do this, please- Yn said and after a few seconds her mother sigh.

-Fine, but don’t try to go after your brother- she push some of her hair behind her ear -I can’t loose you again.

-You won’t- she said with smile.

-Then go and report with Poe and take the millennial with you.

-Are you trying to make Chewie to take care of me?

-You’ll never know- Leia said with a smile and get out of the control room.

The next morning Poe make his way to his X-wing, he wants to be there before Leia comes, he want to give a last check on his ship but before he can even get there, Yn call him from the millennial falcon, and by the confusion on his face she understand that he didn’t know she was in the mission too.

-They didn’t tell you...

-Tell me what?- he said.

-You aren’t doing that mission alone, I’m going to be your partner- she said with a smile but he just freeze -ok not the reaction I was hopping...

-No no no, I mean are you sure?

-Yeah,beside someone has to make sure you don’t do something stupid- she give him a wink and he smile to her and in that moment he couldn’t help to fall for her, with all what happened he couldn’t help but feel hope that they could be together again -By the way im flying the millennial...

-What? But I’m the commander in this mission...

-You can have this conversation with Chewie, right R2?- she said and the droid beep.

-Ok you’re the pilot.

It didn’t took them a lot of time to get to Tatooine, they left the ship a little far from the town, Chewie lead them across the dessert for a while, until they reach un little house in the middle of the dessert, Por thought it was small but one they reach it, he saw a hole near it and a hole house under grown, chewie roar before he take the stairs and get inside the house, Yn and Poe follow him immediately, when they reach the center Poe walk a few steps more and look at the place.

-Were are we?- Poe said.

-This is the house where Luke Skywalker grown- Yn said -I’ve been here before...

-What? When?

-After the fall of my brother.

-Wait you said you didn’t remember any of that? Did you remember something?

-Not exactly- R2 beep, before she could explain herself.

-You lie?- Poe start to raise his voice to her and Chewie roar standing between them -I don’t want to calm down, did you lie about forgetting me?

-No, you don’t understand- she said, he look at her expecting her to continue -I didn’t lie about the lost memory thing, but I lied on one thing, I do remember when my brother go to the dark side, I just... I know my mother would be worried and... I was ashamed of myself.

-What? Why would you be ashamed?

-Because I didn’t do anything- she finally said -After Ben knock out Luke, I woke up, the first thing I remember was the light of the fire coming from the temple and then... the screams... I could hear them, all of those kids there were getting kill by Ben and I didn’t do anything I just stay in my room... until I saw him walking to my room, I didn’t know what to do so I run and hide, and the next thing I know he was screaming angry about something and he left a few minutes later Luke found me and he bring me here- she could feel the tears falling from her cheeks and look at the kitchen -In that room my parents get the news that their son was gone- Poe walk to her and hug her, he hold her until she calm down.

-You never told me that story before- he said, Chewie Roar.

-Luke erased?- she asked and chewie told her that he thought he was protecting her.

Before anyone can say anything they hear the sound of a ship above of them, their instincts make them hide in one of the rooms, Yn took Poe’s hand accidentally, or at least that’s what she though but Poe didn’t let go, they step tot side of the room when none of them could hear the ship. When the night fall over the planet Chewie and Poe start to light the fire as Yn look around the house looking for food or weapons, she only found some parts they can use in case they need to repair the Millennial. Chewie was making the dinner as Yn and Poe sat in silence, until one moment R2 get back from where ever he was, and he was beeping at the memories on the house. The next day Poe and Yn prepare for their journey to the city, they try to dress the most normal they could, she braid her hair like a halo, she took the two pieces of cloth she found the night before, she hand one to Poe who look at her confuse.

-I figure it would be more easy to track Ben if he can’t recognize us, and cover our faces could help, no?- he nod and took the cloth.

-great plan- he said with a smile- by the way, you look nice- he said and she could feel the heat in her face.

As they walk to the city they start to see more and more stormtroopers, they relax when they didn’t recognize them and let them be in peace, it took them a while to find Ben, but when they saw him, he was walking to a little house with two stormtrooper on his side, they hide in one of the near house and try to see anything about what’s happening there, when he finally get out the only one thing different was the determination.

-Can you see if he has a weapon or something?- she asked him but he shook his head.

-We have to go inside, maybe we can talk to who ever he did.

And they start their way, when they get inside to the house both of them took their hood off to see the persone inside but the room was empty, the were only a table with a glass of water and an empty chair, they look at each other confuse until they feel a charge of energy go through their bodies and everything black out. When Yn woke up she could see the face of her brother, but right now he was emotionless, he look at her like if she was nothing for him, and in that moment she fear him, but that doesn’t keep her for stand and face him.

-We meet again sister- he said, and look at her in the eyes -I see that Skywalker do his commitment... but not all of it, there’s something different in you...

-Maybe the hair- She didn’t even know why she joke, but he smile.

-You look like Her- she knew he was referring at her mother, they hear a little grunt and both of them look at the pilot who was tied in the chair -I’m glad you join us- when Poe look that Ben was to close to Yn he try to free from the grip.

-Stay away from her- he said -she has nothing to do with you, I don’t know what happen before, but she’s back in the light...

-What?- she asked.

-Know I see why your different- Ben said -You don’t remember anything, do you?- his sister didn’t answer -In that case I can help with that...

-No stay away from her!

-Why?- He asked him -Why are you so afraid that she remember? Is it because your afraid she come back to the dark?- Poe keep his eyes on her -No, you’re afraid that she leave you again...

-Leave him?

-He didn’t told you, sister? You love each other- Yn look at Poe, who look at the floor -he’s afraid you break his heart again... but let’s found out what you going to choose- he step closer to her and touch her hands, suddenly she start to scream.

-Stop, your hurting her- Poe scream but as fast as the screams start they stop, she fall on the ground, after she feel her strange back she look at Ben.

-Kylo... you came back...- Poe feel like he couldn’t breath, does this mean she was going to loose her again?

-Sister, I’m glad your ok- Ben said.

-Where is my light sable?- she asked and on of the stormtroopers give it to her -Did you take care of Skywalker?

-He’s death.

-Well that’s a shame I would love to play with him a little, after what he did to me...

-Yn?- Poe whisper, Yn turn to him and smile.

-What do we have here?- she said as she walk to him -If it’s Poe Dameron- she sit in his lap -You know I had to admitted, I was starting to fall in love again for you, but you know there’s somethings more important, like end with the resistance, you get it right?- she touch his cheek but he try to take off -So what’s our next step?- she said as she get up and walk to her brother.

-We need to get back with the first order...

-Yeah that would be probably the best- she said as she start to walk to her brother, suddenly they start to hear gunshots on the outside, she took the opportunity and take a big stick near them an hit Ben making him pass out, the stormtrooper beside him tried to shoot her but she was faster and attack him with her light sable, the other stormtrooper drop his gun -if you’re not going to hurt us, leave right now- and he did, Yn run to Poe and took his head between her hands -Are you ok?- she asked him but he was still in shock.

-What just happened?

-We are trying to go away- she said nod cut the ropes, they hear chewie roar -Let’s go, Chewie is waiting for us, I’ll explain to you in the Millennial.

They run out of the house, Chewie keep shooting a few stormtroopers, Poe and Yn took some of the arms of the soldiers on the ground and try to help Chewie, she feel like the shoots come from all the ways but she did her best to keep fighting them, in some point she feel how Poe push her and shoot at the last man of the troop but both of them fall to the ground, Yn run to Poe and kneel beside him, she could see the blood coming from one of his sides.

-Hey hey hey- she said -it’s ok, you’re going to be ok- but Poe took her hand.

-It’s Ok...- he touch her cheek and smile -I’m sorry...

-No, don’t you dare to make this a good bye- she said -We are going to take you to the ship and your going to be fine and we’ll going to win this war and had a wonderful life together...

-Princess...- he know he would make her put attention to him as he never call her like that because she hate it.

-Listen to me Poe Dameron- she said -You can’t leave me, not today, no tomorrow, not ever- she said and look at Chewie -We need to take him to the ship...

Before she could finish Chewie shoot someone behind her, when she saw what happen, Ben was on the floor holding his arm, Chewie hurry up and they took Poe to the ship, the last thing Poe saw was Yn cleaning his wound and repeating him that he would be fine.

Yn stay all the night beside Poe, she couldn’t sleep knowing that he could wake up in any moment, she keep cleaning the tears that fall from her cheeks, she couldn’t help to cry every time she remember the blood coming from Poe’s side, his screams when she was trying to clean the wound but what hurt her more was the moment when he told her that he love her and pass out, that moment she thought she lost him, that she lost the person she love most and she couldn’t said goodbye, the only thing she could do is to hold to the memories they had, but she don’t want memories, she wants Poe by her side.

-Poe... babe- she said as she look at her hand on his -you have to wake up... this war has take many things from me and... I don’t want to lost you too... I’m sorry for left you before, but we need to take that chance and... well you know I mess it up, and all things I said to you... I just... I can’t loose you without not telling you that I’m sorry and that I love you.

-I know- poe whisper as he put a hand on her cheek, she froze for a minute before she jump to him and hug him, making him let out a grunt.

-I’m sorry- she said getting away from him but he stop her and took her cheek and kiss her for the first time in months, she smile between kisses, but the she look at him -I thought I would lost you...

-What? You aren’t going to get free from me that easy- he said making her smile.

-Sometimes I really hate you.

-That’s not what you said a few minutes ago- he joke making her blush, he move in the bed making her space to her lay with him -I love you too.

#poe dameron x solo!reader #poe x reader #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron x reader #kylo ren imagine #ben solo x sister!reader #kylo ren x sister!reader #han solo x daughter!reader #star wars imagine #star wars x reader

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takerfoxx · 4 years

Text

IM Swiftly Descending Darkness, Chapter 10

One of the most galling things about being the Hakurei Shrine Maiden is that, despite being humanity’s most stalwart protector against supernatural forces that were beyond their ability to defend against, despite having resolved numerous incidents that had put all of Gensokyo in danger, and despite having saved countless lives, Miko Hakurei was not well-liked.

There were of course many unfair reasons for this. Miko lived far from even the roughest Human settlement, and Humans tended to be distrustful of those who dwelt alone in the Wilds. Also, she had working relationships with many youkai, even a few friendships, and youkai were not especially popular these days.

However, perhaps the most immediate reason for her poor reputation was that Miko Hakurei simply was not a people person. In fact, she had a reputation for being kind of a hardass.

It was to be expected. She was getting on in years, her life hadn’t exactly been comfortable, she regularly put herself in danger so others wouldn’t have to, and was rarely thanked, so she tended to be gruff and cynical in her dealings with others. Also, there were only so many times one could see a ravaged body out in the Wilds and not just view it as evidence to be examined. Yes, yes, I am very sorry for what happened to your daughter, but could you please hurry this along and let me see what’s left of her, so I can possibly prevent it from happening to someone else?

But though her heart was hardened, it wasn’t gone. There were still a few things capable of biting through her prickly demeanor and igniting a sense of righteous indignation. Learning that the Aoki Yume’s Children’s Home’s defenses were being sabotaged by other Humans, leaving them vulnerable to attack was one of them. The fact that one of the children had already been murdered as a result only made it worse.

As she flew through the air toward the orphanage, Miko wondered what she was going to find. Tewi Inaba had said something about some of the kids being cursed now, though she hadn’t any specifics to give. Now, Miko tended to be skeptical of anything that Tewi Inaba said even at the best of times, but something about the obnoxious rabbit’s message rang true. Miko had a very bad feeling about this.

As she neared the orphanage, she saw that her intuition had been correct. Something had happened, something bad. From the look of things, the whole building had been evacuated, and a sort of makeshift camp had been set up in the field, with several sleeping mats laid on the ground and a few pavilions erected. Milling around them was pretty everyone that lived there, the overwhelming majority of them children with a handful of adults.

Miko’s heart fell. Though she was still too far away to make out any details, the way that the kids were huddling together told her that something bad had happened.

Even with so many people around, Fujiwara no Mokou’s bright red outfit stood out. She was standing by herself on the edge of the camp, facing outward. Miko turned toward her and increased her speed.

Mokou had one hand in her pocket, the other with two fingers around the lit cigarette she had in her mouth. As Miko came down for a landing, she calmly took the cigarette out and breathed out a cloud of smoke.

“There you are,” she said. “Got lost?”

Ignoring the jab, Miko looked over the children. The ones that had noticed her approach were rising up, hope on their faces. The others were sitting on their sleeping mats, seemingly lost in their own little worlds. “What happened? Tewi said something about a curse?”

“Oh yeah, that’s definitely still a thing. But we have something a little more immediate for you to look at first.”

From the other end of the camp, Satoko Yume had noticed Miko’s arrival and rushed toward the pair. “Lady Hakurei, thank the spirits you’re here!” she exclaimed. “We are…in desperate need of your help.”

“I can see that,” Miko said. “What’s going on?”

Sticking the cigarette back into her mouth, Mokou tilted her head to the now-empty house. “Let’s go for a walk.”

As the three women headed for the house, Mokou started to explain. “Well, it’s like this. Tewi probably already told you about how someone took out all our charms and wards, right?”

“Right,” Miko said. “Any idea who?”

“Quite a few, but as weird as that sounds, that’s actually third in line of our current problems. But anyway, apparently some youkai had known that we would be left undefended and mounted an attack.”

“I heard. The spiders, right? Muffet’s clan?”

“You know them?” Satoko said.

“Of them,” Miko corrected. “They’re kind of on the list of usual suspects whenever trouble comes out of the Youkai Forest.”

“Those are the cunts,” Mokou said agreeably. “Anyway, they came out of nowhere, still in broad daylight, and made off with five of our kids.” Her face twitched. “We got four of them back.”

Miko frowned. “Those would be the cursed ones, right?”

“Them, and two others. But that’s actually number two. Number one is something of an…oh, let’s call it an unexpected side-effect. And we have it trapped over here.”

They stopped in front of the house.

The actual house of the Aoki Yume’s Children’s Home was a pleasant two-story white building, one with a slanted roof, large windows, and a wide porch. At all hours of the day and most of the night, lights would be streaming through those windows, smoke rising from the chimney, and children would be everywhere: out playing in the field, or sitting around on the porch, or hanging out of the windows. The air was constantly filled with the sound of children’s voices, the sound of them talking, shouting, laughing, and fighting. The Aoki Yume Children’s Home was a place bursting with life.

Not now though. Now it stood dark, empty, and silent. The windows were all shut, the rooms beyond darkened. The front door was shut tight as well, and all around the building a ring of Mokou’s charms had been stuck to the walls.

That told Miko quite a lot about the situation. Something had gotten in, something that they hadn’t been prepared for, and so the only thing they had been able to do was get everyone out and seal off the building to keep the invader trapped inside.

“The kid that the spiders ate was named Eiko Goto,” Mokou said. “And she died in a bad way. Bad enough to leave a mark.”

Miko nodded. “The ghost came back with you, didn’t it?”

“Yup. And it is pissed.”

“I assume that whatever it was that took out your outer defenses also wiped out whatever you had in the house itself?”

“Anything we already had set up. All the extra charms we had in storage were fine, but by the time we knew we had a haunting, it was already in the house. And…yelling at us.”

“Ghosts will do that,” Miko murmured. “Especially fresh ones.” She shook her head. “So, on top of everything else, you also need me do some pest control.”

“Pest control?” Satoko said, her voice testy.

“What else would you call it?”

“A little girl died, Miss Hakurei. I appreciate that you see far more corpses than we do, but even so-”

Mokou laid a hand on Satoko’s shoulder and shook her head. Satoko scowled in indignation, but said nothing further.

“We would have taken care of it ourselves,” Mokou said. “Except we don’t exactly have any ghost extermination stuff on hand. And the places that sell it don’t sell to us anymore.”

That got Miko’s attention. “Oh reallllyyyy?” she drawled.

“We were recently banned from the village communal market,” Satoko said flatly. “And this is after we were banned from the Human Village altogether.”

Miko looked over to Mokou. “Does this have to do with you insulting Gendou Sonozika to his face?”

“Yeah, turns out he holds a grudge. Wonder where he gets it from?”

No answer to that question was needed. Miko was well aware of how many of Gendou Sonozika’s ancestors met an early grave thanks to Mokou. “Well, I’ll put that on my to-do list,” Miko growled. Grudges or not, cutting an orphanage off from all help was beyond the pale. And sure, Human affairs might be outside of her jurisdiction, but fuck it, the bounds of her jurisdiction were murky even at the best of times, and it wasn’t like there was anyone to report her to. “In the meantime though, I’d better get to cleaning house.”

Mokou motioned toward the house in question. “All yours.”

Miko stepped toward the front porch. Actually, even though this wasn’t going to remove her other problems, she was a little relieved that she was starting off with something like this. Cleaning out hauntings was dull routine to her. Maybe it would help focus her thoughts for the real issues.

“WAIT!” someone cried. “STOP!”

Miko paused. Then she, Mokou, and Satoko all turned.

Two little girls were running toward them, the one in the lead the taller of the two, with honey-blonde hair and golden eyes, and the other with shortly cut green hair and blue eyes.

Before Miko could question what they wanted, she was suddenly struck with a wave of…something! She had no idea what it was, but it felt thick, cold, and suffocating. It was emanating from the two girls like the cloud of smoke from a funeral pyre, the stench of rot from a mass grave. It was so strong that she had to take a step back and avert her face.

Taking no notice of her reaction, the two ran right up to the trio of women. “You’re the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, right?” the blonde said. “You’re here for Eiko’s ghost?”

The stink was making Miko’s eyes water. “I…”

“Please, don’t hurt her! She doesn’t know what she’s doing, and I’m sure she doesn’t mean to hurt anyone!”

“Oh no,” Satoko said softly. Shaking her head, she knelt down in front of the two. “No, girls. That thing in there isn’t Eiko. Eiko’s in the Netherworld, where all good souls go. That ghost is just an echo of the pain she felt, and when Miss Hakurei here takes care of it, all of her hurting will be over.”

“But it’s all that’s left of her!” cried the other girl, the one with green hair. “You can’t just-”

“Come on, come on,” Satoko soothed as she gently, yet firmly, led the two away. “It’s all right. Come on now.”

“But you can’t!” the green-haired girl protested. “Please, just let us talk to her, I’m sure we can calm her down!”

As they left, Mokou turned to Miko. “You all right?”

Sniffing, Miko pulled out her handkerchief to wipe at her watering eyes and running nose. “Uh, I guess so. Who the hell were they?”

“Haruko Kamijima and Hayate Maeda. Eiko’s friends, if you haven’t already guessed.”

“I figured. They the ones?”

“That’s them. You felt it, I’m guessing?”

Miko nodded.

“So…?”

Miko breathed in deeply, and then started coughing. The air tasted normal, but the spiritual stench still hung thick. “Oh, they have a curse all right. A big one too.”

“No shit. What kind?”

“Not sure. I’ll have to examine it more closely.” A job that, while necessary, she was not looking forward to. “Do you know how it happened?”

Mokou shook her head. “Nah, we found them on the edge of the forest, totally out cold. And when they woke up, they couldn’t remember anything.”

Frustrating, but not surprising. “Nothing at all?”

“Well, nothing about what or how it happened. The spider stuff they remembered, especially the one that was awake to see her friend get eaten. That was the blonde one. She saw the whole thing.”

Miko sighed. “Well, ain’t that all kinds of fucked up. You sure Muffet’s clan is gone for good?”

“Yeah, about that…” Mokou drawled. “I’ve got something I need to show you.”

“What?”

“Later. For now, ghost. Then we can focus on the curse.”

“Fine, have it your way.” Miko turned back toward the house. At least her first problem was an easy one. As frightening as they might be to the uninitiated, for her they were dull routine. And this one sounded as straight-forward as they got.

…

Satoko and Mokou stood and watched as Miko Hakurei walked up the porch stairs toward the front door of the haunted orphanage. She didn’t immediately enter though, instead walking back and forth across the porch, one hand outstretched, fingers brushing against the wall.

“What is she doing?” Satoko asked.

Mokou reached into her pocket and pulled out her packet of cigarettes. She lit one with her finger, took a deep drag, and breathed out the smoke. “Getting a feel for things,” she said. “She can’t sense the ghost through the charms, so she has to get in close get any kind of read.”

“Oh. Um, and you’re sure she can…deal with this?”

“Sure. I mean, this part’s just her regular job. It’s when she’s done with the ghost that things get complicated.”

“You mean the curse?”

Mokou blew out another, longer cloud of cigarette smoke. “Yup,” she said.

Satoko anxiously rose up and down on the balls of her feet. She was, under normal circumstances, a paragon of patience and tolerance, but the current situation was anything but normal. “And that’s why she, um, you know, reacted the way she did to Haruko and Hayate?”

“Yup.”

Satoko looked away from the house toward the immortal at her side. On the surface, Mokou was the perfect picture of calm, with one hand in her pocket, the other holding her cigarette to her mouth between two fingers, shoulders slightly slouched, and face almost looking bored. However, there was a harrowed look around her eyes, a worrying intensity in how she stared at the house.

That more than anything was reason to be scared. “Mokou,” Satoko said in a low voice. “Are you sure she can handle this curse?”

Mokou exhaled smoke from her nostrils. “No,” she said after a long silence.

Satoko started. “No?”

“No. But she’s the best bet we have.”

That was less than reassuring. “Mokou, how can-”

The house’s front door suddenly open and Miko Hakurei hurried out, hastily slamming the door behind her. She power-walked down the steps and across the grass toward the two women.

“You have a problem,” the shrine maiden said briskly.

Oh no. Oh, no, no, no. Not another problem. Not another wrinkle. Satoko had already endured more than she could stand. Was it bad enough that the rest of Gensokyo was systematically cutting them off little by little, that they were being purposefully sabotaged by their neighbors and invaded by flesh-eating youkai, that six of their children were currently either possessed or cursed or maybe both by something they didn’t understand, that their strongest ally was really a centuries-old murderess with a tendency to make enemies every time she went out, that they had to abandon their home because the ghost of a murdered child was seeking revenge for Satoko’s failure to protect her? And now there was a new problem with that?

“What is it?” Satoko said. “Oh, wait, let me guess: the ghost is really a legendary blood demon, sent to devour our souls! Or that it’s already so powerful that the only way to get rid of it is to destroy the house!” Her voice started to rise in pitch and volume. “Is it not enough that the people that are supposed to be our neighbors have exiled us, that monsters are kidnapping and eating our children alive, that we’re being cursed by unknown evils, but now we can’t even be haunted without it being somehow worse!”

“Satoko,” Mokou hissed. “Get a grip.”

“Get a grip? Get a grip? How can you expect me to get a grip after everything’s happened? What am I supposed to grip onto in the first place? Odds are it’ll just turn out to be covered with poisoned thorns that-”

Mokou seized her by the shoulder and forcibly muscled her into taking a seat.

“Save it for later,” Mokou growled. To Miko, she said, “So, what new bad news awaits us?”

“Well, maybe problem is too strong a word,” Miko amended. “But it’s definitely a complication.”

“Just tell us already,” Satoko said wearily, her face in her hands.

“Can’t, because I don’t really understand what it is. You need to see this for yourself.”

“Yeah, well, what else is new?” Mokou grabbed Satoko by the bicep and pulled her back to her feet. “Come on, Satoko. Let’s see the new addition to the Everyone Hates Us Club.”

Miko led the pair back to the house. As they approached, Satoko felt her anger and frustration melt together into a rising sense of dread, and that just upset her all the more. That house was supposed to be her sanctuary, their sanctuary, but now even it had shut itself off from them and become a den of evil. There was literally nowhere that was safe for them.

Sure enough, as soon as Satoko stepped past the threshold of the charms, she felt the temperature immediately drop several degrees. Every alarm bell in her head went off as she began picking up on several things wrong. Her sense of balance started to get all wonky, her sight refused to register anything as being the size that it actually was, the air around her felt oppressively thick, and her ears filled with the sounds of whispers, all sure signs of a haunting.

Maybe too many of them. Either Eiko’s ghost was unusually strong, which was a strong possibility given the circumstances of her death, or it had brought friends.

Miko laid a hand on the doorknob. As she did, it suddenly frosted over, cold vapors rising up from the frozen metal. Wincing, she quickly withdrew her hand.

“Here, let me,” Mokou said. Her palm rose in temperature until it was faintly glowing and the air around it became fuzzy. Ice hissed and sent up a cloud of steam when she grabbed the knob, but she was able to turn it and push.

First Miko went in, with Mokou not far behind. Satoko hung back, not wanting to follow, not wanting to see Eiko’s mutilated face or hear her accusatory screams.

“Oh,” she heard Mokou say in surprise. “Well, huh.”

“Yup,” Miko said in a grim tone.

Satoko glanced over her shoulder. Their small camp was a fair distance away from the house, but even so, she could see that everyone there was watching them.

Watching her.

Satoko took a deep breath to steady herself. No. No matter how bad things were, her responsibility was clear. And if she had to walk right into the domain of an angry spirit in order to protect those under her care, then she was going to do it. Satoko stepped over the threshold and into the house.

What she found inside wasn’t exactly what she was expecting.

Oh, she had anticipated ghostly shenanigans, with horrific images, screams, and Eiko’s butchered body being displayed in all manner of stomach-churning scenarios.

Instead, she found themselves staring at row after row after row of grey faces, all gazing solemnly at the trio.

The entrance room was packed with people, most of them children but a few adults here and there. The children were all wearing some variation of the grey uniforms that the orphanage provided. The design had changed little throughout the years, but there were some differences among them. The adults all had on more normal clothes, mostly the simple kind that was often donated by local farmers or the nearby villages. They filled the room, the connecting hallways, and even had more perched on the stairs.

There had to be a couple hundred of them at least, far more people than had ever been in the house at one time. Satoko’s hands went to her mouth as she gasped. This was…well, she had no idea how she was supposed to react to something like this. Was she afraid? Well, she supposed so, but mostly she just felt stupefied. Thus far they had been dealing with dangers and threats that were…mostly known. Evil youkai they understood. Ghosts they understood. Evil-hearted people they understood. Even the curse, while certainly of unknown origin, was just something that people expected from the Youkai Forest.

But this…this was new.

Satoko shot a glance over to Miko and Mokou, both of whom probably had numerous encounters with ghosts, spirits, poltergeists, and all manner of undead in her time. However, the supposed expert ghost exterminator Miko Hakurei looked very put out, while the centuries-old renegade Fujiwara no Mokou was ill at ease, warily rising on the balls of her feet as her gaze darted this way and that. She held her hands to either side, fingers curled and arms loose. There was a sudden whoosh, and twin balls of flame ignited around her hands.

“So,” Miko said, sounding more irritated than afraid, “I was given to understand that you wanted me to clean out one ghost.” She swept an arm toward the ethereal audience. “This looks way more than just one ghost.”

“Miko,” Mokou said as she warily edged back toward the door.

“I mean, I guess it’s still doable, but for something on this scale, I’m gonna have to start charging.”

“Miko, cut the crap and explain.”

“Me? This is your house, Mokou. These are your ghosts, you explain!”

As the two argued, Satoko continue to look over the expressionless faces silently watching them. Who were all these people? Why were they there? And why were they all dressed in the same uniforms as her kids?

Then she saw a face that she recognized and her heart nearly stopped.

“Tobi?” Satoko whispered. “Tobi, is that you?”

Mokou spared her half a glance. “Satoko, who are you talking to?”

Satoko pointed to the right of the room. “Her! That girl there. Tobi, can you hear me?”

There was a pause, and the shimmering grey bodies shuffled about, and Tobi stepped forward. She had been seven years old when she died, and save for her grey complexion and semi-transparent quality, she looked the same, with hair hanging down her back in a tightly woven ponytail and a ribbon tied around her head with a large bow on either side of her head, just over her ears.

“Tobi, can you hear me?” Satoko said. “It’s me, Miss Satoko.” She started to move forward, only for Miko to thrust an arm across her chest.

“Don’t,” Miko said.

Satoko shot her a pleading look. “But-”

“Satoko, who’s Tobi?” Mokou said in a low voice.

“She was one of our kids! But…she died, before you came. Before even Joshua came, actually. She got lost during a snowstorm and…Tobi, please! Can you hear me?”

Tobi’s face was as blank as her companions, though she did tilt her head to one side, as if trying to listen.

“You recognize anyone else here?” Mokou said.

Satoko looked the crowd over. She did, actually. Most of the faces were new to her, but now that she was looking, a few jumped out to her. “I…I think that’s Miss Oa over there. She was one of the caretakers when I was a girl, but she passed before I took over. And that…” She inhaled sharply. “Oh no, Kale?”

Now she was looking up at the stairs, specifically at a tall boy that was almost a man. He had spiky hair that was messily combed back and a rather prominent nose.

“And he is?” Miko said.

Satoko’s eyes misted over. She blinked a few times and stuttered, “M-My best friend. When I w-was growing up. But…he d-died when I was sixteen. Flash flood. And…and…”

She could say no more. In life, Kale had robust and full of energy, a fun-loving boy that saw their lives as a never-ending adventure. They had grown up together, played together as children, crashed through those bewildering gates of puberty together, and had shared their first clumsy kiss with one another. At the time, Satoko had considered herself the luckiest girl in the world, and she been distraught when that adventure had been cruelly cut short, and for a time it seemed as if the

If their friendship meant anything to the dearly departed Kale, he made no sign, content to remain staring along with everyone else.

Then she saw something that made even her wince. She nudged Satoko with her elbow and pointed. When Satoko saw, she inhaled sharply through her nose but said nothing.

Eiko Goto was there, standing and staring as silently as the others. She was near the door to their left, no longer screaming, no longer spitting up spiders, but she was there. An older woman stood behind her with her arms around Eiko’s front, holding her in a protective embrace. The message was clear. She’s ours. Do not touch.

The more Mokou learned about their current situation, the less she liked it. Had all of these spirits been here this whole time, held back by the foundational wards? And did they have any particular opinions about that?

Then a very strange voice said, I think I can explain.

Again the ghosts shuffled around, allowing one of the adults to step forward. She seemed to be somewhere in her mid-forties, with a pleasantly plump body and a round face. Her hair was tied back in a tight bun, and she had the shoulders of someone accustomed to labor.

It was she that had spoken, if what she had done could be described as speaking. Truth be told, Satoko wasn’t even sure if the ghost had made any noise at all. It was like a whisper from a fading dream, a memory of a conversation that had never happened. And yet Satoko had no trouble understanding her at all.

“Who’s that?” Mokou asked.

“I…” Satoko shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Then the ghost woman smiled kindly at her, the first actual emotion any of them had expressed. Hello there, granddaughter.

Satoko choked. “Wait, granddaughter?”

Sort of. It’s close enough. The ghost woman bowed low. I would apologize for startling you, but you did come in unannounced. My name is Aoki Yume, and this is my house.

…

Alone in a crowd. Alone with your family. That was how Melissa felt.

The whole of the orphanage’s household was abuzz. The Hakurei Shrine Maiden had finally arrived, and had gone to deal with Eiko’s ghost. And after that, she would deal with Youkai Forest curse. Things were going to return to normal! Or at least, some semblance of normal anyway. They were still banished and isolated from the rest of the Humans, but at the very least their problems would be of the mortal variety. No one was going to have to worry about screaming ghosts hanging from the ceiling spitting up spiders or having their throats cut by their possessed friends anymore.

Or at least, that was what the grown-ups had said.

Truth be told, very few of them believe that. When the Hakurei Shrine Maiden had arrived, Melissa had been profoundly disappointed. Some rough-looking lady in a worn red-and-white outfit was supposed to save them all? Everyone half-expected the ghost to chew her up and spit her bones out of a window.

Melissa was one of them. There was a ghost in their house. Their friends were possessed. Most of the strange types of magic in Gensokyo had been nearly incomprehensible to her, but those two she fully understood. And judging by how scared everyone else looked and the way they were whispering to one another, she wasn’t alone.

Except she was, because at least everyone else had someone to whisper to. Everyone was in their own little groups, talking in hushed tones to their friends. Even the grown-ups were talking to each other. But not Melissa. The only two people she felt comfortable really talking to was Kana, her only real friend, and Mr. Joshua, who was the only other person from the Outside World and understood enough Spanish whenever Melissa’s still incomplete grasp of Japanese wasn’t enough. And Kana was one of the possessed and Mr. Joshua was engaged in a hushed conversation with Miss Shion, leaving Melissa by herself. It was just like her first few days until Kana had started following her around, and outcast among the outcasts.

So with nothing else to do, she tried talking to God.

It was something Mr. Joshua had suggested whenever she felt alone. Certainly she knew how, given she had spent most of her life in a Catholic mission, but truth be told she had never really felt close to God, even then. The way that the priests and nuns had described him made him seem scary and unapproachable, someone you needed to book an appointment with weeks in advance and had to mind your P’s and Q’s when that meeting actually took place, not really the sort of person you’d want to open up to. Why else would he have so many rules and punishments?

She liked the way Mr. Joshua described him better, as more of a big brother who was always more than happy to just sit down and listen whenever you needed him. Certainly that was how he talked to him. Melissa would often hear him having long conversations with nobody whenever he was working. They would often be in English, which nobody at the orphanage understood, so it was more than a little weird, but the other kids seemed used to it, and she had to admit it did sound appealing to just be able to open up about whatever was bothering you whenever you wanted.

Except that God felt more distant than ever. Gensokyo was a world separated from Earth, so Melissa didn’t even know if God could hear her. Did he get prayers from this strange, offshoot country? Wasn’t that kind of like someone from Mexico trying to write the President of the United States a letter? It just seemed like it would be outside of his jurisdiction!

Besides, Gensokyo had gods of its own, and a lot of them. One could literally go to their shrines and have a face-to-face conversation with them. And while they had rules too, those actually made a lot more sense. Make an offering at their shrine, and have a prayer answered. Someone was sick? Make an offering. It hadn’t rained in a long time and the crops were drying out? Make an offering. It was all very straightforward.

Still, she didn’t know any of those gods. They had taken visits to shrines before, and she had seen the gods there, but had never spoken to them. She had just been too nervous. What did one say to a god? They hadn’t seemed like gods to her, more like rock and roll stars, normal people but with weird clothes and big personalities, still not someone she felt like she could just approach. With God, if he could hear her, all she had to do was talk, maybe even just think! Whatever, it wasn’t like she could do anything else.

So, as she paced back and forth across the camp in agitation, she tried talking to God.

“Um, our Father, who’s in Heaven, hallowed be thy…uh…hallowed be thy name,” she muttered. “They will come, they kingdom be…uh, no. No, it’s the other way around.” Damn it, she used to know the whole thing! It wasn’t like she had much of a choice back then, but it had been so long since she had last recited the Lord’s Prayer, the lines were all mixed up in her head.

So she tried something else. “Hail Mary full of grace, and…” Her mind drew a blank.

Just as well, Mr. Joshua had always said that praying to Mary was weird anyway. Fine. Forget the memorized prayers. She was just going to talk, like Mr. Joshua did.

“All right,” she muttered. “God, can you hear me? It’s Melissa Garcia! You know, the girl that got lost and wound up here. In Gensokyo.”

Dai and Yoshi were wrestling all over the sleeping mats up ahead. Melissa altered her course to give them a wide berth.

“I don’t know if you can hear me here, if you even care about anything that happens here, but I’m scared. I’m stuck here and I’m scared. I mean, Gensokyo just seemed so much better than where I came from. It’s prettier, the orphanage is nicer than the mission, the food’s…okay, it tasted a little weird at first, but it’s actually better. And they have magic here! I’m actually learning how to fly! I mean, I was, but…” She coughed. “Um, people back…back home would probably just call that witchcraft, but is it though? I mean, you had to make magic too, right?”

She had reached the end of the camp, and since she didn’t like the idea of striking off by herself across the field where someone could grab at her, she reversed course and headed back the other way.

“But, um, things are bad now. One of the kids here got…eaten, and now her ghost is haunting the place. A real ghost! I don’t know if we had them back home or if they all got put here, but I saw it! And now some of the others are, I don’t know, possessed or something? Or just cursed? Something bad. But my best friend’s one of them, and they won’t let me talk to her, but she’s been coughing a lot, and I think she’s sick, and I don’t know what to do.”

She had to stop suddenly, as Miss Haruna was walking across her path, and Melissa almost walked right into her.

“Whoa, careful there, kid,” Miss Haruna said.

Melissa cringed. “I’m…sorry. Very sorry, I wasn’t-”

“Easy, easy, no-” Then she said something too fast for Melissa to catch, followed with, “Just be careful, all right?”

“Okay,” Melissa said, then she resumed her pacing.

“Anyway, I don’t know if you’re even allowed to change anything in here, even if you can hear us, but if you can, please, please, please help them! Help Kana. And, I don’t know, help us! No one else is!”

She reached the other end of the camp, spun on her heel, and set off again.

“Besides, there’s this group of men. Bad men. They say that they’re doing your will, but all they’ve done is make things hard for us! They’re out there trying to make everyone else hate us, and they’re doing it in your name. So, shouldn’t you, you know, do something about it? Isn’t this your responsibility? Mr. Joshua’s the only good Christian I know, and he’s on our side! Can’t you do something for his sake? Or are you just going to leave him to fend for himself just because-”

In her rising anger and agitation, Melissa had forgotten to watch where she was going and walked right into someone who was equally preoccupied.

“-oof!”

She stumbled back, nearly fell, and only just recovered her balance in time.

The other person, who was noticeably larger and heavier than her, might have done the same, had a rolled-up sleeping mat not ended right behind his foot.

“Ow.”

To Melissa’s horror, she found herself looking down at Noba Fujinami, who had sprawled out in an untidy head.

“I’m sorry!” she blurted out, forgetting in her agitation to use Japanese instead of Spanish. Realizing this, she corrected to, “Um, sorry, sorry!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Noba grunted. Melissa reached down to help him up. Their hands grasped, and…

Oh.

Wow.

Noba straightened up and brushed himself off. “Sorry about that,” he muttered. “Was kind of preoccupied.”

“Oh, it’s…good!” Melissa said, hoping he hadn’t noticed how flustered she had become. “Um…how is…” Damn it, now she was forgetting simple words! “…your…face?”

Noba stared blankly at her.

“Head!” Oh, if a youkai felt like kidnapping her, now would be the time! “Sorry. Head! How is your head?”

“Oh,” Noba laughed. “Yeah, um, funny thing. Ever…” Then he said something long and kind of rambling. Melissa listened intently, trying to grab onto all the words she recognized and use that context to figure out what he was trying to say.

Noba must have seen the look on her face, as he then let his words trail off. “Oh,” he said, more slowly this time. “Sorry. Was I too fast?”

“No, it’s okay,” Melissa was quick to say. She felt as she had caught the gist of it. “You…feel better after, uh, after they locked the…” Oh damn. “The ghost! They locked the ghost in the house.”

“Yeah, that’s it,” Noba said. “I guess that knock to my head made me more…” a word that Melissa didn’t know yet, probably “sensitive” or something like that, “…to magic stuff.”

“Maybe,” Melissa said. “I don’t know. I never met a ghost before.”

Noba made a face. “Me neither. It’s freaky.”

“Yeah.”

The two fell silent, though on the inside Melissa anything but. In fact, her mind was screaming at her memory, begging for it to upload every bit of Japanese she knew, right now, thank you!

Fortunately Noba broke the silence first. “So, who were you talking to?”

Unfortunately, he had decided to break it with someone embarrassing. “Oh, no one,” Melissa said by reflex. “I just…” Then she sighed. Oh, why not? “To God.”

“God?”

Melissa winced and shrugged. “Yes.”

“A god came here?” Noba said, his handsome face scrunching up in puzzlement. “To help?”

“No,” Melissa said. “To God. To…” Her memory failed her, and she gestured helplessly in Mr. Joshua’s general direction, hoping that would get her point across.

Fortunately it did. “Oh, you mean your god, from the Outside World? The same one Mr. Joshua’s always praying to?”

“Yes,” Melissa sighed in relief while wondering how to turn the conversation away from religion. “Him.”

Noba tilted his head to one side. “Does he ever talk back?”

“I don’t know,” Melissa said honestly.

“Okay.” Sighing, Noba scratched the back of his neck and looked around. “Uh, hey, are you all right?”

“Uh…why?”

Noba shrugged. Well, Kana’s your friend, right. You must be worried about her.

“Yes,” Melissa admitted. “Yes, I am.”

Noba nodded. “Well, don’t worry. The Hakurei Shrine Maiden will help her.”

Melissa swallowed back the lump she felt forming. “How do…How do you be sure?”

“Well, it’s what she does,” Noba said, frowning.

Was it? Was it really? Some old woman she had never met before was supposed to save them all? “We have ghost!” Melissa said, struggling to find the right words to put her fears to speech. “We have…curse! Youkai eat us! Everything is bad!”

Her throat seized up, and she felt hot tears starting to form. Feeling hot in the face, she hastily turned away before Noba could see her.

She had screwed up. She had screwed up and made things worse. Noba had actually gone up to her and talked to her, and she had acted like a total spaz. And she was still scared, was still worried sick for Kana, God wasn’t doing anything, and now Noba probably thought that she was-

Then a large, strong hand slipped around hers.

Melissa gawked up in shock to see Noba standing next to her. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I guess this would be scarier for you.”

Well, that was true enough. “You not scared?” she blurted out.

“Oh yeah,” Noba said with a bitter laugh. “Very. But not of the ghost. And not of the curse.”

“Why?”

Noba shrugged. “Because there are always ghosts and curses and youkai. But we know what to do about them. Those…” he said another word that Melissa had heard several times but had never learned the meaning, though it sounded very derogatory, “…that attacked us in the market, that knocked me out. Them I’m scared of. That’s different.”

Melissa knew what he meant. That was one thing that hadn’t changed, one thing that was the same no matter what world she was in: people with ugly hearts doing ugly things. “Why are they like that?”

“Wish I knew. I thought it was their weird god, but you’re nice, and Mr. Joshua is nice, and…” Then he went red in the face. “Oh, sorry. That wasn’t very polite, huh?”

“It is fine!” Melissa quickly changed the subject. “You really think they will try to hurt us again?”

At this, Noba thoughtfully rubbed his chin with his free hand. He had a dusting of stubble on it, and over his cheeks. It gave him a cool, mature look. “You know, back when my head was hurting all the time, I kept having these weird dreams. Bad ones, where the house would be on fire, and we’d be trying to get out, but all the doors and windows would be stuck and…” His voice trailed off.

“That…That sounds…bad.”

“Oh yeah. But in those dreams, it was never youkai that was setting everything on fire, not ghosts, not demons. It was Humans. Other Humans.” A flash of anger crossed his face. “I mean, youkai are youkai. That’s what they do. What are those people’s excuse?”

“They are bad,” Melissa said flatly. “They are bad men and bad women. Bad people do bad things.”

“Well, if so, then it ought to be them that the youkai carry off! We didn’t do anything! We didn’t…uh…”

“Uh what?”

Noba pointed with her free hand. “Who the hell are they?”

Melissa looked. And then her heart fell.

There, across the grass, on the other side of the fence, three people were coming down the road toward the gate.

Three people dressed all in brown.

“They’re back,” Noba whispered.

…

“This. Friggin’. Sucks!”

The group now dubbed the “Black Circle Six” sat in, well, a circle, one that was set apart from the rest of their family, well on the other side of the field. Normally Miss Mokou would be with them, but even she was gone, having entered the house with Miss Satoko and the shrine maiden.

Rumia hated being cursed. It was worse then being sick. At least when you got sick it just meant that you felt like crap for a few days and didn’t get to play with anyone and didn’t have to do chores in the meantime. All that was true about being cursed, but it wasn’t something you just got better from, and everyone kept looking at her like she was going to snap and kill everybody.

Maybe I should, she groused to herself. Not seriously of course, but she was in a bad mood. Show them for looking at me like that. Like it’s my fault some big evil magic coughed on me. Like it’s my fault that stupid voice keeps saying-

Give in.

-that. That it keeps saying that.

“I hate this,” Rumia continued to grumble out loud. “What’s taking them so long? Shouldn’t they try to fix us first?”

Hayate glowered at her, her eyes red and blotchy from crying. “Will you shut up? It’s not your friend that they’re going after.”

Rumia groaned. “Oh, for the last time, it’s not Eiko! It’s just her stupid ghost!”

“Are you sure?” Kohta said, his face pale. Despite everything that had happened to them, the arrival of Eiko’s ghost had shaken him the most. “It might be her. She might be mad at us for not saving her too.”

“Oh, now you believe in ghosts, huh?” Rumia snapped.

“Shut up, Rumia!” Haruko yelled at her.

“Don’t tell me to shut up, you shut up!” Rumia yelled back.

Haruko leapt to her feet. “You’re happy about this, aren’t you? You’re happy she’s dead, you’re happy that they’re killing her again, and you probably wish the spiders killed us too!”

A moment later Rumia was on her feet as well, fists balled and ready to swing. “We saved your life, numbskull!”

“But you didn’t save hers! If you hadn’t gotten there so late she would still be alive!”

“Enough!” Keine roared. She had been mostly silent all day, groaning and rubbing her head like it was paining her. But apparently even she had a breaking point. “Enough, enough, enough! Gods, it’s bad enough that we have all this other crap going on without you two yelling at each other!”

“Keep out of this, shrimp!” Haruko’s voice rose to a shriek. “We didn’t ask you for-”

“Ah!” Keine curled into a ball and grabbed at her head with both hands. “Please, just stop yelling!”

Rumia rushed to her side. “Keine, are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay! I’m cursed, my head feels like it’s going to explode, my stomach won’t stop hurting, and you all won’t shut up! Of course I’m not okay!”

Her anger cooling into guilt, Rumia sat down next to her. After a moment both Haruko and Hayate did too.

“What’s wrong with your head?” Kohta said at last.

Keine shot him an irritated look. “Seriously? You guys don’t have it too?”

Kohta shrugged. “Well, I mean, my hand’s still all prickly, and I got that whole voice in the back of my head going all, Give in, but I don’t have a headache. Or a stomachache.” Rumia had to admit, his imitation of the curse’s black voice was pretty spot on.

“So it’s just me then?” Keine sighed. “Oh, that just figures!”

Haruko cleared her throat. “Maybe it’s just, you know, your…” Her voice got small. “Womanly…issue.”

Kohta stared. “Her what now?”

Rumia sighed and buried her face in her hand. She loved Kohta dearly, but he could be just so stupid sometimes.

“It’s not,” Keine said flatly.

“Are you sure? Have you even had your first one yet?”

“Her first what?” Kohta said. Rumia elbowed him in the side.

“Shut. Up. Haruko!” Keine hissed.

Then Kana piped in with, “Perhaps she is dying as well.”

That got a groan from everyone. “Oh, for crap’s sake,” Rumia said. “Really, Kana?”

“It is a possibility,” Kana said calmly. “We still do not know the origin of this curse. It may be fatal.”

“Well, thanks,” Keine said as she continued to massage her head. “Appreciate that.”

“You are welcome,” Kana said without a hint of sarcasm. Then she started coughing again.

Then Rumia frowned. “Wait, what do you mean ‘as well’? Who else is dying?”

“Me,” Kana said after her most recent fit had quieted. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“No,” Rumia said immediately. “You’re not dying. You’re just sick because you got more spider venom than everyone else. Once the curse is gone, you’ll start feeling better.”

“Oh, I don’t believe so,” Kana said, in that bewilderingly serene manner of hers.

Rumia glared. “You’re not dying.”

“I think I am,” Kana said. Then she brightened. “Oh, that reminds me. After I’m dead, would you please ask that the shrine maiden not exterminate my ghost? I would hate to have to die twice.”

“See!” Haruko said, pointing at the frail weirdo. “Even she knows this is wrong!”

Keine winced. “If you guys don’t shut up, I’m actually going to give in and find out what the fuss is all about.”

“No,” Kohta said, his voice firm. He laid a hand on Keine’s shoulder. “No, you’re not. None of us are giving in, and Kana, you’re not dying. The shrine maiden will clean up the house, she’ll get rid of the curse, and we can all move back in.”

“That’s nice of you to say so,” Kana said. “You are wrong though.”

Hayate swallowed. “What if she’s right? What if the shrine maiden can’t fix us?”

“Huh?” Rumia said. “It’s her job, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, okay,” Rumia sighed. “Kana? You’re not helping.”

“Was I supposed to help? I apologize, but no one has explained what my responsibilities are.”

“What if this is too big for her though?” Hayate said, as if the others hadn’t spoken. “What if it infects her too?”

“She’s the Hakurei Shrine Maiden though,” Rumia said. “She deals with this stuff all the time.”

“As far as we know! What if this one gets her? Then who’ll save us?

“Who are they?” Kana wondered.

“What, the Hakurei Shrine Maidens? Gods, Kana! I know you’re an airhead, but this is dumb even for you!”

“No, not her, them!” Kana pointed across the field toward the camp of everyone who wasn’t cursed, or to be more specifically the gate that lay beyond them. “Those men there. I don’t recognize them.”

When Rumia saw what Kana was pointed at, she hissed through her teeth.

A trio of men was striding across their field toward their family, men wearing brown robes, the same as the ones who had crashed Eiko’s funeral.

“Is that them?” Hayate asked. “Are they back?”

“Oh, they’re back all right,” Rumia said. “And you know what?”

She abruptly stood to her feet, and before anyone could stop her she started to make her way across the grass.

“Hey, wait!” Kohta called after her. “Where are you going?”

“Those are the same assholes that did all this to us!” Rumia called over her shoulder, not slowing her gait in the slightest. “It’s their fault we got banned from everything, it’s their fault we got attacked, it’s their fault Eiko is dead, it’s their fault we’re cursed, and it’s their fault we can’t even sleep in our own house. So you know what? I’m gonna go over there, and when I do…”

Give in.

“…I’m gonna find out if this curse really is contagious!”

…

Four elderly women sat together at the dining room table.

To be clear, the term “elderly” is not to imply that they were in any way weak or frail, but to state that they literally were elders of their respective worlds, matriarchs who had done great things and had earned their authority and respect.

Satoko Yume was the youngest of the four, but she was still soon to exit middle age, and had devoted her life to caring for the lost children of Gensokyo, running its only orphanage as its chief matron and ensuring that those under her care were given the best life possible.

Miko Hakurei was the second youngest, and she would not be considered a young woman by any mortal metric. True, her family was especially long-lived, but even by the Hakurei standards she was just starting to get along in years, enough to give her the odd wrinkle or grey hair that had nothing to do with her harrowing job. And she was also the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, a very important role indeed, if often underappreciated.

Aoki Yume was, as she appeared, a ghost, one that was generations old, and as the original founder of the house that bore her name, she had ensured that her legacy was a good one, and one not soon forgotten.

Mokou was Mokou.

But despite all of them having lived a full life, such as they were, and despite all of their respective accomplishments, it did not feel like a meeting of equals, as evidenced by how they each felt about those who they shared the table with. Aoki, despite very much being a spirit of the dead, was totally at ease, as if she were nothing more than a kindly grandmother entertaining the ladies of the village to tea. Miko, who had brought them all together, was wary and slightly irritated, as she often was when an incident that she had been brought in to resolve had developed unforeseen complications, as they often would. Mokou was more curious than anything. She wasn’t afraid, and she had certainly seen stranger phenomena in her time, but even she hadn’t expected the literal ghost of Aoki Yume herself to appear. At any rate, their little haunting problem was looking to become an unexpected advantage rather than a danger, so she intended to hear this new specter out and figure out how to turn things to their advantage.

Satoko, however, was both awed and terrified. True, it was still technically her house, and she was very much used to being in charge, but having one ghost around was bad enough. Learning that there were actually a couple hundred floating about and oh yes, they’re represented by your long-dead and highly revered great-to-a-significant-exponent grandmother was, to put it in layman’s terms, blowing her brain. She was sitting stiff and still, not even daring to blink, the only movement of hers being the trembling around her forearms and calves.

Aoki looked around at those gathered. Sorry I don’t have anything to offer you, she “said.” And by that, her mouth moved and the other three understood her well enough, but later upon reflection none of them could confidently say that they had actually heard anything. But you did take most of the food when you ran out, including all the tea.

Mokou shrugged. “Yeah, well, dead girl shows up on your ceiling and starts vomiting up spiders, you tend to not want to stick around.”

Still. Rude. Aoki then turned her attention to Satoko, who was sitting directly across from her and, it should be noted, had yet to blink. Dear, please. Your eyes will dry out like.

“I-” Satoko finally closed her eyes and opened them again, albeit much slower than a natural blink would have. “I-I’m sorry, I still don’t understand. You’re my, ah…”

Don’t bother counting all the greats, dear. Even I lost count.

“Oh, um. But still. You claim to be Aoki Yume? The Aoki Yume?”

I claim nothing. I am who I am.

Miko let out a long and irritated sigh. “Okay, look: this is all very fascinating, but can we speed this along? Because I’d really like to know-”

Aoki’s grandmotherly smile thinned a bit. Speak when spoken to, young lady. And do not interrupt your elders.

Miko’s head actually jerked back in surprise at the reprimand. But then she smiled. “It’s been a long time since anyone’s called me ‘young lady.’”

My hair is far greyer than yours is. I’m entitled.

“A’ight,” Mokou said. “But she has a point.”

Now Aoki was starting to look a little put off herself. What did I just say?

Mokou smiled that slow, lazy smile that a few unlucky individuals had learned to fear. “You’re not my elder, not by a longshot. Hell, the list of people in this weird little country that can be called my elder is in the single-digits.”

At this, Aoki’s face started to look a little more figuratively grave than literal. No. You’re right, I’m not. She paused, and then said, You are not a good person.

Both Satoko and Miko shot looks at Mokou, as if expecting her to take extreme exception to the blunt observation. However, she wasn’t even ruffled. “Oh, no. You’re right about that: I’m not. My soul is as pure as the driven yellow snow. But even if I am a monster, I’m one that’s on your side. And you need me, young lady.”

That got a ghostly smile. Yes, I suppose that’s true.

Mokou rolled her wrist. “You know our questions. What’re the answers?”

That I cannot properly explain. You must be shown. Only then will you understand.

“Huh?” Satoko sat up straighter. “Show us what?”

Aoki stood up. Follow me, please.

“To where? Grandmother, what are you showing us?”

Instead of answering, the shade of the orphanage’s founder walked over to the large double-door that connected the dining room to the hall, the same they had come through. It was closed shut. She laid a shimmering hand on its frame.

Mokou and Miko exchanged a look. The shrine maiden shrugged, and they both rose. After a moment of hesitation Satoko followed.

Understand, I am not adding to your problems, Aoki said. But you need to understand that what you protect is far more precious than you had ever known, and I know you already held it dear.

“What?” Satoko said. “What are you talking about? Is there some kind of, I don’t know, ancestral treasure hidden here?”

Something like that, yes. With that, Aoki opened the door, and golden light poured out.

...

Y’know, when I was first planning this story, I told myself I would rein myself in and restrict myself to ten chapters.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Until next time, everyone!

#The Touhou Project #touhou #rumia #Fujiwara no Mokou #mokou #miko hakurei #imperfect metamorphosis #fanfic

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ainstgirl · 5 years

Text

THE SOLDIER AND HIS CAPTAIN (6/6)

Summary: It’s your first day at the academy where you’ll become a soldier. The academy is already difficult but even more so when you are a woman and you have Sergeant Hanks as Captain, luckily another captain will help you overcome the challenges. I’m very bad with summaries, just give it a try. English is my third language so im sorry if there’s any misspelling.

Pairing(s): Steve Rogers x Reader

PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5

"You are very happy today, aren't you?" Lily asks while practicing her blows. "and your very hangover Lily" you say smiling, you couldn't help it, after last night you couldn't hide your smile. "i know... I will never drink again" she says. "sure..." You were sure that as soon as the hangover was over, she will forget about that promise. "enough practice with mannequins, today you will fight against each others" Captain Hanks says catching your attention. "we'll start with Chris and Robert" they all continue training while they hit each other until one gets unconscious "Next Andrew against Lily" he announces. "hit his legs, make him fall to the ground and hit him on the head, do not give him time to hit you" you say to her and she nods. Lily manages to hit him in the stomach before he throws her to the ground. Your body screams at you to help her but you can't do that, she tries to get up but he hits her again, you knew Andrew, he's a decent guy, he is kind to you and doesn't treat you like you were fresh meat. After a few blows Lily falls unconscious and Andrew walks away, everyone smiles at his victory but he doesn't. "where do you think you are going? you are not finished" Captain Hanks says. "she's unconscious" Andrew says confused. "This doesn't end until I say it, she may be faking it, a couple of broken ribs would confirm it" he says almost smiling. Andrew approaches an unconscious Lily when you stand in front of her. "the rules are to fight until one is unconscious" you say. "i make the rules Y/L/N, move away or you will be the one who receives the punishment" He threatens you. "the punishment for what?" you yell this time "When Robert lost you didn't had any problems, do you have a problem with women captain?" "Everybody out" he says without looking away from you "take her to her room" he says pointing to lily. Andrew grabs Lily, you were sure he would take care of her. When everyone was gone, Hanks approaches you "this is not a place for women, you are only burdens for us" "I have to remind you that I got the flag when none of your men got it? I capture the nonhuman, I have overcome all your damn tests" You say tired of how she treats you. He grabs your arm hurting you, when you push him to let you go, you see something that surprises you, a tattoo, but not any tatoo....the symbol of hydra, when he realizes that you have seen it he smiles at you, a smile that doesn't reach his eyes, and then he hits you in the head, leaving you unconscious.

when you recover consciousness you are in a punishment cell, you had read about them. This cell hasn't been used for a long time, there were leaks in the roof and the floors were full of dirt. Your head hurts and when you touch your head you see that there are traces of blood. "Welcome back" Captain Hanks was sitting in a chair in front of the cell. "damn bastard....I knew you were hiding something, but I never thought you were a traitor" you hit the cell bars. "traitor? the only traitor here is Captain America" he smiles "You almost did me a favor when you discover me, not only I will get rid of you, but also I'll kill Captain America's girlfriend" "what... no we are not..." you try to lie. "I've been spying him for months, I know everything, now i only have to decide how i'm going to kill you" He says with a smile that freezes your blood.

Meanwhile.....

"wait Nat, what do you mean you haven't found anything?" Steve says disappointed. "nothing, there's only information about him from 5 years ago" Nat says through the phone. "i don't like this Nat..." "yeah...me neither I'll speak with Fury, maybe he knows something" she says. "let me know if you find anything" Steve says before hanging up "what's wrong?" he says when he sees Sam worried face. "Lily just call..." he says. "Is everything okay?" "please, tell me we have something against Hanks because right now I want to hit his ass" Sam says hitting the table. "what happened?" Steve was already worried. "Lily call me from the infirmary, apparently Hanks wanted the soldiers to keep hitting Lily after she was unconscious after a fight exercise" he says angrily. "son of..." Steve starts to say. "there's more" he looks at Steve before continuing "Someone told her that Y/N stopped them, Hanks ....apparently he was alone with Y/N and since then nobody has seen her, Hanks says that she decided to leave the academy" "that's impossible, she would never do that" Steve says worried. "that's what Lily says, she worried" Sam adds. "we need to go back, now" Needless to say anything else, both take their weapons and leave in the direction of the military base.

"so ... what do you prefer?" Hanks pull out a gun and a knife "which one?" "Why not a hand-to-hand combat? are you scare to loose?" that way you could have a chance to survive or at least give him a good blow before you die. "do you really thing that you can win, you? i was going to give you a quick death but a beating doesn't sound bad" He opens the cell letting you out. "if you kill me everyone would know that something happend when i don't return" You say looking around for something to defend yourself. "everyone thinks that you left the academy" he says. "no one would believe you, not my friends, not Steve" They know you, you would never leave the academy and less without saying goodbye, you are sure that they're already looking for you. "i'll be happy to take care of him" "You're no match for him" Steve would kill him. "well, you won't live to find out" Hanks says before hitting you on your face, the blow takes you by surprise but you react in time to block the next blow. You use the tactics that Steve had taught you, you hit him in the neck and then you break his nose, for a moment you thought you could run away but he throws you to the ground, he kicks you in the stomach. You can feel a few ribs brake. He was going to kill you. You had given up when you heard Steve's voice.

"Son of a bitch" Steve says pulling him away from you. "he works for Hydra" you say to prevent him. "I've been waiting fir this moment for a long time, finally we'll know who is the best Captain" Hanks says. "let's find out then" Steve says taking off his helmet. Both begin to fight, the blows don't stop and you just stare without knowing what to do. You stand up carefully, your ribs hurt, but you try to forget about the pain, how can you help Steve? You look around when you see it, a gun, the same gun that Hanks was going to use to kill you. You take the gun and aim to Hanks. "Stop now!" you yell. Steve stops when he sees you. "I've seen you shoot, you have no aim, so go ahead, lets see who you shoot at" Hanks says and you only smile before shooting at his leg "you stupid bitch"

"what were you saying?" You say before Steve knocks him unconscious. "good shoot" he runs to you "are you okay?" "yeah... you got here just in time, what are we going to do with him?" "hopefully he will tell us what he knows, who else is with hydra" he explains "are you sure you are okay?" "just my ribs but i'm okay dont worry about me" you say before kissing him "next time just take me to the mission okay?" you say making him laugh. "Of course, look what happens when I leave you alone" he jokes "Come on, you have to go to the infirmary, Sam is already on his way to take him with Fury" "What's going to happen now?" you ask. "I suppose I will be the official captain" he says. "and... what about us?" "We can be together once this year is over" he kisses your forehead. "If you are going to be my captain you have to treat me like the others, okay?" you insist. "I know you can take care of yourself, i promise" he kisses you. "i love you" you say before kissing him again. "i love you too" he says caressing your face. "lovebirds, get a room" Sam says when he enters the room. "you are the one with a bird costume Sam" you joke before leaving the room with Steve. Now that Hanks wasn't going to be a problem, you could finally enjoy the academy and with Steve, you will surely become the best soldier. This is the life you wanted, to save people and who better to live with than Steve.

This is not the end I wanted but since nobody is reading it I dont want to waste my time, even though I wanted to give it an end.

MASTERLIST

#chris evans #chris evans fanfiction #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers imagine #Steve Rogers #steve rogers x reader #Ainstgirl #The Avengers #captain america fanfic #captain america x reader #the soldier and his captain #captain america #marvel

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im-tops-bottom · 5 years

Text

Dear Anonniiee~....

"Clint call the doctor's pronto. Natasha get...."

Everything became a blur for everyone since then. People were on autopilot trying to bring back Tony. He was rushed to the medical suite and almost died on the table a couple of times. There were times everywhere after managing to get Tony back to an alright stable condition.

What felt like an hour or so later everyone was gathered around as the doctor took a look at the notes.

"he is alright and the baby is now in a somewhat stable condition"

Steve was the first to speak up as everyone was stunned into silence trying to process what they just heard.

"I'm sorry what did you say? That can't be right"

"I'm sorry I thought you all knew"

Natasha stepped up looking at the doctor like she was going to interrogate him.

"he has been coming to me for a couple of months now. He said that he had already told everyone but wanted to keep it as a surprise for bu- what's going on?"

"what do you mean what's going on? We should be asking you that. I know you were about to say bucky. What has he got to do with any of this?"

"fine let's share stories. When Tony and Bucky first met they instantly connected. Next thing you know Bucky helps Tony through his heat. A day later a baby is rapidly growing in his tummy."

"what do you mean rapidly growing?"

"well a mix between Starks extremis and Barnes' super serum this baby Is slightly growing faster than a normal baby. Tony is looking at 3 more months until Tony gives birth rather than 6 months"

Steve feels like his gonna be sick. No one told him anything. If he had known then maybe none of this would have happened.

"Steve are you okay?"

Steve looks worryingly at the doctor before sighing. It's better that everyone heard what happened now then find out in the future.

"over 2 months ago when we had that fight in the airport, that wasn't the only time we fought."

"oh god I remember that. I helped Wanda send cars on top of him. Oh god the stress he went through between us and the acc- wait what do you mean wasn't the only time?"

"zemo showed Tony what really happened to his parents"

"Jesus Steve when we found out I told you to tell him."

"I couldn't do it Nat. I wanted to keep him happy and protected."

"just because you were in love with the man doesn't mean you should lie or keep secrets"

"woah woah woah in love? Parents? What the hell is going on?"

"Tony found out that Bucky killed his parents and that I kept him from him. He didn't take it to well and sent me flying to the ground. Next thing you it's a 2 v 1 all guns blazing. Wait! Doc he took so many punches to the stomach and a shield to tje chest. Not to mention flying in that suit! The baby couldn't have survived that"

"we thought so too. If anyone payed close attention to Tony's stomach then you would have seen a glow on his stomach. The baby healed itself using extremis"

"oh cool kinda like the doc in Doctor who with all that nano energy mumbo jumbo what was is called again?"

"doctor what now?"

"oh my god once Tony has healed and we all have a civilly stern talk with one Anthony stark about how we are going to bundle him up and lock him awa- hold up now. Woah woah woah back the frick frack paddy wack up TONY'S AN OMEGA!?!"

Everyone facepalmed at the sudden realization too busy worrying about Tony and the baby that it suddenly crossed their mimds thanks to the class clown Clint.

"yeah I thought you all knew. I mean Bucky did"

"ahhh soul mates. Never question a bond when it's a soulmates bond. They know everything about each other after meeting for just a split second. I love watching shows and movies based around those types of plots."

"okay so tony is actually an omega and not a beta. The only omega on a team filled with just alphas. I'm guessing he had suppressants. Has a secret thing with Bucky. Has his own secret thing which has cost him his life. Almost lo-"

"Jesus what is with us cutting off our sentences when we realize something. What's the matter?"

"from what pepper has been telling me, Tony has been under alot of stress lately. He hasn't been eating and sleeping well. I'm guessing it was taking a toll on the baby?"

"yes that is correct"

"great then I as the greatest man to ever live the oh so great cl- ow!"

"just get on with it"

"Clint Barton! Has decided we bring back the helper of this mess. I'm sure he can leave or bring his pet goat I don't mind but the thing hates me as an FYI. Ok ok put your hands down I don't need a group slapping session thanks. Anyway, we sit Tony down and we have a group meeting followed by a family bonding time. Let's clear the air, especially between Tony and Bucky because there is going to be alot of tension."

"what do you mean oh wise clint Barton?"

"it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Dude they must have bonded their first night together completely. Like bite and everything. It must have been hard for Tony with all his omega and baby hormones and then the stress of us and the accords to finding out information he should have known in the first place"

"not to mention the asshole who caused all of this not only fought him and almost killed him but also broke the bond and left him in this mess a couple of months later without so much as a call or letter"

"Bucky when did you get here? How much did you hear?"

"heard all of it Stevie. Got here the moment something happened. Friday called Shuri when I was down in the gym. Stephen was there to help out with a project she was working on so he portaled me right here. How's he doing doc?"

"he's in a stable condition now. How about everyone get settled down, have a bite to eat...."

"how about goat curry? Ow! Would you guys stop it"

"no I think not"

After everyone settles down they leave the medical suite and go watch a movie to calm themselves down.

It's not until the next day when everyone woke up to a shocked voice.

"what are all of you doing in my room?"

Everyone rushes up and hugs Tony giving him a good old group hug.

"okay have I gone through a time machine? Or did I get sent to a different reality? Friday?"

"I'm here boss. No you are still in the same timeline. This is what people call a group hug"

"better watch that sass before I remove it in your next upgrade and replace it with a water pistol"

"that will so much better because I can't sass fire off of you when you experiment"

"my own baby is talking back to me. I am shocked"

"I learned from the best boss"

"damn straight you have now can some one please tell me whats going on he-oomph"

Everyone stares in shock as a teary eyed Clint kisses the life out of Tony and while Tony is in shock Clint bites Tony's bond mark causing the smaller man to Yelp.

"wow I'm the youngest here, completely pregnant and this is how I'm treated"

Tony gets another shock as a growl comes out of Clint's mouth before he is slammed onto the bed. He gets a cry baby sitting on his lap leaving kisses all over his face.

"I'm sorry for leaving you, for going against you, for not listening to you, for demanding to much, for bullying you, for putting huge amounts of stress on you, for beig so angry at you when I was actually angry at the government, for hurting you, for saying nasty shit and for possibly being the worst best friend anyone could ever have. Please please please forgive me. I promise I won't bring harm to you ever again. if you can't trust me now then at least, actually it would be better if you don't trust me now. I just bit your bond mark and kissed you without permission"

"you think you moron?"

"well obviously I wasn't thinking. That's how we became best friends right? Because we don't think? Speaking of thinking"

Clint starts slapping Tony's thighs

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING PUTTING YOU AND YOUR BABY AT RISK YOU STUPID BRATTY PIECE OF SHIT! AS SOON AS WE SAY WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY THEN I AM ORDERING UP LARGE AND FORCE FEEDING YOU FOR THE LAST 3 MONTHS! Who's next!?!"

Natasha ripped a pouting Clint away before she ruffled Tony's hair and kissed his cheek smiling.

"I think Pepper would get angry if I marked you"

"2 fiery red heads filled with love for each other. Can only imagine what a fight between you two would look like"

"even though she is an omega she is a fiery hot headed one. Hmmmm I remember when I thought she was just a beta. Kinda reminds me of someone I know"

"okay I can explain"

"explain later for right now"

Sam comes jumping on Tony and sobs his heart out.

"im so sorry Tony. You know I didn't mean any of it. Neither did vision. It was just a poorly executed mess"

"you do realize I'm not the one you should be saying sorry to for that"

"I know. I apologized to vision and well you know how Rhodey gets"

"hey don't worry Sam. Don't give up. He'll come around. Rhodey has forgiven me and doesn't blame me for it. He at least talked to me. I don't know what's wrong with T'Challa"

"like I said Sam, he'll come around"

"I hope so. Just know that if you really truly forgive me then you would name your baby after me"

"wait how"

"don't worry about it. Any way come on Clint, Nat let's get our of here for this one"

Clint pouts and makes grabby hands for Tony as he gets dragged out by Nat.

Tonys heart stops as he sees one of the people he doesn't want to see. He stands up and his hand goes straight to his chest. Face hardens as he looks directly into the blondes eyes.

"please don't put your walls up. I promise I won't hurt you ever again"

"I don't trust you"

"then I'll take my time to earn your trust back and wait patiently. For now please just hear me out"

"now why would I do that Steve? Did you ever listen to me?"

"ouch okay yeah I deserve that. What I also should have deserved was you actually showing off your strength and kill me in siberia. That's the least I deserve for what I put you through"

"Steve look. What happened back there wasn't just your fault but all of ours. We butted heads instead of talking it out like a family"

"but your parents"

"I am extremely hurt because of that. I wouldn't have been that bad if you had told me in the first place. As you can see I wasn't angry at Bucky. I was angry at Hydra for turning him into their bitch, I was angry because instead of hearing it from someone I care alot about, I hear it from the monitor set up by a damn villain. I was angry because no one listened to me about what I can do if everyone signed. Even team iron Man spoke against me, then again at least they stood by my side"

"okay okay I deserve that too"

"damn right you do. Look I'm not in a place to send or receive forgiveness yet. Hell none of us do but that shouldn't stop any of from working tofuckengether and finding out where on God's green earth is the bloody hulk and Thor because then that airport battle would have been awesome!"

"that's not fair"

"why isn't it fair?"

"because then banner wouldn't want to participate and the hulk would have been on your side while Thor protects his omega from getting hurt thus realizing he will need to be on team iron Man because of the hulk. We would have been outnumbered. Not to mention my ex chose you over me"

"don't regret it"

"but I do"

"why?"

#part 1 #avengers ships everywhere

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