Tumgik
#also interesting that he mentioned the holding arm thing cause ive done that before on an acid trip once and it really opened up the entire
viking-raider · 3 years
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Southern Generation - Part IV
Summary: Sy wakes up in Lily’s arms and shows his gratitude for her comforting him. The mysterious caller is revealed, causing Sy to get extremely protective.
Pairing: Captain Syverson/OFC
Word Count: 7,178
Rating: M - Language, Protective!Sy, Domestic Kink, Stalking, Harassment, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Angst, Confession, Smut - Nipple stimulation, intercourse, orgasm, cream pie. 
Inspiration: Always wanted to write a Sy fic and this is a re-work on an old fic I wrote several years ago.
Author’s Note: Thank you for all the love and support, @wondersofdreaming​! Your ideas, suggestions and encouragement mean the world to me, and my stories.
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Sy woke the next morning wrapped around a warm body and a steady heart beat in his ear, he tipped his head back and was met with Lily's sleeping face, his head pillowed on her breasts. He smiled, hugging his arms snugger around her waist and sighed, comfortable and peaceful, nuzzling his face into her chest.
Lily moaned softly, making Sy smile against the fabric of the night shirt she was wearing, her hand moved against the broad expanse of his back, fingertips sleepily caressing his spine, unconsciously soothing him, before moving between his shoulder blades, tickling the nape of his neck and rubbing the back of his head with her palm.
He vaguely remembered her calling his name and holding him after his nightmare, whispering into his ear that he was safe and at home, with her. Lily made the choice to bring him to her bed, comforting him even more, until he fell asleep, and for the first time in years, Sy actually dreamt about something other than war and endless spaces of bloody sand.
Reaching up, Sy brushed his fingers through her bangs, smiling. “My Angel.” He whispered, not wanting to wake her.
Carefully unwrapping himself from around her, Sy slipped out of bed and gingerly covered Lily up, before tip toeing downstairs to the kitchen. Scratching the back of his head for a moment, Sy moved about the kitchen, setting up the coffee maker, pulled out the skillet and started making breakfast. He figured she had been making him breakfast every morning for the last several months, it was time for him to return the favor.
So, Sy went all out, once he had everything made, he brought it upstairs to her.
Lily took a deep breath and moaned, stretching and rolling onto her back, but found Sy was no longer in bed with her. She sat up, panicked that something had happened to him, and was about to get out of bed to look for him, when he appeared in the bedroom door, relieved he was all right.
“Morning.” He smiled, finding her sitting up.
“Did you make breakfast?” She frowned as he approached her side of the bed.
“I did.” He nodded, setting her steaming cup of tea on her bedside table. “I thought, since you always make me breakfast, that I'd make you breakfast this go around.” Sy explained, setting the tray of food over her lap.
“What's better than breakfast in bed?”
“Nothing currently comes to mind.” Lily smiled, a soft blush on her cheeks, actually pleasantly surprised at this change of events, touched at Sy’s sweet gesture.
“I didn't think so.” Sy chuckled, pulling up the chair that was at a small desk in her room and sat down, balancing his own plate of food in his lap.
“So, what's on your agenda today, Captain?” She asked, taking a sip of her tea and was surprised to find it was exactly to her liking.
“I think, it's time I started working on the roof.” He replied, bringing his fork to his mouth. “I want to at least give it some temporary patches, before the weather turns.” He told her, after swallowing. “It'll also give me a chance to find out what all the problems with it are, and if I'll need to re-roof it.”
“I hope not.” Lily frowned, washing down some of her food with a gulp of tea.
“Well, from what I've seen on the ground, it looks to be the original roof that was put on when the house was built.” He chuckled at her, setting his empty plate on her nightstand. “That was nearly a century ago.”
“Unless, you know about it being replaced since then?” He asked her, tilting his head.
“The realtor didn't mention it to me.” Lily replied, searching her mind for any scrap of memory of the day she bought the place.
“That's all right.” Sy assured her, gently touching her hand. “I'll get it done, don't you worry.”
Lily smiled at him, turning her hand to thread her fingers with his. “I'm not worried, since you're the one on the case.” She replied, softly.
Sy grinned at her, bringing her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers, before letting go and collecting their plates. “You know, what would you say, if I managed to install a dishwasher for you?” He asked, pausing in the doorway of her bedroom.
“I have a dishwasher.” Lily giggled, holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers at him.
“You know what I mean, sugar butt.” He laughed, smirking even broader at her.
Lily shrugged, still giggling at him, her cheeks coloring at his nickname. “I don't know, Bear. I've never had one before.”
“Well then, Angel, I'll riddle that one out for you.” He promised in a soft voice.
“I believe you.” She whispered back, giddy, and not for a dishwasher.
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“I'm going to check the mail.” Lily said, drying her hands on a dish towel, after washing the dishes from lunch.
“All right.” Sy nodded, still sitting at the table.
Sy had stood to refill his coffee cup, when the phone rang. Biting his lip and glancing out of the kitchen, he saw Lily was too far down the driveway to call her back to answer it, so he picked it up instead; clearing his throat.
“Moore residence.” He spoke into the receiver.
“She's a sweet thing, isn't she?” A sinister voice asked from the other end.
“Excuse you?” Sy barked, a flash of hot anger bursting through his body.
“Oh yes.” The voice chuckled, incredibly delighted. “She is sweet as a Lily, so pure and good.”
“Who is this?” Sy demanded with a deep growl, his teeth gritted and bared as he gripped the handle of the phone even tighter in his hand.
“She's mine, you know.” They growled back at Sy, breathing heavily, their own anger mounting. “She's always been mine and she will always be mine.”
“Not anymore.” Sy hissed back and slammed the phone down in its cradle.
“Sy?” Lily frowned, coming into the kitchen as he hung up the phone. “Who was that?”
“I don't know, you tell me?” He replied, turning towards her, brows drawn together.
“I'm not the one that answered it, Austin.” She countered, shaking her head, confused by his anger.
“It was some guy, said you were his, always had been and would be.” Sy told her, pushing his jaw forward.
Lily's eyes glassed over, letting out a shuddering breath and started trembling. Sy blinked at her, his anger at the caller's words melting away to alarmed concern. He took a step forward, reaching out for her, but Lily stumbled away from him, tears finally spilling free.
“Lily.” He whispered softly, his chest tight. “Easy.” He cooed at her, licking his lips.
“I'm not his, not anymore.” She whimpered, shaking her head. “Why can't he just leave me be.”
Sy blinked at her, frowning harder. “What?”
“Nothing.” Lily mewled, biting her lip.
“No, come on.” He coaxed her, resting his hand on her arm and gently pulled her against him. “Tell me.” He whispered, gently rubbing her back.
“I thought I got away from him.” She sniffled against his shirt. “Thirteen hundred miles away from him. I was so careful—so careful.” She mumbled, hands clinging onto the sides of his shirt. “I don't-I don't know how he found me—unless...”
“Unless?” Sy frowned, still slowly rubbing her back and trying to process what she was telling him. “Sit down.” He said, moving them towards the breakfast table and pulled out a chair for her, before bringing the other one around from the other side to sit beside her.
“Start at the beginning.”
Lily cleared her throat and stared down at her hands, folded in her lap. “I was born and raised in Middleburg, Virginia. You know, that I'm an only child and that my mom died, when I was born. I was raised by my grandparents, because my dad was in and out of my life, before just finally disappearing from it, when I was nineteen.” She explained to him, licking her lips.
“He blamed me for my mom's death.” She added, quietly.
Sy reached out and rested his hand on her thigh, squeezing it gently, and gave her a sweet smile.
“When I was seventeen, I met a boy at church, Jak.” Lily continued to explain to him. “It was the only time I really got to interact with others, my grandparents were strict, homeschooling me and only really letting me out of the house, unless they were with me, which was usually only for church on Sunday.” She fidgeted, shyly. “He was the only boy to show any interest in me, which didn't and did surprise me. The little house on the prairie dresses my grandma made me wear, and the glasses I had back then, you could see the moon through them.” She chuckled, cheeks colored.
Sy smiled back at her, even picturing her as a little girl like that, he still found her beautiful.
“But, Jak didn't care, or at least he didn't say or show he did. I would sneak out at night to meet him in the apple orchard my grandfather grew. It had been in our family since the Revolutionary War, the land was given to my, how many times, great-grandfather as payment for his service in the war.”
“I bet it's beautiful.” Sy commented, warmed at the thought.
“They are, so many of the trees are the original ones that were planted.” She smiled back, picturing the orchard in her mind. “The first one that was ever planted, after he cleared away the land, is still there and yielding, there's a plaque staked by its roots, and people come from all around to see it and the orchard, the Warren Apple.”
Sy rested back in his chair. “Your family owns the Warren Orchard Company? You're one of those Warrens?”
“I am.” She nodded, smiling proudly at that fact, but it vanished.
“Anyway, Jak and I would sneak every moment we could to see each other. He even got a job, during the summer, in the orchard, so we could see each other even more.” She took a deep breath, letting it out softly. “But, a year after we met and started being sweet on each other, my grandparents lodged a missionary for his two year mission in our ward. Jak thought he and I were getting close, that my grandparents had actually brought him to live with us, so he and I could court and marry.”
“He grew jealous and possessive. I was stupid, naive and young, I didn't know what was happening, that he was being abusive, until it was almost far too late.”
“What happened, that caused you to realize it?” Sy asked, tilting his head at her.
“I met Jak in the orchard one night, when I was twenty, the day after the missionary went back home to Michigan, because his two years were up. When I got there, Jak was pacing, already angry. Livid. When he saw me, he started yelling about how he had seen me kissing the missionary, how we practically ate each other's faces on the back porch, while everyone else was in the house, during his farewell party.” She said, glancing out the window behind the breakfast table.
“Of course, I hadn't been. Matt, the Missionary, and I had been on the back porch together, I had gone out there to get away from the press of all the people and he went out there to check on me. We had hugged, only the once, since doing so isn't really acceptable, two not courting, unchaperoned kids. But, we did nothing more, before going back inside. The truth didn't matter to Jak though, he had his version of what he saw and it was unchangeable.” Lily bit her lip and gripped Sy's wrist as his hand still laid on her thigh. “He lost his temper and hit me, but in my love sick stupidity, I didn't break it off there or tell my grandparents about it.”
“Instead, I enrolled in a university for Photography and Web Design, moved out of my grandparents' place and into one with him, like an idiot.”
“You weren't an idiot, Lily.” Sy told her, shaking his head and slipping his hand into hers. “It's more common than you think.”
“I know it is.” She sighed, clinging onto his hand.
“He only got worse and it got harder for me to get my school work done, with him accusing me that I was sleeping with my project partners, even teachers.” She huffed, shaking her head at his allegations, that now sounded so ridiculous. “The straw that broke the camel's back was,” She paused, biting and licking her lips, fighting down a bubble of emotions and memories. “One of my project mates called to ask me about the faux website we were designing for a fake company we had to make up, cause she wanted to know what time was good for us to meet up, and Jak answered the phone, claimed he heard a guy in the background, throwing the phone across the living room and went ballistic, saying I was having her call me to set up a time for me and the guy he heard, to try and fool him.”
“He spent the next hour going to town on me.” She said, glancing up at him, the hint and meaning in her eyes.
“Afterwards, he went to work and I packed a bag. I had some money from the family orchard business, so I took a good portion of it, bought a greyhound bus ticket to a cousin I was close to in New Jersey, Maggie, and stayed with her, knowing he wouldn't find me there, my grandparents wouldn't think I'd go there, and she wouldn't ever rat on me. While I was there, I petitioned for a name change, from Liliana Warren to Lily Ana Moore, and finished my degree, then found this place and moved out here.”
“So, how do you think he found you?” Sy asked, worried about her safety and angry that this asshole had the audacity to hurt her and wanted to try and hurt her again, but he kept a lid on his temper, not wanting to frighten her anymore than she already was.
“I've been keeping tabs on my grandparents, mostly through my cousin.” Lily answered, biting her lip. “She called me a year ago, to tell me that my grandmother had a stroke, a pretty bad stroke at that. She's apparently wheelchair bound now. Maggie went down there to visit them, and my grandfather was talking about how he needed someone to work on the company website, when Maggie let it slip that I have a web design business.”
“Oh.” Sy let out, eyes wide.
“Yeah.” She nodded back. “So, of course, they got upset, understanding that Maggie knew what had happened to me and where I was and all that. She called afterwards, apologizing up and down to me for it. She didn't tell them where I was or anything like that, just that I was safe and fine, and if I wanted to contact them, I would.”
“Did you?”
“I did.” Lily sighed, voice tight. “I figured after four years, I owed them a call.”
“So, do you think they told Jak?”
“I don't know.” She shrugged. “But, a week after I called them, I started getting hang up calls, then calls where no one would say anything for a few minutes, before hanging up. Then, two months ago, I got a call that was different from the others, he said something to me, and a month ago, he said something being soon.”
The wires connected in Sy's brain. “That's what caused you to take all those pills.”
Lily gulped and bit her lip, eyes burning, as she nodded her head. “Ye-ah.” She choked, fear and anxiety starting to mount inside of her again.
“Hey, hey.”
Sy cooed, wrapping his arms around her and pulled her into his lap, hugging her against his chest. “It's all right, Lily. It's going to be all right, I promised to protect you and I will. You are safe with me, you will always be safe with me, whatever the cost.” He whispered in her ear, holding her close and planning ways and means to protect her.
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“Sy?” Lily called from the open door of her bedroom, just as Sy stepped out of the hall bathroom, in nothing, but a pair of black boxers.
“Lily?” He replied, rubbing the towel over his head, and looked up at her, lifting a brow, inquisitively.
Lily rested her hand on the handle of her door and stepped sideways, giving a little motion of her head into her room, a soft and offering expression on her face. Sy blinked at her, surprised, then down at Aika, who sat in the doorway of his room, feeling like he was picking what lady to sleep with for the night.
He tilted his head at Aika and gave her a sympathetic expression.
“Sorry, Girl.” He whispered to the Shepherd, turning towards Lily.
Lily chuckled at him, smiling and shaking her head as he passed by her and into her room. “You can come too, Aika.” She called to her, then turned into her room.
“You're cool with this?” Sy asked, eyes motioning to her bed.
“It was my idea, wasn't it?” She smiled at him, then stepped inside her closet for a moment and came back in a t-shirt-like nightie with Mickey Mouse on it, before pulling down the blankets and crawling into bed.
“It was.” He nodded, then laid down with her, covering up.
Lily scooted closer to him and Sy draped his arm over her waist, tucking her against him and she let him lay his head on her chest, stroking his arm. She was comfortable with the warm weight of his body against hers, the clean scent of his skin and hair from his shower. She felt Sy's body slowly melt into hers as he fell asleep, it had been her plan. Lily knew there was a high likelihood of Sy having another episode or nightmare, but figured, if he was there, with her, already safe and comfortable in her arms, he wouldn't have it.
That was her deepest hope, at least.
But, the next thing Lily knew, she was being jerked roughly off the bed and pinned underneath Sy's mountainous weight, his heavy and hot breath puffing against the side of her face as he blanketed her with his body, clearly startled and on high alert. The room lit up with a quick flash of lightning and the furious sound of rain beating on all parts of the house filled the bedroom around them.
“Austin.” She gasped, grasping the back of his arms, nails digging into his sweaty skin, thinking he had been set off by the noise of the sudden storm. “Aust-”
“Ssshhh.” He hushed her, lips brushing her temple, the hairs of his beard tickling her skin. “Stay here.” He whispered into her ear, then moved off of her and out of the room, Aika sitting in the open doorway and growling into the darkness of the hallway after him.
Lily sat up on her elbows, knowing that what was happening couldn't have been from one of Sy's nightmares or the storm, because Aika wouldn't be acting like this, she was angry, like she was daring something Lily couldn't see to try and cross her. But, nothing came, not even Sy, and Lily was starting to get worried. So, getting up, she edged around Aika and tip toed downstairs, jerking at another boom of thunder and crack of lightning, until she found Sy standing in the entryway.
“Austin?” She called out to him, over the sound of the rain, which sounded much louder downstairs.
“I told you to stay upstairs.” He barked, not looking back at her.
“What's wrong?” She asked, knowing there had to be something, by the tone of his voice.
“Nothing, just go back to bed.”
Narrowing her eyes, Lily stepped closer to him and her eyes grew wide, seeing what had caused Sy to wake up and react like he had. The large bay window in the den that faced out onto the porch and the front of the property was smashed, the glitter of the broken glass shined in the lightning strikes and left the outline of the brick amongst them, the cause of the broken window. Lily's eyes snapped out the living room window, expecting to see someone, not just someone, but Jak, to be standing out in the yard, staring back at them. But, there was no one, but her and Sy's cars. Her heart started to race and pound, making her feel dizzy and lightheaded, trembling so hard she almost lost her balance, but caught herself on the back of the couch.
Sy turned and grabbed her, picking her up in his arms and carried her back up to bed. “Stay here.” He ordered her, pointing a stiff finger at her, then went back downstairs.
Going out back, Sy grabbed a large piece of plywood he had bought in preparation for repairing the roof and instead used it to board up the broken window, until the storm passed and morning came, so he could find a piece of glass to replace it, leaving him and the den floor mostly wet. He moped the den floor and laid out nearly every towel Lily had in the house in hopes the old floorboards wouldn't warp under the water damage.
He stepped out onto the porch for a moment, glaring into wet dark. “This is my house now.” He growled, knowing Jak was still out there somewhere nearby. “My girl.” He hissed, before turning back inside, going up to the guest room to change into a dry pair of boxers and joined Lily back in her bed.
“It was him.” She mumbled, hugging her pillow to her chest. “It had to be him.”
Sy sighed softly, locking his arms around her waist and hugged her to his chest, curving his body around hers. He didn't know what to say to her, they both knew it had to be Jak, who else would have thrown a brick through someone's window in the middle of a storm like this one, especially after all the other incidents over the last several months; all the lines drew back to Jak on his unhealthy, possessive rampage to reclaim Lily as his own. Sy was afraid that if he verbalized his agreement with her, it would only inflate her already inflamed fear of the obvious.
So, he just clutched her tighter to him, pressing his lips to her shoulder and squeezing his eyes shut against the bright flashes of lightning.
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“Lily, I'm going to go to town, I have something I need to pick up.” He told her, searching the living room for his car keys.
“I thought you already ordered the new windowpane?” Lily called back, appearing out of the kitchen, where she was washing the dishes.
“I did.” He nodded, he had found a shop that he could order a replacement windowpane for the den window that morning, but it wouldn't be ready until the next day. “This is for something else.” He told her, finding his keys under a magazine on the coffee table.
“What are you going for, then, Bear?” She asked, tilting her head at him.
Sy paused and regarded her. “Don't worry about it, Angel. I'll be back in an hour.” He told her, then, went out.
“Okay.” Lily frowned, glancing out the living room window, the thunder and lightning had passed during the early morning, but it was still raining cats and dogs.
Sighing, Lily turned back into the kitchen, taking a bucket and mop out of the utility closet, filled the bucket with warm water and soap, before getting down to mopping the floors, with nothing else to do in the current weather.
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Sy rushed out to his truck, but was still almost half soaked by the time he settled himself in the driver's seat. Turning on the car and cranking on the heat, Sy pulled off the property and headed towards Celina. He pulled into the small parking center the small town had, scanning the rain blurred signs, looking for the one he was heading for, before opening the door and rushing towards it, pulling open the door, with an electric ding, announcing his presence.
“How can I help you?” the shop owner asked, coming out of a small room in the back and stopped behind a long glass case.
“Yeah, I'm looking for something specific.” Sy replied, stopping on the other side of the glass case, a look of understanding in both men's eyes.
“What specifics would that be?”
“Taurus, PT111 G2, 9mm.” Sy rattled off with familiar ease.
“Do you have a license and ID?” The store owner asked, eyes scanning the case between them.
“Then, some.” Sy laughed, pulling out his wallet to show the man his qualifications.
“You're a retired Captain.” The man noted, seeing Sy's military ID.
“That I am.” Sy chuckled, grinning with some pride.
The store owner got Sy squared away with the weapon he wanted, a secure case and a couple rounds of ammo, while also chattering about the military, being a retired Staff Sergeant himself. Getting back into his truck, he put the case under the passenger seat, pausing to stare at it for a moment,emotions and thoughts brewing inside of him, then shook them off. Satisfied, Sy went back home to Lily, finding her dusting the living room, when he came in, carrying the case and sat it down on the coffee table.
Lily paused, dust rag poised above the mantelpiece, staring at the case. “Is that what I think it is?” She asked, finally looking up at him.
“If you think it's a gun, then yes.” Sy replied, sitting down on the couch and tugging on the soaked laces of his boots.
“Why,” She gulped, arm dropping to her side. “did you buy a gun and bring it here?”
“Because, I wanted to and as a precaution.” He answered her, yanking his boots off.
“A precaution?”
“There is a fucking asshole out there.” Sy barked, jerking his arm up and finger pointing out the window. “Trying to hurt you.” His finger moved to her, in emphasis. “I am a big man. I'm a strong man. I've killed and subdued more than one man with my bare hands, but a personal cost.” He explained to her, standing and jerking up his shirt, showing her a couple of scars on his sides and chest, some were round and puckered, gunshot wounds, others were stripes, like stab wounds.
“If that prick decides to come into this house, to try and put his hands on you. That,” He pointed down to the gun case. “is going to be the first thing he wants to meet, because if he has to get close enough to me, that I need to put my hands on him, then they will be that last thing he will ever feel.” He told her, chest heaving as he got worked up over the situation.
Lily gulped at him, biting her lip, a flash of fear in her eyes at his passionate words, seeing a vein of rage that Jak had also been capable of.
“I just want to protect you.” He said softly, taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself down; seeing he had scared her.
“I know you do, Austin.” She whimpered back, gulping, eyes shiny. “I know you do.”
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Sy moaned, something cold pressing into his neck. “Hm, Lily.” He chuckled, scrunching his head and shoulders together, grinning as the cold and wet touched his bare chest, making him grunt and wiggle away. “Why are you so col-” He started to laugh, opening his eyes, only to meet the soulful and tawny colored eyes of Aika.
“Aika, what are ya doin' here?” He frowned, and sat up, finding it was just him and the German Shepherd in the bed, Lily nowhere in sight. “Lily?” He called out, turning his head towards the master bathroom, but it was empty.
Panic filled Sy as he yanked the blankets back and pounded down the stairs into the living room, then the den. Sy squeezed his eyes shut, taking deep breaths and clenching his hands in and out of fists, trying to keep himself cool and calm, before going into the kitchen, hearing the screen of the back door knocking against the door frame, and found the main back door was ajar.
“What is she doing?” He whispered to himself, biting his lip and looking back, considering the option of going back upstairs and getting the gun, but something in his gut told him he wouldn't need it.
Opening the door, Sy stepped out onto the back porch, a shiver wracking his body as a strong gust of rainy wind rushed by him. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the drenched backyard, the tall, unruly and uncut grass bent from the pelting of the rain and gusts of wind, he caught a quick movement to his left and turned in that direction, stepping off the porch and followed after it, towards the barn, just catching the billowing fabric of Lily's white nightie, vanishing inside.
“Lily, what are you doing in here?” He called out, pushing open the barn door a bit more. “Lily?” He called again, frowning as he crossed the barn and found her huddled in one of the old horse stalls. “What are you doing in here, Angel?” He cooed at her, shaking his head, droplets of rain running down both of their faces, and watched her melt into the corner.
Lily panted, her back pressed against the warped and worn wall behind her, arms pressed to her chest, her nightie so soaked, it was almost see through. Sy bit his lip and gulped, slowly crouching down. He knew what was going on, he had seen and suffered things like this a million times over the last ten plus years. She was having a PTSD episode, running away from the terror that was inside her head, trying to hide and find somewhere safe from it. Everything over the last several months with Jak stalking and harassing her was really starting to affect her, finally breaking her it seemed.
“I'm not going to hurt you, love.” He said softly, keeping his voice soft and low. “Come here.” He gulped, opening his arms to her and biting his lip with apprehension. “It's all right. You know, you can trust me, Sugar.” He whispered, nodding his head as she slowly unfolded herself and crawled over to him.
“Hey, Angel.” Sy cooed, sighing softly, and closed his arms around her, pressing his lips to the top of wet her head. “Ssshh.” He hushed her, rubbing her back and cupping the back of her head, feeling her tears add to the raindrops on his chest.
“I c-can-can't ta-take it an-anymore.” She sobbed, trembling in his arms, overcome with emotions and cold.
“We'll get through this, Angel.” He whispered to her, cupping her chilled cheeks in his hands and tilted her head back to look up at him. “We will get through this. You and I will get through this together. Everything will work out.”
Lily shook her head, her pale lips trembling. “N-no, it wo-won't. He-he always g-gets what h-he wants. All-always.” She mewled, whining. “I don't kn-know why I-I thought I c-could ge-get away.”
Sy's expression was hard for a moment, before he brought their faces together and kissed her, deeply. Lily stiffened against him, taken off guard by his kiss, but she didn't pull away or push him away. Gulping, she shyly returned his kiss, resting her hands on him, feeling the skin of his sides jump and react to her icy touch.
“I've wanted to kiss you.” Sy said, pulling back. “For such a long time.” He admitted, looking into her eyes. “Since that day on the porch, when you woke me up.”
“Since, you gave me your hoodie at the fair.” She whispered back, licking her lips, the warmth of Sy's still lingering on them.
Sy leaned forward, kissing her gently and brushing his fingers through her dripping hair, Lily pushing forward to deepen it for a moment, letting out a breathy whimper. Sy smirked, then looked down at the floor between them, it was still strewn with decades old hay and dirt. He held up a finger and stood, bumping around in the dark barn before a scratching sound sounded among the patter of rain on the metal barn roof. A moment later, a teeny glow filled the space and Sy approached where Lily was still kneeling, holding an old, beat up, oil lantern he knew was in the barn from his many searches of the space, hanging it up on a bent and rusty nail on the stall wall, then disappeared for another moment.
“Stand up.” He said, motioning her out of the stall, holding something in his arms.
Lily frowned at him, but stepping out of the stall and out of his way, catching a glimpse of what it was, it was one of the drop clothes he bought for when he painted the house, keeping the paint off the new porch. Sy unfolded the drop cloth over the dirty hay and stall floor, making sure it was comfortable, then turned back to her.
“How gentlemanly.” Lily complimented him.
“I am a Southern boy.” Sy chuckled, letting his Southern drawl deepen, and wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. “Who's in love with Southern Lady.”
Lily blushed as Sy kissed her again, hugging her against him and up off her feet, turning around and slowly dropped to his knees, gently laying her back on the situated drop cloth. Lily wrapped her arms around Sy's neck, moaning softly against his lips, feeling the fabric of her nightie rub against her cold hardened nipples as Sy moved to kiss down to her neck, sinking his teeth into her delicate skin and let out a loud moan, pushing up against him.
“Austin!” She cried out, pressing her cheek to his ear as he continued to bite and suck on her neck, his beard tickling and rubbing against the skin underneath her jaw, leaving it red and sensitive.
Sy chuckled, loving the sound of her calling out his name with the metal patter of rain, his hand gliding over the soaked material of her nightie, bunching and hiking it up out of his way, pressing his palm against her side, rubbing his big hands all over her exposed body, grunting and growling into her neck, like a wild grizzly bear, finally getting his claws on his prized catch. His big mitts were on her plump breasts almost instantly, squeezing and kneading them, rubbing the rough pads of his thumbs over the sensitive nubs of her nipples, making her moan and whimper, fidgeting beneath him and rubbing her legs together, adding to the growing slickness between them.
“You sound so sweet.” Sy moaned back, pulling away from her neck, a set of dark teeth marks left behind, dipping his head for a moment to swirl his tongue around one of her nipples.
“Sy.” She whined, gulping down a moan. “Sy, please.”
“Oh.” He smiled, impishly. “You like that?” He asked, flicking her erect nipple with the tip of his tongue and watched her partially melt. “Your sweet, sensitive, little buds.” He cooed, then closed his lips around one of them, suckling gently, rubbing and rolling his tongue against it.
“Ah, shit!” Lily gasped, gripping his shoulders, eyes rolling and fluttering back into her head, heels digging into the fabric of the drop cloth. “God damn it, Austin.” She snapped, pressing her palms to the back of his head, holding his mouth to her breasts, her moans and whimpers filled the barn, pushing against him, egging and begging him to keep going, her breathing growing rugged and labored, moans becoming more urgent and reckless.
“Ah, fuck fuck fuck.” She cried out. “Suck them harder.” She coaxed and demanded. “Oh shit! Please, Austin!!” She gasped suddenly, body going rigid with a soft tremor.
Sy pulled away from her and dripped a hand between her trembling thighs, finding an extremely wet patch there. “So, you come, when you get your pretty breasts sucked.” He grinned, fully turned on and impressed, licking her juices off his fingers and palm.
“I've also never heard you say such naughty words.” He added, teasingly.
Lily chuckled, slowly recovering and smiling shyly up at him.
“Oh, it's too late to get shy now, Angel.” Sy laughed, leaning down and kissed the corner of her mouth. “Your secret is out.” He continued to tease her, playfully bouncing her boobs in his palms.
“And, I'm not letting you off.”
“I'm going to regret this, I can just feel it now.” Lily huffed, shaking her head, but her smile gave away her true feelings.
“Yes, you are.”
Sy chuckled, his hand dipping back between her legs, rubbing her still dripping folds with his calloused fingers, melting her into a puddle of weak and vulnerable whimpers. “You're so sensitive and sound so sweet.” He cooed at her, licking his lips and watching her face. “So, so sweet.” He panted, mouth slightly ajar, slipping his free hand into his damp boxers, curling his fingers around his thick and rock hard shaft, giving it a few shallow strokes.
Lily's eyes drifted down the length of her sweaty body, watching Sy work his cock inside his underwear and felt herself shiver in want and anticipation of it. She licked her lips and looked up at him, their eyes in a silent communication of what they both wanted. Sy shifted, yanking off his boxers to kneel between Lily's legs, wrapping them around his waist, her hips and bottom resting atop his thighs, with the small of her back lifted off the drop cloth beneath her.
“You're sure?” Sy panted, gulping thickly and already breaking out into a sweat, staring at her with wide eyes and blown out pupils.
“Yes.” Lily sighed, nodding her head vigorously at him. “God, yes.” She moaned, squeezing her legs around his waist.
Sy smirked, pressed a hand to her hip, pushing it up her side to palm one of her breasts, squeezing and rubbing it, while taking the base of his cock in his other hand, pumping it a few times, rubbing the fat and cut tip against her still wet pussy, slowly slipping between her folds, brushing her entrance and pushing inside. Lily let out a moaning sigh through her nose, feeling his wide girth stretch her open far more than she had ever been before. Her toes curled and squeezed his hips between her calves and thighs, back arching and hips shifting against the nearly uncomfortable burn of his length being buried ever deeper inside her core. Sy tilted his head at her, bracing a hand on the drop cloth, beside her head, and leaned over her, causing Lily to let out a raspy gasp as his cock changed angles inside of her, and kissed her, slow and passionately, still pushing his hips into her.
“You are so beautiful.” He rasped against her lips, nibbling on her pouty bottom lip.
“Austin.” She whimpered back, breathy, hooking her arms under his arms and pressing her palms flat against tense and sweaty back, nails digging into his cool skin. “Austin.” She chanted, softly, rubbing her nose against his.
“Lily.” Sy moaned back, finally flush inside of her, and rocked into her, taking his time and enjoying her heavenly warmth wrapped around his cock, like a toasty sleeve. “I love you, Lily.” He whispered into her ear, kissing her jaw and cheek.
Lily blushed and let out an airy chuckle, hiding her face in his neck and broad shoulder, hugging her arms and legs tighter around his body, clinging onto him for dear life and squeezed her eyes shut, taking in the sound of Sy's heavy breathing and loud moans and groans, grunting, and sighing out her name, the still steady pitter-patter of the fat raindrops on the old, rusted tin roof and sun-kissed wood walls, all mixed with her own sounds of pleasure.
“Sy?” Lily whispered, after their shared climax, still feeling the euphoric and relaxing pleasure it gave both of them, as she laid on the drop cloth, half tucked underneath Sy's body for warmth in the drafty barn.
“Hm?” He hummed back, nosing her hair and took a deep breath.
Lily smiled, feeling the vibration in his chest, nuzzling back into him. “I love you too, Austin.” She whispered, turned her head to look back at him.
Sy lifted his head and looked down at her, a smile slowly pulling across his lips, an excited and giddy feeling in the pit of his stomach, reaching out to gently brush her hair out of her face, picking out a few bits of straw that happened to get stuck in it from earlier; before oh-so-tenderly kissing her.
“You have no idea how happy that makes me, Angel.” He murmured against her cheek.
“I'm guessing as happy as it makes me, Bear.” She chuckled back, kissing the tip of his nose.
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Lily softly stirred just before dawn, cradled in Sy's arms as he carried her out of the barn, the rain finally letting up, and into the house. He carried her upstairs to her room and gently laid her down on her bed, letting him help her out of her still damp nightie and tossed it through the open door of her master bathroom, before crawling into bed with her.
Both of them were out cold before the blankets settled around them, unaware of the audience they had a good deal of the night.
373 notes · View notes
yongtxt · 4 years
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hundred [johnny]
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word count: 4.5k words
characters: boxer!johnny x doctor!reader
genre: fluff
warnings: blood/wound/stitches mentions, johnny hates hospitals but he likes the pretty doctor, [im not a doctor nor a boxer pls dont say that i have info wrong because I Know]
author’s note: i know this isnt long to some of u but to me it is and i havent written this much for so long im so proud of myself for finishing this:( it isnt that good but this is the first long fic ive written in a while and shhsdjk also i needed to get this out of my system ive thought about this au since that jcc came out where johnny and hyuck was doing muay thai plssss (i couldnt find a better gif tho) ok this is getting too long / feedback is appreciated tysm
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Johnny Suh hated hospitals with a burning passion.
It wasn't from a past trauma nor was he afraid of it, it wasn't that serious. He wasn't exactly sure what the cause of it really was. If he had to make a guess, it was probably from the accumulation of the little things, the insignificant factors people would usually dismiss but bothered him enough that it contributed to the big hatred he built for hospitals.
Maybe it was the distinct smell of hospitals, it reeked of death and old people. Maybe it was the atmosphere of the fluorescent-lit hallways, always gloomy and heavy. Maybe it was also the fact that the fees were so expensive and yet the food they provide tasted horrible, even the coffee was a hit or miss. The only upside he could think of was people get better in hospitals, but even that wasn't assured.
Despite how much Johnny despised hospitals, he always finds himself coming back. If he wanted to get better, he had no choice but to go. He would endure the gruesome process over and over again whether it be to treat his wounds or to stitch his cuts.
With his jaw littered with small bruises and his lips busted at the corner, he sat impatiently on the hospital bed as he waited for his doctor. He was fiddling with his fingers, knuckles bruised the same way his face was. He looked beaten up, he always did.
The clothes he wore contradicted the state he was in, they were fresh and laid back. He looked like a college student from the way he dressed. A delinquent more like, if one considered his cuts and bruises. Before heading to the hospital, he always makes it a point to shower and make himself appear presentable to the public. Although no one really bothers to take notice of his effort, only him.
The sliding door opened and Johnny's attention shot up from his phone, his gaze meeting with yours. Your head popped in, peaking through the small crack you made. Your eyes lit up in recognition as it always did whenever you see him.
"Youngho-ssi?" You spoke almost as if it was a question, voice barely above a whisper to make sure you were in the correct room, about to tend the correct patient.
Johnny didn't understand why you always did that, call out his name as if this was the first time you were seeing him. At that point, you've been already acquainted with him enough due to his numerous trips to the hospital. Either way, he nods every time.
You gave him a small smile, widening the door enough so you could enter. You wore a white lab coat, a name tag pinned to your chest and a stethoscope hung around your neck. You were small, although anyone compared to him was bound to be comparatively smaller – that wasn't the point, you looked young and that never fails to astound him every time you go through the door.
You had a clipboard in your hands, scanning through what he assumed to be his condition that a nurse had written earlier after a quick checkup and disinfection of his open wound. Your lips were formed on a tight line, eyebrows furrowed. He continued to stare at you with such amusement.
"You don't have to answer my question, Youngho-ssi, but why are you always here?" You finally broke the silence, startling him in the slightest. You never bothered to ask before, always just offering smiles and small talks while you did your work; maybe his sudden regularity of coming to the hospital recently made your curiosity peaked.
He couldn't blame you. Anybody would be curious why a 24-year-old man keeps coming back to the hospital with no clear explanation.
He cleared his suddenly dry throat, he never liked saying his job. He said, "I box for a living."
"Ah, that makes sense!" Your eyes visibly glimmered, absentmindedly jotting down notes on his medical records. "My coworkers and I thought you were in a gang or something."
"I don't think I would be allowed to be here if I was." He chuckled, making you giggle as well.
"Seo Youngho, 24, minor lip laceration in need of immediate suture." You read of his data from the clipboard, almost comically. It was medical terms he was unfortunately already too familiar with, to him, it basically meant that he had a busted lip that needs to be sewed shut.
"You can just call me Johnny. Youngho sounds too formal to me." He said nonchalantly. You nodded your head to his simple request; it probably was best if you got to know him better since he frequented the hospital so much.
"Alright, Johnny. We'll start the process now, okay?"
With keen eyes, he watched you slip on a pair of surgical gloves. You grabbed a tissue from the metal tray that sat beside him and began folding it into squares. He felt his heartbeat quicken, he hated getting stitches or any form of medical treatments for that matter, but as morbid as it was, he thought of it as punishment for his recklessness in the ring.
"Isn't boxing just, I don't know, senseless violence?" You asked, tone dripping with pure innocence and unadulterated interest as you gently dabbed away the remaining dried blood the nurse failed to clean earlier.
"It's a sport, it's how I bring money to the table." He pursed his lips, ignoring the twinge of pain that surged through his nerves. He visibly relaxed when you placed a hand onto his shoulder to reassure him.
Ever since the first time you got assigned to him, the first thing he took note of was the softness of your hands. You handled him as if he was fragile glass, despite how he easily towered over you. He felt pathetic as a 24-year-old but your gentle touches would greatly help put him at ease.
"I guess. I didn't mean to be rude." You were hesitant, Johnny could tell but he was glad you didn't push on any further. He couldn't handle explaining his occupation when you were about to pierce his skin. "Okay, Johnny, now that your lip is clean and the anesthesia had seeped in, we'll start. I think you know how it goes by now."
"Make it quick, please." He nodded, squinting his eyes shut at the mere contact of a surgical pen grazing over his gaped lips. You were relieved that his cut wasn't too big, you couldn't stomach the idea of putting him in too much pain for longer.
As you picked up the tweezers and string of nylon, you couldn't help but laugh at the six-foot boxer in front of you who was clearly petrified of getting stitches, "This will be done as soon as you know it. You won't really feel it because of the anesthesia, remember? Now count to a hundred backward for me."
Once the numb feeling of nylon dragged through his lips, he swore he saw white spots flicker in his vision. His eyes immediately watered and he tried his best not to squirm under your hold, beginning to count to a hundred backward like you had instructed him to. You admitted it to him the first time you stitched him that it was a trick that you learned from your pediatrician friend. Despite it being for children, it helped to get him distracted while you focused on your job.
Minutes felt like hours, Johnny had been fighting the urge to punch something, anything, to release tension and nerves. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he took a peak and tried to take his attention away from what was currently happening on his lip. His gaze landed on your pretty eyes, how it was narrowed in focus and how your lashes perfectly framed it.
This wasn't the first time he'd observe you up close, there had been many occasions in the past that you had been too close for comfort in order to tend his wounds. It had been too many that it was almost as if he was close to memorizing your features. You were not only beautiful but you were also a smart and capable doctor.
Eventually, you finished and started to rub ointment on his sore lip — the finishing line.
"Try not to eat anything spicy or hard. You know the drill." You grinned at his suddenly pale features, ripping off your gloves as his eyes adjusted to the bright lights of the room. "You're good to go. Be careful next time."
He let out a shaky breath, clearly still winded up from the procedure, "I'll try. Thanks again, doc."
-
The punching bag felt great against Johnny's fists. There wasn't a feeling in the world that could compare to the impact of leather slamming against his skin. He could last hours mindlessly pummeling the bag if his stamina just allowed him to.
Hyunsik, Johnny's manager and personal trainer, drew away from the punching bag he held in between his arms. He let out a breath and held out a hand to motion that Johnny has done enough.
Johnny was hurting, Hyunsik could see that much. The bandages he had wrapped for the boxer's fingers were turning into a shade of red that they were all too familiar with.
Hyunsik clicked his tongue, "You should've used your gloves."
"How can I grow stronger if I keep relying on them?" Johnny rolled his eyes. His muscles needed a boost and this seemed to be the only logical way to strengthen them — a little blood never hurt anybody.
"Someday you're gonna fracture your hand and you'll be forced out of the ring. Remember that." Hyunsik huffed, his voice stern. "Take them off, I'll clean the blood off."
Johnny reluctantly did as told, unfurling the bandages wrapped around his fingers. The pain was excruciating when the fabric grazed along his tender skin, he winced at the unsightly view of his reopened wounds.
Hyunsik led him back outside of the ring to the benches where the first aid kit was. He made the boxer sit down so he could start cleaning off his wounds. It looked horrific, more so than it usually did and he had no choice but to break the news to Johnny.
"It looks really bad. You need to go get that checked in the hospital and have it sewed back." Hyunsik said, taking a wet towel and carefully dabbing it across Johnny's bloodied knuckles.
He didn't want to go to the hospital. Going to the hospital to have his wounds treated meant that Johnny would be medically required to take days off work to let his hand heal. Johnny frowned, "Don't you have an ointment or something that could help? I can't afford to lose a day of practice."
"Don't you think I know that?" Hyunsik rolled his eyes. "As your manager, I want you to be in top shape for your match next week, even if it means sacrificing a day or two for you to heal."
Johnny could only nod. He sat through Hyunsik's lecture on the changes he should make to his dietary plan and the exercises he should do during his temporary break. It infuriated him that he couldn't do anything about it but nod along.
The incoming match that was set next week would make or break his career as an underground boxer. He didn't have the option of missing it because of some measly reopened wounds. If he had to rest to get better, he had no choice but to suck it up. This was his fault anyway for pushing himself too much.
Johnny showered in the locker rooms and changed into nicer clothes that didn't reek of blood and sweat. His hands were stinging but he shook it off.
He ignored the concerned looks other boxers were giving him and begrudgingly made his way to the hospital to get himself checked in. You wouldn't be happy to see him all bloodied again, he thought.
-
Much to Johnny's surprise, it wasn't you who was assigned to him. It was a much older doctor with graying hair and a nose stuck too far up in the air. She was rude and condescending, her lack of politeness to her patients was quite appalling. If Johnny wasn't in such a bad mood, he might've complained already.
God, this day couldn't get any worse.
With a meek voice, Johnny asked where you were and at the mention of your name, his doctor gave him a narrowed look. She sneered, "She's handling much more important cases. Does she know you?"
"I think so." Johnny gulped, unsure of the answer himself.
The doctor's grip was tight and she was hasty. It was as if she was trying to speed through the process to just get it over with. Johnny wanted to cry because he was starting to get traumatized by this doctor's procedure, he didn't want to hate the hospital more than he already did.
He internally screamed for your name as he watched the doctor pull on the gloves. The sliding door harshly whipped open and there you were in all your glory, like an angel sent from above to save him from the devil incarnate who was about to pierce his skin.
You were panting and the sheen on your forehead made it obvious that you ran your way to his room. Johnny's heart leaped with glee.
"Unnie, I'll handle him." You said, unable to catch your breath as you made your way inside. "I think the ER needs you more than me."
The doctor seemed hesitant at first but you tried to convince her otherwise. She eventually agreed and left you with Johnny who had a cheesy smile on his face the entire time since you've arrived.
"So Johnny, what happened this time?" You asked, picking up the clipboard that sat next to him on the bed.
"I overdid the punching during training and it reopened some old wounds on my knuckles. It hurts like a bitch."
You pulled a face, "That's a bit intense."
He chuckled, "It's normal."
"Can I please see it?" You opened your palm so he could place his hand on yours. You observed his cuts and the scabs that were beginning to form around it, it was too deep to let it heal on its own so you made the verdict that he needed to get it sewed back together ⁠— as unfortunate as it was since he was a boxer and he needed his hands to box.
You tugged on a new pair of gloves and began the painful procedure, Johnny started counting down even without you instructing him to. You quickly got to work and stitched back his wounds with your lip in between your teeth
Johnny felt squeamish, he could never get used to the feeling of stitches. His eyes were glued shut and he mumbled numbers like it was mantra.
Once you were done, you smiled fondly at your work. You managed to get by with fewer stitches and you felt pride swell up in your chest. Johnny noticed and, as lightheaded as he was, couldn't help but smile as well.
"You're pretty good."
"At stitching?"
Johnny nodded with his cheeks flushed, he made a mental reminder to smack himself in the head later for such a crude comment. You probably thought he was an idiot now.
"I sure hope so." You chuckled, making him blush even deeper if that was even possible. "It's part of my job."
Johnny shook his head in embarrassment, his dark hair bouncing from how vigorously he did it. He mumbled, "That sounded really lame and not smooth, I'm sorry. Please forget I opened my mouth."
You could only chuckle as you apply the ointment around his knuckles. He wanted the ground to open up and just swallow him whole.
"Please let this heal completely, Johnny. Don't apply any strain on your injuries for a couple of days and refrain yourself from carrying anything heavy so that the stitches won't rip." You said, carefully placing down his hand back on his knee. You were gentle as ever, Johnny swooned. "Absolutely no punching for a while."
"I have an important match at the end of next week. Is there any way to speed up the healing process?" Johnny asked, his eyes were almost pleading at you and you blinked at him in surprise.
"Apart from what I just said, there's really nothing else you could do." You pursed your lips, watching his expression visibly deflate. "If you want to have even a sliver of a chance at winning your match, I suggest you do as I say. Your stitches won't take too long to heal, I promise."
If Hyunsik was there with him, he would've probably already scolded him but the point would be the same. He had always prioritized Johnny's health above winning.
"Okay, doc. I'll do my best." Johnny said, defeated.
"You know, I always see the aftermath of your matches and your training. I want to see you in the ring next time when you're not bloody and beaten up yet." You smiled at him and you swore that all the color that was previously drained from Johnny's face came rushing back. "If it's okay."
"Are you serious?" Johnny asked, almost dumbfounded. Did the pretty doctor he'd been crushing on for months really just asked if she could watch his match?
You nodded with the same hue of red now tainting your cheeks.
"O-Of course! It's on Saturday next week! Please come and cheer me on!" Like a little kid, he excitedly rambled on about the details about the upcoming match and you nodded with the same enthusiast as you wrapped bandages around his hands.
You weren't from his world so everything he said sounded foreign to you. The terms he said, the infamy of his opponents, the prominence of it all — you were eager to learn it if it meant seeing him this happy.
You've always known that he hated hospitals. It was clear from the way he acted during your first meeting. He was stiff and tense, the body language he exuded just screamed that he wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there. As he visited the hospital more and more, you noticed the hatred never faltered. He only became better at hiding it from you.
To see him so relaxed and carefree within the four walls he hated with all his being, it was a breath of fresh air and the feeling you had in your chest grew stronger.
"You're good to go. I promise to see you in your match." You were jotting some last-minute details on the clipboard and you missed the way Johnny kept grinning like an idiot. "As much as I love seeing you here, I hate that you keep getting yourself injured. Keep out of trouble for me, Johnny."
You left the room without letting Johnny say another word.
Fuck, Johnny realized he hadn't asked for your number.
-
Johnny's match started in ten minutes. His heart was pounding in his ears, he almost couldn't hear what Hyunsik was shouting to him.
The underground stadium was filled to the brim with people, he felt more nervous than he did during his first boxing match. A lot was at stake for this win, he needed the belt. He was desperate for it.
"Johnny, are you listening to me?" Hyunsik raised his voice, aggressively slapping Johnny's cheeks together in his hands so he could focus on him. The boxer's mind was fleeting and it was his job to pull him back to reality now.
He hadn't seen you since last week and as much as he wanted to go back to the hospital to see you, he refused to badly hurt himself in the days that led up to the match. Johnny scanned the crowd for your face but he couldn't see it. You weren't there.
At the lack of your turnout, he failed to mask his disappointment. Hyunsik let out an aggravated groan and pulled the boxer on his feet to berate him further.
"Johnny, please for the love of all things holy, look me in the eye."
"I'm sorry. I'm okay now. I'm listening."
"Good because your match is starting soon and I need you to win this. All your hardships and sacrifices boils down to this match, you hear me?" Hyunsik bellowed, trying his best to keep his voice louder than the cries and chants of the audience. "Show them what Johnny Suh is capable of!"
Johnny nodded fervently, forcing himself into a state of serenity of peacefulness. He let out heavy breaths to even out his breathing as his team surrounded him, prepping him for what was about to come.
Hyunsik raised his hand at Johnny. He had five minutes left until his match started and he wasn't calming down.
"Can I please have some water?" Johnny asked and his medic stumbled on his feet to fetch him a bottle from the nearby cooler. He couldn't help but let out a shaky chuckle, his team seemed tenser than he was.
He downed the bottle as soon as it reached his hand. His hand was shaky. Goddammit, why was he so nervous?
At the corner of his eye, he saw Hyunsik making his way over to the barricade that separated his corner to the rest of the stadium. He arched his neck in a way that would let him take a peek what was so important that Hyunsik had to leave his side when the match was starting in a few minutes.
It seemed like Hyunsik was trying to stop a girl who was forcing her way in through the barricade. His stomach lurched at the sight of her familiar face.
As if he was acting purely on instinct, Johnny shot up from his seat and ran towards you. Hyunsik held up his arm to stop him from going any closer to you. You could've been a deranged fan, for all Hyunsik knows.
"Johnny-"
"I know her."
Hyunsik was startled at his response and started to profusely apologize to you. You looked nothing but smug and Johnny let out a breathy laugh that helped unravel the knots in his stomach. The boxer quietly motioned for him to take his leave and Hyunsik hesitantly did as told only after tapping his wrist as a sign that time was ticking.
You bowed at him apologetically, "I'm so sorry I'm late! There was this damn patient-"
"It's okay. You're here now." He cut you off, a cheesy smile on his face. You easily reciprocated it back.
"I just came down here to wish you good luck." You said with the usual confidence in your tone gone and now replaced with a sudden timidness and bashfulness. "Not like you need it or anything."
"Where are you sitting?" Johnny asked, noticing that you were struggling to keep your attention on his eyes. He peered down and realized that he didn't have a shirt on, he chuckled.
You pointed near the walls of the stadium and he strained his vision to see so far away. He pursed his lips and let out a noise of discontent. You said that it was the only seats available because you were so late.
"Why don't you sit here with them? They wouldn't mind." Johnny said, jutting his thumb over to his team who was furtively watching his interaction.
"Oh no, it's okay."
"I insist. I want you to see me win up close."
You blushed a deep shade of scarlet and Johnny grinned at his successful attempt at a flirt. Was it even a flirt or was it an ego stroke? Either way, it didn't matter because you were smiling at him. You were easing his nerves and you didn't even know.
"I got out of my shift early so I wouldn't be in the hospital later to stitch you up." You teased, softly prodding his shoulder blade.
Johnny playfully puffed out his chest, "I don't plan on getting too injured today, I wanna look cool in front of you."
"Whatever you say, Johnny."
"But I'm nervous. I'm actually really nervous today." Johnny mumbled as if he didn't want anyone else in on your conversation, gone all traces of his cockiness as his heart thudded erratically against his chest when he heard Hyunsik's call of the last minute until he has to go inside the ring.
You gingerly reached for his taped hands and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Just count back from a hundred like I always tell you to. You'll do fine."
"Wait for me after the match, okay?" And so you did.
Counting down the numbers, Johnny clambered inside the ring and the bell rang to signal the start of the match. Being in the medical field meant that you were against all forms of violence so you couldn't really watch the entirety of the match without feeling sick to your stomach. Johnny didn't care, he was just happy that you kept your promise and was cheering him on.
It was hectic and everything was happening all at once. It was loud and everybody was screaming. This wasn't your world, it was Johnny's and your heart fluttered at the thought that he was willing to let you in it.
Eventually, the match ended in Johnny's favor and the next thing you knew, you were being hoisted up in the air. You had the biggest smile on your face, similar to Johnny's who now had a shiny belt slung over his shoulder. All his hard work and all his trips to the hospital paid off.
"Congrats on your win!" You exclaimed, placing your palms on his chest to steady yourself.
"I wanted you to see me get the belt." He admittedly sheepishly, reaching out to hold your wrists in his bruised hands.
"Aren't you hurt in any way? We can drop by the hospital if you want." You asked, checking to see if he had any major injuries but true to his word, Johnny was inflicted little to no injuries during the match, exclude the few bruises on his jaw and a busted lip
"Actually, I'd rather we get some coffee instead." Johnny said, the small smile on his lips making you chuckle.
"I'm sorry, I don't date my patients." You smirked at Johnny's crestfallen expression, softly shoving his side to make it known that you were only joking.
Johnny pulled a face, releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding once he realized your joke. He played along, "I think you can make me an exception, I don't usually invite people to my matches."
"So this is about getting even, huh?" You were teasing him and now your faces were merely inches apart but before Johnny could even think of leaning in, you spun around and grabbed his hand once more. "C'mon then, my treat!"
Johnny let out a laugh. A boxer and a doctor, who would've thought?
2K notes · View notes
hongism · 4 years
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mists of celeste ➻ three
➻ pairing: ??? x fem reader ➻ genre: space au, pirate au, space pirate!ateez, angst, eventual smut ➻ Word Count: 4.1k ➻ Rating: M ➻ Warnings: language, violence, guns and weaponry, blood, future warnings tba ➻ summary: Sneaking aboard the ship of a renowned space pirate may not have been the best idea, but you’ll have to make do with what fate has handed to you
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mists of celeste act one ➻ part three
"First order of business," Yunho starts as he gets up from his stool. "I need to run some basic scans on your arm to gauge the injury and infection. Then a full-body scan to see how far the infection has spread. How long have you had the injury?" He moves around the bed you're placed on with quick steps, a tablet in hand.
"Th-Three days," you stammer, watching him work. Spectre cuts in, and you almost forgot he was standing nearby with a brown belt in hand.
"Four days. Today is the fifth," he says. Yunho glances over at him, eyes wide in question.
"How do you know…?"
"She was on the bridge of the HMS Revenge. Considering that Hongjoong destroyed the ship four days ago, this is the only logical explanation." Spectre motions towards you with his head. "I noticed her on the second day, to be honest. I only wanted to see how long it would take for her to reveal herself. Until I saw the blood trails, at least."
"Ah yes, that makes sense." Yunho nods before bringing his tablet to hover over your arm. Blue light emits from the bottom of it, a faint stream of light that cascades over your bare skin.
Now that your military uniform has been stripped, you can see the injury better, although you don't particularly want to see it. It's bruised black and blue, blood all around the hole that is shiny and fresh. It oozes a bit still, although the liquid is not all red, and you're certain that it's the infection mixed in as well. Not something you would like to look at but the blue rays coming from Yunho's tablet are quite fascinating to watch as they dance over your arm. You don't feel the touch of the light; you can only see it as it moves as though on its own accord. Sure you've had injuries time and time again, but the treatment methods for them were never like this. No fancy tablets with strange lights. Although the military has always had a more traditional approach to everything they do.
"Hm. The bullet is in there pretty deep, huh? It… uh, it's in an awkward spot. The bullet tore right through your brachialis muscle along with a bit of your bicep. Moreso, the nerves all around the path of the bullet itself seem to be a bit fried? I doubt that makes any sense to you, but in layman's terms: two muscles have critical damage, and that's not something we can immediately fix. I can remove the bullet with an emergency operation to cut the arm open and take it out, which is the best course of action. The nerves can be… I'm not sure how to say this in a way that will make sense to you. Hm, well. The nerves can reconstruct themselves over time. When I do the surgery, I can help them along a little bit but I don't think it's needed. Nerves try to repair themselves by shrinking back and resting for a period of time. After the rest period, they grow back as they were. Muscles can do the same sort of thing but not in cases of extreme trauma. A muscle damaged in extreme trauma creates these gaps that are too large to fill on their own so scar tissue forms in the gaps as a way to compensate. Does that all make sense?"
"I have an infection-induced fever," you state. "I don't understand anything you're saying." Yunho raises his brows.
"I'll take that as a no." Yunho lifts the tablet higher and drags it through the air above your head all the way down to your feet. The blue rays conform to your body as they move, widening and contracting with the folds of your clothes. "San, could you do me another favor? I need you to go get Woo so I can have an assistant to run the operation."
"No, no, I can do it," Spectre answers with haste. His eyes dart between you and Yunho. "Woo won't be necessary. I can help you." Yunho stands up straight, pulling the tablet back to his chest one the light retracts from your body, and stares at San. He looks ready to argue about the topic but never opens his mouth to retort. Instead, he releases a deep sigh: a sign of relenting. San's lips quirk upwards into a small smile of victory.
"Fine. Get the anesthesia injection, a scalpel, tweezers, and gauze." Spectre turns away from the bed upon hearing the command. You watch him walk out the corner of your eye, thinking over Yunho's words.
"Anesthesia?" You repeat. "I thought you said you didn't want to use anesthesia on me."
"I didn't want to. But that was before I ran the scans and saw the extent of the damage to your muscle. I'm not getting this bullet out without trouble, so numbing it is pretty much the only comfort I can give you." 
"Wait San – the belt. I need it." San passes said object to Yunho by tossing it across the bed. Yunho folds it in half. "Here, you're going to want to bite down on this." He holds it out to you, and you take it between your teeth, glancing up at Yunho as you do. He then reaches around you to pick up the bottle of vodka from his table. "Please – well, please try not to jerk your arm while I do this."
Yunho grips your arm at the elbow, a small effort to keep you steady as he tips the bottle towards your wound. You clench your teeth around the leather belt before the alcohol even touches your skin. Anticipating the worst helps quite a bit, in fact, because the second the first drop of alcohol lands on the wound, you're screaming around the belt. If not for the death grip Yunho has on your elbow, you would be thrashing. It's the worst pain you've ever experienced. Far worse than being shot, far worse than burns or frostbite, hell even getting shot by a laser hurts less than the pain you're in at the moment. Yunho keeps the steady stream of alcohol going, flushing the wound out. The mix of blood, infection, and alcohol is causing a grotesque foaming mixture that drips from your arm to Yunho's hand and onto the bed.
"Hang in there, I'm almost done," Yunho mutters, voice barely audible behind your muffled screams. He continues pouring alcohol over the wound until it runs clear but the pain doesn't let up even after he stops. "See, that wasn't too bad!"
His cheery tone and optimism only make you want to punch him in the nose. Luckily for him, your punching arm is out of order at the moment and you're in so much pain that you can barely feel the limb. All you can do is spit the belt out. Yunho catches it before it hits your lap. He inspects the leather, a small laugh escaping his lips as he sees the indentations of your teeth along the belt. You all but bit through the leather on both sides.
"I hope you didn't like this belt too much, San," he calls to the man who stands on the other side of your bed. He's gathered the materials that Yunho asked for, all piled up with the other stack that Yunho already had.
"Oh, I didn't. Captain did though."
"You took this from Hongjoong?" Yunho asks, voice rising as he gapes at the other man. He grins like a Cheshire in response. "On god San, you're fucked if he finds out."
"That's why he won't find out. Can't miss something you forgot you had."
"That's not the way h—"
"Anyways." San passes the shot of anesthesia over to Yunho, interrupting his train of thought.
"Yea, yea. We need to work fast to get the anesthesia in so there's enough time for it to kick in and wear off before the 47 hours are up." Yunho takes the shot in one hand, his other hand squeezing around your elbow. He pokes at the skin a few times then presses so hard that you release a loud noise from the sudden pain. The needle enters your arm so quickly that you barely feel the pressure. Warmth is the only thing you feel for a moment, a cozy yet uncomfortable sensation that spreads down to your fingertips and all the way up your arm. "Okay, we'll need to give you a bit of time now. The anesthesia will take a bit to kick in, so in the meantime, I need to run an IV drip for dehydration. Just for putting some fluids back into your body that you've lost through all the sweating and vomiting. Not to mention you probably haven't had a lot of water in the past few days. I'll also do a drip later for narcotic painkillers once the anesthesia begins to wear off. Okay? All standard protocol for an operation like this, I promise."
"Let's just get it over with," you murmur back. He frowns at you, a small "okay" leaving his lips before he continues his work on you. 
The combination of your fever and the pain is bringing a piercing headache. You don't notice that Yunho moves around the bed until his hand reaches for your left arm. You yank it away as though burned. His eyes go wide at the forcefulness behind your action. A moment later though, he tries again, fingers closing around your wrist. You try to tug away but his grip is a bit too powerful this time and you fail to release your arm from his grasp.
"I need your uninjured arm for the IV. There's too much damage on your right arm to get these fluids into your bloodstream."
"Use my right arm or no arm at all," you hiss back. Your fingers clench into a tight fist, knuckles going white from the pressure.
"I already saw it," Yunho whispers. There is no point in whispering, as the room is silent aside from his voice, so San can hear the words as well. Still, you freeze. The tension leaves your arm and you let it fall limp in Yunho's grasp. "I'm sorry. I saw it when we were getting the uniform jacket off."
"Whatever," you say, looking away from the man. The plain, white wall before you is suddenly much more interesting. Despite the length of time that has passed since you received the brand, the memory always remains fresh. The sensation of searing hot metal being pressed against the inside of your wrist, the pain that resonated through your whole body, and the feeling of five pairs of eyes glued to you as you received the brand. It's all too real and present in your mind. Just the thought of someone seeing the brand is enough to send you headfirst into those memories.
"How… how did you get it?" The healer inquires. His voice is quiet again, no doubt hesitant and uncertain about asking the question. You barely feel the next needle that enters your arm.
"That's none of your business," you respond without looking his way.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry for intruding. I'm just – just trying to make conversation to distract you from the pain."
"Well, talk about something else. Not my past."
"Understood." You catch sight of Yunho's small smirk out the corner of your eye. Despite your confusion, you decide against asking him about it and wait for him to contain what he's doing instead. He places small round patches on various points around your chest, deft fingers dipping under the fabric and back out without you even feeling it. "These are just for keeping an eye on your heart rate. It's good I checked too because your heart rate is awfully slow. Could be due to the infection or your body is trying to conserve. Normally I only see it this low if the patient is asleep though."
"Need anything else?" San asks. He steps forward, hands coming to rest on the foot of the bed.
"Not right now. I think we're – wait. Wait." The level of panic in Yunho's voice does not comfort you one bit. Especially when Spectre's face shares the same level of concern. "Something isn't right." Yunho swipes furiously at his tablet, fingers moving so quickly over the screen that you can't tell what he's trying to do. "She was shot in the arm… outer arm with no exit wound, the bullet still present in the brachialis muscle right against the humerus. Why does she have pneumothorax too?"
"English please?" San asks.
"Punctured lung. It's a punctured lung that could collapse at any minute. Yours looks to be a pinhole, meaning it's small and acute. You should recover just fine without any treatment if you were a healthy adult but there's a serious infection running through your blood and that means it could cause complications if not treated. More importantly, I can't do an emergency operation like this if your lungs aren't fully functional. I'd need to put you on an oxygen mask just on the off chance that your lung collapses during the surgery but a one percent chance is still a chance."
"What caused it? I haven't noticed anything." You try to sit up a bit to look at Yunho's tablet but he pulls it away before you have the chance.
"It depends on all sorts of factors. Do you know how long you've had a lung problem?"
"I didn't even know I had a lung problem," you retort.
"She's been on the ship four days, Yunho."
"Okay, okay. We can worry about that in a bit. I need to get the IV drip in now." You glance forward as Yunho approaches your arm with another long needle. San is blocking your line of sight. He doesn't look back at you; instead, his eyes are fixated on your arm, rather your wrist where the chain brand resides. Subconsciously, you turn your wrist away only to have Yunho resituate it again as he inserts the long needle.
"You're looking pretty pale again," San comments. You take a deep breath but find yourself unable to respond. All the white in the room begins to blur together. All the strength left in your body is ebbing away. "Yunho, she's looking pretty fucking pale!" The man's voice climbs in volume as his form blurs into nothingness. Yunho keeps working on your IV, securing the catheter and tubes with a piece of tape.
"Shit, hey. Hey. Hey, stay awake." Yunho reaches over, patting your face with his palm. You push him away with a weak shove as a wave of coughs overwhelms you.
"Is this normal? What do you need? What's wrong with her? What do we do?" San rambles. Yunho rubs at the skin between his brows as San speaks.
"Shut the fuck up, San. If Woo were here, he would know what to fucking do since he helps me ninety percent of the time." San leans forward, smacks Yunho's hands away from his face, and grabs hold of his collar.
"If you don't want my help, then you're on your own," San hisses as he yanks Yunho forward. A weak laugh escapes your lips.
"Do you all fight this often or am I just special?"
Yunho sighs at your half-hearted jab and pushes San off him. He reaches for his ear, beginning to speak again but this time it's not directed at San.
"Wooyoung to the med bay for emergency operation assistance." The moment his hand leaves his ear, San is back in his face.
"Call it off!" He yells. Yunho deflects San's anger with a surprising sense of calm.
"I'm not letting a girl die simply because you don't want him to be seen. The fact of the matter is you don't know what the hell you're doing so you're of no use to me."
"Your damn savior complex is going to be the end of everyone on this ship."
"Then we were doomed the minute I set foot on the ship. Wooyoung is the only one who knows how to help me conduct emergency operations and laser surgeries. You need to fuck off and let me do my damn job. It's my job to save people, no matter the cost. Yours is only to kill them. So, why don't you listen closely and hear the wheeze in her breaths? The sweat on her forehead? The residue from her arm? If I don't get to work quickly, then you'll have a body to haul out. Do you want to be responsible for her death?"
At those words, San stands down. He leans back and stands up straight ahead, the fury dropping from his features as he moves. He turns away from the bed but something in you causes you to lunge forward with a sudden bout of strength and catch his wrist. He glances down at you with widened eyes.
"Thank you… for – for saving my life." San's gaze softens. A smile almost crosses his lips but he stops it before it can show too much.
"I did nothing except prolong the inevitable," comes his response. The words are spoken in a cold and emotionless tone, much different from the tone he used with you previously, but you no longer have the strength to even think straight. Your hand falls away from San's wrist as you fall back against the bed. Yunho lets San leave the med bay without exchanging further words with him.
Instead, the healer finishes connecting all the IV tubes and fluid bags.
"You're probably going to pass out," he mutters, bending over you and resting his palm against your forehead. "We'll try our best to work quickly and keep you under during the operation, okay?" You can only nod against the pressure of his hand. He eases you further into the bed and makes sure you're flat against the mattress. The action is like the magic touch for you to fall unconscious. Before your vision goes completely black, you see a new form enter the med bay, one with tanned skin and hair that looks like coal and ash. You don't have the chance to look over the rest of his form before the darkness overtakes you.
✦          ✦          ✦
Waking up again takes far too much effort. Your whole body feels as though it's made of pure lead, and you can't even open your eyes easily. You can't recall what happened before you fell asleep or where you are; the confusion only grows further when you're finally able to crack your eyes open.
White. The color is all you see for a few moments before your vision clears up some. The brightness of your surroundings blinds you. You shift and push your head to the left. Wires and tubes are all around you, two lead to your arm and another to your face. You try to feel around but you aren't able to; the strength hasn't completely returned to your body. All you can do is move your head from side to side for the time being. You check your other arm. There's a large white bandage wrapped around your bicep and you can't recall what's underneath it.
The clink of metal distracts you. It resounds from somewhere in front of you, and as you twist to look in that direction. A man with tan skin stands near a sink. You peer at him. Something about his figure seems familiar but you can't place it. Seeing him brings reality back to you, however, and you recall how you got here, a Cheshire cat finding you in a crate, the gentle giant healer who helped you.
"Wh-Where am – where am I?" You stammer out, voice cracking and hoarse as you try to talk. The man jumps at the sound of your voice. He drops what he's doing and turns towards you, eyes wide and curious as he looks over at you. Now that you're more awake, you can see more clearly and get a better look at the person with you. Besides the caramel tan, he bears dark hair that's almost black but not quite. The color is more between silver and grey but the color of his hair is the least interesting thing about him. There is a metal collar around his neck, a thick block that stands out against his skin, and you peer at it in curiosity. A collar? I don't… You don't have time to look at him, however, because he's rushing towards you a second later.
"Oh, you're awake!" He chirps as he comes closer to your bedside. "You're aboard The Horizon, ship belonging to Captain Kim Hongjoong. I'm not sure whether you remember it, but you were awake for a little while before the surgery." At his words, vague memories of a healer and a man with a strip of white hair float to the forefront of your mind. "You had a pretty awful fever though so it might be a bit hard to remember. Yunho – the healer, if you remember him – patched up the pinhole in your lung and kept it from collapsing with quick laser surgery. We also removed the bullet in your arm and drained the infection. He patched it up with stitches as best he could. He said that it was hard to close without some skin grafting, but he didn't want to do that so he just closed it without the extra graft."
"How – hold on, how long have I been here?" You ask. The sudden barrage of information catches you off-guard. You're still waking up, brain not coming back to full functionality, yet this man doesn't seem to care about that one bit. 
"Oh! Hm, I think you've been on the ship for maybe a total of seven days? If you include the first four stowaway days, that is. Otherwise, you've been asleep for three days."
"72 hours," you mutter to yourself. You remember something about the captain telling Yunho that he only had a certain amount of time to fix you.
"Sorry? I didn't quite catch that."
"72 hours… but the captain gave Yunho 48 hours to fix me."
"47 actually!" The man corrects with a bright and blinding smile, his teeth shining under the yellow light above your heads. "Captain only gave 47 hours to fix you, but it only took Yunho 17 so."
"Wh—What do you mean?"
"We were up for 17 hours trying to fix you up. Captain was impressed at Yunho's speed so he said that you could have extra recovery time. Oh, if you pretend to still be resting, you could get longer recovery time!"
"Why is everything in this room so damn white?" You mutter as you push yourself into a sitting position. The man shakes his head.
"No, no, no! You shouldn't get up!"
"Why not?" You protest, swinging your legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm fine, I feel fine, and nothing is going to rupture. Laser surgery doesn't leave tears or stitches either so it doesn't matter."
"No!" The man argues, voice climbing in volume. You blink up at him, eyes wide from the sudden outburst. "Yunho told me not to let you leave, and I won't go against what Yunho wants. If he says you stay here, then you stay here."
"This is ridiculous. Now I'm being kept here against my will? Am I a captive now?" You scoff as you continue to get to your feet. The man moves with surprising haste. He leans across the space in front of you, snatches up something from the table, then grabs your head. You try to fight back but he has already caught you and overwhelmed you. Something sharp pierces your neck. You cry out at the pressure but waves of warmth wash over you next. You stumble backward when he releases his hold on you. The backs of your knees hit the edge of the bed and you fall back onto the mattress as your strength leaves your body again. 
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry but I had to do it. I won't go against what Yunho says." His voice sounds somewhat remorseful. You're losing consciousness so fast that the world spins around you and as you glance over at his hand, you spot a large shot. You'd recognize that almost anywhere. The military use them religiously, a typical weapon that you would brandish when dealing with insurgent civilians. High grade emergency sedative shots.
"Y-You…" You can't finish the sentence before the exhaustion overwhelms you and you pass out yet again.
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a/n: hello hello it’s that time~ new chapter! i hope you all enjoy it! please let me know what you think so far and what your fav part has been or anything about the story!! i know things are moving rather slowly at the moment bUT i promise it’ll pick up in the coming chapters, we just gotta get through this ish first !!
consider sending me a ko-fi!!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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ryttu3k · 3 years
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Part 2 of my season 12 reaction posts! Find part 1 (Resolution of the Daleks to Fugitive of the Judoon) here!
Praxeus
Thoughts on Doctor Who - Praxeus!
OKAY FIRST. THANK YOU, SHOW, FOR FIXING A BIG ISSUE I HAD WITH THE FIRST SEASON. So they were doing a thing where they’d introduce incidentally queer characters, have a female character mention her wife, stuff like that, only for them to die. This episode had Jake and Adam, married/separated/it’s complicated couple, who face huge amounts of danger, who both come close to dying, but who survive! And have a Big Damn Kiss! And walk off together holding hands! They survived!!
Plotwise, I enjoyed it a ton while watching, although in retrospect it did feel a bit free of danger. The companions were never in true peril because the Doctor can home in on them automatically, and we never got the true scale of the risk of infection, since the only people we saw get infected were in isolated areas. I would have liked to see, for instance, the threat of Praxeus spreading beyond just the very Hitchcockian birds; all of the peril was on an individual level.
Good message, if unsubtle. Mind you, that’s kind of Doctor Who’s thing, and it pisses off conservatives, so all for it, really XD (They must have loved the core relationship in this episode, too!) Like. Subtle doesn’t work. There are literally climate change deniers that exist. Sometimes you actually do have to tell a message with all the finesse of a sledgehammer because .
(Side note, I was deeply concerned when I saw the cowriter was the guy who did the hot mess that was Kerblam!, so at least this was just an unsubtle and kind of questionably written story instead of an actively harmful one.)
The companions: Ryan seems a fair bit more confident on his own? His initial scenes with Gabriela showed that he’s starting to work well even without backup, and picking up the bird proved to be a damn good call. Yaz and Graham were a fun pair, and Yaz got a lot to do when she and Gabriela (again!) got to explore, and I can definitely understand the conflict between curiosity/doing what’s right and safety when it came to the teleport scene. She does seem to be bordering on the reckless. Intriguing!
Minor plot snag - Graham knows how to set up an IV, presumably because of the shitload of time he spent in hospital! …And yet he doesn’t know what a pathogen is?
Friend note!
“fun fact about graham seemingly not knowing what a pathogen is! in my reading of the scene, i saw it as graham knowing what one was. with "Well, I’m glad you asked that…!” he seems like he’s actually sort of pleased with himself, like he’s about to launch into an explanation, and then IIRC there’s a very brief shot at Ryan giving him a Look and Graham immediately changes tone to “…cause I didn’t want to look stupid.” he immediately changes from boosting his own ego to bolstering ryans and im love"
In which case, good shit gooood shit.
SFX - the infection was creepy as shit. The very obviously puppet bird near the lab was hilariously bad.
Apparently the filming was tricky because it was super windy so all the shorts of Thirteen with her hair Like That weren’t planned, it just kind of happened. Love a fluffy ruffled Thirteen.
So anyway. People calling for more plot focus - literally this is the Doctor trying to distract herself and not focus on the plot! This is her avoidance tactic! Emotional honesty? Who’s she? She’ll get back to it eventually, but for now she needs a distraction after being punched in the emotions. Give her that for one episode, c'mon.
Ryan: “…I do a lot of running.”
Graham: “Whatever is giving off those weird readings… is on the other side of that wall!” Yaz: *silently turns scanner around* Graham, not skipping a beat: “…is on the other side of that door!”
Yaz: “I don’t want you to panic, but… we followed one of those things through a teleport and now I think we’re on an alien planet.” Thirteen: “…well, you don’t do things by halves!”
Thirteen: “That’s why you smell of dead bird! I thought you’d changed your shower gel.”
Thirteen: “I’m having half a thought. Ooh, this one tickles!”
Thirteen: “What can I say? I’m a romantic~”
In conclusion, Doctor Who said gay rights.
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Can You Hear Me?
Thoughts on Doctor Who - Can You Hear Me?
Trigger warning for discussion of depression and suicide.
You know you're in for a wild ride when iView warns for horror themes instead of science fiction themes.
Overall: at first impression, it felt sort of mashed together? There's 14th century Aleppo, and there's 21st century Sheffield, and there's a deep space station, and there's creepy monsters and dream villains; I do kind of wonder why Zellin targeted a random girl in Aleppo as source for his pet monster, although targeting people like Ryan's best friend makes sense if he's deliberately trying to lure the Doctor to him.
The theme, on the other hand, of mental health resiliance and reaching out, was done incredibly well. Oh yeah there'll be more comments about it - the Guardian described it as 'adventures in Wokeness' - but damn, sometimes you need to hear it. I loved getting more of Yaz' backstory, about being a desperate teenage runaway at the point of being suicidal, and her reunion with the older woman legitimately made me tear up.
But like, goddamn. Her nightmare - she's still hearing that. She's still hearing her sister saying that she should "do it right this time" and that this time she won't call and that no one is coming and holy fuck. God this makes so many of Yaz' scenes incredibly painful in retrospect, knowing that she was at that point only three years before and that she's still dreaming that shit! It makes her recklessness terrifying!
Ryan's nightmare, and his experience with Tibo - it's quite reflective of the Doctor, too. She wasn't there, and Gallifrey burnt. And Ryan is realising this now, and really thinking about the potential future in Orphan 55. I think this is absolutely foreshadowing Ryan leaving at the end of the season (there's been a lot of speculation given Tosin's new TV role), and I think Ryan and Yaz' discussion at the end of the episode was a definite hint in the direction of Ryan choosing to going back to Earth.
Would have really liked Graham, during his talk with the Doctor, to gently remind her that she can talk about her own problems, although I can understand the narrative choice on why she didn't (although, yeah, would have been good for Graham to ask). Because, yeah, if anyone needs a sympathetic ear (...sans fingers) or a shoulder to lean on, it's her!! The entire theme of this episode was like... reaching out. Conquering your fears with the help of others. Sharing your fears to lessen them. Getting help. And the Doctor deliberately... not doing that makes it into an actual Thing that I think is going to seriously be addressed by the end of the season.
It's been such an ongoing theme. A bunch of episodes have started with an obviously depressed Doctor. The Fam has tried to raise the issue multiple times and have discussed it amongst themselves even more. Scenes like Yaz' reaction after being abducted in Spyfall (...which makes her, "I thought I was dead" part even more worrying) and being comforted by Ryan, not the Doctor... her whole reaction to Graham being like, "I'm glad you talked to me but I literally can't do the same in return" - if it's not addressed by the end of this season, it's at least going to have to be an ongoing theme, because it's becoming very deliberate now.
An interesting note: the actor who played Zellin (an immortal manipulator of nightmares) also voiced the Remnants (who were the first to mention the Timeless Child in The Ghost Monument). Coincidence or deliberate?
Assorted thoughts:
"I'm still quite socially awkward." There's socially awkward and there's emotionally repressed... (I saw a description of it on Tumblr as 'weaponised dissociation' and... yeah. And also yikes.) Also the way she was so closed in on herself, basically hugging her arms to her body! On a semi-related note, talking to herself in Aleppo was a bit depressing. Like it's continuing the theme of The Doctor Does Not Like Being Alone.
The finger thing - ew ew ew ew it's in their EARS ewww D:
Stylistic comment: the traditionally-styled animation for the Immortals' game was gorgeous.
"Try not freak out, yeah, but you're on a floating space platform trapped in a gravitational pull between two colliding planets."
"Thanks for lending a helping hand!" Companions just being, "...Doctor p l s."
On an old lore note, loved the callback to Eternals, Guardians, and the Toymaker! On a concerning note, man, the Doctor has so many issues with immortals. They abandoned Jack, there was the punishment they gave the Family of Blood, they had those Issues with Ashildr (from what I've read), now this, an eternal punishment with no chance of redemption, perhaps because she knows what immortality does? Parallels with the Doctor as quasi-immortal too, which Zellin even pointed out.
"You're wrong about humans. They're not pathetic. They're magnificent. They live with their fears, doubts, guilt. They face them down everyday and they prevail. That's not weakness. That's strength. That's what humanity is."
(Contrast: "That's what humanity is." The Doctor isn't human. She's not prevailing against her fears, doubts, and guilt.)
In conclusion, literally everyone but the creepy immortals needs a hug.
-
The Haunting of Villa Diodati
Thoughts on Doctor Who - The Haunting Of Villa Diodati!
tfw you think you're just going to get a nice spoopy historical and instead get major plot?
Overall impression: Well, Jack is going to be pretty miffed, given that the Doctor had to do precisely what he didn't want to happen - giving the Lone Cyberman what it wanted. To save Shelley, and also to save the future, although that does bring up the question on if the death of one person can rewrite the future, why doesn't that apply to literally everyone? Fletcher the valet and Elise the nurse died too, do their deaths have the same impact? Either way, the Doctor takes the Cyberium for herself - then realises that the Cybermen are inevitable, and returns it. And now she's trying to go and stop them. So... a bit conflicting in the message there, I think.
Yeah. Bit of a Trolley Problem there.
The characters were really fun. I did enjoy seeing Mary's sense of morbidness, but also her kindness and sympathy towards the Cyberman; you can see the foundations of Frankenstein there. I'm seeing some criticism of how Byron was portrayed as a coward, but eh. Nice little callback to Ada. Also I love how one of the rules was 'no one snog Byron'. Put that dirty boy back, you don't know where he's been! Glad Claire realised that too, although historically, she was already pregnant with his daughter at that point (and that didn't go well at all)... Either way. Good display of all these bright young reckless things.
(And yes, they were young. Byron was the eldest at 28. Shelley was 23, Polidori was 20, Mary and Claire were just 18. And while Claire lived to 80 and Mary to her 50s, the three men all died young, too - Byron at 36, Shelley at 29 - yes, from drowning, Polidori at just 25. Also wasn't mentioned that Polidori also created something on that Dark And Stormy Night along with Mary's Frankenstein - he wrote The Vampyre, the first modern vampire story!)
The Lone Cyberman (and I am deliberately using that instead of 'Ashad') - creepy as shit. Not just the whole Frankenstein look, but the way he acted! Not emotionless and blank, but actively manipulative and sadistic! Mary showed empathy and he actively threw it back in her face! I mean, yikes.
House was terrific and also spooky as hell. (Am lowkey miffed that no one went "VIBE CHECK!") The jumbled layout was quite Castrovalva, and I actually really dig that Graham got to see some actual ghosts. Ghostly sandwiches!
I think we got actual confirmation here that Yaz does have feelings for the Doctor? (Bleeding Cool News is pretty sure that it was for Ryan, but... lmao no.) BBCA twitter certainly thinks so!
Claire: "His answers only increase the enigma." Yaz: "I know someone like that." Claire: "This enigmatic person of yours... would you trade them for reliable and dull?" Yaz: "My person's a bit different..."
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I MEAN.
(It got deleted. So. There is that.)
Thirteen: "Hmm. Fourteenth... no. Fifteenth century... touch more umami." (Doctor, have you been playing Detroit: Become Human again?)
Mary: "I don't think they're really from the colonies!" Byron: "No, she... is from somewhere much, much stranger." Polidori: "The North."
Thirteen: "YOU HAD ONE JOB."
Cyberman: "You appear courageous. But your vital signs betray a heightened state of anxiety." Thirteen: "Or as I like to call it... Tuesday."
Thirteen: "Yeah, 'cause sometimes this team structure isn't flat. It's mountainous, with me at the summit, in the stratosphere, alone. Left to choose. Save the poet, save the universe. Watch people burn now, or tomorrow. Sometimes even I can't win."
Claire: "You pursued Mrs Doctor without a care for my presence, belittled my thoughts and opinions... and then proceeded to use my person as a human shield." Byron: "...And?" Claire: "And the spell is broken... my lord." Polidori's face: "haha you fucked up dude"
Next week: Shit Hits The Fan.
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Ascension of the Cybermen
In lieu of a proper post for Ascension of the Cybermen, here are a list of questions we need an answer for.
Will Graham and Yaz survive, on a giant carrier full of Cybermen?
Who is Brendan, and what is his relevance to the story?
What is the Boundary?
How is Gallifrey in the Boundary?
How was the Master in Gallifrey, and not trapped by the Kasaavin?
Who is Ko Sharmus and why am I getting Yana vibes?
Who is Ashad and what is his story? (And why is his theme such a literal banger?)
Is he an actual Cyberman? Because I'm totally getting this impression he's human in armour?
How did Brendan survive being shot, and why did his non-ageing father and mentor do that?
Why did it look like a chameleon arch?
Is Ethan's tech-savvy just warzone familiarity or something more sinister?
Are there any other large human populations left?
Was I detecting a hint of romantic tension between Graham and Ravio?
What's up with Yaz?
Why did the Cyberium get sent to that time period?
Who or what is this alliance Jack is a part of?
How do the Time Lords and the lie of the Timeless Child come into it?
WHO THE FUCK IS BRENDAN?
-
The Timeless Children
WELL THEN.
While I gather proper thoughts on The Timeless Children, here are the questions I had from Ascension of the Cybermen, now with answers!
Will Graham and Yaz survive, on a giant carrier full of Cybermen?
Yup! Disguises for the win!
Who is Brendan, and what is his relevance to the story?
Brendan is a filtered overlay memory of one of the Doctor's former lives.
What is the Boundary?
An anomaly, as far as I can tell.
How is Gallifrey in the Boundary?
No idea!
How was the Master in Gallifrey, and not trapped by the Kasaavin?
No idea!
Who is Ko Sharmus and why am I getting Yana vibes?
A big damn hero.
Who is Ashad and what is his story? (And why is his theme such a literal banger?)
We're still not actually sure. Either way, he's an action figure now.
Is he an actual Cyberman? Because I'm totally getting this impression he's human in armour?
Yeah, sort of.
How did Brendan survive being shot, and why did his non-ageing father and mentor do that?
Because Time Lords.
Why did it look like a chameleon arch?
It's probably related technology! If the chameleon arch rewrites memories, this one just wipes them.
Is Ethan's tech-savvy just warzone familiarity or something more sinister?
Just warzone familiarity. Poor li'l bean.
Are there any other large human populations left?
Possibly! If the Boundary really did send them to random places, there still could be surviving pockets elsewhere in the universe.
Was I detecting a hint of romantic tension between Graham and Ravio?
Maybe a bit XD And now they're all on Earth, who knows?
What's up with Yaz?
Who knows?
Why did the Cyberium get sent to that time period?
Ko Sharmus sent it. Didn't send it far enough.
Who or what is this alliance Jack is a part of?
Same organisation Ko Sharmus is part of. Also, young!Ko Sharmus/Jack please.
How do the Time Lords and the lie of the Timeless Child come into it?
In so many ways.
WHO THE FUCK IS BRENDAN?
The Doctor!
More thoughts later!
-
Thoughts on Doctor Who - The Timeless Children.
...Actually, first thought is the title. Timeless Children? Hmm.
Anyway. That is... sure a literally mind-blowing revelation for the Doctor, yes! Like, damn, the discovery that you're not even the species you thought you were, that your adoptive parent spent lifetimes abusing and experimenting on you, that your memories were routinely erased by people you thought you could trust (including your adoptive parent), that you're literally the progenitor for your entire species, that you've lost who knows how much time and who knows how many memories... yeah. Damn.
What's an appropriate birthday present for someone turning ten million?
Also, huh. Amidst all the old lore and casual mentions (like Borusa!) that got mentioned - were they taking hints from the Cartmel master plan? About the Doctor being some kind of founding figure for Gallifrey? Not exactly written as Cartmel had it, but that big main concept of the Doctor as a sort of... foundation piece of Time Lord culture was still actually there.
Brain of Morbius Doctors confirmed, I guess. I guess even Four was going, "...the fuck?"
Cybermen = still scary. Regenerating Cybermen = felt somehow obscene. Like, no, that's just fundamentally not right. Like the TARDIS responding to Jack by noping the fuck out kind of not right. God. And the Master was completely and utterly magnificently batshit, like, more than usual, come on, dude, you know they'd kill or convert you the second you turned your back.
Still. Deeply, deeply entertaining to watch just from a villain perspective, completely Chaotic, and like... I do understand where he was coming from? His entire life is a lie. His entire life is because of the Doctor, who, I think it's fair to say, he has Complicated Feelings regarding. (Their entire interaction this episode was a giant power play. Like damn guys just get into BDSM and leave the would-be genocide and universal takeover.)
Tecteun = Rassilon, I'm assuming. Goddamn. Like they were a pompous abusive asshole from the outset, this just kind of makes it worse. I also wonder if Rassilon chose the Master specifically to get the drums because he was friends with the Doctor? That actually may have been something the Master worked out himself, too. I mean, I'd be pissed off as well :-\
Also, how many people know about this? I assume Gat knew, since she was implied to be responsible for the mind wipes, but was it like... a super tightly-held secret or was it something a lot of higher-ups knew? Because that's fucked up tbh
Thought on the Master. Okay, he's hugely furious that he's been lied to, that the entire origin of his people is based on a lie, that his greatest friendrivalloveenemy is incredibly special and that a part of her is in him and not in the fun way, but like... I'm also wondering if he's looking at the Time Lords, the way they turned him into their puppet, how they drove him insane for their own purposes, then looked at the Doctor - someone who has also been used, abused, experimented on, manipulated, controlled, and went, "No. This is an injustice and the Time Lords need to be punished for it."
Oh, saw a nice theory regarding the TARDISes - Ruth!Doctor had the original busted police box TARDIS. When she was eventually taken in to be mind-erased, they sent the TARDIS off to storage to be eventually repaired. The Doctor manages to steal that one, goes to Earth, and it immediately gets stuck again because it's still broken. Explains how Ruth!Doctor can have the police box while also being pre-everything.
I really want the Doctor and Jack to sit down and have a nice chat about being timeless undying constants of the universe. Also for Jack to get one of the spare TARDISes around. Be kinda funny if he got the Master's old one, given the Year That Never Was, but it really is just sitting there. (Poor TARDIS stuck as a tree on a random wartorn planet in the far future, though!)
Also, Jodie was fucking magnificent in this episode. The hurt, the absolute fury, the almost glee when she's telling the Master he can't break her, her refusal to press the button at the end (so much like Nine's "coward or killer?" moment!)... just... so good.
Beautiful post I saw here on Tumblr - the Doctor as the Timeless Child, making the choice to help.
Amazing post here on Tumblr about abuse and repressed memories. Even if the Doctor doesn't remember it all, the abuse they underwent at the hands of a beloved parent figure still informs a hell of a lot of their behaviour, but it doesn't define them. The Doctor's need to run = informed by abuse. The Doctor's desire to help crying children = informed by abuse. The Doctor being an inherently good person = being their own person, no matter what their upbringing, no matter what their past was. They made the choice to be the Doctor, and that's a hell of an important thing.
Extremely painful post I saw on Tumblr about the Doctor being 'hip with the kids' by calling her companions her Fam but hell if they're not more family to her than her actual adoptive mother ow my heart.
Also, the scene between Yaz and Graham was so sweet <3 I do want to see Yaz, at some point, admit that sometimes she's so terrified she can barely move, and to tell him what she came so close to doing when she was sixteen, and Graham to just go, "Yeah, but you keep going." Also I'm trying not to think about how Yaz would respond to the Doctor going off on a suicide mission when Yaz was suicidal just three years earlier because ow my heart. She knows that Ko Sharmus went after her, she knows the Doctor might be alive, but either way, she's just seen someone she loves leave with the intention of dying (and Ko Sharmus too, actually). Someone please give her a hug. Actually please just let the Fam have a big group hug in general.
"Have you ever been limited by who you were before?" "Huh. Now that does sound like me talking."
So, remaining questions to be answered next season!
What actually is the Doctor? Since they were found near the Boundary, they could be from anywhere. It's fair to say they now are recognised genetically as a Time Lord, but what were they originally, why were they abandoned in the first place, and are there any more of their original people out there?
How do the Remnants know about the Timeless Child, or were they just picking up on that unconscious knowledge from the Doctor's own mind?
Like... we're generally under agreement that the Master, the eternal cockroach, survived, right? Despite definitely being lowkey suicidal like oh, was hoping the Death Particle would kill me? Like the Death Particle was made by the Cyberium, it could have gone, "Nah, keeping this one."
What's going on with the Kasaavin? Remember them? Still out there, stationed all through time and space? And are we going to see Daniel Barton again?
Is something going on with Yaz?
Will the Fam stay on? (I personally think Ryan will elect to stay on Earth to account for Tosin Cole's new TV role, and if Graham and Ravio enter a relationship, he might too.)
When will we see Jack again? If he was connected to the Lone Cyberman arc, that seems... pretty conclusively finished, unless we're going to learn more about it?
Is it Christmas yet?
............so the Christmas/NY special is going to start with Jack using his vortex manipulator to bust the Doctor out of prison and get back to the Fam and it'll never be mentioned again, right.
"At least buy me diNNER!!"
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kiatheinsomniac · 4 years
Text
Huntress V
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[Part I]   [Part II]   [Part III]   [Part IV]   [Part V]
When (Y/n) awoke, she was in an unfamiliar room, no longer at the doctor’s. It was fairly cramped and the windows were boarded up to prevent any sunlight from getting inside, leaving the candles on the desk as the only source of light.
The bed took up most of the room albeit it, it was small and very low down. Opposite the bed was a desk and chair — papers had already been pinned above the desk and Ezio stood with his back to her and was laying some items out over the table, seemingly taking an inventory. There was a hatch on the floor which (Y/n) assumed was the exit.
She sat up and looked around, rubbing her eyes before throwing the blanket back to examine her legs — big mistake. She gasped and pulled it back over her figure, causing Ezio to turn around to face her. The vampire had heard her wake up but didn’t feel the need to turn around until hearing her sound of distress.
“Where are my clothes?!” She exclaimed, holding the sheet over her bare chest.
“Relax. It’s been a few days and I thought they needed to be cleaned. If it makes you feel any better, I sent for a woman to change you.” He continued as he crouched down beside her, watching as she held the sheet tighter and shuffled back a little. His dark eyes locked with hers for a moment before he reached for the blanket at her feet. Her hand darted out to grab his wrist, stopping him.
“What’re you doing?!”
“Checking your bandages.” He replied, “I have no ill intentions for you, (Y/n).”
“You know I can’t believe that. I tried to kill you twice and then you saved me from execution. Why would you do that unless you wanted something?” She narrowed her eyes at him. But her glare wasn’t as hard as he had seen it before: she seemed cautious, confused and painfully aware of how vulnerable she was in that moment.
“Because I want you to change your mind.” He replied, feeling her grip of his wrist soften and moving his large hand to hold her smaller one. “You’ve been on the wrong course for so long. What will killing vampires achieve? Satisfaction? Why not go out there and kill the men who took your sisters, hmm? Kill them and everyone like them who would strip you and other witches of your freedom. Stop them from putting anyone else through that pain. Fight with me, not against me. Fight for a world where we can all choose the path we lead.” The idea seemed to roll in her mind and she sighed, not wanting to share her thoughts on it just yet and raising the sheets to reveal her bandaged legs instead.
Ezio returned to the desk and grabbed a pouch before returning to her side and removing the bandages. (Y/n) hissed when he prodded her a little too hard by accident, causing him to mumble his apologies as he inspected the wound. Her skin was raw and blistered and she winced at the mere sight.
“The doctor prescribed this ointment.” He spoke as he pulled it from the pouch and (Y/n) opened and closed her palm to signal for him to hand it over. She opened the lid and smelled the contents.
“This won’t do anything. If I had my stuff, I could get the spell to cure it.” She grumbled as she handed it back over.
“Would it still be in the Doge’s home?” He queried.
“Yes, but he’s surrounded by guards now, no doubt.” She replied, “But I’m worried I’ll suffer from infection under this doctor’s work. I’ve never trusted them, we just don’t know enough about the human’s biology yet. I’ll stick to my own remedies.”
"And there are no other copies of this remedy?" He asked, raising a hand as he stood.
"No, I came across it myself by accident after a fight when I was working with whatever ingredients I could find." She replied, frowning at her bandaged legs. "And if it's any motivation for you, that book you stole pages from is also in that bag."
"It is?" His eyes lit up, "Where have you kept your things?" He queried.
"The trunk at the end of the bed in the spare room." She replied, "Though, I'm worried that they may have got rid of my things when they arrested me."
"Va bene, I'll send someone to check and see if they can recover your belongings." He replied as he got up and reached for the handle of the hatch on the floor.
"Don't go anywhere." He finished as his head disappeared down below and the door fell back into place.
"I think my blisters are security enough for that." She rolled her eyes before swinging her injured legs over the side of the bed, holding the sheet around her form in case Ezio came back, assuring that it was wrapped securely around her slim figure.
She stood upon the wooden floor and winced at the pain in caused, gripping onto the table to sturdy her balance - it had been a few days since she last walked and she was feeling the effects of it. She opted to lean one hand on the table in order to try and get back to her usual self, not wanting to be idle anymore.
She reached towards the pages pinned to the walls - sketches and annotated diagrams. It showed a sphere was unusual markings that was called a Piece of Eden and 'the apple?' hastily written beside it as well. There were annotations about some of its known abilities: mind control, illusion and so on. (Y/n) could recall a few mentions of this artefact from the book which she had stolen from the Doge's study but these must be the pages which he had torn from it. Personally, she had been much more interested in the staff that it had documented so she thought very little of these few mentionings of the apple.
Strewn over the desk were various maps and lists: some were maps of regions in Venice with different locations circled and crossed out, some areas marked with squares around buildings. But she could not find any key to decipher what any of these meant, perhaps it was just one that Ezio had kept in his mind. There were lists of different names and information provided by contacts. There was a scroll of various papers that was bound with a black ribbon. She opened it up to reveal contracts assigned by Lorenzo de Medici.
"The Medici?!" She whisper-yelled to herself. How many people did this vampire know? The contracts spoke of enemies to the Medici rule that needed to be dealt with. Some of them were checked off by Ezio but others were yet to be completed. Perhaps he intended to finish them once his work in Venice was done?
There was a noise from below and (Y/n) looked back to the hatch, seeing Ezio climb up a ladder and re-enter the small room which they seemed to be sharing for the time being. She didn't act hastily in rolling the contracts back up again. If he wanted her to trust him then he would allow her to know everything that was going on; especially seeing as he had previously told her how much was hidden from her beforehand.
"I've sent someone to try and collect your things but we can't guarantee she'll be successful." He began before holding out a bundle of white silk and linen to her, seeing as all she had to protect her decency was a bedsheet. "I also got this for you, one of the ladies has let you borrow it until we can get your clothes back or buy you some new ones."
"Thank you." She mumbled as she took the clothing and held it out with one hand, seeing the length of it and how revealing it was.
"Is this lady a courtesan by any chance?" She scoffed as Ezio turned around to face the desk once more in order to allow her some privacy as she changed, his back now to her.
"Yes, actually. We're above a brothel." He replied and (Y/n) sighed as she stood on the bed (due to the lack of space) and dropped the sheet, pulling the shoulderless dress on over her head and pulling the thin layers of the skirt down, still feeling awfully revealed by the open-cut front of the dress and how the stay sewn into it barely contained her breasts. She almost fell to the floor in the process, her legs still weak, but she managed to support herself on the wall.
"Ok, I'm done." She huffed as she pulled the front of the dress down carefully, feeling anxious about her lack of clothing underneath, all while not wanting the bodice to shift with it. Ezio looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened for a moment before flickering down her body and a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips before he looked away once more.
"I saw that," (Y/n) grumbled as she sat down, letting her legs fall off the side of the bed.
"It was only a quick look." He replied in a laddish tone with a hearty laugh at the end.
"Not for you, it wasn't. I wasn't born yesterday, Ezio, I know how quickly your kind can move when wanted." She was replied with another laugh from him.
"Art should be admired, no?"
"You're not doing yourself any favours in getting in my good books here." She finished as she walked over to one of the boarded-up windows.
"Don't touch those." He said, not raising his gaze from one of the maps on the table.
"What's stopping me?" She countered, knowing that she had the ability to severely injure him just by prying a board back and allowing the sunlight to pour in. An arm wrapped around her torso, restraining her arms by her sides and a blade was pressed to her throat in a moment. The cold metal rested against the hot skin of her neck and she reeled her head back to try and put some distance between herself and the weapon, ending up leaning her head back onto his shoulder.
"This." He growled in her ear, not wanting her to get any ideas about attacking him while he was vulnerable during the time that he was treating her. He truly wanted the best for her but he would never be able to achieve that if both of them didn't command mutual respect. She twisted her body to the left a little, elbowing him in the gut and giving her the moment she needed to turn around and shove him away.
"Still not doing you any favours for getting on my good side." She grumbled as she leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. He didn't seem to mind her shoving him, it not really having much of an effect seeing as she was already weakened by her injuries. "Don't do that again." She mumbled, making her way over to the desk to watch what he was doing. After realising he had taken out a very specific map of a building, she became curious as to what it was.
"What're you looking at?" She asked, wrapping her arms around herself as she felt a sudden chill.  
"It's a map of the Basilica, there's something that I need. . . Would you shut up?" She was taken aback for a moment after he spun in her direction to say that, opening her mouth to retort when she saw that he was, in fact, looking behind her. She turned her head and jumped backwards with a yelp, her back hitting Ezio's chest in the small space that was the secret loft of the brothel. Suddenly she understood the chill.
She'd never been sensitive to spirits in the day, perhaps that's why Elizabetta's ghost had managed to appear behind her, undetected.
Her dark locks fell down her back and her eyes were a piercing green, poking like needles into whoever caught a glimpse of them. Her skin was strikingly pale and (Y/n) could see the punctures over her neck so easily in their short distance - a reminder of what Ezio was capable of doing to her. The naked ghost took a step closer as she continued to speak silently, lips moving but not a word coming out.
Whether he meant to or not, Ezio's arm made its way around (Y/n)'s waist, trying to push her behind him in the small distance. The witch turned her head to glance up at him, seeing the look of irritation on his face as he regarded the dead woman.
"I've heard enough. You won't scare me Elizabetta, and you won't make me change my mind." There was a pause as she clearly scoffed, (Y/n) only wishing she could hear what the spirit was saying. "Why would I listen to you? I know that your only goal is to see me fail." His voice was rising and it was clear to (Y/n) that Elizabetta had hit a nerve.
"Begone, you're no longer welcome here for the time being." (Y/n) cut in, watching as the woman's emerald eyes narrowed angrily, somewhat surprised that the huntress had even cut in before she vanished like smoke.
"What did she say?" (Y/n) quizzed, turning around to face him.
"She. . ."He seemed to trail off as he looked down at the woman in his arms, his hand resting on her lower back, tilting his head down to meet her gaze before closing his eyes. He sighed and stepped away, turning around, "I'm not entirely sure yet, all I know is she was trying to get under my skin and she succeeded to a degree." He reached a hand out to smooth down the top of her hair.
"Get some rest, it'll do you no good if you tire your legs out. We're going to be moving once the sun sets then I'll be heading out to see what I can find out about the Doge's whereabouts." (Y/n) didn't like being told to sleep as though she were a child and it was her bedtime.
"Fine, but I won't be staying inside your next hideout while you look for the Doge. If your courtesan doesn't return my things, I'll have to retrieve them myself and if I can't then I'll have to buy some new clothes. You may think that I'm fragile because I’m a witch, Ezio," She added as she sat down and pulled the blanket over her lap, "but it hasn't stopped me in the past and now that I have a new score to settle, it certainly won't stop me now."
"Revenge is a painful road, belleza," Ezio spoke wearily, recalling what his own path was.
"And it seems it's a pain we both know all too well."
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shhh-no-ones-home · 4 years
Text
cheat code (2/2) duff mckagan x reader x izzy stradlin
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part 1 part 2
a immediate continuation of part one. you might want to read or re-read part one first then come back to this but you do you boo
Song: down the road by dirty honey
tag list: @cynic-spirit @satans-arse @slashscowboyboots
+++++++++
"I caught him cheating on me."
I said, my voice barely audible.
"I'm gonna kill him."
Izzy said again but I was still holding his arm in my hand. I sent him a disapproving look.
"If you guys wanna do something then help me put all this shit away. My room is trashed too. I didn't even know he did this till you got here and I'm scared to see what's really broken."
Duff nodded, strutting to the cab and relieving him of his duties. Izzy looked down at my hand still on him and sighed. If I was being honest I was scared to let go. He took it in his and wrapped it around his body, pulling me in for a hug. I was kind of surprised at first but melted into him as he held me, reveling in his warmth. Duffs hand found it's way to my back before disappearing. When I pulled away Izzy held my hand and led me into the house. Duff was already working on getting the bookshelf standing again.
"This is a lot of shit."
Izzy noted, making me laugh for the first time in what felt like forever.
"Well it's less than it was yesterday so bonus I guess."
I said shrugging and slinking over to where duff was. I sighed before dropping to my knees, pushing the books around me into a pile.
"How about I hand them to you and you start putting them up top?"
I asked looking up at duff. He nodded, sliding his jacket off his shoulders and tossing it to the couch with ease.
"Do you think this still works?"
Izzy asked, pushing the TV upright. I looked over at him as I handed duff a few books.
"Shit if I know. Im surprised he didn't take it with him. Unless it was too heavy. Ive never even watched the damn thing."
I mentioned, turning back to duff and handing him a few more of the smaller books. I got to work too, pushing the larger ones into the bottom shelf to weigh it down.
"Do you want me to put it back?"
Izzy asked, cleaning around the television. I thought for a second as he looked at me, arms full of knick-knacks and keepsakes.
"Actually, no. I think I'll get rid of it."
I said firmly, finally making a decision about it. If he was gone there was no valid reason for me to keep it. All news I needed I got from the radio and I didn't care for the shows they played, the few channels we got not being very interesting.
"Records in the big one?"
Duff asked, picking up a few vinyls. I nodded, watching him slide them into place after making sure they were all going the right way.
"Thanks guys, this really means a lot."
I said, looking from duff to Izzy across the room.
"Hey, you're a damsel, you're in distress; we got this."
Duff joked, helping me off the ground. I smiled at him and shook my head.
"Oh iz you can just put that in the coffee table."
I said, pushing it back up on its legs and opening one of the drawers. He slid the papers he had gathered in it. I looked around the room wide eyed, it was looking better but there was still glass everywhere.
"This is gonna take forever."
I sighed out. Izzy placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, we got the big stuff already. How about we go check out your room now instead. You said it was trashed too right?"
I nodded reluctantly.
"Yeah, it's worse."
I said leading the way down the hall. When I flipped the light on I wanted to vomit again, freezing in my tracks. It looked so much worse illuminated and I could still see the image of them in the bed. It was burned into my eyes. Duff touched my arm and I jumped.
"It's okay y/n, it's just me."
I placed my hand on his and let out the breath I was holding in.
"Right."
Was all I could say.
"Where do you want us to start? I supposed we could put all the clothes on the bed-"
"No."
I said firmly, not looking at Izzy as he spoke.
"Okay, we could do something else."
He said confused.
"I'll start on the clothes. You two just get that thing out of here. I don't want to look it at, I don't want to think about it. If anything I want it incinerated."
I said sternly about the bed, putting my hand in the air and pretending to push it away from me. They exchanged glances before shrugging and doing as told. I began picking dresser drawers up as they got to work, lifting the mattress off the frame. I watched them for a second as they carried my worries back down the hall. I sighed in relief as I filled the dresser, one by one folding my clothes and putting them away. It was about ten minutes before I looked up again, Izzy standing in the doorway with a wide grin on his face.
"What?"
I asked hesitantly and he quickly held up his pack of matches.
"Wanna burn it?"
He asked and my eyes went wide. Well yeah but I wasn't going to. I looked over at the wooden frame still in the middle of the room, his gaze following mine.
"Duff, come here!"
He called down the hall, him emerging a second later.
"What?"
He asked, also following my gaze.
"Right."
He said, pushing Izzy into the room. They unlatched the headboard from the base, carrying it in pieces.
"Come on y/n, let's set fire to this bitch."
Duff said with a laugh. I sighed and stood off the floor, noting how empty my room was now without the bed in it. I walked down the hall, through the kitchen, and out intoo the backyard. It wasn't fairly large but it seemed so much smaller with the mattress and now broken up frame in the middle of it. I watched Izzy light his cigarette before offering me the pack of matches.
"Wanna do the honors?"
He asked. I half smiled, taking it from him.
"Yeah."
I said holding my hand out. He looked confused for a second before I stole his cigarette and took a long hard drag. It was much better than the one I'd indulged in the night prior. I handed it back to him before lighting the whole pack, dropping it onto the fabric. It burned for a second before catching the headboard and being engulfed in flames. We all stood back and watched it, the crackle of the fire bring a new warmth to the morning air.
"Want some?"
Duff asked, offering me a bottle I hadn't noticed before. Part of me wondered where the hell he'd gotten it as well as when. We had been kind of busy the last hour or so after all.
"Eh what the hell."
I said taking it from him and taking a long drink. I groaned as it detached from my lips and handed it back to him.
"So, who's place are you staying at till you get a new bed?"
Izzy asked, lighting another cigarette against the mattress flames. He puffed out the smoke, dipping his free hand into his jacket pocket, looking at me expectantly. I shrugged.
"I've got a couch."
They both looked at each other before laughing a little bit.
"As if we'd let you do that."
Duff said, shaking his head and dropping to sit on the ground.
"Well what would you rather I do?"
I asked between them. Duff took another drink.
"You can come stay with me for a bit. I've got plenty of room if youre comfortable sharing a king sized bed."
Izzy said with a wink and I laughed.
"Sure iz, cause who isn't?"
I said sarcastically.
"Then it's settled. As soon as we're done picking the rest of your shit up you're coming to stay with me. We can start shopping for your new bed tomorrow."
He said with a Stern nod. I opened and closed my mouth a few times before sighing in defeat.
"Fine."
I gave in.
"Good."
He said, stepping closer and draping his arm over my shoulder. The bed was almost done burning by now, springs and screws being the only things left in the scorched grass.
"Thanks again guys. It means a lot."
Duff raised the bottle in cheers to me.
"Anything for a friend."
He said taking a drink.
"Anything for you."
Izzy said back, looking down at me. I smiled a little myself, holding his hand that was around my shoulders.
"Come on, let me treat you two to some breakfast. I think weve all earned it."
Duff shot up excitedly, making me laugh.
"Can we please go to waffle house?"
He pleaded as we walked back inside. I laughed a little bit and nodded, grabbing my car keys and purse by the door.
"I think I can make that happen."
He fist pumped the air.
"Yes!".
I laughed as he bolted out of the house yelling "shotgun!" Izzy followed him slowly, looking back at me as I locked the door. They really knew how to make the best of a bad situation.
22 notes · View notes
freddiesaysalright · 5 years
Text
Peace Like a River Part 6
A Gwilym Lee x Reader Story
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Summary: Reader is a stand up comic with a pretty dark past. She has a three new lights in her life: her daughter, Violet; her anonymous correspondent, Dear Friend; and Gwilym Lee.
Word Count: 3.7K
Tag List:  @psychosupernatural, @someone-get-a-medic, @bensrhapsody, @deakyclicks, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession, @minigranger, @simmisblog, @assembledherethevolunteers, @lookuptotheskiesandsee, @readinghorn, @riddikuluslypotter, @doingalrightt, @misslolasworld, @lemurian-starship, @ravenedges-lies, @painkiller80, @imgonnabeyourslave, @crazyweirdocalledfriday, @ixchel-9275, @sincerelygmg If you’d like to be added, let me know!
A/N: The dramaaaaaa! Also a little warning for this chapter! Mentions of abuse and sexual assault please take care loves :)
Part I  Part II  Part III  Part IV  Part V
Part 6 here we go!!!
You answered the letter promptly. You assured him it was fine and said something rather vague about meeting up again sometime. It was a relief to have things back to normal. Well, normal for you. The letters were mostly the same. Plus, you and Gwilym were maintaining a relationship that made you incredibly happy. When your tour lined up with his, you always met up and did something. Whether it was dinner, taking Violet to the park, or just grabbing a quick cup of coffee between interviews.
Violet absolutely adored Gwilym. You were sure the feeling was mutual, as he indulged her every whim. He played any game she wanted, and did whatever she said. It was very sweet. You assured him that he didn’t have to - he could tell her no, but he only gave you an astonished look and continued to follow her orders.
One night, you were getting ready to go out to dinner and Gwilym was waiting for you in your room. You were putting the last touches on your makeup and he was entertaining Violet. You heard her shrieking with laughter and giggling wildly. Gwilym was laughing too and you wondered what they could possibly be doing to make all this noise.
You poked your head out and nearly snorted. Gwil was sitting on the floor at the end of the bed. Violet charged at him, grinning as she hurtled across the room. When she reached him, he took hold of her sides before launching her up in the air, over his head, and she landed with a squeal of joy on the bed behind him. She scrambled off the bed and came around to face him once more.
“Again, again!” she cried.
Her face was red from laughing and her hair was a mess from rolling around on the comforter. 
“Alright, lovie, come on then,” he encouraged.
She ran. Up and over she went, with a scream of delight. This time, she lay on the bed a moment to catch her breath. You took this opportunity to end the game. You emerged from the bathroom as you put earrings in.
“Alright, Vi, that’s enough,” you said.
She rolled onto her knees and pouted at you. “But Mommy!”
“Not buts,” you returned. “You stay with Stacy and be a good girl for her.”
“But - but all she does is text her boyfriend!” she complained.
Stacy looked at you like a deer in headlights. You laughed.
“Relax, Stace, you can have a boyfriend,” you said. “Although, I didn’t even know you were dating!”
She chuckled. “It’s no big deal, really.”
“Well, I wanna know more, but we have a reservation,” you said, turning to Gwil. “You ready to go?”
He glanced between you and Violet, who’s lower lip was quivering. He looked conflicted and guilty. An amused smirk claimed your lips as you eyed him.
“Oh, you are such a sucker,” you teased.
“She looks so sad!” he returned.
“She’s faking it!” you shot back.
“Ahhhh!” Violet cried, running over and latching herself onto Gwilym’s leg. 
She let out a soft moan and sniffle. You rolled your eyes. Gwilym looked at you and disbelief before lifting your daughter into his arms and hugging her close.
“Oh, you poor dear,” he cooed. “What a mean mummy you have!”
Your mouth fell open. “What?!”
“She’s so cruel to you,” he continued, ignoring you.
Violet nodded in agreement and you groaned.
“Alright, enough ganging up on Mommy,” you said. “Violet, Mister Gwilym will come and see you another time soon, okay? But we’re going to dinner and you’re staying with Stacy.”
“But -”
You cut her off. “No, ma’am. No arguments or you’re going to bed without dessert.”
She whimpered and buried her face in Gwilym’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry, love,” he said gently. “But what Mummy says goes. And she’s right, I’ll come see you again soon.”
He carried her over to the bed and tried to set her down, but she clung to his neck.
“Violet!” you warned, shooting her a sharp look.
With another whine, she let go and shoved her face in the pillows. You heard her release a fake sob, and Gwilym shot you a horrified look. You shook your head.
“You’re a monster,” he whispered to you.
“She’s faking,” you repeated. “Look.”
You both turned eyes on your daughter and saw she had stopped “crying” and was peeking out from the pillows. When she saw you were watching she turned back and started the ruse again.
“You see?” you said, raising an eyebrow at him.
He chuckled. “Fine. But how do you know the difference?”
“Believe me, you know a real cry when you hear it,” you told him.
You both bid Stacy goodnight, and said goodbye to Violet, who ignored you. When you stepped out into the hall, Gwilym stopped you before you could continue toward the elevator. You furrowed your brow as you looked at him.
“You look beautiful,” he said simply.
You beamed. “Thank you.”
You walked together, hand in hand, to the restaurant. It was an upscale place (or you would have probably just taken Violet along) with a large wine menu and a bit of a romantic atmosphere. It really felt natural, like you were on a date with your boyfriend of many years. Yet, there was still a barrier. That fear of not being enough for him. And his ignorance about your correspondence.
You ordered and sipped your wine. You looked curiously at Gwilym.
“So, how are things with Dear Friend?” you asked, knowing the answer.
“Just fine,” he said assuredly. “I’m thinking of inviting her to London for Christmas.”
“That’s romantic,” you returned, trying to sound casual. You weren’t sure you’d be ready to reveal yourself by then. 
“I thought so too,” he said with a smirk. “So, how are you planning on spending your holidays now that you’ve cut your family off?”
You shrugged. “I actually usually only went for Thanksgiving. Christmas is a day Violet and I spend together, just the two of us.”
“Well, perhaps you could come to London too,” he suggested. “I’d love to see you and I think you and Dear Friend would get along. You’re so alike.”
“You think so?” you asked, genuinely surprised. You felt like a completely different woman when you wrote to him as Dear Friend.
“Yes,” he said. “She’s not quite as funny as you, but you have similar opinions on things and the same values.”
“Interesting,” you said. “Although, I’m relieved to know that I'm the funniest person in your life.”
He chuckled. “Naturally. All the more reason to come to London. You can keep her amused when my wit fails me.”
“I’ll think about it,” you said.
It was an interesting idea. And you’d love to spend Christmas with Gwilym. Just the thought of it warmed you from the inside out. But, there was still the matter of Dear Friend.
Suddenly, he frowned at you. “What’s that?”
He pointed to a dark spot on your collar bone which you were normally careful to cover with clothes or makeup. Somehow, you’d forgotten. Instinctively, you moved to cover it with your hand.
“Nothing,” you lied.
“That embarrassing is it?” he joked.
“In a way, it is,” you said seriously.
He looked at you with understanding. “Henry?”
You nodded. Several jokes popped into your head that would get you out of this conversation were you in the company of literally anyone else. But you didn’t have to protect yourself from Gwilym.
“He burned me,” you said. “With a cigarette.”
“Jesus…” he breathed. “I’m so sorry.”
“That was the night Violet was conceived actually,” you went on, unsure why you were sharing this detail.
Outside of lying about his sexual prowess to Helen at the gala, you and Gwilym had not discussed anything regarding sex. 
“Why did you -”
“I didn’t want to sleep with him,” you said, answering his question before he could finish. “But I was afraid if I didn’t, it would only be worse for me.”
“Can I ask you something deeply personal?” he wondered.
You met his gaze and nodded.
“Why did you wait so long to leave him?” he asked. “You were married to him for years. What finally pushed you to go?”
You took a deep breath. You hadn’t told this story to anyone.
“After a particularly brutal night, I ended up in the hospital,” you began. “A nurse came in and told me I was pregnant. She asked me point blank if I was being abused. I thought about my baby and what I wanted for her and I broke down. I told her what Henry had done to me. I told her I wanted out. So she helped me.”
Gwilym looked at his plate and inhaled deeply, pushing down what you recognized quickly to be a flash of anger that crossed his face.
“Can I ask you another?”
You nodded.
“Why is he not behind bars?” he asked. “If he was that bad…”
He didn’t need to say it. You cleared your throat.
“I made a deal with him,” you explained. “If he would give me the divorce and sign away his rights to Violet, then I wouldn’t press charges. And he could never contact me or my daughter again. He didn’t want to lose his job or go to jail, so he agreed.”
“And he’s stayed away?”
“So far,” you said. “He tried to call me a few times the first year, but gave up pretty quick. I changed my name back to my maiden name and moved across the country. I wanted it to be clear there was no chance of reconciling.”
“You are incredible,” he said. “Really.”
“I did what I had to do for Violet,” you said. 
“One more question.”
“Shoot.”
“Why didn’t you do it for you?”
You knew the answer but you didn’t want to say it. It was a shitty, awful thing that you still wrestled with and was the cause of so much, including your hesitation with giving yourself to Gwilym.
“He made me believe I wasn’t worth it,” you said, swallowing a fresh lump in your throat. “I still...I still don’t know if I am. But I know my daughter is and all I can do is protect her.”
“You are worth it,” he said. “I know so.”
His eyes were genuine and soft. You were struck once again with overwhelming gratitude that Gwilym never looked at you with pity. His eyes and gentle smile were so sweet you almost believed him. You considered blurting out the truth now, just so you could tell him you loved him and kiss him hard. 
But you didn’t.
“Thank you, Gwilym,” you said, holding back from another snappy retort that would have effectively evaded this emotion you were facing head on. But it wasn’t quite as scary with your best friend at your side.
“Do you believe me when I say that?” he questioned.
You took his hand. “I’m starting to.”
In one of the sweetest gestures anyone had ever shown you, he brought your fingers to his lips and kissed them. It was light, but friendly and warm. It made you feel like you were in a Jane Austen novel or something. It made you feel like Dear Friend.
The rest of the evening was spent in happier spirits. In fact, you laughed a lot. You found that it was true what Violet said - when Gwilym was around, you were usually smiling. Although, getting vulnerable with him was becoming second nature to you now. You knew that you had to open yourself up and let him in if you were ever going to get to a place where you could be loved by him.
He walked you home and all the way up to your door. You paused outside. You faced him, a dopey smile plastered on your face. You wanted to blame the wine, but you knew it was the company.
“Thank you for yet another great evening,” you said.
“It’s my pleasure,” he returned, cupping your face in his hand. “Thank you for opening up to me. It makes me feel close to you when I understand you better.”
You placed your hand atop his. “I feel cared for when you listen.”
He gazed at you. You were certain his blue eyed stare could stop your heart and melt icebergs. It was that warm and deep. You thought for a moment, he might kiss you. Part of you hoped that he did. Another, stronger part of you knew he shouldn’t. It seemed he felt the same way because after a few moments, he pulled away. He kissed your forehead instead.
“Good night, Y/N,” he whispered.
“Good night,” you replied.
With one last smile, he left. You watched him disappear down the hall and sighed. You wanted him so badly it physically pained you. But each time you thought you could confess to him, your Henry shaped roadbock got in the way.
Shaking your head, you unlocked your hotel room door and crept inside. Stacy and Violet were asleep. You walked around to Stacy’s side and gently shook her shoulder.
“Stace,” you whispered. “I’m home. You can go back to your room now.”
“Okay,” she yawned. “Did you have a good time?”
“A wonderful time,” you assured her. “But I’ll catch you up tomorrow.”
“Alrighty,” she agreed.
She carefully rolled out of bed and bid you goodnight before sneaking out. You went to the bathroom to take off your makeup and brush your teeth. As you did, you thought about Gwilym. He seemed to only get more perfect the more time you spent with him. It should have made you feel worse, but oddly, your confidence was growing. You felt like you could be raw and real, without following up with humor just to hide away. You were feeling healthy.
You changed into your pajamas and crawled into bed beside your daughter, who stirred and just barely opened her eyes to look at you.
“Sorry, baby,” you said. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Did you have fun, Mommy?” she asked sleepily. 
You smiled. “So much fun. But we missed you so much.”
She giggled. “Really?”
“Really,” you assured her. “We said ‘You know who would make this night soooo much fun? Violet.’”
“I missed you too,” she replied. “I don’t really think I have a mean Mommy.”
You pulled her close with a laugh. “I’m glad to hear it, sweetie.” You kissed her head and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Would you like to go to London sometime?”
She yawned again. “London? Where the bridge is falling down?”
“That’s the one,” you said, chuckling.
“Are you coming too?” she wondered.
“Of course,” you said. “And Mister Gwilym would be there.”
“Yes!” she gasped.
“You really like him, don’t you?” you teased.
She nodded. “Don’t you like him, Mommy?”
You poked her nose to make her laugh. “Very much.”
She snuggled closer to you and you wrapped her up in your arms. After telling Gwilym what you’d gone through for her...you felt extra affectionate towards her and wanted to hold your little girl all night. You didn’t need a father for her. You were a family all on your own. But you couldn’t help but feel it would be nice if Gwilym was there too.
The next morning, you woke to an unfamiliar ringtone. And when you rolled over to grab the phone it was coming from, you realized two things: Stacy had left her phone in your room and that it was about four in the morning. The call must have been from her boyfriend since there was just and H with a heart beside it as the contact. It annoyed you for her that he felt a need to call at this hour, but you weren’t one to judge. You swiped to answer it so you could tell him you just had to walk the phone over to her.
“He-”
“You don’t know how to answer a goddamn text?” demanded the voice on the other end.
His voice completely froze you. The accent, the tone, the aggression in it. It was unmistakable. Especially to you.
“Henry?!” you gasped.
He paused. You could feel the tension through the phone. Fear gripped you with iron hands.
“Y/N?” he questioned. “The fuck are you doing answering Stacy’s phone?”
“The fuck are you doing calling Stacy’s phone?” you shot back.
“Don’t be like this, just bring her the phone,” he said irritably.
You got up, grabbed your hotel key, and walked out of the room so you wouldn’t wake Violet. When the door closed, you took a deep breath to try and calm yourself.
“What the fuck are you doing calling my assistant?” you insisted.
“She’s my girlfriend,” he said as if it were obvious. As if it were something that was even somewhat okay. “I don’t see how it’s any of your busin-”
You hung up. Trying to gather yourself as you stepped over to the next room over, you took another deep breath. You were feeling so intensely...something. Rage. Hurt. Shock. Terror. All of them at once. Your whole body was trembling with what you had to do. With no other outlet for the emotions, you took two fists and pounded on Stacy’s door.
“Wake up!” you shouted. “Wake up! Wakeupwakeupwakeup!”
She finally yanked the door open, frantic. “Y/N? What’s wrong?”
You glared at her, absolutely livid that she had the audacity to be your friend and care for your child, all while having an affair with your ex husband. The man who had abused you, tortured you, and still affected nearly everything you did. And she knew about all of it. You had confided in her. Not as much as you had confided in Gwilym but she knew enough to know that this was wrong.
“We need to talk,” you said, unsure how you weren’t just shrieking at her and throwing her across the room. But you were not Henry.
“O-okay,” she replied nervously, opening the door wider to allow you inside.
When she closed it behind you, you whipped around to face her.
“How long, Stacy?”
“How long what?” she returned, and you could see she was genuinely confused.
“How long have you been fucking my ex-husband?”
The color drained from her face as you glowered at her. 
“Wh - how did you - I didn’t - I’m so sorry!” she cried, her eyes welling up with tears.
“I found out because he called you a minute ago,” you snapped. “He told me you’re his girlfriend!”
“Y/N, I know it’s hard to understand, but -”
“Oh, no, I understand,” you cut her off. “He may seem charming and sweet now, but just wait a few years. All that goes away and he’s the abusive piece of shit that I told you he is!”
“He’s different now!” she cried. “He’s changed!”
“That’s a story I’ve heard before!” you returned. “But this isn’t about that. How could you do this to me? You know what I’ve been through with him! And you brought him to Boston, didn’t you?”
“I - I’m sorr-”
“Didn’t you?!”
“Yes!” she cried. 
“How dare you!” you yelled. “You brought that man within feet of me! And my daughter! You put both of us at risk!”
“He’s changed, Y/N, really!” she tried again.
“I promise you he hasn’t,” you returned. “Did it ever once occur to you that he was using you to get to me?! Did you use your fucking brain?!”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. You didn’t feel the least bit sorry for her.
“Please, let me explain,” she begged. 
You crossed your arms over your chest and looked expectantly at her. “Fine. Explain, then.”
“We met through Facebook,” she said. “It started off casual, but he wanted to be more than friends. I didn’t even know he was your ex.”
“Okay, and?”
“We started talking and it got flirty, and then we exchanged phone numbers,” she went on. “I met him in New York when I had a few days off and we decided to become exclusive. It was then that I found out he was your ex.”
“And so you decided that was okay?” you snapped.
“No!” she insisted. “I talked about it with him. He said he had gone to therapy and anger management was working on himself. He just asked that I give him a chance.”
“And you believed him?”
“Well...yeah.”
“You have your job on your Facebook profile, right?” you asked.
Her eyes went wide. “I...yes, I do.”
You shook your head. “That’s what I thought.”
“You think he only reached out because I-”
“Yeah, Stacy, that’s exactly what I think,” you snapped. “No, I know that’s why he reached out to you. What other reason would he have?”
“He said he thought I was beautiful…” she said quietly. 
“There are thousands of beautiful women in New York City,” you said. “Why the fuck would he reach out to a random woman living in Los Angeles who also just happens to work for his ex-wife?”
Her bottom lip trembled. “But -”
“You’re fired,” you said simply.
“What?!”
“YOU’RE FIRED!” you screamed and hurled her phone across the room.
With that, you stormed out. You heard her crying as the door closed behind you. Tears stung your own eyes as well, and you couldn’t be sure why. There was so much swirling around inside you. You hurried back into your own room. Violet still slept soundly and a pang of fresh fury went through you. Stacy had brought Henry so close - so fucking close - to her. Your precious girl. You snatched your own phone from the nightstand and went into the bathroom. With shaky hands, you dialed Gwilym. You needed him. Now more than ever.
It rang a few times and for a terrifying moment, you feared he wouldn’t answer. It was ridiculously early, after all. But then, you heard a soft click.
“Y/N?” 
His caring voice on the other end of the line made you weak. You opened your mouth to respond but only managed to sob into the speaker.
143 notes · View notes
geewithluv · 4 years
Text
ESOTERIC [two]
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ESOTERIC: intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.
The ins and outs of the prominent gang, Bangtan, can seem esoteric to the general population that is most affected by their actions.
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Synopsis: ❝ Jimin is going to take over Bangtan after Hitman falls ill. Not feeling confident that Jimin is ready, Hitman pulls in the pacifistic daughter of a (now deceased) close associate. Kit hasn’t been around Bangtan for years, but now she’s forced to in order to help the remaining members of her family. ❞
Pairing:Jimin x Female OC (ft. the rest of BTS, Bang PD, members of Seventeen & BlackPink)
Genre:mafia!au, some fluff & some angst
Warnings: cursing, death from illness, mentions of death by gun violence, anxiety attack
Word Count:4k
masterlist  [part one]
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Kit woke up later than she would have preferred. As much as she tried to keep her sleep schedule consistent no matter when she was working, her body always seemed to betray her wishes for a stable sleep cycle. With a yawn, she stumbled into her kitchen, turning the TV on as she passed it. “I could’ve sworn I bought more tea.” Kit grumbled to herself as she glared at the empty glass jar that should contain packets of teabags. But not a single packet sat in that jar, not even the tea she had disliked but kept around for when she had seemingly forgotten her addiction-esque need for the beverage.
 “Late last night popular restaurant, Ossu Seiromushi, went up in flames and the local fire department is still trying to contain the situation. The cause is currently unknown. Please be sure to avoid 4th street during your morning commute as it will be blocked off while firefighters attempt to control the blaze.” 
 Kit hated the morning news anchors voice but this time she let herself drown in the soundwaves coming from her television. She rubbed any remaining sleep from her eyes to look at the video playing and the headline written in the bold black text at the bottom of the screen. “Holy shit.” She whispered as she realized she wasn’t dreaming. The restaurant is burning to the ground. Bangtan’s restaurant. Who knew what else was in there besides food and very expensive cutlery?
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  “There’s at least a 5 grand in cash currently taking its final form as a pile of ashes on the damn floor! That’s not even mentioning all the other shit that’s gone because of this! I don’t know if I should hope everything in there is completely burned beyond recognition because the last thing we need is a federal investigation.” Jimin paced around the spacious office in the Bangtan estate. It’s not even 7:30 A.M. and they’re already being reminded that they’re sustained by crime. Taehyung holds the firm belief that it’s much more of a 10 A.M. reminder. 
“Who the hell set Ossu Seiromushi on fire?” Yoongi was hardly awake, trying not to completely slump over in the cushioned armchair.
 Namjoon speaks up. “No one knows if it was even set on fire or if it just--”
 “Don’t even finish that sentence.” Jimin is quick to cut him off. “We all know a fully up-to-code and functional restaurant doesn’t just start randomly burning to the ground at 2 A.M..” The shrill sound of his cell phone ringing makes Jimin groan as he presses the green button. “What is it?”
 “I know it’s 7 in the morning, but would it kill you to sound a little more pleasant?” Kit’s voice came through the other line as Jimin sits down in the leather chair behind the large custom wooden desk. “What the hell is going on at the restaurant?” Kit continued realizing Jimin wasn’t going to answer her remark.
 “You tell me. Seokjin, Jungkook, and Hoseok are there now waiting for an answer.” Jimin glides his hand across the sleek surface as Yoongi, Taehyung, and Namjoon watch him intently. “You’re only a few blocks over aren’t you? You didn’t hear or see anything?”
 “A few blocks is pretty far, Jimin.” Kit scoffed. “And I didn’t because I was sound asleep at 2 A.M.. Some of us have actual jobs that require us to have a schedule and--”
 “Save your 8 to 10 hours and circadian rhythm rant. I’m coming over.” Jimin stood up, making the three other men jump up as Jimin yanked open a desk drawer, grabbing a few things and shoving them in various pockets. 
 “You absolutely are not! What makes you think that you can just come over whenever you feel like it?” Kit huffed, Jimin smirked imagining her practically stomping around her apartment trying to put things away and ‘clean up’ for him despite her apartment being cleaner than any private residence he had ever been to.
 “The fact that you’re a few blocks away from where I need to be right now, the fact that I won’t take no for an answer and the overwhelming fact that you only pretend to be annoyed when I invite myself over.” Jimin grabbed his car keys as he left the office. “You guys stay here, wait for the others to give word. If anything happens, call me. ASAP.” Jimin pointed at the three men who were silently hoping he stayed a little longer so they could hear more of his conversation with Kit. How often did he go over to see her anyway? Nevertheless, the slam of the front door shutting, meant they weren’t going to get any more information.
 “Think they’re fucking?” Yoongi crossed his arms before slumping back in the armchair, he runs his fingers through bleach blonde strands of hair falling into his heavy eyes.
 “Kit? Having casual sex? Didn’t think you were a comedian.” Taehyung laughed.
 “Maybe it’s not so casual.” Namjoon suggested with a shrug, sitting across from Yoongi.
 “You think Jimin’s going to commit to one pussy?” Yoongi moved one of his rings around his finger, a pathetic attempt to stay distracted from sleep calling his name.
 “Maybe, he’s gotta mature if he’s going to run this thing.” Namjoon was correct but no one would admit that it would eventually become time for Jimin to really commit to leading, and that meant he needed to think more about everything he did. Every decision could be life or death for over a dozen people. 
 No one wanted to think about that.
 “You’re obviously sleep deprived.” Taehyung snickered.
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  Kit and Jimin stand in her bedroom looking out the window. They were able to see smoke rising just off in the distance. 
 “How much do you think you guys lost?” She asked after a few minutes of standing in silence.
 “We. You’re in this thing too, even if you refuse to say it aloud.” He glanced over at her quickly before he cleared his throat. “In dollars, we’ve lost 10 grand at the very least. Probably much more. A new shipment just came in.” 
 “Is Jin okay? I know he really loved it. Front for deals or not. It was still a working restaurant.” Jimin nearly winced, she was too nice. He worried about it being a downfall. He also winced as he realized that he had not even thought to ask Jin how he felt.
 “He’ll get over it. He can’t afford to dwell. None of us can. We found out who did it, we make them pay, we move on.” He stated simply. Kit turned on her heel to face him. “Don’t look at me like that.” Jimin sighed.
 “Like what? Like I don’t want anyone to get hurt?” Her dark eyebrows furrowed.
 “Don’t look at me like you think you can stop me from doing what I have to do. Don’t look at me like you think I’m better than this.”
 “You are better than this, though. You don’t have to hurt anyone.”
 “How can you think the world is so simple, kitten?” Jimin turned to face her. “You’re so…” he trailed off, thinking for a moment as a hundred words to describe her flood his brain and threaten to pour out his mouth, “optimistic.”
 “Maybe you’re just a pessimist.” 
 A flicker of a smile as he looks into her eyes. “Maybe.” He let out a deep breath. “I don’t know how the hell you’re going to handle this shit. This is light work.”
 “I can handle a whole lot more than you’d think.” Kit looked at the ground, her hair falling into her face. There’s an implication that doesn’t get to be addressed as the ding of Jimin’s phone fills the otherwise silent room.
 “I need to get back, you coming?”
 “You know I don’t like--” Kit cuts herself off, something in my mind tells her to go against the usual. “Yeah. I’ll come.” She said. Jimin raised an eyebrow in surprise as she grabbed a pair of shoes.
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  Kit finds the meetings to be more than boring. They’re worse than the ones at the hospital when the protocol changes. So, instead, she finds something else to do. Usually opting to clean up around the large home since the guys won’t do it themselves and had apparently had a recent bad experience with a cleaning crew. So they’ve settled for hardly cleaning. 
 She hummed softly to herself as she passed the master bedroom, well, almost passed it. She had become used to passing it and hearing the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the IV drips. 
 Nothing.
 Complete and utter silence as she walked by except for her own mindless humming. She felt a sinking feeling, the same one that made her stop working the ICU and Trauma floors at the hospital. The feeling of knowing that it’s over. She knows, she knows before she actually knows, before she opened the door and stood in the room and looked at the heart monitor that had been unplugged by the man who wanted to spend his final moments in silence. She couldn’t blame him, who would want to die having to hear their heart slow to a stop. 
 She knew he was dead before she saw all these things. She had known it was coming. Everyone knew it was coming. She didn’t even like the man all that much. She had blamed him for years for the way her life had played out. But she still found herself on the floor and a scream leaving her body because it’s the only sound she could make before her face became drenched in wet sadness. 
 “Kit! Kit!” Her name is being called throughout the house as 7 men fear for the girl’s safety only to realize that she might be the safest she’s ever been. On the ground gasping for air as she sobs. Namjoon is the first one in the room before he calls out to the others. He knows there’s nothing to be done so he moves to Kit, grabbing her by her waist and pulling her up and out of the room as 6 other people run in. 
 “He’s dead!” She shrieked, thrashing around in the tall man’s arms as he takes her into the front of the house, nearly tossing her onto the sofa. 
 Jungkook and Hoseok don’t even enter the room, opting to stay in the doorway. They stared at the bed where the man who had controlled their entire lives, now lay lifeless. 
 Jungkook had never known a life that didn’t consist of being reprimanded and ordered around by Hitman Bang. Even in his final days, Jungkook still felt like the kid who nearly fell over the first time he shot a gun, not prepared for the recoil. Hitman had laughed before telling him he’d get used to it, stabilizing him, and making him shoot again.
 Hoseok was well aware this time was coming, but it didn’t sink in until now that there wasn’t another option. And now it’s here, he’s too late to prepare for a reaction, so his body stills.
 Yoongi chewed on his inner cheek, standing near the foot of the bed. “Fuck.” He mutters to himself, he’s pretty sure this is the first time he’s ever seen someone dead that wasn’t murdered or otherwise injured. And somehow, it hurt so much more knowing his own body did this to him. His body decided to kill him. The ultimate betrayal.
 Taehyung leaves the room, pushing past Hoseok and Jungkook and walking until he gets to the living room. He pretended he wanted to help calm Kit down. But he really just couldn’t bear being in the room without vomiting.
 Jimin and Jin stand on the side of the bed. Jimin starts casually dumping pill bottles and wrappings from needles filled with morphine into a nearby trash can. Jin tries to talk to him but Jimin quickly cuts him off. “It’s over. He’s dead. Now you can either help me clean this shit up or you can go call the morgue. One or the other. I’m in charge now.”
 Jin decides to call the morgue, coming to the conclusion that Jimin needed that bit of time to himself. And honestly, Jin needed some distraction and a second to breathe fresh air.
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  Jimin takes Kit back to her house before anyone even shows up to remove the body. He claims it’s just so Kit doesn’t have to be there and watch. But it’s for his sake too, because he spends the rest of the day lying in her bed, holding her. Only moving to answer a few texts. “You can go home, Jimin.” She had told him more than a couple of times, only getting a hum of ‘I’m fine’ or some excuse in response. She doesn’t want him to leave, she finds resting her head on his chest with his arm around her to be more than comfortable, but she wants to keep enforcing the fact that he’s there because he wants to be in her bed cuddling her, not because he feels that he needs to be. So they held each other in her bed for hours, the television nearly muted. Only interrupted by two phone calls telling Kit that her mother was approved for transfer to the better hospital in the city and that her brother had a bed reserved for him in a rehab facility in Arizona. 
 Bang Sihyuk was a lot of things, but he was a man of his word.
 “Go to sleep, kitten.” Jimin whispered just before 10 p.m., slowly rubbing her back. They had nearly finished a full season of Grey’s Anatomy.
 “You need to sleep too.” She told him.
 “I can handle myself.” Kit shifted her body, somehow moving even closer to him, resting a leg over his.
 “It’s okay to be sad, you know? It’s normal to be upset. It’s not good for your mind to pretend you’re okay when you’re not.” She said softly, tracing the ink of his tattoo with her finger. He doesn’t respond, not sure what to say. She wasn’t really expecting a response anyway. “Goodnight, Jimin.” She presses a kiss to his shoulder.
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  “You don’t have to take me to work.” Kit said with a huff as she climbed into the passenger seat of Jimin’s car.
 “You keep mentioning how long the walk from the hospital to the garage is. No telling who might be out there waiting for a pretty little thing like you to come walking all alone.” He started the car and drives out of the complex’s parking lot.
 “How many times do I have to tell you not to leave so fast! The super already came to scold me, saying you’re gonna ruin the pavement.” Kit scolded. The pavement has been in dire need of repair but no one wanted to pay for it so the superintendent decided that suing would be the best way to collect money.
 “I didn’t get a nice car and sit with Yoongi for a month to customize it so I could drive the speed limit.”
 “You’re so annoying sometimes.” Kit rolled her eyes as Jimin laughed, resting a hand on her thigh. “I work a 12 today, are you gonna be able to get me?”
 “Course I am, kitten. What do ya take me for?”
 “A very busy man? Especially at 9 o’clock on a Friday night.”
 “If you’re implying what I think you are, you’re wrong.” He slides his hand further up her leg before wrapping it back around the steering wheel. She doesn’t push further but has a soft smile on her face for the rest of the ride.
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  “Took you long enough, my god, thought some psycho patient got ahold of you.” Jimin turned the key as Kit starts buckling up.
 “Sorry,” she whined, “you would not believe the shift I had. All to end with some 15-year-old telling me they went into cardiac arrest and I’m too stupid to figure it out.”
 “Let me guess, she consulted doctor google?” He raised an eyebrow as he started driving.
 “Isn’t it always?” Kit sighed as she leaned back in the seat. “What have you been doing?”
 “Cleaning up the restaurant.” He stated, a curious hum leaves Kit’s body. “Well, hiring other people to do it and watching over them.”
 “Did the police finally say it was arson?”
 “Nope, they didn’t say anything. Made sure they didn’t.”
 “Well, don’t you think the police should investigate?” Kit turned her body as much as she could to face him.
 “Are you-- my god, you’re still so innocent.” Jimin kept his focus on the road, fearing what he’d do if he saw that innocent look in her brown eyes.
 “I just don’t get it. If you can pay them to say it wasn’t arson, just pay them not to arrest you all.”
 “It’s not that simple, babygirl.” Jimin sighed, thanking God that his phone happened to ding and end the conversation. “Shit, shit, shit.” He muttered reading the text.
 “What is it? Jimin!” Kit nearly screamed as Jimin made a very illegal U-turn.
 “These dumb fucks! I can’t leave them alone for an hour!” He slams his hand down on the edge of the wheel. He pulls into a dark street, stopping short of what seemed to be a warehouse.
 “Where are we?” She looked around, unable to even figure out what street they were on.
 “Just…” He huffed as he opened the door. “Just stay in the car.” He got out without another word, slamming the door shut, leaving Kit in a state somewhere between confusion and frustration and on the border of a panic attack as she sees him run around the corner of the building. She started hearing some yelling but she couldn’t make out what anyone was saying. She wanted to get out, be a little nosy, help in some way. But Jimin’s words rang in her head and the look on his face as he got the text, it was better to do as he said. This was confirmed when a loud pop hurt her ears. Then another, a couple of seconds later another pop. Her body stiffened and her eyes widened. She feared the worst. She wasn’t sure if Jimin was the cause of the gunshots or the recipient. She didn’t even know who else was there.
 “Get in the fucking car!” A voice yells, managing to be so loud the soundwaves penetrate the car and she hears it clearly. She sees Jimin, Jin, and Jungkook run towards the car, she lets out a breath when she realizes they’re all fine, but she soon is filled with worry again as the guys scramble into the car. Jimin doesn’t say anything as he speeds out.
 “What happened to you all?” Kit looks toward a panting Jin and Jungkook, realizing Jimin wasn’t going to say answer even if he could unlock his jaw for long enough to talk.
 “Those dumbasses from Seventeen.” Jin groans. “They had a couple girls with them, didn’t even know they had girls in their gang!”
“I cannot believe you two almost got killed trying to get laid!” Jimin yelled and Kit thought she might not ever be able to hear properly again.
 “Well not all of us can bang the only girl in our circle.” Jungkook attempted to defend himself. Kit stumbles over words for a moment before Jimin shoots him a glare in the rear-view mirror.
 “I’m going to assume you said that out of agony and aren’t in a state to know better.” He growled. “Say that shit again and see if I don’t feed you back to Seungcheol.” For once, Kit is thankful for Jimin’s temper.
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  Kit is sat in the living room of the estate as the guys talk, knees up to her chest. Jimin is pacing, she wished he would pick another habit because it only made her more anxious.
 “Maybe they’ll change their name to Sixteen.” Hoseok tried to lighten the situation with a joke.
 “Fifteen.” Jin laughed.
 “Nah, I heard Mingyu made it out. Probably wishes he didn’t.” Hoseok nudged Namjoon next to him as he laughed. But Namjoon isn’t listening. His attention was focused solely on Kit, he watched her expression change as the guys talked.
 “Breathe, Kit.” Namjoon stood up, making his way toward the girl.
 “What’s wrong?” Jimin stopped in his tracks, looking between Namjoon and Kit. Kit doesn’t speak, her chest raises and lowers rapidly.
 “She’s having a panic attack.” Namjoon spoke calmly, knowing that if he worried it would only make her worse. He lowered to his knees in front of her. “Kit, Kit, look at me.” She grabbed hold on Namjoon’s hands as she looked into his eyes, anxiety clear on her face as her body shook with her breaths.
 “Why is she having a panic attack?” Jimin rubbed his hands over his face. And why didn’t I notice before? He thought to himself.
 “Is it because we talked about murdering the guys from Seventeen?” Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows.
 “Of course it’s because we mentioned how we killed someone, you idiot.” Taehyung snapped, making Kit sob loudly. Namjoon starts speaking softly to her.
 “Everyone needs to leave right now.” Namjoon’s smooth voice replaces the murmurs.
 “You don’t get to make the orders around here.” Jimin responded before glancing back over at Kit, her brown skin turning red as cries leave her mouth. Her hands moved to clench the fabric of her shirt. “Everyone out.” He nearly whispered. For a moment he’s not sure if anyone even heard him. But they soon start leaving. Namjoon gives a small smile to the leader as he follows behind them.
 “You’re gonna be okay, everyone panicked a little at first.” Namjoon sat down beside Kit when the door closed. She didn’t respond, so he continued. “My girlfriend freaked out the first time I ever mentioned it.” He chuckled a little remembering that day. “I forget sometimes that my life isn’t normal.”
 “You have a girlfriend?” Kit mumbled, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. Namjoon nodded, a big smile on his face that helped calm her.
 “Yeah, I do. That’s usually why I’m not here. I’d much rather spend my time reading in her living room than taking orders from Jimin.” He said, getting a soft giggle from Kit.
 “He’s a little bossy sometimes.” She said, looking up at him. Her body was still shaking a little, her breathing not quite steady but she seemed to be calming.
 “He is, he means well though. You don’t have to keep doing this, staying here and helping out. Jimin’s got it covered. Hitman just wasn’t sure he could.” Namjoon explained. He was sure it wasn’t her first panic attack steeming from the gang and it probably wouldn’t be her last.
 “I’m not sure he really does have it covered.” Kit sniffled, Namjoon raised his eyebrows, motioning her to explain. “The amount of times I’ve talked to him about his concerns over a situation means he’s not sure. I’ve calmed him down way too many times. He won’t even admit that he’s worried, he doesn’t want anyone to know. But I know.”
 “Well… then... I’m glad you’re helping.” Namjoon was a little shocked. He, for once, wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Maybe I could link you up with my girl. You guys could talk about how dumb we all are.” He placed a hand on her shoulder as Kit nodded giving him a smile before she wrapped her arms around him.
 “Thanks, Joonie.” He pulled her closer into him, the nickname warmed his heart in a way he couldn’t explain. He hadn’t heard it in a while, not since Kit left Bangtan years ago. It was a stark contrast from the harsh yell of ‘Namjoon’ he had become used to.
 “Anytime.” He whispered.
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End of Part Two. I’m going to try and get this up once a week by the way! Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think?
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moonlit-nightingale · 4 years
Text
.:RP:. Cursed
Warning(s): Trigger warnings for suicide and blood.
Characters: Saranqerel ‘Sari’ Qalli (male Xaela), Akio Obinata (male Xaela), Botan Kurenai (female Raen)
Origin Date: 22 Feb 20
“Death is easy. To live is the most painful thing I could imagine and I’m weak and no longer willing to fight.” —Hannah Wright
Everything is in place. Sari has left his farewell letters and wrapped up his affairs. And so he goes to depart in the quietest way. Though a new friend picks up the signs too late...perhaps the Qalli’s story isn’t over yet.
(Note: This is from an RP session. So there is a back and forth of writers. A - in between paragraphs indicate a change in narrator.)
< Hingan >
> Xaelic <
----
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A letter and small box would have been left outside Akio's room a sennight after his and Sari's last talk. Enclosed within the envelope are two documents. One is a letter, one is an official document endorsed by a Gridanian embassy, complete with a corn-yellow seal. It states that Akio is, legally, Enqtani’s legal guardian. There is also a small box like those used to sell the tokens at the charm counter.
My friend,
I know we haven’t known each other long so please forgive my selfish requests especially after I’ve placed such a burden on your shoulders. Enqtani is loved by many at the temple, however I haven’t seen her attach to anyone as closely as you. It has been a short time but a child just knows. The sealed document is official documentation that you are now Tani’s guardian. It may just be a piece of paper but with it I’m trusting you to look after her best interests in my absence.
You have been kind and a wonderful friend. And I have the utmost faith that you will be a kind and wonderful father for Tani. You mentioned once that she should know her roots. There is little to tell. I found her abandoned on the Steppe during a hunt. All I can surmise is that she was a child conceived unwillingly. She has features or the Oronir tribe which were once the leaders of the Steppe and still hold themselves in high authority over others. Not all of them are bad but it is a privileged tribe. I expect you can follow my path in thinking of what may have occurred. If Tani wants to see the Steppe with her own eyes one day, seek out Khenbish of the Buduga at the town of Reunion. He is a healer and a good man. If you can’t find him, search for Yesulun of the Qestir and her mate Khaljar of the Oronir. They are among my dearest friends even if we have parted ways. Unfortunately I am unsure of their whereabouts but their names should be known in Reunion.
Ah, but I’ve rambled on. I wish to make this process as easy as possible for you. Please rely on the others if needed. Mr. Aoki is a stern man but he has looked after Tani many times when I needed assistance.
It is little payment for what I ask for you, but I hope this gift is acceptable. Thank you, Akio, and I thank you on behalf of Tani.
Winds carry you,
-S.Q.
Inside the box, carved from a reddish wood, was a crane. Its wings are spread, every feather meticulously detailed in its carving despite the small size as its long neck and head were raised high in a cry. The figure could rest on a grown man’s palm.
-
Akio's shift for guard duty had ended earlier than expected, that night. And though he was tired, the Eastern Xaela had been in a surprisingly good mood, that ever-present smile a little more genuine as he took long, measured strides to his quarters. A good night's rest after some meditation sounded absolutely splendid to the man.
The presence of the letter and box caused the samurai to pause, however, tail quivering just slightly in alarm as he watched it with keen black eyes. But with heightened guard, there was little worry of it being any sort of trap or bait; he kneeled, slowly, picking it all up and entering his room.
In the privacy of his quarters, he allowed the mask to slip from his face; a frown pulled at his expression as he opened the box, looking over the figure with a delicate awe, and then the letter, reading over the words swiftly.
What laced through his blood could only be described as ice-cold panic as he realized what these words meant.
A Hingan snarl dropped from his lips as he spun around on his heel, movement swift as he threw open the door and bolted down the hall towards Sari's quarters. No doubt the man would want to do it there; the clinic was far too impersonal, and even from their short time, he knew Sari would never wish to inconvenience the clinic staff or distress the patients there.
Thank the Kami he was relieved when he was- it gave him some small hope that this time he may not be too late.
-
But no, the room would be empty if he should knock and try to enter. The wards' rooms couldn't be locked. It was part of the temple's design. Why would a ward of this place have secrets to hide? The futon would be folded neatly in a corner and the room immaculate. Sari never really had too many personal effects and it seemed even those were gone.
The only thing left was a small bundle of letters, left for whoever may have peeked their head in.
-
Another swear, and he turned on his heel, heading for the clinic itself. If Sari wasn't in there... He had no idea where to look. But he wouldn't stop looking.
-
His rush nearly made the clinic's night time attendant eep loudly. There was something about an empty clinic in the dead of the night just just spooked this particular Auri young lady.
"Obinata-san, kami help me." She rested a hand over her chest.
-
Akio paused, examining the lady for a long moment; the mask was back on in an instant, though the smile was strained, showing just how much of a rush she was in.
"Have you seen Sari-san?" he asked quickly, tone leaving little room for questions.
-
That tone has the girl nearly eep once more. She shook her head. "Ah, I mean, he came in earlier for a few moments to tidy up and then left about a bell ago."
-
Tidy up? Why on earth would he need to tidy up the clinic?
"Did he say where he was going? This is- he must be found." He'd apologize to the poor girl properly later- no doubt he was an intimidating sight, agitated as he was.
"He is planning to kill himself."
-
She covered her mouth at those words. "Sari-san? But..." He was always so kind! And quick to help when she'd taken over the clinic duties just a sennight ago!
"I-I don't know. I thought he was going to visit a patient because he took supplies for the intravenous bags!"
-
"Intra..."
Akio murmured as he went over the word in his mind, taking a moment to translate it before another swear fell from his lips. Without another word to the poor attendant, he spun on his heel and ran out. Where could he be?!
Perhaps he left the temple grounds? But if he did, it made it nearly impossible to find him. Unless...
But Jebe never left Sari's side, and so the little bluebird would be little help, even if Akio could find the bird in time to find Sari to keep him from doing the irreversible. Damn it...
His mind was racing as he ran through the temple grounds, searching for any clues to where the Qalli might have gone.
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-
As he went by the gardens, there was angry chirping nearby. At this time of the evening? Odd. It was near the small pond where Sari often took Tani to play when she had excess energy.
The bluebird was puffed in anger, flying about the small cage propped up on a rock. It was placed near the walkway, enough that some attendant would have found it the next morning and not endangering the small bird at all.
-
Akio froze when his horn caught the angry chirping, head snapping over.
The Kami were merciful this day! He rushed over, kneeling down with a soft clicking noise as he fiddled with the latch to open the cage.
"<I am here,>" he said quickly, throwing the cage door open for the little bird. "<Take me to him.>"
-
Oh angry birb was angry. He instantly dive-bombed Akio's face before flying off at a surprisingly quick pace down the stone path that led out of the temple.
-
Akio made a short 'pbbth' sound out of reflex. Hey, he was trying to save the man!
But he didn't have time to be offended at the little angry puffball, instead darting after Jebe as fast as the two of them could go.
-
How could such a small lil blue puffball be so quick? Jebe darted over Shirogane's infrastructure, heading down the slopes towards the beaches. Even then he still flew, heading away from the beach chairs, the awnings, away from what would populated areas in the day.
-
The beach... Water...?
It would be out of the way, for certain, leaving it near impossible to find the body. Was that what he'd wanted?
Akio was nearing breathless as he kept on the tail feathers of the small bird, eyes searching for the Qalli in an almost desperate fashion.
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-
Rocks dotted the sand in some of the more remote parts, harder to climb and navigate over, rougher terrain.
And that's where Sari sat motionless. He was leaning against one of the rocks facing the water. The IV line ran to that flesh arm, put in with an expert hand. The sedative bag he'd stolen weeks ago was empty, rigged up over a stick.
At least he could watch the water he enjoyed under the silvery light of the moon as he’d fallen asleep.
-
No no no no no no no no!
Akio felt as if he'd been kicked in the chest by An Yeung, breath leaving him in a wheeze as he scaled over the rocks. Normally, he wouldn't have so much as slipped, but tonight he stumbled once or twice, hands flying out to keep himself moving forward.
"<What have you DONE?!>"
The question came out in Hingan, far harsher than he'd meant it, a near roar as he slid to one knee next to the Qalli. The damnable idiot! The stupid... Poor, pained man.
Akio knew better than to let anger lead him to blame. He knew what this was like. But Sari deserved better. To die like this....
"<You're not dying tonight!>" he hissed sharply.
-
But it appeared to be far too late. Sari was a healer of both traditional and aetherial means. He knew well enough of what would happen with a fast drip of a sedative of this nature. A sleepy death, far more peaceful than what he'd deserved. No mess for others to worry about if his body was found.
He hoped no one found him. That those letters were enough.
But those hopes were gone. His breathing had stilled, no rise and fall of his chest under the Eastern cloth. Silvery hair obscured most of his face, that one eye closed, head lulled against the rock and his shoulder.
Akio had been too late, by far, it seemed.
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-
No...
Once more, Akio found himself holding a body in his arms, the Xaela quick to gather the Qalli to him as he tried to check for his pulse, his breathing, anything. Teeth gritted against an all-too familiar pain, he snarled, tail lashing against the sand and rocks. Fingers curled into the fabric, head lowered as long blonde locks fell over both his own face and Sari's chest, forehead pressed to his still breast.
"<No, please,>" he whispered, pleading, begging. It was all far too familiar, and the mask cracked, old wounds bleeding once more as he hunched there.
"<You silent, selfish fool.>"
He knew it wouldn't be heard. Knew the Qalli wouldn't be able to retort.
"<What of Enqtani?!>" he yelled now. "<You were her father! No one will replace you in her life!>"
-
It was quiet for once.
A quiet he used to only be able to find in the peace of the Shroud's embrace, days on his own in the Twelveswood. Soon though, even that place became haunted to his memories. There was always...something. Something to drag the Xaela back to the dark.
So he'd given up fighting it. Fell into sin and the bottle without care.
And it was why he finally had the resolve to fade away. He was a ghost. No one would care. Everyone had their lives, their loved ones, their families. Perhaps he was envious. But he was also glad for them.
So he'd smile and wish them all well, even as he faded from their thoughts. And he'd be left to the grey shadowy mist that had become his life. Ever since that day he'd walked into that empty house, a newborn in his arms.
Ever since he'd knew, with certainty, that a happy ending never awaited a ghost.
'>You fought me with such ferocity before. Where is that beast now?<'
The drums, he knew this from before. Before when they had met, it had been a raging river, blood, and mud.
'>I am most disappointed. I cannot allow my vessel to fade in such a pathetic manner. Show me that ferocity, that fire.<'
And suddenly Sari shot awake, falling to his side and away, retching. Breaths forced into his lungs, some force pushing that deadly toxin from his body in no way that should be possible.
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Akio let out a small, muffled noise of surprise, eyes widening as he let go and nearly jumped back, hands up. What the...
He'd been dead... Dead! There had been no breath in his breast, no pulse underneath his fingers! And so he stared, wide-eyed and startled. How...?
He didn't speak, hands lowering, before one placed itself gently on the other male's back, some minute attempt at comfort.
-
Oh it burned, it hurt, yet was so unbearably cold at the same time. Shudders wracked his slender frame as he retched again and again into the sand. Toxicity was black on his lips, something having gathered all that poison he'd given himself and thrown it out in some unnatural way.
By the time he stilled, he was breathless, gasping for air and covered in sweat. Still not fully grasping what had happened.
An exhausted look to one arm that propped him up. The IV was still there. Then...what had happened?
-
"<You're alive...>"
If it weren't for the breathless awe and disbelief in Akio's tone, one might think he'd been answering Sari's unspoken question. But he wasn't; he was trying to affirm the truth for himself, in his own eyes. Sari was alive. Somehow, in some way, something had saved him.
Even he knew this shouldn't have been possible. And yet here he was, breathing, if barely. "<Easy, Sari-san, easy.>"
-
Sounds were beginning to return outside of the wild pounding of his heart echoing in his horns. The sound of the waves over the surf, a familiar voice. Sitting up, shaky, he saw Akio at his side.
He rubbed his mouth with a wrist, still feeling that sickening bile there. "...Akio-san... How..."
It was night, he hadn't been...out...long then.
"Why am I not..."
Gods, had he failed at this too? Could he even not kill himself correctly?
-
"You were," came the answer, soft and haunted, but he smiled, despite the pain in his eyes. "And now, you are not... I do not know why. I do not know what happened."
He sighed, pulling off the top part of his kimono to drape it over the Qalli, reaching to gingerly take out the IV. It was freezing out, especially at night by the ocean, but...
He didn't seem to mind, simply holding Sari's arm to stop the bleeding from the injection site.
"Why would you..." he trailed off, hesitating as deep black eyes flitted over to Sari's face.
"... What pain you must endure," he finished with a soft murmur.
-
...why? Why couldn't he even do this right? His throat tightened, foul taste still in his mouth. Had he guessed wrong? No, a full bag at that rate of drip, it couldn't have been metabolized in time for him to live. And if what Akio said was true...
A harsh swallow as the other Xaela tended to him, Sari not fighting it one bit. His own mask was in shambles, magitek hand going to cover his face as a sob escaped.
"...I just wanted it to be over," he strangled out. "I don't want to be here anymore, please."
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Akio paused at this, a small frown pulling at his features as the mask slipped once more. Ah... What should he do?
He knew that people would need to be informed. The priests, for certain. Perhaps the guard, and the clinic staff. Those who would be able to keep an eye out, an eye on the man.
And...
He knew it was improper, but he'd spend enough time in the West that he was able to cast aside his upbringing's teachings for a moment to simply... pull the man into a tight hug.
"...You are much too desired in this world, to leave it so," he murmured softly.
-
"That's a lie!" was the sharp denial and he wanted to fight the hug so badly but he had no strength to, even more so as the tears flowed from that one blue eye. "They all leave, they always live, no one stays. Love doesn't mean anything. Not with me. I'm all alone."
The words he'd held back for so long, for years, gushed forth without stopping. Every little thought that had passed through his mind, that he wasn't good enough, that he wasn't worthy, that he was unwanted.
-
Akio didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to soothe the pain the Qalli suffered, or how to comfort him. So he simply sat there, for the time being, holding Sari, rocking him back and forth and shushing him gently.
"<You're not alone,>" he answered finally, wiping away those tears with one thumb. "<Through all the pain, you are not alone. Your death would leave a hole in the hearts of many, one that could never be filled again. I know not what words to say to convince you of this truth. I can only speak it plainly.>"
He let out a breath, cradling him as Akio sat there, eyes closing.
"<I'm not lying. I promise this.>"
-
"It is a lie. You're lying. I'm sorry." An instant apology at the accusation but it was true. Everyone lied.
Even as he listened to those Hingan words, his spilling out of words continued in Common.
"He said that, too. He said I'd be safe. That I could cry. That we'd be happy. And that he'd never leave me. It was a lie, again and again it was a lie!"
Voice rising to a wail, uncaring of who heard, how much a mess he was, damn his mask.
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"<Then he was a liar, and a fool, and he never should have held your heart in his unworthy hands.>"
And still, Akio rocked, gently, like the ocean they sat beside as he held the wailing Qalli, holding him securely in his arms.
"<But you have family. Family, and a child, and friends, all of whom adore you and your presence.>" His words came across far better in Hingan; he didn't mind that Sari spoke in Common. He understood him, and so he could get across his meaning better. That was what mattered, just then, to the Eastern Xaela.
"<I'm sorry that you weren't safe... You deserved to be. You have always deserved to be.>" A small, gently squeeze in that hug, the taller man curling over the smaller just slightly. "<If only I could find him and force him to his knees to beg your forgiveness.>"
-
No no no no no. It was still lies. No one wanted him about unless they needed him for something. And Sari wanted to be angry but he couldn't be. They'd found happiness. He hadn't. He couldn't fault his friends that had found peace.
But it was godsdamned lonely when he'd been so close to the same and it had drifted like smoke through his fingers.
"...n-no. He left because I wasn't..."
Good enough? Worthy?
-
"<Because why...?>" came the gentle prodding, one hand rubbing Sari's back gently.
"<If you say it's because you weren't good enough, then you view yourself too poorly.>"
-
Exhausted, face red with his tears and sorrow, he rested his chin on Akio's shoulder and nodded. It was true. He was disgusting, used, weak. That was why. Not smart enough, strong enough, charming enough, brave enough.
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"<I refuse to believe that,>" Akio retorted firmly, resting his own chin on Sari's shoulder. "<Whoever this weak-willed  man was...>" He trailed off, shaking his head.
"<I don't have the words to describe the kind of filth he was.>"
-
"No, he..." His hands weakly rested against Akio's back. "...he was good. I just wasn't...meant for him. I trapped him."
That's what the bonding had done. Khabi had seen what a weak person he'd tied himself to. That's why he'd left, right?
-
"<If you simply were not  meant for each other, then why did he not say so?>"
Akio shook his head. "<If he wasn't able to tell you such things, to talk to you about it, he was weak.>" He pulled back, looking at Sari with a firm expression, mouth pulled into a frown as he stared the Qalli in the eye.
"<It is not your fault, Saranqerel.>"
-
...it was. It always would be. Why did everyone always leave? There was only one constant in all of that. Those words threatened to spill out but he was so tired, so frustrated that he couldn't even do this deed right.
Shaking his head, Sari looked to the sand. How could he still be crying?
"Can you..." Shite, he was fighting hiccups. "...leave me here?"
-
"No."
The word was spoken in Common now, as he shook his head. There was no way in the seven Western hells he was about to leave Sari alone right now!
"I am afraid I cannot do that."
-
"Please."
How could he go back now? Everything was in place. Things were finally ready. There was finally going to be quiet.
But there was little fight left in the Qalli as he begged. Just let him rest where he wasn't a burden to anyone.
-
"Iie," he repeated in Hingan. "You may rest with me. But I will not be leaving you alone. This is final."
Akio's tone left little room for argument- or at least that was the intent. He didn't know what else the Qalli might do, but he was damn sure not going to let him try again.
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"...you'll leave...in time."
That was a guarantee. Just wait it out. Like everyone else. As he relaxed his hold on the other Xaela, his hand brush the hilt of that katana the samurai had at his waist.
A weapon he'd learned to use from someone else that had abandoned him, turned against him. There was a flash of anger somewhere deep and before he knew it, Sari went to draw that blade in a swift motion as he leaned back. Quickly he got to his feet, though stumbling a bit as he did so.
There was the softest 'sorry' as he raised the blade, going to drive it into his chest.
-
Akio swore, and in an instant he was on his feet, surging forward to grab at Sari- the sword, his arm, whatever he could grab.
Likely the sword, and the razor sharp blade would cut into his fingers, a pain he would brush aside in favor of throwing the sword away from the Qalli. "<ENOUGH!>" He bellowed.
-
It was just a bit too late, that magitek arm giving the former Adder the strength advantage.
...yes, pain. But it was nothing he wasn’t used to. The sword impaling him through and through before Akio ripped it from his grasp.
...had it been enough? He sunk back down to his knees in the sand.
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Akio snarled, throwing the sword away now as he grabbed for Sari. If that was how it would be, then so be it.
He was swearing up a storm that would make a seasoned sailor tremble in fear. His goal would be to pick up the Qalli and rush him back to the shrine.
"<I will NOT have your blood on my blade!!>"
-
No! A return of that snarl from the smaller Xaela.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Anger rising to meet anger. Everything had been arranged. It was time to go. He swiped with the claws of that weaponized arm but he was already feeling faint, unable to fight it when the samurai lifted him from the damp sand.
-
"I will not abandon you," came the snarled reply as he bolted over the sand and rock, booking it as fast as his legs could go.
He needed to call ahead, but his arms were full, and so he simply ran, pushing until his legs burned then pushing further.
-
The anger soon faded as the blood loss began to drain him of such things. Soon his head rested limply against Akio's chest. ...and then again he gasped for breath violently, so much like before.
No no no. Could he...not...
>A small spark of that fire, not nearly enough. Impress me, child of the moon.<
-
Once Akio finally reached the shrine, he burst in through the door, offering a silent apology to the resident Kami. Any damages would be repaired later, the Xaela was on a mission.
He called out for the night clinic as he rushed to it, ground Sari as if he were the one dying.
-
That poor young woman was still there and anxious. But at least she had a good enough head on her shoulders to have things ready for the worst. And when she saw the two Auri men, and that blood, she directed Akio to the closest bed.
"...I can't die," Sari mumbled.
-
"No, you cannot," came the response, though Akio misunderstood what it was Sari had meant, immediately rushing the man to the nearest bed and setting him down, immediately backing up to give the woman room to work
. He looked haunted, tail lashing violently as he stood there. "Anything I can do to help, instruct me."
-
There was the sound of books falling over in the back. Botan had been given a room, and yet...she was asleep under a blanket that was under a pile of books, half beneath the low sitting table. A yawn left her as she stretched herself out and nose wiggled at the scent of blood. The shadows eager, but she stilled them. Least another ghostly movement spook another clinic worker.
She got up, dressed in the standard shrine attire she had stolen from the common rooms. Her wooden sandals clicking on the floor as she approached. "Assistance needed?" She inquired with unblinking eyes. "It seems the answer is 'yes,' but will not invade unless wished for."
That tail was still, lips in a straight line, and eyes unblinking as she stood before the scene without an iota of emotion portrayed.
-
Ah the poor healer never ceased to he spooked by Botan, even after knowing she was there!
"Yes, please. This may require stitches."
Though Sari was obviously dazed by the blood loss, he knew...he knew. Why hadn't he died on the Steppe before being found by Khenbish? Had that plunge in the river, those drums...what Shonkhor had seen.
Not a crazed vision?
-
Akio simply bowed his head and stepped out of the room, remaining out of the way of the two medics as he stood against the wall, closing his eyes.
-
Blearily the Qalli tried to get his bearings. The familiar scent of the clinic. He'd been in here just bells before... His mind was still reeling from the revelation. If that's what it was and not some nonsensical shite.
-
Botan was in the room. No ceremony to the matter. Just pulling out a pouch of the pain killing incense from her sleeve and filling the bronze incensor before lighting it on fire. Then she was sitting over Sari. Her hands resting over that wound in the gut, fingers lingering over it as she focused on the composition of aether and murmured calculations on the fly as she steadily studied Sari's biology through the geometric patterns she etched in her mind.
Every bit of her form was still. The shadows seemed to withdraw, shrinking in towards her and feeding into her power as she focused. They were every bit an extension of the small raen woman.
-
To her eyes, she may have seen the shadow that had curled itself tightly into Sari's aether. Foreign, spread evenly through every aspect of the Xaela and content to be where it was. Oddly dormant, just...there. It was nothing like the near feral aggressive curse of the kitsune that he'd suffered from for a good year. In fact, that curse has been completely obliterated by this new presence.
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Botan was aware of that presence, but did not disturb it. No. She would simply work around it, add it to her calculations, and apply new formulaic patterns of aether into Sari's own. Those that would encourage flesh to stitch itself together and slow the bleeding. Her brow creased and lips pursed together as calculations were rumbled off.
If it would not allow her to heal him, she would simply brute force her way past it. That or she would show it who the scarier creature was. Not that she thought she could bully something like this...something far older than she; a mere raen youth of twenty-some-turns.
-
Oh the presence didn't fight the healing, no. In fact it held strands of aether close, not letting the flesh fall into death. A threshold of sorts. Sari could very much end up close to death but that final step into the lifestream wouldn't be taken.
-
Interesting.
The work was slowly finished and her fingers pressed against the fabric over the wound. Those digits dipped in blood and eyes open again as she sensed how flesh gave way to her calculus. There was no grin of victory. No whoop of astonishment.
No.
This was peculiar. Curious. The violet false eye with its mandala like patterns fixed on Sari.
"You have ventured far and brought shadow back with you."
The pain killers helped sooth her own pains. A twist in her gut told her she had pushed herself too far aetherically, but she ignored it. That tail ticked and she lifted her hands away to look at the blood. No blinking, just...rubbing fingers against one another.
"Fate is not done with you yet, Saranqerel." Then she looked at the woman. "Clean. Stitch the surface wound that remains."
Then there was a yawn. Botan was ready to retreat back to where she came. Like some horror slinking away into their closet until the next time someone had need of her and her arcanistry.
-
The Auri nurse watched with some nerves. How could one not be unnerved watching Botan work? But she nodded and went straight to work. Ritsuka didn't hire weak-willed employees, after all. Especially for the clinic.
The stitches were made evenly, front and back where the blade had pierced. Then wrappings about his middle. And, in some irony, an IV attached for fluids and antibiotics.
Putting everything away and washing her hands, she went to peek out into the hallway. "Obinata-san, he'll be alright."
-
Akio turned his head, and, mask back in place, he smiled, despite the blood that coated his front. It wasn't anything he was unused to, and so it didn't seem to bother him. At least, now that Sari was okay.
"You have my deepest thanks," he said with a low bow.
-
Botan just looked at Akio. The raen quiet, and unmoving in that moment before her stomach growled to cut into the moment.
All she said: "Beef Udon. Three sets."
-
Akio turned his head to look to the other Raen with a chuckle and another bow. "My thanks to you as well- if it will serve to repay even a small portion of my debt to you, I shall see it done."
He turned then, setting off unless stopped, to go get that Raen some damn beef udon.
-
Botan sat on the stool in the room, and just waited. That tail swishing. Good. Though her attention was fixed on Sari again. Academic curiosity in that gaze.
-
The nurse was sure to return the bow with a smile before returning to the clinic. She had to write everything in the changeover log for the day shift and what supplies had been used...as per Mitsue and Mashuel's rules.
As for Sari, he drifted in and out of awareness. But that gaze on him pulled him more to reality. He tiredly looked over, pale and a mess from his sobbing earlier. "...can you see what it is...?"
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"A thing of the Steppe. This is what their old knowledge tells me..." A hand lifts and taps one horn. Though the shadows are watching. "Well it is my knowledge now."
This is a reference to the Xaela back in the Steppe she had first aetherically devoured to fix her own aether. With it perfectly assimilated she was back to the pale flesh and red hair rather than that ugly dark complexion she never liked. Not that she was a vain creature. Not like her mess of a dead father.
"It is what kept you alive."
-
"...then it wasn't a nightmare." Slowly he pulled the sheets up to his chin. Ugh he was utterly drained on every other possible level. "I can't die then."
Of course...of course. The one solace he could bring to himself, denied.
-
"Death is not an escape." Botan said in an observant matter. "You simply pass the burden of pain to those you leave behind." A flick of the tail. "Look at your friend who tried so hard to fight to keep you alive too."
-
"...he shouldn't have."
Why? Yes, he and Akio had had some good times. But they'd known each other for a few moons. Why would he...bother?
-
Botan didn't even frown. She just fixed her unblinking gaze on Sari. What a dumb question. The tail flicked and she simply breathed deep of the pain killing smoke.
"Every life is precious, even those that are destined to be eaten." Botan explained. "It's not about the why and the who, it is about the preciousness of that gift. The holiness of that cycle."
-
"I don't want it..."
How was any of this a gift? Being left alone again and again. Never being granted a happy ending...
"...can you check on Obinata-san? I think he hurt his hands earlier."
-
It was just then that Akio entered once more, hands wrapped to keep that blood from getting into the udon.
"I do believe I have a delivery!" he announced, far too cheerful for what had happened and how he'd felt not a quarter bell earlier.
He smiled bright, looking to Botan as he held the noodles. "Where do you want me to put these?"
-
Botan looked at Akio.
There is something broken in this one.
Though she at least kept the thought in her head and didn't blurt it out with the same heavy handed honesty she served Sari. That ivory tail flicked, and hands reached out for the udon. In an instant she had the chop sticks plucking up a swirl of the good beefy udon to take a bite.
Any harsh words of knowledge were lost for now. She would just chew and think. Though she did look at the wrapped hands.
No it required none of her energy, let the other woman handle it.
-
Meanwhile in the bed, Sari had to look away. Hand clenched in the sheets. How could he look at Akio after that?
Fortunately he was saved as the nurse came by after cleanup to see that blood. "Obinata-san! What are you doing? Over here!" She grabbed his wrist, trying to pull him over to a medical station.
-
Akio had opened his mouth, wanting to speak with Sari- but then he was dragged away, and he laughed slightly. It would be easy for him to resist, but he let himself follow as if he were no stronger than a child, tail fluttering behind him.
"Hai hai, my apologies miss!"
-
Botan had a moment where she felt like laughing, but didn't. Though her gaze went back to Sari.
"Fate, the Twelve, the Kami, or whatever has given you something, Sari. An opportunity." She moved chopsticks lazily through the soup, gathering noodles. The fat things rolled around through the beef brother as she seemed to play with her food. "An opportunity that you can take, face them down with, and carve your way through the hell you've been given. The question is," she lifted the roll of noodles hanging from the chopsticks, "will you tear down your tormentors, or let them devour you?"
Those eyes looked to him unblinking. "After all, the thing attached to you does look delicious."
-
"Then take it." There may have been a bit of a snap to his tone.
-
Botan shook her head. "Looking delicious and wanting to eat it are different things." Udon noodles were slurped in not-so-graceful a way. "I want to see you challenge your path, Sari. Show whatever gods there are in this world that you will not sit under their heel no more. That is what I really want, because you're a dear friend not a morsel."
-
"I don't give a shite about any of that!" he snapped, fangs bared.It seemed sorrow had warped to anger.
He covered his face. It was so unlike him to be like this.
No one understood. No one got that he was so bloody tired!
-
Akio, from where he'd been taken by the nurse, looked up. It hadn't been hard to hear that in the quiet of the clinic. How he wanted to go to the poor man's side, offer him some comfort, even if he didn't want it.
A soft sigh escaped him, and he looked down once more, to watch as the Raen woman did her work.
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Botan shrugged. The girl wasn't going to push back and forth with him, and simply moved to stand. There was a look at Akio, and she just left the room to go back to her hiding place in the back room to finish her noodles and get back to sleeping. It wasn't her place to fix broken minds and hearts after all.
-
The Auri nurse was very obviously troubled with the back and forth, but unsure of what to say. So she kept to bandaging Akio's hands, both disinfected and wrapped firmly.
"There. I know it's difficult but try to limit as much use as you can. Ask for help in tasks, alright?"
-
Akio smiled warmly, tilting his head to the side. "Hai,"  he said with a playful sort of reluctance. "If I must trouble others, then I shall under the doctor's orders." A crooked grin given to the Raen woman, before he stood with a bow of thanks, making his way back to Sari's bedside.
-
The Xaela's anger still simmered but there was no one to direct it towards and it quickly fizzled out as he stared out the window. A cold rain had started, obscuring the moon's light over Shirogane. Depressing. Fitting.
-
"Sari-san..."
The name was soft, gentle, as Akio watched the other Xaela, expression turning sympathetic, perhaps almost sad, if not for that smile staying in place. It ill befitted the scene.
-
That burned side was closest to Akio, hiding the one good eye which closed at the sound of his voice.
Anger that he'd been stopped.
Anger that, even if he hadn't been, it wouldn't have meant anything.
Sorrow that someone had to witness all of that.
It's why Sari had slunk off and away.
"...I'm sorry. You should take some painkillers and rest."
-
"I am not leaving you alone."
Despite the gentle tone, it was, once again, firm. Resolute. Akio simply watched as he sat there, watched the Xaela stare out the window, at the rain.
He wanted to be angry, himself, but he couldn't bring himself to be. He was just.... sad. He wanted to help, even if the two of them were near strangers.
"I will be perfectly fine," he added now, tail curling to one side as  he leaned back, smiling. "It is nothing I have not endured before. Perhaps less so."
The Xaela chuckled, tilting his head to one side.
"....I am sorry to have stopped you, Sari-san..." Once again that quiet, gentle tone. Almost regretful, but not quite.
-
What could he say to that? That he accepted the apology? No.
He'd wanted to go. He still did. But that wasn't an option anymore.
....so what did he say?
"Please don't tell anyone else. I don't want to..." Deal with it.
They'd care for a few moments, fuss over him. Then fade back into their happy lives once more. He didn't want to ne envious, bitter. Sari was glad those he knew had found peace. But...he'd wanted it too.
-
"...You need help."
It was a quiet observation, the Xaela almost frowning. Almost. He couldn't let the mask drop again, not like that. By the Kami....
He lowered his head, hands folded together against his forehead as he stared at the floor. What did he answer with? He couldn't just not tell the priests, or Ritsuka. Sari needed to be put on suicide watch, to keep him from doing it again. He needed help....
He needed to want it first, though, this much Akio knew. It was a universal truth to many problems. Someone who didn't want help would only reject it.
"I am certain you are angry with me," he said softly. "And I am certain that you will be angry with me for my answer. But you must understand, I am bound, by contract and honor, to report this."
-
"Feck honor," was the snap, though he kept staring at the window.
What did honor do? The twisted pride of the Steppe? The samurai code those at Kotodama supposedly adhered to? The Grand Company that had thrown him aside because of something he couldn't control?
-
Akio let out a breath, brow furrowing now.
"I will not throw aside mine to suit the ends of another."
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Grumbles in Xaelic as Sari rolled over despite the pain of his injury. No, he didn't want to deal with this. He may say something more he'd regret.
Safe from death, perhaps, but not safe from the recovery that came of the incident.
-
Another sigh, and Akio settled back in his chair, arms crossed over his front as he closed his eyes. He likely wouldn't sleep tonight, instead meditating. Some form of rest, while keeping alert.
"I said I would not leave you alone, Sari-san," he said gently. "I mean this, as an oath." And Akio did not break his oaths.
-
"I didn't ask for your oath," was the grumpy mumble as he pulled the blanket over his head.
-
Nor did he ask for acceptance. But he didn't voice this aloud, simply remaining silent now.
-
And silence met silence as Sari tried to sleep. As much as he didn't want to, the stress of high emotions and whatever his body was doing sapped him.
Eventually with the sound of the cold winter rain, his eye shut and he drifted off in the darkness of his blanket lair.
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Chapter 2 
Pairing: Park Jimin x reader
Word Count: 2443
Warnings: Dark theme, violence, bad language, eventual smut. Degrading names. Mentions of death.
Genre: Angst, Smut.
Summary: Jimin takes a job as a correctional officer alongside Jungkook. You are a prisoner in Max and deemed a very dangerous inmate. But Jimin can’t help but feel protective over you.
A/N: This story contains violence and abuse physical as well as emotional if it’s not your thing pls skip it.
“I noticed you stare a lot at Y/N.” Hoseok mumbled.
“Is there a follow up to that sentence?” Jimin replied chewing on some fries.
They sat at a burger joint close to the Correctional, they had been working there close to a month now and they had become good friends. Jiyoung had decided he did a good job on Max and decided to leave him there. Along with Hoseok and Jungkook. Today Jungkook was off so Jimin sat alone with Hoseok.
Jungkook had also commented on his watchful eye over Y/N. and he didn’t deny it. After that short talk they had while she was in solitary he felt oddly protective of her. He realized what she said was true, because Steve seemed weirdly friendly with the inmates. In a creepy way. As if they knew they had little choice in the matter.
“That’s dangerous man, I heard she is in for pretty bad shit killed some people and is here for like seventy five years?” he looked at Jimin. “She is bad news man stay away from her.” Hoseok bit a chunk of burger and chewed slowly waiting for a reply from Jimin.
“Who told you that?, did you look at her file?” Jimin asked interested. He pushed his food aside and looked at Hoseok.
He rolled his eyes and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “We are not allowed to look at files, but another guard from M1 I think?, just stay away, she is fucking nineteen years old for fucks sake, she had to do some bad shit to be there. And side note any relations would count as rape you know for your authority and shit?, It’s bad news.” Hoseok said.
“I am just curious alright?, she is always alone and we know Tania started shit last time when she got thrown on solitary I am just saying. We are supposed to help them no?”
Hoseok pondered for a second and smiled brightly.
“Okay, yeah you are right. We’ll help her.”
“Hoseok I didn’t say let’s break her out. She just looks…. Vulnerable.”
“Yeah she looked real vulnerable to me last week when she stabbed Brenda with her fork.” Hoseok laughed at Jimin’s expression. “I get what you mean though, We’ll watch over her but if shit gets bad we can’t show favoritism.”
Jimin smiled then. “Thanks I appreciate it.”
“Do inmates get to go to the library?” Hoseok asked Jinyoung.
“Usually inmates in max don’t but Namjoon doesn’t like to exclude inmates from using the library. He doesn’t like to mark differences amongst the inmates.” Jinyoung looked up from his computer. “Why, didn’t Johnson explained?”
“He said they weren’t allowed but just a week ago he took an inmate so I was fuzzy about the rules.” Hoseok replied.
Jinyoung shook his head. “Fucking Steve. Just yeah every inmate gets to use the fucking library.” he looked angry.
Hoseok turned away then.
“Thanks man!” Hoseok waved and jogged to catch up to Jimin. “He said yeah they can go to the library.”
Jimin rubbed his hands together, “I fucking knew it.” he whispered joyful.
“What did you know?” Jungkook asked catching up to them.
“That -” Jimin’s words died in his throat when he glanced up to Jungkook, he stopped causing Hoseok to turn and his eyes turned wide seeing Jungkook’s hair. “The fuck happened to your hair?” Jimin asked.
“You didn’t know?” Hoseok asked staring intently at the freshly dyed magenta hair.
“I live with the guy not sleep right next to him.” he turned to Hoseok. “Can he even work here with that hair?”
“Yeah no one gives a fuck really. He could shave it off and no one would bat an eye.” Hoseok replied. “Back to topic, she can go to the library.” Hoseok said.
Jimin smiled and resumed walking to his post. He looked for you but he couldn’t find you.
“Wasn’t she out of solitary?” Jungkook asked looking around.
“Yeah yesterday she was out here.” Jimin replied.
Hoseok walked up to them. “She went back to solitary, she smashed someone’s face on a table or a wall?, I don’t know. I just know she smashed a face.”
Jimin grew anxious then. He knew the kind of treatment you received in solitary.
“I am gonna go check on her.” Jimin said, but Hoseok grabbed his arm.
“No man, they are gonna notice something is up with you. I’ll go.” he moved away and began walking to solitary. He walked up to the window and checked the clipboard with the names. He located your name and walked to your cell.
He opened the small window and saw you on the floor curled in a fetal position. He banged on it trying to get a reaction but you didn’t move.
He took a hold of his radio and pressed on it. “Open cell seven.” he said into the small radio.
“Is there a problem?” asked a very calm voice to his liking.
“Just fucking open it!” he screamed into the receiver.
The cell slid open and Hoseok rushed to you kneeling trying to turn you. You were shivering, and when he fully turned you he realized why. There was blood on your side but there were several bruises on your face and arms.
“Hey can you hear me?” he spoke softly to you but you kept shivering.
He picked you up from the floor and began walking out. Someone must have informed Steve of Hoseok’s presense because he caught up to him.
“Hey man where are you taking the inmate?, she is very dangerous.” he said out of breath.
“Yeah man, she must be real dangerous right now as she bleeds to death.” Hoseok said not stopping to talk.
But Steve stood infront of him. “This happens alright?, just leave her in solitary and it’ll pass.”
“Steve you are my superior but if you don’t get the fuck out of my face I am gonna shove my knee on your dirty crotch and walk cause she is in need of medical attention fucker but I think you knew that and didn’t give two shits.” Hoseok was usually a nice bright person, but he spoke with so much venom even Steve recoiled.
Hoseok arrived at the medical unit and placed you carefully on the gurney. A doctor started checking your wound.
“This is infected, why didn’t you bring her sooner?” the doctor asked angered.
Hoseok looked at her, “What you think I knew she was like this?, I fucking found her in solitary like that!” he was screaming he knew but he couldn’t get over how bad you looked.
“Alright, calm down. Get out I need to undress her.” she looked at him expectantly waiting for him to say no. But Hoseok just turned around and walked out of the medical room. He slammed the door only to find Steve standing outside.
“You can’t leave an inmate alone in there with the doctor, she could hurt her.” he made a move to go inside but Hoseok blocked him.
“I don’t really know you but I do know if you try going in there while Y/N is getting checked out because side note she is half dead, I will personally make sure you are out on medical leave for a really long time.” Hoseok was right infront of him daring him to make a move.
Steve made a face, “What the fuck is your problem with her?” he made a face, “Ah, are you fucking her?, is that it?”
Hoseok grabbed at the collar of his shirt. “You are a fucking pig Johnson. You just wait until Namjoon knows about you.”
Steve pushed him off, “Don’t you dare open your mouth. I can make shit go real bad for you.”
“Don’t threaten me Steve that would be really stupid.” Steve smiled and walked away.
Hoseok turned back and knocked on the door.
The doctor peaked outside, “Can I help you?”
“Can you lock the door and not let anyone in until you are done?, I have to go do something but I’ll make sure there is a decent guard here at all times.” as he said this the doctor looked surprised.
“You actually care?, like of her safety?” she opened the door fully then.
“Yeah, “ he glanced at you on the gurney. “I do.”
He turned to leave and walked away. When he got back to where Jimin and jungkook were Steve was nowhere to be seen. As soon as Jimin spotted him his back straightened.
“Did you find her?” Jimin asked in a whisper.
“I need to tell you something but you need to make sure you remain calm. I can’t have anyone noticing anything weird alright?” Hoseok said looking around to make sure no one was paying attention. “Someone stabbed her.”
Jimin’s eyes practically bulged out, he made a move and Jungkook’s hands shot out to grab his upper arm.
“Calm down Jimin.” Jungkook said looking around.
“Who the fuck stabbed her?, was it that asshole?” Jimin asked through gritted teeth.
“Shhh Jimin,” Hoseok looked around once more. “She is in medical I told Seulgi I would make sure she was taken care of so there needs to be one of us up there with her. That asshole really was trying to leave her on Seg by herself and-”
“I’m going up there.” Jimin said moving before anyone could say anything.
“Yeah that wasn’t suspicious at all.” Jungkook said adjusting his belt.
Jimin walked through the hallways trying to get to the medical unit. He couldn’t explain why he felt so protective of you. Everyone talked about you like if you were a terrible person but he just couldn’t see it. Hoseok had confronted him on his behavior. But it wasn’t anything bad he just didn’t want anything bad happening to you.
He walked through the corridors with his heart pounding and it was strange, the fear of you actually being hurt. He reached on the door and tried to open it but it was locked. More fear, fear that Steve got there first. Without thinking he banged on the door.
He waited a little and banged again. The door knob rattled a little and he waited.
“Who is it?” a voice said from the inside.
“Park Jimin?, Hoseok sent me.”
The door fully opened and Jimin was led inside where he saw you hooked up on an IV. Your face was drained of color. There were bags under your eyes. There were bruises marring your skin. He couldn’t help but stare in horror.
“You new guards are a different breed, the ones in here don’t give a fuck about this inmates.” Her voice startled Jimin, he looked at her and then back at you. “I’ve been trying Y/L/N to medical for the longest time,” she walked over next to you and started cleaning a wound on your arm, “She’s been here for three years and change almost four. Has sustained gruesome wounds and never has that pig allowed her to come here.” she stopped working and looked at you, “I really hope this humanity in you two lasts,” she looked at him then. “I really hope Steve doesn’t get to you guys.” she turned her attention back to you and kept working.
“I never catched your name.” Jimin said walking to take a seat next to you.
“Kang Seulgi.” she replied. She put some gauze over your wounds. “She should be okay, I managed to stitch her wound it didn’t penetrate any major organs, and I cleaned all her other wounds. The infection should pass. She was heavily dehydrated.” she took her gloves off and went to wash her hands. “I need to go to M1, I trust you will stay here and keep an eye on her?”
Jimin nodded.
“Alright I’ll see you later Park.” she smiled brightly and turned to leave.
Jimin stared at your bruises a little longer before standing up and walking around the small room. You began to stir, he fully turned and walked to your bed. He sat down next to you and grabbed your hand.
You moaned, “Ow.” you tried to move but you winced. You opened your eyes but you couldn’t seem to focus on anything, until they landed on Jimin. You recoiled then, “What the fuck,” you looked at the IV on your hand and you tried to yank it but Jimin stopped you.
“Hey look at me…” he tried softly but you looked terrified. “Calm down Y/N, look at me.” you did turn to look at him then. His features were stricken with pity you thought to yourself.
“What’s going on?, where am I?” you asked, your voice was hoarse.
He frowned, “You are in the medical unit, Hoseok found you in seg, is your throat okay?” he asked. Your eyes seemed to water.
“I screamed when he put me in there, he kept trying to touch me so I screamed until,” you stop and look down at your hands. Jimin let go and sat down next to you.
“Until?” he prompted.
“Until he punched me in the face, I blacked out I don’t know what happened after that.” your voice broke and for the first time he saw the mask slip off. He recognized sadness and fear on your face. You finally turned to look at him. “Why are you here?” you recoiled, “He sent you didn’t he?!” you screamed and he went to grab your arms again.
“No he didn’t. I am here to prevent him coming in here alright?, your safe.” he said to your face. And finally a tear slipped, you yanked your arms and wiped angrily at your tears.
“Why are you being so nice to me?, it’s cruel you know?.” Jimin stood straight surprised at your words.
“What do you mean?”
“You show me kindness. I am used to violence and Steve being an absolute piece of shit but you come here and show me even the slightest kind act and I am eating it up like a fucking stupid puppy.” you laugh in your tears. “Just stop if you are gonna turn like the rest of them, stop pretending to be a decent human being.” you finally look at him to find a shocked expression.
He sits down and pulls his chair closer to you.
“If I ever act like that dick, I give you full permission to push me down the stairs alright?” he looks at you with a soft smile.
You still didn’t trust him, but you couldn’t help the small smile that threatened your lips, so you simply nodded.  
Chapter 3
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aliwept · 5 years
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WARNING :     MASSIVE TOKOYAMI HC DUMP AHEAD !  part one of ..... many sldkfjds i gotta transfer a lot from old blogs
triggers:  body talk,  religions mentions,  mentions of binding, self hatred and transitioning.
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BELIEFS / MOTIVATION:
tokoyami looks at becoming a hero the “wrong” way — or rather, in a way that cripples his success.he doesn’t want to become a hero in and of itself, but to help as many people as he can.
this is usually a good thing, but it is motivated by his extreme guilt and self doubt rather than pure desire, believing that that is the only way to pay for his “sins.” (i.e., the destruction or potential destruction his quirk as/could cause(d).)
he holds himself up to an extremely high standard, (it is impossible to have a totally “pure” motivation,) one of being perfect and disciplined in every way, but he consistently fails to reach that (as any human being would), making it so that he falls deeper into a circle of self-doubt and pity.
he also tends to idealize his friends for their faults, and when those difficult traits show up he gets extremely bothered, then angry at himself for his idealization, then angry for bothering them, & it escalates until he’s simply angry at himself for being what he believes to be a burden.
this is an extremely deeply rooted process, one that even daily actions contribute to, & while the source isn’t completely his parents, it is certainly reinforced by his mother’s abuse & his guilt relating to his father’s death.
PHYSICAL:
he’s not particularly muscled — well, compared to his more muscular classmates. most of his muscle is in his legs & stomach. he does not have a particular training regimen, typically unmotivated unless prompted.
unlike the majority of his classmates, because a lot of his fighting is done with dark shadow moving him (so that it’s harder to predict movements, as well as going from a large range), the majority of the time he’s not challenged physically.
against close attacks, both attacking which he uses his sword for (seen in his dorm room), when allowed. he inherited that sword from his father after his death. he also feels fatigue easily, not so much due to muscles but because of his exhaustion that is his “normal” state, given that dark shadow is nocturnal. (this & his low work ethic. he works a lot harder when training with friends.)
he doesn’t feel the need to bind more than not, given his skinny physique, with his hips being only a little bit wider than the average cis man’s.most of his scars are on his arms, self inflicted from his talons cutting into his skin. parts of his skin are covered in a gel like skin, clear to see the feathers that poke out from them, going much like arm hair down his sides. these are mostly around his shoulders.
most of the feather is underneath skin (though the skin & the feather both have no nerves), visible with the skin being mostly clear (no muscles adding color, only the natural dark pigment) with the rest of the feaher poking out at a low angle to his arm.
HABITS:
he has a diary that he writes in religiously. it’s kept in a hat box under his bed when he returns to the dorm, along with a collection he’s had since he had been able to write.
at times, in nostalgia, he’ll read through his earlier books. he also tends to doodle his classmates in them ! he’s an incredibly private person — especially because his mother ignored his privacy, refusing to let him keep secrets of any kind in ‘fear that he was hiding something’ — but also enjoys putting his thoughts into words.         
PAST:               
tokoyami was bullied due to his appearance / personality. for someone who was already uncomfortable with his body (not knowing what being trans was at that point) this became the root of deep insecurity regarding his appearance, whether it was as simple as hesitation.
he is autistic !! he stims a lot with his hands, though usually it’s in his hoodie / under his cloak, because he’s very self conscious about it.  he also has adhd: inattentive type, bpd, depression & anxiety!
fantasy verse:  he’s a witch & i will fight you on this fact. my boy loves the occult. he’s also. in generally he tends to be superstitious, & more than that enjoys different rituals! it probably won’t show up in my rp cause i honestly don’t know much about that type of thing but ! he absolutely adores things like that, not necessarily because he fully believes them but because they’re interesting & he believes that they probably stem if only in part from fact.
now im gonna add some notes here.  while he is obviously pretty strong,  he has problems with control, considering that not only does he have to react, he has to communicate those thoughts with dark shadow. speed / offense / defense obviously are enhanced w dark shadow, as well as his own abilities (he would still be able to hold his own if he couldn’t use his quirk).
as well, a lot of his stats are basically his stats + dark shadow, which obv makes them higher than they otherwise would be. he also has really high stamina and working out for a long time doesn’t really. make him tired, nor dark shadow, because dark shadow doesn’t get tired & he’s not the one doing a lot of the actual physical stuff. he’s not good w weapons tho in general. note that these are basically during the daytime w/o a huge light source so things change when it’s darker/lighter.
parents:   tokoyami’s mother had the ability to call spirits of the dead to her and talk to them, & his father’s was to house things, as in objects, so he cld like. store things inside of his body. it’s real wild.
a quirk that combined with another in tokoyami’s lineage, so one of his ancestors had the ability to shapeshift, specifically with birds & banged w someone who has a quirk similar to aizawa’s, where it basically ‘stills’ the action of .someone’s quirk, if that makes sense? so down the line people wld inherit a birds’ features, but it would switch. in his dad’s case, he got a raptors ‘arms’ & eyes.
i am here to inform you that not only is he really short, he’s also chubby! espcially as a child. while he now has muscle! :tm: ive made earlier posts about how he doesn’t have a good. regimen & shit so. yeah. just like deku, while he may be muscled, (though he’s less muscled than. most of his classmates) he still is v chubby on other parts of his body.
also ! he’s trans & he has. a large bust, which he does not bind most of the time due to fear of asphyxiation. being demiboy, he is bothered at it at times, but dislikes tight clothes as a whole (like binders). this is because he is easily overstimulated by excessive contact with his body, causing sensory overload.the exception is his neck, which his choker is a source of comfort. (though, warning, there are scars underneath that the large choker hides!)
tokoyami. will say/do something & then become embarrassed by it, after the act has already been done. he’ll fuckin melt on the spot.
tokoyami is absolutely someone to leave ppl on read. or respond w several paragraphs w ‘K.’ like. that’s just how it is. he’s lowkey an asshole in that way but he just. he has to think a lot before having a response but he gets distracted & just leaves it.
he has dark fucking brown skin !!!!! people who draw tokoyami w light skin cause he’s a ‘pale goth uwu !!!!’ are weak & will be weeded out by natural selection.
people he trains with most are ,,,  mostly kirishima, kaminari, aoyama and momo when they’re available
he’s mix of japanese, native american, and indian!
self knowledge questions:  neediness, independence, shyness.
NEEDINESS: being affirmed & nurtured by others is a central requirement for you to feel safe. this means you can be slow to warm up to other people, which is difficult because what you most need from them is their warmth. yet you know how to be vulnerable: to let down your defenses and accept that you need another person. this lack of pretense is a valuable trait, and ultimately more endearing than the macho efforts others make to deny their childlike sides.
INDEPENDENCE: you don’t set out to be different for its own sake; you are more easily guided by what interests & moves you. you are more concerned about what is right for you than about the pressure to fit in. you know the value of selective irresponsibility, of forgetting occasionally about being ‘good’.
SHYNESS: part of you is gripped by the fear that you’ll launch into something and completely mess it up. the upside of this is wise caution: people are indeed often too rash, whereas you know, by instinct, that holding back can save you. probably, you feel shame and self-disgust a bit too much. but when you do feel in your element, you act with a wisdom and sensitivity never found in people with thicker skins.
there’s an au where he’s tamaki’s half brother tamakis hmu
more ramblings cause i lov him so anw. i figure that like. if he had to have a motivator it would be an outside force but basically he’s riding on the fact that he has more physical ability because he doesn’t perform very well in studies. ( bird brain …… )
getting 14th place out of the class on midterms, he’s aware that he’s not motivated & as well as his migraines & other mental illnesses ( adhd, executive dysfunction, etc. ) this means that he doesn’t really reach his “full potential.”
he’s aware of this, though, which causes him to train physically. physically training also allows him to ( a ) feel proud of himself, something that he struggles with ( b ) help him generally, esp with dysphoria ( c ) get his mind off of other things / points of stress.
i still don’t think he’s like. as buff as shouji for example, though part of that is that he’s naturally lean ! & he has trouble motivating himself sometimes but when he stays up late ( due to dark shadow ) it basically wrecks his sleeping patterns, so this gives him something beneficial to do while also exhausting himself, which he hopes will help him fall asleep.
like i know that i said that . . he was skinny / not v muscled ( when compared to his buffer classmates, rather ) but i guess i’ve been proven wrong because it took both Buff McFuck mina and hagakure 2 push him out of the way ( not tht it took that long but that was w them straining / time skips )
so @ this point i Just Don’t Know. he got 9 in the practical which means he’s obv like ?? p good but that was the entrance exam. ( he got 10 rescue my baby !!!! im so proud of him ) & then w aizawa’s exams he started off at 5 & im tryna find the other thing what it ended up as but @ this point i’m just , pretty divided cause i’m not seeing much reason for him to learn to train w/o proper training ( & we kno that he’s not someone who was trained specially like todoroki / momo tho tht doesnt mean it’s not possible & at this point im just ) ya. he’s gotta be able but from what we know he’s not v motivated ? ausdjkfdsfjk we’ll see ig.
tokoyami is a mix of shinto (where his hero epithet comes from), taoist (due to the values), & hindu (again, values). i think for now it’s going to be some mix of that, though i’m going to do some research on shinto values since i don’t know much about it !!!!!
generally, he’s pretty superstitious, just because he knows many myths are based on facts, & the idea of ‘it doesn’t hurt to watch out for them.’ he prefers to avoid possible things that would make him have bad luck.
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bright-hao · 6 years
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soft bias tag
okay, its been ages since i did a tag on here!! but my hermanita @hocidi(or hijita now? since you call me mom?) tagged me to do this soft bias tag!
my ult is still minghao, but bc most of this is romantic stuff(and i dont really have a lot of romantic feelings for hao) i’m gonna do my other best boy, seungkwan 
Who is your bias: Boo Seungkwan of Seventeen
What made you notice them: I always loved seungkwan, its so funny cause at first i used to be like “oh i wish seungkwan was my twin” and as time went on it was like “yes, seungkwan and i would be best friends we’d be a killer duo” but like...by the time boom boom era came around and he dyed his hair blond the first time? fuck dude, i knew i was in love. very specifically there’s one photo (here) that always comes to mind when i think about first falling head first for him, and well. now he’s my guy.
what’s your favorite thing about them: boy, everything! physically, i love his cheekbones/jaw combo, people really dont pay enough attention to his bone structure. and personality wise, i love his ability to just talk and command all the attention in a room if he wants to,especially because it’s not in a scary, authoritative way, and i feel it makes people comfortable while they also respect him and hold him in high esteem bc of it. I personally have a close relationship with words, so to see the abilities he has with just his everyday speech is...spectacular
who would initiate skinship more: i think both of us, but in different ways? i feel like i would initiate a lot of smaller touches, just so we can be in constant contact, and also id probably spend a lot of time thinking about something before i do it, but i feel like seungkwan would be like hey! let’s hug, and we’d...hug. he’d probably initiate bigger things, like hugging and hand holding, and it’d be more spontaneous for him.
who would hog the blankets more:  i don’t really feel cold easily and tend to get warmer as the night goes on, so what might really happen is seungkwan will often wake up buried under all the blankets because i pushed them over to his side in the middle of the night
who would be more clingy:   earlier on, it would be him, bc i dont let myself get overly attached to people, but maybe if we spend years together and i get used to him/his constant presence in my life, things might change
who would say I love you first:  oooohhh this one’s tricky. if i feel like he’s still sorting through his feelings and commitments, i’ll wait for him to say it first, but if i feel sure about him and where his heart is at, i’ll say it as soon as possible. possibly way earlier than most people would. it’s not a big deal to me when the words drop(bc it’s really not about words anyway for me, its about proving it with your actions, and if he loves me i should know even without him saying it), but if it is for him then i guess i’d wait til he felt right about it. granted, i think the more open you are to begin with the faster seungkwan himself would open up, so maybe it’ll just be a toss up bc we’ll both already be on the same page.
who would be more easily flustered: i’m a confident gay, so like, it would definitely be me making him flustered as much as i can for fun.
What cuddling position would you two have: okay, so here’s what i’m thinking: he’s mostly on his back, however he’s comfy, and i’m curled up at his side with one leg thrown over him and he has one arm around/under me, and my head is either next to his on the pillow or on his shoulder (like this). we can reverse the positions too we’re flexible
which colors remind you of them and why:  sunset colours!! i often call him my sunset boy, so sunset colours, and very specifically all shades of orange, make me think of him. they’re just...warm and sweet but also fiesty and bold colours which is...him in print.
which season would you like to spend with them: uhhh all of them for the rest of my life? Idk, I feel stupid answering this since I live in a tropical country but...mm, maybe the time period where it's not quite spring yet but it's not really winter anymore...like, imagine going on a road trip and you get to see the landscape change from white and snowy to bare for a little while and then everything blooms. gorgeous. i wanna do that with him. or maybe the summer season in the arctic where it’s light out 24 hours a day. or just mango season here in trinidad
who would bake cookies and who would steal the batter: seungkwan would probably make the decision for us to bake cookies together bc it’ll be a fun bonding experience or whatever, but he doesnt really know what he’s doing, so i have to give him all the instructions and explain everything to him, and then i let him struggle with all the dirty work and look on and occasionally snatch bits of the dough to ‘make sure it’s coming out right’
which one of you would make bad puns and how would the other react: i dont really do puns, so it’ll have to be him. he probably spends all his alone time trying to come up with them. over text, he might get a eye roll emoji or a ‘why are you like this’, in person i’d probably just ignore it completely and continue the conversation like it never happened. (which might make him pouty, but pouty seungkwan is adorable, so either way i win)
which one of you would nearly burn down the kitchen trying to microwave a poptart and who come to the rescue: i’m brown and poor poptarts have never been a thing in my house, so i suppose it’ll be me who screws up. wake up in the middle of the night hungry so i sneak into the kitchen as quiet as possible, not even turning on any lights, put the thing in the microwave for way longer than its supposed to be. when it explodes seungkwan runs outside half asleep bc he wants to know who got shot. he cleans the mess bc he loves me and tells me to leave the pop tart prep to him in the future. 
who likes to lean over tall railings and who pulls them back: it would be me, adrenaline junkie and lover of risks and high places, leaning over the railing of a tall building like ‘omg, i could jump right now it would be like flying’ seungkwan would drag me away and probably sit me down and lecture me about it too
what would you watching a horror film with them be like: i would never watch a horror movie, lol. next question.
who would be the cheesy flirt and who would be the smooth flirt: i think we could both be cheesy when we wanted to, but maybe more him than me since he’s the king of cheese. flirting is one of my favourite pastimes, so i’d probably be a decently smooth flirt. as earlier mentioned, my greatest joy would be seeing him flustered and at a loss for words bc of just how smooth i am 
who is more competitive: oh we are BOTH very competitive, it’s super fun when we’re playing a game or a sport and we’re on the same side and trying to crush the opponents, but i think we try to get on opposite teams bc its ten times more fun to try and beat each other. like just the thought of being better at him at something is already exhilarating to me ;;;)))))))
who would have to be given constant reminders: for tasks that are hard/uninteresting, i’ll have to have him remind me cause i’ll find 500 things that are more interesting to distract me when i just need to suck it up and get the thing done, and i’ll need the nudge. when it comes to just forgetting, i’ll probably have to remind him bc it totally slipped his mind.
who sends memes and who sends cute I miss you text at 3 am: he definitely sends the memes, im way too lazy to save them on my phone and then have to go looking for one that’s appropriate, that’s a lot of work. i’m happy to receive them though. and uhh...i wouldn’t send anyone a text like that at 3am and i wouldn’t like to receive one either, and i would tell him that. emotions get weird and warped at that hour, and i dont trust them on a regular basis, much less at 3 o’clock in the morning. i say, hold it in for now and if you still feel the same at 10am? then you go ahead and tell me you miss me. BUT if i get a message at 10am from seungkwan saying he misses me/loves me/is thinking of me? i would be on a cloud for the entire day.
this was really fun! my heart is warrrrrrrrrmmmm and ive been in soft stan mode for the past two days cause of it. so now i’m gonna tag @woozifi @minigum @mvpgyu @pabospoiler @seonyein @szrw @witchzi @yookik have fun friends!
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beepbeeprichiellc · 6 years
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for that big list of aus do you think you could combine 10.iv and 10.v with reddie ???? with Eddie being the one obsessed with Christmas and snow bc it just sounds adorable okay and your writing is amazing
You are too kind. This ended up really long, my bad.
Richie watched the snow fall from his seat, the white clumpsgathering at the base of the window before flying off back into the abyss. Asmile curled at the corner of his lips, he loved snow, probably more than anyof his friends. It had a purity to it, a sense that their sins would wash awaywith the new blanket of fluff. He preferred it around Christmas, but he wouldsettle for its early arrival.
“Okay you got Bill’s new roommate’s name down right? Youaren’t going to embarrass me right?” Stan asked flatly from beside him. Anyonewho gave him a second look would think that the boy was 60 rather than 23. He worepressed pants, a cardigan, and carried a sense of arrogance that only peoplewith years of experience in life have. Not to mention his granny reading glassesand Sunday newspaper that he insisted on bringing along with them for theirtrip. They were complete opposites. Richie had more of a punk rock vibe,choosing torn jeans over pressed ones and a leather jacket over a cardigan anyday.How they ended up best friends was beyond them.
“Yeah, yeah. Eddie. I got it the first time you told me.” Hereplied, huffing in annoyance. “Doesn’t he have his own family to be with forThanksgiving? That place is already going to be crowded with Mike’s new girl coming.”
Stan rolled his eyes, “Don’t be bitter just because you haveto sleep on the floor.”
“Well not everyone can sleep in Bill’s bed.” He retortedplayfully, enjoying the bush that crept up Stan’s neck. “I mean I could, butyou know I’m a vivid dreamer. I’d hate to play out my wet dreams with the twoof you and-“
“Beep beep Richie.” He jeered just as their stop wasannounced.
The two exited, heading out of the terminal and out into thebusy streets of New York. “So have you ever even met this guy?” Richie asked,following close to on his friends heels. “Is he a weirdo like Bill’s last roommate,or like a creep like his roommate before that?”
“Bill says he’s normal. A little pristine but normal.” Stanshrugged, pulling his coat tighter against him as the snow became heavier inthe air. “He’s a nurse at the hospital, real smart and real clean.”
“Sounds like I’m gonna hate him.”
“Wow you just have the most faith in people don’t you?” Hebit, the townhouse coming into view. “You don’t have to like him Rich, you justhave to deal with him okay? Just for this holiday and then Christmas is at Beverly’s.”
Richie blew a raspberry as his response, to which Stanmerely ignored. They took to the steps of the home, knocking at the door. “I’mtelling you Richie, if you ruin this I will kick you out of our apartment. Justbehave.”
There wasn’t enough time to respond because that second thedoor opened, reviling a very done up Beverly. She let out a squeal, embracingStan. “Oh finally, you were the last to arrive! Did you have a nice tripupstate?”
“Fine.” Stan lied, moving past her and into the home.
“Damn Bev, eat my heart out.” Richie cooed, pulling the fieryhaired woman into his arms.
“Don’t let Ben hear you. I’m spoken for now.” She repliedsweetly, holding out her left hand. “He’s going to make an honest woman of meafter all.”
“God damn look at that rock!” He cooed, pulling her hand toget a closer look. “Shit, I’ll let him fuck me if he gets me one of those!” Beverlypushed him playfully, shaking her head in annoyance.
Once Richie entered the home, the smell of turkey andstuffing wafted back into him. His stomach responded by growling eagerly. He wasnext met with Ben, who hugged him briefly but sternly, followed by Mike and hisnew girlfriend who he learned was named Maggie and who embraced him regardlessof just meeting him. Richie felt his heart swell at the sight of them all, thankfulthat he had his own little family this time of the year.
“Where’s Bill? I gotta tell him that that food smellsamazing.”
“Oh he’s in the kitchen with Eddie.” Mike replied, gesturingto the door. Richie grimaced at the statement, picturing an extremely primpedand uptight man helping his brother with their dinner. He nodded, trudging throughthe door.  
He entered the room with a bang, the door slamming againstthe counters loudly. “Honey, I’m home!” Richie bellowed obnoxiously.
Bill looked up from the oven, smiling widely. “RichieTozier, as I live and breathe.” He cooed, dropping his spoon and pulling hisfriend into a sincere hug, “I feel like I haven’t seen you in a fucking year.”
“Just about.” He replied, looking over to the beautifularray of the food. “Since when did you become a chef? Last time you were incharge of dinner, you burnt the pizza.”
“Actually Eddie cooked.”
“You helped.” A voice replied from behind the door to thefridge. As the barrier was shut, Richie could feel his breath hitch in the backof his throat. The man, who he thought he would hate, was no older than him. Hewas short in stature, standing only to Richie’s chest. The pink polo he worewas partially covered by his apron, which looked well used. Bill was right indescribing him as pristine, but also horribly incorrect. Inside of him wasn’tan old soul like Stan, but rather a bright and beautiful one, one that wouldburn Richie to the core.
Eddie smiled, causing Richie’s knees to become weak. “I don’tthink we’ve met.” The small adult muttered, extending his hand. “You must be Richie.”
“Yes sir.” He managed in response, taking the petite hand intohis. God, he was soft. “You’re Eddie yeah?”
“That’s me.” Eddie jeered. “The party crasher.”
“Stop calling yourself that.” Bill interjected as they droppedtheir hands, making Richie instantly feel bare. “I invited you to this, therewasn’t any way you could go back home this year, not after what happened.”
“What happened?” Richie asked.
Eddie cringed, recovering quickly with a fake smile. “Nothingto worry about right now.” He replied softly. “Dinner is almost done. Do youmind telling the others?” Richie nodded, looking to Bill who only wore a sadface. As he left he could hear their hushed voices and although he could notmake out what was said he was sure that Eddie was scorning his roommate for theslip.
The food was absolutely fabulous.
Every single item was made to perfection, and the Losers atethe entire thing up. As they sat around the table lazily, conversation seemedto center around the surprising snow fall. Richie felt his stomach flip in excitement.His head perked up, smiling at his friends he blurted. “Okay, who is going togo out and look at the snow with me?”
Everyone groaned at once, all muttering smoothing profoundunder their breath. Maggie looked like she was going to raise her hand but Mikesnatched her wrist, shaking his head vigorously. “I’ll go.” A small voice fromthe opposite end of the table said.
“Uh Eddie, I don’t think you want to do that.” Ben warned, “Richieis a bit intense.”
“I’ll be fine. I love the snow.”
Richie barged outside with the small boy in tow, kicking upthe snow that had freshly fallen on their steps. He beamed as he watched Bill’sroommate follow him, his pea-coat nearly swallowing him whole. Eddie smiled,taking two steps at a time until his feet were firmly planted on the asphalt. “So.”He sang, raising an eyebrow at Richie. “Is there a specific reason your friendsdidn’t want to join you?”
“Maybe…” Richie replied sly, watching the other kid wanderaround the sidewalk. “Maybe not…”
Eddie hummed, rolling eyes and looking up towards the sky.Richie took his opening, shoving a handful of snow down the back of his coat.Eddie squealed in surprise, jumping in circles and cursing his name. Richiecouldn’t help but laugh.
“I’m the snow king Eds. That’s why no one-“He was cut shortby a snow ball that hit him squarely in the chest, sending shards of ice intohis mouth. “What in the hell!” he sputtered, tasting the lingering New Yorkflavor.
“You’re a shitty king.” Eddie retorted, throwing another ball,only this time missing by a few inches.
“Oh you’re dead.”
Bill and the others watched in horror as the two returned completelydrenched from head to toe. They were rushed off to shower and change with stupidlybig grins plastered on their faces. Richie refused to admit that he had losthis crown.
After that the night progressed quickly, becoming one bigblur of laughter and tomfoolery. It was like Eddie had been the missing pieceof their group, his smart mind keeping Stan and Ben entertained, his work andtravel interesting Mike and his quick mouth keeping Richie in line. No matterwho he spoke with, in a matter of mere minutes they were swooned, drawn in byhis charisma and kindness.
Two by two, the couples left for bed, leaving Richie andEddie. Conversation began to lag, an uncomfortable silence lingering betweenthen. Richie wasn’t typically the edgy type, hell he could make a politiciansmile, but there was something about Eddie that made him nervous. Almostscared. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing or make him uncomfortable in anyway so he opted for nothing. Which in retrospect probably wasn’t the best idea.
“Oh!” Eddie exclaimed after nearly thirty minutes ofsilence. “I almost forgot!”
Richie watched the small figure jump from the couch and bolttowards the hallway closet. There was a commotion and a few slurs buteventually he emerged with a tote that was almost as large as he was. Eddiesmirked up at him, popping open the lid and expelling the contents.
“What the actual fuck?” Richie griped, watching none otherthan Christmas directions spill at his feet. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“Nope.” He replied with a pop of his p. Quickly he began togather his things, an excitable giggle following him as he went.
“It’s literally still Thanksgiving.”
“So?”
“So? It’s fucking November and-no, not the tree. Put thatback.”
Eddie ignored him, setting up the base by the staircase. Heskipped with enthusiasm, disregarding the looks that Richie gave him. It wasalmost too cute, his tiny hands working poorly with the twisted lights, hishappy hum causing Richie to just stare in awe.
How had he gone his entire life not knowing this kid? Whatwas this feeling burning in his chest and what in the hell was he doing startingin the middle of the bundle?
“Oh my god, you’re doing it all wrong!” Richie muttered,grabbing the tangled mess from Eddie. “Let me just do it.”
“Thanks.” He whispered, his cheeks blushing a beautiful pinktint.
“Yeah yeah.” Riche replied, his voice lacking bite.
“I owe ya one.” Eddie poked, moving to the tote and pullingout more decorations.
Richie could feel the question on his tongue, he bit downhard trying to kill it but somehow it managed to slip past him. “So uh, whydidn’t you just go home for Thanksgiving?”
He could see Eddie tense up at the question, making Richieregret even speaking. Surprisingly he relaxed, wrapping the long tinsel aroundhis neck and filling his tiny hands with ornaments. “I had it out with mymother recently, we got into a huge fight and she told me not to come home forthe holidays.”
“Oh.” Richie choked, watching Eddie shrug. “What was it all about?”
“She doesn’t want a faggot for a son.” He replied easily,before Richie had a chance to reply he turned towards him, smiling. “Do youthink I should hang mistletoe?”
“Hell yeah.”
115 notes · View notes
Text
warning, the following has mainly snarky (and possibly furious) opinions on Spirit of Justice. Reader discretion is advised.
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Alright, on to part three, where Phoenix’s big fat mouth gets Apollo and Athena into deep doodoo.
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QUICK CHILDREN, INTO THE MANHOLE!
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SDUFGDGSF YOU CAN ‘MOVE’ WHILE YOURE BEING CHASED 
way to ruin the moooooood XD
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well athena if its any consolation, smelling like a rotten egg will probably delight sadmad.
y’know. cause youre a putrid egg yolk.
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“Once a rebel, always a rebel!”
apollo was never a rebel
you sent him back to America before he could do any rebelling.
>OH MY SNARK IS CONFIRMED BY APOLLO
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oh everyone’s met up now
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“It was like watching a pair of ostriches bury their heads in the sand”
the FUCK does that mean, Phoenix?!???
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“dubious hovel”
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whats wrong with athena? i thought she was huddling up in the corner because she saw something unnerving, then maybe because of all the sudden people there–– but it’s implying she’s disgusted by the shitty state of the place?
what, is Athena a germaphobe now??
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“He said he hopes you’ll come back and take over this office someday.”
“M-me?”
“Those were his words! He might have been half-joking though.”
I’m not sure which I’m more offended by; the fact that Dhurke still assumed Apollo would make a shit lawyer, or the fact that Apollo does indeed take over. Spoilers. Haha.
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“must’ve been because of you, dhurke!”
no it was because of Phoenix Wright because he was a cool guy, once upon a time. also because, unlike every other lawyer in the gotdamn series, Apollo just really friggin loves the law. He thinks lawyers are legit cool and he wanted to be one because he just happened to have a passion for litigating. He’s not a prop in your stupid story, he’s his own interesting person.
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“Dhurke was never a hands-on kinda dad...”
you can motherfucking say that again, vore machine.
“...but not a day went by that he wasn’t thinking of ya. That much I’m sure of.”
yeah he sure was
thinking of the favours he could one day ask of him.
“Doesn’t get more paternal than that!”
Athena, you don't even have a dad. Your opinion on the subject is completely worthless. 
“(Dhurke... And to think, I really did spend my days trying to forget you...)”
god apollo you don’t deserve this. you deserve trucy and klavier and thalassa (being an actual mom for once) HELL you deserve your ACTUAL, REAL DAD.
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“The victim’s passport and any pictures of him were burned up in the fire. Without knowing his real name, no divination seance could be performed.” 
So you’re telling me Jove brought every single glossy of himself into that blaze? And after the fire, nobody bothered checking the dental records on the corpse/asking where that neato musician from the other night went?
Once again, DDSOJ police, at their best. If there wasn’t a coverup involved, I’m gonna be pissed.
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( My real dad... I was never really interested in learning about him. )
While this is a totally understandable and natural reaction... I really wish–– Actually, no; it’s best Apollo never learned that he once had a father who actually gave a fuck about him. That’d probably break his heart.
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“As the son of the terrorist Dhurke, Nahyuta was expelled from the royal family.”
i.... why did Dhurke keep him in Koooraheen, anyway? He really couldn’t have sent him to a happier life in America with his half brother?
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huh i think that face-palm is a new expression for Vore Machine. he almost looks reasonable.
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“As his son, Yuty no doubt got the cold shoulder at every turn.”
amazing. not only was Apollo abandoned in America in some shit orphanage with zero contact from anything he knew as family, but Sadmad was forced to stay behind in a country that hated his guts. The perfect situation for both boys!!! No wonder they’re both so fucking grouchy all the time! Dhurke, you parental genius!
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“Dhurke’s the kinda guy who can become fast friends with just about anyone!”
guess that explains the fandom popularity 
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“Lol come over n play some jams bro”
“Ok dawg is it chill if i bring my kid my wifes uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
“Yeah its cool I'm great with kids”
“tight”
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“It’s like Dhurke’s done nothing but save me all my life” yeah... from messes he made.
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“Jangly Justice”
god. i want to root for Jove but like. He looks like a tool, he sounds like a tool, his stage name is the tooliest thing ive ever heard... 
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originally this section was me ranting about how Thalassa would never have just ‘stopped looking for Apollo’ when she heard that Jove perished in the flames, since Apollo’s corpse was never found and the rebels were out looking for her to give him to her– but instead I’m just gonna leave you with ‘that excuse is mad weak and the writers need to try harder.’
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“You should try on the jacket, Apollo!”
“Yeah, yeah!”
Look, I can excuse Athena, because she doesn’t know. But Datz knows its mold infested and disgusting. And he just finished talking about APollo’s tragic past. What the everloving fuck is up with this sicko?!
Also Athena, you can’t laugh at him wearing an eyepatch when he just got done wearing one all last year. 
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“I’d recognize those horns anywhere!”
“Is that really the only way anyone recognizes me?”
cue Phoenix harrumphing from the corner and brushing his spikes
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yknow maybe ive mentioned this before but why /hasn’t/ the queen found the safe house? It’s Dhurke’s old law office; that’d be like, the first place I’d check. Its like wondering if Dumbledore’s Army is based in Hogwarts.
I mean I guess you could say the Queen assumes theyre not stupid enough to hide in their old main haunt but... they’re stupid. they’re really, really stupid. it’s been proven like 800 times.
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so we just had a ladder convo about lizards?
also what do you mean geckos like to live in houses? i thought they just climbed around outside them. aLSO WHY ARE THEY EATING THEM 
... I appreciate that it ended in a Bugs Bunny Switcharoo though.
...And Phoenix ends it with “theyre just a plain old lizard”
I guess Phoenix doesn’t know flowers or lizards. 
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i really don’t know why none of the revolutionaries think sadmad’s playing the long con. they’ve all just completely given up on him. what if he was pulling a snape??? they talk about trust and shit and yet none of them trust their own leader’s son? shameful.
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“It seems like Gar’an has some serious leverage over him”
okay, they suspect he’s being controlled with some kind of blackmail... and yet do nothing to help him? they’re dumb enough to risk their lives doing something like that, but not compassionate or caring enough?? to their leader’s son???? what the fuck??????
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aww i missed Beh’leeb. I hope she and her (born/ unborn? cannot tell if she’s pregnant or not) kid are doing ok.
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“So she’s trying to help the revolution along... in her own special way!”
that sounds enormously patronizing phoenix, shut up. she’s pregnant and she has to deal with fucks like Datz running around blowing off firecrackers at government officials.
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...youre giving the orb to datz.
ill eat my hat if nothing happens to it.
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“We’ll attract undue attention if we go in too large a group”
oh also because youre dressed like baby’s first paint set but
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“AAAH!!”
“Do you know something about this?” “Nope! Just felt like shouting is all.”
yes, this is definitely the guy who should hold onto the orb for you. also i presented the attorneys badge. guess he has nothing to say about apollo’s proof of profession, eh?
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“Yeah... You’d think Nahyuta might’ve cut his old man some slack, but no.” Dhurke you thick son of a bitch
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wow. one single flashback occurrence where Dhurke wasn’t a dick. Well, 1/1000 ain’t too shabby...
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“What? You came to visit me and you didn’t even bring me a present?”
What, like your plate of ‘my son is NOT a failure” sushi, Dhurke ?
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“But I’m not a rebel.”
“Don’t be ridiculous– You’re a member of the defiant dragons simply by being my son.”
HE’S NOT YOUR SON YOU FUCK
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If you present him your attorneys badge he jokes about dying happy and apollo makes it explicit that he means via execution 
dhurke. that means apollo would die too. stop fucking joking about him dying you prickwad.
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Apollo: Hey Dhurke know anything about this necklace
Dhurke: OOOAAHHH!!! OHHH!! AHHH!!!!
Apollo: So thats a... 
Dhurke: Hahahahah its a no son give it here
Apollo: Yeah ok i see nothing suspicious about that at all and i sure hope the secret behind it wasn’t important to this case or anything..........
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me: jeez i hope that stupid necklace was the last thing we had to present
phoenix, appearance from god knows where: hey maybe ask about the hostage
me: bless you baby. also i forgot you were here
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Phoenix: Sounds like the minister has someone you really care about, cause you totally obeyed everything he did.
i know what youre trying to excuse here SOJ staff but no, straight up lifting right out of JFA will never be ok.
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“Is there a new lady in your life?” “WHAT?! DONT BE RIDICULOUS SON!”
I’m gay now! Hahaha. But seriously. Nobody wants to date Dhurke.
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“Amara was the love of my life, but she’s gone now, and there will never be another.”
cue Dhurtz shippers furiously jamming their fingers in their ears and whistling 
wh
what the 
fuck is happening 
to his aRM
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“You tensed up” HIS BROKEN ARM STARTED VEINING SO HARD THAT IT SHOWED RIGHT THROUGH LIKE 2 LAYERS OF CLOTH
THATS SOME KRISTOPH DEVIL HAND SHIT RIGHT THERE
JESUS CHRI
oh there’s something hidden in there THANK GOD THAT SCAREDTHE FUCK OUTTA ME
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“Oh I see– so youre hiding a woman’s photo up your sleeve”
oh yeah, a 3D photo. that has bumpy bits. absolutely apollo.
“You don’t need to keep secrets like that from me– You’re an eligible bachelor now. But you’ll... introduce her to me at some point, right?”
this has that creepy ‘parent insists you have a crush on that one kid’ conversation vibe to it, especially since it’s not like Apollo ever had an attachment to Amara to make him see her as a mother; she was ‘dead’ before he could even walk.
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“Mon dieu! Are you into younger women, Dhurke?!”
Athena,,,,,,,, athena,,,, Apollo,,,,, he’s 
it’s 
oh never mind.
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“Heh heh. Dhurke, you old dog, you. You got yourself a younger lover.”
ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW WHAT, NO, NOT NEVER MIND. YOU HAVE A PHOTO OF AMARA. YOU KNOW WHAT AMARA LOOKS LIKE. YOU KNOW HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT DHURKE BECAUSE THERES NO WAY HE COULD JUST RANDOMLY CUT HIS HAIR AND THEN HAVE IT GROW BACK THAT FAST.
I KNOW YOU THINK SHE’S DEAD BUT AT LEAST FUCKING SAY YOU THINK IT’S HER TWIN SISTER YOU UTTER UTTER NUMBSKULLS
“This is Amara before she died. If you look closer, you’ll see that I was younger, too.”
“Hey. You’re right.”
“Aww, that’s no fun.”
MY ULCERS ARE NO FUN BUT GUESS WHAT NEITHER IS LIFE
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“Wait a second... Haven’t we seen this woman before?”
DAAAUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHH
GOOD FUCKING BALLS PLEASE PLEASE LET THEM BE TROLLING DEAR GOD AAHGGDFKAFAGF
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i really love that photo though. everything about it is generally just really nice.
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wait hang on. they. they just. they kept her around? after her fake assassination? they just–– WHERE YOU COULD GET A PHOTO OF HER?!
EXPLAIN–– THERE’D BETTER BE A GOOD EXPLAIN
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“She was confined within the grounds, but she was fit as a fiddle.”
Ga’ran. Ga’ran. Ga’ran. You stupid, stupid, stupid bitch.
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“She was being held under virtual house arrest, so I freed her, and we made a run for it.”
“Of course, we didn’t just proclaim it to the people so that they’d realize Ga’ran was a dirty bitch; that would have been way too easy hahaha.”
Ohhh I see. They didn’t know Ga’ran was the one who did it. Except Ga’ran was the one who kept her under house arrest and faked her death so... It’s pretty obviously her? Amara would know that by putting 2 and 2 together? But no... Apparently Amara was suspicious enough to suspect Dhurke of being the arsonist like Ga’ran said, but brave enough to ‘accompany him so she could ascertain the truth for herself.’
hey remember when i said brave. i meant stupid. she was stupid enough to go with someone she thought might have tried to kill her, completely unsupervised. though i guess you'd have to be that dumb to actually fall in love with Dhurke in the first place.
AH, and she was immediately recaptured. Because Dhurke sucks. 
Waaaaait wait wait. How long and when did he ‘rescue’ her? The incident was 23 years ago, but Rayfa is 14– and Amara would need the usual 9 months to gestate– plus, the room she’s holding Rayfa in has the Defiant Dragons handbook in there, so it’s probably someplace of Dhurke’s–– 
Meaning there was a nine year gap but they still didn’t show her to the general public to depose gar– AGHHH. ITS ALL TERRIBLE!!!
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“Apollo. We need to grill the queen about Amara when we have the chance.”
Hobo Nick’s ghost: Hey uhh me, that might get you uhhhhh murdered i thought we got over that after von karma tasered the shit out of u––
SOJ Nick: DOOOOHHOOOHOO I LIKE SOLVING MYSTERIESSS
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Apollo: hey maybe the baby Amara’s holding is me. 
Athena: Nah it’s too cute to be you.
Apollo: ....i just want to have proof that I’ve known the loving touch of a mother at least ONCE ATHENA OKAY???
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“Hm? Oh... well, either way, it’s not you, son.”
yeah fuck you apollo the Sadmahdis only love their REAL children
also its Rayfa. it was in the safe next to Rafya’s letter; Rayfa basically identified it as herself when she saw it, it’s Rayfa.
Apollo: wow youre sure acting vague and suspicious about this; guess i’ll just accept it for what it is.
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Dhurke: [tells apollo’s he's going to die and leave him fatherless again]
Apollo: [immediately assumes its another of Dhurke’s jokes because Dhurke’s jokes are horrible and always at Apollo’s expense]
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phoenix: ...are you sick?
NICK
OH MY GOD 
i shriek laughed 
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Apollo: [clearly emotionally distraught] 
Dhurke: [continues to dance around the issue, thus prolonging Apollo’s suffering]
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(Why is this happening now? Just when I was finally starting to feel like you really are my...)
HE DOESN’T DESERVE YOU, APOLLO
GET OUTTA THERE
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So far Apollo hasn't said “i’m gonna do x and x and x, or die trying!” and honestly i know it’s a bit on the nose but it’s more true for this situation than any other ones it’s usually said in.
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Dhurke: I’ve got a big secret
Apollo: You’ve been hiding something *ELSE* from me?
Dhurke: I’m afraid I can’t tell you what it is. I’d be betraying a certain someone if I did.
WHY DID HE EVEN BRING IT UP THEN!? WHY IS DHURKE JUST THE FUCKING WORST?!!!
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“You’ll discover a truth that is hard to accept. But I know you. And I know you can handle the truth, no matter what it turns out to be.”
After all, you’re super great at accepting all the misfortune my existence has heaped upon you! Hahaha!!!
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“Apollo... Are you okay?”
“...I’m fine.”
they ask you how you are, and you just have to say that you’re fine, when you’re not really fine, but you just can’t get into it b
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h e r e   c o m e   t h e   r e b e l s
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and once again you have to manually move there. 
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action bomb over here from Vore Machine 
also beh’leeb sweety youre doing amazing
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“Dhurke belongs to the people!! Give him back!!!”
he what now
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(sigh)
..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................hi.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................sadmad...............................................................................................................................................................................
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“They’ll be arrested? Just for protesting?!”
Apollo... you live in the real world, r–– oh well technically he doesn't hm
that point’s moot
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“They are aiding and abetting a criminal by seeking his release”
uh pretty sure that’s BS yut
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“Her Eminence, Queen Ga’ran, has ordered they be arrested and judged en-masse”
ok im fucking 
im 
I'm wheezing so bad not ONLY do we have to save a revolution and Dhurke the rebel leader, but we are now about to defend most of the population of an entire country at once. Stakes RAISED bro
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good fucking lord apollo stop being all “weren’t you a defiant dragon once?!wehh!!”
even Phoenix, with his Edgeworth obsession, didn’t really question it when Edgeworth was being his shithead prosecutor self.
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Nahyuta: Sigh. Guess I can’t escape you. I mean I could use my magic beads to tie you up and then prance off but i have a plot to advance.
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“Enough with the zen monk act, Nahyuta– Tell me how you really feel!”
Damnit, Sadmad, it’s not like we have someone who can read emotions by listening to-– oh yeah.
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“She’s being held in secret where nobody is allowed to see her.”
second time’s the charm!
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Apollo, simply bringing up the reason he’s doing what he’s doing won’t get him to stop. Remember the Phoenix and Maya situation? Until you can guarantee her safety, Sadmad’s just going to keep steam rolling along.
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OH FINALLY 
ok athena dish the dirt
alright, here we go, folks. time for Nick to get all their asses killed. i mean just listen to that ominous music :/
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i love her laugh sprite. 
“a lawyer AND  a comedian, HOW DROLL”
the royal guards weird me out a bit though. its those masks. I'm getting high lady gaga gives 
lady gagaran
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Apollo: better give her evidence to burn–– i mean, jog her memory with some evidence.
Ghost of hobo nick: future me!! stop this!! don’t you remember what always used to happen?!
SOJ Phoenix: DOOOHOOOHOOO WE GOT HER NOW, APOLLO! 
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...........that worked
....no it didn’t. just spring you damn trap already, gagaran.
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Apollo: Hm better not tell the people, that could stir up the revolution and actually make it happen. Especially since there might be REAL terrorists hiding out there, just waiting until someone goes, “Hey, that dead queen isn’t really dead!!”
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lol
something went wrong?? no way
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“Eeeek! Apollo! Don’t strip here!!!”
why is athena such a ditz in this case???
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I HEARD A BELT 
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wow. apollo’s ass canonically bared in AA6
klavier gavin cries a million miles away
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“HE WASN’T HIDING THE BULKY ASS ORB IN HIS CLOTHING, YOUR EMINENCE”
“damn i really thought he was hiding it in his skintight pants and vest. also ignore the other two, they couldn’t possibly have it.”
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oh lord pls don’t hurt rayfa
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“Your mind has been poisoned by the barbed one.”
“It was an honour and pleasure, your eminence”
phoenix i know that was highly badass and all but youre literally sitting pretty to be executed 
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“”””discipline””””
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“Well, Apollo, let’s head back to the safe house for now.” 
yes, just in case any spies follow us! so that the queen can get her hands on the orb that much fast!!
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oh hi edgeworht, youre in this game
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WOO YOU TELL’EM EDGEY
DOWN WITH PLUMED PUNISHER!! DOWN WITH PLUMED PUNISHER!! DOWN WITH PLUMED PUNISHER!!
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“Moving along to things that actually matter...”
it’s true, but he shouldn’t say it
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“Yeah, it’s like the more we learn about this case, the less we understand.”
just like me and this game’s writing process
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“A trial without evidence...”
there’s evidence, you wankers, what do you think that photo of amara, the old case files and the necklace are????
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“Athena, you’re too young and extra to die. Sit this trial out so we can save on sprite space.”
“Gotcha, chief.”
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“Plus, there’s prosecutor Blackquill to think of. he said he’d use me for sword practice if he put you in harms way.”
Yeah, if Athena dies, who’ll his new punching bag be??? don’t think i haven’t forgotten story teller. i will not forget. i will not forgive.
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“Remember; the worst of times are when lawyers have to force their biggest smiles.”
ugh, finally it’s used semi right. 
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And so, we come to the end of another frustrating chapter. It’s finally time to move on to the final trial. I’m actually kind of curious to find out how everything went down– though something tells me my suffering won’t end when i do. 
Welp, friends –  till next time. The final hurdle is at hand. Or at least, part one of it.
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