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luoqiu2023 · 5 months

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「Forest whispers」

（Ⅰ）

The nightmare has finally come to an end, as you slowly open your eyes

It's strange that you feel like you're still alive, and then carefully try to move your limbs, feeling like your hands and feet are still there. Support your body with your arms and then sit up.

The dizziness in your brain makes it difficult for you to fully wake up for a long period of time. You curl up your body, bury your head, and after a while, lift your head up.

You look at the hazy sky outside the cave entrance. Last night's blizzard ended at some point, and cold light shone into the dimly lit cave. The snow outside seems to have submerged your thighs.

Build a bonfire around oneself, and the faint sparks burning on it indicate that the fire has just extinguished.

Who can save themselves from a pack of wolves?

You touch the cloth tied to your head, trying to recall memories from before falling into a coma, recalling that besides yourself, your head was hit by a stone as you rolled down the slope.

You didn't expect someone to be in the forest, but when you think about him saving you, your heart is very grateful to him. You don't know when that person will come back. During this period, you sit quietly on the ground waiting.

Not long after, you seemed to remember something. You reached out and touched the inner layer of your jacket, realizing that the book was still there. You immediately patted your chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

Wait a moment

You stop and stiffly raise your hand to touch your neck. The empty neck makes you realize that the pendant your father left for you is missing.

This kind of premonition is not good. You woke up in a hurry, but your eyes immediately turned black and your body tilted backwards.

You quickly covered your head, took a few steps back, leaned against the stone wall behind you, and barely stabilized your body. Wait until the nausea in your throat gradually subsides, then slowly open your eyes.

I don't know if it's because you haven't eaten for a long time, which makes your stomach very uncomfortable.

Take a deep breath, lift your head, and slowly let out a sigh. Hot air quickly dissipates in cold air. When you were thinking about going out to find something and starving to death on the road, a loud noise came from the entrance of the cave. You look over as soon as you hear the commotion.

A shadow landed steadily on the open space outside the cave entrance, and you were stunned at the sight.

An eagle

It has snow-white feathers and brown tail wings, larger than a typical eagle, and golden pupils.

At this moment, he came here holding the wild rabbit he had hunted, and you could even see the rabbit dripping blood.

When he approached, he noticed that you were awake. In his eyes, you seem very scared now, standing on the wall behind him, vigilantly staring at yourself. He stopped moving forward.

"..."

Seeing him not moving, you swallowed your saliva. You are not foolish. You know this is a carnivorous animal, and the Swiss knife that Uncle gave is also missing. Now you have nothing to defend against. Observing his physique, you nervously bit his slightly cracked lips, imagining an opportunity to escape from here.

Did he occupy his lair himself? No, shouldn't birds build nests on trees or cliffs.

He seems to be carrying prey, will he let himself go?

Thinking of this, you cautiously leaned against the wall, trying to bypass him and leave the cave.

You gently move your body, even your breathing becomes careful, trying to avoid disturbing the animals in front of you as much as possible.

As you were about to leave here, a crisp voice caught your attention.

You see something falling next to the eagle's claws. Upon careful observation, you will find that the thing emitting faint green fluorescence is the pendant you lost. The eagle just turned its head slightly to stare at you, and you broke out in a cold sweat, wanting to know why this animal had such a strange look.

You hesitated for a moment and didn't understand why your thing was on an animal. You looked outside and then glanced at the pendant. The temperature in the air seems to have significantly decreased, so cold that it makes people shiver.

The situation was deadlocked for a long time, and in the end, you were defeated.

Anyway, there is also danger when you go out. If this guy really wants his own life, he can't be so quiet there. You gritted your teeth and decided to sit against the wall and gamble.

As expected, after sitting down, the eagle did nothing to you. He takes the prey to a corner, including your pendant.

Seeing him biting prey with his sharp eagle claws and beak, you curled up silently in the corner, imagining what it would look like if that claw landed on you, and whether you would die like that wild rabbit.

At the same time, you are also wondering why the person who saved you before did not appear.

In no time, you could smell the pungent and bloody smell, and your stomach suddenly felt even more uncomfortable. You frowned and covered your nose, trying to avoid the unpleasant smell as much as possible.

You must be very timid now.

When you were wondering if you were about to meet your parents later, suddenly a bloody, skinned rabbit meat was thrown in front of you, and the eagle came over at an unknown time.

Your gaze froze between the eagle and the flesh for a second, stomach nausea accompanied by colic stimulating the nerves. In the end, you couldn't help it anymore. You covered your mouth and stood up, ignoring the eagle in front of you as it crossed over him. You stumbled away from the entrance of the cave and found a tree, holding onto the trunk to retch.

Your stomach is in turmoil, and the acid in your stomach is burning and painful through your esophagus. However, you can't vomit anything and feel uncomfortable, tears streaming down your face.

Finally, the nausea subsided, and your brain became even heavier, as if it had been filled with lead. You slowly stood up while holding onto the tree trunk, but before taking two steps, your feet softened and fell into the snow.

You saw the eagle flying towards here and landing in front of you. You closed your eyes until you felt the beak gently pushing your head, and then you opened your eyes to look over.

In an instant, those beautiful and collapsing memories flickered before your eyes, tears filling your eyes and a weak voice coming from your sore throat.

"I'm so tired..."

You gave up, your doubts about yourself finally defeated persistence. Thinking back on your previous efforts, you feel that everything you have done is actually in vain.

The animal in front of you seems to be able to understand and stops moving, standing straight in front of you and looking down at you. Its eyes seem to be examining and observing. At this moment, you feel so small.

You close your eyes again and accept everything, quietly waiting for the arrival of death

The anticipated pain did not come, you only felt as if something was placed in your palm.

You lift your hand, and when you see what's on your hand, your heart hurts like being cut by a blunt knife, and the things in front of you become blurry again.

You silently raised your arms to cover your eyes, bit your lips hard, and the smell of rust spread in your mouth. Your sobs were suppressed in your lungs, and it took you a long time to struggle out of the choking.

"... I'm sorry... Dad... I'm really... I'm so useless..."

Your small body trembled and twitched in the snow, and finally, you clenched onto the pendant and cried loudly. The pent up grievances and inferiority complex finally came out.

——————————————————

(‖)

Alta ï r quietly looks at you

And you lay helpless in the snow and cried for a long time, speaking many words intermittently in your crying.

You have belittled yourself to be worthless, described yourself as a blindly confident person, and said that you stubbornly pursue what you want without considering the consequences. Now, do you doubt that everything you do is right?

If you hadn't come here, perhaps you would have lived a normal life, at least not in a state of hunger and cold.

But if you want to find the thing mentioned in your notes, what would make your father go all out to find it.

You don't understand why that thing could make the father abandon his life like this, disregarding his mother and himself.

Alta ï r, listening to your description, doesn't actually feel that you're not as foolish as you described yourself. On the contrary, he thinks that you actually have more courage and rationality than many guys, and you just lack experience.

All living beings always come to a standstill in the face of the unknown, but as long as desire can cover fear, they will move forward regardless of everything. At that time, how much more can they discern right from wrong in their choices?

He knows the truth you don't know, but he doesn't intend to let you know. Alta ï r has roughly understood your purpose, as your father guessed, you will come here because of him.

So, will you give up on yourself? Will we continue to move forward for the so-called truth.

This makes Alta ï r curious, he wants to see how this weak human will make choices when facing adversity, and will you lose yourself in the forest?

The blizzard has temporarily stopped, as if giving you a chance to catch your breath, but the sunlight hidden by the black clouds does not shine on you.

You may be tired from crying and your voice gradually decreases, eventually turning into a suction sound.

After a long period of sadness, you seem to have calmed down. Although your stomach is still uncomfortable and your head is heavy, you still try to sit up from the snow as much as possible.

The wind around is not strong, but it still hurts when it blows on your face. You wipe away the tears on your face and look at the pendant tightly held in your hand.

The transparent green crystal reflects light through your fingertips. You lower your head and hang the pendant around your neck again, turning your gaze to the animal that has been quietly beside you. You just stare at him like this.

Unlike the previously lifeless gaze, you are filled with new colors as if finding hope, and your green pupils are like the newly sprouted green buds of spring. Without the previous vigilance and defense, it feels like being certain that the beast in front of you will not harm you.

Alta ï r is not sure why you trusted him after crying a lot, but when you reached out and tried to touch yourself, he didn't dodge, and you only touched his feathers and withdrew your hand.

"Thank you..."

You thanked him, but your voice was very hoarse. You naturally didn't know that he saved you. You might be thanking him for not eating yourself, or maybe thanking someone else.

You have a vague guess that this raptor who did not attack you may be the animal hastily described in your father's notes, and he has indeed been by your side all this time.

You got up and walked towards the cave entrance, Alta ï r observed your back and found that you were a bit shaky as you walked.

Seeing that you are still very weak, he temporarily dispelled the idea of leaving for a while to find that guy, spread his wings and flew low to follow you back to the cave.

He landed to the side, and you looked at the small cave, surrounded by some dry branches and gravel. You picked up some dry branches from the ground and placed them on the burnt fire, squatting beside him, pulling out your clothes pocket, and finally found a flattened matchbox inside.

Some matches are damp, and some even break due to compression. You try your best to make them rub and ignite, but unfortunately it takes a few to ignite.

As you see the matchbox gradually bottoming out, you feel a bit flustered, even your hands trembling, holding your breath and swiping each match.

And Alta ï r is keeping a distance from you and observing your every move.

Finally, with a swipe, a small flame successfully burned in the air. Your eyes reflected the light of the fire, and you breathed a sigh of relief. The corners of your mouth slightly raised, and your furrowed eyebrows also relaxed.

Alta ï r pondered that although he has been with your father for a while and sometimes he can also transform into a human, it is because he can better communicate with humans or facilitate things that animals cannot do.

Human beings are able to make weapons with their nimble hands, and in this regard, Alta ï r has to admit that it is indeed very convenient.

At this moment, you don't know what the animals around you are thinking inside. Carefully protect the flame with your hands to prevent the wind from blowing out the hard won fire. You gently place it on a dry branch and watch as the tongue of the fire gradually devours it. The flame burns stronger and stronger, burning life to provide warmth.

With fire, your attention came to the piece of rabbit meat. Slowly, you approached and picked it up with your hand, flipping it over. You found that the fur and internal organs of the rabbit meat were treated very clean.

But you remained silent, taking your prey back to the fire, thrusting it through branches, and then grilling it on the fire.

You have the same green pupils as your father, very beautiful. Alta ï r noticed that there are actually many similarities between your father and daughter.

Especially under the firelight, your appearance with a faint smile

But your words are obviously not as much as your father's. He is simply a talkative person, but you are a very quiet little guy, and your thin face, even though you are wearing thick clothes, still cannot see how fat you are. Alta ï r has already imagined how thin and small you are.

Perhaps he has been staring at you for too long, and you feel something looking towards him.

The eagle in front of you turned its head away and stopped looking at you. You smiled at him, picked up the roasted rabbit meat for a while, and looked at it. It seemed like it had not been cooked yet, so you put it back.

Alta ï r clearly remembers that humans can eat raw meat? For example, her father, who once witnessed his father bite into flesh mixed with blood.

Okay, actually upon closer reflection, the expression on that guy's face when he was eating seemed not very good, and there was no fire to grill cooked meat at that time. Under extreme hunger, the raw and cooked meat seemed to be unimportant.

But Alta ï r knows that people are prone to freezing to death. They don't have wings to keep warm like themselves, nor do they have thick fur like other animals to isolate themselves from the cold.

So when you fainted, he specifically "greeted" the previous wolf pack in order to find the source of the fire, and obtained matches from them, but only a box with very few contents inside.

At that time, you couldn't be left alone for too long. Alta ï r had a good temper and didn't visit them again, just because the matches could burn.

The wolf pack is too chaotic now, and the new wolf king who leads them has not been selected yet, otherwise they wouldn't have run to his territory

It seems we need to find a time to visit that guy.

The meat tasted oily due to the high temperature of the fire, and the meat aroma gradually spread in the air. Perhaps because she wanted to be warmer, Alta ï r leaned closer to you.

You noticed his approach, moved aside to make room, and then tilted your head to look at him.

"Do you know my father?"

Your eyes were filled with anticipation, as if waiting for something, surrounded only by the sound of charcoal burning. Seeing no response from him, your gaze dimmed and you pulled the corners of your mouth with a somewhat self deprecating smile. You lowered your head and turned the stick in your hand, causing the meat to flip over.

"What am I doing now... haha..."

I was actually asking an animal that couldn't speak.

Alta ï r actually doesn't intend to become a human and communicate with you. Firstly, it's unnecessary, and secondly, doing so may scare you.

Just as he was thinking about whether to respond to you in any other way, he felt a gentle touch.

You don't know when you reached out to touch him.

This action almost made Alta ï r spread her wings and want to dodge, the last brave human

Okay, that human is your father... of course, he won't peck at you with his sharp beak like he did to your father.

The eagle in front of you did not dodge, but you could feel his body stiffening by touching it.

But you didn't stop the movement in your hands, very gently touching the tail wing from the back of your neck along the feather, and repeating this action continuously.

Finally, Alta ï r couldn't bear your touch like this and jumped aside, wanting to stay away from you. If it were another human, he would have bitten that guy's hand with his beak long ago.

Your courage also grew stronger, reaching out to him again and seeing Alta ï r repeatedly retreat, you were amused by his action and laughed heartlessly.

"You are much scarier than me, why are you still afraid that I won't succeed?"

After finishing speaking, you withdrew your hand and lifted the rabbit meat again to take a look. The outer skin of the meat was burnt yellow, and it smelled okay. It looked like it had already been roasted.

Just you're not sure if your stomach will completely waste after eating

You glanced at the beast far away from you and thought for a moment.

"Do you want to eat it?"

"..."

"Okay, it seems you don't need it."

After speaking, you silently lowered your head to eat. Alta ï r felt a bit helpless. He wasn't hungry, and if he was, he would go hunting on his own.

You chew your food, even though it has no taste or even a bloody smell, but you know you must finish it because you want to survive.

Work hard to survive until you find that wooden house or step out of the forest.

You still have friends outside the forest waiting for you to appear in front of them, right?

Thinking about it, a tear fell from your eye socket, you silently rubbed it off with the back of your hand, and then pretended to eat as if nothing had happened.

You feel very uncomfortable

The eagle not far away keenly perceives your emotions and sees your small movements.

But whether it's at the beginning of the meeting or before the crying, you seem to have been trying to cover up your sadness as much as possible, only revealing it when your emotions collapse.

This reminds Alta ï r of your father, who always looks playful but keeps everything hidden in his heart. He once promised this human request that if he encounters his child, he must take good care of her.

He has always kept his promise... including the time he promised to detonate the explosives... and only he knows about it.

However, recalling the scene of meeting this child, I didn't expect her to be so embarrassed.

If he hadn't found that pendant, you might have died in that blizzard, and he would never be able to fulfill that promise.

He will fulfill his promise, but whether you are qualified to stay here still depends on yourself.

I hope you don't disappoint him

————————————————————

(Ⅲ)

Jim lay tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. Looking at the skylight in front of him, his eyes widened. The window was covered in thick white snow, and Jim remembered that when it wasn't snowing, he could see the brilliant starry sky through the glass.

But a blizzard came, and the window was covered in snow. He couldn't see the so-called stars, just like he didn't know what the girl was doing under the heavy snow.

Although we haven't been together for a long time, he is very worried about your current situation. It's hard to imagine what difficulties such a thin and inexperienced girl will encounter and whether her life will be in danger.

After much thought, Jim still got up and got off the bed.

He plans to go to the edge of the forest to see

After putting on his clothes, he gently opened the room door and tiptoed downstairs. Through the window on the first floor, he could see that the snow outside had decreased slightly, and a cold light appeared on the horizon.

He picked up the key from the table and walked towards the door.

"Jim, where are you going?"

The familiar sound behind him startled Jim, and he slowly turned around. In the darkness, his father stood behind him at some point.

"Father... I..."

Jim, feeling guilty, hid the key in his hand behind him and tried to pull it away with a broken lie in front of his serious father.

Before he could even think of an excuse, his father had already taken the key behind him and opened the door. The cold wind outside blew in through the crack in the door, while his father only glanced at him.

"Follow up, go together."

At this moment, Jim realized that his father was already dressed for going out. He instantly understood his father's meaning and nodded excitedly to follow him.

————————————————————

The cold wind outside is still chilly, and the snow always covers you like a little snowman in no time. You struggle to walk in the snow, but suddenly your feet slip and lie on the thick snow. You slowly get up and look up at the eagle standing on a branch not far away.

The eagle was fixed there watching you, with a faded red ribbon tied to his feet. The touch of red fluttered with the cold wind in a white world, especially dazzling.

You gritted your teeth and stood up, walking towards the only red color.

No matter what lies ahead, you think, what could be worse than death? You have already lost enough.

#assassin’s creed x oc

2 notes · View notes

amarimaryllis · 3 years

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The Sun’s Incarnation (Ushijima x Reader)

Pairing: Ushijima/Reader

Prompt/Summary: The love between the two of you was not meant for this lifetime. Alternatively, Ushijima is a demon slayer, and you’re the unlucky demon that fell in love with him.

Tags: Angst, Demon Slayer AU, Reincarnation AU

Note: I used she/her pronouns for the reader

Warnings: Angst, Death, Mild Violence

The shop was always empty in the dead hours of the night. You couldn’t blame the people for being absent during those hours. The cold air bites at the skin of those who dare walk out, and the moon barely gives any guiding light for those who dare stumble out in the dark. It was better for you that way. Having no customers to serve meant that you could just sit in one spot, and you’d still get paid. It also meant the hunger that swirled in your stomach would not tempt you to sink your teeth into the flesh of the unlucky soul that dared to cross the path of a starving demon.

It gets monotonous with the lack of life in the restaurant, but monotony is a grim reality that came with being immortal. You’ve grown accustomed to the emptiness that settles itself in the confines of your chest, and you’ve tried all that you can to fill that void, but nothing ever really worked. Maybe this was the price of power, but even then, no power on earth could rival the dreadful feeling of loneliness.

You’re disturbed from your thoughts when the door slides open, a tall figure appearing from the freezing darkness that hugged around the restaurant’s warm light. A gust of cold wind comes from the open door, and if you were human, you might’ve shivered from the autumn wind.

“Welcome to Sakanoshita.” You greet with a smile as you try to hide your annoyance. You guess that there were still humans out there who did not value their life, and this man was solid evidence of that. What kind of idiot would walk around in the cold in a town rumored to be infested with evil spirits?

Your question is answered when the door closes and the man turns to look at you,

“I seek shelter from the cold,” He states with an air of confidence that didn’t match his fatigued figure,” And a warm bowl of noodles, if it’s not too much to ask.”

You would’ve rolled your eyes and told him that restaurants usually were meant to serve food so asking for a bowl of noodles is not too much to ask as long as you pay, but the fear that clawed at your mind stopped you from doing so. His clothes were a dead giveaway of what he was. His maroon haori, his dark uniform, and the blade perched at his hip were enough to make you feel threatened. Only a demon slayer could awaken the instinctive fear that lies within you.“Would any noodle do?”

“As long as it’s warm.” The tall man replies as he sits on one of the tables, the one closest to your booth.

“It’ll probably take some time.” You warn even if you know that you could easily whip up some noodles in a short time. You were doing all that you can to rid yourself of the demon slayer’s presence.

“Take as much time as you need.” The man waves off your fraudulent worries before he relaxes into the chair that seems to be too small for his large frame. “I am in no rush.”

“I’ll go ahead then.” You smile tightly before going to the back to prepare some noodles.

You could feel your fear grow with each step you took away from the man’s presence. You had no qualms about having to defend yourself from him, should he attack, but there’s always that part of you that worries. It was also unnerving how he barely gave you a glance. The tired man seemed to be too absorbed in his fatigue to second-guess your true nature. Perhaps he knew what you were, and he was just toying with you, lulling you into a false state of comfort before he slashes his blade through your neck in one clean swipe.

He did not.

Once the man got his noodles that took you almost an eternity to prepare, he ate it up like it was his first meal in a long time before he stood up, paid for more than what the noodles cost, and disappeared into the shadows of the unforgiving night.

You pray it was the last time you encounter the mysterious slayer. Funny how faithless creatures call on the power of the very gods that have forsaken them when placed in danger’s way. You would think the power that coursed through your veins would set you in a high free of worries, unyielding and arrogant in facing any creature that dared breathe in your direction. However, you should’ve known that anyone who dares defy the power of the heavens will soon meet their match.

The gods reject your prayer, or maybe it never even reached them. The prayers of sinners remain flightless and bound to earth, whispered into the sky only for darkness and oblivion to consume it. Whichever it was, it didn’t matter because a week passed, and the mysterious slayer reappears.

You set a bowl of soup in front of the man and he thanks you. You acknowledge him with a nod before you walk back to your booth. This was the part you hated most: sitting on a chair and wondering if the man was going to figure out what you were. He seemed pretty dense for a man meant to kill such elusive creatures.

“Why do you only work at night?” The mysterious man asks before he takes a sip of water.

You could feel the fear in you growing stronger. Had he figured it out? “How are you so sure I only work at night?”

“I drop by here in the mornings.” The man looks at you, his gaze not giving away any of his thoughts. “I never see you.”

“Why? Are you looking for me?” You attempt to fluster the man, maybe that would shut him up and veer his thoughts away from suspecting you. “After all, you won’t really notice my absence if you don’t seek out my presence.”

“I am.” The man admits, and your attempts on flustering him seem to backfire because now you’re the one who’s flustered, but at the same time afraid, as strange as it sounds. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

You give him the same answer you give to those who get the opportunity to ask. “Working at night pays more, and I have to do less because of the lack of customers.”

You motion to the empty seats surrounding the two of you. “You’re the only one who dares to walk through the dark streets of a town rumored to be infested with evil spirits.”

“I am armed.” The man pats the sword on his hip. “And I’m sure it’s not the spirits that will harm people like you and me.”

“Oh?” At this point, you were playing with fire. However, the monotony of immortality is slowly eating away at the rational part of your brain. The desire to feel something more than just emptiness was leading you to dangerous roads that most likely ended in blood and death. “Then what exactly will harm people like you and me?”

“Demons.” The man replies without a pause, his once dull eyes seeming to glow with a raging inferno of hatred and bloodlust. “Foul creatures that prey on vulnerable humans like you.”

“You speak as if you are not human.” You reply with a stable voice, but it’s taking all of your efforts not to run away.

“I am human, but I am not as weak as one.” The man’s unwavering confidence seeps into his words, and you’re almost tempted to rip him into shreds just to extinguish that flame in his eyes. However, you could tell that he meant every word, and he could easily prove himself if you attack. “However, you are. You shouldn’t be working this late at night. It’s dangerous for a woman, especially one unarmed.”

“So what if I am a woman?” You scoff. “I can still put up a fight.”

“I am not questioning your abilities.” The man replies. “I’m sure you can put up a fight, but you shouldn’t have to if you just put yourself out of danger.”

“Why are you so concerned?” You can’t help but scoff at the man. You just wanted to get this shift over with.

“There are demons lurking in this town.” The man replies, stoic and unyielding. “And I’d like to keep the deaths as low as possible.”

“How brave of you.” You resist the urge to roll your eyes. “Demons are but a tale to keep children in line.”

“I beg to differ.” The man replies. “Should a demon come your way, you’ll know just how horrible they are.”

You can feel your anger grow at his words.

“However, I’ll make sure I kill that demon before it lays a hand on any of the people in this town.”

“Do what you please.” You shrug. “By the way, I never got your name.”

“Why do you need my name?” The man questions, a brow raised questioningly.

“I’m going to gossip with a few ladies here and there about a man who goes to restaurants at the dead of the night and believes in demons.” You reply, sarcasm dripping off of every word.

“Ushijima Wakatoshi.” For the first time, you see the man smile.

Over the course of a few days, Ushijima’s late night visits become more frequent which led to you becoming more and more comfortable in his presence. His presence had breathed a fire into the cold emptiness that lay within your body, and you found yourself seeking his presence out more and more with each day that passes. Your relationship with the slayer was a friendship of sorts, a few conversations tossed around here and there before Ushijima departed into the night. However, that relationship took a turn during your weakest night.

The emptiness in your chest was not part of the promises that the demon offered you in your wintry deathbed. You should’ve known from the start that the price of rising from the ashes meant that nothing in this world could make you feel that burn again. The demon’s promises were as cold as the snow stained with your blood, if not colder, but you had deluded yourself into thinking that the promise of being reborn would breathe a new fire into you. Being placed at the brink of death had a funny way of clouding a person’s judgement.

It was at the moment, in the outskirts of the dark forest near the town, that Ushijima found you, mourning the death of your humanity and reminiscing the moments that led to it. The feelings had been bottled up for too long, and now the fragile glass that held you together was shattering violently. You were a shaking mess, tears staining your cheeks, blood coating your knuckles as you punched at the ground to feel something other than the void that was once your soul. Even then, the pain that throbbed through your knuckles wasn’t enough.

Ushijima pries you away from the ground and he pulls you to his chest. He doesn’t ask you to speak. He doesn’t ask you to do anything. He just lets you sob into his chest, cradling you in his arms as he runs his fingers through your hair in an attempt to comfort you. He wishes he could calm the storm within you, swipe a hand to alleviate the raging winds of sadness that stirs within you, raise a finger to silence the deafening thunder of regret that crashes within your soul, but could not. The gods despised creatures like you, and Ushijima realizes this as he watches the wounds on your knuckles heal at a speed foreign to the body of a mortal. Ushijima pretends to not see it as he removes his haori and drapes it across your trembling figure.

Ushijima brings you home, your meek voice guiding him as he carries you through the town. You did not have it within you to fight. You did not have it in you to think twice about the offer of being brought back home to the comfort of your bed that you did not even need. When you get there, Ushijima sets you down gently on your futon before sitting across from you, an arm’s distance away.

“I’m sorry for the trouble.” You whisper as you lean against the wall and hug your legs to your chest in an attempt to feel safer. You grip at Ushijima’s haori, pulling it tighter around you. A small voice in your head tells you to wonder about how many of your kind have stained the fabric with their blood, but you push it away because in this moment, nothing made you feel safer than the very thing that was meant to be a danger to your existence.

“Don’t apologize.” Ushijima is as straightforward as ever, and you’re not sure if the tears in your eyes are altering your vision, but you swear there’s a tenderness in his eyes that makes the unbeating muscle in your chest flutter. “Do you… Want to talk about it?”

You shake your head. You knew that if you spoke now, you’d let it all out. Something about Ushijima made you want to tell the truth, whether it was trust or foolishness, you did not want to find out. It almost makes you feel bad as you’re reminded of what Ushijima does as you look at the sheathed blade by his side, but you knew that you would feel worse if you had to die at his hands. You didn’t want to see the disgust that would take over his face if he found out that you were one of the very creatures that he swore to destroy. “Can you… stay?”

“If it’s alright with you.” Ushijima replies coolly, but the light blush dusting his cheeks gave away his feelings towards your proposition.

Silence hangs between the two of you like the wisteria that grows on the mountain. Its presence was overwhelming, and it displeased you greatly. You glance at Ushijima for a brief second before you just give it all up. Courtesy be damned, you were lonely and fate was dangling an opportunity not to be right in front of you.

“Ushi—“ Your attempt to call out for Ushijima dies in your throat halfway through. It was pathetic. You thought you were done mourning what has been long dead, but for some reason, without a trigger, without a warning, you’re back suffering through the same feelings again. It wasn’t fair.

Ushijima immediately scoots over to you before he guides you to lie down on the futon. He holds you close to his chest, his arms wrapping around your waist as you sob into the juncture of his neck and shoulder. “Sleep, it’ll help.”

You didn’t know which deity had gazed upon you and thought you deserved a semblance of mercy, but that night, sleep washes over your body as you surrender yourself completely in the demon slayer’s arms.

Ushijima awakens before you do. The sun was still out of sight, and you were still fast asleep. As much as he wanted to stay with you, he had a mission to fulfill in the other town. At least, that’s what he tells himself as he shuts your curtains tight to make sure that neither sunlight nor moonlight will filter through your windows. He knew it was wrong, whatever it was he felt about you. Fondness? Sympathy? Affection? Love? Whatever it was, he knew that he couldn’t feel that way towards you. He had sworn to kill your kind after all. However, for some reason, he can’t seem to do it with you. His hand remains far away from his blade, and the usual urge that Ushijima had to swipe a demon’s head clean off their neck was absent.

What the hell made you any different?

Ushijima shakes his head, hoping that the thoughts in his head would loosen its grip on his consciousness and fall out into the air and fade into the dark. It doesn’t work, but it doesn’t stop Ushijima from trying as he walks out of your house and into the blanket of the cold morning.

The next time you see Ushijima, he is draped in casual fabrics. His demon slayer uniform is out of sight and the sword perched at his hip is nowhere to be seen. In his hands, however, was a bouquet of gardenias.

“There’s a festival later.” Ushijima says with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, and you’re almost tempted to tease him for the blush dusting his skin and for the lack of his usual air of unwavering confidence. “I would like to go there with you.”

It’s your turn to be flustered, an unfamiliar heat creeping through your cheeks as Ushijima stretches out the bouquet of flowers to you.

“Gardenias?” You gently grab the flowers from Ushijima’s grip before you give him a teasing smile. “Not my favorite, but they’re pretty.”

Ushijima smiles at your teasing. He has been around you enough to know your little quirks. “The woman at the shop told me they were fitting.”

You don’t understand what Ushijima means, but you don’t bother questioning it. “So, shall we?”

Ushijima smiles as he holds out an arm for you to take.

The music from the band rings all the way to the quiet part of town. Each note thrums in the air and you can almost feel your heart beating in time with the faint boom of the drums. The night is filled with life, and for the first time in your immortal lifetime, you are reminded of the long-forgotten beauty of the things that live under the sun. Ushijima, whether he knew or not, had given you a piece of the life that you have long turned your back on, and in that moment, as you sit beside Ushijima in the grassy landscape, you almost wish you could stay until the sun rises on you again.

“What are we, Ushijima-san?” You whisper out, not wanting to disturb the serenity of the night. You fear that if you spoke louder than a whisper, the shadows would awaken and devour the life that floated through the midnight sky.

“I seek out your company even when I am with others.” Ushijima replies as you both continue to observe the town from a distance, the slowly dwindling orange lights made it look like the embers of a dying fire. “And I can only hope you feel the same.”

Monotony can make even the most simple things feel like a momentous event. Simple words spoken by a simple man, nonetheless, they succeed in making your insides flutter with a felicity unknown to your immortal personage. “And if I do?”

“Then perhaps I would ask if I could kiss you.” Ushijima turns to look at you with an unfamiliar glint in his eyes, swirling like liquid pools of gold under the glimmer of the moonlight.

You attempt to swallow your nerves as you turn to gaze at Ushijima who sits beside you. Your voice still comes out soft and unstable, however, there’s an undeniable certainty in the words that leave your lips. “And if I allow you to?”

Ushijima brings his face closer to yours until your noses are a hair’s breadth away, his warm breath dancing on your lips as he moves to engulf your cheeks in his large calloused hands. “Then I would be the happiest man alive.”

His lips, his hands, his body, everything about Ushijima Wakatoshi is warm. The way his mouth moves against yours feels like the fire you have long forgotten when you decided to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. It dances through your interlocked lips, like a mortal breathing in the sun as he offers a graceful dance to the god of fire. It burns you, his touch, but it makes you feel alive. As Ushijima wraps his arms around your waist, and as he pulls you into his sturdy chest, you forget.

You forget that the fire he breathes into the empty shell of your body is the very same fire that is meant to snuff out whatever light is left within you.

The last time you see Ushijima Wakatoshi, it’s in the forest of the other town.

A brother in need had sent a letter to your domicile, seeking your presence in the mountains that he dwelled in. Oikawa Tooru was the one who showed you how to live after you were reborn. Your creator could not, and so the brunette was the one to fill that spot in. You owed Oikawa your life, and although it was life you used to regret living, it was a life that had brought you to Ushijima

Oikawa had been told that a group of demon slayers were sent to his mountain, and he sought your help. Apparently, the Sun Breather was one of the slayers they had sent. It was alarming to any demon, powerful or not, because every single one of you feared the sun, and to face the man who breathes its rays is even more horrifying. No one knew what he looked like. No demon ever crossed his path and lived to tell the tale.

Oikawa was afraid, and he sought your company.

This leads to your current situation, lingering in the trees with Oikawa across from you as you listened to the growing sound of footfalls against the snow. The moon is nowhere to be seen, and you can only hope that the shadows are enough to conceal you.

“Come out demon, you have nowhere to run.” The familiar voice makes you freeze in your position up in the trees. “There’s no use hiding when I’m going to kill you anyway--”

Oikawa dodges in time, and he hops to the next tree. Another slayer had attempted to kill him from the back.

You, however, are not as lucky as Oikawa is.

A slayer comes up from behind you and manages to slash through your arm. You fall onto the ground, bleeding profusely out into the cold snow, and it almost feels like you’re back at your deathbed.

You don’t lift your head, you didn’t want to see the look on Ushijima’s face when he confirms that it is actually you. You’ve tried so hard to conceal who you are in order to lengthen whatever time you had with the man, and you were not ready to lose him just yet.

“So you’re the Sun Breather.” Oikawa stands protectively over you. “I should have known.”

“Oikawa.” Ushijima nods in acknowledgement as the other slayers appear behind him, including the one who had slashed through your arm. “I never thought you would end up becoming one of them. You were a promising slayer after all.”

Oikawa laughs as he nudges at you with his foot, a silent plea for you to start running. “You brought quite a lot of slayers, I’m flattered.”

“And it seems you’ve brought a friend as well.” Ushijima turns to look at you, taking your figure in properly before he freezes. It couldn’t be, right? The owner of Sakanoshita said you were visiting a friend in another town. Ushijima clears his thoughts, and he hopes he is wrong. However, no matter how much he pretends not to see, he can’t deny the familiar figure. He had been around you enough to know you by the lingering traces of your presence.

“I’m giving you the chance to walk away, Sun Breather.” Oikawa hisses as he pulls you to stand up.

You cover your face with your hair, ignoring the world around you as you focused on mending the wound left by the slayer’s blade.

“Unfortunately, I cannot do the same for you.” Ushijima draws out his blade.

And with that, you and Oikawa break out into a run.

The snow is cold against your feet, you don’t feel it, but you remember the feeling very well. If there’s one thing from your past that you remember, it’s the feeling of the unforgiving cold that nips at your skin, eating away at your warmth until there’s nothing left in you but the raging winds of winter.

You can hear the footsteps, the crunch of the snow under the weight of the slayers that are sprinting to catch up with the two of you. There’s an undeniable fear clawing at your chest, devouring all rational thought and cultivating the demonic instincts that you wished you could destroy.

But alas, the consequence of power is beginning to catch up, and the gods have grown tired of your defiance. Death would not let you escape this time around. You have defied the heavens once, and those proud creatures would not let you disobey them again.

Oikawa stumbles as a slayer cuts him down, and he screams. He shouts at you to continue running, to not look back, and to save yourself from the fate that he knew he was about to suffer.

You can hear the sickly sound of the blade meeting skin, and you run. You run as fast as you can, as far as you can from the snowy mountain stained with the blood of the man you once called brother. Fear courses through your veins and you can only hope that none of them catch up to you.

And if ever they do, you pray that it wasn’t Ushijima to do so.

You are brutally reminded that the gods have no need for your prayers. They did not need the worship of a faithless creature. You trip over a branch concealed in the snow, and you’re sent rolling down a steep incline. The rocks dig into your body as you crash down into a snowy part of the mountain that overlooks the town. Crimson bleeds through the fabric that hugs your figure, and your blood stains the pristine snow.

You hear footstep as you lie defeated on the ground, and you shut your eyes as you surrender your fate to whichever slayer has found you. Redemption does not exist for beings like you. Only death can forgive you for defying it. There is no atonement for a sinner who does not accept their fate.

“Why are you giving up?”

You breathe out a chuckle. The gods really were cruel, of all that they could send to kill you, they sent the one that made you feel alive.

It was poetic, in a way. The man who breathed life into you would be the one to take it.

“It is my fate to die either way.” You mumble out as you trace the skies with your eyes, surrendering to its vastness. “Running away will only prolong my agony.”

“If someone else found you,” Ushijima kneels beside you, hand far away from the hilt of his blade. “Would you have given up this quick?”

“If someone else had found me,” You can feel a tear escape your eye. “I would’ve been long dead.”

“So you’re just going to die,” Ushijima lies down beside you, and you wonder if he can feel just how cold it was. You doubted that though, the man was practically an incarnation of the sun. Even the winter in your body died when brought close to his warmth. “Do you not care about what would happen to me?”

“You would not care.” You mumble out, your throat tightening and your head throbbing with the urge to sob. “I would’ve been just another demon dead.”

“But I would.” Ushijima sits up and brings you with him, gripping your arms as he looks into your eyes. This was the first time you’ve looked at him since the start of the chaos in this mountain. “I’ve always known. Ever since that time at the mountain, I knew.”

“Then why did you stay?” You could feel the tears flowing freely. You gripped at his haori, clenching your fingers tightly as your chest did. “Why didn’t you kill me? Why did you have to make me long for a life I cannot have? Why did you give me a taste of the sun when you knew it would kill me?”

Ushijima doesn’t speak as he wraps his arms around your sobbing form.

“Pathetic, don’t you think?” The laugh that escapes you is laced with bitterness. “I’m a fool for falling in love with someone I’m meant to resent.”

A chuckle rumbles through Ushijima’s chest and you wonder if he has gone mad. His grip tightens around you as he presses a kiss at the crown of your head. “Then I guess we are both fools.”

Hours pass and you are both silent, no one speaks, just having the other is enough. You listen to the beating of Ushijima’s heart, the sound lulling you into a state of calm that you haven’t felt in a while. For a moment, you both lose your identity. He is not the man who breathes the sun, and you are not the demon that brings death upon mankind. There was nothing in that moment that grounded you to the harsh reality of the world you lived in.

“Wakatoshi,” His name feels like a prayer as it falls from your lips. “I want to see the sun with you.”

You can feel Ushijima shaking. His breathing speeds up, and his heart starts beating faster. You can hear the sobs forming at his throat. “But… That would mean…”

You pull away from Ushijima’s chest and you move to cup his cheeks. “It’s okay.”

“I don’t want to lose you.” There are tears flowing down Ushijima’s cheeks as he leans into your touch. His heart mourns a death that hasn’t happened, and for a moment, you’re almost tempted to stay.

“They’ll kill you if you don’t kill me.” The smile on your face has an underlying tragedy underneath it. “And I don’t think you can raise your blade far enough.”

Ushijima’s eyes widen. “I could never raise--”

“I know.” You wipe the tears away with your thumbs. “So let me see the sun, okay? I’ve forgotten what it looks like.”

“Please,” Ushijima grips at your wrists. “Not like this.”

“One day, Wakatoshi.” You smile sadly. “A time will come where we can gaze upon the sun with no worries.”

“Please don’t do this.” Ushijima pleads with you, desperation evident in his words as he seeks to change the inevitable.

“There will be a lifetime for us, my love.” You run your fingers through his hair, you trace the features on his face, and you embed every inch of his face into your memory. “Maybe not today, but someday.”

You ease the wrinkles in between Ushijima’s furrowed brows. “Promise me you’ll find me?”

There is resignation in Ushijima’s eyes as he presses his forehead against yours. It is inevitable. The two of you can only make the most of what you are given, and you were not given much. “I would happily die a hundred deaths to reach the lifetime meant for you and I.”

You smile sadly. “Can I kiss you?”

“What if I say yes?” Ushijima thinks back to the festival as he gazes into your eyes.

You can feel a tear roll down your cheek. “Then I’d be the happiest woman alive.”

And as you kiss Ushijima, the skies begin to shift, the sun slowly rising in the horizon as dawn breaks in the distance. You never see the sun before you fade into the ashes you once escaped, but you didn’t have to. The only sun you needed held you in its arms, whispering confessions of love and promises of devotion.

Ushijima can only look at the rising sun with contempt. He hated how the very thing that gave him strength was what took away yours. He hated how you had to suffer. He hated how he had to fall in love with you in a world that would never accept it, but he relents.

The sun brings with it a hope so strong that it pulls Ushijima from his thoughts.

One day, he thinks to himself, the sun will shine on us again.

The sun is bright.

You were starting to think that hiking up a mountain during the summer was a bad idea. It’s not like you were the one who willingly brought yourself here. Oikawa was back from Argentina, and for some reason, the first thing he wanted to do was hike up a damned mountain. You don’t know where your brown-haired companion was, but you could care less. The view you got from this part of the mountain was a sight to behold.

The mountain overlooked the town. The skyscrapers looked like dots in the distance, and the city’s noise was unable to disturb the peace protected by the towering trees. As you breathe in the air and feel the sun kiss your skin, there’s an overwhelming sense of peace and recollection that floods through you.

Something about standing in that spot felt so familiar.

“Excuse me?”

You nearly trip off the edge at the sound of someone’s voice.

You turn to look at the culprit, ready to chew them out for almost sending you to your death. However, when you turn to look at the stranger, the words die at your throat.

You knew who he was, Ushijima Wakatoshi. One of the players in the Schweiden Adlers team. Someone Oikawa has always talked about with distaste.

However, you feel like you knew him more than just that. For some reason, as you look into his olive eyes, you feel like you’ve known him your entire life. And he probably felt the same because the next thing you know, the same words escape your mouths.

”Do I know you?”

A/N: Bringing back an old piece. I made this to explore a more poetic (?) writing style, and this was one of my practice fics before I wrote “All The World Drops Dead”. It’s also pretty angsty, and there’s barely any closure, but rest assured that I’ll probably be giving out fluffy fics soon cause angst is tiring HAHAGSGRHFHDJHSKS Also, I’ve posted this before (in my old acc) and I’m bringing it back cause this fic is dear to me. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this and thank you for reading 💖

#ushijima x reader #ushijima wakatoshi #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagines #genre.angst #tw death #tw mild violence

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lonelyghosts-stuff · 4 years

Text

Peppermint and Pinewood

Peppermint and Pinewood (Draco Malfoy x Reader)

Premise:

Draco Malfoy x muggleborn, Slytherin! Reader

Although the time setting isn’t too important, I envisioned it taking place somewhere in the fifth year.

Warnings: none really? I mean, I guess bullying, mild angst, and fluff lol. I dunno if Draco goes a little off-canon character wise here but I tried to make his personality as close to the source material as possible.

Word count: 4,581

Note: This is my first ever fan fiction I’ve ever written so yea.

Read it on wattpad too:

https://www.wattpad.com/story/244556691-peppermint-and-pinewood

It was another bad day. After getting yet another berating from Snape due to putting one too many dried lavender flowers in the Calming Draught potion and subsequently losing five house points from Slytherin, y/n found herself once again the target of insults and sneers. As if being a muggle born placed in Slytherin wasn't bad enough, it seems like every single mistake made, no matter how simple or innocent it may have been, was held against her as if it was the highest insult to the wizarding world.

Following a long walk down the hallway to her next class, a cold and judgmental presence drew near. With his steely gray eyes, Draco Malfoy looked down upon y/n.

"Well well... looks like the mudblood lost us even more points! As if it wasn't enough of a plague upon wizard kind and the Slytherin House to have a mudblood part of it..." Draco leaned in towards y/n towering over her by at least 15cm (about 6 inches rounded up) and continued "we have to further suffer your utter lack of any practical skills in class. I mean, bloody hell y/l/n! We've been learning the calming draught for what, the past three days? And you still managed to screw that up. If it was up to me, your kind wouldn't even be allowed in the magical world much less Hogwarts; as pathetic as this school is."

After the cacophony of insults and belittlement, Draco continued onward, gesturing his cronies to follow...

Only, they didn't follow right away. Crabbe and Goyle decided that it was their time to shine and decided to push y/n around, knowing full well she wouldn't do anything to stop them. With some rude comments and pathetic chittering of a laugh, Crabbe gave y/n one final shove sending her onto the ground and spilling out her supplies including books, quills, and a jar of ink. Despite the squawking coming from Crabbe and Goyle, Draco looked more bemused than anything. While he should be laughing at a lowly mud blood getting what they deserved, he felt empty. He almost pitied y/l/n.

"Crabbe, Goyle, hurry up or we'll be late to D.A.D.A. and I sure as hell am not losing any house points because of you buffoons." Draco demanded, leaving y/n on the ground, scurrying to clean up the mess.

Eventually one Slytherin classmate and their Hufflepuff friend spotted y/n and helped her clean up.

"Scourgify! There you go! All better now!" The Hufflepuff chirped as the Slytherin handed y/n the last of her things.

"Are you sure you simply tripped and fell?" The Slytherin doubted y/n's story. "I mean, you aren't the most popular nor liked in Slytherin."

"Oh uh yea. I know where you're coming from but I promise it was just a little trip. Just me being clumsy is all!" Y/n fumbled through her response. "But thanks for the concern Mallory!"

Mallory was one of the few Slytherins who didn't despise y/n for her blood status. Coming from a home where her dad is a wizard and her mom's a muggle, not even muggle born, she found herself sympathizing with y/n.

"Hey y/n, promise us you'll come for help if you really need it, okay?" Susan Bones the Hufflepuff, a caring and hardworking witch who, while maybe initially coming across as weak and a pushover, is not one who is past fighting someone in order to defend her friends.

"Yea yea I promise I promise." Y/n chuckled. If only Mallory was in y/n's dorm room. Things would be a lot better for sure.

After a couple more minutes of reassuring Mallory and Susan that she was alright, y/n begrudgingly made her way to her next class with her fellow housemates of the same year, Defense Against the Dark Arts. While not her particular favorite due to the inconsistency of the instructors, y/n found herself enjoying D.A.D.A. more than most classes due to not only the wide variety of skills and spells learned, but the hands on approach of applying said new skills in practical situations. It was certainly a sight to behold when she transformed her boggart from Voldemort to a mere Pansy Parkinson, shackled by her ankles no doubt by Filch. Of course this only earned y/n more nasty comments hurled her way as well as an unappreciated "gift" from an owl left on her bed, but y/n felt that the site was worth it nonetheless.

D.A.D.A. was unfortunately highly uneventful that day as the class merely reviewed the basic defensive and combative spells from previous years (a shocking amount of students performed poorly on the review exam and thus the whole class had to suffer). On her way out of the class, y/n was met by another Slytherin, none other than the she-devil herself, Pansy Parkinson. As if on cue, the moment y/n stepped out of the classroom and was out of sight of any faculty, y/n was roughly pulled by the hand and pushed into the neighboring, empty classroom by Pany who promptly closed the door behind her, holding it shut.

"Hey let me out of here! Pansy you downright insufferable git!" Y/n burst out, an uncommon instance that was released due to pent up rage from days of harassment.

"Nuh uh! Maybe when you learn your lesson that Draco is mine and you'll neeeveeer be more than a pathetic, weak, and intolerable mudblood!" Pansy chortled in a sing-songy voice.

"Pansy I swear to Merlin..." y/n started before stopping themself to recompose and calm down. "Pansy, I'm asking nicely... please, open the door. I have no clue what you are talking about with Draco, but you don't need to worry. I want nothing to do with that cocky, rude, hair-gelling bastard, okay?!"

"Augh?! You think that pathetic excuse for an apology is gonna cut it? Nuh uh! Maybe you need some more time alone to think about your actions, y/l/n. Colloportus!" And with that, y/n heard the doors click locked, Pansy mumble the anti-alohomora charm, and the ever fading footsteps of Pansy proudly striding away.

Feeling all of her built up emotion come to a boil, y/n allowed herself to blow some steam off while she was alone. Casting one destructive spell after another, the classroom suffered greatly from the y/n’s rage.

"BOMBARDA! STUPEFY! DIFFINDO! INCENDIO!" Y/n proclaimed with much fervor before stepping back in fear.

The last spell carelessly cast quickly caught the ratted tapestry curtains over the windows, sending them ablaze. In the panic, y/n stumbled back to the door before pounding on it wildly for help. Fortunately for her, her absence in her next class and last class of the day was reported and McGonagall was passing by to look for her. Quickly reversing the rushed anti-alohomora charm on the door and then following up by unlocking it, the door swung open as y/n fell through, almost onto the ground before catching herself.

After extinguishing the fire with a quick flick of her wand and a mutter of 'aguamenti' and long winded conversation filled with explanations, denial, and intense pleading, McGonagall decided it was in the best interest to remove 100 points from Slytherin for the utter lack of safety and human decency.

Of course this didn't go well for y/n. That evening she found herself locked out of her own dorm room as her roommates found the blame for the points lost resting solely on y/n. Making her way to the empty common room, y/n sat on one of the couches in front of the green, crackling fire. Equipped with nothing outside of her button up, vest, and pants, y/n used her robe as a blanket and cuddled up on the couch.

At that moment, y/n's bottled up emotion overflowed and she sobbed into the couch cushion. Feeling more like a burden than a human, y/n repeated in her head the insults she's heard many times. "Hinderance. Pathetic. Weak. Worthless..." she choked out between sobs. "Filthy... little... mudblood."

Before y/n could even get one wink of sleep, a door creaked open revealing the prince of Slytherin himself, Draco. Only, unlike most other times, Draco was sans henchmen. Presumably, Draco snuck out for one reason or another and was only returning about now. As Draco stepped into the light, he noticed a covered figure on the couch. Draco glimpsed at y/n h/l h/c hair, quickly deducing it was y/n.

"What are you doing out here this late, y/l/n?" Interrogated Draco. "Shouldn't you be in your room?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Wandering about this late at night, you could lose us house points or worse depending on what suspicious activities you are into." Y/n mumbled as she tried to tune out the excess noise, not caring anymore about how she responded to Draco.

"Harsh, but fair." Draco let out a rare chuckle.

For some reason, hearing Draco chuckle sent warm tingles throughout her body from one hand to another. This is just barely a fraction of a side of Draco she wished she could see all the time. Before getting too caught up in daydreams, y/n remembered it was Draco's fault in the first place that she's even locked out of her room at all.

"Well, to put it short, I'm still a, as you say, a filthy mudblood and it would appear as if torturing me and locking me in an abandoned classroom wasn't enough for them so they decided to lock me out of our own room." Y/n vented with both a sense of exasperated relief as Draco stood silently, stiff as a board, as if he was shocked as to what he was hearing.

Draco took a moment to drink in y/n. Her e/c eyes, red and glossy from tormented crying. Even in this state she was still breathtaking. Wait, what? Breathtaking? Draco suddenly forgot how to speak as his mind raced from his sudden observation. She's not pretty, right? She's just a muggle born, a disgrace to the wizarding world! Is that all she is though? And only a muggle born, not a mudblood? Draco panicked internally for a brief moment before finally recollecting himself and regaining his composure.

"Oh." Was all Draco could manage at the moment. Appearing deep in thought, Draco organized a response. "As much as I would love to hear more of your life problems, I have a room to go back to. So... um... good night..."

Draco awkwardly turned around and shuffled towards his room, pausing only for a brief moment and throwing a quick glance over his shoulder as if he was contemplating something. He quickly shook off any feeling of turning back and entered his room for the night.

The school year progressed without much of anything significant happening outside of the common bullying and stress of the holidays approaching. It was almost winter break and, as usual, y/n would be staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. Her parents always took a long vacation over Christmas break and figured they would save money by leaving y/n at school where she would still get food and housing without them having to pay for an extra plane ticket. Y/n didn't mind too much. She had always been pretty independent from her parents, but she loved them nonetheless. They all loved each other but they weren't very affectionate about it, a factor that probably contributed to her apathetic approach to most things. While always hopeful to be invited to one of her parents annual holidays, y/n also looked forward to the more or less peace and quiet of having the common room and school mostly to herself with the exception of the other few students who also remained for the holidays.

Unbeknownst to y/n, ever since their interaction at night in the common room, Draco has been secretly watching her. While seeing her in such a devastated state should logically make him happy as she is only a muggle born, Draco felt anything but happy. It was almost like looking into a mirror for him, seeing her broken. It reminded him of his many nights of anxiety and depression after getting an earful from his father about how he wasn't "good enough" or constantly feeling inadequate compared to the "chosen one", Potter. From that moment on, Draco avoided y/n. Y/n didn't really think anything of it except that she appreciated the extended periods of peace and silence between the other students' insults. This of course only prompted Crabbe and Goyle to try to make up for their ring leader's apparent avoidance and growing distaste of picking on y/n. Fortunately for y/n however, Crabbe and Goyle were quite dim witted and easy to outsmart or avoid. Another development for y/n was that, after her time in the abandoned classroom allowing her to let off some steam, followed by her mini rant to Draco, she found herself able to stand up for herself a bit more, much to the chagrin of Pansy Parkinson. Now when Pansy strode up to y/n with a cocky and mischievous smirk plastered on her face, y/n simply looked on with a strong and unavoidable expression of mere annoyance and anticipation of disappointment. Pansy would try to insult y/n only for y/n to retort with a simple motion of dismissal or a clever comeback.

"Well if it isn't the local mudblood of Slytherin!" Pansy would shout with falsely placed pride.

"Well if it isn't the local tramp of Slytherin!" Y/n would respond with a mock curtsy. "What an absolute honor to be in your presence. Oh, and of course the presence of all the guys you try to hook up with."

Pansy would only stare on, gobsmacked and dumbfounded. She would walk away trying to act as if y/n's responses meant nothing to her, but her embarrassment would be evident with the bright red burning at her cheeks. Y/n would always take a silent pride in herself when she managed to hold her composure and deliver lines to Pansy that would shut her up without the need to stoop down the Pansy's level herself.

The days progressed even more until it was eventually the last day before the Christmas holiday. As the other students were packing their things and saying their goodbyes, y/n spent her time in the library or in the Slytherin common room, sitting next to one of the many windows looking out under the Black Lake. Y/n would often sit by the windows and look at the fish and grindylows swim by, almost entranced by the aquatic life that resides within the lake. Y/n always hoped to spot the giant squid someday, but outside of the rare silhouette of a tentacle, she was disappointed. Of course her biggest achievement of her many nights of lake gazing was when she spotted a mermaid right outside the window. The mermaid smiled a soft and ethereal smile before singing a peaceful song, lulling y/n to a restful sleep. Y/n would constantly be on the lookout for that same mermaid each night, even more so than the giant squid, but was unfortunately commonly met with mere fish or the occasional grindylow that would give her a wicked smile. At the end of the day, students began to turn in for the night in preparation for leaving bright and early in the morning to go home or wherever for their Christmas vacations. Y/n, on the other hand, stayed up, sitting on the couch and watching the green flames dance and in the fireplace. A wave of contentment washed over her as she looked forward to a peaceful break. She had just been told by Mallory that, while she was leaving for the holiday, Susan Bones would be staying as her she had no family to return to (her family having been killed personally by Voldemort in the First Wizarding War) outside of her aunt Amelia Bones who was attending to business all holiday. Y/n looked forward to spending some time with Susan, especially knowing how hard the holidays are for her due to her family's past. She has already planned on taking her to Hogsmeade for some quality time as a “girls’ day” together and to make sure that, despite her circumstances, she would still have the best Christmas possible.

As y/n sat alone, mesmerized by the fire and picturing her plans to hang out with Susan, none other than Draco Malfoy once again stepped into the picture. He didn't directly approach y/n, more or less standing off to the side and looking outward at the lake. Y/n eventually directed her attention away from the fire and noticed Draco staring out at the lake. He seemed a lot more fidgety than usual, almost as if he was nervous or dreading something. 'It couldn't possibly be he's not looking forward to going home, could it?' Y/n thought to herself as she observed Draco's body language. After a brief minute, Draco turned around as if to head to bed only to notice y/n staring at him.

"Ah! W-what are you doing here y/l/n?" Draco jumped slightly, caught off guard.

Y/n quickly looked away, feeling her cheeks burn in embarrassment from being caught. "I, uh, well..." she calmed down and recomposed herself, "if you don't remember, despite yours and most everyone else's wishes, I'm still in Slytherin so I have just as much of a right to be here as you!"

"Oh. Yea. I mean, that's not what I meant." Draco fumbled through his sentences, his nervousness becoming more and more obvious. "I meant, what are you doing here, here. Shouldn't you be in bed so you'll be ready for the holidays?"

Once again, y/n found herself saying, "I could ask you the same thing." Y/n gave a playful yet unconfident smirk.

Defying anyone's best guess, a faint pink rose to Draco's cheeks, completely catching y/n off guard. He quickly tried to laugh it off before continuing to uncharacteristically stumble his way through the conversation. "Uh, yea. My bad, sorry."

Once again, y/n was caught completely off guard. 'Did the Draco Malfoy just say, "sorry"?' Draco didn't even seem phased by the absurdity of what he just said.

Quickly moving on from what just happened, y/n spoke up, "Well, to answer your question. No. I'm not leaving for the holidays. I'll be here all Christmas break."

Almost as if without a second thought, Draco made his way over to the couch area, sitting on the chai directly across from y/n. His previous nervousness seemed to fade away as he responded, "So, why are you staying here? How come you're not going home or traveling somewhere?"

"Well, my parents like to go on big fancy trips for the holidays and they figure that they can save money by leaving me here."

"Oh. Does that bother you at all? That they just leave you behind while they go and have a great time?"

Y/n shrugged, trying to ignore how weird this whole situation is. "Not really. It's always been like this. They never really went on vacations outside of an occasional camping trip with me when I was still living at home and they wanted to take advantage of the situation of me being at a school away from home to go on a nice trip while I was being cared for. We still go camping over the summertime though, so that's fun."

Draco was amazed, listening intently to every word that came out of y/n's mouth. The concept of needing to save money was pretty foreign to him, but he found himself able to relate to her situation of not having the most affectionate family.

"So, what about you, Draco? Why aren't you in bed? No doubt your family has some extravagant plans for the holiday." Y/n asked, turning the tables on Draco.

As soon as she asked this, the previously present nervousness and dread returned to Draco's face. "Oh, uh, not tired yet. A lot on my mind..."

"Well, surely your family has something exciting planned. I mean, you are a Malfoy after all."

As if she just pushed a button, Draco seemed to flinch away at the mention of his family name. For a brief moment, his nervousness was overcome with an irritated, defensiveness as he snapped, "Well it's not all perfect like you so clearly think!"

Y/n flinched back as he shouted this, confused by the sudden change in attitude. Draco noticed her almost immediately shut down, losing any joy that previously graced her face.

"I-I'm... sorry... I didn't mean to shout." Draco sighed. "It's just that-"

"No, I'm sorry." Y/n interrupted. "I saw you were clearly uncomfortable at the first mention of your family and I shouldn't have asked again... you don't have to say anything you don't want to."

"Thank you." Draco simply said. He began to stand up to head to bed before y/n got to say one last thing

"Draco. I-", y/n cut herself off, questioning if she should really finish her sentence. "I'm... always here if you need anything. Okay? I may not know of your family's background or yours, but I'm no stranger to hardships. I'm always here if you need help with something or even just someone to talk to."

Draco looked at her with a face full of mixed emotions. Uncertainty, confusion, fear of letting someone in, fear of pushing her away, and more. He was quiet for about a whole minute as he stood there, looking at y/n.

"But, why? Would you care about me? I've been nothing but cruel and rude to you. Why would you care how I feel?" Draco suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"Just because you may not be the most pleasant person in the world to be around doesn't mean you don't have your own battles and issues in life, nor does it mean your issues are any less valid than anyone else's. You're still a human and... I care about you just like anyone else...", y/n looked down at the floor as she quietly said the last part.

Draco stood there, silent and uncertain about how to respond. Another minute of silence passed and, without a second thought, Draco turned around and walked to his room. Y/n kept looking down, berating herself in her head. 'You went too far you idiot! You just had to push it and make him feel uncomfortable...'. Y/n lied down onto the couch and closed her eyes as she tried to fall asleep.

As Draco walked away, he stopped for a second and whispered under his breath, "Thank you... y/n. Merry Christmas."

The night was rough for Draco; he couldn't sleep as he replayed the conversation in his head over and over again. When the time reached 1:30 am, Draco decided to get up and go for a brief walk to clear his head. He opened the door from his dorm room and quietly snuck out so as to not awake his roommates. Making his way down into the common room, he spotted y/n still there, only asleep on the couch. He quickly deduced she must have been locked out of her room again and that was another reason she wasn't in bed yet when he first came across her. He quietly walked over to her and looked at her. Despite her messy hair and unconventional sleeping position, she had a peaceful look on her face as she slumbered. As he turned away to continue his short walk, he heard a noise come from y/n. When he turned around, he noticed her shivering in her sleep. The fire had died down since he was last here and y/n was without a blanket or anything else to keep her warm. He wanted to relight the fireplace but he also didn't want to risk the sudden light waking her up. He eventually turned back to head to his room as y/n laid there.

The next morning, Draco and his friends were getting ready to leave the school and board the trains. A smirk was plastered on Draco's face, one which did not go unnoticed by Pansy.

"Hey Drayyyy!" Pansy cooed in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice. "What's got you so happy this be-a-utiful morning?"

Even Pansy's annoying presence couldn't dampen Draco's mood. "Oh it's nothing. Just looking forward to leaving this joke of a school is all." Draco proudly lied, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.

Despite many more attempts of learning what the truth was from Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle, Draco remained silent on the truth.

Back in the Slytherin common room, y/n began stirring awake. Surprisingly, she slept through the commotion of the other students leaving for Christmas. Stretching and yawning, y/n stood up off the couch, accidentally dropping the jumper that was draped across her onto the ground. Without hesitation she picked up the sweater and slid it on, quickly leaving to brush her hair and get ready for the day to take Susan to Hogsmeade.

Once in Hogsmeade, y/n lead Susan to Honeydukes to pick out an assortment of sweets.

"Thank you so much for all of this, y/n. I really appreciate it." Susan beamed as she grabbed a chocolate frog with one hand as her other held a box of treacle fudge.

"Of course. It's my pleasure and it's a nice change of pace from a normal school schedule. And one never needs an excuse to go to Honeydukes!" Y/n responded gleefully.

After they made their way back to Hogwarts with their bounty of sweets and a few items from Zonko's, Susan led y/n to the Hufflepuff common room so they could indulge themselves.

After taking a big bite from a liquorice wand, Susan spoke out, "oh I've been meaning to ask you, when did you get that jumper? It's been cold all winter but I haven't seen you wear it all!"

Y/n looked down at the jumper. It was green and silver in the Slytherin colors with a big, snake S in the center. "You know what? I don't know... I just woke up this morning and it was draped over me. I'm not sure how I got it."

"Weird. Maybe you made an impulse purchase and completely forgot?"

"No, I don't think that's it. It's a little big for me too. Maybe Mallory bought it for me and left it as a surprise? I know she's a bit bigger than me so that would explain it."

"No that can't be. She got you a new scarf and matching mittens for Christm-shoot!"

"Susan!!!" Y/n burst out laughing.

"Oh no I'm so so so sorry!!! Please don't tell Mallory I told you! She's been planning this for a week! Please act surprised when you get it! Aghhhh I'm so dumb!" Susan panicked as her face flushed from embarrassment.

"Don't worry don't worry!" Y/n chuckled loudly. "I'll act surprised I promise!"

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Susan cried out as she stuffed her mouth with a pumpkin pasty.

The rest of the Christmas holiday was full of fun and funny times like this. For the first time in a while, y/n looked forward to getting up in the morning and seeing people. She would always wake up bright and early, brush her hair and her teeth, and slip on the mysterious oversized jumper. While it still bugged her and Susan as the jumper's origin remained a mystery, y/n was grateful to have it nonetheless on these cold, winter days.

It also had a pleasant scent of peppermint and pinewood cologne too.

#draco malfoy #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy x y/n #draco x reader #draco x y/n #harry potter #fanfic #fantasy #magic #fan fiction

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bookofjin · 3 years

Text

Rise of Sixteen States: 307

Jin's Yongjia era begins.

Ji Sang rises on behalf of Sima Ying who is dead.

19 February 307 – 7 February 308

(Jin's 1st Year of Yongjia)

(Han's 4th Year of Yuanxi)

(Cheng's 2nd Year of Yanping)

On gengchen [18 May], the King of Donghai, Yue, set out to garrison at Xuchang. He used the General who Conquers the East, the King of Gaomi, Jian, as Great General who Conquers the South, Commander-in-chief of the Various Army Affairs of Jing Province, to garrison Xiangyang. He changed the fief of the General who Calms the North, the King of Dongyan, Teng, to be King of Xincai, Commander-in-chief of the Various Army Affairs of Si and Ji Provinces, to garrison Ye. He used the General who Conquers the South, the King of Nanyang, Mo, to be Great General who Conquers the West, Commander-in-chief of All Army Affairs of Liang# and Yong Provinces, garrison Chang'an.

(Liu Yuan)

4th Year of Yuanxi [307 AD], at the time Ji Sang raised up troops in Zhao and Wei; and Luzhuyan of Shang commandery's Four Section Xianbei, the Di chieftain Shan Zhen both surrendered to him. Yuan thoroughly appointed them to offices and feudal ranks. Wang Mi dispatched envoys to come and surrender. He was designated Great General who Garrisons the East, Inspector of Qing province, and Duke of Donglai commandery.

4th Month [19 May – 16 June], Ji Sang rebelled and declared himself King of Zhao. He selected and set up provinces and commanderies.

11th Month [11 December – 9 January 308], Shi Le and the Hu sections and others led the multitudes to come and surrender.

(Wang Mi)

Wang Mi was a native of Donglai. His family had for generations been Two-Thousand shi officals. His grandfather Qi was Wei's Grand Warden of Xuantu. In the time of Emperor Wu he reached Grand Warden of Runan. Mi had talent and ability, and broadly read in books and records. As young he was a knight-errant at the imperial capital. The hermit Dong Zhong saw him on the road, and spoke to him, saying:

You, Lord, have the sound of a dhole and the looks of a leopard, fond of chaos and delighted with misfortune. If Under Heaven is agitated and disturbed, [you] will not become a scholar or great official.

At the end of Emperor Hui's reign, the bewitching thief Liu Baigen rose up in Donglai's Jian county. Mi led his family servants to accompany him. Baigen used him as Senior Clerk.

When Baigen died, he assembled his followers on an islet in the sea. They were defeated by Gou Zhun, and absconded to enter Changguang Mountain as a crowd of thieves. Mi had many opportune schemes, every time he was to plunder a place, he certainly had prepared and planned for [both] success and defeat, and took it over without neglecting a stratagem. With bow and horse he was quick and nimble and his bodily strength was beyond other people. The soldiers of Qing titled him as the Flying Leopard.

1st Year of Yongjia, 2ndMonth [20 March – 18 April, 307], he guided the troops to enter and rob Qing and Xu provinces, declared himself Great General who Conquers the East, and attacked and killed the Two-Thousand shi officials.

(JS004: 2nd Month, xinsi [20 March], Wang Mi, a native of Donglai, rose up with soldiers in rebellion and robbed Qing and Xu provinces. The Grand Warden of Changguang, Song Pi and the Grand Warden of Dongmou, Pang Kang, were both murdered.)

The Grand Tutor, the King of Donghai, Yue, used the Prefect of the Public Communication Chariots, Qu Xian of Donglai as Grand Warden of his home commandery to chastise Mi. Mi struck and killed him. The Inspector of Yan province, Gou Xi, struck Mi and greatly defeated him.

Earlier, Liu Ling of Pingyuan as young was impoverished and lowly. Aged more than twenty, often at the appointed time for labour service in the county his strength would subdue a runaway ox, and running he would catch up with a swift horse. Though people at the time were amazed with him, they were not able to raise him up. Ling touched his chest, sighed and said:

Heaven! Why will there be chaos!

When Gongshi Fan rose up, Ling declared himself a General, and robbed and plundered Zhao and Wei. It happened that when Wang Mi was defeated by Gou Zhun, Ling was defeated by Wang Zan. Mi spoke to Ling, saying:

The Jin troops are still strong, going home there is no placefor burial. Liu Yuanhai formerly was a hostage son, I and him went around in the Imperial City. [We] deeply had affection and bond. Now [he has] declared [himself] King of Han. [I] want to return to him, can it be done?

Ling affirmed it. Thereupon they together dispatched envoys to surrender to Han. Han designated Mi Great General who Conquers the East, Shepherd of Qing and Xu provinces, and Commander-in-Chief of the Various Army Affairs Hemming the Sea, ennobled Duke of Donglai; and used Ling as General who Pacifies the North.

(Shi Le)

1st Year of Yongjia, Spring, 3rd Month[19 April – 18 May], Ji Sang titled himself Great General, and declared he was seeking revenge on the King of Chengdu, Ying's enemies, with executing the King of Donghai, Yue, and the King of Xincai, Teng as his name. He therefore set out with the King of Chengdu's coffin, transporting it within the army. Every affair he disclosed to his spirit, to carry out army orders.

(When Sima Yue gained controlled of the government, he had elevated his brother Teng from Duke of Dongying to King of Dongyan, and then King of Xincai.)

Sang used Le to spur on in front, and he again and again had merit in battle. He was appointed to be General who Sweeps away the Miscreants, and Marquis of Zhongming Precinct. Thereupon Sang together with Zhang Hong's old general Li Feng and others advanced to attack Ye. He appointed Le as Chief Controller of the Vanguard (WS: Chief Commandant of the Vanguard, ZZTJ: General who Chastises the Miscreants.).

Summer, 5th Month [17 June – 16 July], Sang attacked and routed the Grand Warden of Wei commandery, Feng Song, and with a long chase arrived at Ye. At the time within Ye the offices and storehouses were empty and exhausted, yet the King of Xincai, Teng's use of supplies was considerably abundant. He was by nature frugal and stingy, there was nothing which bestirred his kindness. With danger approaching, he then bestowed on the generals and soldiers rice, possibly several thousand sheng, and silks on each a zhang and chi, this was due to people not being employed. Sang thereupon advanced to attack Ye. Teng said:

Your Orphan was in Bing province for seven years, the Hu besieged the city but were not able to overcome it. Ji Sang is a lowly thief, how is he enough to worry about.

When Feng and others arrived, Teng was unable to defend, he led light cavalry and ran, and was murdered by Feng. Teng had four sons, Yu, Jiao, Shao, and Que. Yu was brave and strong. At Teng's murder,Yu chased Feng. Feng threw himself into the water and died. That day, Yu, Jiao, and Shao, and also the Grand Warden of Julu, Cui Main, the Senior Clerk of Chariots and Cavalry, Yang Huan, the Assistant Officer Palace Gentleman, Cai Ke, and others were also murdered by Feng's remaining partisans. And among those various famous families who had drifted and relocated to rely on Ye, the death and destruction was equally complete. Thereupon they burnt the Ye palace, the fires did not extinguish for ten days. They killed more than ten thousand people, carried off the wives, daughters, and precious treasure, and left.

They crossed from Yanjin, and went south to strike Yan province. The King of Donghai,Yue, was greatly afraid. He sent the General who Consoles the Army and Inspector of Yan province, Gou Xi, the Interior Clerk of Chenliu, Wang Zan, and others to chastise them. Sang and Le attacked the Inspector of You province, Shi Xian, at Leling. Xian died there. The beg-for-life Tian Yin led a multitude of 50 000 to save Xian. Le confronted him in battle and defeated Yin. He and Xi and others opposed each other in Pingyuan and Yangping over several months, and in the course of more than thirty battles great and small exchanged wins and losses. The Duke of Shanyang, Liu Qiu was murdered. He was the great great grandson of Emperor Xian of Han.

Autumn, 7th Month, jiyou, New Moon [15 August], the King of Donghai, Yue, advanced to Guandu to chastise Ji Sang, and instructed Gou Xi to be the vanguard. Sang had a long-standing dread for him, and made palisades outside the city to defend himself. When Xi was about to arrive, he halted the army and rested the soldiers, and first dispatched a single rider to demonstrate thereby calamity or happiness. Sang's multitudes were greatly shaken, they abandoned the palisades and escaped at night to man the walls and strengthen the defences.

8th Month, jimao, New Moon [13 September], the General who Consoles the Army, Gou Xi, defeated Ji Sang at Ye.

9th Month, wuchen [2 November], Gou Xi again routed Ji Sang, and captured his Nine Ramparts. Thereupon he settled Ye and turned back.

When Sang and Le were defeated by Xi, they turned back to Pingyang. The dead were more than 10 000 people. They therefore gathered their remaining multitudes and wanted to run to Liu Yuan. The Inspector of Ji province, Ding Shao, intercepted them at Chiqiao [“Red Bridge”], and again greatly defeated them. Sang fled to the horse shepherds, Le fled to Leping.

At the time among the Hu the section heads Zhang Beidu, Feng Motu, and others held close a multitude of several thousand, and were fortifying in Shangdang. Le went to follow them, and became very close to them. Following that, he explained to Beidu, saying:

Chanyu Liu is raising up troops to execute Jin. [If] the section heads resist and do not follow, how will you be able stand alone?

He said:

[I am] unable to.

Le said:

If you should be unable to, your troops and horses must belong somewhere. Now the section groups all are already being awarded and enlisted by the Chanyu, and from time to time gather to discuss their wish to rebel again the section heads and revert to the Chanyu. You ought soon to make a plan for it.

Beidu and others were plain and without wisdom or schemes, and feared the duplicity of the section multitudes. They therefore covertly accompanied Le on single mounts to revert to Yuan. Yuan appointed Beidu King who is Kin to Han and Modu as Chief Controller of the Section Heads. He used Le as General who Assists Han and King who Pacifies Jin to control them. Le hence instructed Beidu to be his older brother, and bestowed on him the family name of the Shi clan, and named him Hui [“Meet”], telling he [Beidu] had come across himself [Le].

Zhang Fulidu of the Wuhuan likewise had a multitude of 2 000, and was fortifying in Leping. Yuan again and again summoned him, but he was unable to come. Le pretended he had offended Yuan, and because of that fled to Fulidu. Fulidu was greatly pleased, and connected with him as if they were brothers. He sent Le to lead the various Hu to rob and plunder. Wherever he turned, he had none in front, and the various Hu submitted in awe. Le perceived the multitudes in their hearts adhered to himself, and therefore accordingly met with and seized Fulidu. He announced to the various Hu, saying:

Now when raising up a great affair, I or Fuldiu, who is capable of being the master?

The various Hu all together pushed forward Le. Le hence released Fulidu and led his section multitudes to return to Yuan. Yuan added to Le Commander-in-Chief of the Various Army Affairs of Conquering and Chastising East of the Mountains, and used Fulidu's multitudes to pair with him.

12th Month, wuyin [11 January 308], men of Bing province, Tian Lan, Bo Sheng, and others beheaded Ji Sang in Leling (JS104: The kingly host beheaded Ji Sang in Pingyuan).

(JS059: When Sang was defeated, they threw [the King of Chengdu, Ying's] coffin inside a former well. Ying's old subjects gathered and buried it.)

(JS059: Earlier, when the Duke of Dongying, Teng, was garrisoning Ye, he pulled along the Bing province generals Tian Zhen, Zhen's younger brother Lan, Ren Zhi, Qi Ji, Li Yun, Bo Sheng, and others with a section multitude of more than 10 000 people to arrive at Ye. He dispatched them to go look for grain in Ji province, they were titled as beg-for-life. When Teng was defeated, Zhen and others intercepted and routed Ji Sang at Chiqiao.)

(Should we assume Tian Yin田禋 and Tian Zhen田甄 are the same person?)

(Li Xiong)

2nd Year of Yanping, Spring,Luo Shang arranged and set up barriers and defence posts reaching Han'an and Bodao. At the time the people of Yi province drifted and relocated be in Jing and Xiang provinces, and in Yuesui and Zangke. Shang arranged and set up for the commanderies and counties to go where people were. He also arranged Army Advisors for the various villages.

3rd Month [19 April – 18 May], drifting people from Guanzhong (JS057: natives of Qin province), Deng Ding, Hong Di, and others, entered Hanzhong, and guarded Chenggu, gradually they began seizing and stealing. They plundered Hanzhong's Dongchenshi in rebellion. The Inspector of Liang# province, Zhang Yin dispatched the Grand Warden of Baxi, Zhang Yan. Yan, the leader [?] of the Serrated Gates Wu Zhao, and the Assistant of Hanguo commandery, Xuan Ding, dispatched troops to besiege them. Di sought aid from Li Xiong.

Summer, 5th Month [17 June – 16 July], Xiong dispatched Li Li, Li Yun, Li Huang, and Li Feng (JS121: Li Guo, Li Yun and others leading more than 20 000) to enter Hanzhong and aid Ding. The Grand Warden, Du Mengzhi (JS057: Du Zhengchong) heard Li had arrived, and instructed Yan to release the siege and protect the provincial city.

Earlier, when Yan attacked Ding, Ding's multitudes were starving and hungry, and he pretended to surrender. He sent one golden receptacle to give to Yan. Yan was delighted, and was delaying his host. Seven days later, Di arrived. Ding turned back to Dongchenshi. Yan advanced to besiege him, and did not heed Mengzhi's words. Li arrived and first attacked Zhao's camp. The camp was routed. Next he attacked Ding, and also routed him. Yan was afraid of fighting, and brought along a hundred cavalry to flee. Li and others greatly routed the provincial army. The Serrated Gates Cai Song withdrew and reported to Mengzhi, saying:

The provincial army has already been routed. The thieves' multitudes cannot be prepared for.

Mengzhi was terrified. The Army-Protector wished for the city to be defended, and spoke to Mengzhi, saying:

The thieves who come, though a multitude, have the conventionality of a guest's manners. Li the Trivial is pressured in the south-east. He will surely not divide off and lodge troops in the outside, and will not go beyond welcoming and pulling out Ding and DI, that is all.

Mengzhi said:

Not so. Xiong dares declare himself emperor and king, and indulges in spreading across Under Heaven. As he has dispatched a significant multitude, he will surely take Hanzhong. Although we have a secure city, the gentlemen and commoners have smashed their courage, it's not possible to prepare with them for the robbers.

He therefore opened the gates to withdraw and flee. The Army-Protector returned back north. Mengzhi entered the Dasang [“Great Mulberry”] Valley with several thousand families of commoners and several thousand chariots. In one night they travelled barely several tens of li. However, Jing Zi of Zitong, since his father had had a grudge with Mengzhi, gathered his sons and younger brothers to pursue him, catching up at the valley mouth. Mengzhi abandoned his children and ran. Jing Zi captured them, and more than a thousand families of functionaries and commoners.

Only the Board of Merit official of Hanguo, Wu Jian, shouldered a raised cane and said:

I, though incompetent, is a great official of a single state. When the state perishes, [I am] not able to survive, and in the end will not belong to the thieves.

He starved to death within the valley.

Mengzhi fled to Weixing. Zhang Yin likewise abandoned his office and escaped to Chang'an. After piling up more than ten days, Li and others pulled out and turned back. They thoroughly moved the people of Hanzhong to Shu. Commoners of Hanzhong, Gou Fang, and Bai Luo led the functionaries and commoners to turn back and defend Nanzheng.

(Zhang Gui)

1stYear of Yongjia, Spring, 1st Month [19 February – 19 March], the Colonel of the Eastern Qiang, Han Zhi, killed the Inspector of Qin province, Zhang Fu. Gui's Junior Office Marshal, Yang Yin talked to Gui, saying:

Now Zhi has gone against instructions, and on his own killed Zhang Fu. Your Enlightened Excellency is the cudgel and axe of a single region, and ought to reprimand the irreverent. This is also the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn era. When the various marquises were wiping out and destroying each other, and Duke Huan was unable to save them, Duke Huan was ashamed of it.

Gui followed him, and dispatched the Controller-Protector of the Centre, Fan Yuan, led a multitude of 20 000 to chastise him. He first conveyed Zhi a letter which said:

Now that the kingly ropes are tangled and twisted, the shepherds and wardens should join forces to toil for the King. Just now [I] have obtained a call to arms from Yong province, stating that you Vassal, has claimed troops for an interior affront. I direct and is entrusted with a single region, the right-principled would be to cut down the rebellious, with a military battalion of thirty thousand, and steeds and couriers continuously sent out. The feeling of cutting wood, in my heart, how could be expressed! When the ancients marched with the host, keeping whole the state was the highest. Vassal, suppose you [came] on a single horse to the army's gates, [I] would combine with the Vassal to pacify the generation's difficulties.

Zhi obtained the letter and surrendered.

[Gui] dispatched the Master of Accounts Linghu Ya on a mission to the King of Nanyang, Mo. Mo was very pleased, he delivered to Gui a sword bestowed by the Emperor, and speaking to Gui said:

From Long [Mountain] and westwards, campaigning and smiting, severing and cutting off, are thoroughly being delegated, like this sword.

#chinese history #r16s

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vivithefolle · 3 years

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What is your opinion on the parallels between Ron and Neville, especially considering that they both suffer from drastically low self-esteem? People often draw similarities between their arcs, but it seems to me that as the book series went on, Neville gained confidence while Ron lost confidence. Am I missing something?

I think you pretty much summed it up.

You could say that Neville’s self-esteem was inversely proportional to Ron’s.

When Ron comes at Hogwarts, he’s feeling a bit defeated already, but his successes in the first book (where he kinda carries the team) and the second (where he gets a Special Award For Services To The School along with Harry) serve to build up his confidence, culminating with him getting his own wand in the third. Meanwhile poor Neville, while he stands up to Grabbe and Coyle and later to his own friends, is still seen bumbling around and being generally a laughing stock.

After the third book it’s kind of a turning point. Ron doubts Harry openly, makes a fool of himself due to Fleur’s Veela glamour and is pretty much getting slapped in the face by the narration. Neville however doesn’t get humiliated as much, and even gets to go to the Yule Ball without being publically humiliated.

In OOTP the chasm deepens. Ron is bullied horribly... and no one does a thing. Neville, meanwhile, gets McGonagall telling him he’s a great wizard and a promise of her standing up to his grandmother. OOTP ends with Neville having gotten his own wand, and Ron’s triumph over his bullies is eclipsed by his defeat at the DOM.

HBP pretty much spits on every character, even uses Luna Lovegood to convince us to feel sorry for Hermione who has assaulted her friend, and Neville is pretty much the only one to come out unscathed, because he was relegated to the background. He makes a comic relief appearance at Slughorn’s party and that’s all; he’s then here and present when it comes to fighting the Death Eaters during the battle of the Astronomy Tower. Ron is also there, but people seem to forget that Hermione and Luna did not participate much in that fight...

And DH... well, no possibility to see Neville bumbling at Hogwarts in DH now that we aren’t at Hogwarts, is there? But we are given first-seats to see Ron be moody and angry and a general ass... which anyone would be in the situation he’s in (as in, having your family/little sister liable to be executed at any moment by a corrupt government, being anaemic, and being led on a wild goose chase by an asshole who doesn’t seem to care at all about the fact that YOUR FAMILY MAY DIE THE LONGER THIS DRAGS ON), but somehow JKR insists that it’s Ron and only Ron being an asshole, case in point:

This was their first encounter with the fact that a full stomach meant good spirits; an empty one, bickering and gloom. Harry was least surprised by this, because he had suffered periods of near starvation at the Dursleys’. Hermione bore up reasonably well on those nights when they managed to scavenge nothing but berries or stale biscuits, her temper perhaps a little shorter than usual and her silences rather dour. Ron, however, had always been used to three delicious meals a day, courtesy of his mother or of the Hogwarts house-elves, and hunger made him both unreasonable and irascible. Whenever lack of food coincided with Ron’s turn to wear the Horcrux, he became downright unpleasant. - Deathly Hallows

So we have

Ron, however, had always been used to three delicious meals a day, courtesy of his mother or of the Hogwarts house-elves

... but, um, Hermione too is used to three delicious meals a day, courtesy of her parents and the Hogwarts house-elves -

Hermione bore up reasonably well [...], her temper perhaps a little shorter than usual and her silences rather dour

Nevermind, Perfect Goddess Sue is perfect.

At the end of DH, we still remember that Ron behaved badly in the Horcrux Hunt because blah blah symbolism blah blah poor wee Harry blah blah catholicism parallels with St Peter denying knowing Jesus blah blah blah.

While Neville’s appearance as the fearless, epic Hogwarts leader is still a shock, but also a satisfying moment, especially when he gets his epic speech to tell Voldemort to go fuck himself.

... which leads many to forget that Ron did it before Neville (not that Neville’s speech wasn’t an epic, well-deserved moment of pure badassery).

"You see?" said Voldemort, and Harry felt him striding backward and forward right beside the place where he lay. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!" "He beat you!" yelled Ron, and the charm broke, and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again until a second, more powerful bang extinguished their voices once more. - Deathly Hallows

But people will mostly recall Neville’s speech. Because it lasts longer than Ron’s simple “he beat you” and Voldemort actually reacts to it, actually holds a conversation with Neville, while Ron’s scream is... mostly ignored. Even his breaking of Voldemort’s Silencing Charm doesn’t impact much, because another, stronger Charm is immediately put in place moments after.

The way Neville and Ron kill their respective Horcruxes is very different, too... Neville does it in an epic moment of badassery, set on fire and everything, and takes the sword from the Hat itself, mimicking Harry’s actions in Chamber of Secrets. It’s a pure, unadulterated moment of epicness, and nothing can taint its sheer badassery (especially if, like the rest of us intellectuals, you ignore everything JKR has tried to establish as canon after DH). Ron, however, kills his affiliated Horcrux as an act of... eugh... redemption over leaving Harry’s side (even though it was clearly the smartest thing to do since the dumbass didn’t even manage to destroy the Horcrux while Ron was gone, so here’s your proof that Harry and Hermione absolutely do need Ron because they’re incompetent nincompoops). Ron killing the Horcrux can’t be called triumphant or a victory, no matter what idiots blabbering about symbolically destroying his inferiority complex try to say - because yeah, symbolism is nice and all, but it’s not because Ron gets a symbolic victory that he’s miraculously cured of it, but hey who cares Ron can’t possibly have a mental illness cuz he’s not Harry haha!!

... Excuse me. I’m still bitter over... things.

Ron’s defeat of the Horcrux isn’t a triumph like Neville decapitating Nagini is. He’s humiliated in front of his best friend, whose opinion he bases most of his self-esteem upon. His dirty laundry is aired for Harry to see. And finally, when he destroys the Horcrux, he is left crying in the snow with Mr Emotionally Stunted for company.

How. The fuck. Do you call that. A victory.

Ron’s killing of the Horcrux is bittersweet. It’s only Harry and Ron, isolated in a small clearing, in the snow. Ron doesn’t get the sword from the Sorting Hat itself, which may make some people think it hasn’t been won properly, even though Ron displayed bravery (jumping into a frozen pond in the middle of winter) and chivalry (rescuing Harry) to obtain it, and Ron pretty much spends the whole time being terrified (of the thing that psychologically tortured him but hey, since when do we care about Ron’s feelings) then apologizing to Harry for leaving (and Harry accepting those apologies when HE TOO OWED RON SOME FUCKING APOLOGIES BUT NAH HARRY POTTER IS TOO SPECIAL FOR THAT).

While Neville’s killing of Nagini is nothing but badass, badass, and re-badass, with loads of people to witness it. It’s epic. Neville obtains Gryffindor’s sword “”“properly”““, by taking it from the Sorting Hat. And naturally, there’s nothing about Neville “redeeming himself for his betrayal of Our Lord And Saviour Harry Potter” to taint that success.

Yeah... at the end of it all, Ron is... not fine. Him “symbolically destroying his inferiority complex” is just fucking that, a symbol. But it doesn’t mean he’s miraculously cured his insecurities and all. It doesn’t mean he’s stopped being horribly fucking depressed. It doesn’t mean he’s not traumatized. But I forgot only Harry’s traumas matter (and Hermione’s, to a lesser extent... what am I saying, Hermione doesn’t get trauma, trauma is for losers, like Harry).

Neville is slowly but steadily built up in the background through the series (huh, kinda like Ginny... wonder why more people won’t point that out). His failures are so commonplace, and usually more in the realms of “accidental fuck-up” than “feeling offended and fucking up because of it”, that it’s hard to be angry at him. Meanwhile Ron’s failures feel more personal, because he’s so important to Harry and Harry takes Ron’s disagreements with him as personal attacks like the idiot fuck he is.

So, while Neville gradually gets stronger in the background, Rowling brings Ron down a little more in every book, because as the books go on she can’t bear to have Harry and Hermione fuck up, so Ron has to do all the fucking up so she can pretend the other two are perfect instead.

#vivi answers #ask #neville longbottom #ron weasley #ron weasley defence squad #ron weasley defense squad #harry potter series #harry potter #hermione granger

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junglxqueen · 3 years

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Just Friends (L.H.)

Word Count: 3579 Chapter 2 ¨Babylon We burned too bright, now the fire's gone, watch it all fall down¨ ¨Thank you Brazil!¨ Luke yells, above the excited screams of the fans. ¨You were fantastic!¨I say, receiving another wave of screams, at the same time that Babylon's melody ends and the lights go out. I smile and stare at the audience for a few more seconds. The lights of the telephones, illuminating in the middle of the darkness, and the screams that little by little are extinguished. I let the adrenaline and dopamine run through my body for a few more seconds until Michael's hand passing me brings me back to reality. ¨Let´s go.¨ He murmurs to what I nod, I leave my instrument in its place and I follow them. As soon as we leave the stage, we are received with applauses and some congratulations from the crew, a tradition that we have had for quite some time now. I smile, thank them and take the towel they give me to dry my sweat. Michael, Calum, and Luke are full of energy, (concerts usually have that effect on us, although it doesn't last long, in 15 minutes they will be dead). Ashton flops to the ground dramatically, apparently, his reserve tank is empty, and to be honest, I'm not surprised. I decide to drop in with Ashton, and before laying my head on his stomach, I wipe a bit of his sweat with the towel. He raises his head and looks at me amused. ¨Seriously? You're as covered in sweat as I am, maybe even more so, you smell.¨ I throw him the towel reproachfully. ¨Hush, I don't smell, that´s probably you.¨ ¨Yes of course.¨He says and puts his head back on the floor. Damn you, Ashton, do I really smell? I sneak my head down to my armpits, nothing, I smell like flowers. Ashton laughs because he knows what I just did so I hit his stomach. ¨You would like to smell like me, I smell divine.¨ He doesn't answer. Soon we hear Kevin's voice urging us to get up and take a shower so we can go to the hotel to spend the night. A group groan is his response. ¨Nono, no complaints, this is their last concert here in Brazil, at the latest we have to be tomorrow night in Argentina. You have to give two concerts there. On the road, Luke and Michael have a call with the radio that I told them about yesterday, and Ashton, Annie, and Calum have a Zoom with one of the Argentine TV channels, which Luke and Michael will later join. After that, we arrive, rehearsals, then you have about three or four hours free before we start with the concert, understood? I sent the schedules to their phones and Ann, stop ignoring my messages. I know you see them.¨ ¨Sorry, I forget to answer.¨ Kevin lets out an "Mmmhm" and leaves, but not before reminding us to shower before leaving. We didn´t use to do that, we used to jump directly from the Concert to the bus, but it ended up smelling like a municipal garbage dump after a few months, so it was established as a rule to shower before getting on the bus. After the shower, I take my things, say goodbye to the team, and go to the bus, on the way I find Kevin and rush to meet him. ¨Kev, Kev, how long is it from here to the hotel?¨ He looks at me, without stopping walking. ¨Not too long, about twenty minutes away, why are you tired? Your bug didn´t come back, right?¨ Bug is a reference to the migraines that I get. I shake my head. ¨No, the medicine that Luke gave me caught it just in time, and yes, I'm dead tired, I wanted to know if I could sleep on the way, before arriving at the hotel, but it´s very little time.¨ "Aha," he answers, nodding. When we get to the bus, before he walks away, he tells me which one is my room and tells me to ask for the keys at the hotel reception, to which I nod and he says goodbye. I get on the bus and see most of the guys there. I greet them and immediately look for a half-abandoned place on the bus, I find it almost at the end, a long seat between the windows. It's not that I don't want to be with them, it's just that after all the fuss, I'd really like a little hush. Calum joins me not long after. ¨Tired?¨ I ask as soon as I see him, he makes a gesture of

more or less with his head and hands me a banana. I take it with pleasure and I start to eat it. ¨Do you know when we have a break?¨ He asks and takes a bite of his pear. I shake my head. ¨When was the last break?¨ I ask. ¨I think like three or four months ago.¨ I drop an "Mmmhm" and check my phone in search of my itinerary. ¨The next one should be in Paraguay, right? They said we were going to have a break there, like a week or so.¨ Calum lets out a frustrated sigh. ¨What happens? You miss someone?¨ I elbow him, with an amused smile. He looks at me and denies it, blushing a little. ¨Not really ... I mean yes, but no, well yes but not so much, it's like ...¨ I look at him raising my eyebrows. ¨Well yeah, I miss her.¨ He murmurs realizing that he had caught himself. ¨Maybe you can take a fly, go and come back at that time?¨ He denies with the head. ¨I already checked, from Argentina it takes like two or three days to arrive in Australia, and from Paraguay? Won´t even tell you. It's not going to give me the time to get back and forth before the next stop.¨ ¨Aw.¨ I look at him sadly. ¨Sorry Cal, I guess you're going to have to hang on until the next break.¨ He nods and thinks for a second, then reaches into his pocket and removes the paper the interviewer had given Luke. I raise my eyebrows and look at him. ¨Why did you keep it?¨ I ask and try to take it from his hands, he dodges me. ¨I saw your reaction Ann back at the break room.¨ ¨What ?! I was curious.¨ I defend myself, to which he says ¨Aha¨, incredulous. ¨You and I know it's not just curiosity, when are you going to admit it¨ He asks, trying to meet my eyes while I avoid him. ¨There is nothing to admit, we are best friends and that's it. I already told you.¨ He denies with the head. ¨Bullshit. You and I are best friends, Michael and I are best friends, the five of us are best friends. But only the two of you treat each other lovey-dovey.¨ He raises his eyebrows, looking at me. As if we haven´t spoken about this a thousand times already. ¨We already talked about this, he sees me as if I were his little sister, that's why he protects me so much. And I do the same with him, he's like my bro-¨ ¨My balls¨ He interrupts. ¨If it was really like that, it would be incest.¨ I try to slap him on the head, a bit embarrassed. Which he dodges. ¨I'm serious Ann, react, I don´t think there is a more beautiful couple or two made just for each other like you two. I wouldn't want to see you lose each other for not acting on time.¨ He looks at me seriously and when he finishes he smiles at me slightly, that kind of smile that tells you that he is telling you that because he loves you. I am speechless, so he leaves a kiss on my hair and gets up when the bus stops, leaving the crumpled paper on the table in front of me before he leaves. I stare at the paper for a few seconds, thinking about what he told me. The thing is, as we are now, I think our relationship is perfect. No drama, no jealousy, no danger of my heart is shattered. We are friends, friends that give each other the necessary amount of affection and tenderness for the day. We support each other in everything and we are always there for each other. But for me to give him the power to hold my heart in his hands? No, I'm really sorry. You have to excuse me, but I'm scared, I don't want to take the risk. We are fine the way we are, best friends with a platonic relationship, perfect. ¨Knock Knock.¨ Says the King of Rome, from the corridor. I rush to grab the paper before he sees it. He looks at me with raised eyebrows but doesn't ask questions. ¨The bus stopped about five minutes ago and the driver already wants to go, are you staying here to sleep?¨ I shake my head and stand up, putting the paper in my pocket. ¨I´ve lost track of time, I'm sorry.¨ I say as I walk up to him. Together we got off the bus. I greet some fans who are there waiting in front of the hotel and I recommend them to go home. It's late and it's cold, I wouldn't want them to stay out in the open for so long. After a few minutes, we go into

the hotel and look for the keys to my room. Luke, who had stayed with me outside, walks me to the door and says goodbye when we arrive, wishing me a good night. He always does that, he doesn't like to leave me alone in unknown places, he has done it practically ever since we met. After settling into my room and changing into pajamas, I order a pizza and start looking for something to watch on TV, even though I won´t paying attention. What Calum has told me is running through my head. Aside from everything I´ve told you before, I´m also not very good with my feelings. In fact, it takes a lot for me to recognize them, and even more, to maintain them. And with Luke, it's all very confusing. Yes, I like him, but at the same time, I'm not sure I really like him. I mean, I like to receive his attention, and his pampering and all his affection, but do I really like him? Of course, I won´t like to see him with someone else, but that could be my ego, being affected. And if I really like him, I see him every day. What if I get bored? What if I mess up our friendship? Worse yet, what if I'm really in love, and decide to risk it all. What if he ruins it? What if ruin it? Apart, I've known these guys for years now, I know how capable they are of ruining something beautiful, I've seen them do it. What if he ruins our thing? And how will the atmosphere in the band be if it doesn't work? No no-no. You'll have to excuse me, but I'm not risking everything for something full of ¨whar ifs¨. So I pack up all those thoughts and put them back in the closet of my mind, the less I think about it, the less it affects me. I hear a knock coming from the door and I look at the time, 40 minutes have passed. Forty minutes already ?! So much time thinking! I shake my head and surround myself with the blanket, maybe it´s the pizza I ordered. But when I get to the door and see through the fisheye who it is, my thoughts that I had locked them in the closet, burst out. I open the door and smile at him, somewhat surprised. ¨Luke.¨ ¨Room service?¨ He smiles, lifting the pizza in one hand and looking at me innocently. I open the door a little more, letting him in. He walks by and I stare for a second at his back covered in a furry and warm robe while he settles into my room. I sigh and close the door. How am I supposed to lock all these thoughts now?

#luke #hemmings #fanfic #luke hemmings fanfic #luke fanfic #5sos fanfic #5sos fic #calum #hood #calum hood #ashton #irwin #ashton irwin #michael clifford #michael #clifford #5sos #5 seconds of summer

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frstbiitten · 3 years

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cw: violence, gore, blood, death

The bathroom was a little further away than expected, she doubted anyone would notice the bloody wound on her back, too bad her black shirt would have a slit in it, she didn't want to get rid of it, at least not now. Feeling the bodies sticking against hers only made her sick to her stomach, it was an overwhelming and invasive feeling at the same time.

She reached the bathroom almost stumbling on her way, the light was white at least, no outlandish colors for now. It was also almost inundated in silence, beyond the music coming from the dance floor, it was a relief to get out of that shapeless mass of humans. There was no one at least insight, all the toilets clean and free of any interference - that is, anyone else-. She opened one of the empty cubicles, almost all of them were empty except for just one, she pulled out enough paper to wet the pieces slightly and clean the wound, it was a very deep one, just noticing its presence caused her even more physical pain, although it was clear that it was healing normally as expected of her. After a few days, only a somewhat lumpy mark would remain.

A girl, no taller than Frost, came out of one of the cubicles, it was to be expected that there might be someone else without her knowing, she was wearing a short tight black dress with loose dark hair, perhaps the whole outfit plus heavy makeup was more expensive than Frost could imagine. Though she didn't leave after washing her hands, she observed Frost for a moment, looking at the papers wet in water and blood at the same time, she was heading for the door until she took a closer look at the wound on her back.

"Do you need help, do you want me to call an ambulance?" Her voice was somewhat soft, from the way she looked Frost could tell easily that she drank a little, but still had a low level of alcohol in her blood.

"No thanks, I'll be fine in a few hours." Frost turned around to get a better look at her, at least a stranger cared about her wellbeing, maybe this little world wasn't full of selfish people.

"Are you sure? Maybe that could get worse."

She heard only a hiss and one of the heels hit the ground very close to her, her movement had been quick but Frost had reacted sooner. She had the girl's right wrist gripped firmly by his icy hand, the knife she carried being just a few inches away from reaching her stomach. A reaction the girl never expected, she would have preferred to catch her more off guard, but Frost's senses had been on alert since Kit had assaulted her.

"I can't let you go alive." The stranger was mumbling, attacking her with her fist from her other hand, it wasn't very efficient as Frost caught her instantly.

"I have to say the same thing, but I'm more stubborn."

The girl's hand holding the knife began to rapidly cool to the point where her fingers were being stuck against each other from the cold, before she began to scream, Frost used the girl's frozen hand and inserted the tip of the knife straight into the jugular. Frost shoved the body into the cubicle behind the girl, some of the blood had run down her face as she threw the body onto the toilet. It wasn't a pleasant sight, as much as she was used to exposed bones and split open heads at this point, a corpse was always unpleasant to look at. "How fucking disgusting, eww!" And she closed the cubicle, sure someone else would find it.

Frost didn't leave the bathroom until she could wash her face from the blood of the last attack, would this night keep this level of violence? She needed to leave. Kit had mentioned that this could happen, if that girl knew about her, then more people there would be looking for her with non-peaceful goals in mind. She had to find Violet before leaving, or maybe get the hell out of here with her. Still had to get through the mass of dancing people, it was a claustrophobic experience when panic mixes with the music and the lack of air. Was anyone else looking for her? From the shadows someone was watching her, watching her face being illuminated for a few seconds thanks to the spotlights.

Found Violet and Kit, both having a drink at the bar as if nothing else had happened before, it seemed that Violet forgave her very quickly. Kit first noticed Frost's presence approaching, she didn't appear too pleased to see her again.

"Hey Frost, don't you want me to call an ambulance?" Kit took a sip of her drink, striking a relaxed pose, elbows, and back leaning against the bar, it gave her a better view of the dance floor.

"What?"

"She deserves an apology from you, too." Violet returned Violet's comment, though she was turning her back to Frost from her seat, turning around almost immediately, something didn't add up in the young woman's expression, especially in her eyes. "Hey Frost... Do you need anything?"

"I have to go."

"So soon? Didn't you want to enjoy the evening first?" Kit seemed to know more than she appeared to, as if she had already foreseen the recent attack in the bathroom. "Or are you afraid of being in the eye of the storm?"

"... What?"

Could barely hear the rest of the world accurately after Kit said that, it was as if everything had quietened down for a few moments. But she could feel herself being watched, uncomfortably watched by more than a single person. Felt the weight of a hand on the back of her neck, it was a grip that sought nothing more than control over her, and suddenly it was her hair being forcibly pulled back. Frost didn't have much time to react and couldn't avoid the blow on the back of her knees, someone was forcing her to slow down and obey under every strike on her body until she ended up on all four of her limbs. Someone was belittling her power.

Frost took advantage of her enemy's position and used her left leg to create a circular motion and throw him to the ground. She had lost sight of Violet and Kit, this guy was her priority and it was an almost minuscule moment that it took her to kill the big guy, plunging the knife she had taken from Kit earlier to insert it into her attacker's chest.

The screams and chaos after the first attack were to be expected. It was all very sudden, had a gun in front of her face and her first instinct was to freeze it before the attacker could pull the trigger, that trick seemed to always work. She ascended from the ground with a blow from her fist directly towards the lower part of the man's jaw -he wasn't as big as the previous one but he did pass her in height-, she couldn't land a second blow, as another man had grabbed her waist from behind and pushed her to the bar, almost crashing into the chairs.

She was confused, but it was obvious that trusting Kit was no longer viable. Felt a hand trying to help her to get up, it was Violet, she hadn't left there like the rest of the other people were doing, like the ones that were left only wanted to watch the fight, or they were the ones coming for Frost.

"Get up... Get up Frost, you have to go, there's like 15 guys here wanting to kill you." Violet let Frost's arm rest on her shoulders, where was Kit? Well right next to them, she didn't know what look to give her back at Frost, but she didn't seem to have any intentions of helping her.

"No... I can't leave.... They're going to follow me anywhere, or they could hurt you if they wanted to." She had mentioned 15 men in total? 17 if you counted the girl in the bathroom and the dead guy on the floor. The DJ wasn't about to leave his place either, as he had changed the music to a much louder one, it helped set the mood, beyond how surreal it was, also some artificial smoke flooded the dance floor, was it to hurt her or benefit her?

She still had the knife in her hand, needed to be smart when using it, maybe they would come one at a time, she doubted they would want to kill her between them all. Took a few steps forward once she was able to compose herself, was already in plain sight amidst a fog and dancing lights.

"Did you guys come for me? Because you're only wasting my time."

Frost didn't have to wait too long to get a reaction from these men, clearly, they were determined to die for a sum of money, she was ignorant of what it would be and who might have put a bounty on her head. It wasn't easy, as some were armed or more experienced, they managed to hit her with their fists or some short weapon, although she also knew how to defend herself. It was also clear that the most desperate ones went for her first, it was easy to unbalance them with kicks, punches, and cuts. She felt the adrenaline rise and fill her skull, as well as her skin became colder and colder, the feeling of vertigo and of letting herself be carried away by anger.

But she didn't make it in time, instead, one of the men took it upon himself to lift her off the ground with her body over his shoulder, as much as she could stab his back - there was something underneath that could be a kevlar vest, which prevented her from reaching his muscles-. The man dropped Frost onto the drink bar, there were glasses and bottles, these became shattered glasses and alcohol scattered all the way to the floor, again the young woman's back was suffering the consequences. Being short was a disadvantage, as the man surpassed her in height by many inches, had leather gloves so he could withstand the cold, and grabbed Frost by her clothes to lift her and turn her around. Like a magic trick, he used the alcohol from the drinks as fuel and with a lighter turned the bar into a new method of torture, finally, he grabbed Frost's hair to slam her face into the surface of the bar, now on fire and with shattering glass.

It was her fury that stopped the man's strength, her hands rested on the edge of the surface in time to push her torso upward, between grunts and struggles, her eyes took on a whitish hue and the glow in them appeared. The fire didn't last long, a layer of ice began to spread from her fingers, extinguishing the fire instantly, she used her foot to deliver a kick in the direction of his knee and knock him off balance, knocking him to the ground but she didn't pay attention to him again, 8 more guys were waiting for their turn.

She grabbed the knife from the ground and wrapped it in ice, turning it into an even more lethal weapon than before. Frost slashed one of them in the stomach fatally enough to leave his guts all over the floor and start screaming, another was pierced through the eye and getting finished with a chunk of ice in the eyesocket as it cooled his skull, and so they kept falling one by one.

"This is... ew..." Violet was both shocked and disgusted, shocked by the scene in front of her eyes and disgusted by the blood spilled and the guts, too many for just one night.

"You should leave, it could get worse." Kit lightly pushed Violet in the direction of the door they had previously entered through, the last thing she wanted was to be involved in the situation, let alone afterward, she was planning on finishing her task however she could. "Besides, look at her, this only proves my point: Frost isn't like you, me or anyone else, sooner or later she could hurt someone innocent, she's not human either, have you ever seen a human do that?" Kit pointed at Frost who seemed to be winning the fight, her eyes perfectly reflected the anger that was driving her to keep fighting, using the ice that gushed from her hands to incapacitate and kill, the scene was getting harder to watch with every blow. "And if she doesn't at least kill us, those around her could die, you saw what happened to Jasper... it's not safe to be around her."

Violet preferred not to connect one event to another, Jasper's death was a mistake at the end of the day, and could do nothing to stop such, Jasper never saw Frost as someone who would hurt those who tried to help her. Jasper would say that Frost seemed more like someone who had lost her way than someone who could be violent for no apparent reason. To this day, Violet didn't know if it was beneficial to help her, nor how to help her. They didn't hear the man who had fought Frost against the bar getting back on his feet, overheard the previous conversation and had no intention of sharing the money, Kit included. With a surprisingly skillful move, he grabbed Kit from behind, wrapping his arm around her neck, making a headlock to leave her immobilized.

"Shit shit shit!" Violet tried to help Kit free herself from the man, only to be pushed away by Kit herself, not wanting to put her in danger, somehow managing to articulate the word 'go away' as she struggled to stop the man from choking her.

From a distance, Frost had noticed that the big guy hadn't fainted as she had assumed, before killing the last man, she performed a quick maneuver, never done it before from such a distance. From her fingertips, ice crystals detached like razor blades, threw them intending to kill the man who was trying to choke Kit. Frost heard the ice shards embedding into the skin and reaching up to the skull and neck, and with a final blow, she shattered the eye of the last opponent, letting him fall to the ground along with the others.

The adrenaline rush had worn off once she managed to relax, the knife slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, again staining the blade with blood as the ice melted. She was exhausted after such a fight, never fought so many people at the same time on the same day. Gasped as she tried to relax her muscles, trying to get back to her normal self.

She started to hear a cry from behind her, Frost turned around to get a better look at what had happened. Violet was on the floor, sitting on her knees and legs, in her lap she had half of Kit's body on her, it looked like she was trying to take something from her. As she got closer she could see in detail what had happened. It was a fatal aiming error on her part, yes she had managed to kill the man who had assaulted them both, but Kit was also affected. 3 of the 5 crystals she had thrown had impacted her body too, one of her eyes was gone and there was nothing but a piece of ice emerging from the eye socket, another embedded in her forehead, and the third -or first- in her throat. The blood wasn't gushing evenly, it was clotting and freezing right away, the face alone was becoming misshapen and taking on a bluish hue.

"I... I'm so sorry Violet..." Her hands were stained with blood, she wished she could reach out to touch her shoulder or take her away, she didn't know which way to act.

"Go away."

"What?"

"Please leave." It was the first time she had ever heard Violet speak that sternly, her eyes full of tears, her voice cracking and even sounding like she was going to attack her at any moment. "...they're coming for you.... you have to go..."

"I'm sorry..."

"PLEASE GO AWAY!"

Didn't have to think about it much, Violet no longer saw her as before, for Frost, she wouldn't know how to solve it in the future, she had to follow her advice to get out of there before the police arrived on the scene. Decided to take the way she had entered, then do her best to get lost in alleys and areas where she could hide for a few hours. Heard the sirens like a clap of thunder, a sound that chased her as she hid, how long was that fight? This was never in her plans, for she doubted she would ever make it home this time.

Finally hidden in the bushes of a building, there was a bridge several yards away, she could hide there too until the time she deemed safe. She heard a rustling behind her, as she turned in the direction of the sound, there was only a shadow standing, someone, but it was a familiar and unfamiliar feeling at the same time.

"Please... leave me alone." She would be cordial for now, but she wouldn't hesitate to use her force again.

Frost heard an almost imperceptible sound, like a tv being unplugged, a power failure, but it wasn't caused by an electric current or any artifact. It was out of nowhere, she felt a prick in her neck, her hand instinctively wanted to remove whatever was pricking her skin. Managed to remove a dart from her neck or so she thought, as she had never seen one, as it looked more like a yellow stain on her hand. Everything became a big dark blob as her body tried to find a way to react, her eyes paled just like her skin as she tried to stand up. The dart fell to the warm grass, looked for a way to support herself using her hands, looked at where the shadow was supposed to be, nothing but a patch darker than the night. Finally, her body decided to give up and Frost fell to the ground.

#novel #((ohh this is a long one))#blood tw #violence tw #gore tw #death tw

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thelittlesttimelord · 4 years

Text

The Littlest Timelord: The Fall of the Eleventh Chapter 28

TITLE: The Littlest Timelord: The Fall of the Eleventh Chapter 28 PAIRING: No Pairing RATING: T CHAPTER: 28/? SUMMARY: Elise Smith is now a teenaged Timelord. In addition to losing the Ponds, the fields of Trenzalore are calling. But first they have to figure out exactly who Clara Oswald is.

“Oh, it's a young man's game, all this dashing about,” the Professor said. He leaned up against the porthole and noticed the look on Clara’s face. “Clara, what is it?”

“I was doing okay, but…Seeing those bodies back there. It's all got very real. Are we going to make it?”

“Yes, of course.”

The metal around them creaked.

“What was that?”

“The Doctor told you, it's just the boat settling. Tell me about yourself. What do you like doing? Clara? Clara?”

Clara was looking around in all directions. She wished Elise would snap out of her comatose state, but it was like the Timelord’s mind had snapped and she was frozen like a statue.

“Stuff. You know, stuff.”

“Stuff. Very enlightening. And the Doctor, what he said. Is it true you're from another time? From our future? Clara?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me what happens.”

“I can't.”

“Well, I need to know.”

“I'm not allowed.”

“No, please.”

“I can't!”

“Ultravox, do they split up?”

To the Professor and Clara’s shock, Elise started laughing. They were going to be murdered by an alien from Mars and he was more preoccupied with whether one of his favorite bands was going to split up.

“Funny. You're funny,” Clara told him. Two hands grabbed Clara’s head.

“Clara!” Elise yelled, standing up.

“Let her go!” the Professor yelled, firing shots at Skaldak.

Skaldak let Clara go.

“See? I don't just like Western music.” He twirled his pistol as Skaldak grabbed him.

“No, please don't hurt him. Please!” Clara begged.

The Doctor ran up.

“You attacked me. Martian law decrees that the people of this planet are forfeit. I now have all the information I require. It will take only one missile to begin the process. To end this Cold War,” Skaldak said.

“Grand Marshal, there is no need for this. Listen to me,” the Doctor told him.

“My distress call has not been answered. It will never be answered. My people are dead. They are dust. There is nothing left for me except my revenge.”

“There is something left for you, Skaldak. Mercy.”

“Mercy?”

The captain came barging in with a shotgun and the rest of the crew. “You must wear that armor for a reason, my friend. Let's see, shall we?”

The Doctor put his hand on the gun and lowered it. “No, Captain, wait!”

“I will do whatever it takes to defend my world, Doctor.”

“Yes, great, fine, good, but we are getting somewhere here. We are negotiating. Jaw-jaw not war-war.”

“Churchill?” the Professor asked.

Elise wanted to pipe up and say they’d met Churchill, but decided that this probably wasn’t the best time. The Doctor promised to visit again when she was older. Maybe she should do that soon.

“Churchill,” the Doctor confirmed.

“Very well, we'll negotiate, but from a position of strength,” the captain said.

“Excellent tactical thinking. My congratulations, Captain,” Skaldak complimented him.

“Thank you.”

“Unfortunately, your position is not, perhaps, as strong as you might hope.”

“What do you mean?” the Doctor asked.

Skaldak’s empty armor entered the corridor and Skaldak dropped back into it after releasing the Professor.

“He summoned the armor,” the Doctor said.

“How did it do that?” Clara asked.

“Sonic tech, Clara. The song of the Ice Warrior.”

One of the soldiers fired his gun at the armor.

“No!” the Doctor yelled.

“My world is dead but now there will be a second red planet. Red with the blood of humanity!”

“Skaldak! Skaldak, wait!”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Skaldak headed to the control room and plugged himself into the computer.

“No! Skaldak, wait! Wait, wait,” the Doctor yelled.

“He's arming the warheads,” the captain said, still pointing his gun at Skaldak.

“Where is the honor in condemning billions of innocents to death? Five thousand years ago Mars was the center of a vast empire. The jewel of this solar system. The people of Earth had only just begun to leave their caves. Five thousand years isn't such a long time. They're still just frightened children, still primitive. Who are you to judge them?”

Skaldak unplugged himself. “I am Skaldak! This planet is forfeit under Martian law.”

“Then teach them. Teach them, Grand Marshal. Show them another way. Show them there is honor in mercy. Is this how you want history to remember you? Grand Marshal Skaldak, Destroyer of Earth. Because that's what you'll be if you send those missiles. Not a soldier, a murderer. Five billion lives extinguished. No chance for goodbyes. A world snuffed out like a candle flame! All right. All right, Skaldak, you leave me no choice. I'm a Time Lord, Skaldak. I know a thing or two about sonic technology myself.” The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

“A threat? You threaten me, Doctor?”

“No. No, not you, all of us. I will blow this sub up before you can even reach that button, Grand Marshal. Blow us all to oblivion.”

“You would sacrifice yourself?”

“In a heartbeat.” The Doctor felt a hand wrap around his and he glanced at Elise standing next to him. She give a curt nod, her way of saying ‘If there’s no other way, do it’.

“Mutually assured destruction.”

“Look into my eyes, Skaldak. Look into my eyes and tell me you're capable of doing this. Huh? Can you do that? Dare you do that? Look into my eyes, Skaldak. Come on. Face to face.”

“Well, Doctor.” Skaldak’s helmet retracted back and he stared at the Doctor. “Which of us shall blink first?”

“Why did you hesitate? Back there, in the dark. You were going to kill this man, remember? I begged you not to, and you listened. Why show compassion then, Skaldak, and not now?” Clara asked, gesturing to the Professor.

Elise stepped out of her father’s shadow and approached Skaldak. “If you do this, billions will die. Mothers, sons, fathers, daughters. Remember that last battle, Skaldak? Your daughter. You sang the songs…”

“Of the Red Snows.”

The submarine lurched.

“What's happening?” Clara asked.

“My people live. They have come for me!” Skaldak rejoiced.

“We're rising,” the captain realized.

“Six hundred meters. Five fifty,” the Professor read off.

The submarine broke through the ice.

“We've surfaced. Your people have saved us,” the Doctor told Skaldak.

“Saved me, not you.”

“Just go, Skaldak, please. Please, go in peace.”

Skaldak was teleported away.

“We did it. We did it!” Clara said.

“No. No, no, no, no, no,” the Doctor said, walking over to the weapon’s system, “It's still armed. A single pulse from that ship… I'll destroy us if I have to. I will destroy us if I have to.”

Elise placed a hand on her father’s back, to let him know he wasn’t alone this time.

“Show mercy, Skaldak. Come on. Show mercy.”

“Why are there so many songs about rainbows…” Elise sung under her breath.

The weapon’s system disarmed itself and the Doctor ran a hand down his face. “Now we're safe.”

Clara launched herself into his arms. “Saved the world, then?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“That's what we do.”

“Yeah.”

The two smiled and giggled, causing Elise to roll her eyes until the Doctor threw an arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead.

They stepped outside and admired the Martian spaceship.

“The TARDIS! Where's the TARDIS? You never explained,” Clara said.

“Oh well, don't worry about that,” the Doctor told her.

“Stop saying that. Where is it?”

“Yeah. Well, I wasn't to know, was I?”

“Know what?”

“I've been tinkering, breaking her in. I'm allowed.”

“What did you do?”

Their bickering made Elise smile. It reminded her of simpler times with the Ponds and River.

The Doctor muttered under his breath. “I reset the HADS.”

“Huh?”

“I reset the HADS.”

“The what?”

“The HADS. The Hostile Action Displacement System. If the TARDIS comes under attack, gunfire, time winds, the sea, it…relocates.”

“Oh, Doctor.”

“Haven't used it in donkey's years. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Well, never mind, it's bound to turn up somewhere.” His sonic screwdriver started going off. “Ooo. Ha, see? Right on cue. Brilliant.”

Clara smiled. “Brilliant.”

“The TARDIS is at the pole.”

“Not far, then.”

“…the South Pole.”

“Ah.”

The Doctor turned to the Captain. “Could we have a lift?”

The Captain and Professor laughed as they went back into the submarine.

The Doctor mocked them until Elise playfully hit him on the arm. The Doctor saluted the Martian spaceship as it flew away. “Earlier, in the control room, you weren’t scared.”

Elise shook her head. “No.”

“Why?”

Elise looked at him. “Because I knew that even if you weren’t able to talk him down, it’d be okay.”

“You have too much faith in me.”

Elise gave him a small smile. “I don’t think you have enough faith in yourself.” Elise placed a hand on his cheek and kissed the other one before going back down into the sub.

#eleventh doctor #eleventh doctor fanfiction #eleventh doctor imagine #doctor who #Doctor Who fanfiction #doctor who imagine #clara oswald #clara oswald imagine #the littlest timelord #the littlest timelord: the fall of the eleventh #cold war

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toomuch-caffeine · 3 years

Text

Titles don't matter

AO3 link

Word count: 8726

Summary: First, Happy was dating some mysterious woman. Then his new nephew turned out to be superhero. And now Tony somehow gained a kid.

Rating: Teen

Warnings: kidnapping, gunshot wounds, unnamed bad guy's death

A/N: Reposted from AO3, third fic in a series

---

A big reveal of Spider-Man’s identity and by consequence Happy’s mysterious girlfriend, who was a vigilante’s Aunt, brought a lot of yelling and long conversations in med bay. Said vigilante was a teenager and hid the fact that he fights criminals in his pajamas for more than a year, which made his Aunt mix of angry, guilty and terrified. When the situation calmed down, a couple of days after Peter Parker woke up from the surgery and had a chance to defend his actions, Tony made a proposition to May and Happy. Peter could train in the Tower with the Avengers and also would make a super suit with Tony. A suit that would contain a lot of safety protocols and a way to control young hero’s actions by adults.

That’s how Tony ended up giving a tour of his workshop. He observed the awestruck teenager in front of him. Peter looked around, lips slightly parted and eyes wide open. Tower’s lab was definitely an update from dumpsters and school workshops. It occupied two whole floors, one of them belonged to Tony, one to Bruce. Sleek holotables and expensive materials were enough to make every nerdy teenager’s knees weak. There was still some clutter in the corner, but Tony had cleaned up a bit, to impress Peter more.

“Come on, kid, that’s your workstation.” Tony showed a big, empty oval table, to a lingering in a threshold kid. Peter’s eyes widened even more, something that Tony didn’t think was possible.

“Wow, seriously?”

“Yeah. And those are Dum-E and U.” Tony didn’t even have to motion at the two robots, as both of them were currently surrounding Peter, trying to get to know the newcomer. Kid petted both of them, laughing and they seemed satisfied. He was seriously endearing. Couple of minutes spent with him and Tony could already tell why he wormed his way to Happy’s heart in no time. He was still shy with Tony and other Avengers, but around May and Happy he acted like a rambling ball of sunshine. He was too polite for his own sake and looking at his school records, Tony could tell, he was brilliant and right now he wanted to test that.

“So, introductions are done, time for fun!” Tony clapped his hands. “You can use everything in here-”

“Oh my god, this is like the best day of my life, Ned, you know, my friend, won’t believe me!”

“-but there are gonna be rules,” Tony continued. Mention of the rules brought all of Peter’s attention to him.

“First of all, FRIDAY won’t let you in the lab without me or Bruce present. You can experiment with whatever you want, but you have to run your ideas by me or Bruce or FRIDAY first. If you set something on fire, Dum-E has a fire extinguisher. Don’t eat or drink anything bots give you, they mix food with motor oil.

“Okay, so for the first project, we’ll do your spider suit together and you will learn along the way what FRIDAY can do, where are the tools and so on.” Tony sat down next to Peter, motioned for holograms to appear. “So, let’s get started.”

~~~

Tony never liked having company in the workshop. Other people were loud and nagging him to do stuff like eating or sleeping. But then came Bruce, who was quiet, could keep up with him and stand his moods. And then Peter appeared. The kid that understood arc reactor technology and Bruce’s papers. Even when something posed a problem to him, explaining was a pleasure, not a hindrance. He actually wanted to teach him all that he could and he already made several notes of what to do with the kid after they finished the suit. Peter’s ramblings replaced his workshop playlist and soon Tony knew all about his friends and teachers, his stories from patrols, as well as his favorite dishes and ice cream flavors. So he enjoyed working with Peter. His teammates might have also noticed that.

~~~

“Keep this up young spider and you will beat me in sparring,” Natasha praised him after the training. Peter, red faced from exertion, smiled and thanked. Then, he quickly grabbed a bottle that Steve threw at him from behind. He opened it and took a sip.

“Wow, I’m so hungry right now,” he stated.

“We have a lunch in an hour, think you will survive ‘til then?”

“Uhh, I don’t know, who’s cooking?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter, because there’s your favorite pizza waiting for you in the lab.” Another voice butted in. The owner of this voice appeared a moment after. “Spiderling! Come on, we’re burning sunlight!”

“But Mr. Stark, it’s not even noon and we don’t need sunlight in the lab!”

“Yeah, but Happy picks you up at 5, come on, come on, we have a lot to do.”

“Stark, stop making excuses to hog the kid just for yourself,” Natasha joked.

“Yeah, it’s been a month and he spent that mostly with you in the lab,” Bucky backed her up.

“Well, maybe because he knows who is best. Kiddo, who’s your favorite Avenger?” Tony shot them all a smile and clapped Peter on the shoulder.

“Well, I don’t know, but Bruce Banner is pretty cool? You know the most renowned scientist of his generation, his work on gamma rad-“

“You ungrateful child. I build a multimillion dollar super suit with you and that’s how you repay me?” Tony mocked outrage and started dragging Peter out of the gym. “We’re going. But maybe take a shower first.”

~~~

“Parker, you’re cheating!” Sam shouted when Peter threw at him another blue shell and won the race.

“I’m not cheating!”

“That’s not fair!”

“Rules allow that!”

“Then the rules are wrong!” Sam threw his hands up in the air. “God, I can’t believe that I lost to a teenager.”

Clint, who came the last, said, laying face first on the carpet, “You never win with kids in those things. Seriously, I have three of them, I know it.”

“Kid? Where are you? You said you are going to eat. Did the fridge eat you?” Tony came shouting.

“I’m sorry Mr. Stark, but Mr. Barton and Mr. Wilson invited me to play Mario Kart with them,” Peter answered beaming.

“And how did you do?”

“I won!” Peter gestured at the screen with the results and two defeated men.

“That’s great. Hey, when you come to the lab, I’ll let you mess with Iron Man repulsors.”

“Oh my god, yes!” Peter’s eyes lit up and he hurried after Tony.

“Wow, Tony stole Happy’s kid,” Sam said incredulously, when they both left.

“Do you think he will hide and lock him in his lab forever?” Clint lifted himself from the carpet.

“Dunno. Wanna go another round?”

~~~

So when the summer break ended, Spider-Man’s suit tested and ready to use, the atmosphere in the workshop changed. Kid started spending mornings at school and afternoons alternating between patrols and spending time in the lab. But the amount of time spent together was significantly smaller and emptiness started annoying Tony. It did wonders to his responsibilities to SI and Avengers Initiative as he was less inclined to lock himself up in the workshop.

~~~

“Tony, did something blow up here?” Bruce entered his workshop and stopped in his tracks, shell-shocked and looking around. He hadn’t been in Tony’s workshop for a long time as he worked mostly in his or small med bay’s lab and it was Tony, who would pay friendly visits to other labs (or come to bother Bruce). Currently, on Peter’s workstation were piling papers and textbooks. Every other surface was covered in post-it notes with Spanish vocabulary.

“I’m helping Peter with Spanish.”

“Tony, do you even know Spanish?” Bruce asked with raised eyebrows.

“I do now.”

“So… You are learning Spanish. For Peter,” Bruce stated.

“I’m learning for myself. It’s just a side effect that I can help him.”

“And it has nothing to do with Nat and Bucky teaching him Russian?”

“Nothing.”

“Sure. Now, do you have a UV lamp? Mine had broken down.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s there.”

~~~

“Soo, Mr. Stark, I have a question, you don’t have to say yes, of course…” Kid said, playing with a zipper.

“Just spit it out.”

“Cannedcometotheworkshopplease?” Peter let out a question in one breath with unbelievable speed.

“Say that again, but slower?”

“Can Ned come to the workshop, please? We have a robotics project for school, an-“

“Jesus, of course you can invite your friend over, you don’t need to stress so much.”

“Thank you Mr. Stark!”

And that’s how Tony ended up giving a lab tour to another teenager, this time a chubby, Asian kid, that gave the gaping fish impression at the first sight of the workshop.

“So, kiddos, what do you need to do for your little project?”

The project ended up with a very angry May Parker yelling at him.

“Stark! Why the fuck school called me to tell me that Peter’s last project was to dangerous to show in class?” Her lips were pressed into a thin line and she crossed her arms.

“Wha- It wasn’t anything that would blow up?” Tony said hesitantly as he didn’t exactly remember what he came up with.

“There were lasers, Tony.”

“Not very dangerous, if you ask me, just for a show.” He was sure that he didn’t let kids put anything that would destroy school in their project.

“Lasers that apparently cut a school desk and a whiteboard in half.” Or maybe he did. “He was given a 3 day suspension for bringing dangerous objects to school!”

“Oh, wow, I mean, that’s bad…” Tony was literally unable to act guilty, because that meant Peter would be out of school, and that meant…

“He’s not going to spend that time with you.” May Parker’s sharp voice cut off his train of thoughts.

“Oh…”

He spent those three days redecorating and personalizing the guest room, where Peter had stayed a couple of times. His actions brought some half-hidden smiles from his teammates and Pepper, but he shrugged it off.

~~~

“Pepper, why did you take my intern?”

“I didn’t take anyone, Tony.” Pepper leveled him with a stare. “Peter came to me, asking for help with English essay for school.”

“Why didn’t he ask me?”

“Because you said that English classes are useless and he should ditch them.”

“What? No! I didn’t! Why would I?” Tony sputtered.

“FRIDAY, pull up the footage, please,” Pepper said with an exhale.

“Okay, FRIDAY, don’t, I did, but I shouldn’t. Kid, don’t ditch school, your education is important.”

“Well, I can always become a full time Avenger.”

“Wha- no! No, you can’t, I forbid, you are going to finish high school, then go to MIT and then work in SI, and you are not going to be a full time Avenger. Over my dead body!” Tony’s speech made both Pepper and Peter laugh.

“I was just joking.” Peter scrunched his eyebrows as some thought just came to him. “Have you already planned my life for me?”

“No?”

“Oookay,” he replied, dragging the o. “Anyway, I just thought, that Pepper has more experience in humanities that you,” said Peter

“So when you are done with English, head down to the lab, because I have some upgrade ideas to discuss with you.”

Tony shot a glare at Pepper and she glared back. Tony decided to do a tactical retreat and leave the room.

~~~

“Tony, wait!” Happy called after him. “Look, I just wanted to talk about Peter.” That grabbed Tony’s attention.

“Is he okay? I didn’t get any-“

“No, no, he’s fine, I just wanted to talk about him. And you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I talked with May and she noticed that as well and he spends a lot of time with you.”

“If you want me to stop h-“

“I don’t want you to stop, there’s just a building full of people who also want to spend time with him.” Happy’s words were rushed and he seemed out of breath.

“So what do you want me to do, throw him out of the workshop?”

“Tony, just don’t go around complaining that he’s currently doing something with someone else.” Happy made a placating gesture and continued, “Look, I know you love him, I do too , but you can’t monopolize all his time.”

Tony opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He thought about his interactions with Peter for the past couple of months. Yeah, he liked the kid, liked teaching and helping him, a lot of his Spider-Man’s adventures had raised his heart rate and had given him a few gray hairs, but love? Nope, he didn’t need it and the kid didn’t need it.

He finally found his voice, “I don’t l-“

“God, you are an emotionally stunted idiot.” Happy shook his head. “Everyone sees that. Talk with Pepper.”

“Oh-okay,” Tony replied in confusion.

~~~

Pepper and Tony were laying in bed, the former reading a book, the latter looking at some blueprints.

“Happy said that I love Peter,” Tony dropped suddenly. The woman closed a book and turned on her side to look at him.

“And you don’t agree with that,” she stated.

“Well, it’s not like I don’t agree with it, but…”

“Tony, you literally started learning a new language to help him. And you also do your paperwork, while he does his homework, because you want to set a good example. You also started sleeping and eating regularly, for the same reason.”

“I just want to be a good example.”

“I also know something else.”

“Hmm?”

“Your will.”

“Oh.” Tony had, in fact, updated his will a month before and made Peter his sole heir. Peter wasn’t aware of this fact as Tony waited for him to be eighteen. May, as a legal guardian, and Happy, by extension, were the only ones informed about it. “But you know, he’s clever.”

“Would you do that to every clever kid?”

“…no.” Pepper smiled and picked up her book. Tony stared at the ceiling, thinking. After a minute he said, “He also said that I spend too much time with him.”

“Happy said that?”

“Uh-huh…”

“Tony… He just means that you are fairly annoying, when Peter spends time with the team and you come dragging him to the workshop.”

“I don’t drag him anywhere.”

“You know what I mean,” Pepper responded disapprovingly.

“Okay, okay, I know.”

After the beat of silence Tony spoke again, “You know, we could make our own kids.”

“You already have one.”

“He’s Happy’s and May’s, I just borrowed him.”

“And after we make our own, you are going to give him back?”

“Ehh, no, he grew on me.” Tony blinked, realizing something. “Wait you said after? Does that mean-“

“Good night, Tony.” Pepper turned off the lights.

“But you don’t dismiss the idea…”

“Good night.”

~~~

He did make it weird. They were five minutes into their usual lab time and Tony couldn’t stop staring at the kid and recalling conversations with Happy and Pepper. Peter , currently unaware of the turmoil inside Tony , was sitting at his workstation, chewing on a pencil and focusing on calculus homework. Tony sitting with his own pile of papers moved his eyes to the sheet of paper before him. ‘ Article 5c…' What the fuck am I reading? He looked on the desk, where read pieces of paper were laying. Apparently it was a contract. He didn’t recall its content at all. He looked at Peter again. Still chewing on a pencil.

“Hey, don’t chew on that!”

“What?”

“You’ll destroy your teeth by chewing on pencils.”

Peter scrunched his eyebrows.

“Seriously?” He looked at the pencil and at Tony. “Why are you so weird today?”

“I’m not weird.”

“You are looking at me.”

“Maybe I like watching you.” As soon as those words left his mouth, Tony winced internally at them. Great, now he is a creepy, rich guy, who likes watching teenagers. “Or maybe not.” Peter’s eyebrows raised in question. “But I still like you.”

“You are being really weird,” Peter said, unsure of what he should do.

“Do you like being here?”

“Sure, why wouldn’t I?”

“You are not feeling obligated to do so? You wouldn’t prefer to spend time with Steve right now?”

“I don’t understand…”

“It’s a simple question, Pete.”

“Yeah, but I don’t understand why you are asking me that.”

“Just answer it, kid.”

“No , I don’t feel obligated to spend time here. I wouldn’t prefer to spend time with Steve right now” Peter replied, confusion and nervousness clearly visible, with how he started playing with the pencil.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s good, good talk, go back to your homework.” Peter looked at him quizzically for a moment, then he shrugged and went back to calculus. Tony started going through the contract. Except after five lines he lost his focus again and started thinking about Peter again. Emotions were always confusing for him and it didn’t help that everything about a situation was complicated. He couldn’t exactly Google ‘my bodyguard is dating a woman with a kid and I think I kind of love that kid, but I’m not sure what to do.’ Happy and Pepper both said that it’s okay and their only complaint was he tries to keep Peter to himself too much. And he was willing to admit that they were in fact right. But that was followed by the doubts if Peter actually wants to spend time in the workshop or if he just a pressured poor kid, who didn’t feel like he could refuse. Even if he wanted to spend time with him, where would he draw the line ? He had May and Happy as, well, parental figures. So what did it make Tony?

“Why are you staring at me again, Tony ? ” Peter’s voice startled him. He didn’t even notice when he moved his gaze from paperwork before him to kid again.

“I’m not.”

“Yeah, you are.”

Tony moved his eyes to the ceiling and sighted.

“Okay, I am. But I want to talk to you about something and I don’t know how.” Talking about feelings. Apparently a mature thing to do.

“Oh. Did I do something wrong? Because-“

“No, no, no, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Tony quickly denied. “Wait. Why did you think that you did something wrong? Did you?” He stared intensely at Peter.

“No, I just, you know…”

“Okay, never mind, we’ll talk about this later.” Tony took a big breath and started, “I talked with Happy. And Pepper. They both thi-“ A ping from his phone interrupted him, he looked at it and swore. “Okay, looks like we need to postpone our conversation.”

“What’s going on? Is that a mission? Should I-“

“Not a mission, stay there and do your homework, I’m going to be back soon or I’ll send Pepper.” Tony quickly left the workshop and once he was out of hearing range, he said, “FRIDAY, what’s going on?”

“There was a shooting at Central Park. Happy Hogan and May Parker were involved.”

“Are they okay?”

“911 reports say that Mr. Hogan was injured.”

“Send location to the suit, I’m going there. Divert the ambulance with Happy to the Tower, inform Cho and Pepper of the situation.”

“What should I tell Mr. Parker?”

“Don’t tell him anything yet.”

May and Happy had a date tonight, they should’ve been safe. But something happened and Tony had to do damage control quickly.

~~~

There was already the police and an ambulance departing the scene. Tony couldn’t see neither Happy nor May anywhere. He hoped that they were both in the ambulance that he saw leaving. He landed and immediately saw the crowd turn to him. He didn’t have time for fans and questions, ignoring them, he confidently strode towards NYPD officers, the crowd parting like the Red Sea.

“What’s going on, where’s May Parker and Happy Hogan?”

“Excuse me Mr. Stark, but you have to stand behind that tape.” one of the officers pointed with a finger.

“Mr. Hogan is my employee and has close ties to the Avengers and as such, that case falls under our jurisdiction,” he quickly replied, leveling the cop with a stare. It was a young looking man in uniform. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth in shock.

“Okay, I know that you are here to just keep the crowd away. Just bring me to someone, who is in charge here,” Tony quickly added more calmly. This worked, because he quickly found himself in the company of Detective Morrison and Detective Slater. Both of them were tall, unimpressed looking men.

“I understand Mr. Stark that you are nervous, but we are currently questioning the witnesses.” Morrison crossed his arms over the chest. Tony looked at his phone. Steve was trying to get that case handed over to them, but there’s only so much that can be done in five minutes and without any proof that it was an Avengers-level threat. Happy was admitted in the Tower’s med bay, unconscious and with a bullet hole. May Parker wasn’t with him and Tony was currently trying to locate her.

“You don’t understand. I just need to talk to a woman. May Parker. This high, brown hair, wears glasses. She was with Happy Hogan and probably will know what happened here.”

“I’m sorry, but there was no woman matching your description among people on scene when we arrived.” Finally Tony got confirmation of what he suspected all along and could act on that. He unblocked his phone and chose the number.

“Rogers, shooting in Central Park, May Parker wasn’t on scene when authorities had arrived, she’s possibly missing.” Then he turned to the Detectives, “We’ll need the witness statements that you’ve gathered.” He handed them a business card.

~~~

Back at the Tower Tony immediately rushed to the workshop. Peter was still there, having finished homework, he was preparing a web fluid.

“Hey, kid,” Tony started. Peter jumped in surprise and spilled the chemicals. He moved to clean it, but Tony stopped him

“Leave this. We need to talk.”

“Uhh, yeah, you'd said that before you left.”

“About something else, actually.” He placed his hands on the kid's shoulders and pushed him gently in the direction of a lab stool. “Sit down.” Peter complied and turned his attention to him.

“I left, because FRIDAY informed me of… shooting in Central Park. Happy and May were involved in it. Happy is currently in surgery and we don’t know where May is.” Tony decided to be short. As he watched Peter’s expression morph from neutral to disbelief and then pure shock and fear, he thought that maybe being more gentle and less direct was a better idea.

“What? No! That’s not… Please…” Peter’s breath quickened and started coming in short pants. He swayed on the unstable lab stool. Tony caught him by his shoulders.

“You need to breathe, kid or you’re gonna pass out.”

Fortunately Peter was able to get his breathing under control on his own and didn’t work himself into a full-blown panic attack. After a short silence filled only with the sound of his inhales and exhales, he feebly said, “I want to help.”

“Absolutely not,” Tony answered sternly and moved back.

“It’s May!”

“That is exactly why you won’t be doing anything!”

“You don’t understand!”

“Yes, I do! You won’t be able to keep your cool and you will be a liability not help! We can’t afford that!”

“Well, you can’t stop me!”

“Oh, yes I can. FRIDAY, Peter is not allowed to leave the Tower or access any files on the case.” Tony gave his orders to AI and looked at Peter. The teenager was fuming.

“You have no right!”

“If you think I’m the bad guy here, you can talk to Steve, he’s going to tell you the same thing.”

“I hate you!” Peter pushed him and stormed out of the workshop.

“FRIDAY, tell him that he should go to med bay to keep Happy company,” Tony barked out and then sighted, sat down by the desk and put his head in his arms. Somehow he managed to destroy everything in two minutes. Well, at least he knew where he stood. He rubbed his face and got up. Team was waiting for him in one of the conference rooms.

~~~

Avengers got permission to handle the case with the NYPD. So along with the team, there were two disgruntled detectives that Tony had met before. Steve led the meeting. After an hour of talking that had led them exactly to nothing he summed up, “For now, we have first responders and witnesses reports, none of them actually saw what happened, most of them heard the gunshot and saw only the result. Nobody recalls seeing May. FRI (DAY?) is running facial recognition, but to no avail. She’s also reviewing all of the footage from the nearest cameras to the scene and flagging anything unusual.”

At that moment Bruce entered the room.

“I have an update on Happy,” he started. ”GSW to the stomach, although nothing vital was hit. Cho’s using her regeneration cradle, so he should be able to tell us what happened when the anesthesia wears off.”

The team nodded at that.

“How’s Peter, Tony?” Natasha turned to him.

“He said that he hates me, because I didn’t let him help us,” Tony said dryly.

“He doesn’t really hate you, Tony,” Clint reassured him. “He’s just frightened that he’s going to lose the closest thing he has to a mother.”

“You need to talk to him,” Natasha stated.

“Yeah, I need to check on him anyway. FRI, where is he?”

“I am unable to determine Mr. Parker’s location.” Blood in Tony’s veins froze in an instant. The whole room went quiet, you could hear the pin drop.

“What… What do you mean?”

“Mr. Parker left the Tower approximately 30 minutes ago.”

“What?! I told you not to let him out! Track him!”

“The protocol has been overridden. Current protocol prohibits me from tracking him.”

“How?”

“I believe that the current protocol was created by Ned Leeds.”

“Fuck.” Wow, letting the kid’s friend in the lab bit him in the ass for the second time.

“Tony, what’s going on? Who’s-“

“Peter and his friend hacked FRIDAY to sneak out and they added coding that makes it impossible to track him. I’m going to fix that.”

It was a long night. Tony spent hours fixing FRIDAY’s programming. At the end he was seriously considering whether it’s better to kill or hire Ned. Unfortunately after removal of the offending code it was too late to find Peter. He disappeared into thin air. His spider suit and phone were left at the Tower. He had changed his clothes in a back alley nearby and he wasn’t caught by any cameras, so they didn’t have anything to go on. At 4 AM it started sounding a bit surreal. Man gets shot and a woman goes missing in a public place in broad daylight. Teenager runs away and doesn't leave any trace. Everything in the span of two hours. Now they were just waiting for something. Clint and Sam played cards quietly. Steve and Natasha were going through everything they’ve managed to gather for an umpteenth time. Bruce went back to med bay to help Cho. Bucky just fell asleep on the table. The two detectives had left. Tony just stared at the screen no longer understanding what he was seeing, his mind exploring horrifying scenario number 78, where they find two mutilated bodies in a river and Happy dies because Cho missed something.

“Mr. Parker was registered by a street camera near the Tower, five minutes ago.” FRIDAY’S voice cut the silence. “He seems to be heading here.”

“What? Where’s he now?” Tony jumped to his feet.

“Mr. Parker just entered the Tower,” FRIDAY announced. “He’s going to the penthouse level.”

~~~

Tony for the past few hours imagined the lecture that he was going to give Peter when he saw him again. Something that would make the kid regret the day he was born. But when he saw him standing by the elevator, all of the anger had left him and immense relief washed over him. Peter was pale and shaking like leaf, but according to FRIDAY was unharmed

“Thank god!” That was all Tony said before pulling him into a hug. Peter, stiff at first, melted into him and started crying. His legs gave out and they both crumbled to the floor.

“I don’t hate you, I don’t hate you, I don’t-“

“Sh, sh, I know, it’s okay, I know, kiddo, I know,” Tony instinctively shushed him and started rocking them back and forth. He looked up and saw Pepper in pajamas, who was woken up and drawn there by the noise and he shook his head a little. She quickly understood and left for their bedroom.

Tony didn’t know how long they sat there but his legs went numb. Eventually Peter calmed down and said, “I thought you would chew me out for running.”

“I thought too. I’m still going to, after you get some sleep.”

“Hmm…”

They sat like that in silence for some more time. Finally Tony moved and helped Peter up.

“Come on, you still need to sleep.”

~~~

Peter looked better after the shower. Not so pale. Tony pushed him into bed, turned off the light and was about to leave, when the small voice called, “Can you stay?” Tony turned towards the owner of this voice. In the darkness he could only distinguish the lump on the bed and curls peeking out from beneath the covers. He moved closer and sat on bed next to Peter, leaning against the headboard.

“Only until you fall asleep,” he said softly. He didn’t exactly know what he’s doing, comforting someone was completely uncharted territory for him. He remembered something that Jarvis used to do for him, when he was little. He put his hand on Peter's head and started running fingers through the soft curls. Peter sighted and leaned closer.

“I’m sorry for running away,” he mumbled.

“You should be.”

“I just wanted to do something…”

“And what did you do?”

“I just wandered around. I didn’t have any plan and I realized that I won’t help. I was scared that you would be mad, so I didn’t come back immediately.”

“I was mad, I still am, but I was mostly afraid, kid. You can’t do things like that.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Peter finally closed his eyes and relaxed a little. Tony thought that he was asleep.

“Do you think you’re gonna find May?” Peter asked quietly, startling Tony, who looked down and saw wide eyes staring at him. ‘ He’s just frightened’, he remembered Clint’s words.

“I don’t know. I hope so.” Peter closed his eyes again and pressed his cheek against Tony’s thigh. Tony kept playing with his hair until his breaths evened out and face and shoulders relaxed completely. He stayed like that for a moment before standing up. He stopped in the doorway, looked at sleeping form and whispered, “Sleep tight, kiddo.”

After that Tony went to the kitchen, where Pepper waited for him.

“How is he?”

“Physically? Good. Mentally? As well as he could be in that situation.” He moved towards a coffee machine.

“I handled CPS. He can stay here, for now.”

“That’s good, good.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Coffee. And then go to the team and see if there’s some progress. Find May eventually. You?”

“I’m going to make sure that nothing burns in the process.” she smiled at him softly.

“FRIDAY will let me know when he wakes up, but can you keep an eye on him?” he looked at her.

“I’ve already cleared my schedule.”

“What would I do without you?”

~~~

When he entered the conference room everyone was a bit agitated.

“What happened?”

“A witness came forward, she saw a van and some men in ski masks near the scene,” Natasha started explaining. “One of the traffic cameras caught a vehicle matching the description. We have a license plate.”

It turned out that their excitement was short-lived. Sam and Bucky found the van in an alley a couple blocks away. Police forensics examined it. They would have to wait for the full results, but for now it seemed that it was cleaned. The only noteworthy thing they discovered were traces of blood, presumably May’s. All of the nearby cameras recorded many other cars at the interesting period of time and it was impossible to tell which one belonged to kidnappers. The owner was a kind old man, named Stan, who reported the van's theft a week before. The investigation on that also hit a dead end. They were in process of reviewing the material gathered by the police and made FRIDAY find footage from the night of the van’s theft, but it didn’t seem to go anywhere. They also found May’s phone, or rather what was left of it. They were working on two theories, first one that someone noticed that she spends lots of time with Happy and kidnapped her for information, second one that she was kidnapped for a ransom. They had thought that maybe Happy would say something groundbreaking, but his story didn’t tell them anything that they already knew or suspected.

“There were three men in ski masks and non-descript clothes, with guns. They tried to grab us, one of them shot me. I think they got scared and took only May. I don’t remember much more.”

That left them to wait and look into the enemies' of Avengers, SI and Spider-Man recent activity. Honestly with the amount of material they had, they should have made some progress.

24 hours have passed and they managed to hit a dead end. No one saw anything, no camera registered anything. Tony looked at the clock in the conference room accusingly. First 48 hours were the time when most of the missing people were found. After that chances started to diminish. They’d already used half of that time. Tony should probably go find and comfort Peter instead of sitting and not doing anything, but he couldn’t make himself leave the room in case something happened. Besides, finding May would be probably the most comforting thing they could do.

His train of thoughts was interrupted by an email notification. He looked at the new message and felt his heart drop immediately.

“Fuck! Guys?”

~~~

Everyone in the conference room sat in silence as the video was playing. This time apart from two detectives, there were ransom specialists joining the team. Video featured the kidnappers beating up May and making demands. It looked really bad, with two men punching and kicking her without even looking where. She already had some bruises and what looked like a broken nose. Hits were leaving red marks that would soon turn into bruises. What raised the biggest concern was that May barely reacted. She probably already had a concussion or was drugged.

“Mr. Hogan, we have your girlfriend. In exchange for her, we want 5 million dollars. We are sure that you can get that amount easily from your boss. We give you 48 hours, or we will have fun with her.”

Tony immediately took his phone to organize the demanded amount of money in cash.

“Tony, what are you doing?” Steve asked him.

“Getting them what they want, what do you think I’m doing?”

“I think we should make a plan first,” Bucky joined calmly.

“What plan? They said, what they want, we give them that, we get May back!”

“Excuse me sir, but you shouldn’t do that,” one of the K&R specialists interrupted. “This video doesn’t count as proof of life, so we don’t know if that woman is still alive. A phone call would be preferable. Also, in ransom negotiations the first offer generally should be declined.”

“Am I the only person in this room that actually watched this video? You didn’t hear what they wanted to do? Didn’t see what they were doing?”

“It is not in the kidnappers interest to kill her quickly if they want ransom. They just want to show the power they have over you.”

“Besides, the more we communicate with them, the more we have to track them,” Natasha added. “Also you shouldn’t negotiate. When they get to talk with the billionaire Tony Stark, they are immediately going to raise their demands.”

“It’s also going to be a press nightmare if the media get a sniff on this.”

“Fine!” Tony threw his arms over the head. “Do whatever you want.” He left the room slamming the door.

~~~

Tony went to med bay to inform Happy about the recent development. Peter and Pepper also were there. They sat on plastic chairs, Pepper hugging Peter. Happy laid in bed. He woke up, when Tony entered the room. Tony sat down heavily on the chair in the corner.

“Anything has changed?” Pepper asked. Tony sighted and gave them an extremely watered down description of the video content.

“Those specialists tell me that paying immediately is a mistake and the team says that I shouldn’t get involved.”

“They’re specialists for a reason,” Pepper reasoned.

“I want to see that video,” Happy said.

“Trust me on this, you don’t want to.”

“Tony…”

“You focus on getting better, Hap,” Tony cut him off and turned to Peter. “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah.”

“A sandwich a couple of hours ago,” supplied Pepper.

“You have to eat more with your metabolism, kiddo,” Tony said seriously. “Come on. We’re going to the kitchen and then there’s bedtime for Spider-babies.”

“I’m neither hungry nor tired.”

“Yeah, I’m not explaining to your Aunt, why are you starved and sleep deprived.”

“If you will have someone to explain to,” Peter mumbled under a breath.

“Yeah, you're not talking like that. We’ll get her back and you are going to eat.” Tony put his arms under Peter’s armpits and pulled him up. “If you don’t cooperate, I’ll use a suit to drag you to the kitchen.”

~~~

Tony managed to coax Peter into the kitchen, without dragging and made him blueberry pancakes. (“Pancakes? But that’s breakfast food.” “Yeah, and you are going to eat them at 10 PM.”) They repeated the routine from yesterday. It also calmed down Tony and he started accepting that specialists and the team might be right. He came back to the conference room, where everyone was except for Clint and Natasha.

“FRIDAY tracked the kidnappers, they didn’t cover their tracks well.” Steve’s voice greeted him. “Clint and Nat are doing reconnaissance right now.”

Clint’s and Nat’s intel helped them develop a plan. There were four kidnappers, holding May in a suburban house. They were armed, but definitely weren’t professionals. This didn’t work in the team’s favor, because their lack of experience made them unpredictable. With the hostage present they really couldn’t afford a fight, even though they outnumbered the opponents. So they formed a plan, when they would try to take the criminals one by one.

It was just an ordinary house at the outskirts. The whole neighborhood was peaceful and unaware of horrors currently happening in one of the houses. Well maintained, clean area, small streets and wide sidewalks, a playground nearby. With a shining sun and birds singing cheerfully it looked like a suburban dream. It was really weird, that nobody had heard anything, but on the other hand it was the kind of neighborhood where the residents would leave their homes in the morning for work and come back in the evening.

“It just really creeps me out, this place,” Tony started wondering. “It looks perfect and beautiful, but no one has any idea what neighbors are doing.”

“Do you know what our neighbors are doing, Tony?”

“I have FRIDAY monitoring for any suspicious activity in the nearby buildings.”

“You're a stalker.”

Tony chuckled as he watched people getting to their cars and leaving. They had been observing the house since wee hours of morning waiting for the best moments to strike. Right now any action was out of the question. There were too many people on the street and any Avengers action would attract a lot of gawkers.

“One of the kidnappers went out for a smoke, he’s at the back. I think we could take him out without attracting any attention.” Natasha’s voice carried through the comms.

“Do not engage. Neighbors haven’t already left, we can’t risk being seen,” Steve ordered. “Tony, how’s the front of the house looking?”

“The guy with a nose from the house on the left is having a polite conversation with the fat guy from the house in front,” Tony relayed what he could see from his car.

“Guy with a nose?”

“It’s seriously big, trust me.”

“Seriously, you would think that people at 7:30 in the morning would hurry to work and not engage in conversations with neighbors,” Clint complained. Three yelling children came out from one of the houses.

“Oh and now the guy with a nose is packing his children to the car and the fat guy looks like he’s about to go,” Tony updated and relaxed into a seat. He took a sip of a coffee and choked, when someone suddenly knocked on his window.

“Yeah?” He asked, rolling down the window.

“You can’t park your car here!” a middle aged blonde woman started yelling at him. Peter called those ��Karens’ as he recalled.

“It’s not a no-parking zone,” he replied.

“You cast a shadow on my flowers.” Tony looked at the sad excuses for plants and immediately thought that they need water more than sunlight. Before he could share his idea, comms cracked and he heard Steve saying, “Tony, do not argue with her, we can’t afford her to recognize you. Just drive around the block, maybe she’ll leave.”

Crazy plant lady didn’t leave and Tony was forced to find another observation spot.

Finally, the neighborhood emptied and quietened.

“That guy is smoking in the back again.”

“Okay, the neighbors have left, you can take him out now.”

Tony looked at the stream from the camera Clint had on himself. Natasha and Bucky moved in complete silence. She stepped behind the kidnapper, and with surgical precision pressed a spot on his neck. Bucky immediately caught the man, before he could fall and make a noise. They dragged him into bushes and hid there.

“One out, three to go.”

“Okay, now we wait.”

Couple of minutes later another criminal appeared.

“Clint, go.”

An arrow soundlessly flew through the air and hit him in the shoulder. Bucky appeared and again caught and dragged the guy into bushes, where Natasha was keeping an eye on the first one.

“He’s out. Two more to go.”

“Attention guys, the remaining two kidnappers moved from the basement to the kitchen.”

“Uh-uh, people on the street,” Tony warned. “Someone with a kid, I think. I can’t see clearly.”

Two NYPD officers in civilian clothes appeared and herded the newcomers to where they came from.

“Okay, all clear now.”

“Good. Nat and Bucky, you are guarding the back door and kitchen window, Tony and me from the front. Clint stays watching those two taken out guys, Sam, survey the area from the air. Bruce, move the ambulance here.”

Tony got out of the car and went to the front door, where he met Steve. He activated the nano gauntlet and leaned on the door. Steve looked around while the lasers from the gauntlet were destroying the lock.

“Okay, the door is unlocked, we’re going in.”

“Copy that.” i

Tony pushed the door and let Steve in first. He activated his whole suit and immediately followed the man. They were in a hallway that opened at the end to the living room, connected to the kitchen. On the right there were the stairs. They moved quietly toward s the living room. Tony gestured to Steve that he wants to enter first and stun both remaining criminals with his gauntlets. Steve nodded. Tony smoothly went to the room and fired at the unsuspecting kidnappers. He hit one of them, standing by the counter, but instead of the other he hit the cupboard full of tableware. The cupboard like in slow motion fell on a criminal, emitting an ear-splitting noise of breaking glass. Cracking and clanking reverberated through the room for what I seemed like an eternity. It made both men stop and just watch in shock what was happening. Steve regained his bearings quicker and ran towards the man buried under the glass and porcelain.

“He’s dead.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, his brain is on the floor.”

Tony didn’t wait for more. He retracted the suit and ran towards the basement.

“May, May?! Oh, shit…”

May was slumped in the chair, which she was tied to. Her face was covered in dried blood and bruises.

“Hey, May, wake up,” Tony said while looking for a pulse. He jabbed his fingers to her neck and prayed quietly. Fortunately, he felt slow beats.

“Get a medic here ASAP, she has a pulse, but it looks really bad!” he shouted at the comms. “Hey, wake up, Peter’s waiting for you.”

This seemed to do the trick.

“Pet’r?” she slurred.

“Yeah, he really misses you. And Happy’s okay.”

“Mmm…”

After that everything went rapidly . Suddenly the place was swarmed by medics and NYPD officers. Tony was pushed back as they put a collar around May’s neck and an oxygen mask on her face. She was placed on a stretcher and pushed into an ambulance that left soon.

“Jesus.” Tony slumped against a car and slid down, so he was sitting on asphalt. After the stress of the past few days left him, he felt exhausted. “I need a coffee.”

“You need a sleep.” Steve materialized from nowhere.

“Everyone needs that. I need to talk to Peter, Happy and Cho.”

“ The NYPD wants us to stay here. But… Maybe nobody will notice your absence.”

“Steve Rogers, goody two shoes, encouraging me not to cooperate with law enforcement? How can I refuse?”

“Drive safe, Tony.”

“I will.”

Tony got into a car and started the engine. He drank the rest of the now cold coffee and started driving in direction of the Tower. There were still a lot of things to do.

~~~

Couple of days later Happy was allowed to leave med bay on condition that he will have plenty of rest. May was cleared by Cho the day before that as the biggest issue was concussion. Steve and Bucky were preparing a big dinner since everyone finally could participate and even Rhodey managed to leave DC and was joining them. They were very secretive about the chosen dishes and had forbidden everyone from even getting near the kitchen. Tony honestly just hoped that they wouldn’t set the building on fire. He holed up in the workshop.

The elevator ding announced somebody’s arrival. Tony turned and saw Peter lingering on a doorstep.

“Hey, what are you doing there? Come here.”

Peter looked at the floor, shuffled towards the workbench and stood there awkwardly. Tony got up and approached him.

“Did you forget that you usually sit here?”

Peter sat down and started playing with the hem of his shirt.

“Okay, what’s going on?”

“Before… Before all this, you said that you need to talk to me.”

Honestly Tony hoped that Peter forgot his attempt at the serious conversation.

“You were weird that day and then, you know what happened, and you were nice, but not there, and then again weird.”

Tony cleared his throat and said slowly, “I’m sorry that you felt that way. I spent most of the time with the team, because I thought that finding May was what you needed the most.”

“I mean, it was. I just felt lonely. Happy was on strong pain meds and Pepper is nice, but…”

“Yeah, I get it, I’m really sorry. And for being weird. Happy told me that I spend a lot of time with you and butt in your time with others and I started questioning how you are feeling about this.”

Peter suddenly moved and wrapped his arms around Tony and with a muffled voice said, “I don’t mind, seriously.”

“I know now.” After a moment he added, “You know, I just don’t want to replace anyone.”

“You’re not. You are just Tony, not Happy, or May, or...”

“Just Tony, huh?” Wow, where did the hero worship go?

“Titles don't matter, only that you care.”

I care so much , he wanted to say. I want you to be safe, I want to see you grow and learn. Instead he just said, “I do.” Peter didn’t respond. Tony broke the silence, “You know I’m not good at emotions. Happy called me an emotionally stunted idiot.”

“I know.”

“You little shit. You were supposed to say, ‘You handled this very well, you are great!'” Tony broke a hug and ruffled his hair. Peter beamed at him

“Miss Potts asks if Peter got lost in the workshop and if she has to come and get you to the dinner,” FRIDAY interrupted them.

“Wait, you were supposed to tell me the dinner is ready?”

“Maybe.” Peter smiled sheepishly.

“You really are a little shit. Come on. I’m starving.”

When they got to the kitchen everyone was waiting for them. Pepper, with crossed arms, scolded Tony, “What did you do in that workshop of yours? Everyone was waiting for you and it’s extremely disrespectful to Steve and Bucky!”

“I’m really sorry, Pep, but we needed to have a conversation. And someone-” he looked sternly at Peter- “didn’t tell me that dinner was ready.”

“I’m sorry, really, it just happened,” Peter frantically started explaining himself. Something in Pepper’s face softened.

“I guess it’s fine, you two really needed it, but next time maybe find a better moment, okay?”

“Okay, okay!”

They finally sat down at the table. Steve and Bucky really put a lot of effort into the meal. The main course was salmon with asparagus. They also prepared garlic bread and a salad as side dishes. They even chose the right wine for a fish, but Tony suspected Natasha’s or Pepper’s help here. Conversation flew freely and they made their way to the dessert, in an amiable atmosphere. Pepper started conversing with May, which brought his attention.

“You know, maybe you could move to the Tower.”

“I don’t know really…”

“Peter and Happy spend most of their time here anyway and you too were here a lot, even before.”

“Plus, you know, Happy already has an assigned private floor, so it’s mostly a question of packing and moving stuff from your apartment,” Tony joined them. “And you would have the help of superhumans and Pepper Potts to plan everything.”

“Oh, the last thing makes the best argument. How’s wedding planning going anyway?”

“Well, it would go better if Tony listened to me. We have a cake tasting scheduled next week.”

“You know, we could just take Peter, feed him cakes and ask him which one he likes best. It would be faster. I swear his stomach has no bottom.”

“What?” Peter turned towards them at the sound of his name.

“Only if you are dealing with his sugar high, Tony,” May chuckled

“Hey, guys, I can hear you!”

Before they could continue they heard Steve clearing his throat. He got up and looked like he was about to give a speech.

“Last week was very hard for all of us,” he started. “We are very pleased that everyone important is able to be here. Me and Bucky have some important news to share and we are glad that you are the first to hear that. Without further ado, we decided to get married.”

Cheers and questions erupted immediately. Everyone congratulated and the toasts started.

Tony looked at the large table. Maybe titles didn’t matter. But the only thing that he could think was that after all these years, they became a family somewhere along the way. Big, loud and unconventional, a patchwork family, that wouldn’t make sense to a stranger. There were still a lot of issues that needed to be solved in the long run, but at that moment they were the happiest people on Earth.

#fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #marvel #spiderman #may parker #peter parker #happy hogan #tony stark #iron dad #the avengers

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vintagereigns · 5 years

Text

“Pleasure’s All Mine.”

Warnings: Smut (18+), graphic language, sexual scene, cursing, female ejaculation.

Word Count: 1,635

A/N: Sorry for any errors, I didn’t really go over it once it was finished. Gif credit to, I believe, @romanreignsdefencesquad.

Character: Roman Reigns x Reader

The wind blew just slightly, just enough to move a few pieces of hair into her face. A ray of warmth shone down on them as they walked through the woods, the weather just cold enough to wear a long-sleeved shirt. Birds were chirping overhead, mixing in with the sound of old leaves and twigs being stepped on, and there was a faint smell of wet wood as they stepped through the trees. Up ahead was the lake and their camping ground.

Joe had been very busy these past few months and he was finally able to take a week off from traveling. He felt bad for not spending as much time with his girlfriend and came up with the idea to go away for a few days. However, she wasn’t too keen on camping. It was getting colder and she was scared to sleep outside, especially in the woods in the middle of nowhere. Joe joked around with her about it, saying that he was big and strong enough to fight off a bear or scare an intruder away, but she still wasn’t sure until he held her and promised that nothing would ever happen to her under his watch. So she agreed and he had planned everything out.

“How much further?” She groaned. Her feet were aching from walking two miles into the woods. Joe turned to look at her and stopped.

“It’s just up there, not too much further. Here,” he said and bent down on one knee after clearing the heavy bag from his back. Her legs straddled his waist and her arms clung to his shoulders as he stood and gathered the bag.

He was right, it wasn’t but a good fifteen feet until he sat the bag down and then helped her down from his back. Joe took in the view of the lake and breathed in, inhaling the smell of the trees that dripped with last night's heavy pour. She walked around him and smiled. It was really beautiful. The sky was now a pinkish-orange color as the sun set behind the mountains afar.

“Let’s set up the tent,” Joe said and began to rummage through his bag.

So far, she was having fun, but she couldn’t deny the flinching every time there was a noise around them- which Joe laughed at every single time. She then found comfort and safety sitting between Joe’s legs as they roasted hot-dogs and marshmallows with the fire that sat in front of them. The bugs were out like crazy, but with the fire and the spray that Joe had brought, neither had barely gotten a single bite.

Joe wrapped his arms around her waist while she pulled the burnt marshmallow from the stick and fed it to him before licking the excess goo from her fingers. He then placed his lips to her temple and yawned. “Are you ‘bout ready for bed?” he asks, his chin resting on her shoulder.

“Mmm,” she responded and pulled from his hold so she could stand up. He follows and walks around the fire to the tent. She’s right behind him as he unzips the opening and steps in, his shoes immediately being kicked off and nudged to the side. “Babe,” she softly called and grabbed his hand before he laid down on the pile of pillows and blankets, “Don’t you think we should put out the fire?”

“Shit, yeah. Hold on,” he said and hurried to slip his shoes back on before going back out into the chilly night air. She heard him extinguish the fire and then twigs crunching under his boots, but it sounded like he was going further away from where she was.

“Joe?” She asked hesitantly, her fingers gripping onto the zipper of the tent. “Joe, please don’t fuck around,” she cried out.

But he doesn’t answer. Instead, the back of the tent is hit and Joe screams out, “Boo!” Screaming, she dropped her phone and scramble to pick it up to turn on the flashlight. She could hear Joe laughing as he came back to the front of the tent, his shoes in hand, and a smile plastered on his face. “Oh, c’mon baby, you’re just too easy to scare,” he defended.

“Fuck you! Seriously, I almost started crying because I thought you left me. You’re such a fucking asshole, Leati, seriously,” she complained.

“Baby,” he chuckled, “What on God’s green Earth would make you think that I would ever leave your ass out here, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, all alone? Not to mention, you can’t find your damn way around a circle.”

He walked over and zipped up the tent before bending down to his knees where he grabbed her hand. Kissing each of her fingertips, he pulls her in for a hug and whispers that he loves her too much. After a few moments of Joe constantly apologizing, she changed into her pajamas- which consisted of a red pair of flannel pants and one of Joe’s hoodies- and climbed under the covers. Joe stripped out of his jacket and jeans before he slid on a pair of joggers and a hoodie for himself.

Once the two were comfortable and warm, Joe pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her stomach. He kissed her clothed shoulder and whispered, “Goodnight.” But she laid there, unable to sleep and listened to the noises that came from outside. Turning onto her opposite side, she wrapped a leg over Joe’s waist and hid her face into his neck, her arm wrapped around his bicep. * She didn’t know the time, but she believed it was still early. Joe had rolled over on his stomach, his face resting against her chest and his arm and leg dangling over her body. She ran her fingers through his hair, which he had let down last night, and kissed his forehead. Groaning, Joe blinked himself awake and yawned. He looked up at her and his lips peppered kisses against her wrist while she continued to play with his hair.

Rolling over and resting himself between her legs, Joe’s lips attacked her neck before he pulled the hoodie from her body and threw it somewhere else. He hooked his fingers into her panties and slid them down her legs along with her pants and tossed them aside. His lips met hers in a heated kiss and he grounded his erection into her sex and groaned into her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers into his hair.

“Does that feel good, baby?”

“Mmf,” she mumbled into his neck and bit down on the skin. A layer of sweat had already formed on his forehead as he grounded harder into her, the material of his joggers dampened with her juice. She reached for the hem of his shirt and Joe parted from her for a moment to slip it off. Chest to chest, her erect nipples rubbed against his flushed skin and they both moaned at the contact.

Joe slipped his pants down to his knees and pumped on his warm cock. Hard and throbbing, he rubbed himself through her folds and played with her clit. The skin of his cock was soft, but it was fully hard and erect and he had no problem slipping into her. Her head fell back and his eyes rolled into his head. The feeling of being inside of her was of nothing he had experienced before. No amount of adrenaline that buzzed through his veins and no victories against his opponents had ever made him feel this good.

Filling her to the hilt, Joe grabbed her legs and pushed them against her chest. Pleasure was an understatement when he did so. He had reached a deeper, more exciting part of her that they both enjoyed. Thrusting into her with astounding speed, he pulled out completely and lifted her bottom up before plunging back in and hitting that sensitive yet rough spot within her walls.

“Joe!” She meant to moan but it had come out in a strangled whine when he smashed himself against it. Her legs began to shake and Joe began to slow down but thrust harder. The sound of her wet cunt and slapping skin echoed, overlaying the noise of the birds that screeched in the trees.

Sweaty and out of breath, Joe pushed all the way in, the tip of his cock pressing her g-spot like a button. He emptied inside of her, his deep moans releasing from his throat. Joe swiped his arm over his forehead and gripped her legs again, spreading them wide and hitting that spot all over again until her juices gushed out and covered the blankets that they laid on.

Completely worn out, Joe didn’t even pull out and laid on top of his girlfriend, his face pressed against her neck. Her throat was dry, burning and desperate for water. Joe kissed her sweat-covered skin and sat back up, his arms shaking with exhaustion. He rummaged through the clothes and slipped on the jeans he had worn the day before, nearly catching himself in his zipper. His girlfriend, who had sat up, watched him. She joined him in getting dressed soon after.

Joe took down the tent while she gathered everything and put it away in their bags. It was still early, maybe eleven, and both were starving. Joe slipped his bag over his shoulders and grabbed his girlfriend��s hand while they began the journey back to the car.

“Did you have fun?” he asked and took a quick glance down at her.

“Surprisingly, yes. Thank you for talking me into coming out here. And thank you for this morning,” she grinned. Joe smirked and winked at her.

“Pleasure’s all mine.”

#romanreignsimagine #roman reigns x reader #roman reigns #romanreigns #wwe #joeanoai #joe anoa'i #joe anoai x reader #joeanoaiimagine #joe anoai imagine #roman reigns imagine #romanreignssmut #roman reigns smut #(not my gif)#imagine #nonrequested #myworks

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ryder-s-block · 4 years

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Jaig Eyes (Ch 45)

Jaig Eyes (45/?)

Summary:

Kida, a former slave who now thrives as a bounty hunter, finds herself sucked into the war she advised Jango Fett against. Now that she’s involved, she has to finally mourn the loss of Jango, seeing his face in the clones that man the GAR. What happens when she allows herself to get attached to one, not for his resemblance to her former mentor, but for his heart?

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Chapter Forty-Five: Kyber

I came to with a start, my eyes snapping open as I shot upright. The room I was in was not unlike the Father’s monastery in design. Yet, the walls and floor were earthy colors, and orange glow pouring into the room from painted glass windows. A throne stood in the hall where the Father’s meditation pedestal might have gone.

Beside the throne, looking out the window, stood the Son.

“I take it this is your home,” I said, somehow finding confidence despite the tremble in my legs. “Why have you brought me here?”

“For the same reason I brought you to this world,” he responded, not looking at me. “To remind you of true power.” He turned abruptly, Force lightning striking me in the chest. “And for you to help convince the Chosen One.”

I let out a scream as I flew backwards, the lightning stopping as the Son paced. “You’re insane,” I growled, pulling out my pistol and firing. The shots ricocheted off him like he was made of beskar before he flicked his wrist again.

The pistol exploded in my grasp, my hand immediately searing. I screamed, falling to my knees and clutching my burning palm. The Son glanced sideways past me before lifting his hand again, dragging me across the room with the Force. He placed me against the wall, surprisingly, without too much roughness.

“Sister,” he breathed slowly. “What a pleasant surprise. And you brought a friend.”

I could say nothing as the Son turned to greet the Daughter and Obi-wan, who walked into the room slowly. I sat in pained silence, clutching my hand to my chest, tears streaming down my face with reckless abandon.

The Daughter glanced over at me briefly before looking back at the Dark Sider. “What have you done, brother?” Behind her, Obi-wan was watching me with worry. Still, he dared not to step away from the tense confrontation between siblings.

“Done?” the Son tilted his head before pacing. “I have...done what is right.” He tilted his head again in thought. “Or, what is wrong, depending on your point of view.” He sat on his throne, steepling his fingers in glee.

“Our father is dying,” the Daughter lamented. “Did you do it?”

The corner of the Son’s mouth twitched just slightly. Still, when he spoke, it was almost like he was trying to justify his words, like a child defending his drawings on the wall. “He is just so selfish and was taking too long to die, so I decided to move things along.” He composed himself quickly. “Now, why are you here?”

The Daughter was fuming...if she was allowed to do that. “I won’t let you leave this planet,” she declared

“You are not strong enough to keep me here,” the Son responded smoothly, rising from his throne again.

Obi-wan stepped forward. “Not alone, she isn’t.”

“Are you referring to your friend,” the Son asked with a smile. “The Chosen One? You might want to check up on him. He’s a little preoccupied right now.”

Panic settled over Obi-wan’s features as he moved to race from the room. He slowed near me, but I shook my head. “Go,” I said out through clenched teeth. Obi-wan nodded and raced from the room. The sounds of lightsabers clashing echoed quietly from the window the Son was looking out.

“Can you feel it, sister?” he asked wistfully. “Can you feel the anger, the hate, the fury?” He was reveling in it, his gaze glancing at me. He could feel my own anger that I was struggling to control.

“Their conflict is feeding you, isn’t it?” the Daughter realized. “I must stop them!”

“No!” the Son growled, throwing her backwards and away from the door. She recovered easily, power surging in the room. It was like an intense pressure, pushing on my eardrums. She lifted the Son in the air before slamming him back to the ground. “If you will stand in my way,” the Son spoke steadily, finding his feet and dusting off his gloves. “Then I guess we must fight.”

The two grappled for only a moment before separating, the Son shooting lightning from his fingertips. It was then that I realized how powerful the Daughter was, as well. I supposed I had overlooked her in the light of my interactions with the Son and Father. Yet, she deflected his bolts of lightning with ease, twirling deftly to redirect it at her brother.

He flew back with a grunt, the peaceful Daughter holding him against a ceiling arch, her face determined. The room warped with power again, this time filled with conflict and anger. The Son struck out his hand, a huge swarm of lightning engulfing the Daughter and sending her flying backwards.

“No!” I cried, forcing myself to stand despite the blinding pain coming from my hand. The Son floated down from the ceiling easily, his expression smug. I had no weapon...aside from the lightsaber. Steeling myself, I watched as the Son approached me leisurely, power emanating from him.

I drew the saber from my pouch, the blade igniting in a brilliant red.

And my legs collapsed beneath me, sending me to my knees as the kyber screamed in my mind. Well...I guess I wasn’t going to be helpful in this.

I heard the Daughter through the pulsing in my mind as I fought the intensity of the saber’s memories. “You don’t have to do this,” she insisted as she found her feet.

“Then stand aside,” the Son growled, enveloping his sister in another bought of electricity.

“I can’t,” she panted. “I won’t!” She stood, and as my vision blurred, the crystal pushing even harder against me, I saw her rush her brother, turning into her creature form. And then there was nothing but pain.

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Alarms blared around me as my vision began to return, except it wasn’t my vision. It was someone else’s. Someone whose hands were desperately working over the console of a ship. “Spinner!” an unfamiliar male voice yelled, feeling like it came from my own lips. The person let out a series of curses as the alarms declared an incoming impact. And then the terrible searing of fire.

The vision shifted again, showing myself standing at the edge of a volcanic pit.

“Dreypa,” a man beside me hissed, looking at me. “What are we going to do?” We were surrounded by soldiers and I knew their intent was to throw us into the lava. I realized in that moment I was finally listening to the kyber crystal’s story...whether I liked it or not.

I looked down, seeing a Sith talisman in the palm of Dreypa’s--my--hand. It burned my skin as it engaged, the darkness of its power nearly suffocating. And then I felt something awaken. Something sinister and huge. Something unnatural.

I felt Dreypa’s smug confidence as he watched his Leviathans rise. He ordered them to kill all present...even his fellow sith.

So much death. So much destruction.

I was ripped from the horrible scene as the kyber brought me to my next vision.

I looked down, seeing the lightsaber of my ancestor in my grasp. I watched it slice through jedi, knowing that Dreypa had come across the patrol. The kyber wailed as it was used to slaughter innocents. It wasn’t the first time.

I was shown vision after vision of the lightsaber being used to kill innocents until suddenly...it wasn’t red anymore.

The blade was a brilliant green color, shining in the dark room in which I sat. I was aboard a cruiser, and I knew I was fleeing the Jedi Order with other Dark Jedi. Hatred and anger bubbled inside me, the saber trembling under my will. I hated that saber. I hated everything it stood for. I’d given my life to the Order...but they were wrong.

A scream of rage erupted from my throat, the lightsaber sputtering and extinguishing. I felt the pain of the kyber as it cracked, splintering like glass. Panting with anger, I turned the hilt and thumbed the ignition switch. The blade sprung forth again, red as blood as the crystal bled with my darkness.

My vision swirled a final time before I was struck with the cold. My breath misted out in puffs, surrounded by ice. I somehow knew I was on Ilum. A sacred place for the Jedi Order. I crept forward in the cold, something shining before me amongst the icicles.

Trembling fingers reached forward, the shining crystal singing in my mind. It was beautiful. Hopeful. Good. My fingers plucked it from its place among the ice, the crystal shining in my palm. It felt...right. Like it had wanted me to find it. Like we were compatible in the very Force itself.

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I gasped as my eyes opened to reveal the Son’s throne room again. My hand was clutched around the hilt of my ancestor’s lightsaber, the blade engaged. It hummed in my hand, but the screaming of the kyber had stopped. It was still in pain, as I was...but it knew I understood it now.

And maybe...it understood me, too.

I realized the things I had to do in order to fix the kyber in that moment. But now wasn’t the time. I found my feet, somehow ignoring the pain in my seared hand. The room was empty, the sibling’s battle having ceased. The end of the room was speckled with shattered glass. I raced to the broken window, seeing everyone--including the Father--below in the courtyard.

I disengaged the lightsaber and tucked it away before racing down to meet them. When I got there, the Son was shooting lightning at his father, who was barely holding back the power. I realized that the Father was doing as I did against Dooku a year prior. Though, I knew I could never do that against the Son.

“You are too weak for me, old man,” the Son declared. “You mean nothing to me anymore!”

As I approached, I saw something was off about Ahsoka. Her head-tails were painted with black veins, her stature hunched and lightsabers in her fists. I understood now what the forbidden thing the Son had done. He turned Ahsoka.

How, I couldn’t be sure.

The Son broke through the Father’s defenses, launching the old man backwards. He continued in his torture, all of us watching on helplessly.

“Anakin!” Obi-wan called, brandishing an ancient looking blade. “Now!” He tossed the blade, but Ahsoka intercepted it, racing up to the Son’s side.

“What is she doing?” I cried, left hand still clutched to my chest. She looked back at us with a smirk, waving the blade at us tauntingly.

“Everything has transpired exactly as I planned,” the Son gloated as he turned to Ahsoka.

“You showed them the altar?” the Father lamented, cradling his side in pain.

Obi-wan helped the Daughter to her feet. “I am sorry, Father,” she pleaded. “I didn’t know how else to stop him!”

“Give it to me, child,” the Son demanded of the young Togruta.

She glanced over her shoulder at us again. “Ahsoka, no,” Anakin cried. She looked down, almost as if she was contemplating his words. But then she straightened her back and handed over the blade, dropping it into the Son’s palm.

“Thank you,” he smirked, twirling the blade playfully. “Your usefulness has come to an end.” He touched his fingers against her forehead, the girl crumpling to the ground immediately.

“No!” Anakin screamed, rushing forward only to be thrown backwards past me by the Son. I hurried to his side, helping him back to his feet with my good hand.

“The jedi have brought me the dagger,” the Son said, looking to his father. “And you have brought yourself. Now, Father, you will die!” He raised the dagger, aiming for his father’s chest.

“Father!” the Daughter cried, rushing from Obi-wan’s grasp to throw herself between her brother and father. A terrible gasp erupted from her throat as she was struck, the light she gave off dimming immediately. The Father caught her in his grasp as the Son backed up, looking at his hands in shock.

He let out a yell of grief. “Why?” he screamed, lightning flashing as he launched himself into the air, away from us.

Anakin rushed forward, turning over his padawan to discover a lifeless face. Meanwhile, the Father lowered his daughter to the ground, removing the dagger and throwing it away. “My daughter,” he whispered. “What have I done?”

The Daughter let out a few piteous coughs, her hand reaching for her father’s. “Do not hate him, Father. It is his nature.”

“No,” he whimpered as the tree in the courtyard began to shrivel and dissolve. I looked around in fright as I followed Obi-wan to Anakin’s side. Her power was diminishing. The Dark Side would destroy this place...and maybe more. “All is lost,” the Father said, confirming my worries. “The balance has been broken. I thought by bringing you here, I would--” his words cut off as he shook his head, looking down at his daughter. “But I have destroyed everything.”

Anakin let out a shaking breath. “Can you help her?” he asked, still kneeling beside Ahsoka.

“There is no light,” the Father lamented. “The evil has been unleashed, and the Dark Side shall consume her.”

“You must help her!” Anakin cried, the sound of oncoming tears in his voice. I shook my head, trying to figure out some way to save her. If I could resist the darkness...so could Ahsoka, right? She was a far better person than I was, anyways.

“I cannot undo what is done. There is no hope.”

I frowned at the Father, but Anakin beat me to it. “Yes, there is,” he insisted. “There’s always hope!” It was moments like these that made me realize that Anakin, despite all his struggles or any opinions of the Order...was a good person.

The Daughter reached up to her father’s cheek, touching it gently. She pointed at Ahsoka wordlessly. The Father stood, gesturing for Anakin to kneel before him, between the two prone women. He guided Anakin, having him place one hand on each of the women’s foreheads.

“Then let my daughter’s last act,” the Father explained, closing his eyes. “Be to breathe life into your friend.” They arched off the ground as the Force rolled through the courtyard. Light erupted from all of them, making Obi-wan and I step backwards, eyes squinting. It ended as abruptly as it began, Anakin panting between them.

I looked at Ahsoka, seeing that the dark lines had receded. She let out a cough, sitting up suddenly. Anakin quickly enveloped her in a hug, his face tucked into her shoulder. Relief washed over us all, despite the impending turmoil of the Son’s growing power.

“Hey, Snips,” Skywalker said with a small laugh.

“What’s…” Ahsoka seemed dazed. “Going on?”

“Uh, not much,” Anakin lied. “It’s good to see you.” He helped her to her feet, Obi-wan offering her lightsabers back to her.

“As the balance in this world crumbles,” the Father interrupted, stepping forward. “So shall war escalate in your galaxy. As my son has descended into the Dark Side, so have the Sith gained strength.”

I chewed my lips in worry as Anakin stepped forward. “We will stop your son.”

“No,” the Father insisted. “You must go now. He needs your ship to leave the planet. You must leave before he can take it.”

“What about you?” Obi-wan asked.

“I shall mourn all that I have done.” The Father touched his daughter’s cheek gently. “And all that is yet to be.”

I glanced at the jedi surrounding me, seeing them all silently agree. I followed them out, agreeing to let Obi-wan take me back to the monastery where my ship was. Ahsoka and Anakin took the other speeder, heading back to repair their own ship.

“Are you sure you won’t need my help to get your ship fixed?” I asked Obi-wan as I got off the speeder outside the monastery.

“As much as I appreciate it, everyone needs to get out of here as fast as possible. You need to get out of here as much as us. We’ll be fine.”

I nodded at him as he sped away. Running up the steps and to the landing platform, I felt relieved that this was all over. Then again...nothing good had come of it. What would the galaxy look like when I emerged? Would it be as it was, but only be doomed to get worse? Or would it be an immediate change by the effect of this place?

Would it even be the galaxy I knew?

I ran up my gangway, putting the ignition gauge back and starting the engines. My ship whirred to life as she should have when I first got here. Glancing up, I saw the Son standing on the platform before my ship. He was staring up through my viewport, his arms crossed expectantly.

“Osik,” I cursed under my breath, feeling the ship shudder under his power. He was stretching out his hands, holding the ship in place. He wanted to hitchhike.

I rose from my chair, engaging the engines to push up as I snatched a blaster from the wall. I climbed up the ladder and through the top hatch, letting off a series of shots at the Son. As they had before, the blasts bounced off like I was throwing pebbles. Suddenly my body was lifted into the air, dragging me from my ship.

“No!” I yelled, trying to let off more shots, none of them hitting their mark. The Son flicked his wrist, tossing me sideways and onto the landing platform. I tumbled across it, my hands grasping desperately as my body rolled over the edge. I grunted through my gritted teeth, fingers clenching on the ledge.

With a heave, I pulled myself up to get my chest back onto the platform, my injured hand searing my brain with blinding pain. Through my panic and pain, I watched the Son hold my ship in place, lifting himself with the Force. He disappeared through the top hatch I had emerged from, his pale face visible through the viewport.

He graciously took his seat in my pilot’s chair, the engines engaging as he pushed the joysticks forward. I shimmied my body forward, finally able to roll to my feet. My shuttle flew away from the platform, leaving me to only watch.

I set my jaw, my eyes narrowing. “I’m not letting you off this rock,” I growled to the dark sky. My wrist gauntlet beeped as I plugged in the series of commands I had programmed for these type of situations. There was only a moment of hesitation--remembering the holo-image of Jango, Boba, and I that decorated the table in my cabin. The endless equipment that stocked my walls. The downright reliable nature of the shuttle herself.

I pressed the last button, watching as the engines began to overload from a distance. They sparked and spurted before suddenly going silent...only to explode in a balloon of light. There went my ride...I would have to find a new one.

I knew I didn’t kill the Son, as I could still feel his immense power over this world. Still, I’d hurt him, at least.

Or just pissed him off.

I certainly wasn’t expecting to see his creature form storming out of the smoke cloud, barreling down on me. I backpedaled in fright, trying to turn and race back inside the monastery. Claws clamped down over my back, lifting me into the air and over the looming tower. The storm raged around us as the Son’s anger only grew, carrying me across the shadowy landscape.

I struggled to no avail, finally letting out a defeated groan. Not again…

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MANDO’A

Osik-- shit

#clones #Clone Wars #Clone Troopers #clone #The Clone Wars #star wars #star wars the clone wars #oc star wars #star wars oc #fanfiction #fanfic #Fanfc #Mandalorian #jango fett #Daughter of Jango fic #mortis #Anakin Skywalker #obi-wan #ahsoka tano

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lnicol1990 · 4 years

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The Dark Domain - Session 6

Well, haven’t posted one of these for a while. Simply put, December got a bit hectic for me and I could keep up with my session write ups. But, with the new year, hopefully I can get back on track

Also, isn’t it amazing how your players can interpret something so entirely different to how you’d intended it? Isn’t it amazing how they can completely derail a session by focusing on something they weren’t meant to?

Yes, but at the same time… no. Just, please no.

Anyway, onto the session!

We begin with Zolfor waking up from her sound thrashing from Kaieth and Irah. She finds herself in a small, cramped cell with several other people. A shifty looking rogue quickly explains the situation; that they are all prisoners waiting to be re-educated and turned into husks of their former selves, mindlessly following orders without a care or dissenting thought.

The rogue asks Zolfor if she has any hair clips, which she does and hands a couple over. The man quickly picks the lock and, after a little flourish, allows Zolfor through first. She promptly misjudges stepping over the bar at the threshold, catches her foot on it and falls flat on her face. She quickly gets up and moves out of the way.

The rogue and three others are quick to follow her, but one woman does not move. She can be heard muttering to herself that she’ll be spared if she is repentant, and no attempt to move her is successful. As such, the others leave her there and make their way out.

Zolfor and the rogue lead the way, slipping into the shadows easily. While two of the others are similarly stealthy, one fails miserably. The sound of their footsteps attracts the attention of the guard, and they are spotted and caught. Zolfor and the others use the distraction to make a break for freedom. Another is spotted as they run, and only Zolfor, the rogue and last other escapee make it upstairs.

Reaching the top of the stairs, they find themselves in a side room within the church. As they creep towards the main hall, the rogue spots another guard and quickly motions for Zolfor to back up. The last escapee trips and lands heavily, alerting the guard to their position. Leaving the clumsy fool to their fate, Zolfor and the rogue hide behind nearby statues.

Once the guard has taken the last escapee back down to the prison cells, Zolfor and the rogue make a break for it. They are able to sneak up on a guard and kill him, at which point, their exit is clear.

Outside, the rogue quickly leaves the city, and mentions that Zolfor should do the same. However, she explains that she has unfinished business and heads towards the docks. The rogue doesn’t try to dissuade her, and instead takes his chance for freedom.

Zolfor is so focused on getting her belongings back from the Old Town urchin that she doesn’t notice a guard on patrol until she all but walks into him. She is unable to see his face under his helmet, but flirts with him, hoping to distract him so she can make the first move. She seems to be successful as he leans towards her for a kiss, but she is caught off guard when he stabs her in the stomach with a dagger and then hits her away from him.

The fight is short. The guard has the upper hand from the start and Zolfor has nothing on her that she can use to defend herself. She is able to fire off an eldritch blast at the man, but causes limited damage. After only a couple of swings, the guard stabs her through, sending her to her knees as shock overwrites her thoughts.

It ends with a swift snap of her neck.

As the sun rises, Atlas, Kaieth, and Irah all receive a vision. They see Priestess Trill, a dagger close to the divine gem on her forehead. They hear her scream as it is forcefully pried off. The gem, bloodied, rests on cobblestone before being crushed and turning dark as its celestial light is extinguished.

Kaieth rises first, coming out of his meditative trance. He is disturbed by the vision, and after privately reviewing it, he waits outside Irah’s room, wanting to speak to the aasimar about it. The other man does not seem particularly worried about the vision, passing it off as a simple dream, which only heightens the elf’s concerns. He all but drags his teammate downstairs, wanting to see if Atlas also had the vision.

They find the goliath waiting for them in the dining room, and notice that he seems tense. While Kaieth assumes it to be about the vision, he is quickly corrected; Atlas just doesn’t like the expensive nature of the inn that they are staying at. It has even ruined the larger man’s appetite, simply asking the waiter for water, even after it is mentioned that breakfast was included in the room price.

As they are left alone, Kaieth brings up the vision. He distrubed with the fact that they all shared it, and believes it is a warning of some sort. When questioned, he explains that he often has visions when he is in his trances and that they all mean something; to see something so disconnected to what he is used to, it must be a warning. He theorises that it may mean that there is another group looking to harm Trill.

This assertion confuses Atlas, who asks why that would matter. Kaieth states that it would mean that another group might be trying to take Gorvick for themselves, which in turn would mean that they have more issues to contend with to accomplish their own mission. The elf shows mild relief when the goliath concedes his point, and Irah readily notes that he hadn’t thought of that possibility, and that maybe more consideration should be given to the vision.

Their discussion is brought to an abrupt halt when a man shuffles up to them. He doesn’t speak and they can tell by a quick glance that he has been re-educated. The man’s clothes are a little better kept than others they have seen, and the crest of a jumping fish is sewn onto the left of his tunic.

He wordlessly holds up an envelope to Irah, who takes it with a solemnly. Task complete, the man turns around and leaves,

Upon inspection, Irah sees that the envelope is wax sealed with the same crest as was on the man’s clothing. He carefully opens the seal and reads the letter within, speaking aloud for his companions.

It is from the mayor’s steward. Irah, under his cover name ‘Philamoris’, has been invited to dinner the next day at the mayor’s estate, after evening prayers. His ‘entourage’ is also welcome, but he reminded that weapons are not allowed in the estate and that formal attire is expected.

Both Atlas and Kaieth are unhappy about the idea of walking into an unfamiliar place without weapons, but both are confident that they could hold their own regardless. The topic of formal clothes is even more hotly disliked. Atlas brings up the practical reason that he is a goliath and nowhere will have something that can fit him, and also admits that he hates those kinds of clothes anyway. Kaieth is simply proud of his position within his temple and considers his uniform to be enough, stating that if the mayor disagreed then he would take it as a personal slight against him and his temple.

Irah is able to sway Atlas into considering giving formal wear a try, if only to woo Trill who will likely be in attendance. Kaieth, however, does not budge on his stance.

Either way, they all agree that attending the dinner is the next step in discovering the best way to take the city for the Domain. And the next step in preparing for that is buying formal attire.

As they make their way out of the inn, their attention is grabbed by Priestess Trill who is yelling at a guardsman. Upon making their approach, they can hear the man telling Trill that the investigation has come up empty, something she is not happy to hear. The party ask what has happened, and Trill indignantly tells them that some of the prisoners marked for re-education have escaped, and one has been killed.

The party are aghast at the announcement, both the murder and Trill’s brazen admission that they keep prisoners locked up below the church. However, when they learn that the murder victim was Zolfor, Kaieth’s concern immediately drops.

Irah, however, is still worried about the criminal and asks the guard captain more questions, which the man does not take very well. The man is snappish, but apologises once he notices that Irah is an aasimar, who can see that the captain is clearly exhausted and irritable from not having answers. After he calms down, the captain is more agreeable to Irah’s questions and agrees to Irah’s request to speak to the guard to found Zolfor’s body.

As the captain leaves, Irah asks Trill if she would allow him use of the church to conduct a private discussion with the guard in question. She happily agrees, though is less happy when he reiterates that it will be private and he doesn’t want her there.

As the captain returns with the witness, Kaieth notices the necklace in his pocket heating up. Remembering what Rolfor had said, he realises that one of his siblings is close and quietly mentions this to Irah. Once the pair arrive, Irah and Atlas walk the man into the church. Kaieth stays outside with the captain, both of whom watch Trill leave to the mayor’s estate.

Within the church, Irah interrogates the guard with Atlas watching from the side. He learns that the guard did kill Zolfor, who was his half-sister. The man explains that their father is a monster and that he has sworn to kill every child of the man, breaking the bloodline. Atlas speaks up at that, curious to know if that plan included the man himself. The guard goes quiet, possibly uncomfortable with either answer he could give.

Irah, however, decides that the man is dangerous to his teammate Rolfor, and prepares to cut him down. The man hurriedly calls out for him to stop and removes his helmet, revealing himself to be said teammate. Rolfor explains to a very confused Irah that he had followed them from Quain on another boat, being very careful not to get too close and warn Zolfor that he was there. He has been lying low, posing as a guard since he arrived, but has no useful information to add.

When Irah tries to press Atlas’s earlier question, Rolfor brushes it aside, saying that they will have time to talk later when they’re in a safe place. Irah agrees and they come up with a cover story for the previous night.

Meanwhile, Kaieth waits outside with the captain. Not as confident a speaker as Irah, he decides to let the captain speak first, knowing that many people are uncomfortable with silence and will try to fill the void. His patience pays off, and the captain speaks.

At first, it is simple curiosity as to why the elf isn’t grilling him like everyone else has that morning, but some careful manoeuvring on Kaieth’s part brings the topic onto the crime and the town guards. He quickly learns that the guard are understaffed and underfunded, with almost everyone having to use the standard armour and weaponry sold at the indoor market. As such, there’s no way for the captain to figure out if the murder was committed by one of his guards, or by someone else.

When Kaieth pushes for more information on why the state of affairs is so bad, the captain becomes uncomfortable speaking where someone could be listening in and takes the elf somewhere more private to continue speaking. Once alone in a quiet section of the city, the captain explains.

Shortly after the Domain was pushed out, there were many sympathisers left in the city. A few short months later, a plague swept across the city. The head priest of the city, a priest of Sannie, specialised in healing miracles and was the only one keeping the number or fatalities down. During this period, a portion of sympathisers rose up and killed the man. Trill, who had recently arrived, felt she had to take his place and wanted to purge the city of every sympathiser, whether they were part of the attacks or not.

In addition, Ilvan became mayor at the same time. Amidst the stress of his new position of power, the concerns of the plague, and the murder of the head priest, his wife went into labour early and birthed their daughter premature. And from the moment she was born, the daughter has been sickly all her life. All these factors made the mayor extremely paranoid and gave Trill permission to purge the city.

Since then, the mayor has prioritised Trill’s needs, rather the city guard, even pulling some of the captain’s men away from their duties to provide protection for the priestess.

Kaieth says nothing, letting the captain’s words paint him a vivid picture of the situation. He makes mental notes of everything that could give him and his allies an edge in the upcoming takeover.

The elf suggests that they return to the church and meet up with Irah, accidentally forgetting to use the aasimar’s false name. The captain picks up on this and asks who ‘Irah’ is. Kaieth freezes, horrified at himself at the blunder, and shakily bluffs his way out of the situation. He forces himself to say that he is a Blackleaf refugee, echoing what Trill had called his people the day before, and that Irah had been someone he knew in the camp he was from and that ‘Philamoris’ often reminded him of his old friend.

To his extreme relief, the captain simply nods in understanding and drops the subject, asking if they should make their way to the church.

The two return just as Irah, Atlas and Rolfor (once again disguised as a guard) leave the church. Moments later, Trill is also at their side, with the party feeling like she was waiting for them. Irah bluffs that ‘George’ had actually seen the attack last night, but had been hit around the head so events were only now coming back to him. The captain is dismayed that ‘George’ hadn’t reported the injury, and Trill offers to heal him that moment, forcing Irah to stop Trill by mentioning that his healing abilities were better than hers and so healing the man should be his task.

Kaieth and Atlas both notice the priestess looking exceptionally insulted by this, and Kaieth attempts to diffuse the situation by mentioning that Trill had more important uses for her miracles than healing a guard. While not as smooth a talker as Irah usually is, his words do calm her down slightly.

The priestess then turns to ‘George’ and asks who the murderer was, with Rolfor replying that it was a fellow guardsmen who he saw running for the gates before he blacked out. The captain voices his confusion as every guard is accounted for and that no one is missing. Trill verbally grills the captain for such incompetence and that he will have to recount his men again, and interrogate them.

Atlas, at this point, grabs the captain’s badge of office and, after a futile resistance from the man, pulls it off his uniform. He quietly mutters that a man who could screw up an investigation as simple as this was not worthy of the position and holds the badge far too high for the man to ever hope to retrieve it.

Defeated and outnumbered, the captain takes his leave and orders ‘George’ to join him. Irah counters the order, by mentioning that he wants to treat the guard first to ensure there are no further complications from his injuries. The captain backs down and slowly walks back to the guard station.

The party begin to make their way back to the inn when Trill catches their attention and she demands that Atlas give her the captain’s badge. The goliath, however, has gotten tired of her constant dismissal of anyone she didn’t consider important and refuses to hand it over. When she continues to demand for it, getting more and more rude as she does so, he finally lays a hand on her shoulder and asks her in a dangerously quiet voice if she really wants to do this.

This earns him a flash of sacred fire on his wrist, clearly an attempt by her to make him flinch, but his natural toughness absorbs all the damage and he doesn’t bat an eyelid. He explains to her that she got that shot for free, but anymore and he would retaliate.

The guards protecting her are frozen, one intimidated by the man and the other clearly aware that any move he made would likely get the priestess killed. In the end, Irah comes to rescue and is able to make the pair stand down from the posturing. Trill, however, refuses to move and loudly states that ‘the brute’ is in her way. Atlas remains motionless for another few seconds before finally taking a step back.

He smirks as Trill hurriedly makes her way into the church, followed closely by the guards.

Irah, Kaieth and Rolfor all let out a collectively held breath and everyone agrees that they should return to their rooms in the inn to discuss what they should do now.

And so ends the session.

#d&d #The Dark Domain

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movedyourchair505 · 5 years

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Napule Nights - quarantasei

Even though she won’t admit it, Elana gave me half the lines for this. Forever grateful people read this story. Love you all x

- chapter navigation -

Before either Jade or Miles could risk an attempt of getting Helders to open the door, the anticipated click came, the door swinging slowly into the room, a heavy sigh audible from the man on the other side. “Get readeh. Yeh're comin'.”

Jade stepped up to the door, her matte black heels on the floor echoing down the hall, her high ponytail flying from side to side with every step and she gave Helders a bittersweet smile. “I'm ready.” Her legs were clad in tight leather, the top of a lace bodysuit disappearing underneath her belt, shimmering bright red underneath her black fur coat.

“I'm not takin' yeh by choice” Helders stated, sighing when Kane stepped up behind her, flashing him a triumphant smile. “I 'ave teh beh in the meetin' so you two are gunna 'ave teh come too. Dun't step out of line so I can fookin' do me job.”

“I don't care” Jade sighed, already headed towards the elevator, relieved she didn't have to hold Kane to such an unpredictable promise, pressing the button next to the sliding doors before turning around and looking to the men behind her to join. “I just want to get Alexander.”

The car ride passed mostly in silence, except for the occasional whisper Kane uttered to reassure her, to tell her that as long as she was going to play by Alexander's rules, she'd be able to help, although she wasn't sure that it would be that simple, especially if Helders had told the rest of security about what Jade had done, she was as anxious walking down the corridor towards the conference room as she was confident, particularly worried about facing Serena, facing all the pairs of eyes that had warned Alexander about her, had just been waiting to be proven right, for her to slip up. And she'd played right into everyone's cards.

“I'm sorreh” Helders stated as he pushed the door open, looking right at Serena sitting in the seat at the table that Alexander would have normally occupied. “I 'ad to bring 'er, because the boss ordered for meh teh protect 'er. But weh can fink of summat teh-...”

“I want to be part of this meeting” Jade cut in. “I need to be.” She had no regard for the men that sat around the table, all eyes on her, but hers were focused solely on Serena's, she was despite everything not going to let Helders talk over her, especially now that she knew she wasn't crazy, that Kane trusted her, so she could get the others to as well, if they just saw sense, if they just saw her motives.

“I told yeh this ain't wha' I brought yeh for” Helders said, his eyes darkening.

“Matthew” Serena said, slowly rising from her seat, her hands pressed steadily to the table top as she looked from Helders to Jade. “Let her stay. I've got it under control.”

“Why?” One of them called instantly. “For all we know she's given them info that's going to sabotage getting back the boss.”

“Well, there's only way to find out” Serena said, gesturing for Jade to sit in the empty space next to her. “After all, she's spent more time with him lately than any of you.”

Jade breathed out with relief, her eyes wide as she couldn't believe her words, looking back and forth between the man speaking out against her and Serena. “Having her here is against the boss' rules, one way or another.”

Serena slowly sat back down, letting her eyes wander past each of the men before coming to rest on the one that still stared at her defiantly. “The boss is not here” she stated, the calm threat in her voice reminding Jade scarily of Alexander. “Now, I want to get mio fratello back as much as all of you. But I'm his right hand, so we're going to do what makes sense right now. And I have the old man's blessing.”

Jade's eyes were glued on the woman beside her, her authority and power only ever surpassed by Alexander insisting on his position, yet she had all the men in front of her, as well as Jade, hanging on to her every word, Jade's relief and enthusiasm unparalleled now. “They said they'd kill him” she said. “Yesterday, Adriana found me and Miles and she threatened us as well.”

“Jade” Serena sighed, lowering her gaze onto her. “Miles texted me and said you insist you did not say anything else.”

“I swear on my life I didn't” she said, keeping her eyes on Serena's, locked in and firm. “Believe me. Why would I try so hard to get him back, to prove you all wrong if this is what I wanted? I just wanted to protect him.”

“She weren't prepared, Serena” Miles said, leaning against the wall on the other end of the room with his eyes watching the events unfolding carefully. “She's never been through anehfin' like it. Al knows wha' teh do. You would've. Let 'er learn.”

Serena sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, then stared right back at Jade when they snapped open again. “Fine” she said. “You're gonna help.” She looked from her to Matt. “But we're all going to keep a close eye on you.”

Alex was sure that this time he was left alone, they were taking their time to leave him to suffer, to really feel the mark the hot iron had left on his arm, had him hiss each time his arm touched his side, the discomfort as well as the pain becoming worse the more he grew aware of it pulsing through his body, his throat dry, no fuel in his body to combat the intrusion of the pain, nothing to help him get through, and when he was sure that they weren't going to come back, a day or maybe two having passed of his thoughts running, slipping in and out of consciousness and when he was awake cursing himself for all his past actions, his heart ultimately torn to pieces when there was no possible thought he hadn't thought about Jade yet, that's when the door flew open and Adriana stepped inside, two henchmen following, then lastly, Alfonso.

“Are you ready to talk?” He asked, nodding to a small plate with bread Adriana was carrying. “I'm happy to exchange some food for some answers, Turner.”

“Vai a farti fottere.”

Adriana smiled. “You're sure they're going to come and get you before you starve? Before you provoke so much pain it's going to kill you?”

“Porca troia, d'yeh ever get tired of 'er voice?” Alexander asked, turning to look at Alfonso instead of Adriana.<y

The smile froze on her face and she dropped the plate, shards flying across the floor. “Make him bleed.”

“Oh, we will, dear, don't you worry” he said. “Let's try this again, Turner.”

“When are you gunna learn, Alfonso? Yeh're not gettin' anehfin' out o' meh.”

“We'll start with the easy ones again. Where's your warehouse?”

“Your little whore wouldn't tell us. Let's see if we have more luck with the man himself” Adriana said, her smile reappearing as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, shaking her hair back and leaning against the wall to watch.

Alex's eyes widened, anger coiling beneath the surface when he heard her words, only to be painfully reminded that she didn't deserve to be defended and he pressed his lips together, stared back at Alfonso defiantly. “Nice try.”

Alfonso gave a simple nod, one of the henchmen stepping forward and before Alex knew it, his head swung to the side, a hard fist colliding with his jaw, a pulsing, stinging pain surging through his face and he coughed when he sat straight again, already felt something wet running down the side of his face, panting. “Yeh can … fook, yeh can torture meh all yeh want...” he breathed. “I'm not gunna turn on me famileh.”

Another question, another insult, another nod. Thud.

Alex allowed the cycle to repeat itself until Adriana left the room, until one of the henchmen was gone, until Alfonso himself gave in eventually. “You're going to die here, Turner.”

Almost twenty-four hours worth of meetings and a team was assembled, plans set into place and backups thought out, until there was only the key issue left. None of the henchmen, nor Alexander personally had ever stepped into Alfonso's headquarters. Jade had done her best to describe the details she could recall, yet Serena doubted that they would hold her brother in the same place they had held Jade, that Alexander was more important, that he would be in their actual headquarters, and not where they had found Jade.

Clad in a tight, midnight blue dress, revealing as much as she could while still covering up what was necessary, Jade therefore with heavy security subtly positioned exited the car and stepped into a club at the edge of Alfonso's territory. She'd been instructed to wrap anyone that came up to her around her finger, to keep them drinking and drinking until she could ask the subtle questions she needed to find out if anyone was willing to sell out Alfonso, if anyone could potentially be bought.

Every stare she received she wished was Alexander's, as well as every touch she couldn't avoid, and she sat steadily in place at the bar, waited for man after man to come to her, until she had scouted the place out, had figured out who really were the important frequenters, and made a move of her own.

Alfonso was nowhere near as smart as Alexander, even if people far below him here stood under his command, the possibility of either of them knowing the location of his headquarters was high, their loyalty fragile due to their position, and despite her instructions, Jade refused to stop at the location, once she found one that was willing to speak, she would find out everything, would figure out how to disable security, to ensure that once they had the key aspect they needed, they were guaranteed success. She wasn't going to accept not getting him, and she was not willing to wait, to be careful, she wanted answers. Now.

She knew that with every second that passed, the likeliness of Alexander returning alive slimmed and every time her thoughts wandered down that path, she stopped herself. His power, his authority, his energy and his fire – it was impossible to extinguish.

The next time someone came in to talk to him, Alexander was considering accepting the food for a lie he could easily fabricate, one of the plans set in motion, something that he would say to save himself and to stall them, something Serena knew to make believable when a certain signal came that Alexander had made use of their backup plans. But he wasn't quite ready yet, saving everything he knew for when he really would reach his breaking point. Little did he know, that Alfonso's patience ran low, as well as his, and that unlike him, his right hand wanted revenge.

When holding Mancini, Alex had not held back on the threats, on the man's family, his bird, all the things he valued. And when he looked back into his eyes with the tables now turned, he knew that the moment to pay, an eye for an eye, it had come. And once again, he'd brought his haunting nightmare, the click of her heels and the smile reaching even her piercing eyes that made his stomach flip violently.

“Here's the thing, Turner” Mancini stated, his smile bittersweet, his voice calm, triumphant and smug. “Since you clearly don't value your own life very much...”

“We've taken the liberty of finding out what your little whore and your boyfriend are doing. And the more you resist, the more likely it is that they are going to go to hell with you” Adriana said, completing the threat with a smile of her own, tilting her head as if to read the writing on his arm as he held it away from his side. “Pompinaro.”

Alex's eyes darkened as he tried his hardest to remain a blank expression, to not show them how much their words affected him, to not give them the satisfaction. For a moment, a thought flickered through his mind, that Jade had been in exactly this position, that she claimed she had not said anything until they'd threatened him, had until then endured all the torture. He shook the thought quickly. She had betrayed him and he had to be strong.

“D'yeh let 'im fook yeh too?” Alex asked, raising his eyebrows at Adriana. “All up in 'is arse, followin' 'is rules, completin' 'is sentences? Do they share yeh? Or are yeh realleh committed teh tha' pig tha' calls 'imself their boss?”

Adriana glared back at him, pushing herself off the wall to approach, her eye twitching slightly and he could tell she had trouble composing herself. “We're getting somewhere, Marco” she said, licking her lips. “There he is.”

“Well, well, well...” Mancini smirked. “Easier to break than his little whore, isn't he?”

Alexander swallowed, staring back at him as he watched carefully. “Dun't yeh talk about 'er” he spat, biting his own tongue as he realised how little control he had over himself now. “Fookin'...”

“Didn't tell us where your warehouse was” Adriana said. “But you will, pompinaro, come on. Be a good boy. We've taken over your alliances in San Marino, now we need more. And more. Until you're going to be nothing.”

“Shut yehr fookin' mouf, zoccola. Mangia merde e morte.” He glared at back at her. “Yeh did fook all, alreyht? All yeh do is follow them 'round like the brainless cretina yeh are, puttana. All yeh do is let 'em fook yeh and for wha'?”

“And don't you wish you'd get to suck Alfonso's cock like she does, pompinaro?” Mancini asked.

His face flushed red, his fingers shaking as he was faced with the fact that they were using his relationship with Miles against him, were tainting it, daring to mark him in a way that would stay with him, undermine everything else he stood for, trying to get a rise out of him, embarrassing him for something that would not usually embarrass him but he tried to bite all the humiliation down, tried to act on impulse. “No, fanks, Marco” he said, forcing himself to smile as he spoke. “Would do a better job than 'er though.”

“Marco, shut him up” Adriana spat, stepping back and diverting her gaze.

Alex smiled with satisfaction, licking his lips. “'ow does tha' feel, puttana?”

Adriana pressed her lips together. “How does it feel that your little whore had a part in us taking your deal?”

He couldn't ignore it now, couldn't keep his thoughts from running further down that path. “Is tha' all sheh told yeh?” He asked.

“Unfortunately” Marco snapped, suddenly stepping up to him and making him gasp when he wrapped his fingers around his neck, had Alex squirming to force them to loosen. “But you're gonna tell us everything.”

Time was ticking and Jade realised she didn't have much more, realised maybe she'd given the man in front of her too much to drink, he was slurring, possibly had pretended he knew more than he did just to continue talking to her. She half-expected someone to tear the man away from her, to have her brought to Alexander to reinstate his dominance, mark his territory because she'd dared talking to another man, but the moment never came.

Several hours had passed, several men she'd sent away and just when she was about to signal to Helders that it was hopeless, that she needed to do something else, something the man said made her perk up. “Makes sense for them to stay by the Soteco, y'know, pupa?”

Her eyes widened. “That doesn't give them a lot of protection” she said, her voice almost in monotone, automated as she tried to keep the excitement in her eyes at bay, to ignore the way her heart pounded, now that she'd almost given up.

“Well, I know ways to get in” he slurred, giving her a wink.

Jade smiled, leaning forward and moving to run her fingers through the man's hair. “How?” She whispered, pushing her bottom lip forward. “How would you get me in?”

His limbs were aching, he no longer had the strength to keep his branded skin from touching the rough, now bloody material of his vest, his arms and jaw littered with bruises, his legs starting to tingle from not being able to move. But none of the physical pain demanded to be dealt with as much as the fact that he'd wrongfully mistrusted Jade.

Her teary gaze was forced back in front of his inner eye, had his anger rising for himself more than ever. He'd justified his actions, the way he'd almost choked her, had talked down to her, had made her cry because he'd been certain she deserved it. He'd mistrusted her once again, had discarded her loving him so much that she had gone behind his back to protect his life. And now that he realised the chance of coming back to her was not so unrealistic, it slipped from his fingers, not only because he didn't know how much more he could endure, but because she would not take him back after he'd once again accused her, had refused to believe her. It was him that had fucked everything up, knew that if she still was there if he got back, there was no telling if anything he said or did would be good enough to make up for what he'd done, furious that he'd diminished any shred of hope, that he only had so many chances, that it'd been him all along even though he'd never seen himself that way.

He'd promised never to hurt her and his own insecurity had gotten in the way of keeping that promise, the realisation increasing the anger he'd carried for himself, fuelling the way the image he so much enjoyed of himself crumble. He knew he should have focused on the business, but now that he knew that there was reason to scold himself, that he deserved some of the fate he was forced to face now, he could not think about anything else, wondered what she was doing, if she was even at the headquarters, if she missed him even a little, if she was in danger because of his defiance.

He was painfully snapped out of his thoughts when the door swung open again, and there she was again, accompanied by Alfonso. “Oh, what a pathetic sight...” Adriana said, yet her voice, her eyes, not an inch of her showed pity or any hope of mercy as she looked expectedly to the man by her side.

“My patience is running out, Turner” Alfonso said, his voice slow, taunting. “Knives didn't break your bird, but we'll see how you do.”

Alex gathered all the strength he could muster to thrash away, to stall him, yet he knew that once again, there was nothing he could do, hissing, groaning and squirming when Alfonso drew the blade and pressed it to his collarbone, drawing blood while Adriana stood and watched, the smile never leaving her face.

“Don't try and resist” she said, her voice hardly audible over Alex's grunts of pain. “Your happiness is made up of women wanting you, and men fearing you.” She licked her lips, stepping closer to him, as he was distracted, her heels, her steps sounded almost like Jade's if he just tried hard enough. “And I don't want you” she whispered. “Alfonso and Marco don't fear you.”

“Look at you” Alfonso said, another cut deep into his skin that drew silent tears to run down Alex's face, the frustration within him rising as he couldn't help himself, the pain too much to alter his body's natural reaction. “No one fears you anymore.”

“Yeh'll fookin' fear meh” Alex grunted. “Joost yeh see.”

“You're nothing without the approval of your family. Your whore. Even if you ever got out of here, would she want you? She'll have someone more powerful, someone stronger.”

Adriana hummed. “And she wouldn't be the first.”

With the essential knowledge, the only thing Jade could do now to ease her mind was to try and push everyone she saw to work faster, harder, because she'd done her job and it was out of her control now. The moment the conference room was empty and she stepped out last, Kane was there to support her, linking arms with her and leading her to the cafeteria, Helders following them closely, while going with some of going against Turner's protocol, insistent that in his boss' mind, it was still the most important thing for him to protect Jade.

“Fookin' calm down, bella” Miles drawled, nudging her hip with his. “They're almost readeh.”

The look on her face reminded him strikingly of Alex's when he'd been worried about her, only Jade was more helpless, had no command over anything that was going to happen and he drew his arm from hers to wrap around her shoulder instead, squeezing her gently and she looked back at him, swallowing hard. “I'm … I should get ready to leave once he's back, right?” She asked.

Miles' eyes widened. “To leave?”

She pressed her lips together. “Kane, he doesn't want me. I betrayed him.”

“Teh protect 'im!”

She shrugged, her eyes shiny. “But he doesn't care. And he'll have more important things to deal with when he's back. I just need to see him, see he's okay and then I'll be gone.”

“Jade...” He swallowed, knew she was right, but the words still hit deep, for him as well as he knew they would for Alex, even though it was deep down and something he would never admit alongside his anger and frustration for himself and her. “I'm gunna miss ya.”

She pressed her face against his chest, inhaling sharply. “I know.” She held on to him, breathing shakily. “You'll tell me how he is? Just call me?”

“Bella, I'll come see ya even if ya move teh anofer countreh.”

All he had now to be certain of was his loyalty to his family. There was no other decision he'd made that he was proud of now, he was finding faults that were there and weren't, his thoughts revolving around everything he'd ever struggled with, blurring together in his every waking thought, as well as his dreams.

He had once again let the worst of him come out to push away the best thing he had ever had, and coming back, he would only be weaker, would not be enough, would have to face the consequences of his actions as he would have demanded of everyone else, only he hated himself for it, his weakness, what they'd made him look like and feel.

The pain of the bruises, the cuts, the branding, it was all blurring together with his hunger, his thirst, the inability to move to the point where he almost felt numb. He wondered if they were now waiting for him to die, or if Alfonso would choose a moment fitting to do it himself.

He didn't want to die.

He wanted to own up to his mistakes as much as he knew it would hurt, he knew he deserved to suffer, but he refused to not get what he wanted once he'd paid for his sins. Too much depended on him, he knew he'd disappointed and let too many people down, one of his men had already died, he remembered them saying, and there was so much he needed to take responsibility for. And if it wasn't too late, he was going to fight for Jade, would do everything he could to not lose her if it wasn't already too late, he didn't know how much time had passed, and he knew he was going to win. He was Alexander Turner.

Despite her determination, her focus on staying awake and alert, Jade caught herself slipping in and out of sleep, her dreams as much of a war as her thoughts racing through her head when she woke and realised that she had not woken up from the bad dream she feared so much.

“Bella.”

Her eyes snapped open again, her head lifting from Kane's shoulder, staring right back at Helders, now geared up in a bullet proof vest, several weapons tucked into his belt. “We're goin' in.”

Jade rose to her feet, swaying slightly from the dizziness flurring her mind. “I'm coming.”

The clicking of Serena's heels was audible as she joined him, several men geared up as well as Helders behind her. “You are not” she said. “You were essential for this mission, but we've got it from here.”

“Yeh'd be in the way” Cook stated, joining as the last one, a plaster on his eyebrow, a bruise that had started fading around his eye. “And weh'll get 'im back.”

Jade's eyes flickered from Kane to Helders, to Cook, to Serena. As much as she feared Alexander seeing her, had contemplated if she should even let it go that far, she just wanted him safe, and alive, it was all that was important now. And then she would worry about him realising she had not betrayed him, not because she couldn't understand the anger, the rejection, but because she didn't want him to have to live with the knowledge that someone else had betrayed him, that it had not been the wrong decision, that he was right to overcome his past, to trust again, to let people take care of him.

“We'll get him back” Serena repeated. “I promise.”

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