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nalgenewhore · 4 years

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masterlist - ao3 - last chapter - next chapter

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Lorcan collapsed onto his back down on the cool grass, panting heavily and tossing a tattooed arm over his eyes.

He fucking hated cardio.

Hill sprints were the worst, but he had figured they would wake him up the best. As he caught his breath, he stared up at the pale blue sky, dotted with fluffy clouds, dyed orange from the sunrise.

There was nothing like the sunrises of his hometown and that quickly, Lorcan was cursing his aunt. She couldn’t have just let him be, let him resent his father for not being there, for never having time for him or his sisters.

Aneha and Sadirah hadn’t wanted him to go to Perranth, but Lorcan figured… he owed his father that much. To see someone of his blood on the throne, he supposed.

Elide was a complication. Since moving in, he had hardly seen her.

More often than not, he ate some sort of dinner with Rowan, the old friends catching up on the years they’d missed. Lorcan thought, out of everyone, Rowan’s reaction to his pursual was the one he’d dreaded the most.

He wouldn’t ever admit it, but he had been terrified. Their friendship and previous relationship had both been built on complete honesty. Rowan hadn’t been mad, per se, more hurt. Angered, but not angry, on Elide’s behalf.

Their relationship intrigued Lorcan. They acted not unlike him and his sisters.

His thoughts circled back to Elide, like always. Lorcan mentally berated himself, unable to wipe the look of hurt that flashed over her face when she saw him again. Fuck, why couldn’t he just mind his own business? She could handle herself.

Lorcan sat up, groaning in pain at the stiffness of his tired muscles. There’s a reason you don’t sit down after working out, dumbass, he thought to himself. He braced his hands behind him, pushing his body up.

A blurred form moved towards him, crashing into him. In his unbalanced state, Lorcan fell back and let out a soft grunt. He looked up, finding a very heavy dog standing on his chest. Before he could do anything, he heard someone cackling.

He couldn’t move, so he moved his head to the side, seeing Elide standing on the gravel path. She was laughing so hard, she had to bend over, her hands clutching her stomach. Lorcan rolled his eyes, turning his gaze back to the very fluffy animal. “Hey, bud,” he said, letting the dog sniff him.

Elide called for her pet, “Bear, c’mere!”

Bear snapped her head up, quickly bounding away and digging her back feet into Lorcan’s gut as a jumping off point. He swore low and slowly got to his feet. “Morning, Elide.”

“Fuck off and go fuck yourself,” she said in a fraudulently sweet voice, her round lips flashing him a honeyed grin.

He laughed, unable to control how he perked up when she gave him her attention, “Eat shit and die.” Lorcan didn’t miss the way she ogled his half-bare body. Her face went a bit slack as she tracked her gaze over his chest.

He could’ve sworn her cheeks pinked when they dipped lower. “Like the view, do you, sweetheart?” The moment the words left his mouth, her blush disappeared and she flipped him off before putting her earbuds back in and continuing on with her jog.

Lorcan cursed himself, watching her ass in her spandex shorts. He liked seeing her blush, would’ve liked to learn how else he could make her cheeks turn red without him pissing her off.

He had to remind himself Elide was a complication. Nothing more, nothing less.

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Sweetheart.

Oh, how Elide loathed Lorcan Salvaterre with her entire being. Him being built like that only served to make her hate it that much more. People with chests as defined as his and his gods-damned Adonis belt… Anneith above. She forgot the point she was trying to make.

His tattoos fit him well. They were harsh, stark black against his skin, depicting what she assumed was a legend of his people, but she couldn’t tell.

She left Bear with the groundskeeper for the day and walked to the entertainment room. Aelin, Rowan, and Lysandra were sitting in the plush movie chairs. Ress, ever dutifully, stood beside the door, his arms crossed over his chest.

Elide threw herself down on the couch, scowling at the PowerPoint Lysandra and Aelin had put together of her options. “Let’s get this over with.” Aelin, from the chair closest to the couch, reached over and squeezed Elide’s knee reassuringly.

Elide softened, lacing her fingers through Aelin’s as Lysandra clicked the remote. “Alright, there are many options, Elide. First up, Duke Perrington of Adarlan.”

Looking at the slide, her instincts screamed no. Elide read the side profile next to his picture, which was less than promising. “Hmm, rich man… he’s only forty-two? He looks like he’s at least seventy years old.”

“I think that’s the drug problem,” Rowan commented, glaring at the screen. “Not him.”

Lysandra nodded and ticked something off on her list, clicking on the next slide, “Nox Owens? No title, but wealthy family, high education, early twenties…”

Elide tilted her head to the side, surveying the picture. He was handsome, fresh faced. Startlingly slate-grey eyes, his hair inky and falling artfully over his brow. There was a certain edge of mischief in his eyes that Elide appreciated. “And he’s from Perranth?”

“Mm-hmm. Has a business degree from Havilliard College for Boys,” Lysandra said, twirling her pen skillfully between her fingers. “What do you think?”

Elide hummed, drumming her fingers over the couch cushion. “Shortlist him. Do we have any non-Erilean options? A marriage would strengthen political ties.” Rowan shot her a look, displeased by her surgical, logical approach to it. Elide didn’t care. If she was being forced into a no-doubt loveless marriage, she might as well gain allies because of it.

“We do,” Aelin said, sighing softly as she took the remote from Lysandra and clicked through some of the options. Elide made her stop on one and turned, gawking at Aelin.

“Hollin Havilliard? The sixteen-year old?”

The queen shrugged, “They don't have a minimum marriageable age in Adarlan.”

“Well, we have one here,” Elide hissed, snatching the remote from her cousin. “I don’t need a new reason for the lords to hate me and marrying a child won’t exactly help me.” She shook her head, holding back a few very choice words back.

She clicked through the next few slides, shaking her head no at the Southern Empire’s eldest, Arghun and his younger brother, Kashin. “I have no interest in fighting for another crown.”

They debated and argued for the rest of the slideshow, all feeling frayed when they arrived at the very last slide.

Lysandra looked exhausted, slumping her shoulders, “And the last man is… Fenrys Marama, Lord of Doranelle.”

Rowan, who had just taken a sip of water, choked, coughing violently. The women looked at him curiously, their brows raised. Elide asked, “Are you alright?”

He nodded, his face bright red, “Yeah, I’m fine.” His voice was strained and he drank deeply from his glass. “Please, continue.”

Elide looked at him weirdly, but turned her attention back to Fenrys. “He’s so pretty,” she said, looking at the picture of him smiling. His teeth were straight and pearly white, one deep dimple on his right cheek. He wore his coily, dense hair in long, halfway thick locks. Gold wire cuffs adorned them sporadically, the light jewellery making an arresting contrast against his deep, umber complexion.

He had a short-bridged, wide nose that centred nicely on his face, the glint of a simple septum ring shining.

“What do we know about him?” she asked someone, the question directed at no one in particular.

“He isn’t set to inherit anything because he’s the second born twin to his brother, Connall. He’s twenty-two, just passed the LSAT with a 174 and has applied to a couple Terrasenian law schools,” Lysandra said. “Has a bit of a playboy reputation, but hasn’t been in any tabloids or articles for the past couple months.”

Someone made a strangled sound behind them. Elide turned, her face showing concern for Ress. “Ress, are you alright?”

Her bodyguard dropped his gaze, looking down at the carpeted floor, “Yeah, um, I just- excuse me for a minute.” He didn’t wait another second before fleeing from the room, the door slamming shut behind him.

They all looked at each other in bewilderment, utterly confused by Ress’ strange behaviour.

Aelin was the first to shrug, “He must not be feeling well.” Rowan nodded and stood up. “And where are you going?”

“I have to call someone,” he said smoothly, kissing her cheek and messing up Elide’s hair. “Bye, Lyss.”

Lysandra waved, spared by his juvelinity, “Good-bye, Rowan.” The silver-haired man closed the door quietly and his footsteps receded down the hall. “So, Fenrys?”

Elide looked at Aelin, nodding once, “Fenrys.”

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Rowan checked his watch again, anxiously looking at the time over and over. He felt like he could feel the light tick against his skin and it put him on edge.

Being on time had never exactly been Lorcan’s strong suit.

Two minutes later, Lorcan strolled into the bar, nodding serenely in recognition as their eyes met. He moved carefully through the packed bar, more mindful of his movements due to his larger stature.

There was already a glass of whiskey waiting for him as he slid onto the stool across the small table. “Hey, Ro,” he said, taking a slow sip of the amber liquor. “How’s, uh, Elide?”

Rowan shot Lorcan a look, warning him not to push it. “How do you think, Lorcan? She graduated university less than a month ago and now she’s getting married to someone she doesn’t fucking know.” He didn’t need to tell Lorcan it was his fault.

Lorcan flinched and averted his gaze, remorse shining in his dark eyes. “I… yeah.” He toyed with the elastic on his wrist, pulling it back and letting it snap against his skin over and over. Eventually, he shoved his hair into a messy bun at his nape, his fingers drumming restlessly over the table. “Did she find someone?”

Rowan leaned back on his seat, cocking his head to the side, “What’s it to you?”

Lorcan shrugging, “Nothing, I don’t care either way.” Rowan snorted, shaking his head as he sipped on his drink. “What? Who is it? Don’t tell me it’s someone like Perrington or any Adarlanian guy.”

“Thought you didn’t care,” Rowan said, his interest piqued by Lorcan’s… consideration. That he cared enough to know who an eligible husband would be. It made some sense, he would’ve planned this out with Maeve and Vernon.

Rowan pushed away the thought that Lorcan wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t think about that now.

“I don’t care, but if the first time we met, I… I dunno, saved her, I guess, from some gross little lordling. It’d be hypocritical of me to force a marriage between her and some junkie like Perrington,” Lorcan said, staring down at his whiskey like the crystal glass held all the answers of the universe.

“Why did you dance with her, Lor,” Rowan asked quietly, his voice tired.

Lorcan muttered something, his shoulders curling down, “She looked like she needed help. I know I’m a prick, but not that kind.” He knocked back the rest of his drink, grabbing Rowan’s empty glass as he got up to walk over to the bar. Lorcan stepped away, pausing when a thought crossed his mind. “So did they choose?”

“Yeah,” Rowan said, meeting Lorcan’s nervous gaze. “They did.”

“Hellas, Ro, fucking tell me already.”

“It’s Fen.”

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an: .....hehe 🤭

more: Fenrys' last name "marama" means light in a variety of polynesian languages ! ummm basically i think moonbeam is a stupid name and so did my lovely friend ezra @tinywolfofeyllwe so he came up with this name ! all creds go to him and im very thankful he lets me use it haha

also ! both lorcan's sisters' names (aneha and sadirah) are tweaked from stars/constellations i thought were pretty ! this will be more apparent later, but i write lorcan as indigenous in all my fics (specifically lakota) so just keep that in mind for the future !

@mythicaitt @tinywolfofeyllwe @schmlip-scribble @the-regal-warrior @empire-of-wildfire @ladyverena @ttakeitbacknoww @shyvioletcat @alifletcher2012 @tswaney17 @ourbooksuniverse @flora-and-fae @thesirenwashere @queenofxhearts @maastrash @mynewdreamwasyou @cursebreaker29 @empress-ofbloodshed @b00kworm @hizqueen4life @silversprings98 @amren-courtofdreams @minaidss @superspiritfestival @sanakapoor @ireallyshouldsleeprn @spyofthenightcourt @januarystears @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln @magicalunicorngypsy @elriel4life

#knowing me knowing you #kmky chapter five #princess diaries au #elorcan #elide x lorcan #elide lochan #lorcan salvaterre #isa writes #nalgenewhore #i told u there was more drama

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birala · 3 years

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I fell like the joke rukia made about orihime doing laundry was actually a nod to the thousands of batshit ir fans who were screaming sexism at kubo after orihime was as a housewife in 686. It's supposed to be pointing out at how ridiculous they sound. The way ir fans were saying ichihime has a failed marriage cos she was wearing an apron? And now rukia is saying the same thing AS A JOKE to show how ridiculous they sounded when they said that shit

i mean let's be clear about something, it was sexist the way kubo depicted orihime in chapter 686. lol i mean kubo is just a man, he is not immune from accusations of sexism when he does sexist things. i defo think IRs over-reacted (as they do about everything when orihime is involved) cos it's really not the end of the world that she was wearing an apron - as any woman will tell you, when you have friends gathering at your house, you are going to be in the kitchen getting things ready...that doesn't mean you have an unbalanced marriage, or that you're anti-feminist or whatever. it's a thing that happens in nearly every household in every country in the west. why would you expect japan to be any different?

what i had an issue with is that this was (supposed to be) the FINAL CHAPTER of bleach, it was supposed to show where everyone was and what they were doing 10 years after the end of bleach, and that they all had their happy endings. specifically ichigo had his happy ending. and in trying to show that, kubo projected his own sexist view of what a happy marriage looks like, and that is to show orihime in the kitchen wearing an apron. like the last time we see orihime, this is how he chooses to draw her.

and now in this new arc, the first time we see orihime, she is at home doing the laundry while ichigo is out with his friends. i mean! lmao. kubo really can't help himself. i didn't even have a problem with the joke rukia made, at the end of the day rukia likes winding up ichigo, it is something she has been doing since chapter 1. if anything, you're right, the fact that she's joking that they've got a failed marriage (and ichigo's reaction "that's not true, where do you even get this shit") just cos orihime is doing the laundry shows how ridiculous antis sound. but fact of the matter is, it is still very frustrating that the first time we see orihime in years, this is what kubo decided to show orihime doing (or not doing even cos she was in this chapter for all of 1.5 panels)

#bleach shit

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aliaslua · 4 years

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Ok about those "living with bodyguard turtles" hc, how would the boys react if the human they're protecting (now their best friend, mind you) had feelings for them? Like the human doesnt tell them but it's kind of obvious, theyre pretty bad at hiding it?

omg this is my first request

I received this ask at the exact moment that I submitted my last assignment, so I'd just officially started my college break ... The perfect way to start my rest *chef's kiss*. Thank you so much for the suggestion! <3 I was craving some angst. I hope you enjoy! it’s also kinda long LOL I was trully excited

you can read the first part here

Leonardo

It happened one day while he was helping you in training. The whole family was already used to your presence, you and Leo trained together every day and he loved it. He thought it was really cool to keep up with your performance and he was so proud of your increasing dedication and persistence, even on the days when the training was hard.

On that specific day he had decided to give you a break, since the training the day before had been heavy. Everything seemed absolutely normal until the moment when he needed to help you with a yoga posture and although you barely started the exercises, he realized that your heart was beating fast, very fast. Strange, he thought, but when he looked at your face and realized that you blushed, he also became overly aware of his own hands on your waist and how close your faces were. Suddenly, you broke contact with his eyes and walked away abruptly. "I'm not feeling well" you said "Maybe tomorrow."

Leonardo stood in the training room with a huge question mark in his face. Were you… nervous? During training? Why? You had been training together for months and it wasn't the first time that you needed support for a posture and…

The next few days are like a nightmare. Suddenly you decide that you prefer to train alone. Then you make up an absurd excuse for not watching the movie on wednesday. You don't talk to him, you don't train together, it's almost like you disappeared from his life. It's too much. One day during breakfast he asks you a direct question, but you simply decline the invitation while still avoiding looking at him. A horrible silence is in the air when you leave the kitchen without even finishing your breakfast.

"What did I do?" Leo asks, clearly hurt. His brothers look at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding?" Donnie asks. "What?" That's all the oldest brother can answer. "She's into you, moron." Raph responds, clearly irritated.

The realization runs through him like an electric current. Is that why you are avoiding him? What it means "you are into him"? Like… Are you in love? You? No way. You were his pupil! The first student he had, more like a life partner, a housemate. He never thought that someone like you could ... Him? It's too much for him. He needed to sit down.

"It looks like your intuition isn't that good huh, your stallion!" Mikey jokes.

The next are sleepless nights. Suddenly everything makes sense. How you smiled when he brushed your hair off your face, how you asked him to stay by your side when you couldn't sleep, how you insisted that the training should be longer, he always had interpreted all that as a sign of friendship, but now he felt completely naive. And to think that you could feel like that for someone like him ... It changed everything. What did that mean? He missed you. Missed you a lot. Seeing you so distant made him suffer in a way that only seemed logical now that he realized that perhaps his own feelings were the same. His head is spinning. Perhaps…. Maybe you could...

No. Absolutely not. The mission was clear. He had a single duty, to protect you. And he was going to complete the mission even if you spent the rest of your time together without looking at him again, no matter how much it hurt. Nothing was going to stop him from keeping you safe, not even his own feelings.

Raphael

It happened that morning while he was working out. You had just read “Emma” and it was the last book by Jane Austen that was missing for you to complete the bibliography. You sighed at the romantic ending but he hit the punching bag with an overly aggressive stance.

"We have to stop reading that shit." He said, suddenly. "Why?" You asked, surprised "I thought you liked it." "I like it. It's just ... it's kind of depressing for me." "What do you mean?" He stopped punching. Still with his back to you, you could see him adjusting his hand-bands. "Ah, come on, Shorty ... You know that none of this will ever happen to me." He threw a punch that made you jump "It hurts ... to know what it could be." "What do you mean, it's never gonna happen to you?" You asked honestly. He could hear in your voice that you were incredulous. "Cut the crap, Y / N." He turned, annoyed. "Look at me!" "I AM looking." you said, standing up "All I see is a caring, kind, gentle man and the day you fall in love with someone I know that you will be the most loving and dedicated partner and that person will be the luckiest in the world." You closed your mouth as if you had just said cursed words. Across the room, Raphael was stiff and speechless. Suddenly, the Lair' alarm went off. He went to join the brothers in silence, an emergency demanded his attention.

That night, Raph didn't come back home. He spent the night sitting on the edge of a building looking out over the city, mesmerized by your words.

It may be hard to believe, but Raphael is always very aware of his own emotions. That's why he is always so angry, that's why he cannot contain the urge to fight. He feels everything deeply. You didn't have to say anything else. It was as clear as day for him. He knew that was an unplanned declaration of love, he knew you were trying to hide it and you couldn't, and he knew it was too late now. He also knew he felt the same way. And he knew you could never be what his heart desired.

In his deepest fantasies, Raph would return home, lift you up around the waist and swear eternal love, just like in the books. And he would be yours, from then on and forever and you would never be alone, afraid or sad again. He would spend the rest of his life doing everything to make you the happiest person in the world.

But he also knew that it would never be possible with a man like him. He, who couldn't give you a decent home, the wedding you deserved, couldn't give you a family... - Fuck - He couldn't even meet your family. You would be forever unhappy, stuck with a monstrous and impetuous man and for that reason, he needed to work out the kindest way to reject your affection, knowing that it would be the most difficult thing he would have to do in life.

Donatello

Donnie wasn't prone to false modesty. He knew without a doubt that he had a deductive ability beyond average and he knew that he had enough knowledge to always reach the most likely conclusions. Why, then, could he not get it out of his head that you felt something for him that wasn't limited to a mere friendship?

He was working in the lab and couldn't stop thinking about all the obvious signs. Once again he redid the list of symptoms in his head: You had stopped reading alone in your private room they had built for you and now whenever you could, read by his side while he worked on the computer. Okay, nothing suspicious, a friendly, normal, expected gesture. But then there was that day when he stopped typing for a second and when he looked at you, you were staring at him. Clearly! He even saw it when you turned your face back to your book, in a pathetic attempt to pretend you weren't completely absorbed in watching him. That was strange. Okay, okay. Just one more event, it didn't indicate anything. So there was that night when everyone was watching a horror movie and you hugged his arm after a jumpscare, you guys stared at each other for a few seconds and he thought he saw you... blushing? Not to mention that now during your weekly debate sessions you seemed very giggly, very self-conscious, maybe even shy ... You had started to avoid direct eye contact with him and he realized with disbelief when your body language indicated attraction. Yes, yes ... He had ignored it the first few times but the way you smiled, the way you tilted your neck, how you approached him... Was he going crazy ???

Two hypotheses floated in his mind. The firs: he was going crazy, hallucinating and that was why he was seeing things and all the obvious signs that you were… interested in him were just the crazy dream of an unbalanced man. Or ... Well, or you really had developed a real and palpable romantic desire and you were so caught up in that urge that you couldn't hide it.

He narrowed his eyes again. No, no. Certainly not. You? No way. It didn't make sense from an instinctive and evolutionary point of view (why would you have that urge? You weren't even of the same species) and from a subjective, spiritual point of view, well ... Why would you like someone like him? You were beautiful, intelligent, clearly had an exceptional capacity for conversation and aside from that brief moment in your life, when you would finally have your freedom back, surely you would have no difficulty in finding a partner being such a wonderful, kind person, loving and…

He was no longer paying any attention to the viral sample he had placed under the microscope. He felt his own heart sink. If you really liked him then ... So does that mean ... That he had a chance? That he no longer needed to hide his intentions, his desires? That he could finally confess and that you would say ...

Someone knocked on the door. It was you. Sleepy and in pajamas, you still looked wonderful. "Donnie, can I sleep here?" "Of course, dear."

You smiled slightly, your eyes still half closed with sleep. He saw you lying on the couch, you fell asleep right away. He continued to look at you, so peaceful and impassive... He came to the only possible conclusion: It could never happen. You deserve affection, security, stability. A peaceful life with someone who cared for you, not someone who constantly put you at risk ... Someone who wasn't like him. Donatello looked away from your face, thinking it might lessen the pain. He knew that, in that case, the most rational option was to pretend that he had never deducted anything.

Michelangelo

"So... What are you going to do?" Leonardo asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had been established between the brothers. On the other side of the lair, you were sleeping.

"I do not know!" Mikey almost screamed before he remembered that you couldn't wake up, no way "That's why I'm asking!"

“Well… she clearly likes you. We all agree." Donnie concluded. "Yes" Leonardo shook his head. "Yeah ..." Raphael was staring at the brothers. "... And if you break her heart we'll all beat you up."

They all laughed, except Mikey. That was precisely the problem.

"It's not funny ..." The youngest of the brothers said, sitting on the kitchen table chair. Everyone understood that this was a serious situation when Michelangelo rested his head in his hands and again plunged into meditative silence.

He would never forget the day you sat with him on the couch and asked him to ...Chill a little. Never. Not because he was hurt, no ... You had been kind and caring and he had been very happy to know that you felt comfortable opening up to him that way. And if there was one thing he didn't want to be, it was overwhelming. So he did what you asked, he stopped flirting, stopped talking nonstop, stopped with intrusive questions ... And everything seemed perfect!

You were the best friend he could have. You laughed at his jokes, went out with him to tag abandoned cars, you ate pizza on the roof, played pranks on your brothers. Everything was great! You were everything to him and he knew that he felt much more than brotherly love for you. He always knew. But he had made a promise, he had promised that he would no longer crush you with his feelings ...

But things started to escalate. You started sharing intimate secrets, sharing dreams. During movie nights you laid on his shoulder and every day you cooked something new and brought it to him while he was playing video games. One day - that damn day - Raphael teased you and said “My my, what a beautiful couple” and Michelangelo almost had a heart attack when instead of emphatically replying that you weren't a couple or anything like that you just… Smiled and looked away. WHAT? WHAT KIND OF REACTION IS THAT? Mikey still remembered the unbearable heat he felt on his face that day when you just SMILED when you heard someone suggest you were his.

Since then, he only thought about one thing: "How can I reject her?"

The sadness in everyone's eyes was clear.

"Maybe you guys deserve a chance, Mikey." Leo suggested.

"But how?? Tell me, Leonardo, for God's sake, how am I going to make that woman happy? Huh! I have NOTHING to give. Nothing to add, to offer! I… I am literally a sewer monster… It will be a matter of time before she regrets, and how would I move on afterwards? ... "

"Mikey… ” Raphael started to speak, but was interrupted by his brother:

“You know what… You are right. It's time to grow up. This is a stupid dream. And it will never come true… ”

A gentle reminder that English is not my first language so if you see any grotesque grammatical errors, please let me know! <3 Thank you for reading

#tmnt #tmnt imagine #bayverse tmnt #imagine #bodyguard #fluff #angst #tmnt leonardo #tmnt michelangelo #tmnt Raphael #TMNT Donatello #requests are open #ask

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thirtysomethingloser92 · 4 years

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Chapter 2

Summary: After being removed from his own time, Agent Daniel Sousa finds himself in 2020 lost, alone and vulnerable. You, an Avenger, find yourself face to face with Director Coulson and Agent May begging you to help another man out of time. This time however, instead of a super soldier, you meet an average man haunted by war and a time he once knew. Pairings: Daniel Sousa x Reader.

Your eyes stared at the files on the coffee table, the SHIELD logo staring at you, almost mockingly, daring you to open them up and read them. To peer into the personal lives of the people from a past time. To peer into the personal file of the man sleeping soundlessly down the hall. Hands covering the large mug you held between your palms kept your hands somewhat distracted from twitching over the wanting to open them.

You hadn't done it with Steve, but that was because Steve was easy to read. He wasn't a spy like Daniel was. He couldn't hide behind his mask, his eyes and his demeanor gave him away far too easily.

However with Daniel, he seemed to be taking this all in his stride. Eager to learn new things, eager to reintroduce himself back into society. It had been 3 weeks and his demeanor hadn't even faltered under your watchful gaze. At night time, when he was sure you couldn't hear or see him; That was a completely different story.

You reached down and picked up your phone, placing your cup next to it, fully preparing to call the one person on this planet who would know what Daniel was dealing with, what emotions he was feeling; whether Steve Rogers answered his phone to you, that would be decided. It was the unbalanced walk and the steady sound of a walking stick against your wooden hallway that made you pause what you were doing. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a the familiar dark haired man standing in the doorway, somewhat frozen to the spot as his eyes glanced around before finally landing on you. A reassuring smile graced your face as you turned in your seat to fully face the former SHIELD agent who was clad in a white singlet and loose pajama pants, "Good morning. Sleep well?" You asked politely, placing your phone down on the coffee table and standing up to meet Daniel halfway into the living room.

"Yeah it was fine," He smiled hesitantly for a moment before pointing to the plush couch, "Do you mind if I-?"

You turned to look at the couch, "Oh no. Please make yourself at home. Anything you need help yourself too. This is pretty much your place as well now,"

"Thanks,".

You hovered slightly behind him as he fell into the couch, his walking stick sitting neatly next to him. You watched as his eyes lingered on the manila folders sitting on the oak coffee table before making their way up to the television. "How do you turn the television on again?" He asked, somewhat hesitantly.

A proper smile graced your face as you made your way to the table and picked up the remote to your TV, "This, is a remote control," You pointed to the large television sitting in the corner, "You find the sensor on the TV, which is located just on the bottom, point the remote, and press the red button," You pressed the red button and the screen lit up to show the familiar news channel you were watching the day before

You watched as an array of emotions crossed Daniel's eyes, his face never once giving away an inch; "How?"

"Please don't ask me that. All I know is I press a button on this and it does things to that,". A small smile crossed Daniel's face as he shook his head slightly and moved his head to look around at your other appliances you had in your home, "Two thousand and twenty. A long way from home," He murmured, his eyes finally landing back on yours.

You placed a hand on his arm and gave a tight smile before reaching over and grabbing the files that were sitting on the table and sitting them on your lap, "Phil came over yesterday when you were asleep. He dropped these off for you," You held them out to him, "Inside is files on your friends, your family, people you worked with; and what became of them over the years,"

His hands hovered over the files for a moment before looking up at you, "Peggy Carter?"

"She's in here too,"

"Thank you" He said sincerely as his hands grasped the folder.

You gave a short nod as you stood up, grabbing the empty coffee mug, to make your way over to the kitchenette. Behind you, you could hear the rustling of papers that you assumed Daniel was reading over. Two cups, three sugars between the both of them and two teaspoons of coffee and you waited patiently for your kettle to finish boiling. Last night was an unusually sleepless night for you, waking up every few hours to check on your new roommate, if he had woke up and if so, how he was coping. You noticed the blank look on his face, the same look Steve once wore. The one that didn't want to show you that he wasn't okay, but you knew that deep down, he was struggling. He was going to continue to struggle until he allowed himself to grieve and accept what he had lost.

"Was she happy?" You heard from behind you. You lifted your kettle off the stove and quickly turned to Daniel who's brown eyes looked deeply saddened. You could see the heartbreak flash across his face and it took you barely a second to figure out who he was talking about.

"In the end? It says here that she had a husband, a few kids," He swallowed the lump in his throat, "Was she happy in the end?"

A small smile crossed your face as you nodded. There's no mention of her husband's name in any files, nor her children; but any time she would speak of them you could hear the pride in her voice; the pure joy she had. "She was happy, I promise" You watched as he returned to the files and closed them, swallowing once again and placing them down on the coffee table.

"I regret not being able to say goodbye. If I just had one more day, an hour. I'd tell her that I lo-" His words were cut off by your front door swinging open and the familiar, bouncy haired brunette walked into the room.

You placed a hand on your hip and shook your head "Audrey we've talked about this. You can't just walk in without knocking,"

The younger woman's eyes widened as she saw Daniel sitting on the couch in his pyjamas. The other man looked increasingly uncomfortable as the silence grew. "Oh my-" She quickly cut herself off and threw her hands over her mouth, "Oh I'm so sorry. I didn't realise that you had company," She stumbled out, a large smile growing over her face.

A small sigh escaped your lips, "Audrey, this is my new roommate Daniel. He's from New Jersey, just bunking in until he gets settled in,"

Daniel gave a small smile as he held out his hand for the younger woman to shake, which she did almost immediately; "It's so so good, great, so great; to meet you Daniel,"

The pair of you raised an eyebrow at Audrey's star struck demeanor; "It's wonderful to meet you too Audrey," He replied. You noticed that he was beginning to feel somewhat uncomfortable by how long Audrey was shaking his hand so you cleared your throat to draw her attention to you.

"So what's up anyway? I don't expect you to barge in like this until at least Eleven," You picked up yours and Daniel's coffees and made your way into the living room, setting them carefully down on the table, nodding at Daniel's smile of thanks.

"Oh I forgot what month it was," You heard her mumble under her breath before a smile crossed her face, "You know what, don't stress. I'll ask Mrs. Maisel down the hall if she would be able to help me out. You just uh, settle in and get comfortable.," She backed towards the door, "It's was fantastic meeting you Daniel,"

"You too,"

"Bye Audrey," You smiled as you gave her a small wave that she greatly returned before exiting the apartment

"She's a bit odd isn't she?" You turned from the the mug in your hand to look at Daniel who was now staring at the door Audrey left through, "She's harmless. Moved in a few months after me. She's sweet enough," You moved over to Daniel who was watching you with curious eyes, "If she was a bad guy she would have a attacked me ages ago. So far she comes over and vents to me. It's nice, makes things less lonely," "There's something about her..." "Come on, instead of scrutinizing my neighbors, how about we learn the wonder that is Google Chrome," "Google?"

"You're gonna love it," You grinned as you picked up your phone and pulled open a streaming app.

The strong breeze fell over your face as you pulled your jacket around your body tighter, the sun beamed down on your face as the familiar smell of hot cart food and coffee drifted through the air and into your nostrils. You side eyed Daniel who was easily keeping your pace through Central Park, his eyes taking all the views around him. The people, the cars; more importantly you knew that the fresh air might do him a bit better.

"So in Two Thousand and Twelve we found Captain Steve Rogers in the Arctic Circle, still in the plane he crashed, frozen," You continued from your previous conversation about major events of the past years he had missed, "Took him back to SHIELD and surprise surprise, he's alive," You watched Daniel's eyebrows raise into his hairline, "Theory has it it was his super soldier serum that preserved him for all those years. A week or so later I get a phone call talking about something called the Avengers Initiative. Now, I'm not a superhero, in fact, people kinda suck," A small laugh came from Daniel's mouth, "But Agent Coulson called in a favor from me to help Steve assimilate to the 21st century,"

Daniel nodded, "How did he cope with it?"

"He's currently on the run from One hundred and Ten countries,"

A confused look crossed over his face as he paused and turned to face you, his mouth slightly open, fully prepared to ask questions; however before he could you held up your hand to silence him, "It's such a long story. Short version, we screwed up, now the UN wants to put regulations on people with abnormal abilities,"

"Like Daisy?"

You rose an eyebrow, "No idea who that is. But if she has special abilities then yeah, like Daisy. Like me," You both continued to walk, "The problem with that is it stops the Avengers from going where they needed to be. The government decides where we need to be,"

"And that's a bad thing?"

A dry smile crossed your face, "If you ever met General Ross then you would understand why it's bad," You shook your head, "Anyway, they called them the Sokovian Accords. Some of The Avenger's agreed with them, others didn't. Those who did were put under restrictions, those who didn't had a warrant for their arrest set out for them,"

"I assume you agreed with them?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Well you're here. You're not looking over your shoulder,"

You nodded and held up your left arm, a strong silver band wrapped around it, "I didn't agree with it. But my friend made a good point, by signing it at least we can then negotiate it. We wouldn't have a chance if we went on the run,"

"What does your bracelet do?"

"Stop me from being able to use my abilities," You smiled.

"What are they?"

You pointed to the familiar green and white coffee shop in the distance, "Starbucks, possibly the best and worse coffee place you'll ever set foot in. Founded in 1971, the frappacino's are to die for,"

You missed the concerned look on Daniel's face as you started to walk towards the crosswalk. There was a reason why you didn't like telling people about your powers, the exact same reason why you were ashamed of them when you first met Agent Coulson. They were dangerous, even if you were able to somewhat control them, there were times when you couldn't, and you never knew what was real and what wasn't. It was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

You'd like to be able to keep them to yourself for just a little bit longer.

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#Daniel Sousa x reader #Daniel Sousa #agent carter #agents of shield #Marvel

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avengersassemble-fics · 4 years

Text

Ashes

part 01/?? “i’ll always be here”

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Summary: What does it mean to be lost? To lose yourself to the one thing you trained most of your life to defeat? To succumb to the darkness? To lose those you loved the most? Anakin Skywalker was, and always will be the Chosen one. But he fell, and the galaxy and the Force felt it all at once. Everyone around him felt it - Anakin Skywalker was lost. The Jedi Order is purged. The Republic has fallen, and the Empire rises from its ashes. The Force is unbalanced, but only he can bring back the peace - only he can defeat the Emperor. But with Anakin Skywalker lost, and his connection to the Force severed, hope seems to be lost. But the Force works in mysterious ways. There's one person out there who can save him; bring Anakin Skywalker back. And the time is coming. The balance in the Force needs to be fixed. Anakin Skywalker must be found so the Emperor's tyrannous and evil reign can be stopped. Hope is out there, in hiding, but it's there. Darth Vader (Anakin) just doesn't know it yet.

word count 4.3k

an: this literally PAINED me to write. like i literally cried. anyways... enjoy

The Empire stood for many things. None of those things included peace, freedom, justice, and security. Crime was rampant on every world, every dark alley you dared to walk down you ran the risk of being jumped, and the fear that spread through people when they saw the white of the Stormtroopers armour would make the bravest of hearts cower out of sight. The thought would make anyone who saw the days before these weep in remembrance.

Before the fall of the Republic. Before the Jedi were purged. Before the Chancellor became the Emperor. Before Anakin Skywalker was lost to the dark side. Before the rise of Lord Vader.

The name instilled fear into the hearts of many. Common people didn’t know what Darth Vader looked like, they just heard the whispers amongst them. He wasn’t a man, but a machine dressed in black. Tall and intimidating. You could hear his breathing before you saw him, but even then it was too late. He was unstoppable. He was deadly. And he didn’t care who he struck down.

That’s what the galaxy turned into. It had been three years since the fall of the Republic, since the Jedi were killed off, and each day the future grew more bleak than the one before. Every corner you turned there were Stormtroopers enforcing some kind of unheard law. Even here, in the blandest of places, they were here too.

Tatooine didn’t change through the years. The hot desert planet with two suns would never change. It truly was a desolate world. How it still stood would always make one wonder. After the rise of the Empire, the Hutts Cartel seemed to only grow in number. The drought that was taking seed in Tatooine was lucrative for the Hutts, as they had just implemented a water tax. The fact the Empire let it happen was laughable, but what really surprised you anymore?

That surprise and guilt never filled your mind anymore. The last three years have taken a toll on your heart and morals. Having to re-settle into life on Tatooine took a bit of time, but establishing yourself had to happen quickly. With bounty hunting becoming more popular, you had the idea of capitalizing off of it. It was a good cover anyway, and you could keep an eye on things from afar. Building your gang was what took the most time, since you had easily beaten respect into anyone who challenged you. Fairly, of course.

You often frequented this disgusting cantina and sat in the farthest booth in the back with your feet kicked onto the table. Arms crossed, you just listened to your members talk and fight amongst themselves. They had become almost your second family after you lost. . You stopped the thought from entering your mind, instead taking a sip at the beer that was in your fingers. It had been a rather slow week for the bounty hunting clan, but you narrowed your sight on a man who entered the cantina.

“Ras,” you called out to one of your followers, gaining the attention of the male Twi’lek. You nodded your head at the lost soul who was searching for you, and Ras’ eyes darted over in realization, before tossing you a knowing grin. He stood from the booth and walked over to the man, throwing his hands behind the man's shoulders. You didn’t know what he said to him, but when he faced the human your way and began to lead him over, the noticeable lack of color made you guess a couple of possibilities.

Ras sat the man down in a single chair that was opposite the rounded booth. Ras grinned and walked behind the booth so he stood directly behind you, and stepped back into the darkness. He was for the theatrics today it seemed, and you kept your eye on the bottle in your hand.

“I was told you have a puck for me,” you started, finally looking over to the man across from you. You saw him look you over before raising a brow.

“You’re Trace?” He asked. You chuckled a bit, finally lowering your legs and turning to the table fully, leaning your arms on the table to stare him down.

“Do you have a puck for me, or not.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a demand. You didn’t lift your stare until the man reached into his jacket and threw a puck down onto the table. Even then you held your look on him for a couple more seconds until you grabbed the puck in your palm. As soon as you did Ras was grabbing the man by his jacket and pulling him back to the exit. You sat back against the rough cushions and turned the puck on to show the groups next target.

Well, it was easy enough. You could give it to Chorda, she was busting your ass for work just a few days ago. She was even eyeing you now, and you rolled your eyes and tossed it her way. The Rhodian caught it and let out a small noise in anticipation.

The cantina door opened and in walked a hooded figure. The sudden burst of sunlight made your eyes land on the person who walked in. The more you watched them, and the fact they didn’t remove their cover made you slide your hand down your side to the holster tucked on your leg and flick it open. Something about their presence made your skin itch, and they moved closer and closer. Ras sat in the chair the human had just evicted and saw your stare and followed your eyes to the hood covered being and stood up tall, gaining the attention of the other bounty hunters. Four more of your crew stood up in defense which started to gain the attention of other cantina dwellers. Ras stuck his hand out to the hooded being to stop them.

“Is there something we can help you with hoss?” Ras asked. You could see the hooded figures head tip up, but Ras’s body blocked them from your view. You could at the very least make out their hand lift in a way you also couldn’t see too clearly, but you saw Ras falter a bit. You carefully stood from your seat and kept your hand placed on your blaster. Ras took a step backwards, and your crew parted down the middle. The mysterious figure reached up and peeled back their hood, and you were faced with someone you hadn’t seen since you left Coruscant all those moons ago.

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood just feet from you, not looking like he aged a day from that time. His hair was grown out and his beard still looked the same, but you could see the change in his eyes. He didn’t greet you with his familiar smile, and you didn’t either. You had to do your best in concealing the shock you felt. It was something you hadn’t felt in a long time.

A few moments passed until you nodded to Ras. Your crew backed off from the two of you and went to the other cantina occupants. One by one they grabbed and threw people towards the door, and you stood there to stare at your old companion. One by one the cantina emptied until it was just you and him.

You locked your holster and sat back into the booth you so often sat in. Obi-Wan Kenobi sat across from you and still, neither of you said a word to one another. He was gauging you just like you were doing to him.

“It looks like you’ve set yourself up well,” he spoke. That familiar drawl almost made you smile. Almost. You shrugged your shoulders.

“Good money. Gives them work,” you offered.

“Is that how it works? They do the deed and you get paid?”

“Oh don’t patronize me,” you threw back. “They do the work? They make the money from it. I have the pleasure of dealing with the Guild by myself, and they aren’t nice people.”

Obi-wan studied you, before he spoke next. “I heard stories about this infamous hunter, Trace they called her,” he paused as you reached for your almost finished beer and let out a chuckle before you took a sip. “Had one of the biggest clans on Tatooine, favored by the Hutts-”

“Well,” you cut him off before placing the bottle aggressively on the table. “Guilty as charged. . Let’s cut the shit, what are you doing here O-”

“Ben,” he cut you off this time. You couldn’t help the grin on your face after that.

“Sorry, Ben. What do you want.”

He frowned at you and sighed. “What happened to you? You used to be so-”

“So what,” you pressed, feeling your jaw tighten. “Hopeful? Charismatic? Lovely to be around?” You scoffed and shook your head as a sad smile formed on your lips. But Obi-Wan-- Ben nodded at you.

“At least yourself,” he said quietly. Your smile fell and you felt a lump form in your throat.

“Yeah, well,” you whispered, averting your eyes from his gaze to look at your hands. “That part of me died three years ago. . With him.”

Ben looked at you with sad eyes, noticing the tears that began to form in yours. You squeezed your eyes shut when you felt it and reopened them to give him that same stoney look. Ben shook his head and sighed.

“I was hoping that you would be interested in helping me with something,” he said carefully. You laughed a bit, of course he didn’t come here to check in on you. He wanted something. That’s all the Jedi wanted from you. The only reason they kept you around.

“And here I was thinking I was getting a visit from an old friend,” you smiled at him in a light scoff. “What are you proposing. I may have someone I can lend-”

“No,” he cut you off. “Only you.”

It caught your attention, and you leaned forward to rest your arms on the table. “What are you proposing, Ben.”

“I need help looking over Luke,” he said. You raised a brow at him, not knowing the name.

“Who?”

Ben let out a deep sigh, still not answering you. You narrowed your brows in concentration until it finally dawned on you. You look softened, and you leaned backwards until your back hit the hard cushions.

“She had the baby,” you whispered. He shook his head.

“She had twins,” he told you. You gaped a bit at him as you tried to search for words, but nothing came out, so he continued with. “But only the boy is hidden here.”

“There’s a girl,” you said matter of factly to yourself, and he nodded again. “Where is he-”

“With his family,” Ben confirmed. Right. His family. There was a moisture farm a bit of ways away. You didn’t avert your gaze from his soft blue eyes, almost afraid that he was tricking you. You had never thought that the Senator had the baby, you heard of her death and just assumed. Your heart grew heavy. For the first time in years it grew heavy. But you shook your head.

“No,” you suddenly said, standing abruptly from the booth. Ben watched in shock but was quick on his feet as you were headed for the door. He grabbed onto your arm and spun you back to face him.

“Let go of me-” you started and he cut you off.

“You need to snap out of it, (Y/N),” he said, grabbing hold of your shoulders.

“Don’t call me-”

“What?” He cut you off once more, raising his voice at you. “Don’t call you by your name?”

You shoved his arms off, glaring him down as he planted his feet into the ground. He had never stared at you in such anger, but you matched it just as easily. He shook his head.

“You act like you’re the only one who lost someone that day,” he started, and then pointed to himself. “All my friends are gone. . and I lost my brother. I loved him just as much as you did.”

“I know,” you spat out at him. “I know what you lost. I know what the galaxy lost. I had to feel it all, I had to. . I had to see it all.”

His glare softened and he glanced down at your fist that was tightened at your side. “I saw every Jedi fall that day. I felt all of their cries, every shot that split through their bodies,” you paused as tears threatened to fall down your face. “I felt their light leave me. And then I felt,” you had to stop at the name, not being able to bring yourself to say it when a tear slid down your cheek. “I felt him get pulled from me. It was like he was torn right from my side.”

Ben watched as you began to shake, and the tears just continued to fall, and he took a step closer to you as you just talked. “I had to watch him kill all of those younglings, and I. . I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t stop him,” you shook your head as the man in front of you carefully grabbed your arms. “The pure anger he felt. The hatred he held for you, I felt it all. I saw it all. I saw the fight, and I had to watch as his body melted before me. I had to hear his screams when they put him into that suit,” a sob left your lips. “I couldn’t help him.”

He pulled you into his arms as the tears poured down your face. Your arms went around his neck as he held you and you cried. You could feel his hands on your back and the way they rubbed you slowly. Ben shed a couple of tears on his own, though you would never see it, and just held you against his body until you calmed down.

This was the woman he remembered. The one who cared about something and doing the right thing. Strong, but still confident enough to share these moments with people. Often that was with. . Him, but he saw it a few times. It never made you weak, no never. It was often something he admired, even if it was against the Jedi way, your ability to express your emotions was something he always looked at as one of your qualities. Because he could never have admitted that. Maybe not even now.

Your cries had quieted and he slowly peeled his head from atop yours. Your eyes were glued onto something to his side so he carefully released you. No your eyes weren’t glued to something, they looked like they were dull again. You glanced at him and shook your head.

“I don’t know if you actually want my help, Ben. I’m not as helpful as I once was.”

He raised a brow. “I doubt that, but. . What is it you mean?”

You sighed, taking a seat on one of the barstools nearby, and lacing your fingers together on your lap. “Before I fled here I cut myself off from the Force.”

He blinked at you until you looked his way again, and offered him a small smile. No wonder tracking you down was so hard, and no wonder he didn’t feel any sort of connection just now. He settled himself onto the barstool and laced his hands together as well.

“Did they tell you to do it?”

You nodded, knowing who he was talking about. “If I didn’t he would’ve found me,” you glanced at him. “Sidious would’ve found me first. They said that it was for my safety, but when the time was right they’d be back. I haven’t had any visions since then.”

Ben nodded beside you, and sighed deeply which made you raise a brow at him. “Well. I guess it’s a good thing.”

“Good thing?” You asked. And then he smiled at you.

“Well it’s not like we can just go around using lightsabers anymore, and I’ve heard your quite an aim with that,” he motioned to the blaster that hung on your leg. You couldn’t help the laugh that escaped your lips.

“What exactly are you needing help with?” You asked.

“I’ve taken residence a fair ways from here, and the Raiders are getting more and more antsy with my presence. I’m afraid our peace is coming to an end if I don’t meet with their Chieftain.”

“You want to meet with the Chieftain?” You exclaimed, only earning a nod from him. You rolled your eyes and mumbled. “You’re turning out to be quite that surprise, Ben.”

“Is that a yes?” He asked, looking over your face for any kind of answer. It wasn’t until the corner of your lips lifted in a smile did he smile wide.

“I’m in.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Heavy steps filled the corridor. Each boot met the shiny floor and those around cowered. Power was the one thing Lord Vader feasted on. Fear was just something he admired. The aversion of people’s eyes, the way they held their breaths as he towered before them, it made his presence that more powerful. As he marched his way down the corridors of his Star Destroyer to his chambers, Vader was met with the inkling of a familiar sensation. He didn’t stop to ponder this feeling until the door to his chambers slid shut. With the grip of his hand he looked through his mechanical helmet at the environment around him.

Vader could not seem to forget the time before he killed Anakin Skywalker. He often imagined the faces of the pesky Jedi he once served with, and cursed them from his mind. But there were a few images he never pushed away. For some inexplicable reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. But Vader squashed his rememberings, and moved towards his meditation pod.

This is where Vader often tried to retune himself with the Force. He could climb inside and have his helmet removed so he could breathe the filtered air on his own. And that is what he did now. He sat himself on the throne-like seat and the pod closed him inside, and something lowered from above to remove his helmet. The sizzle it released was a comforting sound, and Vader blinked at the sights before him. Before his very own eyes.

He cursed his old Master for doing this to him, for putting him in this state. He often struggled to reconnect with the Force after long periods of time, and he also couldn’t function like he used to on his own. One day he would make his old Master pay for what he’s done to him. He will make him suffer like he has for the last three years.

Vader closed his eyes to calm his thoughts. He reached out before him for that connection he so desperately sought, and his mind wandered onto the abyss of darkness.

Vader’s eyes opened once more, but he wasn’t in his pod. Now he was laid in a bed, and he could feel the cool silk sheets under his back. His flesh back. His flesh hand and mechanical one too. This was before the Purge, a memory. He couldn’t help his heart swell as he realized where he was.

Something moved against him, a quiet murmur filled his ear, and a head came up near his. He fought the urge to look their way, but his desperation won this battle. On his chest a hand rested and on top of that was a chin. His eyes took in the sight of the body who laid with him, and he couldn’t help the smile that spread over his lips.

“Have you been up long,” the voice nearly whispered. Vader nodded, running that unfamiliar flesh hand up the unforgettable skin of another.

“A long time,” he murmured. His voice was different. It was filled with. . Something. He hadn’t heard it this way in so long. But then again, he hadn’t seen you in just as long.

You were still beautiful. The way your eyes shined when they looked at him, the way your smile made his heart ache, the little way you bit your lip in anticipation. He longed to see this again. But then he frowned, and your face scrunched up, and the hand that rested on his chest went to hold his cheek. It shocked him how soft your hand still was against him.

“What is it, Ani?” You whispered. His eye twitched at the name. He hadn’t heard it in so long. But he didn’t detest it when he heard it from your lips.

“I miss you,” he quietly admitted. A small smile fell upon your lips, and you pulled yourself up more so you hovered over him. Oh to see once again how you crawled on top of him, legs wrapping around him in such a familiar and intimate way, and fully cupping his face in your hands, it made something swell up in his chest, and burn behind his throat. It was all wrong. But Vader he. . He didn’t care right now. It had been too long since he saw you.

You brushed some hair from his forehead, he could feel the familiar strands under your fingers and he nuzzled his face into your hand, his metal one coming above yours. His eyes closed and he let this moment settle in his mind. Just one more memory of you, he could at least allow himself to have that. Your giggle made his eyes reopen and you were looking down at him in curiosity.

“Ani,” you said again, but this time he didn’t flinch. “You’re so touch starved.”

Vader couldn’t help but nod. “I am,” his raspy voice admitted.

Your smile fell a bit and your eyes softened. You lowered yourself and caught his lips with yours. It felt so real, you felt so warm above him, and you rubbed his cheek with your thumb before separating from his lips.

“I’m not going anywhere,” you whispered to him, and before he knew it you had leaned down to place a kiss against his forehead. You locked your eyes with him again. “I’ll always be here.”

That’s when his hands crumbled into a fist. It was a lie. You weren’t here with him. You were gone. He couldn’t save you. As anger filled his body your face fell before him, and that pained look was the last thing he saw before you disappeared again. He growled and his eyes shot open with the tension re-entered his body. Vader was back in the present, the real world, and swore he wouldn’t let another empty memory like that cloud his mind again.

You were dead. There was no coming back to him. There was nothing for him to hold on to. He let you go years ago, and that’s how it would stay. As his helmet was put back onto him his hand formed back into a fist, and he could hear the metal of something on the other side of the pod clench with his power.

There was an eerie feeling that passed over your skin, and you paused on your journey back to your hideout. Night had finally fallen on the desolate planet, and you had said your goodbyes to Ben ours before. But as you made your way back to your hideout, something made you pause. The sand you kicked up left a mark on your boots, but you glanced around for an answer. Whatever it was made that sting form behind your eyes, and you rolled your neck a bit as you started your walk again. As you made your way around the corner of one of the alleys, you stopped in your tracks at the sight before you.

You had never seen ones before, though you did hear the stories. But what were a pair of Inquisitors doing so far in the Outer Rim? And here of all places? You slithered back around the corner and pressed your back to the wall. Whatever their business was here, you wanted no part in it. The last thing you needed was to be recognized by anyone. You felt around for the comm link Ben had given you and stared at the familiar piece of tech. With a roll of your eyes, you started back towards the direction of the cantina. All you’d need was a speeder.

“Ben, are you there?” You asked into the piece of metal. You continued past the cantina towards the furthest point of Mos Eisley, until that familiar green blip blinked at you.

“I’m here,” his voice rang out. “Is everything alright?”

“I don’t know,” you paused when a couple Stormtroopers passed you, but you offered them a flirty smile and they kept on their way. This would be easy enough, you climbed onto a basic speeder and started to hotwire it, as you spoke lowly again. “There’s Inquisitors here. Figured my best bet would be to avoid them.”

“You would be correct on that,” his voice rang, though it paused when the speeder roared to life, and you hesitated when he didn’t say anything. “I’ll send you my coordinates.”

He cut out but you received his message either way. You gripped the throttle, but something made you pause. You sat back in the seat and reached for something in your pocket, desperate to feel it in this instance. You pulled the all too familiar japor ivory pendant from your pocket and turned it over in your hand. The last thought you had before you sped away from Mos Eisley was that constant voice in the back of your head. A question you couldn’t shake.

When exactly was it going to be the right time?

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just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi · 4 years

Text

Shaken, Not Stirred - Silver

[First off, no i am not sorry about that title. But also, yay! More tiny whump! I’m gonna go ahead and tag @pine-lark again cause Tiny! Sadness!]

CW: Tiny whump, non-human whumpee, captivity, wing whump, injury, shaking, forced to perform, betrayal.

Word count: ~ 2,000

Corwin opened the door to the ornate bird cage and plopped Silver inside. His legs crumpled underneath him, and he just barely kept from falling back. Again. He leaned forward to put his head in his hands. He was so tired. And hungry. His eyes hurt, his shoulders ached, his wrists were sore. He just wanted to sleep.

“What’s your name?”

Surprised to not be alone, Silver looked up. The cage had perches – not that he could get to them with taped wings – placed at intervals up to the very top. There was a little platform with a ladder leaned up against it. The voice was coming from up there.

Silver glanced up, then back down under the platform. There was no shade, it was too high up. Light got through the thin bars and flooded the entire cage. He felt a pressure build in his chest. He just wanted to curl up in the dark. Was that too much to ask? He blinked hard a few times before he tried to look up at the speaker again.

But he didn’t need to as she climbed down the ladder.

“Hey, you okay?” She asked, taking a knee next to him.

She was a Firespark around his same age, skin and hair a soft, shining gold. She smiled sadly and put a hand on his shoulder.

Her wings were also taped down.

“Here, come up with us.” Silver nodded, letting the girl lead him up the ladder to the platform. There were four more Firesparks there, one male and three more females. The male smirked and crossed his arms when Silver walked over.

“Finally; a new one.” Silver gave him a sideways glance. What was his deal?

Before he could ask, Silver’s legs gave out and the girl caught him, helping him gently to the floor. She leaned over him worriedly.

“Hey, hey you okay? Here,” she said, stepping away and out of his line of sight. He sighed and closed his eyes, pretending for just a moment that he was anywhere else. He heard her soft footsteps come back and opened his eyes as he sat up. She had knelt down beside him, offering him an acorn cap held like a cup.

“What are we? Children playing house?” he sneered, looking up a moment to late. Her face was red, embarrassed. Silver swallowed and took it carefully. “Sorry.”

“It’s all we have,” she said quietly as he took a long drink. His face twisted and he made sure to not spit out the mouthful of liquid.

“What, what is this?” He asked, looking down at the clear drink. She sat down in front of him, rolling her eyes in sympathy.

“Sugar water. Just drink it for now; you’ll get some honey later.” Silver grimaced and took another sip. She leaned over and gave him a chunk of bread.

“Hey! That’s mine, Lei!” whined the male Firespark. Lei whipped her head around to glare at him angrily. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, but the motion didn’t seem genuine. More like he was embarrassed he messed up.

Silver took the chunk gratefully.

“Let’s try this again. What’s your name?”

“Silver,” he answered as he took a bite from the piece. It was dense, and not what his teeth were made to chew, but he was hungry. “Lei?”

She tensed slightly, hesitating before answering.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“Where are we?” he asked, gnawing on the hard bread to make his stomach feel less like it was trying to bore its way out of his body. He shifted, feeling the paper scrape against his back. It was wrong. The tape covered his entire midriff, stiff like a brace. He ran a hand down the side where he could feel the serrated edge from the dispenser. He could probably get a nail under that and peel it away.

A gold hand shot out to move his blue one away. He looked up to see Lei’s eyes full of warning.

“Don’t. Trust me.” There was an implication there, but Silver’s head hurt, and he honestly just didn’t want to work it out right now. He lowered his hand and looked over her shoulder to the other captives. The other girls wouldn’t even look at him; curled up together for some comfort, one looking more disheveled and desolate than the others.

Wherever they were, whatever reason they were here, they were miserable.

Lei shook her head slightly and looked away. “We’re - You should rest,” she said as she stood. Silver finished the bread he was given before he covered his head with his arms in an attempt to get some sleep.

The scraping of metal woke him, some odd hours later. He sat up and looked to the source. Corwin was opening the cage, gloved hand reaching in. Silver scrambled to his feet, still a bit unbalanced and tried to back away. He caught a glimpse of the other captives, pressed as far away from the opening as possible. He moved to follow their lead and hide.

A hand on his should turned him around.

Lei stood inches away, biting her lip. She looked at up at him for a moment, then squeezed her eyes shut. She looked guilty.

“I’m sorry, Silver.”

Before he could ask what she meant, or what was going on, she planted her hand in the middle of his chest and shoved.

He stumbled back a step or two, arms trying to catch the air for balance. If he had had his wings, he would flown. If he had had his wings, he would have been fine. If he had had his wings, he wouldn’t be here.

But he didn’t have his wings; he had dead weight where his wings should have been.

So he fell.

His body expected to hit the platform, but it didn’t. He had been close to the edge, and he had stumbled even closer towards the edge.

She had pushed him off the edge.

For a moment, he felt like it was in slow motion. He could just barely see Lei and the other sprites, cowering away from the door. It was a strange feeling, his back dipping lower and lower as his legs angled up above him. Even flying, Silver rarely looked up to see his legs.

The fall was only drawn out for a moment before the speed caught back up and his back slammed against the bottom floor of the cage, knocking the breath from his lungs.

As he lay, chest frozen, desperately trying to remember how to breathe, the only thought in his mind was another strange ping of gratitude that his wings were protected. They were flush to his back, no way that the fall had damaged or wrinkled them.

Corwin chucked above him, wrapping a gloved hand around his middle and picking up his limp body. “Savage little creatures, sacrificing you to save their own skins, eh? Oh well. I was kind of hoping it would be you anyway.”

Silver only barely registered the words.

If his breath had come back, he didn’t notice. Was he breathing? It didn’t feel like it, but his vision wasn’t darkening or lungs burning. It just as if, all the sudden, he didn’t need air. No, no, no no no what are you doing? Just let me go; let us go.

The brief rest had helped his eyes, but it was still disorienting. It wasn’t as painful this time, but it was hard to see as the world moved around him in Corwin grasp. The giant figure was chatting with someone, but Silver’s brain could only focus on one thing at a time.

Before he knew it, he was being deposited into a glass jar. The bottom inch or so had a layer of gravel, and he landed with a crunching sound.

After the water, food, and rest, and getting his breath back, Silver wasn’t going down without a fight. He scrambled to stand. He jumped up, hands reaching for the rim. It just was just out of his reach, nearly brushing his fingertips.

Corwin was still talking to someone, only absently paying attention to the little Nitebright in the jar. Silver scowled and jumped again, wings instinctually pulling at his back.

He was just as close this time, but it only lasted a second before Corwin put a lid on the jar. Silver pressed up against the glass. It was clear, but it still warped his view of the outside a little bit. He screamed a constant stream of insults and curses, the sound bouncing back at him as he pounded tiny fists against the glass.

“Pick on someone your own size, bastard! What; all your giant human friends pick on you, so you find someone smaller?! Pathetic. You’re a disgrace. I bet your mom cries herself to sleep every night knowing you’re her son. You’d think someone as big as you would have more room for a brain, but nope! Apparently not, you lumbering, slobbering, compensating rat bastard! Sorry excuse for a man!”

He knew Corwin heard him, his giant stupid face getting close to the glass with a godawful amused smile. Maybe not the exact words, but he got the gist.

Silver briefly contemplated biting the glass, but that was stupid. Or was it? No, it was. At least the lid has air holes, he thought briefly as he looked up.

He kept pounding and swearing and kicking until Corwin picked up the jar in one hand.

And shook.

Silver’s head slammed into the glass, sending flares of white pain through his body. Before the initial shock was over, he was thrown into the other side, a piece of gravel getting trapped between the jar and his lower back. It dug deep as the force pressed him against it, bruising for sure. Another wave, and the gravel flew upwards towards him.

He was rattled, back and forth between the sides and the top and the bottom as Corwin casually shook the jar in one hand, motioning with the other as he chatted. He didn’t even look over, absently making a misery cocktail from Silver’s pain.

He cried out at first, but soon discovered he didn’t have the breath to do so anymore. Hitting the sides was painful. His shoulders took most of the abuse in an attempt to protect his head. The glass was painful as he slammed against it, knocking him around and bruising.

The wall of glass was painful, but the gravel was much, much worse.

It was coarse, many pieces even falling on the side of sharp. They rained down on his small frame like he was being stoned while he was battered back and forth. They cut and scraped and marked up his skin. He tried to curl up to protect himself, tried to steady himself against the glass, but the smooth surface gave no traction and the unceasing motion was too strong. All he could do was suffer until Corwin stopped.

Silver lay motionless in the heap he landed in when the quake finally ended. He groaned, half buried in the gravel that had just played its part in his torture. Tears ran down his face, mixing with the dust left on his skin.

There was an awful sound as the lid was removed. A hand reached in, and Silver found himself whimpering as a finger dug underneath him and hooked around his middle to fish him out.

“Looky there. I knew the little night bug would shine different, but that sure is pretty.”

Silver cried as he was deposited onto a desk. He looked down at his hands, his body radiating a distinct white light. The light was a signal; it meant he was hurt and needed help. It was supposed to alert his colony that there was something wrong, so they could find him if he was unresponsive. The biological warning light was meant to protect him and keep him safe and get him help.

He looked up to the monster, his torturer, and more tears cut through tracks through his cheeks. Is this all he wanted? For him to light? He, he could do that whenever he wanted. He would have done that. Silver was a natural show off, lighting up nearly constantly when he was at home. It was more difficult to get him to turn off rather than on.

I would have complied if you had just asked.

A sob grew in his chest and he didn’t have the strength to fight it. He curled over, head resting on the desk as he sobbed.

@thehopelessopus is here for tiny pain. Anyone else? lol, let me know.

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panharmonium · 3 years

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round 3 of in-progress naruto thoughts, featuring me crying tears about pretty much everybody

[spoiler policy disclaimer first, as always: i’m only still in the early stages of shippuden (we just finished the asuma arc). i literally had zero interest in naruto growing up, so i remain unspoiled for virtually everything that happens past this point. i would love to stay that way, so please don’t interact with this (tags included, because the notifications now show them to me automatically) with any spoilery commentary, including even general things like “oh i love this show but it gets less good after X point” or “X season is better than Y season” or any general assessments of quality/likability/etc re: future seasons. Thank you! <3 ]

- well, folks. i have apparently reached the point in my viewing experience where i am deeply emotionally attached to virtually all of the characters and i care when bad stuff happens to even the most minor of them, because the asuma arc really ripped my heart out and used my feelings as ping-pong balls

- that said - i have to admit, if you’re going to kill a character, that was the way to handle it. it wasn’t glossed over or dropped like a hot potato; it had a huge arc attached to it and major development for the other characters involved and it came full circle at the end in such a quiet, complete way. i was hoping from the very beginning that the answer to “who’s the king” was going to be “children” (all i could think about was asuma yelling at kazuma “children aren’t pawns to protect the king!” during the sora arc) and ultimately that ended up being true, and i found that so satisfying. (painful. but satisfying.)

- SHIKAMARU. HERO. i always loved him, but what an incredible arc he had. and that episode, “team 10″ - WOW. wow. they really kicked it up a notch for that one - that was legitimately beautiful television, not just “good by naruto standards.” gorgeous animation/composition/editing...this show is in fact capable of magic, when it takes its time.

- grow up, you three. the shadow of death hangs over us all. some deaths may be harder to accept than others, but if you can’t get past that, there can be no future!

^^ this is legitimately my favorite line of the series. i can’t stop thinking about it. i love how tsunade is speaking from her own experience, and how she’s not wrong - nobody in this confrontation is wrong, really; shikamaru has his stuff more together than tsunade realizes, and tsunade is just telling the truth, and i just love how this entire line relates so closely to the thematic heart of this arc, which is the sanctity of children and the future they represent. like...so many characters in this show have seen so much death and tragedy, but we see children/the promise of the future pulling people out of that hole and back into a hopeful place. it’s literally tsunade’s whole story with naruto. she’s speaking from the heart, and it’s one of those lines that you can feel resonate across the whole story.

- kakashi, once again, coming to destroy me with his level of devotion to the kids. not even his own kids, this time. when he shows up at the end of “team 10″ and offers to take over for asuma and go with shikamaru’s group - i lost my mind. he’s been keeping an eye on those kids the whole time. nobody told him about what they were doing; he has no reason to be out at the gates at that time of night - he’s been keeping tabs on them. he knows exactly what they’re going through. he knows how they must feel. he wants to make sure they’re okay. and when he sees that they’re in an appropriate frame of mind for what they’re planning (aka, not unbalanced by rage or grief or the desire for revenge), he immediately offers himself up as an adult support figure. he inserts himself into that situation and assumes responsibility for making sure nobody gets hurt. he puts himself into a position where he can escort them through this experience safely (in more ways than one). he lets shikamaru take the lead and achieve closure, all while simultaneously monitoring the situation to make sure every choice the group makes is the safest, smartest thing to do. and then in the battle, he puts himself in between the kids and certain death over and over again - he saves their lives so many times.

the kids are so grateful to him for doing that. they respect him so much for it. they feel supported. they feel looked after. they feel validated. three kids who just lost their adult mentor in such a sudden, violent way - for them to have another grown-up step in and temporarily assume that role, for them to feel a pair of capable, steady hands propping them up before they fall down - that is so important!

kakashi is beautiful to me because he takes every horrible thing that ever happened to him and turns it into an unwavering commitment to help other people navigate the same rocky waters. everything he does is designed to catch people when they fall, particularly when it comes to children. he doesn’t have to take that kind of interest in asuma’s team. none of the other adults are monitoring them like that. but he understands what they’re dealing with and he knows they could hurt themselves if somebody doesn’t take care of them and so he steps in and assumes that responsibility himself. and then he does the same thing with team 8′s kids, too, in the next arc, when kurenai is out of commission. he takes all of his own painful experiences and turns them into ways he can protect other people from stumbling into the same pits he fell into, and i’ll tell you this for damn sure - he’d rather take a deadly hit himself than allow another cohort of children to be wiped off the face of the earth before their time.

i love that about him. i love that he turns all of the trouble he’s seen into ways he can be a source of strength for others. i love that he is always thinking about the kids. that’s the whole point of this arc: children are king. kakashi knows that just as well as asuma did, and the way he consistently throws himself in front of the children to keep them safe is my favorite thing about him.

- fucking LOVE that shikamaru turns down the feudal lord’s offer because he wants to stay in the village in case his friends need him. i feel like this kind of choice is never portrayed as a good thing in media - it’s always shown to be better to get yourself out there, try something new, leave old things behind, take a risk, make a change, as if staying home is somehow the same thing as settling or wasting your potential. i love how asuma lifts up shikamaru’s decision to stay rooted in his home as a worthy and admirable thing. the will of fire, indeed.

- the EMOTIONS i felt every time kakashi was helping naruto figure out how to complete the rasengan....when kakashi tells him “i truly believe you are the only shinobi who can surpass the fourth hokage” and then while walking away yamato’s all “you sweet-talked him” and kakashi immediately sets him straight like “no. no. i believe he can do it.” SOBBING.

- “good old asuma. he must’ve known you inside and out, huh?” i’ll be over here crying in the club, folks

- kakashi having conversations with sasuke in his head was Too Much for me ;__;

- we watched a bit past the asuma arc and are now into the part about the gemstone lady but the only thing i have to say about this new arc so far is about jiraiya and honestly i’m going to have to gif it to do it justice. that scene with him and naruto where naruto falls asleep on him just...struck me down where i sat. i was actually about ready to cry for real. my feelings couldn’t take it. i used to not really care too much about jiraiya in the shonen jump days (and yes, there’s some stupid stuff with him that you have to just look past if you’re going to enjoy things) but i love him so much now and i am finding myself so moved by the way he is rejoining the village and (re)building his connections with the people there, and how much meaning has been brought back into his life by the opportunity to work with naruto in particular, and how like...i mean, this is just my own impression, because i haven’t seen his full backstory yet, but he strikes me as someone who’s been running away for a long time, who had very little hope for the future, someone who experienced some terrible things and gave up, just like tsunade, until he runs into naruto. and now things have changed for him, and it warms my heart to see it. i love watching him take naruto on training field trips, and i love the depth of care we see from him towards naruto now - a far cry from the “i don’t like kids” of early shonen jump. i love seeing him collaborate with kakashi - tag-teaming their teaching and climbing in through the window to check on him in the hospital and teasing him about how silly he looks with a sheet over his nose. i’ve just become so touched by his progression and by the way the establishment of these relationships with “his” kids and the village as a whole (bonds, connections, all the things that this show can’t shut up about) has almost been a...healing sort of thing for him and has changed his entire outlook on life and given him a new sense of hope/meaning.

like. i can’t believe i am out here having jiraiya emotions after how little i cared about him when i first met him, but...here i am.

#pan watches naruto #naruto

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prettywordsyouleft · 4 years

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Could You Remember Me?

Anonymous said:

Hi! Congratulations on hitting 4K followers! I enjoy reading all your stories so much! I saw recently that one of your favorites to write for is Shownu? For your Trick - My Treat, Could I please ask you to reenter the world of 'Could You Marry Me?' but the dare is to write from his perspective? Any scene that sparks your creative mind. Congratulations again! I look forwards to reading more of your stories in the future. Thank you~~~

Pairing: Son Hyunwoo x reader

World: Could You Marry Me? (read HERE)

Genre: ceo x personal assistant / co-workers to lovers au / romance / fluff

Warnings: none

Word count: 3082

Hyunwoo paused at getting out of his car, hands gripping the steering wheel instead of letting go. He could simply start the vehicle up again and leave you to solve your own drunken problems. Sure, he was your personal assistant but he was certain his working hours for the day were well and truly over by now.

Yet as soon as your slurred words had disturbed his peaceful slumber, Hyunwoo hadn’t hesitated to get out of bed and come fetch you. It wasn’t his first time, and it probably wouldn’t be his last either. He was always picking up after you and hoping one day you’d remember his efforts in your most vulnerable of moments.

Part of him didn’t want you to clue on to your drunken mannerisms, however. He was happy with his position in the company and didn’t want to complicate that any. You never remembered a thing about your actions and frankly, he could pull himself into check to keep you remaining none the wiser. You viewed him as competent, when really he was just choosing what to allow you to see. Working for you was more stressful than he let on.

Getting out of the car with a heavy sigh, Hyunwoo knew he couldn’t think of the other possibility. If he didn’t have a role in your world, well, he didn’t know what he’d do. And so he headed into the downtown bar, smiling weakly when he could hear your voice before he even saw you.

His presence made you instantly smile and your company outwardly groan. “Why did you ring him?! Y/N, that’s not your boyfriend, that’s Hyunwoo!”

“I know!” you crooned, standing up with a start, wobbling in your heels. Hyunwoo reached out to steady you and you smiled up at him lazily. Despite clearly being drunk, he couldn’t help but enjoy the flushed tone to your skin. Right now you didn’t appear like a successful CEO and you certainly weren’t acting like one. It was a rare sight to see you unravelled like this.

Still, he knew better than to get his emotions involved in situations like this. “Time to go home.”

“Home? To your home?!” you asked with an apparent slur which seemed to humour you. “Hyunwoo-woo’s homeeeee!”

“Did you need a lift home too, Tanith?” he offered your best friend who shyly nodded. “Let’s go then.”

He had attempted to get Tanith to go home with you but you had been adamant she had to go home for some reason. And so, Hyunwoo had dropped your friend off and pulled up in your apartment’s parking lot, helping you out of the car.

“Can you help me?” you mumbled, somewhat coming to your senses. Hyunwoo at least hoped you were, and nodded, offering his arm in which you greedily took. The first couple of minutes were silent as you walked over to the elevator. And then you glanced up at him, wide-eyed. “What would I do without you?”

“Find another assistant,” he offered immediately, swallowing back his emotions. He didn’t dare look at you, remembering what happened last time when he did.

“No, I couldn’t live without you, Hyunwoo.”

Chest muscles now clenching, he didn’t speak. He couldn’t. It was pointless to believe in your words.

“I don’t need anyone else in this world but you. Promise me you won’t ever leave.”

It was selfish, your request. Drunken or not, it was a punishment. You didn’t want him the way he wanted you. In his opinion, you had no concept of who he was outside of his role. Whilst he knew every detail about you, and could act before you needed him to, you hadn’t developed the same level of understanding. Therefore he needed to take your words at face value, that the company would suffer if he wasn’t there.

Not that you would personally suffer without him.

“I enjoy my job, don’t worry, Y/N.”

“I’m not talking about at the office. I’d be useless without you in every way,” you continued and he groaned, looking at the numbers in the elevator and hoping they would go faster. Your arms wrapped around him, holding him tightly as if he were about to disappear from your side. He wished he could, for his own sake. Loving you was something he hadn’t expected to happen when he accepted the position as your secretary. Yet it was inevitable.

He disliked how much he was enjoying this embrace. When the doors opened, however, he stepped forward, away of your hold. You stumbled, glancing up at him with surprise.

“Why aren’t you answering me?”

“You’re drunk, Y/N.”

You shook your head, though your unbalanced steps proved otherwise. “I’m serious. Promise you won’t leave me. That you’ll always be there when I need you the most.”

Hyunwoo gave you a firm smile before placing in your keycode, the door clicking open. “Well, I came and got you now, didn’t I?”

Hyunwoo was anxious to pick you up. Once again, you had called for his assistance, your slurred words hitting his sleepy state like a rock. What were you doing out drinking alone? Why were you drinking? And why had you not called him to come with you?

The questions propelled him to drive faster, his concerns mounting higher the longer it took him to get to you. Knowing how you were when drunk always worried him, but with your current agreement, he had hoped this would never happen.

You were contracted to marry him, after all.

Between you both, everything had been getting on so well that this sudden drunken escapade meant something had gone wrong. You hardly drank but when you did, it was usually because something was stressing you out. Was the whole situation of marrying him that much of a concern? It was your idea, your plan in the beginning. When you had asked him to marry you because of your incident in front of Kim Mina, he had assumed you would eventually cave and just call it off. Hyunwoo had initially surprised you in supporting the ridiculous situation, and perhaps he had relaxed too much over the past few weeks as your fake fiancé. He hadn’t slipped in professionalism, but then again, you hadn’t spent so much time with him before like you were now. He couldn’t figure out what was bothering you, not even when he stood before you and the mess on the table.

You had drunk way too much tonight.

“Woo is here. Hyunwoo-woo-woooo!”

He was so angry with you that all he could do was pull you up from the table in which you swayed from side to side dangerously. And as he dealt with the bartender, he allowed you to support yourself. He needed to calm down but that wasn’t going to happen any time soon, not even when you threw yourself onto him. Gripping you firmly, he all but carried you out to his car, buckling you into the seat before rounding the vehicle to his side.

He didn’t care for your whining, staring at you pointedly. “Why did you drink so much?”

You dismissed him, now in a sulky mood and soon you were lulled to sleep in the car. He checked on you a couple of times as he drove, but mostly he just gripped the steering wheel as he navigated the late-night traffic.

When he pulled into the underground parking to your apartment, he glanced over at you still breathing evenly in your slumbering state. “I should just wake you up and make you walk yourself in.”

Yet he didn’t, sighing to himself as he went around to your side and unbuckled you. Lifting you out of the car, the sound of the passenger door that he pushed closed brought you away from your dreams and when he glanced at you, you were disappointed.

At least you shared the same emotions right now.

You groaned and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why would you drink so much if you were going to regret it?”

“Do I have to answer that? You can put me down, I can walk, I think.”

He obeyed your pats on his shoulder after a moment of deliberation, remembering just how many empty glasses had littered your table back at the bar. He wondered if your liver would even cope with you standing right now.

Still, you were an adult. And you had made the decision to drink yourself into oblivion to avoid whatever problem you were faced with. Unlike all the other times he had picked you up when drunk, you decided to walk yourself in, confusing him as to why you weren’t clinging to him.

And when you stumbled, his aide to stop you from falling left you pressed into the wall instead, Hyunwoo’s body pressing into you. The look you gave him answered everything.

He was the problem you were trying to drink away.

You searched his expression and soon your hand came up to cup his cheek tenderly, which caused him to groan. He should have known you would try something still. “You’re always like this with me.”

“I’m what?”

He hesitated for the umpteenth time. In the past, it would have been all too easy to shove this delightful experience away. Hyunwoo knew you were drunk, after all. Still, his emotions were equally heightened these days and with the way your eyes were soaking him in, he couldn’t stop the words as they fell out, running a frustrated hand through his hair at the same time. “I can never figure out how you feel towards me, Y/N. Every time you get drunk, this always happens.”

He didn’t get a chance to react further, his hand stuck in his hair as you pressed your lips to his. However, he did respond to your kiss. Even though he knew it was wrong, he wanted this. He needed this. All these weeks together had amounted to something in his mind. It wasn’t fake to him, at least not his feelings. Of course, he hadn’t exactly planned to marry you this way but he wasn’t going to let the logistics break how he felt. Even with the sour taste of how you had spent your night, Hyunwoo didn’t want this kiss to end.

He wanted to keep kissing you every day of his life.

But it ended and he could see the confusion in your eyes. It was always there since your first kiss four years ago. Back then, he had been naïve. He assumed you would remember the kiss the following day at work and be awkward with him about it. He had antagonised how to address it with you all night long. But you were the same old Y/N he was used to. You didn’t approach the topic and at first, he thought it was your tactic on how to not grow awkward about it. After another day, he realised you hadn’t remembered locking lips with him or inviting himself into your home. Thank god, he had declined the latter.

Now though, he wanted to come in. He wanted you to remember all that you did with him.

“You never remember in the morning. Not once,” he admitted as you shook your head, trying to decipher why this wasn’t a life-altering experience. You had tasted these lips before. And he had spent his entire career balancing on a fine line of wanting to take them for himself whenever he felt like doing so, and trying to forget each and every drunken kiss you had given him.

“This… has happened before?”

God, he just wanted to do something so you could replay all the years with him at your side. All the stolen glances he took, all the moments where your smile made his cool exterior feel hot and uncontrolled. He wished you had seen him for what he had you. Hyunwoo sighed.

“Y/N, don’t make me fall for you even more. It’s cruel of you to do this to me time and time again. I’m equally as foolish for allowing you to.”

“You could have told me.”

You were right, he could have. So many times had he gone to. But it was always chased away with your endless dates with affluent people. Hyunwoo had struggled to see himself as a match for your status, much like you had of your own towards people like Mina. He cocked his head to the side, eyes equally as hard as yours were. “You never remembered. Would you have believed me if I told you that you kissed me when you were drunk? It would only lead to awkwardness and distance from you which would make our working relationship a nightmare to navigate.”

That and because he was hurt that you never remembered something as good as his kisses.

After some contemplation, you stood up taller, looking at him determinedly. “Hyunwoo, I need you to do something for me.”

“What can I assist you with?”

“You have to ensure I remember this time.”

Rolling over in the bed, he groaned, trying to avoid the light shining onto his barely opened eyes. It stung more than it should and he needed to take care of the giant weight within his stomach. Rolling some more, he laid on his tummy and looked away from the curtains, blinking slowly when he found you lying beside him.

Hyunwoo sat up with a start. “Y/N, what are you doing here?”

“Hmm?” you hummed, yawning as you stretched out your arm. When you hit him by accident, your eyes opened in realisation. “Oh, yes.”

“I’m not following.”

“You told me I had to stay. In fact, you were adamant about it. Since when do you drink so much, huh? Isn’t that my usual party trick instead?”

It wasn’t a dream to wake up and find you at his side then. Sighing, Hyunwoo rubbed at his face slowly in hopes it would bring forth last night to him.

You moved closer, leaning in to kiss his torso lazily, flinging your arm over his lap. “Don’t you remember anything, my lover?”

“L-lover?!” he echoed, his usual tiny eyes in the morning now wide with fright. He knew you were actually together now, so waking up at your side wouldn’t be unfathomable. He’d done it more than this, but still, for Hyunwoo this was taking some adjusting. He had wanted this for so long that he couldn’t grasp reality from dreamland just yet.

And with the heaviness of his obvious drinking last night, he wasn’t so confident in knowing what was going on. He looked at you for facts. “You really don’t remember, huh? I’m disappointed.”

“Why, what did I do?”

“Well,” you started, trying to contain your satisfied smile with an exaggerated pout. “You told me you always got upset that I didn’t remember when you kissed me after drinking all night. If only that’s all we did last night, then I wouldn’t be so mad right now at your lack of knowledge.”

Hyunwoo dived for the edge of the blankets that covered his legs, breathing all too heavily when he found his underwear where they ought to be. You were giggling too much now, and he glared at your teasing. “Nothing happened.”

“Your face is priceless though!”

“You don’t get to do that to me!” he exclaimed, grabbing his sore head afterwards. There was too much going on for him to comprehend with his hangover. “I never once did that to you.”

“We both know I’m not the same as you though, Hyunwoo. God, I don’t know how you held it in. I wanted to be a good fiancé and pamper you this morning but you made it too easy when you panicked finding me at your side. Is it really that hard to believe this is our future?”

His annoyance eased as you moved up in the bed so you could snuggle into him. The stomach pains started to ease with your comfort. “Sometimes it is.”

“I always get overwhelmed by your honesty,” you told him and then kissed his chest. Hyunwoo angled you both so your next kiss would be his mouth instead of other parts of his body. You merely grinned at him. “I can’t believe I had you at my side for all those years and didn’t know just how in love you were with me.”

“Now you do,” he murmured, offering his lips forward for you to kiss.

Instead, you tapped his mouth with a playful hand. “You need to shower, you stink. And then I’ll have some food ready for you.”

“You’re cooking?”

“Don’t I need to learn how to feed you as your future wife?”

He nodded and then groaned when his head sloshed a little too hard. Taking to the shower and washing away the night out with his friends, Hyunwoo stepped out into the living area, frowning when he didn’t find you there. There was no tempting smell of food cooking; in fact, he could tell you hadn’t even entered his kitchen. Cinching the towel around his waist more firmly, he then turned for the bedroom.

And there you were.

“Where’s breakfast?”

“You know, I’m kind of upset we haven’t done more than just sleep in this bed, Hyunwoo. And with how you reacted to my joke, I got to thinking. Just what are you waiting for to take the next step with me?”

He gaped at you for a moment, shaking his head softly. “Are you serious right now?”

“You’re sober, you’ll remember it.”

“You don’t want something romantic first? I’ve barely started to shift my hangover, how is this a perfect recipe for our first time?”

“Stop trying to make everything perfect for me,” you instructed, kneeling on the edge of his bed and reaching out for him. He came over, your hands instantly running a pathway from his torso up to his shoulders. “I just want you how you come.”

“Right now?”

“Are you going to keep me waiting or will I have to use my boss voice to order you into this bed with me?” you teased and Hyunwoo dropped the towel covering him, your shrieks soon muffled and replaced with moans.

He had been protecting you and himself from being this way for far too long. And now that he knew you would remember his love for you every day, whether you were sober or not, Hyunwoo realised there was no need to hold back anymore.

_________________

[MONSTA X Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

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emmett-the-wrighter · 4 years

Text

Hello

I first saw him on my way home from work.

I had never noticed the window before, rising from the cracked sidewalk and ending just at the height of my hip. The drapes hung open to reveal a barely-furnished basement. A living room of sorts.

Our gazes met by accident. We both looked away with that too-quick awkwardness of when strangers make unexpected eye contact. Neither of us knew what to do about it, but we couldn’t anyway. The pane of glass between us created a wall between worlds; a gulf to far for mere strangers to cross.

There he sat, with a toddler on his knee and a stain of something icky and toddler-related on his shirt. He looked tired, but adoring. He had, once upon a time, tied his hair back behind his ears, but now half those dark curls fell free to frame his face.

And there I paused, dressed in my brown faded suit with a coat slung over my shoulder. I looked shabby; everyone implied I did. But something had drawn his eyes to me and mine to him so we could share a single look on that fateful day.

The next time I walked by, my eyes strayed towards the window and I saw him standing from the couch. I read the name forming on his lips.

Emma, he said. Emma, come here.

The toddler ran in delighted laughing circles, her hands waving above her head in the jubilant anarchy of youth. His shoulders lifted in a shrug as she paid no attention to his words, and he glanced over at the window to meet my eyes. His smile sang a rueful note.

I trudged on.

On the third day, I returned the smile. They sat together on the couch with the toddler in his lap and a storybook balanced in one hand. The cover looked bright and happy.

Once, when I paused by the window, I could see only Emma. She climbed on the couch and opened her mouth in a guppy-like grin at me. She waved her little hands in the air, almost unbalancing herself.

Hello, she said to me. Hello. Hello.

Hello, I mouthed back, and I signed the word to her. Hello. Hello.

He played with her. And made her dinner. And he tickled her until she fell to the floor laughing, unable to escape.

One day, I walked by to see him patiently sitting as she painted his fingernails- and then his hands, and his arms, and his shirt. When she reached for his face with the nail polish brush, he snatched the bottle and whirled her around, mouth open in a mock roar until she hung upside down, laughing among her screams.

His eyes met mine again. He must have known how ridiculous he looked with the colorful streaks over every bit of him. But he smiled anyway. I saw his words.

Look Emma, he said. It’s your friend.

And she waved to me, saying, Hello. Hello. Hello.

And I signed back, Hello. Hello.

As winter crept over windows and streets, I ignored the temptation of taking the bus home. Some days, when frost covered the window, I stopped to trace a smiley face in the corner before moving on. Other times, Emma worked hard to breath the ice away so she could press her nose to the glass and grin at me as I passed.

Hello. Hello.

I held a book in hand once; one I had been reading a lot. A week later, when I saw him on the couch, he held the same book in his hands. Emma lay on the floor in a luxurious nest of pillows. She stood and waved her hands in the air, shaping them to make the same sign as me.

Hello. Hello.

The drapes were closed one day.

As I walked past, I saw a woman slam the door shut so hard the house shook with the sound I couldn’t hear. She stomped down the front steps before turning to scream back. When he pulled the door open, his face reflected every single word she had yelled. He opened his mouth, but never got far enough to say a single word.

And then she left.

He looked to me then. Shame, shock, and gloom painted his mouth into a thin line. He opened it to say something, but exhaled and pressed his lips together. He turned and went back into the house.

The drapes remained closed for a long time after that.

When spring came again, they were open. I stopped to look down into the basement, but saw neither him nor Emma. I waited a minute. A minute more. And another.

They waited for me, I realized when I finally walked past the side of the house and into view of the porch. I stopped and met his eyes. He smiled tentatively.

Hello, his hands said.

Hello, mine replied.

His chin dropped with the weight of his nerves. He wasn’t sure what to do next; I could see it in the blush on his cheeks that my own mimicked. But he straightened, lifted his chin, and met my eyes again.

We learn sign, his hands slowly spelled.

I am flattered, I said out loud.

Would you like to come in, I read on his lips.

I did.

#Romance #Snippet #Deaf

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darylandbethfanforever9 · 4 years

Text

Downfall Of Us All: Chapter 1

Special thanks to @jtargaryen18, who helped me write this story and inspired me to write dark stories. Please check out her stories, they’re incredible.

Link to https://archiveofourown.org/works/22835614/chapters/54576175

Warnings: Child loss, depression, grief and betrayal

Downfall Of Us All

Chapter 1

Clint Francis Barton stared at the area where his two children had disintegrated in front of him, they were gone and unlike the others who had come back, Cooper and Lila weren’t. Only their bodies had returned, their clothes soaked in dried blood. His children were gone, and he’d never even gotten to say goodbye to them, his little boy and little girl were gone. He looked around for Laura, feeling hatred burn through him.

He stood up shakily, and looked at the uniform he’d worn into the battle against Thanos. It was black, and gold. Ronin. Clint leaned his head back, everyone else had come back but his two children hadn’t. He heard a noise and turned around to see Laura pointing a gun at him. And next to her, was Rumlow. “Laura, what the hell are you doing?” Clint asked wearily, seeing Rumlow smirking at him. “Isn’t it obvious, Clint? I never loved you, or our children. I was simply following HYDRA and the Red Room’s orders; didn’t you ever think it was strange I knew who Natasha was?” Laura asked coldly, and Clint watched in horror as she stepped closer. “I was spying, and you are quite pathetic.” She said cruelly, and Clint saw red as she smirked at him. “Now, Natalia will suffer for betraying the motherland.”

Clint lunged at her, tackling her to the floor as the front door was kicked open. Rumlow fired at him, missing him but grazing his left forearm. He cursed, and kicked at Rumlow in the face. The man yelled in pain and pulled out a knife as Clint avoided being gutted by the man. What he hadn’t considered, was Laura plunging the knife into the left side of his stomach. Clint could actually feel the pain burning through him, as he heard footsteps. “Clint! Clint, don’t you dare die on me!” Natasha said fiercely, her dyed blonde hair framing her face. Clint attempted to smile weakly, but his eyes strayed to the returned bodies of his children. “Nat….Laura, she’s…she’s HYDRA.” He rasped weakly, as two EMT’s rushed into the living room. “Move out of the way, Agent Romanov.” The EMT said urgently, and they got him onto a gurney.

“Nat,” Clint rasped, grabbing her hand and only then realizing it was covered in his own blood. “Be… careful. Please.” She squeezed his hand. “I promise. I’ll be careful,” she whispered, trying to smile. “Now let them put you back together. You’re still not getting out your birthday party, you know.” He would have smiled for her except the pain was so damned bad. He didn’t miss the tears that had gathered in her eyes. It was bad. He knew it was bad. “Pictures,” he managed to say to her as they sped him out of the house. Clint’s mind spun as they rolled him out towards the waiting ambulance, the blurry view of the farmhouse where his children had grown and played, the simple yard with the tree swing that hung motionless from Lila’s favourite tree burned into his memory. Cooper’s bike propped against the porch was the last thing he saw before they closed the ambulance doors. His babies were gone. Nat would grab pictures of them for him. He still had Nat, his friend who’d been with him through so much. Budapest. Loki’s enslavement of him. Sokovia. The births of his children. Unable to have children of her own, Nat had loved them so much. But Nat was in danger. ‘Now, Natalia will suffer for betraying the motherland.’ The EMT’s worked on him, hooking him up to monitors and trying to stop the flow of his blood at his side. At best, he only had a few moments of consciousness left and the intense pain wasn’t making that easy. The physical pain was nothing when he thought he’d never see his children again, never hold them, watch them grow up, play with their children. The ragged hole their loss ripped in his heart? That would never heal, never fade. Laura. Laura had never loved him or their children? His children? She’d been HYDRA the entire time? Jesus. What had she gotten from him over the years and how had HYDRA used that information against him? Against their entire team? And now she was after Nat? Clint’s world in the creaking, metal cave of the ambulance began to narrow down, fade. “That’s it,” one of the EMTs, an older man, told him. “Try to relax. Breathe deeply.” Clint was fading, and he tried to ease into that darkness, knowing there was a good chance he wouldn’t come back out of it. If he were reunited with his children, he could live with that. He wasn’t leaving them behind and Nat had Steve to watch over her. But if he did come back… God help Laura. There’d be no place in heaven or hell where she’d be safe from him.

He started seeing black dots in his vision, and he could have sworn that he heard a female voice singing a lullaby to him. He smiled at the voice, and let the darkness take over him.

Natasha grabbed the pictures of Cooper and Lila quickly, Clint had asked for one thing. The least she could do, was give him these treasured pictures of his children. Tears silently slid down her cheeks, as she looked at the photo of Cooper smiling happily at the camera. It had been taken at his sixth birthday, and Clint treasured it. Clint had to pull through…. he had to, he was like a little brother to her. She couldn’t lose him, after losing Cooper and Lila. She wiped her eyes and drove to the Avengers Compound where Steve was waiting for her. She got out of the car, and ran into the compound, where the others were. Was Clint alright? “How is he?” She asked quietly, Steve sucked in a deep breath and wordlessly held her tightly in his arms. “He’s in surgery, the surgeon says that he has internal bleeding.” He said grimly and held her close.

The air was hot around him, Clint shielded his eyes from the sun as he stumbled across a waterfall. He cautiously went through and saw a young woman with almost white blonde hair sitting cross legged, on an embroidered rug with candles being the only light. She was wearing a black fringed dress, and her hair fell in gentle white blonde waves. She had light blue eyes, that had flecks of green in them. “Hello Clint.” She greeted softly, Clint wearily sat down in front of her. He was wondering where the hell he was and looked at her cautiously. “Am I dead?” He asked quietly, the woman laughed softly, and her laugh sounded like bell chimes. She looked hauntingly beautiful, and not like Laura. “No, you aren’t.”

Looking around, lush greenery sprawled all around them but there was not another soul to be found. His heart clenched in his chest as he watched, scanning the perimeter, hoping Cooper and Lila would come from beyond his line of vision, smiling as they ran into his arms. Were they here? “Is this a dream?” He asked the young woman. Her head tilted as she seemed to study him. “Maybe.” Her gaze dropped to her hands, folded in her lap. Her hands were lovely, all long slender lines and fingers. Her skin was smooth with a few small, silver scars scattered across it. Her nails were short, bare. “Who are you?” Clint asked. Her eyes, magnetic pale blue-coloured eyes, lifted. Her gaze met his and she smiled softly. Whoever she was, she truly was beautiful. But there were shadows behind those amazing eyes, a myriad of emotions swirling in them. Her eyes held secrets, sorrows. Her gaze moved over him slowly and he shivered under that soulful gaze. “I’m Grace,” she told him. The name suited her. Grace is the absence of everything that indicates pain or difficulty… The phrase stuck in his mind from a book he’d read while recovering from the attack on New York. At the time, he tried to remember the words as a mantra, a meaning he could focus on when things didn’t make sense. The words perfectly described this moment, sitting here with her. There was pain, difficulty. It lingered in the shadows all around them, ready to crash in on him like a dark wave. But for the moment, as he sat there with Grace, he felt calm. Peace. “Where are we?” He asked wearily. Grace shook her head. Lifting her hand, her fingertips grazed the side of his face, her touch whisper soft. “We’re here,” she said simply, her touch skimming along his jaw. Her palm flattened against his cheek and he leaned into that touch, her hand so soft and warm. “Am I dead?” He asked quietly, wondering if this was limbo. He wouldn’t be surprised if this was where he was trapped here. Grace simply smiled and shook her head. “You’re in between worlds Clint, you’ve flatlined. Your soul is in between the afterlife, and the living world.” She explained softly, when he heard a noise in the distance. “Where’s my children?” He asked worriedly, fearing for Cooper and Lila’s safety. Grace gave him a sad smile, and it frightened him. “They’re at peace, Clint. They moved on, when you helped defeat Thanos and touched the Soul Stone. Call out to them,” She said gently, and Clint swallowed. “Cooper? Lila?!” He called out hopefully, and nothing happened for a minute as he looked around. That was when, he saw two small figures running towards him. “Daddy!” Lila called out relieved, and he embraced them both tightly. Tears stinging his eyes, as he held his two children. He felt tears swim own his cheeks and held them close. “I love you both so much, I’m sorry couldn’t save you both.” Clint whispered sorrowfully, self-loathing in his voice as he looked at the faces of his children. “It’s ok, Dad. We’re happy, but you can’t die…. Auntie Nat needs you and so do the Avengers. You need to stop mom.” Cooper said reassuringly, squeezing his father’s hand tightly. Clint watched as they began fading away, and he could hear voices whispering in the wind. He looked at Grace, who was starting to look worried. “You need to return to the living, Clint. Everything has become unbalanced since the Reality Stone and Mind Stone were returned.” Grace said urgently, taking his hand. “I can’t leave you here, Grace.” Clint protested heavily, Grace shook her head sadly at him. She was starting to fade away, and he strained his ears to hear what she was saying. “Tell Peter I’m sorry, that me and Soph are both sorry. Sorry, that we couldn’t tell him what we are,” She whispered regretfully, and Clint could feel himself falling.

Clint woke up gasping for breath and looked around to see he was in a hospital room. He yanked the oxygen mask off his face, as he saw Natasha waking up. “I saw them Nat! I saw Cooper and Lila, and there was a woman with them!” He gasped breathlessly, his throat was dry. “What do you mean Clint? Did you dream about them?” Natasha asked wearily, concern in her voice. Clint took a sip from the plastic cup filled with water and swallowed. He spoke about what Grace had said. “It was a dream…. But….she said her name was Grace.”

“Clint, take it easy,” Nat tried to ease him back down, but he struggled in her hold. “You’ve been through a lot.” “Nat?” Steve came through the door, surprised at the scene before him. While he was pleased to see his friend awake, he dashed to the other side of the bed, helping Nat by gently gripping Clint’s arms. “Hey, pal. I need you to relax for me, okay? If you pull out those stitches…” Clint stopped, taking in the concern in Steve’s blue eyes. “Stitches?” “Clint, you almost bled to death,” Nat told him, eyes shiny with tears. “We almost lost you.” Clint swallowed hard, remembering what Grace had told him. That he had to return to the land of the living. Why couldn’t he have stayed? His babies had been there. In his arms. Why couldn’t he stay? An ugly, raw sob ripped from his throat as he sank down into the bed. Nat followed him down, holding him without putting any weight on him. “Oh, my God, Nat,” Clint whispered as the pain in his heart threatened to tear him apart. “I had them. They were right there and now… now I'm…” “I’m so sorry,” Nat’s tears sank into his pillow, smeared his neck. “I’m so, so sorry.” Steve gently rubbed circles into Nat’s back, his hand on Clint’s shoulder, letting him know he was there. “They… said they were happy…But they said Auntie Nat needed me,” Clint went on. Nat sobbed along with him, her grip tightening on him in a way that his side throbbing. Clint didn’t care. He’d take the pain. A thousand knives carved into him couldn’t begin to compete with the loss he was suffering. “It wasn’t a dream,” he whispered. “They… told me I had to stop Laura.” That got Steve’s attention. “What happened, Clint?”

“I was in a forest, and I went behind a waterfall where I met this woman. She was sitting in a cave behind the waterfall, and she was wearing a black fringed dress. She told me that everything had become unbalanced, since the Mind Stone and the Reality Stone had been returned to their original places,” Clint explained quietly, his grey eyes lost in thought. ‘What else happened Clint?“ Natasha asked gently, sensing that there was more to the story than what Clint was telling. "I saw Cooper and Lila, they said I had to stop Laura and that I couldn’t leave you. And the woman, Grace said something to me before I woke up.” He said distantly, trying to remember what his dream had been. It was confusing, as hell. ‘Tell Peter, I’m sorry that me and Soph are both sorry. Sorry, that we couldn’t tell him what we were,’ Grace had said remorsefully, regret flashing in her blue eyes. Somehow, Clint knew she wasn’t talking about Peter Quill but about Peter Parker. Was that who she’d been talking about? “She said that she wanted me to tell Peter, that she and Soph are both sorry. Sorry, that we couldn’t tell him what we were.” Clint explained quietly, causing Natasha and Steve to look at each other. “I’ll ask Tony and Bucky to see if Peter knows anyone by the names Grace and Soph.” Steve said wearily, he kissed Natasha and squeezed Clint’s right shoulder in a comforting gesture. Clint nodded, and watched him leave as he turned to look at Natasha who was sitting down by his bed. “Laura…..she’s Red Room, Nat. She was sent by HYDRA and the Red Room, she said you’d suffer for betraying the motherland.” He warned grimly, Natasha held his hand. “She won’t get me, Clint. We’ll make her pay for what she’s done to you, Clint.” Natasha vowed fiercely, Clint nodded silently.

“Any luck on finding this Grace, and Soph?” Bucky Barnes asked quietly, he looked at Tony who was looking at the screen in front of him. “So far, nothing. You?” Tony asked civilly, Bucky shook his head when the Home Secretary Thaddeus Ross entered the room with a ruthless expression on his face. “You Avengers are needed, we’ve discovered that two highly dangerous individuals have failed to sign the Accords. I want all of the Avengers in the conference room, Barton there as well,” Ross said coldly. “What’s so dangerous about them?” Bucky asked wearily, Ross handed him a file to read. “Their mother was a Red Room agent, Sergeant Barnes.”

It was a small world. “Hey, Buck.” Steve stood in the doorway of the office, arms folded across his chest. “Find anything yet?” Bucky shook his head. “How’s Clint?” Steve shook his head, walking around Ross to the counter where Tony worked, leaning against it. “We’re lucky he’s still alive. Severe blood loss. He flatlined on the table.” “But he is still alive,” Ross said to Steve meaningfully, “and I want all of you in the conference room in an hour. Including Barton.” Steve pushed off from the counter to approach Ross. “Barton is recovering in his hospital bed. You heard what I just said. He’s not going to be there, Ross. Be reasonable.” “I am being reasonable. More than reasonable where the lot of you are concerned,” Ross explained. “What’s so important?” Steve wanted to know. “What’s so important that we have to drag a team member who almost died into your meeting?” Ross didn’t look concerned. “One hour. Barnes has the file.” With that, he turned on his heel and left. “Asshole,” Tony muttered. “What’s this about?” Steve looked from Tony to Bucky. Bucky’s attention had been divided between Steve’s confrontation with Ross and the file in his hand. The documents were intel on two women, sisters. He had to admit they were both beautiful. When he got to the back of the file, he found information on their mother, Anya Melnychenko, A Red Room agent who was highly regarded. But how the hell had a Red Room agent had two children? What was the Widow Program? And that’s when he looked again at the names. Sophie and Grace.

They weren’t Russian names, normally the Red Room gave the prospective future Red Room agents Russian names. These two names would be considered, western by the Red Room. “Ross wants us to arrest two sisters, who according to him have failed to sign the Accords.” Bucky said finally, anger in his tone and swallowed. “Their mother was a Red Room agent, Steve.”

Tag list: @jtargaryen18, @sapphirescrolls, @nomadicpixel, @marvelfansworld, @kitkatd7

#Hawkeye Fanfiction #Ronin Fanfiction #Clint Barton x OC #Winter Soldier Fanfiction #Bucky Barnes x OC

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owxanimorphs · 4 years

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Animorphs Re-read 2020 Megamorphs The Andalites Gift

Obsidianwolf X Re-Reads Animorphs 2020 Megamorphs Book One: The Andalite's gift

Okay so here I briefly pause reading the main series to read Megamorphs #1. I have to say this is one of my favorites and does the best job of taking advantage of the multiple points of view. The Veleek is a credible threat and one that is actually defeated for good. Now there are few things that bug me but that's pretty normal for this series and are all things that just bug me in general. The idea of the Valeek is very interesting including the idea that it's a lifeform from Saturn. The problem arises in that Visser Three never went and got another one or more than one. Now there are possibly explanations but it wouldn't have hurt to put them in. Say they'd gone looking and only found the one. hell say this one was originally injured and that was why it was close enough to the top layer of Saturn's clouds to be found. Or show Visser three saying if the thing failed the scientist involved would all be eliminated. The fact this creature never appears again is a bit odd.

However, the biggest flaw is the Hollywood Amnesia plot involving Rachel. I have never cared for the badly done takes on Fugue states that often show up in pop culture as easy Amnesia so it detracts from the book. That said the plot does lead to some potentially interesting world building. The unbalanced former host in the woods and the popular fan theory that she's the woman they rescued in book one comes to mind. The idea that some folks escaped and fell through the cracks is a good one.

This book also does a better job of showing the kids being kids without the slightly forced feel that some times lurks around the edges of the main book series. The pool party and the stolen truck sequences are among the best examples of it in the whole series.

The multiple narrators set up actually helps cut down on some of the biggest problems of the individual narrators for example Cassie is a lot less irritating in smaller doses and it cuts down on the character shilling when others need to encourage her. This plot line also much better than most because for once she actually screws up and acknowledges it and the plan they came up with works with the rules established so far. I mean I still don't care for the Hollywood Dolphins and Whales but it was nice to see her normal moralizing about the morality of morphing species she deems worthy of respect be reduced to just a sentence for once. It also is one of the few times that the constant shilling of how she's the best at morphing is actually relevant and plays a role in the climax.

Though once again I have to point out how odd the way Cassie's parents treat her is. They don't seem even slightly phased that their daughter walked her friends out to the road and then didn't come back.

Ax is another one that benifits from the more stream lined narration as there is less room for some of the repeating sequences he tends to get. This one does a much better job of showing his desire to avenge his brother contrasted with the fact he's a kid and that Andalite propaganda has screwed him over than his own books do at times since there wasn't time for too much comedy of errors.

Now let's discuss how this is one of the first books that makes direct mention of Rachel having a thing for Tobias. What makes it interesting is that it doesn't come up in the Rachel or Tobias section but instead in Jake's section. We learn that Cassie thinks Rachel has a thing for bird boy and that she's mentioned it to Jake. Quick aside this is one of the few books that even remotely works as a Jake and Cassie like each other book as little moments like this show they actually do more than just narrate how they kind of like each other. They actually seem to have potential for a real connection even as it shows how fundementally incompatiable they are in their reaction to the idea of Rachel and Tobias. Jake brings up how Cassie thinks it's romantic that Rachel might have feelings for Tobias where as Jake just sees it as sad given that Tobias is possibly never going to be human again. It just highlights the maturity disparity between the two of them and how one of them changes and the other doesn't.

Anyway that's it for the first Megamorph book next we head back to the main series with Ax's first book.

#animorphs #animorphs spoilers #animorphs megamorphs book one #Animorphs:The Andalite's gift #animorphs re-read 2020

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your-typical-giggle · 5 years

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Lost and Found (Wes Johnson)

There’s not enough Wesley Johnson fanfictions on this site. So, please enjoy my Zombie Apocalypse word vomit :) I might make a bonus scene if I feel like it. Which is a most likely. So I hope you enjoy the story and my crappy description :)))

Request: No

Word Count: 1,954

Description: After trusting the wrong group, y/n and her group face off a herd of zombies. In an attempt to escape with Wes, she falls and is left behind. Wes then faces the guilt of leaving her.

"Wes! I need some help over here!" You shouted, trying to get the giant to notice your struggle.

Your camp was infiltrated by some people who didn’t mean too well. As their parting gift, they broke down one of the walls. The wall they broke down just so happened to have a herd of zombies behind it. So now everyone is fighting for their lives.

You were currently laying down with your back to the pavement, with a zombie on top of you. While holding the Z back, you could see more coming your way. "Wes!" There was no way you could hold off more Z's. Just the one was a struggle. "Oh god. Wes! Please!" You were looking around for him, but you were surrounded. You knew that even if you get this one off you, that you wouldn’t be able to escape the others.

With that, you started letting go. There is no point fighting if you’re just going to die anyway. So, you stopped trying, stopped struggling. You only wish that you could’ve died in a more peaceful way.

"Y/n! Y/n I swear to god, you better not be giving up on me!" Wes, that was Wes. You open your eyes, seeing some of the herd surrounding you turning away. "Get up! I can not lose you too!" With that, you started pushing against the zombie on top of you. There was a pole only a few feet from you.

'If I can just push this damn Z off of me, then id have enough time to grab that.' You thought to yourself.

⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂

Maybe you can't push the zombie off of you. Seeing as you tried, and it just fell right back on you. "Come on, Y/n. You’re almost there." You whispered. You had your arm on the zombie’s neck, the other reaching for the pole. You were so close, just a few more centimeters and you were there.

You looked back at the Z and moved your hands to its shoulders. Bringing up your legs for more pressure, you push. Before the zombie could fall back, you rolled to the side. Quickly grabbing the pole, you shove the end of it into the zombie’s head. Successfully re-killing it; though, you couldn’t celebrate for long, for you were still surrounded. Significantly less surrounded then you originally had thanks to Wes.

"Wes?" You called out, killing another. "You still alive?" You didn’t get an answer, and that was starting to worry you. "Wes!" You yelled louder.

"What!" You let out a breath.

"Thank god. I was making sure you were still alive."

"Yeah, I am. But we're not going to be for long. The more we kill, the more that show up." Wes was heading your way, killing more as he does. "So once we get an opening, we need to run for it."

Your backs were together now. It was more back to ass, but you couldn’t blame him for being so tall.

"You start making a path, and I’ll protect your back? Got it?" You stated. Wes hummed in agreement. Every time you felt him take a forward, you took one back. Your arms were starting to shake from loss of strength. "Are we almost out, Wes? I don’t know how much longer I can go."

"Almost... There..." He said slowly. A few more kills later and, "there! Run!"

You quickly turned around and started following behind him. You were by far slower. Not only was it from your short legs, but also because you were already out of breath.

"Wes! Wes! Please, slow down!" You really didn’t want to be separated again.

"Just head for the bank! You'll be okay!" He was so far ahead, you barely heard what he said. All you could see was his retreating form before you tripped.

Turning around, you saw the zombies not far away. You knew you broke something, just not how bad. Quickly, you searched for a place to hide. Right beside you was a log with a big enough hole under it. You crawled over to it and slid inside. You turned so you could see the Z's racing past you.

You held your breath, not wanting them to know your location. Not wanting to even give them a hint. You waited, you don’t know for how long. Minutes seemed like hours. When you thought the coast was clear, you tried leaving. Though, you were stopped as soon as you tried to take a step. For you fell, hard.

"What the..." You knew you were injured, but you never thought this bad. You never did look at the damage, you preoccupied yourself with making sure you stayed silent. Now that you think about it, you really should have. "Shit." You cursed towards the ground. It was truly aimed towards yourself though.

You should’ve been worried about how you were going to get out of this. But your mind only went to Wes and how worried he might be. It was high noon when you got separated from Wes. Now the sun was close to setting. You knew traveling at night was basically suicide, so you crawled back over to the log and slid back under. Only this time you grabbed twigs covered in leaves to cover the entrance. You blocked the view of anyone or anything coming through the night.

You were unarmed and only protected by wood. So you curled into yourself, pulling your jacket closer around you. It was dark, and you were exhausted. Though your body was craving sleep, your mind was craving safety. So you forced yourself to stay up.

Though, you were starting to regret the decision just a few minutes after. Because every time you heard something, even the wind knocking a leaf down, your body shook. Your mind was racing with thoughts of the unknown. Your breathing picked up, and your lungs weren’t getting enough air. Only a few more minutes went by before you passed out.

⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂

“Wes, you need to calm down, I’m sure she’s fine,” Ian said, watching his friend pace back and forth.

“Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down when I left her? She yelled at me to slow down and I did not listen.” He stopped pacing and turned towards the shorter man. “For all we know she is dead. She is dead and it’s my fault.”

“Hey, we don’t know that. When the sun comes back up, we'll send a search party. But until then we need to keep our strength.” Shayne came up to Wes and put a hand on his shoulder.

Wes nodded his head very hesitant. “I- um… I think I’m gonna try to sleep.” He kept his head down and proceeded to walk out of the room. “I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

Everyone looked between each other. “He’s really upset,” Mari commented. “I highly doubt he’s going to sleep.”

“Yeah, someone needs to make sure he’s not going to leave by himself.” Added Courtney, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

“Keith and I will keep him company.” Noah stood up and pulled Keith’s arm. “Come on man.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay.”

The two boys left the room. “I don’t trust those three. Noah’s not going to try and stop Wes. If anything, he’s going to join him.” Shayne said.

“Three is better than two, though,” Ian stated.

⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂

“You can’t stop me from going. I need to make sure she’s okay.” Wes said to the two other boys in the room. He was currently gathering things that he deemed necessary for the trip.

“Who said we were going to stop you?” Keith interjected/ Wes looked up confused.

“Yeah, it’s my sister out there. So there’s no way in hell that I’m leaving her there.” Noah picked up a pack and started filling it.

“And it’s my best friend.” Keith pulled on his jacket and looked at the other two. “We all want to make sure she’s okay.”

Wes didn’t want to bring them along. If something happens to them, he doesn’t want to be responsible for them. Though, he knew arguing with the two was useless. Especially after they made up their mind.

“Okay, but we watch each others back. And watch for everything. We don’t want to get injured during this. Y/n will blame herself for the rest of her life.” They all nodded in agreement. “Good. Get ammo, food, water, and any weapons that are silent.”

We went back to packing things, His pack mainly consisted of things that will be more helpful towards you. Medical pack, a jacket, food, water. He barely had any weapons. His only weapons being what he could fit in his pockets. Which only consisted of knives. All he cared about was you.

⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂

You woke up again by the sunlight hitting your face. You didn’t remember falling asleep, but then again, you were pretty sure you passed out. You listen for any hint of movement. You thought you didn't hear anything so you started to move to crawl out.

"I last saw her around here." You froze. Your mind started racing with questions: who are they? Am I the 'she' they’re looking for? How many of them are out there?

"Let's get back to camp and get more people. It's light out, so they'll join us now." Another voice said. You could've sworn that that voice sounded familiar. But with your mind racing and the pounding in your head, you couldn't tell.

"Yeah, okay." You heard the rustling of feet kicking leaves. You dared not to move a muscle until you were positive they were gone.

So there you lay. Trying to figure out who could possibly be looking for you. Then it hit you. Wes. You pulled yourself out of your hiding spot, hopefully, fast enough that Wes was still out there. "Wes!" You shouted. Though, you deemed it useless when you were alone again. "Goddammit." You hit the ground.

Instead of laying there and just waiting, you decided to find a way to be able to walk. Looking around you, you saw a broken branch. "That should do it." You said to yourself. And so you crawled over to it. Using the tree next to the branch, you hoisted yourself up.

It was an unbalanced start, but you needed to start moving. It was just the crack of seen, so you had about 12 hours of sunlight. You took the branch and used it as a crutch.

The branch wasn't as steady as you hoped because with every step you heard it snap a little more. You knew hopping on one leg wasn't going to do you any good, you were praying that someone would come soon.

You didn't know how long you've been walking for, but it felt like hours. It was either from the way you were getting by or from your lack of food and water. You were slowing down, you knew that much.

"God Wes, please hurry." You said to yourself. You heard him yourself say he'd come back with a bigger party, but you haven't even heard anything. No movement, no voices. Like everything was dead.

With that creeping fear crawling up your back you quickly started walking again. Though, it proved difficult when your branch snapped in half. Causing you to fall over and onto the ground.

"What was that?" A voice asked. A familiar voice. Your breathing spiked. Finally someone.

"I don't know. But it might be y/n." After that, you heard the movement of people coming towards you. In just a few minutes people you knew and loved came into view.

"It's about damn time."

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goldeneyedgirl · 4 years

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Fic-Mas Bonus Round: Hybrid, Again

Yeah, I lied XD Christmas Eve bonus round! And because everyone seemed really enthusiastic about this fic, I picked two chunks of Hybrid for you all. (And if I were to consider Fic-Mas: NYE Edition, I’d definitely like to know what you would all like more of - your choices are more Hybrid, any of the Unexpected Second Life fics, All These Broken Things, or seeing if I can dig up something from Memento Mori.)

Onwards!

(This happens before Jasper bites Alice, after Alice’s first day at Forks High.)

Dinner that night was quiet – Dad and Simon seemed worried about my first day of school when I hadn’t reported making loads of friends, and loving everything about Forks High; I had chosen to omit my interactions with Edward Cullen and Rosalie Hale when they asked.

Cynthia did most of the talking during the meal, and was slowly painting me a picture of her life – she was a good student, very popular, and loved any sort of club or co-curricular. Definitely a joiner. And absolutely bursting with excitement to start ninth grade next year, and finally be in high school.

“So, who did you hang out with today?” Cynthia finally turned to me. Her dinner plate was barely touched – she’d been talking too much to eat – whilst I was on my second helping.

“I didn’t,” I said, stabbing a piece of carrot.

“Really?” Cynthia frowned. “Who did you sit with at lunch?”

I wanted to smile at her middle-school view of the world. As if there was nothing more horrifying than sitting alone at lunch. And then I wanted to punch something because in a town this small, Cynthia probably had more friends at Forks High than I would ever have, and she was only fourteen.

“I went to the library. I need to catch up in a few subjects,” I shrugged. “And the cafeteria food was really bad.”

“It’s nice to know that things don’t change,” Simon chuckled. “Forks High always made the worst mac and cheese known to man. That stuff was a hate crime.”

“You said you weren’t behind in your classes,” Dad said to me, frowning. I guess as a teacher himself, the idea of his own daughter failing her classes was a pretty bad one, though I was a little curious why Cynthia and I attended a local public school when Dad taught at a fancy private school.

“Just a chapter or two in Algebra, and I think a little in Biology,” I said. “Nothing that I can’t get caught up in.”

“Okay, but if you find yourself overwhelmed or really behind, we can get you a tutor over the summer,” Dad said. “I looked over your transcripts, there are some gaps in your schoolwork we’ll have to address at some point.”

That was a polite way of putting it. There weren’t gaps in my schoolwork, there were great gaping holes. Even from before Mom died. But afterwards, there was foster care, time on the streets, my time at the hospital – I don’t think I ever technically attended sixth or eighth grade.

“You have your doctor’s appointment in the morning, Alice,” Simon jumped in. “I had an in with the best doctor in town, and he agreed to see you tomorrow first thing. Just so we can get your medications sorted.”

“Great,” I said unenthusiastically. Another doctor, paging through my endless file claiming I was completely bat-shit nuts. I knew I’d been living on borrowed time as far as medical intervention went. There was an entire pharmacy of psychiatric meds locked up in Dad and Simon’s room that the hospital had sent with me.

Simon had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of them, and the three pages of contradictory instructions, that he’d decided not to drug me until we spoke to a doctor in Forks. Which was definitely a good thing, since the medications the hospital had me on left me drooling into my pillow most of the time.

Or screaming for help.

“Carlisle is a really good doctor,” Simon said kindly, obviously seeing the look on my face. “Actually, an amazing doctor. Way better than we should be able to get out in the sticks. And he’s a good person – he won’t do anything that doesn’t sound right to him, and you’re comfortable with. I promise.”

“Everyone says that,” I said, suddenly full and wishing I hadn’t eaten quite so much. “They say, ‘We just want what’s best for you, Mary-Alice’. Then they find out I stabbed a doctor and they can’t sedate me fast enough.”

Rice fell out of Cynthia’s mouth when I said that. “You stabbed someone?” she said, her eyes wide.

“Cynthia,” Dad warned, but all eyes were on me.

Cynthia ignored him. “Why?” she asked, leaning forward. And I felt it, like something physical that wrapped itself around me. The memories; the fear and complete hopelessness. It was like I was being smothered. As if my ghosts weren’t already carved into my skin permanently, where everybody could see.

“Cynthia, enough,” Simon said sternly.

“No one ever cares about the why,” I said softly, looking at the placemats, a swirling pattern of orange and red. I remembered doing it, grabbing the little plastic scalpel, slashing from his ear to his chin, and being dragged away. Being drugged, strapped down and ignored, like some kind of animal; nobody ever asked me why I’d done such a thing, just assuming that it was my fault. “Can I be excused?”

“Certainly,” Dad said, looking worried. “Do you want us to bring you up some dessert?”

“Key-lime pie,” Simon offered. “My mom made it, so not quite as good as mine, but still worthy.”

I shook my head. “No thanks.”

I slipped out of the dining room and upstairs, pausing on the stairwell to hear Dad and Simon lecturing Cynthia about pushing too hard and asking too many questions. That I had had a very hard life, whilst hers had been comfortable and happy.

Sometimes, everything that had happened hit me like a truck, and I just… I kind of just went through the motions. Locked every emotion down so that I didn’t have to deal with any of it. The pain, the terror, the complete misery. It was easier just to feel nothing.

I showered and climbed into bed, the scent of flowers wrapping around me. I thought about asking Simon for one of my sleeping pills, but that required energy and interaction, neither were things that I was up for.

Instead, I just curled into a ball and pretended to sleep when Dad and Simon checked on me, separately, later. I didn’t manage to fall asleep until much later, after everyone else had gone to bed, slipping into soupy dreams of white rooms and not being able to move.

And then the dreamscape changed, clicking into place.

A vision.

There was no specific way I could tell the difference between a dream and a vision of the future, but I always knew the difference. I had no control over them – some nights, it would be an unending string of visions to wade through, and then nothing for weeks at a time. Mom had tried everything, but there was no way to instigate them, or to choose who or what I would see. Whatever my gift was, it did what it wanted.

I was in a living room with fancy art on the walls, and a piano in the entry way.

The vampires were gathered there – Rosalie Hale and curly haired bear-man were seated on the couch, though she looked agitated enough to jump up and pace at any second. A slightly older woman with light brown hair was seated at a small writing desk, tapping away at a laptop absently, with her attention on the group; Edward Cullen was standing with a light-haired man in front of an actual marble fireplace. And the blonde-boy was sitting in the window, staring out into the night.

“Does she know?” the man asked the red-headed boy with a gentle, patient manner that I wanted to like immediately.

“I don’t know,” Edward said, looking frustrated. “Her thoughts jumped around a lot. She never thought ‘vampire’. But she was alarmed by us.”

“What did you hear?” the woman asked, closing the laptop.

“At lunch, she hated the food, wasn’t particularly impressed with Forks in general, happier to be with her father and his family that she’d admit to herself. Then it was alarm bells, her trying to work out an escape plan. She was very, very concerned about Bella and her safety.”

“She warned Bella, verbally,” Rosalie pointed out. “To be careful.”

“Hm. And you had a class with her? Was she well then?” the man asked Edward.

“Distressed. She had scars that were seen by others when she was changing. Bella said that they were ‘bad’, over her back and her thighs. The other girls were focusing on a particularly nasty one on the back of her leg, so I don’t know the extent. I heard something about a hospital, and when I mentioned hospitals in passing, she became agitated.”

“I spoke with her step-father, and he expressed concern over her psychological state. Apparently, she’s had a history of mental illness and abuse, and he wanted someone he trusted to see her and work out how to help,” the man said. “From her records, she’s quite disturbed, though he repeatedly assured me that her behavior has been absolutely normal since she arrived.” The man looked over at the boy in the window. “Jasper, did you notice anything?”

He looked over. “Curiosity, agitation, worry, depression – the usual teenage maelstrom,” he said slowly, disinterestedly.

“If she’s mentally unbalanced, it wouldn’t be hard to stage an ‘accident’,” Rosalie said archly. “We wouldn’t even have to move; it could just be one of those things. She wouldn’t be much of a loss.”

“Would be pretty rough on her family,” the big guy murmured, holding his hands up when Rosalie shot him a look. “Just sayin’, Rose. She only just got here.”

“I don’t think we need to worry about her that much, just yet,” the man said finally. “It’s always a possibility, but Edward, you didn’t hear her identify us; some humans are just more in-tune to their instincts. And there’s a possibility that her medical status can be used to our advantage if she becomes a problem.”

“What about Bella?” Edward asked immediately.

“If Bella could befriend her, that would allow you more access to what she’s thinking. That would be enough for the time being,” he concluded. “At a rough guess, I doubt Mary-Alice Brandon is going to pose much of a problem.”

Edward spun around to Jasper, a glare on his face. “Really?” he snapped.

“What?” the woman stood up, looking worried. I wondered if that was her default state of being.

“He thinks she smelt delicious,” Edward spat.

“Another singer?” the man stepped forward, looking downright alarmed.

Jasper heaved a sigh and shook his head. “No, nothing like that,” he said, in that slow, dull manner. “Just a stray thought. Nothing will happen, I promise.”

“Maybe Bella should stay away for a few days,” Edward said grouchily, still giving Jasper a filthy look.

“Leave him alone, Edward,” Rosalie snapped.

“Please, like you wouldn’t break him into little pieces if he slipped up again,” Edward snapped back, and Jasper rolled his eyes and stood up to leave.

“Are we done?” he asked, and when the man nodded, he left the room, leaving the others to bicker in peace; everyone slowly faded away as my vision turned back into my dreams.

(This scene is far in the future - like Ch 13. This thing is The Slowest Burn.)

My pitching was clearly stronger than they anticipated; at least, the surprise on Emmett’s face as the ball smacked into the palm of his hand implied so. It obviously wasn’t as impressive as the pitches thrown by Rosalie or Jasper, but still better than they expected.

Of course, once all the Cullens acquiesced to my participation in the baseball game, Edward vocally encouraged Bella to join in as well.

“If Alice is playing, Bella can play,” was his argument, whilst Bella stood at his side, looking uncomfortable. Hell, she always looked uncomfortable. I wondered if anyone had ever introduced her to the concept of sweatpants and ice cream.

“Alice is less likely to drop dead if she takes a fastball to the face,” Rosalie scowled. I eyeballed the blonde; that statement felt very much like Rosalie was trying to work out how to dispose of me.

“Fractured skull at best,” I agreed serenely.

“Bella is still rehabbing her leg, Edward,” Carlisle said gently.

It happened in a second; the ball sailed from Edward’s hands, and Bella swung. She swung too early, and the ball flew past and cracked her across the face. I heard her gasp of pain, of the blood that seeped from her nose instantly, the sound of the bat hitting the soft ground.

And I looked around to see five hungry vampires staring at the blood that was pouring from her nose, Bella’s hands cupped over her face.

Esme and Rosalie were backing away; Esme’s face was concerned but strained, whilst Rosalie’s was blank – her attention was on Emmett, who had taken two steps forward before retreating, his eyes completely black.

Edward and Carlisle were focused on Bella – a broken nose was one of the few injuries I hadn’t sustained over the years, but I could tell from Bella’s reaction that it was excruciatingly painful. The smell of blood was beginning to affect me, I couldn’t imagine how hard it would be for…

For Jasper.

I looked over and he was still standing there, completely still.

If I had thought that he had looked feral the night that he attacked me, I was mistaken. He had still looked human then – sinister, terrifying and dangerous but still essentially human.

Now I was glimpsing the monster behind the man.

His eyes were, somehow, blacker than Emmett’s, and dull. His face was completely devoid of any kind of emotion, his gaze focused on Bella. I could picture his muscles tensing for the attack, and with a sick feeling, realized that Bella probably wouldn’t be the only one hurt today. No one else had picked up on Jasper’s intentions yet, and I was incredibly aware that I couldn’t stop him.

But I could certainly slow him down.

I darted across the field, my hair whipping across my face, and flung myself at Jasper, my arms wrapping around his waist. It didn’t escape my notice that this was the closest we had gotten physically, and I was trying to stop him committing murder.

“Please don’t, please don’t,” I chanted to myself. “Jasper! Stop it!” I finally cried out as he began to move forward, dragging me with him, and Edward finally looked up at the sound of my voice.

Jasper shook me off fairly easily, without looking down, and I knew I had to go into full fight-mode; it didn’t matter who or what Jasper was to me, I had to pull him back from killing Bella.

My leg shot out, and whilst Jasper stumbled for a second, but righted himself. I could hear Emmett and Rosalie yelling in the background, and when I looked around, Jasper’s fist came out of nowhere and caught me in the side of the head. For a second, I was seeing stars, and then I was back – Jasper had managed to get Emmett and Edward tangled in each other, Rosalie and Esme were hovering between where Carlisle stood with Bella.

#TwilightFicMas2019 #twilight fic #twilight #alice cullen #jasper hale #cullen family #my writing #my fic: hybrid #surprise bonus round #jalice #alicexjasper

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