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pedroscurls · 1 year

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Third Time’s A Charm (Part 2).

Character(s): Frankie “Catfish” Morales , Reader (female, second person POV) Summary: Santiago tells the guys his plan and Frankie asks you a very important question. Word Count: 3,499 Author's Note: I’m obsessed with this story and have been writing non-stop. I hope you all are enjoying it as much as I am writing it! I will also be deviating a little bit from the movie regarding Tom, how Santiago asked the guys about Colombia, and the fact that I’m making Frankie not have a kid. Anyway, we are just at the tip of the iceberg... Stay tuned😉 Warning: Brief mention of implied drug use.

“Frankie,” you smiled. You felt your stomach do flips at the usual nickname hermosa. You couldn’t even focus on anyone or anything else besides him. He was staring at you like you were the only person in the room, his focus solely on you.

The sounds of the crowd faded and you awkwardly reached around to give him a one-armed hug. Frankie, though, wrapped both arms around your waist. You felt his broad chest flush against your own, his strong arms embracing you so tight that you didn’t ever want to let go. And his cologne? You inhaled deeply, his scent filling your senses as you shut your eyes for a brief moment. This felt all too familiar, so you pulled away quickly, taking a step back to give yourself some distance.

But Frankie… Frankie was still staring at you.

“You look great,” he commented. “How long has it been?”

“A little over a year,” you answered all too quickly. “How are you?”

Frankie shrugged. “I’m okay.” You knew what that meant and arched a brow in his direction. Your eyes raked over him from top to bottom, noticing how he brought the cup of beer to his lips. He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, which confused you.

“Hm, not buying it,” you said.

Frankie let out a quiet chuckle. After he swallowed the contents of his beer, he gently nudged his shoulder against you. “Even after all this time, you can still see through me.”

“Only because you’re not good at hiding it,” you teased.

Frankie feigned a pout. “I think I’m pretty good at it. My lady doesn’t even notice.”

My lady. He was still married.

You forced a smile and shrugged, finally moving your eyes away from him to see Benny enter the ring. Frankie noticed the shift immediately, biting the inside of his cheek as he glanced over at Santiago who was staring at him. He wanted to move away from you, to keep his distance; after all, he was a married man, but he couldn’t. He wanted to be near you; it had been too long and it surprised him that he felt an immediate sense of relief and safety with you around.

He hadn’t ever felt that way, not even with his wife.

Frankie opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when you turned away to give Tom a tight hug. He watched as you whispered something into the older man’s ear, seeing his shoulders slump and a breath of relief escape his lips.

You had been the missing piece that this group needed. You knew how to bring each one of them out of their shell without forcing them to talk about things they didn’t want to. Your presence brought comfort, a sense of safety and security, and the way you loved and cared about each one so genuinely and passionately gave each man the relief they needed to just let go of society’s expectations.

Truly, each man had a soft spot for you. Aside from Frankie, you considered each man like a brother to you. So, when you pulled away from Tom, he looked at you with sad eyes and you didn’t have to ask him to know what was bothering him.

“It’ll be okay,” you said.

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“It will be. How’s Tess?”

“Growing up too fast,” Tom chuckled.

Before you could respond, though, another man walked up to you and the group. He glanced at each man before his eyes settled on you. He was tall, muscular, with deep blue eyes and dark hair. He was handsome, but he wasn’t Frankie. The men of your group knew what this man was about to say and when you flashed him a smile, they watched him get a bit flustered.

You had always been so sweet, so nice, even when you weren’t interested.

“Um, hi,” he said quietly. For a man as built as he was, as handsome as he was, it was surprising that he was so shy; it was almost endearing. “I don’t want to sound like a creep, but I noticed you over there and just wanted to say hi.”

“Well, hi,” you smiled. You told him your name and he returned the smile, showcasing his dimples.

“I’m Alex,” he replied. “Do you come to these often?”

Frankie, Tom, Santiago, and Will were all watching this unfold. The man had the guts to be talking to you, but he didn’t seem bothered by the group you were with. Instead, he was more nervous about making conversation with you than he was with the guys that were standing next to you.

“Not always, but Benny’s a close friend of mine. So are these guys,” you answered, motioning to the men behind you.

Your eyes met Frankie’s and you noticed how he was staring hard at the both of you. You noticed jealousy in his features with the way his jaw was clenched. You bit your lower lip and turned your attention back to the man in front of you.

“That’s pretty cool. Um, I was wondering, can I get your number?”

And there it was. Frankie took a step forward, but was stopped by Santiago. You looked over your shoulder at him before letting out a quiet sigh.

“I’m sorry,” you answered. “I don’t feel all that comfortable giving my number out.”

The man nodded. “Understood.” He cleared his throat and motioned over his shoulder. “I should get back to my group of friends.”

You nodded. “It was nice meeting you, Alex.”

When the man walked away, you let out a quiet chuckle and glanced over at the men who were now staring at you. “What?”

“He seemed nice,” Frankie blurted out.

“Well, he was polite, but he isn’t my type.” You replied, staring directly at him.

Santiago arched his brow, looking between the both of you before he shared a glance with Will and Tom. “Anyway, you all up for drinks after this?”

Will chuckled to himself. “Sounds good.”

—

After Benny’s fight, you all went to a nearby bar and sat at an outdoor table. You were seated in between Frankie and Santiago, trying not to focus solely on Frankie’s body heat radiating so close to yours.

“So, update us, what’s going on with you?” Benny asked, pointing in your direction.

You shrugged, sipping at your drink. “Nothing new going on.”

“Not seeing anyone?” Benny asked, his eyes quickly glancing at Frankie.

“Nope,” you replied quickly, dropping your eyes. “No one’s caught my interest. Besides, I’m too focused on work.”

“Right,” he grinned mischievously. “How is the teaching gig?”

“It’s great,” you smiled. “It’s something I’ve always dreamt of doing. Teaching literature at a college level…”

Frankie smiled at that. He could listen to you talk for hours, especially when you showed as much passion and interest as you did with literature. He looked over at you and cleared his throat, deciding to chime in.

“I’m proud of you.”

You looked over at him, a blush appearing on your cheeks. “Thank you, Frankie.”

“I knew you could do it.” He smiled, gently reaching out to rest his hand over yours. You bit your lower lip, feeling his touch against your skin gave you a glimpse of the times you shared with each other and how his hands had roamed your body plenty of times.

The rest of the men looked at the both of you, noticing that you and Frankie had shared plenty of moments tonight. Santiago gave Benny, Will, and Tom a knowing look and they all stood up simultaneously. Breaking out of your trance with Frankie, you looked up at them and arched a brow.

“We’re gonna get more drinks. You guys stay, keep our table occupied so no one grabs it,” Santiago said.

“Pope,” Frankie warned.

“Relax, Fish. Next round is on me.”

Will, Benny, and Tom followed Santiago back inside the bar, giving you and Frankie the much needed alone time. You pulled your hand away from his, biting the inside of your cheek nervously as you brought your drink to your lips.

“How's married life?” You finally asked.

Frankie cleared his throat. “Good,” he nodded. He didn’t know what else to say. In fact, he and his wife had been having marital issues since she had found out that his license was suspended for cocaine use. Frankie had been having trouble the past couple of months and turned to coke to alleviate some of the pain he felt.

“I’m happy for you,” you whispered. “She seems great for you.”

Frankie looked at you. While you could see through his lies, Frankie could see through yours too. He noticed how you bit at your lower lip, how your eyes looked around the room, avoiding eye contact, and especially how you picked at your fingernails.

“I’m happy for you too,” Frankie replied. He reached out, gently resting a hand over yours to stop you from picking further at your nails. “You got your dream job, hermosa. Your hard work paid off.”

“Did it though?” You blurted out. “I had to sacrifice a lot to get to where I am now and I’m not sure if it was a good idea.”

Frankie said your name. “Look at me,” he said quietly. You shook your head. Frankie sighed. “Hermosa…”

You looked up at him. Tears stung your eyes and you tried to blink them away, but the way Frankie was looking at you, you knew that he was aware of what you were feeling.

“You know that I couldn’t have asked you to stay, right?” Frankie said.

“But why didn’t you?”

“That school was your dream,” he replied. “It would be selfish of me to ask, especially when I knew that if I did, you would have given up that dream to stay here.”

“But I’d be with you.”

Frankie sighed. “I know…” He knew very well that if you had never left, you would be the woman he was married to and he probably would have been ten times happier than he was now, but he couldn’t dwell on the possibilities of what could have happened. You both made your choices and now you both had to live with it.

“I miss you,” you admitted, bringing a hand to wipe your eyes. “But I am happy for you, Frankie.”

“Come ‘ere, hermosa.” Frankie pulled you into a hug and when he felt both your arms wrap around him, he melted into you. It was wrong of him to be comparing you to the woman he was married to, but he couldn’t stop himself. Just hugging you like this made him feel safe, made him feel like this was where he belonged.

Frankie whispered quietly into your ear. “I miss you too, hermosa.”

When you pulled away, you looked up at him and noticed that you were both in each other’s personal space, lips inches from touching. His hands rested on your hips, gently rubbing circles into your shirt and therefore slowly lifting it to touch your skin. You shivered at the touch, your mind throwing out any morals that this was wrong, that this man was married, but you two shared so much history that you knew you couldn’t just forget.

“Frankie… We can’t.”

He sighed, pulling away and sitting back in his seat. “I know.”

Before you could say anything else, Santiago and the rest of the guys came back to the table. You could hear their laughter and you glanced over at Frankie who forced a smile. All you noticed was Frankie putting on his mask and pushing aside his feelings. You tried to do the same, but being so close to him and being with the rest of the guys brought back so many memories.

“I should head home,” you blurted. “It’s late and–”

“It’s Friday night,” Santiago replied.

“I have a lot of papers to grade, Santi.”

You and Santiago shared a look. He glanced over at Frankie, noticing the distraught in his features as he looked away from him.

“One more drink and we’ll call it a night,” Santiago bargained.

You nodded, excusing yourself to go to the bathroom. You shared a look with Frankie and it almost stopped you in your tracks, but you gently rested a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before leaving the table.

Once the rest of the guys made sure that you were out of ear shot, they all nudged Frankie and let out a quiet chuckle.

“Like old times, huh, Fish?” Tom smiled.

“I mean, seriously,” Benny added. “The way she looks at you, Fish, it’s like no time has passed at all.”

Will nodded in agreement. “It’s obvious she still loves you.”

Santiago glanced over at Frankie and added, “Question is… If you’re gonna do anything about it.”

Frankie shook his head. “I can’t. I’m married.” He shared a look with Tom, knowing all too well that other man was dealing with his own separation with Molly and how it had taken a toll on him.

The rest of the men just nodded and decided to leave the subject alone. Frankie, though, thought about you plenty of times throughout the years, but seeing you and realizing that the feelings you both shared were still there had him thinking about the possibility of being with you again.

“So, Pope,” Tom said, looking over at Santiago. “You’re back from Colombia… What happened?”

Santiago’s eyes lit up for a moment and leaned in close, his hands linking together in front of him.

“I can get Lorea, but I can’t do it alone.”

“Haven’t you been trying that for years, Pope?” Tom asked. “What’s different this time?”

“I couldn’t find him, but I finally did.”

Frankie, Will, and Benny shared a look before turning their attention back to Santiago.

“17 grand for a week of work, guys,” Santiago added. “With a possibility of more. Listen, I made a deal with the agency down there, got us a good deal. We keep 25% of anything we seize and…” Santiago looked around the table, noticing how the rest of the guys were listening intently. “I have an estimate that Lorea’s got over 75 million dollars in cash with him.”

And there it was. The big and final selling point. Santiago and the rest of the guys knew how important this could be, how much money that was and how it could change their entire lives, but it was dangerous.

And they were all retired veterans.

“Holy shit,” Benny said.

“I got it all planned,” Santiago said. “I have it all planned out. Just– I can’t do this alone. I need you guys. This can be good for all of us. We deserve this.”

“I’m in,” Benny said.

Will looked over at his younger brother, his jaw tightening for a brief moment. “Count me in too.”

Santiago nodded, clasping a hand over his shoulder. He looked over at Tom and Frankie, his eyes big and curious.

“Fish? I need a pilot. I can’t do this without you.”

“I don’t know, Pope.” Frankie sighed. “I lost my license. I can’t even fly right now.”

Santiago was quick to respond. “I’m in with the army down there. I don’t need a pilot with a license, just someone I can trust.”

Frankie let out a breath. “I got busted. It’s not a big deal.”

Santiago arched his brow. “What?”

“Actually, it’s a big deal.”

Santiago sighed. “Is it coke?”

Frankie didn’t respond.

Santiago looked around the table, noticing how the rest of the guys didn’t look surprised, but then again, they had been here, in the States, with Frankie while Santiago was in Colombia.

“Jesus, Frankie. Come on.”

Frankie sighed. “I’m workin’ on it. Besides, technically, it’s a suspension. I’m still under review. Count me in.”

“Redfly?” Santiago asked, pointing to Tom. “We need you on this. It’ll be good for you. Come on. You can’t be selling condos… You deserve this more than all of us.”

Tom sighed. “No live fire, and I’m in.”

“That’s all right,” Santiago replied. “We got you covered.”

“When do we leave?” Frankie asked.

Santiago replied. “Thursday. We got about a week to prepare.”

The rest of the guys nodded and they all lifted their glasses in the air to cheers. You noticed the five men raising their glasses with each other and you took your seat back in between Frankie and Santiago.

“What are we celebrating?” You asked.

Santiago smiled. “We’re going to Colombia.”

You looked over at him. Your face fell and you sighed, glancing around the table to look at each man. You were right. They would follow each other no matter where it was or what they had to do.

“Be safe,” you said. “Please.”

“We’ll be back in a week, so we expect you to welcome us with open arms,” Benny teased with a wink.

“Oh, I’ll even pick you guys up at the airport,” you chuckled. “But seriously, be safe.”

—

Santiago stayed true to his word. After one more drink, all of you were now saying goodbye in the parking lot of the bar. You were hugging Benny and Will while Frankie, Santiago, and Tom were talking amongst one another.

“You know you gotta tell her about the coke situation,” Tom said.

“Who? My wife? She knows. She isn’t happy, but she knows.” Frankie replied.

“No, not your wife. Her,” he corrected, pointing in your direction. “And trust me, Fish, if there is even an ounce of love that you still feel for her, you either stop it before it gets out of hand or you decide if she’s the one you truly want. Either way, you’ll be hurting someone. If it’s not her, it’s your wife. If it isn’t your wife, it’s her.”

Frankie nodded, gently kicking the rocks underneath his boot. “Thanks, Redfly.” He gave Tom a hug and watched him make his way over to you, Benny, and Will.

“He’s right, you know.” Santiago said, clasping a hand over Frankie’s shoulder. “That woman still loves you.”

“I don’t know what to do, Pope.”

“Well, consequences aside, what do you want?”

Frankie sighed, watching as you hugged Tom goodbye. “I want her.”

“Then I suppose you got a lot of shit you need to think about then, don’t you?”

Once Benny, Will, and Tom left the parking lot, Santiago and Frankie watched you make your way back over to them.

“Can I take her home?” Frankie asked.

Santiago arched his brow. “If she’ll let you.”

Frankie scoffed and gently shoved the other man. He walked towards you, meeting you halfway and moved both hands to pocket in his jeans. “You mind if I take you home?”

“What?”

“Only if it’s okay with you,” Frankie said.

You glanced over at Santiago, watching the other man give you a nod and a thumbs up.

“Okay, yeah, sure. Let me say bye to Santi.” You walked over to Santiago and gave him a tight hug, quietly whispering to him.

“Will I see you all before you leave for Colombia?”

Santiago nodded, pulling away and looking down at you. “Yeah, of course.”

“I’ll make dinner. You guys can come over.”

“You? Cook?” Santiago teased. “Maybe order pizza instead.”

You laughed, gently pushing him. “Ha ha. It was only one time that you got sick from my cooking.”

“Right, well, if you plan on cooking, make sure to read the expiration date.”

You smiled, giving him one more hug. “Okay, okay. I’ll see you next week.”

“You gonna be okay with him?” Santiago asked, pointing over at Frankie.

You nodded. “I’m the safest when I’m with him.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“I know what you meant, Santi. I’ll be okay.”

Santiago nodded, grabbing his keys from his pocket. “Let me know when you get home.”

“You too. Drive safe.”

Then, you turned to Frankie and noticed him looking at you with those brown eyes that you had come to love. They softened at the sight of you and he walked towards the passenger side of his truck and opened your door.

“Still the gentleman, I see.” You teased, looking up at him.

Frankie smiled. You took note of the dimple in his right cheek. You missed his smile, missed him. He took a step forward, entering your personal space once more. Your back was against his truck and he trapped you in between his frame and his vehicle with his hand gripping the top of the car door.

“Hermosa,” he whispered. His voice lowered. Frankie’s eyes darkened. You knew that look all too well, knew exactly where this could go if you let it.

“Frankie…”

“I have a question to ask you.” Frankie replied, leaning down inch by inch as your lips hovered against his own. This was dangerous territory. You knew that if you closed the gap between you and him, there would be no going back.

“What?” You asked quietly.

“Do you still love me?”

Part 3.

#frankie morales #frankie morales fanfiction #frankie morales fanfic #pedro pascal #pedro pascal character fanfiction #pedro pascal character fanfic #triple frontier #triple frontier fanfiction #triple frontier fanfic #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales x you #frankie morales x reader (you)#francisco morales #francisco catfish morales #story: third time's a charm #francisco morales fanfiction #francisco catfish morales fanfiction

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robininthelabyrinth · 1 year

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prompt 1: I'd love to see a niecest fic (where it is truly mutually requited, no hypnosis mindbreaks required; I'm a terribly softhearted romantic & just want to see them happy~) that incorporates your characterizations of the saber spirits somehow? Like, Baxia and Aituan, idk, end up like... bonded somehow by their masters getting together and that... maybe helps balance the qi deviations or IDK I WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY *cough* ok. yes. something. prompt 2: ohhhh I know. Jiang Cheng gets some sort of temporary story-convenient amnesia and assumes that (probably still a small child)!Jin Ling is his son, Jin Ling maybe... doesn't correct him for a bit? ("Wait whose kid is this. Did I give birth to a kid somehow. I mean I guess that might as well have happened, sure.") prompt 3: turns out Wen Qing was also being kept secretly alive but imprisoned by the Jin sect all this time, and Jin Ling discovers her in the aftermath of canon. Chengqing y/y? ANYWAY please feel free to select any of these that may strike your fancy, do not feel obligated to pick more than one or any of them, actually. (also I'd appreciate not having my name published as the prompter of any of these, if you don't mind. I don't think you do that, as a general rule, but just in case you might have.) P.S. I adore your work; every day that you post something is a day considerably brightened for me. and also the other days, because I do a lot of rereading. <3 <3 <3

ao3

So. We're doing something about this, right?

Baxia stirred. Slowly, like a great big old rumbling beast that was actually quite fast when it wanted to be, which knew that there was nothing in the world that could hurt it and anything foolish enough to do so was destined to a terrible fate of being played with and then demolished. Cruelly. Viciously.

Without remorse.

Yes, she said with admirable patience. We will do something about...'this'.

Oh good, Aituan said, amazed, surprised, and relieved that he'd survived this far into the conversation. Baxia was scary, all right? There were masterless sabers less scary than her. Daughter of the dragon, one of the best-forged blades in the sect, and she'd been used to her full potential, too - basically the opposite of Aituan in every way shape or form, really. It's just, you know, my human's been leaking again and I hate it when that happens.

Nie Huaisang might have some faults as a human, Aituan would allow (mostly because Nie Huaisang would similarly allow, and even seemed a bit proud of), but he was an excellent master. Sure, he might not cultivate Aituan all that much - it was kind of amazing Aituan had a personality at all rather than being a lifeless hunk of metal - but that was fine! Aituan, infected by his master’s shaping, didn't especially want to be constantly cultivating anyway. They didn't need that, the two of them. They were chill.

I thought he'd stopped leaking in the bed once he'd reached the appropriately age..?

Not that type of leaking! Leaking from the face, I mean. Salt water.

Ah, Baxia said. Yes, my human does that, too. Quite a bit. I'd assumed it was a regular part of their function.

Aituan thought about what he knew about the senior Nie brother, who was a highly emotional sort of person - inclined towards wet eyes for a myriad of reasons, such as joy, sadness, rage, a bit of passing beauty, and even something Nie Huaisang very fondly called 'allergies'. He could see how Baxia might have reached that conclusion.

Well, my human doesn't do it very much at all, he said. Not for real, anyway. Only when he's unhappy.

Baxia didn't say anything.

This will make him less unhappy, Aituan added, because he might be a mute piece of metal, but silence was a little intimidating when the silence was Baxia's. That shit had weight, and heft, and maybe stabbing power. He thinks revealing the extent of his desires will lead your master to reject him.

Absurd.

I know! Your master is doting and meticulous with his affections. He would never turn his back on a beloved one.

Nie Mingjue had the stubbornness of a saber in that way, and Aituan meant that as a wholehearted compliment.

True, Baxia said, sounding satisfied - like any saber, she approved of people speaking highly about her master. Not to mention that the underlying 'issue' seems rather...pointless.

I know! Aituan exclaimed. I mean, I have no idea why humans are so hung up on all that grinding and grunting stuff -

I believe it's associated with human reproduction. Maybe.

Only when you have compatible male-female pairs, but you don't see humans stopping with that, do you? Aituan sighed. His master was something of an expert on this subject. Males, females, multiples, solo...you know, I think they do it for fun.

Baxia rumbled thoughtfully. Like training?

...I think they think it’s more fun than training, Aituan said, and tried to ignore Baxia's silent skepticism. Most humans, anyway; not necessarily yours. Humans are weird, okay?

The silence turned agreeable. That was something no saber would disagree with.

Anyway, put that aside. Let’s just take it as given that humans like grinding themselves against each other instead of against a proper whetstone, and that my master happens to very much want to grind against yours in particular. And yet he's tormenting himself and making himself unhappy and refusing to do anything about it because - you won't believe this - because they were forged by the same maker.

That’s the reason? Surely you jest.

I'm not, Aituan insisted. I asked my human about it specifically. That's the reason.

Baxia was displeased. That's ridiculous, she said. That's it? That's the cause of all this fuss?

Aituan was just happy someone finally understood his perspective about this whole fiasco. Nie Huaisang had a penchant for the dramatic, but he seemed quite earnestly distressed by this little non-dilemma, even after Aituan had assured him - having checked with Baxia - that his brother adored him unreasonably and would do anything he wished. He hadn't exactly appreciated Aituan's disbelief when he'd explained the issue, either - in the end, he'd just said that it was probably something sabers couldn't quite grasp.

I thought it was something serious, Baxia complained. The way my master has been carrying on, you'd think he was doing something evil in even wanting to do it. But there's no evil here! We would know!

Naturally. They were Nie sect sabers, forged and cultivated to fight evil from the very start; no one knew evil better than they.

And it's not as if my master's predecessor was any better. Look at the unusual ingredients he chose to use in forging his sons! Each one stranger than the next!

This was true. Nie Huaisang had once grown a tail in his sleep - Aituan had suppressed it on his behalf, naturally, and he was fairly certain that his master still regarded the entire event as a bad dream brought on by snacking excessively on that imported cheese from the south, but it had definitely happened.

The old Sect Leader Nie had a lot to answer for, really.

It would seem to solve a lot of problems for them to pair off together, Aituan agreed. They're a known quantity for each other, and it keeps either of them from bothering anyone else with their nonsense. They’d be able to pick forging ingredients for the next generation on the basis of logic rather than emotion. And they both want it! There's literally no problem here!

None at all that I can see, Baxia proclaimedwith a very reassuring tone of finality. We will fix this.

Yes!

And we will fix your cultivation as well.

Ye- wait, what?

My master’s cultivation has begun to exceed my own, Baxia explained. Humans don't have a consolidation period - they just keep growing even after they reach a breakthrough point. If he continues to grow at the current rate, he will exceed my reach within ten years.

That…wasn't good. It was in fact very bad.

The Nie sect practiced a complementary cultivation style, human and saber cultivating side by side along the path of the Great Dao. If the two ever fell seriously out of sync, they would increasingly risk qi deviation. Such a tragic end had been the fate of the Nie sect seniors whose sabers now rested in the saber tombs, and would likely consume their own masters eventually, absent some plan...

...which it sounded like Baxia had.

You are a weak cultivator, she said. Your master is, too. If we redirect my master's cultivation for the purpose of strengthening you and your master instead of increasing his own strength, it would add at least two dozen years to the timeline - and that will be enough for me to finish consolidating my own power and reach my own breakthrough, letting me match him once more. My master and I will then be able to cultivate side by side through the next period.

Huh. That meant work for him, which Aituan didn't especially want, but much less work than if he were doing all the cultivating himself. And it'd be good for his master, not needing to worry about losing his brother at a young age...

All right, he said. Say, how long is the next period? Until you run into another consolidation period and we need to start worrying again?

Baxia considered the question. Not terribly long, she said. Perhaps 200 years? Perhaps 250?

That seemed reasonable enough, right? How long did humans live, anyway?

Well, whatever. It was more than ten - his master ought to be thanking him (and Baxia!) for putting in so much effort on his behalf.

That's fine, Aituan said. All right, we're in agreement. So...now what?

#mdzs #baxia #aituan #nie mingjue #nie huaisang #lots of headcanon references #my fic #my fics #rather silly

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jiaoji · 1 year

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The day Lan Qiren was traumatized:

Lan Qiren was sitting in his chair, the classes were about to begin. His nephew didn't show up, like that other boy whose Lan Qiren already judged to be a menace like his mom.

He started his classes, hours passed but neither WangJi or Wei Ying show up and Lan Qiren was worried and very certain of himself that Wei WuXian was the responsible by Lan WangJi's delay.

When the classes ended, he makes his way to jingshi, where he finds his other nephew on the way.

Lan Xichen bowed to him, "Shufu.", his face seemed calm but Lan Qiren read a bit of anxiety too.

Lan Qiren, "You have see your brother? WangJi skipped classes today."

Lan Xichen, "I did. He and Wei-gongzi were having a conversation on the library, but i didn't heard anything. WangJi said he was going to Jingshi and Wei-gongzi followed him."

Lan Qiren felt like a qi deviation was too close. That boy was probably doing something with WangJi, his innocent and perfect nephew! He was going to face the boards again!

He didn't said anything more, going straight up to the jingshi. He didn't heard anything coming inside, so, because he was too worried, he goes in without knocking.

Big error.

The first thing he heard is pants and "pa pa pa pa" sounds, like someone is clapping really fast. He frozes in place, trying to understand what is going on until...

"Oh fuck!", Wei Ying's voice comes from Lan WangJi's room, like he is crying, "Lan Zhan... you are so good! Fuck!! Is too much... too much...."

Lan Qiren couldn't move, too surprised by what he is hearing. Thinking might be a mistake and he is so worried and sick that he is starting to hallucinate.

The sounds get faster and louder, "Yes... right there!... ohh... Lan Zhan... keep going!...", Wei WuXian's moans send chills of disgust in Lan Qirens spine and stomach.

"Shut up..."

That was his nephew voice, raspy and rough. His nephew who he raised to be more than a promiscuous teenager boy. He was raised to follow the rules and be a correct and fair cultivator. To be the proud of his family.

Wei WuXian almost started screaming, "Yes! Yes! Yes...."

Lan Qiren finally give a step and opens the door. Both of the teenagers boy looked to be too occupied and focused on what they were doing than paying attention on the arounds.

What Lan Qiren had see, haunt him for years until his death.

Wei WuXian was naked with his back against the bed, his legs in the air spread very open, his hands tied up with Lan WangJi's forehead ribbon and a lot of marks on his body.

His nephew. The boy he saw speak his first words... the boy he raised and saw grow up was pounding like a beast on Lan Qiren doesn't know what... but he was between Wei WuXian's legs with his face buried on his chest and sucking his...

Lan Qiren didn't hold up, "LAN WANGJI!!!"

His scream was enough to make both almost jump out of bed. Wei WuXian took the pillow that was under his waist and hide his body on it while Lan WangJi took the sheets to cover himself.

They speak at the same time, both pale like ghosts, "Shufu/Lan Xiansheng!"

Lan Qiren felt too much anger and shame, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THAT!"

Wei WuXian was red like a pepper, "Well... is just..."

Lan WangJi, "WangJi is sorry, Shufu!", he says, "I brought Wei Ying here, all this happened by my fault."

Wei WuXian, "No! Lan Xiansheng, i was the one who invaded Lan Zhan's room! I-"

Lan Qiren didn't wanted to hear or even look at them, "300 strokes!! You two must write the rules 500 times!!!"

Lan Qiren recited all the Lan rules they broked while the boards of discipline was being used against the young couples back. He immediatly separated then and wrote a letter to Jiang FengMian.

When the said letter arrived, Jiang FengMian was scandalized and confused at best. He took some older servants and disciples to go to Cloud Recess.

The incident didn't have been out yet, so everyone was scared of how their older professor was yelling at both his nephew and student, separeting them apart.

Wei WuXian missed Lan WangJi and Lan WangJi missed Wei WuXian. Being the horny and romantic teenagers they are, the exactly day Jiang FengMian arrived, they both disappeared.

After hours searching, both of them appeared again. Clothes switched, messy hair and mouths, with a lot of marks on their neck.

Lan Qiren was prepared to yell at then, telling how that is a mistake and how Wei WuXian will ruin his life. Lan WangJi, when his uncle stopped screaming, start to tell about his plans to court Wei WuXian if Jiang FengMian and his uncle give him permission.

Lan Qiren yell again, so his nephew say he will marry Wei WuXian because is the right thing to do, since he had taken his purity.

In the end, they marry and Lan Qiren have to deal with his traumas in a very long seclusion.

#mdzs #modaozushi #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #cloud recess arc #lan qiren

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teufelsabbiss · 5 months

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Story-idea: Shizun only wants what's in your head

Crack pairs FTW! How about some Shizun/Shifu action?

OG!Shěn Qīngqiū/Meng Mo

This will be unrequited Luò Bīnghé/OG!Shěn Qīngqiū, just so you're warned, no relationship for the protagonist there.

Shěn Qīngqiū knew very early where his tastes lie with certainty. Attractive older men are his weakness, not that he ever could indulge this particular craving.

Wu Yanzi wasn't interested, which was probably for the best, but still disappointing. While the things he said to him after the Qiu massacre were hurtful and made Shen Jiu resentful, the bitterness was directed towards Qiu Janluo instead of his new master. Wu Yanzi just told him what's what after all. But afterwards he was surprisingly nice to be around a lot of the time. Sure, he taught him to rob (more than he already could), fight dirty (more effectively than he was already able to), kill and didn't actually teach him much cultivation (at least not the righteous path), but he was not really cruel to Shen Jiu. Shen Jiu was aware enough that the man would kill him, if he made trouble and was disobedient. But Wu Yanzi, for all his faults, knew that one can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. In this story, that's another thing he taught Shen Jiu and that will change things significantly.

This friendliness was deceitful and Shen Jiu knew. It still made him feel good, though. Wu Yanzi was not youthful as most cultivators, he looked to be in his mid-fifties, his demonic cultivation did not grant him immortality. But he was still attractive. All of this combined with horny teenager hormones made Shen Jiu drool over his master often enough. He was still more than ready to kill him for Yue Qi, though.

Wu Yanzi's teachings have helped him a lot over the years. Not with his cultivation, sadly. He is, however, very good with honey-coating his words to hide the poison. Guilt-tripping is another thing he's good at. Yuè Qīngyuán spilled his shame-filled, guilt-riddled secrets after barely a week. His brother truly is an idiot. His reckless, too gentle idiot, but still an idiot!

There were a lot of nasty rumors about Shen Jiu having seduced his way into the Qing Jing peak lord's good graces. None of that was true and Shen Jiu resented the gossip even more for the fact that his shizun would forever be a wet dream and nothing more.

His shizun was a dream. He was kind and full of warmth and had let himself age to a point were he looked to be in his late sixties to reflect his readiness to ascend to the next realm. Shen Jiu fell for him very hard almost immediately and his need to sleep anywhere but the dorms was not only because he wasn't comfortable surrounded by other men, but also because of his frequent wet dreams about his shizun.

Most mortal men in town are bland or ugly and immortals almost always look too young. With the exception of the Huan Hua palace master that is. But this particular man, while superficially polite, seems to dislike him, so no luck there either.

Fast forward, now he has Luò Bīnghé as disciple, a brat with an infuriatingly outstanding talent and entirely too little brains. It's almost as if he got himself a mini Liǔ Qīnggē, except that this one is also still a pushover. Teaching the little beast will be quite the challenge.

His method of dealing with the boy is a mixture of sweetly concealed insults mixed with a bit of encouragement and harsh training, as well as strict punishments for every small failure. A bit of gaslighting on the side, too. It's vexing as well as amusing for him to see Luò Bīnghé struggle to make sense of everything, only to succeed more than expected.

Then Shěn Qīngqiū goes into seclusion in the Lingxi caves. He manages to save Liu Qingge. Shěn Qīngqiū has learned how to subdue and treat someone who's experiencing a qi-deviation from Mu Qingfang. Just in case something bad might happen to Yuè Qīngyuán again. It was also very good to learn for his own shaky foundation and his regular pitfalls.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say. It seems to be true in Luò Bīnghé's case, because when Shěn Qīngqiū returns, he seems disgustingly excited to see his shizun again. He's even proud to be pitted against the demon elder during the invasion. Foolish boy, but very useful.

Then Shěn Qīngqiū is dragged into the dream realm with Luo Binghe. It's really annoying, especially because his disciple repeatedly fails to listen to his advice.

And then they meet Meng Mo.

The elder dream demon is pretty much the embodiment of Shěn Qīngqiū's dirty fantasies. And while Luò Bīnghé doesn't notice, Shěn Qīngqiū's desire is glaringly obvious to the demon elder. While Meng Mo generally hates humans and cultivators in particular, Shěn Qīngqiū' is interesting to him's reaction is rather intriguing. And it has Been. A. While. for Meng Mo, so why not have a little fun?

He sends Binghe into a deep sleep, then turns his full attention on Shen Qingqiu. The shared private dreamscape turns into something truly debauched...

Bīnghé is more infatuated with his shizun as well after his help in the dream realm. He's also very happy to hear that his shizun thinks not all demons are bad.

Actually Shen Qingqiu tells him that humans are just as evil as demons, there's not much difference, but Binghe misinterprets this. He offers to cook for his shizun and is overjoyed to have made a good enough impression to be allowed to move into the spare room beside the bamboo house. He vows to learn hard on Qing Jing peak and from Meng Mo as well to be able to protect his shizun. And to hopefully be one day worthy to court him.

In truth, Shěn Qīngqiū made him move into the spare room to have him close enough that Meng Mo is in range. It's obviously also best to treat the host of his lover well. While Bīnghé is training and dreams of a happy future with his shizun, said shizun is shagging his dream demon teacher in their own shared dreamscape. They briefly talk about Meng Mo changing hosts, but grudgingly agree that it's too risky. As a peak lord, Shen Qingqiu could be scrutinized more closely any time and both aren't sure carrying a dream demon around wouldn't catch the other peak lord's eyes. Luò Bīnghé, as a mere disciple, is far less likely to attract attention. At least for the time being.

Meng Mo is making fun of Liǔ Qīnggē's attempts at being friendly. He points out that the offerings of monster carcasses and frequent asks for sparring is more akin to demon courting than anything he ever saw from humans before. Weird, because the guy is fully human, Meng Mo checked. The last bit is a relief for Shěn Qīngqiū. He hopes that means the brute isn't actually trying to woo him all of a sudden and just has weird ideas about what constitutes as good gifts. Although, to be fair, the monster flesh is good for cultivation and make better gifts than he initially wanted to admit.

The disastrous Alliance Conference comes up. Bīnghé engages a Moon-Python-Rhinoceros, even though Shěn Qīngqiū orders him not to and the Endless Abyss opens. His seal breaks and Shěn Qīngqiū has a frantic conversation with Meng Mo, half past Bīnghé's head/mind, with Shěn Qīngqiū talking aloud and Meng Mo speaking in Shěn Qīngqiū's mind.

Shěn Qīngqiū asks whether he can conceal his demonic nature, to which Bīnghé and Meng Mo simultaneously answer no. Hiding him away until they are at Qing Jing again won't work until he learns how to conceal his nature on his own. Meng Mo tells Shen Qingqiu he will try to convince Bīnghé to jump into the Abyss to train, since he's reasonably sure he will survive there. Shěn Qīngqiū on the other hand wants Meng Mo to convince Bīnghé and then abandon him to stay in his mind instead, but inadvertently phrases it so that Bīnghé misunderstands that his shizun doesn't want him to leave because he doesn't want to lose him. Then they hear people call out close-by and Shěn Qīngqiū emphatically says to quickly come back to him and that he'll wait for him (meaning Meng Mo, obviously), then pushes Bīnghé into the Abyss.

Bīnghé is deeply confused why his beloved shizun threw him into the Abyss, if he doesn't want him to die. And he clearly doesn't, since he told him to come back! But why then? Meng Mo tells him that the other cultivators would've killed him on sight, obviously. He doesn't correct Bīnghé in his believe Shěn Qīngqiū meant Bīnghé with his last statements. It's not really a lie. After all, Bīnghé needs to return for Meng Mo to get back. He fails to notice that Bīnghé grows more and more determined to court Shěn Qīngqiū once he's back.

Cang Qiong is concerned. Everyone thinks Shěn Qīngqiū of all people mourns his disciple and most are weirded out by the change. Liǔ Qīnggē is more convinced he misunderstood his former rival's character. He and Yuè Qīngyuán try to cheer him up. Shěn Qīngqiū couldn't care less about Bīnghé, but is worried for Meng Mo.

Three years later Bīnghé comes back to Cang Qiong and proposes to his shizun. Shěn Qīngqiū and Meng Mo are both flabbergasted. Shěn Qīngqiū repeats his offer of being his host. Meng Mo actually leaves Bīnghé's mind and takes his lover's offer.

Bīnghé is surprised, then hurt and then absolutely furious. He tries to fight and kidnap his shizun and is met with the combined force of Yuè Qīngyuán, Liǔ Qīnggē, Shěn Qīngqiū and Meng Mo against him. He has to give up in the end, frustrated and heartbroken.

Yes, poor Binghe, no loving shizun to be found this time. I think it'll be funny, though.

#svsss #shen qingqiu #meng mo #story idea #writing prompt #rare pair #crack treated more or less seriously

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underforeversgrace · 9 months

Text

the walls you hide behind (I saw the truth inside the real you) - 4

title: the walls you hide behind (I saw the truth inside the real you)

words: 1,218

Story Summary: Jazz is tired of the ghosts, tired of her parents not doing enough, tired of Phantom's recklessness and her brother's persistent exhaustion. When she yells all of her frustration at her parents after nearly getting killed by a ghost, she gets sent to Vlad's mansion in Wisconsin for the weekend - where she's offered a chance. She could have the ability to fight back, protect her brother and her town. Jazz leaps at the prospect. When she returns to Amity Park at the end of the weekend, it's with abilities and strength of her own, and she's fueled by anger and disdain. And she's got her eyes, first, on Danny Phantom.

Chapter 4 of 10: When Galaxies Collide, We'll Be Lost On Different Skies

AO3

Tumblr Chapter One

Tumblr Chapter Five

Beta by: @probably-dead

(Also, check out the AO3 link for some really awesome art by @englandamericaitaly!)

~~~~

Danny glanced around, on high alert for the woman in purple, as he capped the Thermos, securing Youngblood inside as he floated down towards the school.

“There you are,” an augmented voice said behind him, the only warning Danny got before he was dodging an ectoblast. He wasn’t fast enough, the blast burning his upper right arm. He gritted his teeth against the pain, pressing his hand over the wound to staunch some of the bleeding ectoplasm.

“One day. Can’t you lay off for one day, Vi?” He asked, throwing a shield up around him.

She’d been here for a couple of months now, and every day it felt like she was shooting or stabbing him, blaming him for a crime she refused to explain. No one knew her name or her motives, beyond that she was trying to eradicate the ghosts that filled Amity Park. She spoke rarely and when she did, it was short and to the point. It was almost more unnerving that way, if Danny was being honest. The silence was such a deviation from his parents’ shouting, especially when the only things she did end up saying were to blame him for existing.

At least that was something he was used to.

The town was abuzz trying to figure out who this mysterious person was. Tucker and Sam had gone through so many outlandish theories - from Valerie Gray deciding to put her martial arts to good use, to Paulina Sanchez trying to get his attention by attacking him, even to it being another ghost - but nothing stuck.

He scowled at her. All he knew was that she was human - she frequently got into close combat with him and he could feel the warmth radiating from her.

Even through the mask, Danny could tell she was frowning at him. He had a sneaking suspicion she hated the nickname the media had given her when no one had been able to get a handle on her and she refused to name herself. She’d been dubbed the Violet Trapper - at least it was better than the ridiculous ‘Inviso-Bill’ he’d been given! - and he’d started calling her Vi. Violet Trapper was just too much of a mouthful.

“No,” the Trapper answered, firing another blast at him. His shield absorbed it, but he still felt a pressure against him for a moment as it slammed into him.

He had to play this carefully. He’d learned by now that she tried to get into hand to hand combat range by distracting him, blasting to one side to force him to dodge while she flew to his opposite side, normally managing to land more than a couple of painful blows - not to mention being shot at close range hurt.

Danny never fought her back. Despite her apparent super strength, she was still very human and therefore very fragile. He didn’t want to learn her name bad enough that he was willing to learn it from an obituary.

Man, Jazz would have a fit if she knew how often he let himself get pummeled by Violet. Something about fighting back and caring about his life, if he had to guess, about how him not fighting back proved he didn’t care what happened to his life.

Jokes on her. He’s dead already. Halfway, at least.

The Trapper did exactly as Danny expected - shooting to one side and then trying to flank his other. He shot up into the sky, looking down to see if she was following. He swore when he saw she was, and she was gaining on him too. Going invisible did nothing, she seemed to be able to track him. Similarly for intangibility, it seemed her weapons were designed to still be able to strike him even if he lacked a physical form. Shit, he just needed to get back into the school and he could transform!

He flipped in the air and flew back down at top speed, inches away from her on his descent. The sudden direction change gave him the benefit of surprise - it took her longer to course correct and Danny had the lead he needed to phase through the roof of the school, landing in a janitor’s closet and hurriedly transforming back to his human half. He breathed in relief. She didn’t seem to be able to track Fenton like she did Phantom.

He peeked out the door, confirming the coast was clear before he slid out of the room, heading towards the class he’d ran out of.

He was knocked to the floor as someone ran out of an empty classroom and directly into him.

“Hey, watch it!” He scolded, looking to where they also had been knocked down, but his breath caught in his throat and his entire body tensed as he saw the Violet Trapper in front of him.

“Danny!” She yelled as she got to her feet. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“I… huh?”

“It’s third period! You should be in class now!” She said again, placing her hands on her hips in a move that reminded him of his mother. For a wild moment, he wondered if Maddie was the Trapper, but he brushed the thought away quickly.

Both his parents and the Trapper had been present and shooting him, together, more than once the past month.

“Do I know you?” He asked, still sprawled out on the ground. Terror had his heart fluttering erratically in his chest. She’d never been this close to his human form and he didn’t know how her tracker worked.

She hesitated. “No. Everyone knows the Fentons - including the kids,” she answered, her voice still heavily changed by whatever tech she had.

“Oh, uh, right,” he stammered.

“C’mon, get up,” she said, reaching down for his hand.

Unable to think of a good excuse that wasn’t disclosing he had frequently been shot by her and was terrified to touch her, he gripped the offered hand. He was relieved when pain didn’t follow. The Trapper’s touch was much like his parents’ now - it meant he was about to be hurt, more often than not.

She pulled him to his feet effortlessly, glancing both ways down the hall. “Did you see Phantom?” She asked. “He came this way.”

“Nope! No ghosts. Didn’t see any.” Danny lied.

She tilted her head to the side and he could see her chewing her lip through the mask. “He’s close. He drops off my radar sometimes but I can just barely sense him right now. He’s still here.”

Danny did his best to look calm. He doubted he succeeded. “I’ll hurry back to class, then! Good luck, Trapper!”

She groaned. “God I hate that name,” she mumbled and then she was off, Danny leisurely strolling in the opposite direction. At least, he did until she was out of his line of sight, and then he ran for his life, his footsteps quieted by his ghost half, one of the odd quirks of being a halfa. He hurried back to his class, mumbling a quick apology as he slid back into his seat. Sam and Tucker threw worried glances at him and he smiled in a way he hoped was reassuring.

He struggled to pay attention the rest of class, his thoughts swirling like a hurricane.

Who was the Violet Trapper?

#grace writes #danny phantom #danny fenton #jazz fenton

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plotdesigner · 9 months

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I would love to see you write some kind of mdzs fate fusion! With different aspects of an mdzs character's history influencing their servant form. Maybe something where the Juniors are the mages and Mo Xuanyu tries to summon the fearsome Yiling Patriarch but summons a more cheery WWX instead, while Lan Sizhui summons the legendary Hanguang-jun. And Jin Ling summons Jiang Cheng because jiujiu transcends time and space! (and OYZZ summons NHS bc it would be funny. No one expects this team up! :D)

dfajsd;flkjad :I am rotating them so hard in my mind!! I've had fate+mdzs ideas for years and never quite known how to put them together!!

I feel like working out the logistics of everyone getting summoned at this time of night is...questionable, but let's say that it's a modern day setting, and someone's set it up so all the cultivators in a certain area can summon a servant in order to start a free for all, winner gets the holy grail - because if anyone's starting a bloodbath for a suspicious cup full of seemingly unlimited power, it's mdzs cultivation society!Surely this won't cause any problems!

Especially since this is a setting where reincarnation is a thing. Servants aren't heroes themselves, after all, but copies of them, the distillation of their virtues and vices into the most intense version they can be. Servants have met their original selves before - surely meeting a reincarnation isn't out of the question?

Which is how sect heir Jin Ling, in his expensive sneakers and a fancy sweater, summons a man with ancient clothing and his uncle's face.

"I ask of you, are you my master?"

"....jiujiu?"

The man blinks, and in a second, he's out of the circle and patting Jin Ling on the head, checking him - 'what are you wearing?"

"My clothes? Jiujiu???"

....he is going to have so much explaining to do to his parents. And his uncle. oh no.

ARCHER CLASS: JIANG CHENG

Across the city, in a quiet garden, two more summoning circles flare. Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui watch as figures form between them in black and white, matching figures -

"Wow, gege, are we a matched set?"

"Mn."

"Hey!! Hey look, it's our students! Boys, hi! Hey, is your uncle still Lan Qiren? Can we see him??"

Jingyi elbows Sizhui. "Are they supposed to know my dad's name?"

"I don't know," Sizhui whispers back. "But maybe they can help us figure out why he had a qi deviation..."

SABER CLASS: LAN WANGJI

CASTER CLASS: WEI WUXIAN

In a lonely restaurant after hours, the chef ran. He was cleaning up after work when he saw something he shouldn't have - blood, and a knife, and a figure moving impossibly fast -

"I'm really sorry, da ge. It seems I don't have a choice but to kill you again," says the impossibly fast man, his sword whipping out like a - well, a whip. (The chef had never had a good grasp on metaphorical language, after all.)

"I don't know what you're talking about!" and the chef grabs his favorite knife and spins, trying to take a chunk out of his enemy.

But the man in gold is too fast, and his blade nicks the chef's arm. Blood spatters.

A pattern painted whimsically on the restarant's wall glows under the fresh coat of blood. A figure emerged and smashed down, almost crushing the slender man in a flurry of green silk - and every clumsy move after was made with the deliberation of a wrestler, making space between the man in gold and the chef.

"San ge - "

"I'm not dealing with you, Huaisang!" the man snapped. "I'll be back!"

"Um," said the chef.

"Hi!" says the man in green - who gathers himself up with the wet eyes of a dog. "Da ge, so sorry about all that - are you alright?"

Nie Mingjue has had a fucking night when all he wanted was to close his restarant. However, he thinks as the man in ancient clothing drapes himself over him and wails about how relieved he is he's ok - there's something that seems right about this weird guy saying they're bound by fate or whatever. He always did want a little brother.

ASSASSIN : JIN GUANGYAO

AVENGER: NIE HUAISANG

"I'm Wei Wuxian, I prommy."

"You prommy?" Zizhen says.

"I prommy. I double prommy. I will take good care of you, triple prommy."

"That's a lot of prommies."

"I'm a modern guy who makes modern prommies. We'll win this whole thing, you can relax, we can have a good time. It'll be great!"

"Yeah!"

"Now, first things first - you got any good romance novels I can borrow? I have been starved for choice!"

PRETENDER: MO XUANYU

(kdafja;sdlkjs sorry jiang cheng but you are so hard to write ILL GET YOU NEXT TIME)

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lifeofresulullah · 2 months

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The Life of The Prophet Muhammad(pbuh): Farewell Hajj and the Death of the Prophet (pbuh)

Farewell Sermon

After praising and thanking God, the Prophet recited the following sermon, which contains unchanging and ageless criteria, to more than one hundred thousand (one hundred and twenty thousand) Companions and actually to all Muslims and the mankind:

“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be among you again.

O People! Just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust.

O my Companions!

Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. Do not return to your previous deviation before me and do not kill one another.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.

O my Companions!Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Truly, the usury of the Era of Ignorance has been laid aside forever. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. God has judged that there shall be no interest and the first interest that I abolish is the one due to Abbas ibn ‘Abd'al Muttalib (Prophet’s uncle).

O my Companions! Every right arising out of homicide in pre-Islamic days is henceforth waived, and the first such right I waive is that arising from the murder of Rabi`ah ibn Al-Harith, grandson of Abdulmuttalib (my uncle’s son).

O people!

Today, Satan has lost his power to affect you and to establish sovereignty in your land. However, avoid following him in small things; if you obey him in small things, he will be glad.

Avoid them to protect your religion.

O people! I advise you to show respect to the rights of women and fear God about them. You have taken them as your wives only under God’s trust and with His permission.You have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve. If they allow anyone you do not approve into your house, you can beat them slightly. The women have the right to their food and clothing in accordance with the custom.

O Believers!I have left you with something which, if you hold fast to it, you will never go astray; that is, the Book of God.

Believers! Listen to my word well and memorize it! Every Muslim is the brother of another Muslim and that Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim that belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly.

My Companions! Do not oppress yourselves; you have rights over you.

O people! God Almighty gave the rights of everybody to their owners in the Quran. A will is not necessary for inheritance. A child that is born belongs to the owner of the bed. There is deprivation for a person that commits fornication. A person cannot attribute himself to anybody except his father or his master; if he attempts to do so, may the wrath of God, the curse of angels and the curse of all Muslims be upon him. God Almighty will not accept the repentance and witnessing of those people.

O people! Your Lord is one; your father is one, too. All of you are children of Adam. Adam was created out of dust. The one that is the most valuable in the eye of God is the one that fears Him the most. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab except by piety and good action.

O People! Tomorrow they will ask you about me, what will you say?”

They said, ‘We witness that you carried out the duty of being the Messenger of God, You carried out your task faithfully, and you advised us.’

Thereupon, the Messenger of God raised his blessed index finger and then brought it down over the congregation and said,

“O Lord, be my witness! O Lord, be my witness! O Lord, be my witness!��

They Perform the Noon and Afternoon Prayers Together

When the Messenger of God ended the Farewell Sermon, which is a lofty and sacred lesson for the humanity, Bilal al-Habashi started to call the adhan for the noon prayer. The Messenger of God and the Companions listened to the adhan in awe. When the adhan ended, Bilal recited the iqama. The Messenger of God led the noon prayer for that magnificent congregation. Then, iqama was recited again; this time, the Prophet led the afternoon prayer. Thus, the Prophet combined the prayers of two different times with one adhan and two iqamas.

First Sign

It was after the afternoon, near the evening. The Messenger of God was on his camel, Qaswa. Meanwhile the following verse was sent down:

“This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed my favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”

When the Messenger of God recited this verse, the Companions became very happy and joyful. Only one of them was crying: Hazrat Abu Bakr… The Companions did not understand why he was crying. They asked him. He said,

“This verse indicates that the death of the Messenger of God (pbuh) is near; that is why I am crying.”

What Hazrat Abu Bakr said and understood was true; this verse was the first indication that the time for the Messenger of God to pass away was approaching. Since all of the things that needed to proposed and conveyed were proposed and conveyed, the duty of the person who proposed and conveyed them would end.

Sources mention that Hazrat Umar also realized that secret.

From Arafat to Muzdalifa

After the sun set on Friday, the Messenger of God went to Muzdalifa from Arafat on his camel, Qaswa, accompanied by Usama b. Zayd. Meanwhile the time for the evening prayer ended and the time for the night prayer started. The Messenger of God led the evening and the night prayer with one adhan and two iqamas.

From Muzdalifa to Mina.

The Prophet spent the Friday night in Muzdalifa. After performing the morning prayer there on Saturday, he went to Mash’ar al-Haram.

The Messenger of God said to his Companions, “Collect small stones to be thrown at Jamra” and showed them how to throw the stones.

Then, he threw seven small stones at Aqaba Jamra one by one. He uttered “Allahu akbar!” each time he threw a stone. Meanwhile, the Companions threw stones at Jamra in the same way.

After throwing seven stones at Aqaba Jamra, the Messenger of God returned to Mina.

Sacrificing an Animal

The Messenger of God went to the place of sacrificing. He slaughtered sixty-three animals, one animal for each year of his life, with his own hands. He had his hair cut. He gave his hairs to his Companions as a memento. It was an indication that the time to leave his Companions was approaching. His following words strengthened this indication: “O people! Learn the procedure and principles of hajj from me. I do not know but you might not see me here after this hajj.”

Khalid b. Walid Gets Some Hair of the Fringe of the Prophet

While the front part of the hair of the Prophet was being cut, Khalid b. Walid said, “O Messenger of God! Give me some of your hair of the fringe.”

The Prophet accepted his wish, gave him some hairs from the front part of his head and prayed God to make him victorious all the time. Khalid wiped those hairs over his eyes and then placed them into the front part of his cone.

Due to the hair and prayer of the Messenger of God, Khalid became victorious in every battle that he joined. As a matter of fact, the Prophet said, “Wherever I sent Khalid, that place was conquered.”

The Prophet’s Circumambulation of Ifada

The Messenger of God went to the Kaaba to perform thecircumambulation of Ifada (Ziyarah) before noon on the first day of Eid al-Adha. He ordered the Muslims to go there, too. He performed the noon prayer after the circumambulation. Then, he drank water from the Zamzam Well.

The Messenger of God returned to Minah toward the evening of that day.

The Prophet Throws Stones on the Second and Third Days

On the second and third days of Eid al-Adha, when the sun moved toward the west, the Messenger of God went to the first Jamra near the Mina Mosque on foot. He threw the seven pebbles one by one. He uttered, “Allahu akbar!” as he threw each one of them.

Then he went to the second Jamra and then to the third Jamra, also called Jamratu’l-Aqaba. He threw seven stones at each jamra one by one. He uttered, “Allahu akbar!” as he threw each one of them.

Going to Muhassab

It wa Dhul-Hijjah 13, Tuesday.

The Messenger of God went to the stony place called Muhassab from Mina. His tent had been set up there. He said to his Companions there, “May God enliven and brighten the faces of the people who listen to my words, memorize them and then convey them to other people. It is possible that a person who understands my words will convey them to a person who will understand them better. Know it very well that three things will not allow hatred and jealousy into the hearts of Muslims.” He listed them as follows:

“Sincere deeds for the sake of God, advising and obeying Muslim leaders, following Islamic community in creed and righteous deeds…”

#allah #god #islam #muslim #quran #revert #convert #convert islam #revert islam #reverthelp #revert help team #help #converthelp #how to convert to islam #convert to islam #welcome to islam

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thecarelessvoice · 10 months

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Back here after a loooooong time.

Watched the longest promise, had multiple break downs. SY is gorgeous, fuck we don't deserve his elegance. Also ZY is such a good character and their chemistry and story was *chef's kiss.

Saw an edit on twitter of SY and WY being twins. Had another break down. Came up with this disastrous and silly AU. (A mix of cql and mdzs novel) (Feel free to use it 😁)

When Baoshan Sanren took little Shi Liu to her mountain, she gave her the courtesy name Cangse and officially dubbed her as her disciple.

Years later Cangse Sanren gave birth to a twin, Shi Ying was born first, easily getting calm when put into changze's arms, named after her mother's maiden name. Then a minute later came wei ying, hollering and bawling his eyes out. Named after his father. It took a while for him to calm down in cangse's arms.

When changze asked her why the character for wei ying's first name was different than shi ying's she laughed and said he was the youngest, so of course he is my "baby".

They had four happy years together until fate decided to take away the twins parents from them.

The twins waited a year in the streets of yilling, starved homeless but having each other as company. Until one day shi ying went to find food for them but didn't return.

The rest of the story happened the same.

In the battle of nightless city wei ying jumped off the cliff ready to die, but then later he opened his eyes staring at his face looking back at him.

Later Shi ying told him that when he went to get food for them all those years ago, dogs attacked him and he was injured badly, when he finally gained his consciousness, he was told that he was brought in to the mountain by their mothers master baoshan sanren. It took two years for him to convince her to look for wei ying but by the time she went back to yilling wei ying was gone.

Shi ying then swore to become a powerful cultivator like their parents and to help people, he eventually managed to reach immortality and baoshan sanren left him the mountain and ascended to godhood. He got married to another discipline named zhu yan. He told wei ying his wife and had a similar personality to wei ying so they became fast friends :).

I guess then wei ying told him about his life and what he went through and shi ying helped him develop another core and told him he would be by his side if he ever wanted to revenge but wei ying told him there's no reason for him to get back to the cultivation world.

13 years later when a curse appeared on wei ying's arm, the twins, with zhu yan accompanying them, went to mo village together to solve the mystery of the mo manor.

Then lan zhan dealing with the fact that apparently we ying is alive(??) And has a twin brother(??) Who's literally second in power compared to immortal(now a heavenly official/god??) baoshan sanren (also shi ying is so much like him based on his manners that shufu would qi deviate again if he learns cangse sanren had another son), and tries to get along with his brother in law.

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chaoticgoodlawyerwrites · 2 years

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Preview for DYK Chapter 21!

So um. This chapter will be a lot. Brace yourselves!!

---

When Ning Yingying heard of her Shizun being carried by Liu Qingge into the hospital area from a random disciple excited to share the news, it had taken everything she had not to rush to him.

She knew that meant her precious brother was now gone for an unknown period. She knew that her beloved Shizun and brother-in-law would be in immense pain.

She just hadn’t expected it to be physical.

Gongyi Xiao, who she generally respected and liked, seemed just as shaken by the news. She knew he loved Shen Qingqiu in his own quiet way, deterred by her brother’s rather aggressive protection of his mate, now husband. Still he said softly and fretfully under his breath, “I just saw him. He and Disciple Luo were in good health and spirits. What could have happened?”

Now was as good a time as any to start her charade. It wasn’t like she would have to fake her grief; she would be without her closest family member for years, after all. But she would need to make a show of being surprised.

“You were?” She asked, anxiety in her tone. Ning Yingying then turned to the gossiping disciple with fear in her voice. “And what of Luo Binghe, my didi? He wouldn’t have left Shizun, not for anything!”

The disciple looked uncomfortable. “This one… apologizes and cannot say.”

“Go, Head Disciple Ning,” Gongyi Xiao said to her with a bow. “I can manage things here. You should be with your brother and Shizun; I know your presence would be a comfort to them both.”

…he really was quite likable.

“Thank you!” She exclaimed with a fast bow before running out the room.

Ning Yingying, for all that direct combat was not her strength, was a cultivator and a damn good one at that. Her Shizun after his qi deviation saw to that.

Not that her Shizun before did not treat her with extreme kindness. He was simply too indulgent of her, like he needed a place to dump all the affection he could easily show and chose her as its recipient. That had all but disappeared as Shen Qingqiu recovered.

The shift in personality, coupled with what had to be a sudden, immediate knowledge and acceptance of Luo Binghe being a demon had Yingying questioning more than a few things.

But her theories about her beloved Shizun were not important at the moment. What was urgent was the speed at which she moved, using her qi to its best advantage and blurring her surroundings as she ran to him.

The medics let her into the building without fuss, silently pointing to a side corridor. She followed their directions at a more moderate pace, aware that she was surrounded by the injured.

It wasn’t hard to guess which room was Shen Qingqiu’s; Master Liu would not stand so protectively outside of anyone else’s save, perhaps, his sister’s. She marched up to him, not having to fake her worry because Shizun was not supposed to be hurt—only grief-stricken.

“Liu-shishu,” she started, walking up to him. “Shizun is…”

“Alive,” he said, tone much softer than usual. “Injured but resting. Mu Qingfang is with him.”

“And my didi? Head Disciple Xiao said he saw them together in the Gorge and… what? Is A-Luo not with Shizun?”

He seemed really, really uncomfortable as he said carefully. “…no, he is not.”

“Well, where is he?! He never would have left… Shizun if…” she trailed off, eyes widening as if in horrible realization.

As gently as the man probably could, he said, “Head Disciple Ning, my condolences. The only remnant of him was a shattered Zheng Yang.”

“No,” she said, staring at him in horror. “No, he was just here! And Shizun would never let anything happen to him!”

“Sect Leader Shen had been grievously injured and nearly drained of energy when I found him. He likely had no choice.”

She burst into tears, the show of emotion easy. She had wanted to cry for her brother for so long that it was almost a relief. She put her face in her hands and crumpled to her knees.

To her surprise, Liu Qingge gently touched her shoulder. “I am sorry, Ning Yingying. If it had been Mingyan… I’m sorry. No one should have to lose a younger sibling.”

She cried harder at that and leaned into his touch. It felt good to cry, to shake with he barely contained sobs. She knew she was in public and very well known. Between Shen Qingqiu’s injury and her reaction, people would begin to speculate and eventually realize that Luo Binghe was nowhere to be found. It would save them time of lying about his death later; people would draw their own conclusions.

Ning Yingying knew all this as she let herself miss Luo Binghe and grieve his loss for these next few years. She did her best to let it out now, knowing that Shen Qingqiu would need her to be strong.

She loved her Shizun, and knew he loved A-Luo beyond all reason or sense. Prepared or not, she doubted the weight of her brother’s absence would be felt fully until they returned to Qing Jing Peak, until he returned to the bamboo house alone.

And that was when the real grief would start.

Yingying cried and slowly stopped, pulling herself together. She wiped at her face, wanting to appear a mess. She looked up at Liu Qingge and said, “Could I see my Shizun? Please? Even if he is unconscious; just to lay eyes on him, to see that he’s here.”

Liu Qingge looked at her with sympathy and helped her stand. “Let me ask Qingfang.”

He knocked and a besieged Mu Qingfang opened the door a bit. He looked at Liu Qingge, looked at Ning Yingying, and sighed. He stepped aside, “You alone, Head Disciple Ning. Don’t disturb him; he’s finally resting as peacefully as possible.”

Ning Yingying nodded firmly to him and stepped inside.

Shen Qingqiu was resting on his back with blankets covering him all the way to his neck. He was not relaxed in his rest, seemed drawn and pale. He seemed to be breathing evenly enough, but it was obvious he was far from fine.

First, there was a shining tear track running down from the corner of his eye.

Second, there was a prominent white streak in his once perfectly black hair.

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dirty-bosmer · 2 years

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Come Get Your (TES) Fics

Been suffering from some terrible writer’s block lately, so I decided, why not share someone else’s story instead :D Inspired by the many lovely recs and reviews from @dumpsterhipster and her new rec blog @dollar-store-apocrypha, I present to you

Next of Kin - by ClassicHer (@princess-prawn)

Fandom: TES Oblivion Rating: E (Graphic Depictions of Violence) Categories: F/M Genre: Mystery, Crime Thriller, Romance Characters: F!OC, Lucien Lachance, The Dark Brotherhood Status: WIP, 125k words

“The dice were loaded, of course. No other way to play.”

This story is far more than a Dark Brotherhood fic, and while I may have initially clicked for the Lucien Lachance tag, I stayed for the brilliantly crafted, delightfully brash protagonist, the impeccable eye for detail, and the fast, gripping plot, all of which are beautifully woven into one of the most enthralling and original mysteries I’ve read on the archive to date. The intrigue is supplied instantly— I mean, just check out that hook! :o

Set prior to any of the events of Oblivion, Next of Kin follows Talrose Gatthen, a Dunmer living with her younger brother on the Anvil Docks whose fondness for drink complements an equally agreeable penchant for bar-fights and gambling. When Tal returns home from yet another late night out, she discovers that her brother has been taken, and the only surviving trace of the struggle is his pearl necklace, found submerged in a pool of blood.

Rich in suspense and drama and gritty twists, Tal’s journey to track down her brother leads her deep into the underbelly of Cyrodiil’s infamous guild of assassins. Next of Kin features an entirely original plot with a cast of primarily original characters, and yet ClassicHer manages to write the Dark Brotherhood and the broader setting of Cyrodiil with a vibrancy and richness that is both familiarly authentic and impressively novel.

Furthermore, the characterization in this story is some of the best I’ve ever read in fanfiction, with a protagonist that is such a delicious shade of morally-grey, it makes me weak in the knees. Abrasive, angry, and arguably an asshole, Talrose is realistically flawed while remaining sympathetic through very deftly handled moments of earnestness and vulnerability. We are consistently shown through her actions and the reactions of those around her that she is clever, she is violent, brutal by nature, but so too is her determination and resolve given the emotional weight necessary to keep us rooting for her to succeed (Also she is funny as hell). There are so many things I love about her— her dialogue, her narrative voice are just a few of many. The writing is smart, and there’s a sharp cunning to her character, a roguish charm that fits so perfectly with the darker tones of the story overall.

Not only is Tal a compelling deviation from Dark Brotherhood protagonists I’ve read in the past, but the cast as a whole, both major and minor characters, are fully rendered and written to occupy a believable and vividly painted space within the world at large. To quote my comment because I can: “[ClassicHer has] carved out so much extra depth within the world that everything, even the characters and places that I recognize, have this sleek shine to them that strikes me as *new.*” Of course, I could go on, but I think one of many commenters said it best with:

Every character who's appeared onscreen so far has felt like a rich, complex character with their own inner world and motivations, and it does SO much to keep the reader immersed and invested in the story. - Filigreebee

And lastly, I would be remiss not to mention ya boy Lucien Lachance since I know that for many, his name supplies the most immediate spark of interest and source of appeal when selecting a new fic to read. Due to the nature and timing of the setting, Next of Kin features a pre-Speaker Lucien who has not yet come into a position of authority, subverting the common themes of power imbalance and age gaps that we see in many Dark Brotherhood romances. He is believably a career assassin— ambitious, ruthless, frightening, but not without a masterfully balanced streak of humanity which makes the potential for romance (and a gentle romance at that) all the more convincing. Lucien fans, you will not be disappointed.

All in all, a standout story. I mentioned this the first time I recced this fic, but ClassicHer has demonstrated a level of fluidity in her writing that I aspire to one day achieve. I recommend this story to anyone with a remote interest in the Dark Brotherhood, Oblivion, or writing as a craft. Forever a fave— I will be eagerly awaiting any and all updates.

#lmao I said I was gonna keep this to three paragraphs and make it succinct #Srsly tho this is among THE BEST oblivion fics I've ever read #instant rec instant fave #fanfic recs #Lucien lachance #oblivion fic #the dark brotherhood #tes fic #I eat this fic for breakfast

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basicsofislam · 2 years

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PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)’s BIOGRAPHY : Farewell Sermon

“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be among you again.

O People! Just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust.

O my Companions!

Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. Do not return to your previous deviation before me and do not kill one another.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.

O people!

Today, Satan has lost his power to affect you and to establish sovereignty in your land. However, avoid following him in small things; if you obey him in small things, he will be glad.

Avoid them to protect your religion.

O Believers!I have left you with something which, if you hold fast to it, you will never go astray; that is, the Book of God.

My Companions! Do not oppress yourselves; you have rights over you.

O People! Tomorrow they will ask you about me, what will you say?”

They said, ‘We witness that you carried out the duty of being the Messenger of God, You carried out your task faithfully, and you advised us.’

Thereupon, the Messenger of God raised his blessed index finger and then brought it down over the congregation and said,

“O Lord, be my witness! O Lord, be my witness! O Lord, be my witness!”[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 250-252; Tabari, Tarikh, Vol. 3, p. 168-169; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, ibid, Vol. 5, p. 30, 262, 412, Vol. 1, p. 384, 453; Muslim, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 41-42; Ibn Majah, Sunan, Vol. 2, p. 1024-1025. ]

They Perform the Noon and Afternoon Prayers Together

First Sign

It was after the afternoon, near the evening. The Messenger of God was on his camel, Qaswa. Meanwhile the following verse was sent down:

“This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed my favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”[ Al-Maida, 3. ]

“This verse indicates that the death of the Messenger of God (pbuh) is near; that is why I am crying.”[ M. Hamdi Yazır, Hak Dini Kur’an Dili, Vol. 2, p. 1569. ]

Sources mention that Hazrat Umar also realized that secret.[ Tabari, Tafsir, Vol. 6, p. 52; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, Vol. 2, p. 13. ]

From Arafat to Muzdalifa

From Muzdalifa to Mina.

The Prophet spent the Friday night in Muzdalifa. After performing the morning prayer there on Saturday, he went to Mash’ar al-Haram.

The Messenger of God said to his Companions, “Collect small stones to be thrown at Jamra” and showed them how to throw the stones.

Then, he threw seven small stones at Aqaba Jamra one by one. He uttered “Allahu akbar!” each time he threw a stone. Meanwhile, the Companions threw stones at Jamra in the same way.

After throwing seven stones at Aqaba Jamra, the Messenger of God returned to Mina.

Sacrificing an Animal

The Messenger of God went to the place of sacrificing. He slaughtered sixty-three animals, one animal for each year of his life, with his own hands.[ Muslim, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 42; Ibn Qayyim, ibid, Vol. 1, p. 275. ]He had his hair cut. He gave his hairs to his Companions as a memento. It was an indication that the time to leave his Companions was approaching. His following words strengthened this indication: “O people! Learn the procedure and principles of hajj from me. I do not know but you might not see me here after this hajj.”

Khalid b. Walid Gets Some Hair of the Fringe of the Prophet

While the front part of the hair of the Prophet was being cut, Khalid b. Walid said, “O Messenger of God! Give me some of your hair of the fringe.”

The Prophet’s Circumambulation of Ifada

The Messenger of God returned to Minah toward the evening of that day.

The Prophet Throws Stones on the Second and Third Days

Going to Muhassab

It wa Dhul-Hijjah 13, Tuesday.

“Sincere deeds for the sake of God, advising and obeying Muslim leaders, following Islamic community in creed and righteous deeds…”[ Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 80-82; Ibn Majah, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 1016. ]

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bestplaystation5games · 2 years

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A Plague Tale: Requiem - A Masterpiece Game

The action-adventure is a crossbreed genre and will include various games that are better categorized under more and more narrow categories. Most of the time, games that are pure adventure retain situational trouble that players must resolve, with highly few or no actions. As the label suggests, action gaming titles are much more engaging. Your participation in every story is very highly dynamic, with a focus on fighting, whether making use of swords, guns, or even tactics. While you might encounter enigmas and more peaceful adventures now and then but the main goal in this kind of genre is to dispute the hand-eye coordination of your players, reaction speed, and power to control roadblocks under pressure. In the final analysis, action-adventure little games test your reflexes and problem-solving in both vicious and nonviolent scenarios.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is the type of game that doesn't require any effort to play. Its forerunner, A Plague Tale: Innocence informed a contained story that could easily have had a single-hit success, with its developer Asobo Studio using the momentum of their success to create a wholly brand new IP. Yet, they did not. Instead, they chose to make the criticisms of the title seriously and address them for a full-length sequel. The Plague tale: Requiem stands shoulder to shoulder with a few of the greatest sequels in gaming history, improving on almost everything about the initial installment in the series, while providing new and exciting elements that video game players might sink their teeth into. It could be some kind of surprise to those who catch a glimpse of the initial video game's premise. Kicking off a few months after the first story, this one is about Amicia back in the role of protecting Hugo when his condition caused from the Macula progresses. This could be said but not done, as several new factions are out to utilize him to attain their objectives, either regardless of whether they have Amicia on the scene. And yet, there are some hints of optimism. Hugo is beginning to think of an idyllic island which could be the answer to his condition.

And, not only that, there's evidence to suggest that it could be much more than an idea conceived by the child's brain. In a desperate attempt to free her brother from his curse Amicia set out locate this island and is ready to fight any threat, whether rat or human-set, meet her and Hugo's paths. In any case at the very least, she does her top, since she actually is fighting against an unidentified condition that's starting to get worse.It certainly feels like a normal sequel This impression lingers throughout the initial chapters of the entire game. After a couple of minutes, though, A Pestilence tale: Requiem starts to diverge from this setup in a few intriguing and novel ways. Twists are applied to the typical tropes that it sets up which lend it a sense of originality as it begins to show itself as an edgier examination of themes that were fought in A Plague Tale: Innocence. At the end of the game at the end of the video game title, I became totally invested in what it had to share about the larger adventure Amicia as well as Hugo had undergone up at that point. It's not just that. I happened to be thrilled that it was able to tell its story in a way so many AAA titles it drew inspiration from had neglected to achieve.

Consumers could buy cheap games.

It was able to deviate from its usual path and try new stuff, leading to a narrative adventure that attempted to change within the storytelling conventions that are used in so many popular titles of today. This was furthermore helped by the gameplay of the title. Similar to its forerunner A Plague Tale: Requiem offers gamers a surprising amount of options in the way they approach any given challenge. They're able to attack fast and loud, destroying adversaries guards from left to right, with pinpoint shots fired from Amicia's sling or crossbow. They could at the same time adopt a more strategic approach where they concoct alchemic tools to deceive and manipulate their opponents by. It is possible to avoid conflicts by sneaking across the area like ghosts. There's no right or wrong option, except for a couple of slices that require a specific approach and strategy, the game is left to the choice entirely about the player to choose how they would like to play. It's all pretty perfectly balanced with each style of play it makes gamers to easily change between different methods depending the way they wish to approach a given circumstance. To add to this, there are many new and improved gaming mechanics available.

Buy cheap games with the best deals.

#A Plague Tale: Requiem #action adventure

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twilight-orchid · 3 years

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How The Demon Brothers React After Fighting With Their SO

tw: some angst with resolution at the end, mentions of past arguments, insecurity.

Lucifer:

This man is petty as hell.

He doesn’t do the silent treatment, but he acts like you aren’t dating.

If you need to work on something together, you’re a co-worker.

At RAD you’re a classmate.

Around the house you’re just a housemate.

His poker face is immaculate and it will not crack when you’re around.

If someone didn’t know what was happening, they’d probably think you two barely knew each other.

However, you won’t notice, but as soon as you look the other way his eyes are on you.

He’s used to arguing with his brothers and is no stranger to explosive fights that end with he and the other person not being on speaking terms.

But you’re different.

He tries to go on with business as usual, but he can’t think about anything other than how much he misses you.

Yet, he lets it continue because he just can’t put his pride aside and apologize.

If you decide to sleep in your old room it’ll both hurt his feelings and royally piss him off.

He thinks you’re being childish and will be pretty rude about it, but that’s because internally his blood just ran cold.

It adds a degree of seriousness to the argument that he’s uncomfortable with.

Yes he’s mad, but he can’t lose you.

If you still sleep in his bed, he makes sure to scoot over to the very edge so he doesn’t cuddle you in his sleep.

In fact, the first night after the argument he’d probably put a pillow between you just to really punctuate the fact that he’s still upset.

I’d say it could go 4 days to a week tops without you making up.

After a point though, he just can’t function until the issue is resolved. He can’t sleep, he’s falling behind on his work, and he’s just generally not doing well.

You get called to his office one night and find him at his desk surrounded by piles of paper, disheveled and exhausted.

“MC, come sit down. I’d like to talk this through. Please.”

Mammon:

He’s so dramatic.

You dare defy him? The Great Mammon can’t believe this tiny fragile human would have the audacity.

The theatrics are just a front though.

His ‘The Great Mammon’ act is a mask for his insecurity, one he hasn’t had to use with you in awhile.

Even as the words leave his mouth he regrets them.

He’s going to be very uncomfortable with everything until the argument is resolved, but most of all himself.

He’s learned not to take his brothers too seriously when they toss insults his way, but words have a way of morphing to belief over time.

Internally he is going to be super hard on himself.

Regardless of if the fight was his fault or not, he’s going to kick himself constantly for making yet another mistake.

He’s over the argument pretty fast. The anger quickly melts into anxiety.

Are you going to leave him? Do you hate him? Did he hurt your feelings?

That being said, he doesn’t know if you’re still mad and he doesn’t know how to ask.

As a defense mechanism, he defaults to how he treated you when you first arrived in the devildom.

Calls you human, disregards you, stuff like that.

If you decide to sleep in another room, before midnight expect him to be knocking on the door.

“Oi, MC. You awake? I just - I can’t - *sigh* Can we talk about this?”

If you sleep in his bed, he makes a point of sleeping with his back to you.

Less because he’s actually mad and more because he doesn’t want his image of you as he drifts to sleep to be a look of anger.

Though as soon as he passes out he’ll roll over and tuck you into his arms on instinct.

I’d say any after effects of an argument with Mammon would be resolved in a day, maybe two tops.

Leviathan:

Arguing activates his trolling the forums mode.

Goes back to calling you a normie and contradicts everything you say.

He’s less mad about the argument and more using the bitterness to cope with how upset he is.

He feels like a break up is less of an if and more of a when.

Why would someone as amazing as you settle for weird otaku like him?

Honestly doesn’t understand why you’re with him in the first place, so when there’s a serious argument he assumes its over.

Tbh don’t know how you and Levi would sleep together being that I doubt two could fit in a tub, but any deviation to your routine sends him into a panic.

It’s his reality check that the situation is serious and he needs to fix it NOW.

He��d have trouble apologizing in person. He can’t think of what to say, he stumbles over his words, and he feels like he’s on the verge of a panic attack.

Instead, expect a long ass text message.

He says how sorry he is, how much he misses and loves you, and legit begs you to forgive him.

If you sleep with him like normal, he’ll probably try to make up after laying there for awhile. His mind is going a million miles an hour and there’s no way he can sleep.

Still really has trouble verbalizing how he feels, so give the poor boy a break and take over the conversation.

He hasn’t had a serious relationship before and he doesn’t know what he should do to make it better.

So the after effects will last however long it takes him to read several mangas, watch some anime, and play a few games to see how the characters get over arguments in the story.

Satan:

Satan makes sure not to fight with you over minor issues.

He’s worked tirelessly to tame his wrath and he refuses to feed into it over a minor issue.

Thus, if you fight with Satan it’s a major argument and it’s explosive.

The aftermath isn’t much better.

He doesn’t want to risk blowing up again, so he’s frighteningly calm.

He’s an absolute master of the silent treatment.

He won’t say a word to you until he’s certain he’s calmed down enough.

For the first few days he’ll straight up leave a room if you enter.

For a good while the only way you can expect to communicate with him is through his body language and the expression in his eyes.

Satan’s biggest fear is losing control and lashing out at you.

He couldn’t live with himself if he hurt you and he can’t stand the thought of you being afraid of him.

He’s a whirlwind of emotions, so he isolates himself until he can figure out how to deal with it.

Not just from you, but from everyone else too.

Satan will not share a bed with you for at least the first night.

If he got worked up enough to actually fight, it’s gonna take him time to simmer down.

And he’d rather not risk doing or saying something he regrets in the meantime.

Once he’s ready, he’ll approach you when he’s completely calmed down and has thoroughly analyzed the situation.

He’s considered both of your sides, tried to pinpoint what caused the disagreement to turn into a fight, and made a plan of action to prevent it from happening again.

“MC? I’ve been thinking quite a bit about what happened. Would you please talk it through with me?”

He won’t apologize for the argument if he feels like he was right, but he will apologize for letting the disagreement escalate into a fight.

Satan could go weeks without making up if necessary, but he tries to resolve it within a couple of days.

Asmodeus:

Wants to give you the silent treatment, but is physically incapable.

He can’t stand to have you ignore him.

He’s the type to go back to normal then suddenly remembers you guys had a fight.

“Wait, no! I’m not talking to you! I’m mad at you!”

His biggest downfall is that he’s so stubborn.

If he thinks he was right, he will die on that hill.

There are arguments with his brothers that happened a thousand years ago and he could still tell you exactly why he was right.

But with you, he realizes that doesn’t matter too him nearly as much as it usually does.

If it means going back to normal, he’ll forget who’s right or wrong.

If you sleep in another room, he’s beyond offended.

“What?! Well fine! I don’t want you in my bed anyway!”

Laying in bed alone is a different story though.

He can’t sleep. All he can think about is you. Your face when you sleep next to him, your smell, the feeling of his arms around you.

He 100% cries.

Finally goes and knocks on your door with wet, glossy eyes.

“MC? Can we talk about this? I can’t get my beauty sleep and my tears are wiping off all of my skin care lotion!”

Will throw himself into your arms before you can answer.

If you sleep next to him still, he rolls over and watches you sleep.

It puts him at peace and he decides seeing your sweet, resting face every morning is worth more to him than the argument.

He’ll initiate the conversation the next morning.

I think Asmo could make it a few days if it was a really serious argument, but he will not function well until you make up.

Beelzebub:

Wants to make up immediately.

He doesn’t like to argue, even less so with you.

Whether he was right or wrong, he blames himself. He’ll take all the blame in the world if it makes you happy.

He’ll go make you your favorite food and bring it to you.

If he thinks you don’t want to talk to him, he’ll leave it outside your door and text you to let you know it’s there.

He’s honestly devastated if you decide to sleep in another room.

You guys migrate to your old room when you want privacy from Belphie, but you almost never sleep separately.

Seeing you grab your pillows and march out of the room nearly stops his heart.

He goes completely numb and silent as he just stares at the space you had just occupied.

Like Levi, he thinks this means the relationship is over and he genuinely does not know what to do with himself.

He can’t even bring himself to eat, he just wants to lie there, lost and trying to grapple with his emotions.

He’s another one who will absolutely cry, but unlike Asmo he will make sure no one knows it.

If you still sleep in his bed, he’s very nervous about it.

He doesn’t know if it’s okay to touch you, what he can or can’t say, stuff like that.

He just lays there stiff as a board not even able to close his eyes.

Honestly the fight would probably have to be resolved before bed. His anxiety just can’t take it.

I don’t think he’d initiate the apology. Not because he doesn’t want to make up but because his confidence is rock bottom in these situations.

He catastophizes and honestly thinks you hate him.

If you don’t initiate the apology soon, Belphie will. He can feel what his twin won’t say, and he knows Beel won’t approach you about it for fear of making it worse.

Belphie will lock you two in a room if that’s what it takes for you to make up.

Belphegor:

The embodiment of if looks could kill.

He won’t talk to you, won’t look at you, basically pretends you aren’t there.

If he must interact with you he’ll roll his eyes and sigh the whole time.

Tries to sleep through any interaction so he doesn’t have to deal with it.

He feels almost betrayed by the fight.

He thought the relationship was stronger than to have such a huge divide, so he’s really insecure about it.

After the first day, the anger has melted away to guilt.

He ‘s not guilty that you fought, but he is guilty about how he treated you after.

Guilt and self-blame have become unwelcome friends at this point. Guilt over Lilith, over his plans to destroy the human world, everything.

But more than anything else, the guilt for the fact that he attacked you weighs on him every day.

He moved past it quickly after, essentially pretending he hadn’t killed you, but that’s because he just couldn’t confront what he’d done.

He feels like the luckiest demon alive that you forgave him, let alone opened you heart enough to love him, and now it’s all in tatters.

Another thing to regret.

If you decide to sleep separately, it’ll hit him like a bag of bricks.

“You - what? Where are you going?”

It’ll take him a second to process what you were doing, but then he’ll roll over and let you leave.

“Fine. Don’t let the door hit you.”

No one will see him for awhile.

Belphie sleeps all the time anyway, but he just can’t make himself get out of bed.

If you don’t approach him to apologize, Beel will tell you that he’s been nauseous and randomly emotional which must mean his twin is coping very badly.

Will beg you to go make Belphie happy again.

If you sleep in his bed still, the argument will be resolved by morning.

He can’t keep himself from embracing you in his sleep, and it’s hard to say you’re mad at someone when you wake up in their loving arms.

It’s hard to pinpoint how long it could last with Belphie. If you don’t apologize first, he won’t let himself be conscious long enough to approach you.

This is both my first hc post as well as my first obey me post so I’m sorry if le boys are ooc. I just got this idea and couldn’t stop thinking about it so here we are. Especially Belphie, he was hard to me for some reason. Let me know if you guys agree or disagree and if you want to send a request or ask, my box is open!

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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

Text

Spilled Pearls

- Chapter 23 - ao3 -

Lan Qiren woke with a start at the sound of something slamming to the point of cracking – a door thrown too hard, perhaps, or the shattering of a piece of furniture under the strength of a powerful cultivator.

Dazed at having been woken so abruptly at such a late hour, he at first thought that the sound was an aberration of some sort, someone making too much noise by mistake, even some cultivation maniac doing exercises in the middle of the night that had briefly lost control, but then the sounds continued, crashing and slamming and even indistinct shouting.

Indistinct, and unfamiliar, but still recognizable – that was Wen Ruohan’s voice.

Lan Qiren had never heard him shout before.

He stood up, instinctively checking over his clothing and fixing his forehead ribbon, and padded out towards the door to the hallway. The array used to create enough silence to let him sleep was glowing faintly, doing its work against overwhelming odds, but Lan Qiren didn’t hesitate to dismiss it and pull open the door, poking his head out to see what was going on.

“ – what use are you?” Wen Ruohan was shouting, some distance down the hall. “Good-for-nothing bitch! What do you think I got you for in the first place?”

He was standing outside his wife’s door.

Lan Qiren had not seen Madame Wen on this visit, other than in passing. He’d been relieved to discover that he had heard accurately and that she had not suffered on account of what she had done, except perhaps as a result of her husband making clear that he would give her exactly what he had promised her out of their marriage and nothing more. Despite that, every time she saw him, she generally had an expression that resembled smelling something bad, and he didn’t especially want to deal with her irrational jealousy.

(Lan Qiren could understand and even appreciate the truth that she had shown him, but it didn’t mean he appreciated the reasoning behind her actions - just as Wen Ruohan might appreciate the cunning and ambition demonstrated by her actions, and begrudgingly acknowledge that the real fault for their divide was his own actions, but not feel any more inclined to her as a result.)

Lan Qiren thought he might have to deal with her more, particularly on the few times he had visited little Wen Xu, who was already a size or two larger than he’d started out – it was simply shocking in terms of how much time had passed since he’d had his argument with Wen Ruohan – but he found that the child was largely being watched by servants, not the Madame, who was busy ruling the social scene of the Nightless City. Whether that was true or merely an excuse, by now it was clear that they were in mutual agreement that they did not want to spend any time in each other’s presence.

She was also, very clearly, refusing to let Wen Ruohan into her bedroom.

Lan Qiren couldn’t blame her: he’d never seen Wen Ruohan in a state like this. His clothing was mussed up, his hands clenched, his face red, his aura frighteningly strong and overwhelming, his monstrously powerful qi roiling the air in the hallway into an incipient storm – and even from the distance he was standing, Lan Qiren could smell the distinct odor of strong liquor, suggesting that Wen Ruohan had overindulged in alcohol at some point after Lan Qiren had gone to sleep. Based on casual mentions in prior conversation, Lan Qiren knew that Wen Ruohan’s cultivation level was so high as to render him largely unaffected even by significant drinking, but the fact that he had bothered to try to seek solace in the wine jar suggested that there was something incredibly wrong with his mental state.

It wasn’t a qi deviation - the violent emanations were unsettled, but not distorted - but it wasn’t good, either.

Wisdom would counsel that Lan Qiren keep back and not get in Wen Ruohan’s way.

Righteousness, on the other hand…

Anyway, Wen Ruohan was his sworn brother. What sort of brother would Lan Qiren be if he took only the good and not the bad?

“Da-ge?” he called, stepping out into the hallway. “Da-ge, come away from there.”

Wen Ruohan turned to him, and his expression was frightening. “Fine. You’ll do,” he growled, and it was only because Lan Qiren had grown wiser and stronger that he realized what was about to happen and dodged before Wen Ruohan could grab him, darting back into his room.

Wen Ruohan followed him in.

“What happened?” Lan Qiren asked, still backing away. “You were fine at dinner – what happened since then?”

For some reason, that set Wen Ruohan off again, turning his attention away from Lan Qiren, and he grabbed the table and threw it into the wall, smashing it all to pieces.

“That fucker,” he snarled, his eyes blank and distant. He wasn’t angry at Lan Qiren, that much was clear, but he was filled with ceaseless rage, and he was taking it out on everything around him. “That fucker got married! He’s got a son!”

Lan Qiren blinked. “…what?”

Smash went the cabinet, and all the various things on it. At least Wen Ruohan hadn’t started in on the paintings, which were the only aspect of the room Lan Qiren actually cared or worried about.

“Who got married and had a son?” Lan Qiren asked, even though he knew it would only inflame Wen Ruohan further. At this point, it was clear that Wen Ruohan’s had gotten stuck in his chest, like black blood that needed to be coughed; he needed to vent his anger or else it would curdle within him and he would suffer. “Normally that’s a good thing, a cause for celebration. Why is it bad here?”

“Because it’s Lao Nie!” Wen Ruohan burst out, and Lan Qiren rocked back on his heels in shock.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t known that Lao Nie had been unusually distracted these past few months, even most of a year – the way he’d ignored or disregarded Lan Qiren’s letters about the situation with He Kexin, the breezy and almost manic tone of his replies to Lan Qiren’s brother, which Lan Qiren had seen, it all spoke of distraction and carelessness, all typical of Lao Nie, albeit of far greater severity than usual.

Nor was it truly a surprise that none of them had been informed: the Qinghe Nie had always been idiosyncratic about their personal details, unusually secretive and fiercely proud of it. They did not share their birth date or even year, other than for arranging a marriage. If Lan Qiren had thought about it, he wouldn’t have been at all surprised to find out that Lao Nie would have married and had a child all without having shared any information on the subject until afterwards.

Only…

“But aren’t you – with him?” he asked, and knew immediately that he had asked the wrong question.

Wen Ruohan roared and smashed yet another thing, sending a palm strike through a dresser and denting the stone wall with the power of it. “He’s mine,” he spat. His eyes were even redder than usual, the sclera becoming red alongside the iris; it made him look almost possessed, almost as if he really were having some sort of qi deviation. “He’s mine, damn it! Who is he to give himself to another? And he didn’t even tell me…!”

They were definitely in a relationship, Lan Qiren confirmed to himself. His guess had been right. There could be no doubt about it. And yet, despite it all, Lao Nie had –

No, he couldn’t even express surprise. Lan Qiren knew Lao Nie, knew what he valued and how he valued it: Lao Nie had always been passionate and powerful, strong and superior, friendly and often kind, and yet at his core he was ruthless, careless, and selfish, just like Wen Ruohan was so often selfish. He did not concern himself overmuch with questions of righteousness, other than to the degree necessary to win glory to his sect as one on the righteous path. After his sect, which he valued most of all, he was an indolent pleasure-seeker, with terrible taste in partners, the more dangerous the better; Lan Qiren had seen him flirting with people left and right long after he’d concluded that he’d entered into a relationship with Wen Ruohan.

In the past, Wen Ruohan hadn’t seemed to mind. If anything, he’d even encouraged him, looking smug and amused by the flirtations, taking the other man’s victories as his own; during one incident that Lan Qiren could recall, he’d all but applauded when Lao Nie had successfully wooed some rogue cultivator and taken her back to his bed, turning instead to his own separate amusements after.

Then again, that wasn’t a marriage.

(Of course, Wen Ruohan himself had also gotten married…)

“How dare he,” Wen Ruohan said, panting a little from his own exertion, clearly more moved by the feelings raging within him than any type of physical exhaustion. “How dare he – does he think I’m desperate? Pathetic? Does he think I’d run after him, begging and humiliating myself..? I don’t need him at all!”

He turned once more, and this time his gaze focused on Lan Qiren.

“I have something of my own already,” he murmured, and this time Lan Qiren wasn’t fast enough to stop him as he caught him up in his arms, slamming his back against the wall.

Lan Qiren tensed, suddenly for a moment back in his rooms in the Cloud Recesses, looking up at a different brother who wanted to hurt him – but no, Wen Ruohan wasn’t the same, Wen Ruohan liked him. He was acting out of fury, not malice; there was no He Kexin here to goad him on, nothing like that.

Even the force of being pushed against the wall hadn’t actually hurt – Wen Ruohan had been careful even in his mindless rage, making sure that any impact was cushioned by his own arms rather than Lan Qiren’s back; Lan Qiren hadn’t even had the breath knocked out of him.

“Da-ge…!”

Wen Ruohan didn’t want to hear him. He put his hand on Lan Qiren’s mouth and pressed down, cutting off speech at once. They were pressed together so closely that the movement inadvertently dragged his sleeve onto Lan Qiren’s throat, almost making him gag, and he instinctively tried futilely to kick his way out – it didn’t work, of course.

Wen Ruohan pressed up against him, the front of his body burning like flame against Lan Qiren.

“You’re mine,” he said, reaching in to nuzzle the side of Lan Qiren’s head with his cheek. “My blood brother, bound by oath and blood; my shining pearl, untouched by the world. All good things should belong to me.”

Lan Qiren reached up to try to push away the hand at this mouth, wanting to speak even though he did not know what he would say, and at first he thought he’d done it. But then suddenly he was in motion, his back landing hard on the bed he’d been given, the impact softened by the blanket Wen Ruohan had wrapped around him when he’d brought him back to the Nightless City from the Cloud Recesses. Shocked by the unexpectedness of the abrupt movement, he gasped, a wordless inhale rather than any coherent words.

Less than a heartbeat, and Wen Ruohan was on top of him, pressing him down. His body seemed even hotter than usual, as if his whole spirit were aflame, his qi boiling in the air around them until Lan Qiren had the impression as though he ought to be able to see steam; his hands were hot where they pressed down on Lan Qiren’s shoulders, his lips burning as they pressed against his collarbone, and between his legs there was something hot pressing against him, too.

And still, Lan Qiren – was not afraid.

He wasn’t sure why. He’d been terrified when it had been his brother who had stood against him, disgusted when it had been He Kexin pawing at him in ways he did not and had never wanted, but Wen Ruohan, who was bound to him through nothing but a tricked oath…

“Da-ge,” he whispered. “Please stop.”

Wen Ruohan stilled. He didn’t get up or pull away, but he didn’t make any further movements.

“Please let me go.”

Wen Ruohan’s breathing was harsh in his ear. “You, too, little Lan?” he asked. “Just like him, making me think – don’t you like me?”

“I do,” Lan Qiren admitted. He might be stupid when it came to social interactions, might be slow and miss things that were obvious, but even he could figure out what Wen Ruohan meant, with his confession of how Lan Qiren lingered in his thoughts and in pressing him down on the bed like this while mourning the loss of Lao Nie, his lover. And maybe sometimes he needed Cangse Sanren to point things out to him, but most of the time he knew himself. This past week had made clear enough that he enjoyed Wen Ruohan’s endless indulgences in a spirit that was more than just pure brotherhood. “I do like you. But I don’t like – this.”

Wen Ruohan was silent for a long moment.

“Not this, with me,” he finally said. “Or not – at all?”

“At all,” Lan Qiren said. He had thought when he was younger that he might change, but he was increasingly sure that he wouldn’t, that this was just what he was like. “I was never like the others my age. Even Yueheng-xiong, who I would’ve thought loved nothing but mathematics and explosions, has found himself distracted by the shape of the one he likes. But not me. I don’t yearn the way they do. I can love a person’s spirit, but I never much cared for the flesh.”

“Love,” Wen Ruohan echoed, his voice oddly uneven. “You speak of - love?”

“…isn’t that what we’re talking about?”

Wen Ruohan laughed, a jagged and choked up thing, and then he pulled away, letting Lan Qiren go, sitting up on the bed and burying his face in his hands. The qi around him was still too-hot, overwhelming, pulsing with his feelings, even as his shoulders shook and he stared blankly at the wall; any other man, and Lan Qiren might think he was crying, but he could see Wen Ruohan’s face through his fingers, and there were no tears there.

Perhaps he’d forgotten how.

Lan Qiren slowly sat up himself.

He could still feel the mild stiffness of old healing injuries, but he ignored them and got up off the bed, going to the one side table that had yet to be destroyed – the one where he’d laid his guqin to rest. It turned out that Wen Ruohan had only destroyed the things he himself had put into the room; he hadn’t touched anything of Lan Qiren’s.

Lan Qiren settled in front of his guqin and began to play.

Out of all the compositions he had created, his favorite was the one he had first created at the Nightless City, that strange hypnotic melody that brought to mind spilled pearls, but unlike some of the others he’d worked on, it had never felt fully completed. The music wrapped itself around the listener, at first intimate and then oppressive, a heavy stone in their chest and pressure on their skull, growing darker and darker, just as he’d written it – but now he played onwards, elaborating on the theme in ways he hadn’t planned or expected, letting the solemn notes brighten, the overwhelming pressure turning from suffocating into safe as it became clear that it would cause no harm, the storm passing by overhead and leaving things clean and clear and better, the lingering euphoria of finding oneself supported, rather than alone.

When his fingers finally stilled, Lan Qiren looked up and saw Wen Ruohan sitting there with his back straight again, hands resting gently in his lap, eyes closed as if in meditation and face calm once more. His qi no longer coiled around him, lashing out; it had settled once more.

“You will,” Wen Ruohan said without opening his eyes, “be an excellent traveling musician, little Lan. People will fight for the right to hear you, and you will never go without an audience.”

Lan Qiren hesitated, not sure what to make of such a compliment, or what Wen Ruohan meant by it. He’d only intended to play something to help him settle his qi and soothe his rage, which he’d clearly accomplished. He hadn’t even meant to play that particular song, other than in the way that he tended to default to it when he had nothing else specific in mind. It had always been unsatisfying, like an itch, but now it finally felt complete.

“Da-ge –” he started to say, not knowing what he would say next, but at any rate he never had the chance to continue.

“When you do finally go to fulfill your dreams, leaving the dust of the world behind you, I hope that you visit the Nightless City often,” Wen Ruohan said. His tone was still calm, settled, but not, Lan Qiren observed, peaceful: there were all sorts of seething emotions underneath it. “But for the moment, I think it is better if you return to the Cloud Recesses.”

Lan Qiren hesitated once again, this time feeling a little hurt. “You don’t want me here?”

“I do,” Wen Ruohan said, and his lips curved into something that was not a smile; it seemed almost painful a shape to contort into, and his eyes reflected no humor at all when he opened them. “Very much. Ah, little Lan, if only you knew…despite that, I would still have you go. Having made my views on you clear to your brother, it should be safe, and I do not want you to see what beast I make of myself when I am denied.”

Lan Qiren bowed his head a little. “About Lao Nie…”

“I know what he’s like,” Wen Ruohan said. “I’ve always known, from the start. If you had asked me a few days ago, I would have said that I did not have any illusions…”

He smiled bitterly.

“It seems that I misjudged myself.”

“I’ll go,” Lan Qiren said. He didn’t especially want to, but Wen Ruohan wasn’t in a rage, nor lashing out unthinkingly. To refuse him would be to deny him, to treat him as if he could not make his own decisions, and that, he thought, would be worse. “If you want me to, I’ll go, and later, I’ll return.”

Wen Ruohan said nothing, but he watched as Lan Qiren pulled on some more clothing, not caring which one it was, and did his hair back up in the simplest style, favoring speed over substance; he packed away his guqin and his sword and one of the paintings that he had liked best, but took nothing else – after all, it wasn’t as if he were going away for good.

He made it to the door before hesitating, then turned back to look at Wen Ruohan, who was still watching him.

“Is there anything…?” he asked haltingly. “Something I can get you…?”

“Send one of the maids to me,” Wen Ruohan said. “Any of them, it doesn’t matter which. If they’re still hanging around in the family quarters after an eruption like that, it can be seen that their ambition has overcome their good sense, making them a perfect match for me. It would be a shame to deny them the fruits of their victory.”

Lan Qiren didn’t quite understand, but he knew enough to get the gist; he felt his cheeks and ears go hot. Still, he had offered, and it wasn’t something he was willing to do himself, so there was really no basis for refusing to pass along the request. He nodded and slipped out – as Wen Ruohan predicted, there was one of the maids lingering at the far corner, looking around in blatant curiosity. She was pretty enough, Lan Qiren supposed, with an upturned nose and a slightly arrogant air, her clothing carefully arranged to be just a little mussed in a way that Lan Qiren understood most men to find attractive.

“Your sect leader is in my room,” he told her, and she blinked at him. “If you go to him now, he’d probably accept. Up to you, though.”

She stared at him for a moment, then nodded. He left, his head held high; when he glanced back anyway, he saw her going into his room, hair patted down and clothing even more carefully arranged – Wen Ruohan hadn’t been wrong when he speculated as to her ambitions. The life of a powerful sect leader, Lan Qiren supposed: desired but never known, as distant from those around him as Lan Qiren but as a consequence of his position rather than his inclination.

He would definitely return, Lan Qiren decided. Perhaps he would even make the Nightless City the first destination on his travels. After all, why should he not? Was Wen Ruohan not his sworn brother, too?

Yes, Lan Qiren thought. That was right.

Wen Ruohan deserved to have someone possess him as he longed to possess others.

#mdzs #lan qiren #wen ruohan #my fic #my fics #spilled pearls

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screamingatanemptyroom · 3 years

Text

Please Fix the Story pt 23 - Sci Fi

Here is the next part! There is at least one more part in this world. Getting really close to the end!

Masterpost Linked Here

Enjoy!

_______________________

Life moved on, and despite the growing anxiety I had after my encounter with Chris, things moved smoothly. Chris had disappeared after that night, leaving his resignation from the academy laying on his desk. Liam was busy with wedding plans, occasionally checking in to make sure I was happy with his choices.

He was honestly much more thoughtful about it than I would have been, and I was happy to have his help. My father arranged his leave and was on his way. We also heard from Liam’s parents that they were going to arrive soon as well.

When Liam received the news, he became perfectly still for a few moments. I watched him, concerned at the obvious change.

“Liam, are you okay?”

“I – I don’t know.” His eyes were unfocused, as if staring off into space. “Why… are they coming?”

“Because they’re your parents? I doubt they would miss the wedding of a royal family member, no matter how bad your relationship is.”

“Parents… it’s… all wrong.” Liam seemed to be struggling against some invisible bind. His dark blue eyes flickered, and seemed to almost glow in the shadow of the resting area we sat it.

WARNING. World destabilization detected. Attempting forced conformity… Failure… host and partner soul strength too high.

Unable to see the bright blue words hanging in the air, Liam continued speaking.

“This… isn’t right. I don’t have family." His face was becoming more certain. “It’s not my fate. All I have is…” He glanced at me, his eyes filled with pain. “Bel..?”

WARNING! Stabilize world story immediately or face destruction and mission failure.

I reached out quickly, holding Liam’s hands in my own. “Liam, take a deep breath. Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” He answered without hesitation.

“I know it seems wrong, but for now I need you to go with the idea of having parents and family.”

“But…?”

“Trust me. “

“Okay.” He leaned back, sighing. The glowing dark blue of his eyes faded, and he closed them for a brief moment, before seemingly returning back to normal. “I trust you.”

We don’t belong here.

The uncertainty in this world grew each day. Liam, whoever Chris had become… me… we weren’t from this world. But if we deviated to much, the world could destabilize, and I could fail the mission.

I just needed to keep my head down, blend in and complete the mission.

Try not to rebel too much against the role I’d been given in this world, except the ending.

Simple, right?

_______________________

…

“We’ve talked the last few hours about our lists, now it’s your turn! What do you miss most about Chris, Alaira?”

Maybe world destabilization, mission failure and soul destruction aren’t that bad after all.

I stared at the group of young women in front me, wondering for the hundredth time in the past hour how I had been roped into this... harem support group?

Allie, Ilene and Wen stared back at me, waiting for me to answer.

“I… miss kicking his butt in mock Mech battles?” I winced as I spoke, realizing they would probably take offense at that, but to my surprise they all smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, you were a very important rival to Chris.” Ilene patted me on the back.

Allie spoke up, “He was always talking about how he wanted to beat you and have you accept him as a fellow Guardian. “

“Yeah… he… I…” Wen started to chime in, but then her face crumpled as she sobbed into her hands. “What are we supposed to do now that he’s gone?! What am I supposed to do without him?! What if he never comes back?!”

“I miss him!”

“Me too!”

Soon all three girls were crying, leaving me in uncomfortable silence in the corner.

Blend in, don’t make waves, don’t try to change things….

“I can’t live without him!” Ilene’s dramatic cry broke something within me.

SCREW THIS!

“OKAY GUYS, SHUT UP!” I stood up, placing my hands on my hips as I stared at them. “You are a group of highly intelligent, talented women in the most competitive military academy in the known universe! And you’re nothing without some guy?”

“He’s not just some….” Wen started to interrupt, but was shushed by me.

“No. No matter how much you care for him. He is a guy, and you are all your own person. You have talents, dreams and stories beyond his existence.” I turned to petite girl beside me first. “You! Wen, you’re one of the top engineering students in the program! With your skills, it would be a cinch to improve upon the current Mech design!” After all, she had ramped up Chris’s Mech in the story, surely she could do the same without him!

“And you!” I pointed at Allie. “You’re a Guardian! You're a level B one at that! That's an even higher level than Chris!”

“But I don’t have his drive…”

“You can have his drive! You can have more than his drive! He spent half his time complaining about how people didn’t take him seriously or how people were trying to force him to be a Connector. You can be TEN TIMES the Guardian Chris was!”

I ignored her startled sputterings and turned towards the dark haired girl on the other side. “And you… Ilene.”

She stared at me warily. “What about me?”

“You’re a freaking Princess! And a super talented Connector! How can that become nothing if Chris isn’t around?”

“…I thought you didn’t like me?”

“I don’t.” I answered bluntly. “You treat your brother like trash, and that’s enough for me to want to kick your teeth in.” I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “That being said, just because I hate you doesn’t mean I don’t respect you as a talented Connector. You just have a crappy personality.”

“Um… Thanks?”

“Don’t mention it.” I opened my arms. “You three have top-notch talent all gathered here in one room. What do you need Chris for?! You could be a force to be reckoned with!”

Wen jumped to her feet. “You’re right! I should design a Mech, one stronger than anyone’s ever seen.!”

“Yes!” I pumped a hand in the air.

“And I’ll fly it! I’ll terrorize the Hive until they go running back to their home planet!” Allie stood up as well.

“You’ve got it!”

Ilene joined in. “If I remember, Allie, you and I have a decent resonance match. How about we partner up?”

“Let’s do it!”

The girls high-fived each other while I watched approvingly.

“Let’s destroy the hIve!

“We’ll save humanity!”

‘...And then we’ll find Chris!”

I groaned.

They were so close… but I guess this is better than nothing.

The girls plotted the formation of a new team, surprisingly accepting the team name “Harem” (my suggestion). As they filed out, chattering excitedly, I prepared to escape this mentally exhausting group.

“Alaira, wait.” Princess Ilene stopped me before I could walk out the door.

“What is it?” I kept a neutral expression. I hadn’t been joking when I said I didn’t like her.

She hesitated. “Are you really marrying my brother?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

“…No… it’s just…” She rubbed her face. “He’s… different. And I feel like you should know. “

Sitting back down, I crossed my legs and prepared to listen.

“Since he met you… William is a different person. He’s kinder… gentler… even goes by a different name. He’s never gone by Liam.”

That caught my attention “What was he like before?”

“Angry. Vicious. Hurt people just to watch them suffer.” Her face was blank, as if remembering things she didn’t want to. “He was so mad at the world for not allowing him to match, he spent all his time plotting to take down talented people who could.”

A villain. Was that who he was before Liam stepped in? Like how Alaira was before I took over? Or Chris before… whoever it was… took his body?

“I’m not pretending that I’m perfect, either. You’re right, I treated my brother like garbage, instead of trying to help him. I thought he was a monster. Honestly, I thought his hanging around you was some new scheme…. I was kind of hoping he would take you out so your couldn’t bother Chris…”

“So nice of you.” My tone was sarcastic

“At least I’m honest. Anyways, this doesn’t appear to be some trick… I think he’s changed… he actually seems to care about you. But I thought you should know who he was before he met you.”

“Thanks.” My tone was slightly better than before. “Don’t worry, I know exactly who I’m marrying.”

Liam. Not your villain brother.

“Good Luck.” Ilene seemed relieved, as if a burden was off of her shoulders with the confession, and hurried out.

I stood in the room alone silently for a few moments, processing.

There’s too many questions, and no answers in sight.

I left to find Liam. I missed him.

_______________________

I arrived just in time to see Liam and Alaira’s father facing off.

“She is my precious daughter.” The tall middle aged man with close cropped hair and a scowl made scarier by the scar running from his left eye to the corner of his mouth, towered over Liam. His disapproving air was evident.

“Yes.” Liam smiled and nodded, seemingly fearless.

“No man deserves to marry her.”

“Agreed.”

“So who do you think you are?” General Gladus poked Liam’s chest with a finger.

“The luckiest man alive to be able to stand in the same room as Alaira, much less stay by her side all my life.” He held out a plate in front of the angry man. “Cookies?”

“Well, you should know I don’t approve of this fast courtship…” He picked up one of the cookies and bit into it angrily. “You both are so young…” He took another bite. “And I don’t want you to hold her back…”

“I completely agree. I will do my best to support all her goals in life.” Liam handed the general another cookie as he finished the first.

“Good…” He chewed slower. “Is this chocolate? How did you get it so soft but chewy at the same time?”

“I developed the recipe. Would you like more?”

He picked up another one. “Just know this doesn’t mean I fully approve of you.”

“Of course not… Would you like some cake…”

“….”

“I also have homemade hot chocolate.”

“… As long as she likes you, I guess.” He finally muttered, his hands full of baked treats and dessert drinks.

Liam overwhelmed him with support spouse abilities. I laughed in the doorway, attracting the attention of both men.

“Anything for me?”

Liam nodded with a bright smile. “I saved you a plate.”

General Gladus cleared his throat as he saw the large platter filled with cookies.

“Don’t worry, Sir, I saved an extra plate for you.”

“… Don’t think you can bribe me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “So I can have your plate, then?”

“The hardened general clutched the plate of cookies to his chest. “Don’t you dare! The boy made them for me out of respect for his future father-in-law!”

“…” Liam and I smiled at each other.

“How is the front line… Dad?” The title felt a little rough as I spoke it. I was still acutely aware that he was Alaira’s father, not mine.

“Stable, for now.” He frowned. “Fortunately we have an elaborate defense system, to give plenty of warning. But they’ve been retreating more and more lately. The higher ups seem to think that they might be admitting defeat, but I just don’t think so. I think they’re preparing for something… big.”

He’s right.

I knew the ending of the original story. Around the time Alaira was supposed to graduate, they had attacked in the largest numbers ever seen, necessitating all senior students being recruited to help fight. Even Alaira, who was without a Connector and would have normally been left behind was brought in. They couldn’t afford to leave any powerful guardian out.

I still have a little more time, though. I can train with Liam, maybe get Wen to help upgrade our Mechs, train up some of the students… We can have a chance to really face off against the attack.

There’s still time…

“Don’t let down your guard. You’re the best general we’ve got.” I patted Alaira’s father on the shoulder.

He crushed me in a big hug. “Don’t worry, your dad will protect the galaxy! You just get married in peace.” He leaned in and whispered. “See if he can make a few more of those chocolate cookies, okay?”

“I will, Dad.” It came much more naturally this time.

I’ll protect you too. I added silently.

_______________________

As the wedding drew closer, we were notified that the king and queen were on their way. Liam ignored the news, continuing to work on seating charts and music for the ceremony.

“We have to welcome them when they arrive. They are due any minute.” I finally spoke up, slightly exasperated with his head-in-the-sand act.

“…If we have to.” His voice was cold, his dark blue eyes flickering between fear and annoyance.

I held his hand. “Don’t worry. No matter who they think you are, or what they say about you, just know that you’re my future husband. Don’t worry about anything else.”

He reached out, pulling me tightly against him. “ Thank you.”

“Just play along with them. I held his face between my hands. “You’re Liam. Not Prince William. Not their son. Not Ilene’s brother. Liam.”

WARNING. DIRECTLY CONTRADICTING STORYLINES IS FORBIDDEN.

Liam tilted his head and studied me with a worried expression. “… Are you okay?”

“Just follow my lead. Please.” I looked away from the bright blue words in annoyance and moved.

We went to meet the Royal Family, each of us nervous for different reasons.

The King and Queen looked slightly like Liam and Ilene. The king had curly dark hair, severe features, made worse by the frown as he studied Liam. The Queen had the dark blue eyes that both siblings had, and a beautiful, delicate face… but the overall sense was ruined by the terrified light in her eyes as she almost hid behind her husband.

“So this is the girl you tricked into marrying you?” The king looked at me with morbid curiosity.

Liam took a deep breath. “This is Alaira, Grade S Guardian, my resonance partner and my future wife…”

“What game are you playing, William?” His father snapped, interrupting him. “If this is some ploy to ruin General Gladus, you should stop now.”

“This isn’t…”

“You should stop this now.” The Queen squeaked out nervously at me from behind the King. “He might be my son, but you can’t trust him…”

“…”

“This wedding is a farce.” The king snapped finally. “He’s a monster.”

_______________________

“Why did you follow me?” the mournful voice called out as I entered the dark room.

“Do you want me to leave?” I looked up at the large dark blue eyes curiously, barely able to make out the large form in the darkness.

“I didn’t want you to see… didn’t want you to know…”

“Know what?”

“That I’m a monster.” The whisper was filled with so much pain it made me cry.

_______________________

BAM!

Before I fully came out of the memory, I had punched the King.

“…”

There was a moment of stunned silence from everyone present.

“You dare…!” The King finally spoke up, rubbing his red cheek with a furious expression. “I can have you executed!”

“Just try, Barry.” General Gladus walked in, his hand holding a drawn weapon. “I’ll shoot you in your precious Royal Ass, and then what are you going to lounge on while I fight your wars for you?”

"..."

The room processed his words in silence for a moment, before the king burst out angrily.

“Gladus, are you threatening me?!!”

“Oh shut up Barry. " He waved dismissively with his gun. "It wouldn’t even be the first time I’ve shot you. Probably won't be the last." You won’t arrest me, you need me to protect your country.”

“You are willing to let your precious daughter marry this… this… “ The king trailed off, glaring at Liam, who stared calmly back.

“Yes.” General Gladus shrugged “I heard the rumors. Even with the 100% match I wasn’t about to let him hurt my daughter.”

“Then why…?”

“I’ve sat down with your son, Barry. I shook his hand, looked him in the eye. I asked him the hard questions. I’ve observed him around Alaira.” The General stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. “I know a good man when I see one. And I see one. One who loves my daughter. Maybe you should try looking closer.”

“But he…”

“Plus he makes delicious cookies.” He muttered.

“…He what?”

I stepped forward, blocking Liam behind me. “He’s not a monster. He’s my future husband. I honestly do not care about your opinion. But if you want to try to hurt him, just know… you won’t have to wait for my father to shoot you. I’ll do it first.”

“… Control your child, Gladus.”

“She even threatens you just like me!” He reached out and placed an arm around my shoulders. “So proud.”

“…Fine. “ The King frowned “I won’t try to save you from yourself. Marry him, if you want.”

“I plan to.”

“Whatever you’re plotting, William, you better stop now.” He glared. “You might have fooled them, but you won’t fool me.”

“I don’t have to fool you.” Liam’s eyes were dark. “You mean nothing to me.”

“I’m your father.”

“I have no family. I… I can never have family.” Liam turned away.

“William…” The Queen called out softly.

“I AM NOT William.”

WARNING. World Destabilization detected!

“Come on, Liam. Let’s go.” I grabbed his hand and walked away, calling over my shoulder as we left. “You’re free to attend the wedding, but stay away from us otherwise.”

“You’ll regret this!”

I laughed at his bitter words. “Enjoy the disappointment.”

Liam and I left.

_______________________

We sat in my room, and as soon as my hand left his, he curled up, holding his arms over his head.

“I don’t feel right.”

“Liam.” I reached out and touched his back, feeling him trembling beneath me.

“Who am I? I don’t think I’m William. The things they said… the things William has done… He’s not me.”

Warning!

"He's not me... he can't be... He's not..."

WARNING! World destabilization... Bright blue words and a mechanical voice appeared again.

“SHUT UP!” I yelled, drowning out the voice. I pulled his arms down, looking straight into his dark blue eyes. “You are Liam. And you’re my partner. And tomorrow you’ll be my husband. Nothing else matters..”

“But…”

“I can’t explain things right now. I don’t even know everything right now. But I know there’s a reason we’re here together. I’ve found you, and I won’t leave you.”

He held me close, both of us kneeling on the floor. He was clutching me as if I was the only thing anchoring him. I felt lost myself. I was frustrated at my lack of answers, angry at the pain Liam was experiencing, afraid for the future ahead of us.

“Alaira… no… Bel?” He whispered. “... I love you.”

I smiled at the unfamiliar but familiar name, pressing my face against his shoulder. “I love you too, Liam.”

“Marry me tomorrow.”

“Definitely.”

“Don’t leave me behind… please.”

“I won't... No matter what.”

A long silence fell between us. Finally Liam sat back, his face slightly red. “I wish we were getting married tonight. I can’t help but feel something terrible is going to happen to prevent our wedding.”

Foreshadowing.

Ignoring the ominous word that appeared in my subconscious, I smiled reassuringly. “Nothing is going to happen…”

“ALERT! CODE LEVEL RED. PLEASE REPORT TO EMERGENCY STATIONS. ALERT!”

I sighed. “I take that back.”

We headed to the Command Level in the main Academy.

_______________________

“Dad, what’s going on?” I called out as we passed the main doors.

“Alaira…” General Gladus’ face was uncharacteristically serious. “It’s not good.”

I stood beside him, looking up at the large holographic display at the center of the command room, feeling the blood drain from my face. “The Hive.”

“They’re past our defense systems.” He slammed his fist against the table. “This doesn’t make any sense! How did an army this huge get past us without starting any alarms!”

I stared at the countless red dots on the screen, feeling lost.

This isn’t right. In the story I should have had YEARS before the Hive attacked in such large numbers. Even then they were caught immediately in the defense systems and gave the military time to prepare. How could they get past us… unless…

“Chris.”

He said he was going to end everything. Is this what he meant?

Alaira’s father was confused. “That male student who disappeared? How would he have access to defense system information?”

Chris wouldn’t… but whoever was controlling Chris might have more information.

I let it go for now. “What do we do?”

“There’s too many… and they’re headed for a defenseless planet in this system.” He hung his head. “I don’t have the manpower to defend it.”

I stepped forward, giving him a grim smile. “You’re not alone, Dad. I’ll help.”

“We! We’ll help.” Liam stood beside me. “We’re a powerful combo. You can’t afford to turn us down.”

General Gladus sighed. “Even if I recruit top senior students from the academy… the numbers we have… it’s a suicide mission.”

Warning! Mission Failure Imminent!

Your mission: Prevent destruction of the human race by the alien monster race known as The Hive.

The Hive are now attacking in large numbers. Your estimated chance of success against them in battle is 0%.

“If you’re not gonna say anything helpful, then shut up.” I growled quietly.

Liam turned towards me. “Are you okay?”

If you fail your mission, you will face soul destruction.

“It’s not like I’m swimming in options.”

You have one option.

“Who are you talking to?”

“What is it?” I whispered, holding Liam’s hand and squeezing it. I have to save him.

...

ACCEPT YOUR FATE.

...

I stared at the blue words silently for a few minutes. “Liam, what if I said we have an 100% chance of dying if we went on this mission…”

“You don’t know that…”

“...and I had a fool proof way to protect you… But we would be separated forever?”

I didn’t know what my fate was. But I did know in the deepest part of my soul one thing:

Liam was not my fate.

“I don’t plan to survive this, Liam… but if I could save you…”

“I would rather die by your side.” He didn’t hesitate.

“But…”

He grabbed my other hand, holding them both tightly. “We’ll face this together.”

_______________________

“It’s hopeless.” I whispered, holding him tightly. “What if fate is stronger than us?”

“I don’t need hope, Bel.” He leaned closer, his breath warm against my neck. “If fate is going to separate us, then we’ll destroy it.”

“Together.”

“Always.”

_______________________

I looked at the hologram, at the countless numbers of enemies that awaited us, and leaned against him with a sigh.

“Together.”

He smiled in return.

“Always.”

#writing #please fix the story #fantasy #world hopping #amnesia #the world is breaking #Getting close to the end.

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